She was unaware that her thoughts actually coincided with those of the Dowager Lady in some respects.
Rong'an Hall.
When the old lady received this news, she was also greatly shocked.
She knew very well that Third Sister's personality was quite similar to Zhao's; she wasn't virtuous or generous enough, and she didn't have much cunning in her heart, making her most suitable to be someone's daughter-in-law. Although Third Sister was also reasonable and intelligent, if she were to become the matriarch of the royal family or the mistress of the Prince's mansion in the future, Third Sister's methods and schemes would not be enough.
The fact that San Niang is now in such a stalemate is perhaps due to her own problems.
But when the time comes, the most urgent task is to solve San Niang's predicament.
As the Dowager was quietly contemplating in her inner room, she heard Zhao's voice coming from outside.
"Is the Dowager Madam still resting?" Zhao asked anxiously. "I have urgent business with the Dowager Madam!"
Before the maids could relay the message, the Grand Madam's calm and collected voice came from the inner room. "Come in."
Without waiting for anyone to lift the curtain, Zhao strode in herself.
"Mother!" Zhao said anxiously, "Li has given birth to my son-in-law's eldest son by a concubine, what are we going to do, Third Mother!"
The old lady gestured for her to sit down and said in a deep voice, "What's the panic? You're supposed to be Third Sister's mother, and you're already flustered at a time like this. Doesn't that make Third Sister even more indecisive? I'm asking you, have you prepared the gifts for the Prince's Mansion?"
Zhao nodded reluctantly.
"Madam Li entered the manor with her belly almost ready to give birth. You and Third Sister should have been prepared long ago. She is very likely to give birth to the eldest son born out of wedlock, otherwise she wouldn't have been so careful to conceal it and only returned when she was almost due." The Grand Madam reminded Madam Zhao, "Being flustered now will not only be useless, but will also throw you into disarray!"
After hearing what the old lady said, Zhao Shi slightly composed herself.
"Mother, what do you think we should do now?" Madam Zhao thought of Third Sister's current predicament and felt powerless to help. Although she deeply resented the Grand Madam's concealment, she had to admit the Grand Madam's shrewdness. Third Sister's matter was the most important thing now, and for her daughter's sake, she was willing to bow to the Grand Madam!
After listening, the old lady did not answer directly, but instead asked what gifts were prepared to be sent.
Zhao was getting anxious, but she had no choice but to patiently answer each question. Before she finished speaking, she saw the Grand Madam frown.
"Is that all?" The old lady's voice revealed a hint of displeasure.
Zhao felt wronged. Those were the same gifts she had given for the third-day celebration of the eldest grandson of the Duke's mansion, and even more generous! Why did the Grand Madam still think it was too little?
"Two months ago, the combined celebrations for the eldest grandson of the Duke of Qingguo's family and the eldest grandson of the Marquis of Ningyuan's family, including their third-day and full-month celebrations, amounted to about this much." Zhao defended herself, "Although Li's son is the eldest son, he is still only a son born out of wedlock!"
"If it were Third Sister who gave birth to a legitimate son this time, would you still offer this little something to get rid of her?" The Grand Madam's expression was not good.
A hint of disdain flashed in Zhao's eyes. She couldn't help but say, "How can that be the same? If it's Third Sister's child, he will naturally be the eldest son of the legitimate wife, the future heir of the Marquis's mansion... His status is extremely precious. How can Li's son compare?"
The implication was that she had already promoted Li and her son, so what else could the Grand Madam be dissatisfied with?
"Foolish!" The old lady slammed her hand on the kang table, making the incense burner on it seem to tremble. She looked sharply at Zhao Shi and said coldly, "No matter how noble their status is, can they be the same as Li Shi's son? In the future, Li Shi's son will have to call Third Sister 'Mother'!"
"What you took out was to save face for Third Sister!"
Zhao was completely bewildered.
"In your opinion, how should Third Sister resolve the current predicament?" The Grand Madam glanced at Zhao Shi and asked.
Feeling guilty under the Grand Madam's gaze, Zhao said in a slightly unsteady voice, "The best thing would be to raise that child by his side... or to bring two trusted servants to the young master's side. After all, children born to people he knows well are more likely to be well-behaved..."
Her voice grew softer and softer, and she herself realized that what she was about to say was unreliable.
The old lady sighed heavily.
It's impossible to get angry with someone like Zhao Shi. Third Sister is very important to the Marquis's mansion, and her status as the Crown Prince's wife must be maintained.
"This time, we must prepare a lavish amount for the third-day celebration of Li's son," the Dowager said solemnly. "Just prepare the same things as we did for the Third Madam's eldest son."
Zhao's face was filled with disbelief.
"That...that's too much!" Zhao thought for a moment, then said with some pain, "He's just a son born out of wedlock..."
The old lady was disappointed in him.
At this point, there's no need to worry about the value of the gift; what's important is to resolve the current predicament.
"The best solution right now is to take this child to Third Madam's side and raise him!" the Grand Madam said patiently. "On the day of the child's third-day celebration, we will send generous gifts and invite important relatives to attend. On the day of the child's full moon celebration, we will invite all relatives to attend, and treat this child as Third Madam's legitimate son—"
Zhao's eyes widened suddenly; she understood what the Grand Madam meant.
Without making a sound, she announced to everyone that Third Sister valued this child highly. She and Yun Shen had been married for four years without children, so it was normal for her to long for one. It was also normal for Third Sister to like a son born out of wedlock. If Third Sister wanted to raise the child herself, that would be perfectly normal.
If many relatives from Third Sister's family come and bring generous gifts, it's practically an implicit agreement that the child will be registered under Third Sister's name in the future, hence such a grand display.
In this way, any reasonable person, including Princess Consort Yi and Prince Heir, would be happy.
The custody of the eldest son naturally fell to the Third Sister. Although Li was a distant relative of the concubine, she had followed the heir without any official status. Now, she was pregnant and returning to the mansion. Although she had given birth to the eldest son, it was still not a good look for her.
If Third Sister were to relent and take the child into her care, and treat the child well, then the Princess Consort and the Heir Apparent would have no further complaints.
After a moment of silence, Zhao gritted her teeth and agreed.
It wasn't that she was entirely distressed about the things; more importantly, she was afraid that Third Sister was stubborn and wouldn't change her mind in a short time.
Lady Zhao left, looking worried.
Will Third Sister cooperate properly?
******
When Anran learned that Zhao was making great efforts to prepare gifts for Li's son and had informed her and her sisters to prepare to go to the Prince's Mansion on the day of the baby's third-day celebration, she understood Zhao's intentions.