In the front yard, Wang had apologized once again, but the head of the family, Weiyuan Marquis Tang Gang, pushed the blame completely and said it was all the negligence of his subordinates.
Lord Tao tried to hold back his smile and said hypocritically that it was fate, God's arrangement, and that everything was predetermined.
After seeing her daughter, Mrs. Tao also sat down calmly and talked to Wang. Tang Rong even apologized and poured tea. The atmosphere was not tense, as if the matter had just passed.
Xin An's father, Xin Kuan, sat indifferently, watching the performance with cold eyes. The person related to the Xin family was Tang Gang's father, the old man Tang who died in the battlefield. When the war was tense, it was Xin Kuan who contributed money and effort to support the old man Tang in the battle. Afterwards, the old man arranged a marriage with the Xin family.
In recent years, the Xin family has indeed become more and more prosperous because of the relationship with the Tang family, but they have also paid less tribute to the Tang family. Although it is a dependent relationship, Xin Kuan is not ready to swallow this. He is a salt merchant. As long as he is willing, there are many powerful people in the capital who want to win him over, and his status will only be higher than that of the Tang family.
When Madam Xin entered the room, everyone's eyes were focused on her. Xin Kuan asked in a deep voice, "How is An'er?"
"how?"
Mrs. Xin was angry. "What else can we do except cry until our eyes go blind?"
"She got married happily, but something like this happened right after. That silly girl cried all night in the bridal chamber that didn't belong to her. Her eyes were swollen like walnuts, and even makeup couldn't cover them up."
"I don't know if I can send someone to bring back a message."
Xin Huan immediately added insult to injury. He snorted first, then looked at Tang Rong with a sneer on his face. "What good would it do if she sent the news back? Her groom was already having an affair with his sister-in-law Hong Lang at that time. If she really told others about this, how could Tang Rong and the woman from the Tao family still have the nerve to live?"
He emphasized the word "sister-in-law" with great emphasis. Mrs. Tao could not sit still. This concerned her daughter's reputation. Her face turned dark. "The matter has been explained clearly. It was just that they were drunk and confused about who knew who."
Xin Huan was waiting for her to say this. He sneered and pointed the gun at Tang Rong again, mocking him, "You are really capable. You can't recognize a drunk person, but you still want to have a wedding night. You can still have a successful wedding night. You are really gifted."
"Didn't he boast before that he didn't even have a concubine before he got married? It seems that he has read a lot of messy pamphlets in secret, so he can be considered an old hand."
"The bride is not an ordinary person either. I heard that you are frequent guests at major banquets in the capital. It's not easy to make a mistake when you are familiar with each other. Could it be that she was alone in the bridal chamber yesterday and got drunk out of boredom, and then let you do whatever you wanted?"
He unceremoniously tore through the fig leaf between Tang Rong and the Tao family. Xin Kuan did not speak to stop him the whole time. Madam Xin was still wiping tears with her head down. After her son finished speaking, she immediately continued, "Tang Rong, the marriage between our two families was arranged by your grandfather. We thought it was a joke that the Tang family didn't mention it at all over the years. After all, there is a big gap in family background. But since you have come to propose marriage again, you should be responsible for my An'er."
"If you don't like it, just tell me. It's not like a girl from the Xin family can't get married. Since you're asking for marriage according to the rules, why are you trying to embarrass her?"
"Everyone says you are a gentleman, what with self-discipline and restoration of propriety, what with a gentleman being like a chrysanthemum, are the things you do also gentlemanly?"
The mother and son joined forces, and Tang Rong's face turned pale and he had no way to defend himself.
The Tao family was also very angry, but they could not care about anything else at this time. If they could not put the blame on Tang Rong, Tao Yiran would have a reputation as a fickle person, which the Tao family could not bear.
Mrs. Tao's eyes immediately turned red. "We were both brides. My Yiran also got on the bridal sedan happily yesterday. Who knew something like this would happen? That girl has been spoiled by us since she was a child. She is naive. When she found out that someone was wrong, her mind went blank. But how can a weak woman like her compare to a drunk man? If we shout about it, all three families will become the laughing stock of the capital. When I went to see her just now, she said she wished she could die."
"But can she die? Does she dare to die? Being a woman is already in a difficult situation, and she has no control over her own life. If she dies, Tang Rong will be in a hopeless situation. That's why she gritted her teeth and swallowed this. This is a woman's life."
"She has suffered so much injustice, I will never allow you to slander her."
The Tao family passed the buck, and all the mistakes were put on the Tang family, and finally on Tang Rong. After all, according to the two mothers, Xin An and Tao Yiran remained silent last night for the sake of the Tang family's reputation. Wang felt like she had shot herself in the foot. In the final analysis, it was all caused by her, the Marquis's wife, who had made inappropriate arrangements.
After all, he was his son. Although Tang Gang wanted to beat him to death, he had to defend him at this time. "Our three families have been on good terms for many years. No one wants to see such a thing happen, but it has already happened and must be resolved. Once someone enters my Tang family, they are my Tang family's daughter-in-law, and this cannot be changed."
"Tang Rong, kneel down."
Tang Rong knelt down, and even when he knelt, his back was straight. "Everything started because of me. No matter what the punishment is, it is deserved. I just hope that Yiran will not be implicated in this matter. She is innocent."
At this time, his protection of Tao Yiran did not make people feel that he was responsible. Instead, he had planned it for a long time and had bad intentions. Tang Gang said in a deep voice, "The punishment will be severe. Xin An suffered the most injustice in this matter and should be compensated. I will allocate 30% of the dowry left by your mother to Qiushiyuan. What do you think?"
Wang quickly raised her eyes, then returned to normal. Tang Rong nodded in agreement and kowtowed to Wang, "Thank you for taking care of this, mother."
"It should be."
Tang Gang turned his head to Wang and said, "Since the eldest brother has already married, the dowry left by his mother should also be given to him."
Wang smiled and nodded, looking at Tang Rong lovingly, "I'll send it to you when I'm done. If I could see you get married, I'd be extremely happy."
Tang Mo was a little nervous. There was not much left of the dowry left by Tang Rong's mother. What could he give back?
Wang gave him a calm look, and then stood up and bowed to Madam Xin to apologize. After a few nice words, Madam Xin's expression finally eased a little. She thought the Xin family would stop while they were ahead, but Xin Kuan spoke again, "We came here today to take An'er away. As long as we make this clear to the outside world, people outside will understand. Although remarriage is not easy, it is better than wasting your life in the backyard of the Tang family."
How could the Tang family agree to this? Wang spoke nicely again and tried to persuade Xin Kuan. Xin Kuan raised his hand and said, "No need to persuade me anymore. We said before that she would marry the Tang family's eldest son. Now that something like this has happened, there is no reason to change it to the second young master. She is not an object, and it is not fair to the second young master. It will only lead to resentment in the future. It is better for them to marry separately."
"I, Xin Kuan, will try my best to find a good marriage for An'er even if I have to sacrifice all my wealth."
He thought that he could use a little old dowry to smooth over the grievances suffered by his daughter. How naive!