"I shouldn't have argued with my sister-in-law!" Xu Yuqing replied unwillingly.
"Is that the only mistake you made?" Consort Zheng put down the iced black tea in her hand and cast a cold, sidelong glance at Xu Yuqing, her eyes as frigid as if she intended to freeze Xu Yuqing solid.
"Ever since we were exiled, you've been causing trouble. You've forgotten that you are a widow still in mourning, yet you wear bright colors and adorn yourself with makeup."
Consort Zheng scolded him coldly. As she spoke the last sentence, her voice held an irrepressible fury, and her face wore an expression of having tolerated him for far too long.
More than Xu Yuqing's various troublemaking, what she found most unbearable was her buying colorful clothes and shoes yesterday, and then adorning herself with makeup this morning.
Seeing that she seemed to have completely forgotten that her second grandson had just died a few days ago and didn't care about his death at all, her heart as a grandmother ached. She felt immense pain for her second grandson.
She felt she had failed her second grandson by marrying him such a wife!
The more Consort Zheng thought about it, the angrier she became. She glared fiercely at her second granddaughter-in-law and roared, "Xu Yuqing, what do you think you're doing?"
Xu Yuqing's body stiffened in fear. She held her breath, barely daring to exhale.
"The old hag looks terrifying right now! I've never seen her look so frightening!"
"Xu Yuqing, I've tolerated you for a long time! Before, I thought of you as my granddaughter-in-law, like a half-granddaughter. And I pitied you, a widow at such a young age after losing your husband, so I indulged and tolerated you repeatedly. But you've become increasingly excessive!" Consort Zheng pointed at Xu Yuqing's nose and scolded.
She intended to lay all her grievances bare!
She truly couldn't stand it anymore! Most importantly, she realized her previous approach was wrong!
For Xu Yuqing, constantly enduring and waiting to use "Cui Yi Piao Xi" on her was not the best solution.
With Xu Yuqing, one should employ royal law, the methods used when governing the imperial harem back then.
Seeing Jiang Shangyun speak and act in that manner earlier, she felt a faint resemblance to the person she had spent her days with in the palace. It reminded her of how she governed the imperial harem in those days, and she suddenly awoke.
She had been wrong!
What was the current situation? This was no longer the peaceful days in the Dai Wang Manor. Although Yue'er was here now, the situation was even more critical than when she was in the palace.
Moreover, if she intended to rely on her granddaughter to lead them to rise again through her great-grandchild, to reclaim everything they had lost, and even reach greater heights, to return to the palace, then simply turning Xu Yuqing into a useless person was not enough.
She should revert to her former self, using the methods of governing the imperial harem to govern the manor, to govern this household, and to govern these granddaughters-in-law.
Now, these granddaughters-in-law, not just Xu Yuqing, but all of them actually had issues, albeit different ones.
As long as the granddaughters-in-law had not left the Dai Wang Manor, they were still people of the Dai Wang Manor, an important part of this household. If they continued like this, this household would perish sooner rather than later.
A household was the most important thing.
If this household collapsed, even if her granddaughter possessed earth-shattering abilities and could lead her grandson and the Dai Wang Manor to a comeback, there would still be no peace in the future, only chaos and endless squabbles.
Therefore, she had to manage the household first.
She could no longer be a benevolent and kind old lady!
These granddaughters-in-law were, after all, not her own granddaughters. When thunderous methods were necessary, they must be employed.
"From now on, I will no longer indulge or tolerate you. Those who deserve punishment will be punished, and those who deserve severe penalties will receive severe penalties," Consort Zheng said, staring directly at Xu Yuqing with a cold expression.
"Grandmother, I didn't mean to before… I… I was momentarily confused… Please, Grandmother, take pity on me. I'm a widow at such a young age, with Ying'er, a widowed mother and child, we are truly pitiful… Please forgive me… Wuwuwu…"
Xu Yuqing was terrified by Consort Zheng's words. Recalling how she had forced herself to slap her own face, and the immense pain still throbbing on her lips, she was petrified. She quickly began to evoke pity, crying out.