Grand Preceptor An brought along An Yuwen to the southern suburbs of the capital, where he invited the matriarch back to her estate.
After hearing her eldest son's words, Matriarch Zhou sat on the chair in anger, unable to speak for a long time.
"It was this son's fault," Grand Preceptor An said. "I always thought that the inner chamber was safe, but never expected that such an ugly matter would occur in front of His Majesty and fellow civil and military officials."
"There is a difference in descendants," Matriarch Zhou said after taking a sip of tea. "But the children born of a concubine are also descendants of the An clan! "In your generation, the An clan only has you as their first son. For you to be able to sit in the position of Grand Tutor today, your concubine brothers all put in a lot of effort. When have I ever neglected them at home?"
Grand Preceptor An was so embarrassed by the words of the matriarch that he couldn't even lift his head. All four of his brothers were born pregnant, but they had a good relationship with each other.
"It was also my fault," Matriarch Zhou patted the table beside her. "I thought née Qin was a good person!"
"Please return home," Grand Preceptor An said. "If you let Madam Qin head of the family again, your son will probably have something to say to His Majesty."
"Your Majesty spoke so of you for the sake of the inner chamber," Matriarch Zhou now revealed her astute shrewdness. "Does Your Majesty have any dissatisfaction with you now?"
"All the princes and princes are grown up by now," Grand Preceptor An shook his head. "They're all staring at a chair, so His Majesty can't help but feel anxious."
Matriarch Zhou gave a cold snort. "Tell me honestly, did you and His Majesty personally visit to your estate today?"
Grand Preceptor An's face reddened slightly. "It wasn't a special purpose …"
"It's probably because the Qin family blew your pillow, right?" Matriarch Zhou smiled coldly. "When Matriarch He came to see me, His Majesty just so happened to be here to pay a visit. His Majesty just so happened to come to visit and see the beautiful Third Miss of the An clan. What a good plan! That's a good plan! " At this point, Matriarch Zhou couldn't suppress her rage any longer in front of her only son. She flung the teacup on the table to the floor.
"Mother!" Seeing how the matriarch was angered, Grand Preceptor An hastened to kneel down. "Your son is unfilial."
"Get up," Matriarch Zhou couldn't bear to see Grand Preceptor An kneel. She slowed down her voice and said, "This matter isn't a big deal. Which mansion doesn't have a direct descendant battle?" After being laughed at for a while, it was over. The marriage that you decided upon for Ah Jin is not bad. "
Grand Preceptor An rose to his feet and sighed. "I was too rash on this matter."
"I don't think there's anything wrong with that," Matriarch Zhou said. "It's not a good thing to have too much of everything, but the pretty girl's looks are just too much. It's not that I'm cursing her, but that a beauty like her has been in trouble since the ancient times. "You gave her an order to go to the Shangguan family. Did she make trouble at home?"
When Matriarch Zhou spoke of An Jin, Grand Preceptor An didn't agree with her from the bottom of his heart, but he still said, "Mother, the marriage of a child is ordered by the parents. What can a daughter say? "She can just peacefully wait to leave the pavilion."
On the other hand, Matriarch Zhou didn't quite believe Grand Preceptor An's words. How could she not cause trouble with such a marriage?
"Mother," Grand Preceptor An could only smile wryly at Matriarch Zhou's suspicions. "Please follow your son back to the estate. When you return, you'll see for yourself that your son's words aren't false."
Matriarch Zhou had instructed her personal servant to pack her luggage. Matriarch Zhou was nearly eighty years old, and although her body was sturdy and strong, she didn't have any major illnesses, she had long since disliked being involved in the calculations of the mansion.
If not, Matriarch Zhou wouldn't have given the Qin family the authority to rule the estate and come to the Main Hall to seek peace and quiet. Now that something like this had happened in the estate, the matriarch wouldn't be able to enjoy this peace and quiet anymore.
"Mother's been hurt," Grand Preceptor An muttered as he helped his old mother onto the palanquin.
An Yuwen stood to the side. After receiving his bow, Matriarch Zhou had asked him to wait outside. Now that he was out, she didn't even spare him a glance. An Yuwen's expression turned awkward. He knew that Matriarch Zhou had vented her anger on him because of his mother. This grandmother had always doted on him, but this was the first time she spoke coldly to him in such a manner.
The An father and son duo returned to the Grand Preceptor's estate from the southern suburbs of the capital, under the protection of Matriarch Zhou's palanquin.
An Yuanzhi, An Yuexin, An Yueli, and her first wife, Madam Ning, were standing at the foot of the steps leading to the Residence of An.
When the people of the capital saw the formation of the Residence of Tranquil East Tribe, they immediately knew that the matriarch of the Residence of Tranquil East Tribe was about to return.
Matriarch Zhou alighted from her sedan chair and walked into the Residence of An with her children and grandchildren in tow. An Yuanzhi and An Jinxiu were standing one after the other on the steps behind the door.
"Matriarch Zhou." Seeing Matriarch Zhou walk in, the two siblings hurriedly knelt down to pay their respects. This was not because the siblings were late. It was because the descendants of the An family did not have the qualifications to stand outside the gate to welcome the elders and guests.
"Get up." When Matriarch Zhou saw An Jinxiu standing behind An Yuanzhi, she was truly surprised. Her granddaughter, who had always been kept by the Qin family and didn't know her identity, understood the etiquette today.
Only then did An Yuanzhi and her sister get up from the ground.
"Let's go in and talk," the matriarch said to her children. "Shut the door. This old woman is coming home, not a guest. What are doing making such a ruckus?"
In the crowd, Lady Ning lowered her head. Grand Preceptor An had confined née Qin in a large courtyard, so she was the one in charge of everything. She'd wanted to make Matriarch Zhou happy, but she didn't expect her to say something like that.
"Mother, please," Grand Preceptor An gestured for the matriarch to enter the main hall of the estate.
"Go and help Matriarch Zhou clean up the courtyard," An Yuanwen said to Ning Xuemo.
She immediately agreed to go.
Old Matriarch Zhou shook her head inwardly as she watched Madam Ning lead her family away. Madam Ning was the Qin family's chosen daughter-in-law, and was also from a large family. Although her looks weren't bad, she was stiff, like a wooden beauty. How would such a daughter-in-law manage the An clan's inner palace in the future?
On the way to the main hall, the matriarch explained to her that her children were blessed by the world, so what if she worried her heart out for them? Could he live forever, without the day of his death?
As Grand Preceptor An walked along as a filial son, the younger generation followed behind him. When they heard his and Grand Preceptor An's words, they walked into the main hall at the back of the estate.
When the matriarch reached the main hall, she took her seat at the head of the table and said to An Yuwen, "Your mother isn't feeling well. She needs to rest well for a period of time. Don't disturb her if you have nothing to do."
An Yuwen and the other three knew that the matriarch had enforced their mother's punishment, but all they could say was, "Grandson understands."
The matriarch then asked about some family matters before turning to An Yuanzhi and An Jinxiu. "I heard from your father that as long as the best medicine in the estate is effective against her, we'll just have to go get it. How can we not treat an aunt's illness?"
Matriarch He's words were sharp. If it wasn't for that beauty in the backyard, things like this wouldn't have happened.