Madam Qian was furious upon hearing this and displeased, she said, "Let's wait until I have given birth, and if it's a girl, we can talk then!"
Seeing that Madam Qian didn't give her any face, Madam Zeng was even angrier and said, "There are many who have been pregnant but haven't given birth, and even more who have given birth but haven't established their offspring! My son marrying you was truly his eight lifetimes' misfortune! In life, he couldn't have a son to inherit the family business, and in death, he has no son to break the ceremonial earthenware in his honor. Do you still have the face to stand here and argue with me?"
A torrent of malice assaulted her.
Madam Qian turned pale in an instant and said, "Are you not the child's grandmother, how can you speak like that?"
Madam Zeng indifferent, said, "You think what you carry is some sort of treasure, but in my eyes, it's nothing more than a dung beetle! Without what's in your belly, whose gender is still unknown, I still have three grandsons. What do I care about the one in your belly?"
Madam Qian was shaking with anger to the point where she couldn't even speak.
But Madam Zeng unleashed more insults as she found her anger abate, "You disaster star, if it weren't for the loss-bearing things you birthed, if you hadn't filled my second son's ears with nonsense about 'Ten Miles Red Bridal Trousseau,' would our second son need to work day and night to earn money? Would he have been in such a hurry to collect debts? Would he have died out there?"
Madam Qian never imagined that the love they had for their children would now become daggers stabbing into her heart, making her doubt whether it was because of her words that her husband had overworked himself to death.
"I didn't!" Her face was as pale as gold paper, tears streaming down.
The strength she had been mustering all this time crumbled, and she seemed on the verge of collapse.
Yuan Yunzhong, who was standing beside her, stretched out a hand to support Madam Qian.
The Song Family and the Zeng Family, one by one, were like hungry wolves, as if they wanted to devour Madam Qian—simple, direct, and rough, not even sparing a fig leaf of decency.
Bullying a widow and an orphan and doing so with righteous indignation as if it were only natural.
It truly opened his eyes!
Madam Zeng continued to curse with abandon, "It's you, it's all because of you that my son died! Weren't you always coaxing my son with 'to share the same blanket in life, the same coffin in death'? Now my son is gone, how do you have the face to live well and eat well in this world? Why don't you die!"
"Enough!"
With a "whoosh," Song Jiyun, wearing coarse mourning clothes, walked out from behind the ceremonial altar with a cold expression and stood in front of Madam Zeng.
She looked up at Madam Zeng, and her voice was cold and piercing, "You say my mother killed my father, why not say it's you, grandmother, who killed my father!"
Madam Zeng and the others present were stunned.
Song Jiyun casually said, "If it wasn't for your demand for silver to subsidize my eldest uncle and my third uncle, would my father have left home to collect debts?"
"You slanderer!" Madam Zeng was furious.
Song Jiyun said, "Dare you say my eldest uncle's shop wasn't funded by my father, or that my third uncle's newly added residence wasn't bought by him?"
Madam Zeng exploded, "That was your father's decision to support his nephews!"
"Oh!" Song Jiyun said with a heavy voice, "So, if my mother is pregnant with a son, grandmother, what do you plan to do? Let my eldest uncle buy a shop for my younger brother? My third uncle purchase a separate residence?"
Madam Zeng coldly said, "Keep dreaming! Is she even capable of bearing a son? She only has the fate to birth daughters!"
Song Jiyun pressed on aggressively, "Then what are you in such a hurry about?"
Madam Zeng was left speechless.
Song Jiyun said, "If it's not a son, the decision will be made by everyone, the clan elders will decide, since when did it become one person's word that counts? Has everyone in the clan died?"
The people in the ancestral hall fell silent at her scolding.
This was getting interesting!
Yuan Yunzhong, smiling, gestured to Liu Zi.
Liu Zi hurried to bring him a stool and poured a cup of tea.
Meanwhile, Song Daliang, seeing his mother cornered by Song Jiyun, thought his opportunity had come and, with a smile, edged closer, saying, "My grandniece, it's you who understands the situation. Some people talk about breaking the ceremonial earthenware but actually have their sights on adoption. Our Tianbao is so much better, as the first-born grandchild and the sole sprout of our family, he merely wanted to fulfill his filial duty by providing for his uncle and never once considered adoption."
It was just not the time yet.
