If it weren't for love, the Marquis of Yongning should have married a noblewoman from a similar family to him when he inherited the title, so that he would have had less pressure from his wife's family.
Lanxi deduced that the root of the problem lay with the British government.
Since the original owner married Qiao Zhan as the adopted daughter of the Duke of Yingguo, the people in the Duke of Yingguo's mansion should know these things. As for the dowry she brought from the Duke of Yingguo's mansion, the four maids were all replaced by Qiao Zhan, and the four old women were all assigned to manual labor. There was also a woman named Su Mama, who was good at flattering people. Qiao Zhan couldn't find fault with her for the time being, and since the original owner insisted, she continued to manage affairs for the original owner.
But she hadn't seen this person since she opened her eyes, only remembering him slowly over the past two days. Lan Xi knew perfectly well that this was probably someone from the Duke of Ying's mansion sent to monitor her! Judging from Banxia's words, she wasn't really so destitute that she only had a few pitiful hairpins; most of her dowry was managed by Su Mama.
Moreover, this Su Mama had extremely far-reaching influence, controlling half of the affairs in the Marquis's mansion. The original owner was timid and of low status, had never learned how to manage a household, and was given to her by her former master, so naturally the original owner obeyed her every word.
Having figured out the crux of the matter, Lan Xi sighed helplessly.
It was truly remarkable that Qiao Zhan had been able to endure until this point. He hadn't married a wife to help him manage the inner quarters; rather, he had buried a seed of trouble.
"Madam, Mother Su is back!" Zhu Tao rushed in, interrupting Lan Xi's thoughts.
Lan Xi's beautiful brows slowly furrowed, a hint of displeasure rising in her heart. Judging from Zhu Tao's expression, she knew Zhu Tao had suffered many losses at the hands of Madam Su. Since transmigrating to this world, she had certainly broadened her horizons. Concubines were more arrogant than the mistress, and servants had more influence than their masters!
"Madam, the eldest mistress of the Duke's mansion and Mama Su have arrived. Their carriage has reached the second gate." Compared to Zhu Tao's lack of focus, Ban Xia, who then lifted the curtain and entered, had a more serious expression on her face.
Lan Xi was slightly taken aback.
The original owner's adoptive mother has arrived? Why now of all times? Why didn't she come when she was seriously ill these past few days? Or did the eldest mistress hear something—a hint of vigilance flashed in Lan Xi's eyes. It was likely that someone in the mansion had secretly leaked her every move to the eldest mistress!
Thinking of this, Lan Xi's face darkened slightly. However, she still helped Banxia to the second gate to greet her, after all, she was the original owner's elder, and she couldn't be impolite and be criticized.
After passing a screen wall made of white marble with rich and noble patterns, a magnificent black lacquered carriage was indeed seen there. The carriage attendant was bringing over a stool, lifting half of the curtain, and was about to help the people inside get off the carriage.
"Mother!" Lan Xi hurried forward and saw a middle-aged noblewoman in fine clothes helping an old woman alight from the carriage. Another person came out from behind the carriage to greet them. Lan Xi recognized this person; who else could it be but Su Mama, who had disappeared without a trace for six or seven days?
"Xi Niang." Madam Qi smiled kindly, took Lan Xi's hand, and asked with concern, "Are you feeling much better? I was so worried when I heard you fell into the water. I couldn't rest easy until I saw it with my own eyes."
Lan Xi curled her lip inwardly with disdain. It was as if she had just fallen into the water today. She must have heard some rumors and come here, using this as an excuse.
"I'm sorry to have troubled you with this. It was my fault." Lan Xi said softly with a hint of guilt on her face, "I've been sick for a few days and my head feels heavy, so I couldn't let you know I was alright."
The two walked toward the main courtyard while talking.
Lan Xi originally intended to have Qi sit down in the main room, but Qi insisted on pulling her to the side room.
