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  Mr. Qian saw off Madame Chuling, and then went to find Qian Zhao in a huff. However, when he saw his daughter's red and swollen eyes, Mr. Qian's heart softened, and after a long silence, he said: "I thought you were sensible and didn't need your father to worry about you. Why did you fall for Yang Mo? Is it just because of the prestige of the Chuling King's mansion? Have you forgotten that you are the daughter of a merchant?"

  "Dad, how can you say that about my sister?" Qian Qing also thought of the sad things and her eyes turned red, saying: "Are we willing to be the daughters of merchants? My sister is already very sad, but you keep hurting her feelings. My sister is not inferior to those ladies from scholarly families, why can't she marry our cousin?"

  Qian Lao Ye's lips trembled, "You're not wrong, it's my fault, I delayed you and your sister."

  "Dad, I'm not blaming you." Qian Zhao pulled her sister Qian Qing back, sobbing: "It's me who doesn't know what's good for me. If I don't see him again, it's fine. I won't let Dad and Auntie be troubled because of me."

  Qian Lao Ye saw the tears rolling in Qian Zhao's eyes, his heart was truly cut like a knife. He was more distressed than Qian Zhao. He had promised his late wife to give their daughters the best, but he was first looked down upon by Wang Cheng and then rejected by his sister. Watching his two daughters being hurt for love, he felt guilty towards his late wife. Merchants have money but cannot buy status, in the eyes of scholars and nobles, they can never be on an equal footing. Some declining nobles were so poor that they couldn't even afford to eat, yet they still looked down on wealthy merchants with disdain.

  Qian Lao Ye suddenly aged a decade, dejectedly walking out the door. What's the use of having millions in family assets if his beloved daughter is still hurt by love? Qian Lao Ye ordered Ya Tou Ma to keep an eye on Qian Zhao, fearing that his daughter might make a terrible mistake in a moment of desperation. Back in his study, Qian Lao Ye looked at the rice paper filled with writing and recalled Ding Rou's demeanor during their conversation. Could it be that the upbringing of a wealthy merchant family can never compare to that of a scholarly family?

  Because his wife died early, Mr. Qian specially found the Wang Fu mother to raise Qian Qing and Qian Zhao, but she didn't cultivate their noble temperament. Ding Ruo is a concubine's daughter, sent to the villa to recuperate, yet her demeanor and vision are much better than those of his carefully raised daughters. Just now, he heard Mrs. Qian mention that it wasn't Ding Ruo who subtly hinted at Qian Zhao, fearing that even now they are still in the dark, and as time goes on, the two children will become more difficult to part with.

  "In two days' time, Miss Ding will enter the manor."

  "Yes, sir."

  Mr. Qian was hoping that Ding Rou would say something to Qian Zhao, so that Qian Zhao could understand and start anew, reopening the account book. Mr. Qian put aside his daughter's affairs and focused on accounting, as he had to go to the Chu Ling Wang Fu in two days to give an answer, and couldn't afford to make a single mistake. Relying on the Chu Ling Wang Fu for business, outsiders thought it was all smooth sailing, but who knew about Mr. Qian's hardships? Facing the Chu Ling King and Queen, he was just a lowly servant, no wonder his sister didn't want to marry into the family. Although Yang Mo was an outsider, he was also one of the masters of the Wang Fu, and apart from being able to help with money, he couldn't help in other aspects.

  On the Zhuque Avenue lined with tall trees, there was a serene mansion nestled among them. The tranquility of the place was disrupted by the coming and going of servants, and the high-hanging plaque read "Xie Zao Tai Fu Mansion". It was written in the Emperor's own hand to show respect for Old Master Ding. Although Old Master Ding had retired, he remained in the capital due to the Emperor's repeated requests for him to stay. Every year during festivals, the Emperor would send gifts to the Ding household, and sometimes even summon Old Master Ding to the palace to chat, play chess, or drink tea, never forgetting the kindness of his former teacher. The two gentlemen of the Ding family may not have held high-ranking positions, but due to their past relationship with the Emperor, the foundation of the Ding family was solid. The family's reputation was upright and proper, and no one would dare cause trouble for them. The eldest lady managed affairs prudently and socialized with other noblewomen, making the Ding household well-respected in the capital.

