Rebirth and Marriage: I am the Mistress of the Palace

Shen Wantang and the others got up and were about to leave when Gu Qianhan and Gu Qianling came in one after the other.

After Gu Qianling entered, he first greeted Madam Gu, and then greeted Shen Wantang and the others one by one. He was polite and gentle, making everyone feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze.

After Gu Qianhan entered, he ignored everyone and went straight to Shen Wantang, took her hand, and asked, "Did anyone give you a hard time today?"

Shen Wantang glared at him secretly, but did not pull her hand out of his palm. Instead, she smiled and said, "No one is making things difficult for me. Just now, my cousin treated us to some purple leaf tea that is only available in Hengzhou. It was my first time drinking this, and the taste was very novel."

Gu Qianhan nodded. He had indeed drunk this tea before, but it was in his previous life when he was traveling and passed through Hengzhou.

He's never had it in his life, so he can't tell the truth.

He simply said, "If you like it, have someone seize all the tea trees in Hengzhou and send them to the capital."

Shen Wantang was both annoyed and amused: "What nonsense are you talking about? Those purple-leaf tea trees are extremely rare, and they can't be grown in the capital. How can you take all the tea trees just because I like them?"

How is this any different from a tyrannical ruler? He certainly has the potential to be one.

Just as Gu Qianhan was about to speak, Madam Gu, who was sitting at the head of the table, spoke first: "What's the big deal? Tang'er, if you really like it, we'll just take it. So what? It's just a few tea trees."

Shen Wantang: “…”

How come she never noticed before that her mother-in-law was so domineering and loved to take things? Or was she saying it on purpose for Pei Yingzhu to hear?

Oh, no, in her past life she also loved to steal people. She even tried to steal her as her niece-in-law in front of Princess Ning and Xiao Qingyuan.

Gu Qianhan, standing to the side, was slightly displeased: "Mother, why did you steal my lines? You've already said all my lines, what am I supposed to say?"

It was rare for Madam Gu to see him suffer a setback, and she was in a good mood.

More importantly, this time she also used Shen Wantang's name to suppress Pei Yingzhu's arrogance, which made her feel very happy.

The more she looked at Shen Wantang, the more pleasing he seemed to her.

What's more, this daughter-in-law is truly filial and capable. She cured her recurring throat ailment in one go. The illness, which used to hurt for four or five days, was completely gone today after she drank the herbal soup she prepared. She felt refreshed and invigorated!

Having finally found a rare item that her daughter-in-law had taken a liking to, Madam Gu pondered for a moment, then waved her hand and said, "Someone, take my token and hurry to Hengzhou to deliver a message to my brother!"

The maidservant hurriedly asked, "Madam, what message is being delivered this time?"

"I told you, it's a waste to leave his purple-leaf tea trees in Hengzhou. Why not send them to the capital? My daughter-in-law loves to drink them, and as her mother-in-law, I dote on her, so I'll ask for three tea trees for her!"

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone in the room was stunned!

They had all heard Madam Gu say that this tea tree was extremely rare. When she got married, she asked for one as part of her dowry, but the Prince of the County did not give it to her!

This time, for Shen Wantang's sake, he's asking for three plants right off the bat?!

Even Gu Qianhan looked at Madam Gu with great surprise. He thought she was just saying it casually, but he didn't expect her to actually ask Shen Wantang for tea trees.

Gu Qianling was even more astonished: "Mother, Uncle only has seven mature purple-leaf tea trees in total. You want three of them all at once. Isn't that taking away half of Uncle's life? How could he possibly agree to that?"

"I don't care if he agrees or not. Hengzhou doesn't belong to him alone. I also have the surname Pei! Half of Hengzhou belongs to me! And the tea trees naturally belong to me too. I only want three trees, so I'm actually losing out!"

"But purple-leaf tea trees can only survive in Hengzhou. Sending them to the capital will only lead to their death. Wouldn't that be a waste of these rare tea trees that take a hundred years to grow?"

Madam Gu gave a cold laugh: "What do you mean by 'wasteful'? Are you saying that none of us are worthy of drinking it? Only your cousin Pei brought tea trees to the capital to drink, so it's not considered wasteful?"

Gu Qianling was taken aback: "What? My cousin brought purple-leaf tea trees with her to the capital this time?"

Pei Yingzhu stepped forward and said softly, "Yes, cousin, Father did indeed bring me a tea tree."

Gu Qianning also spoke up: "Otherwise what? Does Big Brother think the purple leaf tea we just drank came from somewhere? Did it fly over from Hengzhou?"

She didn't like Pei Yingzhu's behavior either, so she supported Madam Gu's request for the tea tree. Otherwise, it would have been ruined by Pei Yingzhu, so it would have been better to give it to Shen Wantang to drink!

Gu Qianling was speechless.

Shen Wantang was in a bit of a dilemma, so she could only step in to smooth things over: "Mother, why don't we just forget about it? Firstly, the journey is too long, and secondly, we have plenty of good tea in the capital. It's fine to drink Ziye tea as a novelty, but let the tea tree stay in Hengzhou and live well!"

Her words were tactful and persuasive, and they struck a chord with Madam Gu—purple leaf tea wasn't particularly delicious at all; the tea in the capital was far superior, and she didn't know what Pei Yingzhu had to boast about.

"Tang'er, don't panic."

Madam Gu stood up, walked to Shen Wantang's side, took her hand and patted it gently. She said with a loving expression, "We won't ask for too many. It's only three tea trees. The Prince has seven mature tea trees, but there are still several that haven't matured yet!"

"Don't worry, it won't kill the prince. At most, he'll feel the pain for a few days, and he won't be able to eat or sleep. It's not a big deal."

Shen Wantang was momentarily at a loss for what expression to adopt: "Is...is this appropriate?"

"Perfect, absolutely perfect!"

Shen Wantang knew that her mother-in-law was provoked by Pei Yingzhu and was intentionally trying to suppress her, while also getting angry at the Prince.

So she didn't refuse anymore, but smiled and said, "Then thank you very much, Mother. Your daughter-in-law is looking forward to drinking your purple leaf tea!"

Seeing how quickly she reacted and how sweetly she spoke, Madam Gu was immediately in a good mood: "Good child, you are the most considerate person in the whole family. Qianhan is the greatest blessing of his life to have married you!"

Shen Wantang smiled and said, "My daughter-in-law is very fortunate to have married him."

Madam Gu nodded in satisfaction: "Alright, go back now. Go about your business and tell me if you need anything. Don't skimp on yourself."

"Yes, thank you, Mother."

Shen Wantang responded and then followed Gu Qianhan.

The rest of the people left as well.

After everyone left, Madam Gu sat back down in her chair. As she sipped her tea, she sighed, "Granny, I never expected that it was the second son and his wife who turned the tables on me."

“I used to think that my second son was too cunning and calculating, and I always felt that I shouldn’t have had him.”

"I only realize now how lucky I am to have had this son! Having more sons means having more options! Without this son, I wouldn't have a daughter-in-law like Tang'er!"

"Without this daughter-in-law, I would have lost badly in today's game, and I would have been sulking for days!"