Even someone as noble as you can't escape fate.

  Madam Cen said, "Isn't that the case? So it's said that good fortune isn't born in chaos. Having a life is one thing, but you also need good fortune to enjoy it. Alright, if we want virtue and merit, let's do two shares then. Let's ask the Buddha to bless these two women to be safe and happy in their next lives."

  Xue thought more deeply: "This matter won't have any impact on Uncle, will it?"

  Li Man Niang said, "There shouldn't be. I just hope that Prince Ning will soon regain his spirits. The couple's feelings for each other are very deep, and they have always been looking forward to having this child... who knew it would turn out like this... the blow is not small, today she has already fainted from crying twice, and was only persuaded to stop by the palace staff."

  Everyone sighed again, such a noble and wealthy family, with such deep feelings and heavy responsibilities, is rarely seen. Peony, however, was thinking about things from her past life, when her father and mother would often joke around, asking each other what they would do if one of them died. How long would it take to remarry? Her father would half-jokingly, half-seriously say: "I won't remarry! I'll guard my chastity for you alone for the rest of my life! In my heart, no one can compare to your mother."

  Mom knew it was impossible, but she still liked this answer very much. She smiled sweetly and scolded Dad for telling a lie.

  "Dad said: 'What if I die first, what will you do?'"

  Mom would get extremely angry, frowning and scolding: "If you want to die, just die sooner! Don't drag it out until I'm old and no one wants me when I die! It's better if you die, let others enjoy your house, let others enjoy your car, let others call your wife 'wife', let others call your daughter 'daughter'!"

  Dad knew mom's temperament well, and he knew that this was exactly her reluctant expression. He would always laugh loudly: "In order not to let others take advantage of me, I'd rather die."

  Later, however, it turned out that mom had left early and dad remarried someone else within a year. That person indeed lived in the house that belonged to dad and mom, drove the car they bought together, called mom's ex-husband "husband", and everything else was fulfilled as mom had said at the time, except for one thing - she refused to call that person "mom".

  Although she was very uncomfortable with her father remarrying so quickly, she calmly accepted the fact. After all, when her mother passed away, her father was really heartbroken, lost his appetite, and was depressed for a long time before he regained his spirit. In any case, after all, he is still her father, still young, and has decades of life ahead of him. She didn't want to be selfish and have her father spend the rest of his life in loneliness and sorrow. She comforted herself by saying that since she no longer had a mother, it was better for her father to live a good life than a bad one; her mother belonged only to her, and as long as she remembered her, that was enough.

  After she came here, her resentment towards Dad faded away. She was extremely grateful that there was still someone by Dad's side; otherwise, a middle-aged man who had lost his wife and daughter would be left all alone, which would be pitiful. Thinking this way, it's actually a blessing for the living that Dad can recover so quickly. If Mom knew in the afterlife, she would also wish for Dad to live well.

  But she often thinks, in this world, who really doesn't open for whom? That kind of non-essential emotion is not without, and it's indeed touching, but it's always a matter of chance. Someone like Ning Wang will remarry soon enough. Even if he truly can't forget Qin Fei, the emperor won't allow the position of Ning Wang's wife to be vacant for long. As time goes by, when he thinks back on that gentle and beautiful woman, how much will he still remember? Faces always become blurry with the passage of time.

  The young ladies, including Ying Niang and Rong Niang, all thought that Ning Wang was truly infatuated. Although they didn't dare to say it out loud, the implication was that they hoped their future husbands would be just as deeply emotional. Peony said seriously: "Actually, no matter what happens, thinking more for the sake of those who are alive is the most proper and wisest thing to do."

  Yingniang and Rongniang were somewhat stunned, not understanding Peony's meaning. Li Maniang and Cen Furen, however, liked Peony's words very much. Cen Furen reached out to hold Peony's hand, smiling comfortingly: "These words are right. You all must remember, the living are what matter most. People live, not just for themselves."