"Has the Marquis made things difficult for you?" The two had barely sat down when Madam Qi immediately dismissed all the maids, leaving only Su Mama by her side. She said with a surprised expression, "Why are you pushing me away? It's so rare for us, mother and daughter, to have a private conversation!"
Lan Xi's eyebrows twitched slightly.
Although he inherited some of the original owner's memories, he forgot some of his usual habits. It seems the original owner must have regarded the Qi family as his last lifeline, unaware that this only made Qiao Zhan dislike him more.
Now that the original owner had married into the Marquis's mansion and become its mistress, she naturally had to consider the mansion's interests. How could she possibly make the Duke of Ying's mansion the sole focus of everything?
Seeing the genuine concern on Qi's face, Lan Xi felt a slight stirring in her heart. It seemed she needed to practice a new skill—feigning ignorance, a non-professional but essential skill for scheming within the household.
"The Marquis has not made things difficult for his daughter!" Lan Xi's eyes flickered as she changed the subject, "Mama Su, have Yue Lin pour tea for Mother!"
The more Lan Xi said this, the more Qi Shi felt that her guess was correct. Relieved, she added fuel to the fire, "I know you're resentful that I haven't come to see you for so long! It's all because of that brat Qiao Zhan, who's been interfering and preventing anyone in the manor from sending out any messages!"
"Good child, you've really suffered!" Madam Qi became increasingly distressed, trying to deepen the conflict between Lan Xi and Qiao Zhan.
Lan Xi became even more certain of her thoughts: the Qi family was indeed there to sow discord.
"The Marquis treats his daughter very well." Lan Xi didn't agree with Qi Shi's words. She smiled sincerely and said softly, "I've been through a near-death experience and have learned a lot. You told me that to be virtuous, generous, and always obedient, one must be pleasing to one's husband. The Marquis was pleased when I punished that shameless maid according to his wishes! He even rewarded me with many pieces of jewelry!"
A hint of worry flickered in Qi's eyes.
She had repeatedly suggested sending maids to Lan Xi so that she could secure Qiao Zhan's favor, but Lan Xi hesitated to accept them because Qiao Zhan had previously sold off four of her head maids. Now, judging from Lan Xi's intention to establish them, this would be entirely detrimental to her.
Lan Xi kept saying she would listen to Qiao Zhan, so she couldn't stop her from saying it was wrong! Readers, you can search for "" to find this site immediately.
Chapter 68
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Xiao Jin knew that she was dreaming, but she was trapped in a nightmare and couldn't wake up.
The sandalwood carved drip bed was flanked by silver-red floral curtains, and the bed was covered with a brocade quilt with a bright red background embroidered with five bats holding clouds and flowers. The young woman lying in the red room with her eyes closed looked even paler.
Two maids dressed in lotus-colored vests were sobbing softly beside them.
The person on the bed opened their eyes, looked out the window, and their lips moved slightly. "What time is it?"
When the two maids saw that she was awake, they quickly stopped crying, glanced at the clock, and forced a smile, saying, "At the second quarter of the hour of You (5-7 PM), would you like some tea, Madam?"
Xiao Jin shook her head, then struggled to get up. Two maids brought a large bolster made of ginger-yellow koi-patterned brocade and helped her lean against it. Even with just the simple act of getting up, she gasped for breath several times as she lay on the bolster.
"Has Second Master returned?" Xiao Jin felt dizzy and weak, and vaguely remembered that she hadn't seen her husband for several days.
Upon hearing this, one maidservant quickly turned away to wipe her tears, while another maidservant tucked her in. "You forgot, the Second Master went to Xuanzhou Prefecture on business and will stay there for a few days before returning."
"Is that so?" She nodded, then smiled bitterly, "I'm afraid even if Second Master were here, he wouldn't want to see me like this."
"What are you saying?" The maid's smile was somewhat forced. "Second Master dotes on you too much!"
Xiao Jin knew that the maid's words were just to comfort her, so she smiled slightly and said nothing more.
Tang Qin could clearly see the bitterness in the corner of her mouth.
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"Sister, sister—"