♂?，，

  Ming Wu bit her lip, I was raised outside the mansion since childhood. Although my father also asked a teacher to teach me etiquette, but my mother was soft-hearted and didn't want me to suffer, so I never learned etiquette properly. When I entered the mansion and saw that everyone's behavior and demeanor were different from those outside, I felt a bit awkward and didn't dare to interact with my sisters.

  Her enchanting eyes flickered slightly, but in my heart, I've always wanted to have a good talk with Seventh Sister. Although our circumstances are different, our situations within the manor are somewhat similar. Things that others can easily obtain are always so difficult for us...

  Even if the evening daughter regained the favor of Yongning Hou, it couldn't change her origin as a brothel's first-born. She was not from a good family and could only be a concubine who couldn't see the light for life. Mingwu had such a mother, but even occupying the identity of the ninth miss of Yongning Houfu, she couldn't shake off the strange eyes and secret ridicule of others.

  Ming Xuan couldn't help but let out a light sigh, saying that everyone's fate is predetermined and she was not among them. She didn't know how to comment on Ming Wu's situation. But what made her feel uneasy was that Ming Wu suddenly said these things.

  She couldn't pretend she hadn't heard, but for a moment didn't know how to respond properly, so she could only nod stiffly and wait for Wu Jie's next words.

  I let out a soft sigh. I knew Seventh Sister must think me a deep and cunning person, accustomed to using underhanded methods. But when I asked myself if I had ever harmed anyone by plotting against Jianan Bo's marriage arrangement, the answer was no. Eighth Sister Ning would rather have become a nun than marry into the Liang family, and later she herself wanted to climb into Third Brother-in-law's bed. All I did was lend her a hand; it couldn't be said that I had harmed her.

  She raised her head and gazed at Ming Xuan's eyes, her expression serious. "It was also because I knew that my sister wouldn't agree to be Jian'an Bo's concubine that I happened to know about Madame Hou's plan, so I made preparations and turned the tables on her. As for that marriage, if we really talk about it, although I got what I wanted and became the future Madame of Jian'an Bo, Seventh Sister also got what she wanted. Eighth Sister suffered for a few days but also benefited from the misfortune and plotted an even greater wealth and nobility."

  Ming Xuan was somewhat surprised that she didn't know that Qiang Jie had tried to climb onto San Ge's bed, but then she suddenly realized something.

  If it wasn't for Cai Jie doing something shameful, how would Eldest Maternal Aunt send her to the Zhuangzi on the eve of Grandmother's birthday? The jade ruyi that Cai Jie originally wanted to give to Grandmother was made from rare materials and had fine workmanship. If she gave it away, she would definitely attract a lot of praise and admiration. Eldest Maternal Aunt would have gained face, so why would she miss the opportunity for the eldest branch to gain prestige?

  She slightly moved her eyebrows and finally understood the meaning of Li Dongqi's words when he left.

  Qian Jie, in order to reject Jian An Bo's proposal, first staged a farce of attempted suicide before her grandmother's birthday, making the entire Fu household anxious and worried. With this, she threatened her birth mother, who had always doted on and raised her with kindness. Later, she came up with the foolish idea of sneaking into her third older cousin's bed. If someone with such a temperament and intelligence were to enter the palace and gain favor, it would likely lead to chaos and turmoil within the inner palace.

  As for myself...

  If it wasn't for Wu Jie's counterattack against Madame Hou, she would have been schemed away by now. Although at this moment, the Jian'an Marquis' manor seems much more peaceful than the Zhen Guo Gong manor, in her heart, she really can't accept becoming a concubine of her sister's husband.

  Wu Jie said it was right, she herself had dodged Madame Hou's scheme thanks to her.

  Ming Wu saw Ming Xuan's expression slightly relaxed, and her heart was joyful. She hurriedly continued to say that on the day of the clean house, Jian'an Bo seemed to have doubts. In the past few days, the Liang family sent a nanny to the mansion to ask for peace and convey messages. I heard her ask my maid about the events of that day in a roundabout way.

  She paused, her eyes full of pleading. Last month, a steward in the Jian'an Marquis's estate met with an accident. It was said that he had embezzled silver and money from the estate and deceived his master, which made the Jian'an Marquis unhappy... Seventh sister, I'm a bit scared. Can you help me cover up what happened that day? If anyone asks, as long as I insist on saying nothing, it will be fine.

  It turns out that Mei Xuan's slightly raised eyebrows were because of this.

  Jian Anbo is not a fool, how could he not know that he has been calculated? But since he has already agreed to the marriage with Wu Jie, it means he has accepted the fact of being calculated. Since this is the case, who did it doesn't matter anymore. Jian Anbo, no matter how cruel he is, would not be foolish enough to settle accounts with his own wife after autumn. Wu Jie is worrying too much.

  She thought for a moment and smiled slightly, saying "Silly sister, I didn't know anything from the start."

  Ming Wu heard the words and a big stone fell in her heart, with an inexplicable light flashing in her eyes. She hurriedly smiled and echoed, "Is that so? I was confused, sister." Originally, she didn't know anything anyway.

  She sat for a little while longer and when she saw it was getting late, she got up and bid farewell.

  Ming Xuan gazed at the anxious and hurried back of Wu Jie'er, letting out a long sigh. She thought to herself that although Wu Jie'er had successfully secured the marriage with Jian'an Bo, the road ahead would likely be difficult to tread.