  He Zhizhong and Dalang walked in with big strides, only to hear the words behind them, and smiled: "This is well said, but why suddenly bring up this matter?"

  Everyone couldn't help but tell the story again in detail, He Zhizhong sighed: "Since that's the case, let's go tomorrow." Just as he called for dinner to be served, more people arrived outside. This time it was Madame Cui returning from the Wang mansion and taking a detour to pick up Li Maniang on her way home.

  The He family warmly welcomed Mrs. Cui into the house, and Mrs. Xun asked with concern: "Have you eaten yet?"

  Mrs. Choi was sweating profusely, but she didn't rush to answer first. She took the tea soup handed over by Peony and drank it clean, then sighed: "What's there to eat? There isn't even a place to sit. I'm hot, tired, thirsty, and hungry. Others can go home after condoling, but I can't."

  Madam Cen hastily ordered someone to set up bowls and chopsticks for her, pulled her to sit between herself and Li Man'niang to eat, saying: "This kind of thing can't be avoided, who made Brother-in-law the chief historian of the Wang Mansion? Sister-in-law is already so tired, Brother-in-law must be even more exhausted, right? I heard many people went to offer condolences?"

  Mrs. Choi frowned: "Isn't that so? He's been standing under the scorching sun, constantly greeting and sending off people, without a moment's rest. And today, this terrible weather is both hot and humid, not even a breeze. I'm really worried he'll collapse from heatstroke at any moment. The worst part is, Prince Ning has fallen ill. He doesn't care about anything."

  The news of the King of Ning's illness was more worrying for the Li family than the news of the death of the Queen of Ning, after all, everything they had was staked on the King of Ning. He Zhizhong said with a understanding tone: "Don't worry, the King of Ning is just overthinking, he is usually healthy and young, and with the imperial doctor's treatment in the palace, it shouldn't be anything serious, he will recover naturally after some time."

  Mrs. Choi sighed: "May Buddha bless him."

  After dinner, Mrs. Choi and Li Maniang were about to leave, Peony accompanied by Mrs. Xun and Ms. Xue saw them off. Mrs. Choi warmly held onto Peony's hand, seemingly having completely forgotten the unpleasantness at Prince Ning's residence, and kept praising Peony profusely. Peony had no idea what she was getting at, and simply smiled.

  Mrs. Choi said, "The best thing about this woman is these few years of youth, so Dan Niang's marriage should be treated as a top priority and handled promptly. Carefully select, carefully choose, with sufficient time to avoid mistakes."

  Madam Cen's heart skipped a beat, thinking that Madam Cui had found out about Li Yi seeing the peony at Fahsou Temple yesterday. This was an opportunity to cut off the root of disaster and take precautions. She felt somewhat annoyed in her heart. With a forced smile, she said: "Sister-in-law is right, I've always remembered Dan Niang's marriage in my heart. Last time she suffered, this time I won't let her suffer again! If anyone has even a hint of dislike for her, I definitely won't let her go through that humiliation!"

  Isn't a family like that, and the Liu family, an official's family? If anyone has even a hint of dislike for her, isn't it just their own family? Although Madame Cui knew that Madame Xian's words were specifically aimed at herself, she was also afraid that Madame Xian would become angry because of this, and it would be difficult to meet again in the future. She hurriedly pretended not to understand Madame Xian's meaning, feigning ignorance: "Yes, yes, a girl like Dan Niang, I see is pitiful, we must carefully choose a good one." Her heart was unsettled, and she turned her head to look at Peony again: "Dan Niang, you are someone we have watched grow up from childhood, always treating you like our own daughter..."

  Mrs. Choi hadn't finished speaking when she was pulled hard by Li Man Niang, signaling her to shut up and leave quickly. Mrs. Choi's mouth was bitter, but she didn't want it to be like this either. However, after seeing what happened at the Ning Wang Fu today, she had to take precautions against potential dangers.

  "Thank you, Auntie, for your concern. I've always remembered the kindness of our family and never dared to forget."