  A two-story embroidered building, next to the open glass window, a nanmu embroidery frame is placed, with carved legs and a faint scent of nanmu wood nearby. On the frame, an almost completed landscape embroidery is stretched, from the needlework to the color matching, as well as the landscape pattern, all reveal the embroiderer's exquisite skills. The layered mountains, the rolling river water supporting a small boat, not only is the embroidery skillful, but also the overall atmosphere of the embroidered piece is profound and far-reaching.

  Ding Min put down her embroidery needle, flexed her wrist, and a few cottonwood flower petals floated in from the window and landed on her embroidery. Ding Min smoothed out her hair, carefully picked up the petals, and with a gentle smile, tossed them out the window. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and worked day and night to finish this landscape screen by her father's birthday, symbolizing his smooth sailing career advancement. If she wasn't mistaken, next year her father would be promoted one rank higher, closer to the imperial center, accompanying the emperor.

  Ding Min's fingers lightly slid over the floating clouds on the embroidery, when she was young and didn't understand things, she embroidered shoes and socks to show her filial piety, her father was indifferent to her, but Ding Rou used a picture of a phoenix rising straight up to attract her father's attention and praise. Only now did Ding Min realize that her father valued his daughter's filial piety, but even more so the path of officialdom.

  "Third Miss, Third Miss, I just heard that Madame is going to the capital to visit Eldest Mistress and celebrate Old Master's birthday."

  Mistress? These three words heavily smashed into Ding Min's heart, was it him? Ding Min calmed his mind and asked: "Where did the news come from?"

  Hong Chuan smiled and said, "It's Li Mama from the mistress' quarters. I've been following Third Miss' orders to send her some rheumatism ointment, and at first, Li Mama refused me, but after a few times, she became more and more friendly towards me, and would sometimes talk to me about things. Thanks to Third Miss, in two days, I'll be able to call Li Mama my godmother."

  Hong Sha wasn't born into the family, she was a bought orphan with no parents, and followed Third Miss Ding Min. After much hardship, she grew up to be a big girl in the mansion. Without any backing, Ding Min was also an illegitimate daughter born of a concubine. Hong Sha was often bullied by others, but after being able to call Li Mama her godmother, she gained some confidence. Who didn't know that Li Mama was the favorite of the madam? Hong Sha thanked Ding Min, but it wasn't her idea, how would she have known that Li Mama had rheumatism in her legs? It was Ding Min who taught Hong Sha to embroider a knee pad for Li Mama, which moved her.

  Ding Min seemed to have not heard Hong Shuang's thanks, and everything was arranged by Ding Rou in her previous life. Ding Min just followed the example. What Ding Min cared about most was that the two younger sisters of Madame would move to Beijing with their families. Madame ranked second among her siblings in her maiden family, and now she lived the best life. The third and fourth aunts would definitely visit Madame when they came to Beijing, as they had rushed to Beijing before Father's birthday banquet in their previous lives.

  What made Ding Min infatuated was Zhu Neng, the eldest son of San Yiniang, who was a handsome young man. In her previous life, before she got married, Ding Min had feelings for him... Ding Min rubbed her forehead, "Where did Madam say to arrange it?"

  "Third Auntie has a house in the capital, so she probably won't live in the mansion. Fourth Auntie is a widow and might stay in the mansion. Eldest Madam ordered someone to clean up Lanxi Yard."

  Ding Min heard that the fourth aunt frowned, her son was not promising, greedy for beauty and neglectful of his career, being overly fond of the maids by his side. Ding Min had never looked up to him in her past life, but he had been very affectionate towards her. If it weren't for his mother asking for a marriage arrangement, Ding Min might have married him. Now that he was back in the capital, news had spread that Eldest Sister was pregnant and Fourth Aunt had made great efforts, as she only had one son and wanted to marry a daughter of the Ding family as his wife.

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