  The first sister left two legitimate sons, and Madame Hou would not let Wu Jie easily become the mistress of the Bo Mansion. Ming Ru has been bedridden for a long time, and Madame Hou has helped to take care of the affairs of the Jian'an Bo Mansion. It's likely that there are people appointed by Madame Hou everywhere in the backyard. Wu Jie wants to replace them one by one, which will require a lot of effort. But when Wu Jie grows up, those two children will also grow up.

  Wu Jie's plan ultimately ended in vain

  Dan Hong quietly came in from outside and leaned against Ming Xuan's ear, smiling and saying, "Miss, look who's here."

  Ming Xuan turned around and saw Xue Su standing in front of her, dressed in a beautiful woman's attire, and couldn't help but reveal a brilliant smile. Xue Su had arrived.

  After marrying He Gui, Xi Zhen continued to tidy up the dowry and asked them to move into the shop.

  The three wives of the Lu family had all their dowry contracts in the hands of Old Lady Zhu, and although not a single penny was missing, they had not seen any income from outside for the past three years. Ming Xuan knew that it must be those managers of the farms and shops who thought that the third house was no longer viable and wanted to embezzle the money. She intended to discipline He Gui, so she ordered him to take charge of clearing up the accounts, checking for any discrepancies, and making those people spit out all the silver they had swallowed.

  He Guibuzi was busy, but Xue Su had no time to idle around either. According to Ming Huan's intention, she bought several innocent and pure little maids outside, personally trained them, and would bring them into the Pei family in the future. It's more reliable than those given by Madame Hou.

  After she moved out, it was more convenient for her to go out and ask about things, but there was one thing: now that she was the manager of the shop, she couldn't come in often to visit Ming Xuan. If it wasn't something important, they would just exchange letters through the door. This time, if it wasn't for something urgent, she probably wouldn't be able to see Ming Xuan until after she got married and moved to the Pei household.

  Ming Xuan carefully sized up Xue Su, she had gained some weight, her skin was smoother and more radiant than before, the corners of her eyes and eyebrows couldn't hide her joy and happiness. It seemed that He Gui treated her well, and her days should be very harmonious. She felt happy in her heart, so she pinched her face and said: Xue Su had gained weight.

  Her tone was somewhat relieved. At first, I was still worried that He Gui would not be good at this meeting, but now it's smooth and round, so I'm relieved.

  Her face flushed with a rosy glow is because she has gained weight and can no longer wear many of her old clothes.

  She paused and said with some heartache, "Miss, you've lost weight again. This dress on your body was made by me at the beginning of last year, and it fit perfectly at that time. Now it's loose on you. Dan Hong told me that you haven't been eating well these days. I think it's because you're overthinking and hurting your stomach. Later, I'll tell the small kitchen to make some light and delicious dishes for you.

  Ming Xuan nodded and let Dan Hong dismiss the little maid before asking: "Is there any news about my fourth brother?"

  Xue Su shook his head and continued to read the letter from Qian San Ye, saying that the war in the Western Frontier was getting more intense and it was even harder to gather information. However, he found a former comrade-in-arms of Si Ye who might be able to provide some clues, and he planned to follow this lead to see if he could find any news about Si Ye's whereabouts.

  She paused, it was a matter of the He family's estate. He Guizhen said that those account books submitted by the managers were beautifully done, but he still found them to be inappropriate. In the past few years, the north had suffered from severe droughts while the south had bumper harvests, and there should have been a large amount of income. However, all these estates reported losses, not only did they not hand over any profits, but they also used up all the previous savings. He Guizhen followed the trail and discovered that since the third madam married into the family, these shops and lands had always reported losses, not once handing over any profits.

  There were still several unclear expenses on the account, and after careful investigation, it was found that they all flowed into the same money house. That money house was a property of Lin Nan Wang, and it seemed that Madame Wu Ding Hou also invested in it.

  Wuding Marquis is the elder brother of the three wives, Lu Shi. The wife of Wuding Marquis, Dou Shi, is the daughter of Zu'an Taishou Dou Wenxun. Zu'an is a subordinate territory of Linnan. If the King of Linnan wants to open a money house, the Dou family must participate with one share.

  Ming Xuan furrowed her brow, thinking about the dowry left by her mother. The real estate and houses were secondary, but the fields and farms were numerous. In recent years, due to the severe drought in the north and the abundant water supply in the south, the price of good land had skyrocketed. Any family with a decent reputation and some capital wanted to buy land in Jiangnan. Her mother's fields and farms, even at low prices, were already astonishingly valuable, not to mention the profits they had generated over the years.

  This is a considerable sum of money, but the wife of the Marquis of Wu Ding should not be greedy for such things. Those who are in charge are mostly from the Lu family, and if they didn't receive orders from someone, how would they dare to do such deceitful things?

  Ming Xuan sank into thought for a moment before raising her head and asking, "He Guixi, can you think of any way?"

  Xue Su quickly said, "What's the point of saying these things? The people in charge are all old men who have been around for decades. In the shops and fields, most of them are his trusted followers. If we were to replace them, it would likely bring about unforeseen losses. He thinks it's better if Miss slowly comes up with a plan to insert our own people and wait a few years before replacing them."

  Ming Xuan shook her head and said thoughtfully, "No matter where the silver went before, or who gave the orders to those in charge, I'll just pretend I don't know. Tell He Gui to quietly sell off all the good fields and houses. If anyone asks, complain privately that the estates didn't yield any income, and you had no choice but to sell them because you needed the money."

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