"Eldest son and grandson?" Song Jiyun gave him a cool glance and asked Ninth Master Song, "Are the guarantees from within the clan all useless? Are the documents from the Yamen not valid?"
Ninth Master Song was stunned and blurted out, "What do you mean by that? How could the guarantees from within the clan be useless?"
He could ignore the Yamen's documents, but if the guarantees from within the clan were useless, who would respect them, the clan elders, in the future?
Song Jiyun laughed out of anger and said, "If that's the case, our family has been separate from my eldest uncle and third uncle's families for fifteen years. How come people come to our house claiming to be the eldest son and grandson but no one speaks up for us?"
The faces of the Song Family's clansmen turned red with embarrassment.
Ninth Master Song said directly, "Don't talk about the eldest son and grandson anymore!"
Song Daliang was angered and embarrassed, pointing at Song Jiyun he said, "You little girl, I've indulged you, and now you really think you're someone. Where in this place do you, a girl, have a voice? Get lost now!"
Madam Qian was immediately furious, rose to her feet to rush over, but she was seeing stars and had to support herself on the table.
Nanny Zheng quickly helped her and whispered softly, "Second Madam, rest assured, the young miss will certainly teach them a lesson."
Madam Qian sat down and then heard Song Jiyun say unhurriedly, "A girl is a guest. When you become a clan leader, a clan elder, and are in charge of all affairs of the Song Family, then it won't be too late to tell me to 'get lost.' Right now, you're standing on our property, and you don't have the authority to tell me to go!"
She did not suffer any disadvantage.
Song Daliang was speechless for a long while.
Madam Zeng, observing Song Jiyun's calm demeanor, couldn't help but jump out.
"Your eldest uncle has no authority over you, but what about me?" she glared at Song Jiyun hatefully, as if it were a matter of life and death, "I am your grandmother, do I have the authority to tell you to roll?"
Song Jiyun found this very annoying.
Her grandmother, apart from using filial piety to suppress people, what else did she know how to do?
In the past, it was just because she encountered her parents—honest and sincere people who did not argue with Madam Zeng—that Madam Zeng really thought she was an Old Noble Lady. The things she did and said were shameful; Song Jiyun did not want to deal with Madam Zeng at all.
She simply employed a tactic of giving the other a taste of their own medicine and said, "At home, a woman must follow her father; when married, her husband; when widowed, her sons. Even the Imperial family has to hang a plaque that says 'The Inner Palace must not interfere with government affairs.' Since our Song Family does not have such a rule and anyone can make decisions for the household, then it's settled. Next time the clan elders discuss affairs, don't forget our branch. With the blessings of my grandmother, I will also go aside and listen."
This implied that Madam Zeng was not following the proper conduct for a woman.
The clan elders exchanged glances upon hearing this.
Madam Zeng was taken aback, followed by a furious rebuke to Song Jiyun, "You have a glib tongue, stirring up trouble!"
"Glib tongue" is one of the seven grounds for divorce, which not only suggested Song Jiyun lacked womanly virtue, but also accused Madam Qian of failure in raising her daughter, and even included an insult to Song Jiyun's maternal grandparents.
Her family was Song Jiyun's Achilles' heel.
If Madam Zeng dared to touch her Achilles' heel, she would dare to expose the secrets of Madam Zeng's heart.
Her response sharp as a knife, she directly brought up Madam Zeng's most beloved son, Song Sanliang, for posthumous criticism, "Since ancient times, there's been 'seven outs,' as well as 'three acts of unfilial conduct.' Third Uncle, you often pride yourself on being a scholar, but how come grandma doesn't even understand such basic principles? Or is it that you can neither keep a single room clean nor maintain your own virtue?"
Her reply was indeed splendid!
If it wasn't for their conflicting stances, Ninth Master Song would have cheered for Song Jiyun.
The first of the "three acts of unfilial conduct" refers to causing shame to one's parents by failing to correct their wrongdoings.
"Cannot keep a single room clean" and "lack the ability to maintain one's virtue" come from the teachings of Mencius and the Book of Rites, respectively, both essential readings for any scholar.
Madam Zeng accused Madam Qian of lacking virtue, so Song Jiyun accused Song Sanliang of incompetence.
She also framed Madam Zeng's behavior as supported and condoned by Song Sanliang.
If today Madam Zeng dared to point at Madam Qian and scold her, Song Sanliang's reputation would be ruined as well.