  Madam Cen was seething with anger, forcing a smile to send off Madam Cui and Li Man Niang. Turning back, she saw Peony standing obediently by her side, intending to scold her a few words, but thinking it wasn't the daughter's fault, rather the daughter was pitiful, so she swallowed her anger again. She secretly called over Yu He and severely reprimanded her, warning her that if something like what happened at Fa Shou Temple yesterday were to happen again, she must intervene and not allow the two to meet in private and talk.

  After the rain, Mrs. Cen slammed the door and scolded He Zhizhong severely: "I used to think she was a reasonable and polite person, with a good heart. She didn't want to form an alliance with my family, and I didn't say anything, still treating them as before. But she actually came to my house to hint at me! Does she think our family is some kind of shameless, clingy leech? From now on, don't let them come to our house for help again! She looks down on my Dan Niang, but I look down on her family too!" Then, still fuming, she went on to list the shortcomings of the Li family.

  He Zhizhong was much calmer, able to see things in a more nuanced way. He sat silently, looking at the account book, and when she got tired of talking, he handed her a cup of tea: "Moisten your throat, your child is precious, but other people's children are also their lifeblood. To belittle someone over such a trivial matter doesn't seem right, does it? You're an older person, yet you're acting like a child, getting more and more unreasonable with age. If the family members hear these words, how will they look at Dan Niang? And if Dan Niang hears them, who knows what she'll think? She's always been deep in thought, and you're still shouting like this?"

  Madam Cen let out a sigh of relief and also felt tired, after drinking tea, she said softly: "I just can't swallow this. She really went too far."

  He Zhizhong put down the account book in his hand, patted his old wife's hand and said: "With this idle time, you'd better help Dan Niang find a suitable marriage. This way, all troubles will be gone."

  Madam Cen sighed, "I've been inquiring everywhere these days too. Alas, that wicked Liu family spread such rumors! Otherwise, the suitors would have broken down our door long ago! I'm reluctant to let her marry far away. Let's wait a bit longer."

  "I also can't bear to part with her." He Zhizhong sighed and said, "I'll tell you something, earlier Wu Lang told me that he asked Fu Yuan Shifu behind Dan Niang's back, if the garden is to be built well, the cost will definitely not be small. I calculated it for her, although her dowry is not small, but most of them are physical objects, if we want to build a garden, buying large quantities of peonies, famous flowers and rare stones would be enough, but I'm afraid it would be just barely enough. This garden isn't something that can recover its costs in one or two years. Last time Bao Hui brought back 60 million from the Liu family, saying it was for her but she didn't want it, why don't we secretly let Wu Lang help her build the garden and quietly deduct the cost of materials, what do you think?"

  Mrs. Cen said, "Of course it's good. But we have to be careful not to reveal our intentions and create unnecessary trouble. The palm and back of the hand are all flesh, in the future several children will get far more than Dan Niang, but there are still people who are not satisfied." She then turned to He Zhizhong and said, "This house has started to have ghostly occurrences again recently."

  He Zhizhong furrowed his brow and said, "What did you say?"

  Madam Cen rubbed her forehead: "The fifth lady-in-waiting hung an axe under the bed, but who would have thought that the axe had disappeared without a trace at some point? This again is unknown whether someone didn't want her to give birth."

  He Zhitong sighed: "Everyone's heart has grown bigger..."

  Madam Cen said, "I think it's better to set up a clear division of labor, which family does what and how much they get. If not, there will be endless troubles. Don't even mention that Dan Niang is becoming more and more cautious, living at home uncomfortably, it's annoying for both you and me, and it affects the important matters of the household."

  He Zhizhong fell silent for a moment before probing: "In your opinion, how should this chapter be defined to make it proper?"

  Madam Cen said: "So you originally planned to have Eldest Brother lead Second Brother and Fifth Brother in the jewelry business, and Fourth Brother lead Sixth Brother in the spice business?"

  After all, no one knows a man better than his wife, He Zhi Zhong said: "Yes."

