My younger sister insisted on marrying me and made me the Marquis' wife.

Chapter 73 Watching with Cold Eyes
"Oh, I want to drink tea," said Mrs. Zhao.

Zi He said: "I will ask someone to come and soak it right away."

The maid outside heard the order and hurried in to change the tea. Madam Zhao asked, "Is your father feeling better?"

Zi He said, "Thank you, Madam Zhao, for your consideration. I feel much better after eating the ginseng given by the old lady."

Madam Zhao asked for conversation: "Did you come back today?"

Zihe said: "Yes."

"What a coincidence! Bai Que left and you came."

Zi He said: "Yes, I just had a face-to-face encounter with Bai Que."

The two were silent again.

At first, Madam Zhao often invited Gu Jinghui to Fengxuan Pavilion, and told everyone that she was the mother of the Marquis's two children. Zihe thought she was a border resident who grew up in the northern frontier and didn't understand the customs of the Central Plains, so she advised her against it several times.

Madam Zhao was unhappy, but she couldn't show it because she had just entered the Marquis's Mansion. Later, she saw that Bai Que also had feelings for the Marquis, so she tried to win him over, and slowly the two of them squeezed Zi He out.

Ever since Zihe left, everyone in Fengxuan Pavilion has been on her side.

At this critical juncture, Bai Que left and the unpleasant Zihe came again. She was a second-class maid serving the old lady. Madam Zhao couldn't help but think more about her.

When it was almost time for lunch, Madam Zhao asked Zihe, "Are Cheng'er and Yu'er still in the upper room?"

Zihe said, "Yes, the old lady just sent someone to deliver a message saying that Madam Zhao is ill and weak. She has been tired these past two days. The two children are left in the upper room so that Madam Zhao can rest and recuperate. We are also asked not to disturb Madam Zhao while she is recovering."

"They are already liked by the old lady, so it's always good for them to stay with her longer," the two maids who helped Madam Zhao take care of the children had followed her all the way from the northern border. They hoped that Madam Zhao could enter the marquis's mansion and become a superior person so that they could also benefit from it.

Madam Zhao nodded.

For the sake of the two children, the old lady would not be willing to let her go.

The two maids' words that the old lady liked twins made Madam Zhao feel more at ease, so she said, "They are eating with the old lady in the upper room, so let's set up the meal here. You have been tired these two days, and since the young master is not here, we don't need to pay attention to those empty formalities, just eat together."

The two maids thanked her profusely and said a lot of flattering words to make Madam Zhao happy.

Zihe lowered her eyes to hide the sneer in her eyes.

Before she came, she was told by Madam Rong to keep a closer eye on Madam Zhao.

I'm afraid the old lady has discovered all the inappropriate things happening to Madam Zhao and asked her to keep an eye on her to prevent any trouble.

If Bai Que's parents were not so prestigious and his ancestors had not followed the old grandfather in the war and made great contributions, he would have been beaten and driven out long ago. These people are still dreaming of rising to prominence.

Having learned from the last lesson, Zihe said nothing and just watched Madam Zhao act coldly.

……

Inside Wutong Garden.

Rong Mama had already told the origins of several housekeepers. When she talked about Mama Lu, she sighed, "This old woman has a weird personality. She wants to save face but doesn't know the current situation. Otherwise, she wouldn't have become the housekeeper of the sewing room at such an old age."

Qin Yuan pushed the dessert plate on the table to Rong Mama's hand, indicating that she should eat something.
Rong Mama waved her hand and said, "No need. I have to go back to the upper room later. The old lady left the two children with her and needs someone to take care of them."

Qin Yuan asked: "Mom likes the twin boy and girl very much?"

As soon as she entered the mansion, the Sixth Madam told her that the old lady liked the twins born by Lady Zhao very much and kept them by her side. Rong Madam smiled and said, "Twins are rare, so who wouldn't want them? The old lady said that the Marquis has no children. These two children have been with the Marquis for several years in Saibei. They are also the children of her benefactor, so she should treat them better."

Hongye couldn't help but interrupt.

"These two kids don't like to call people, and they look bigger than other kids their age."

Hearing this, Qin Yuan glanced at Hongye.

Hongye originally wanted to say a few words to the two children, but suddenly stopped talking.

Rong Mama smiled and explained, "They are still very likable in front of the old lady. When people get older, they like children. I have heard Sixth Master complain privately that the two children are very fierce. Sixth Master's two younger children can't fight them, so they are so angry that they often cry and complain."

Qin Yuan brought the topic back and asked, "What's the difference between Lu's mother's family and other families?"

Rong Ma said, "Mother Lu's husband followed the old marquis to the battlefield. He has a lame leg and can't do any heavy work. Her son also served under the marquis. He is not good at speaking and can only work hard. In theory, for the sake of her husband and son, the mansion should be more tolerant of her. But she always likes to take advantage of her age and is easily instigated by others, so she has caused trouble."

Qin Yuan understood that this meant that Mother Lu was no longer useful.

It seems that I should discuss the matter of Mother Lu with Lord Gu.

She still understands the principle of raising soldiers for a thousand days and deploying them for a moment. If you want people to fight hard in the battlefield, you have to treat their families well.

Qin Yuan said to Rong Mama, "Mrs. Lu is really someone who likes to take the lead. I have only been in charge of them for a few days. Before that, I asked them to check the accounts with the Sixth Madam, and I will take care of the rest. Mrs. Lu said that the accounts were checked, but Cui Ming found out that there were errors in the accounts. She was also the first one to ask for money for the purchases. When I asked her a few questions, she couldn't answer anything."

Madam Rong's face looked a little grim.

"This old man likes to take advantage of his age and he still can't change even after suffering a big loss."

Qin Yuan said, "Thank goodness, after listening to what Rong Mama said, I have a rough idea in mind. I'm afraid I have to wait for the Marquis to come back and discuss it with him."

Madam Rong nodded, "Madam, you are right."

Cuiming and Hongye were chatting with Xiaohong nearby. When they finished, Xiaohong came over and said, "Madam, did you ask Xiaohong to come here? Is there anything you want Xiaohong to do?"

Qin Yuan couldn't help but want to laugh.

This little girl is very smart and she will even come forward to ask for errands on her own.

Qin Yuan said, "I see that you, Cheng Ge'er, and Yu Jie'er are about the same age and can play together, so I wanted to ask you to come and talk."

Aunt Rong looked at Xiaohong kindly and said, "Xiaohong, you have always said that you want to work under Madam. This is the first important task Madam has given you. If you do well, Madam will naturally be satisfied."

Xiaohong raised her head and said seriously: "Xiaohong will follow Madam's instructions."

Qin Yuan sighed and said to Rong Madam, "It's time for Cheng Ge'er to go to school, and Yu Jie'er is also old enough to learn the rules. The Marquis is worried about this. In the past, they called you dad every day. Today, the Marquis mentioned that he sent people to Jizhou to look for the family members of the father of the two children. I watched coldly and it seemed that Cheng Ge'er was worried, and Yu Jie'er just cried and didn't want to go back, asking the Marquis to help persuade Madam Zhao."

Rong Mama was surprised and asked, "Madam, are you saying that they regard the Marquis as their own father?"

Qin Yuan said: "The Marquis has watched them grow up and is close to them, so it's not surprising that they regard the Marquis as their biological father. However, it will not be a good thing to do so in the future."

The words were not made clear, but the meaning was clear.

Xiaohong said beside her: "Madam, Xiaohong understands."

Qin Yuan was a little surprised and asked, "What did you understand? Tell me about it."

(End of this chapter)