  "However, you didn't make it clear to them beforehand. Think about the day of Bao's birthday, when you let the two children from Dalang's family go, both Erlang's wife and Lang's wife were unhappy in their hearts, feeling that you were biased. Once or twice, they might not have felt anything, but if this happens several times in a row, they will also start to have ideas. If they feel biased, they will have grievances in their hearts, how can they still get along peacefully like before? Work hard? If the heart is not aligned, there will be big problems. Moreover, other families all have children, but only Rui's mother in the fourth Lang's family and no children at all in the sixth Lang's family, they must worry that other families will bully them for having no children, and they will also lose out when dividing property. This axe problem is precisely a manifestation of this matter being imminent, it's better to make it clear beforehand. If they have a bottom line in their hearts, they won't be confused."

  He Zhizhong raised an eyebrow: "Then you say, how should we divide it fairly?" Even if he knew that his old wife was usually fair-minded, at this critical moment, who didn't have a private heart, and who wouldn't lean towards their own son a little more? But to him, the concubine might not count for much, but the sons were all his.

  Madam Cen said calmly, "The eldest son is the head of the family and will have to take care of his younger siblings and nephews in the future. He will be responsible for ancestor worship and other matters. His temper is also there, he's not someone who doesn't understand things, nor is he greedy. His wife is also good, so naturally they should get a bit more. The others can divide the rest equally."

  He Zhizhong did not expect Mrs. Cen to say such a thing, and was so shocked that he immediately stood up, forgetting to cover his emotions, and thrust his face in front of Mrs. Cen, staring at her: "How can you think like this?"

  Madam Cen glared at him with a bad temper: "Dan Niang can tolerate her sisters' calculations, and in front of everyone, she says that she doesn't want this money. What is it for? Isn't it just to seek family harmony and prosperity? Am I, as a mother, not as understanding as her? They have the ability to turn a piece of tile into gold; if they don't have the ability, they can turn gold into a piece of tile. A family can only stand firm by embracing each other. Those families that are broken and destroyed, which one is not because their hearts are not united, and they lose harmony, thus suffering disaster?"

  He Zhizhong was overjoyed: "Good, good, good. With your words, I know what to do now. But the shop cannot be divided, each household will rely on its own capital. From now on, we must also listen to Dalang and Erlang's arrangements."

  Madam Cen smiled faintly, not boasting about herself. The two sons of the concubine couldn't compare to her four sons in terms of ability and understanding. And then there was her little Dan Niang, no child was as kind and big-hearted as she was. The Li family looked down on them? Humph, she looked down on the Li family too!

  And not to mention He Zhizhong and his wife were making big plans here, just hoping for a harmonious family and prosperity in all things, with their strength growing more prosperous by the day. At this time, Peony was lying on the bed wearing a pink soft satin robe, letting Kuang'er and Shu'er take turns applying medicine to her legs. Every time they rubbed a sore spot, she couldn't help but cry out: "Gently, gently."

  Lin's mother said, "Don't let go, you have to use force to relieve fatigue quickly, otherwise your legs and feet will hurt even more tomorrow." She also complained, "Your body is originally weak, but you don't take care of yourself. You ride horses and bask in the sun, walking so much, how can it not hurt?"

  Kuan Er and Shu Er were biting their lips to hold back their laughter, not loosening their grip on the peony at all. The peony could only wail in distress. Sha Sha was watching from the side, soon she would learn her strange cries, even crying out more mournfully and melodiously than the peony: "Gently... Ahh... Oh..."

  The peony heard it shouting and shouting, and actually heard some different meanings, angry to throw a ball of paper over: "Shut up!"

  Shuaishuai burst out laughing in a strange and awkward tone, Yuhe finished ironing Peony's clothes in another room, heard the laughter from this side, quickly walked over, silently picked up Shuaishuai and took him out, infuriating Shuaishuai to loudly curse: "Dead lotus flower!"

  The lotus flower was no longer scolded as it used to be, but was simply placed in the dark after the lights were turned off and ignored.

  Xiao Qing, everyone served peony and lay down, all dispersed, Yuhe washed and cleaned up, silently hugged the quilt to come on duty at night. Peony had already noticed that her face didn't look good, so she called her over: "Yuhe, was it Madam who scolded you? Actually, Madam also knows it's not your fault, she just can't help but be angry."

  Yu He hung his head and said: "I know. I'm not sad for this, I'm sad for you."

  "What's so sad about it?" Peony couldn't help but laugh, squeezed in a bit and patted the bed for Yuhe to lie down: "Come on, come and sleep with me. Anyway, my body hurts and I won't be able to sleep, let's chat."

  Yu Hua hesitated for a moment, seeing Peony's eyes shining brightly in the candlelight. She carefully lay down on the edge of the bed, trying not to occupy Peony's quilt. Peony smiled slightly and covered Yu Hua with the thin blanket: "Since I told you to lie down, just relax, if you get sick, it would be my fault."

  Yu He let out a long sigh and said after a while: "Dan Niang, what are you planning to do from now on?"

  "Peony opened her eyes and gazed at the floral patterns on the canopy above, a faint smile on her lips. 'No need to worry about it, when the time comes, things will naturally fall into place. This kind of thing is all about fate, you can't force it. From now on, I'll still treat him like an older brother, and that's it. He may not understand now, but he'll come around eventually. You remind me, don't let me accidentally do something that might be misinterpreted again.' Turning to the other person, she asked, 'And you, aren't you getting on in years? Do you have any plans?'

  Yu He's face flushed: "And what about you, how did you suddenly turn to me?"

  "Peony looked at her seriously: 'I won't force you to do something you don't like, but if you have any plans, tell me first and I'll make sure everything is well arranged for you.'"

  Yu He nodded vigorously.

  On the second day, during breakfast, He Zhizhong solemnly announced the disposal of family property after discussing with Mrs. Cen. Everyone reacted differently, but most were disbelieving.

  Madam Cen glanced at everyone's expressions, and Yang Niang, Zhen Shi, Sun Shi, Lang, and Liu Lang quickly changed from shock to delight. The most unhappy face was Bai Shi, who couldn't hide her discontent. Wu Niang was flustered: "It can't be, it can't be! There is an order of seniority, there is a distinction between superior and inferior, it can't be!" Her words naturally caused dissatisfaction among Zhen Shi, Yang Niang, Liu Lang, Sun Shi, and others, but Yang Niang still followed her lead: "Exactly, what's the point of saying this? It seems like we're going to disperse."

  "Of course not now, as long as my husband and I are still alive, this family will not be scattered! Family harmony brings prosperity to all matters, we just want everyone to have a bottom line. As long as you continue to do things and be people like before, no one will lack good fortune in the future. The more you earn now, the more you'll get when the time comes, the less you earn, the less you'll get! Don't spend all day doing those boring, harmful things that harm others but not yourself! If we catch anyone, regardless of who it is, the punishment will definitely not be light!"

  Everyone nodded in agreement, although some were still dissatisfied, but the interests of the majority were guaranteed, and the atmosphere was much more relaxed than before. Peony watched from the side, letting out a sigh of relief. In her opinion, He Zhizhong and his wife were wise parents. This approach was like the chairman distributing shares to employees, and while there would still be conflicts of interest among employees, the overall direction was beneficial to everyone, so even if there were disputes, they would have boundaries.

  The Ning Wang Fu's affairs were not related to the He family, and according to their previous agreement, they did a good deed for Qin Fei's mother. After that, each of them focused on their own matters. After six or seven days of busy preparation, Fangyuan finally started as scheduled.

  Peony followed Wu Lang to go out early and return late, inspecting the construction site every day. Occasionally, Fuyuan monk would also ride a donkey to give guidance. Everything went smoothly until this day, because of the need to change the waterway, the river water from Huangqu brought Peony a moderate trouble.