♂?，，

  After Ding Min left, Ding Yu slightly furrowed her brow and asked: "Mother, I don't understand. In the past, you didn't mind Zhu Yu's chatter, and you told me that Zhu Yu was useful."

  The lady turned to one side and carefully instructed Ding Yu: "If it were someone else, I wouldn't be willing to part with my pearls. She's a clever and perceptive person who can guess whether I'm happy or not. When I tell my sisters and younger siblings, they'll try their best to make me laugh when I'm unhappy, and they'll be even more talkative and flattering when I'm happy. They're just trying to make me happy so that our days won't be dull and frustrating. Since she can see through my thoughts, I don't need to waste my breath giving orders again. Why not take advantage of this?"

  "How did Mother send away Zhu Yu today? You don't know about such a big thing, but you understand small things, it's really hard for a clever girl like you."

  Ding Yu handed the tea cup to Madame, who took a sip and said with relief: "Although she can't compare to Elder Sister Yi'er, looking at her, she doesn't seem like a simpleton. I can feel more at ease now."

  "I was taught by my mother, what wouldn't I understand?" Ding Xiang rolled her eyes with a hint of annoyance: "I'm just too lazy to get it, I don't know why Third Sister is always calculating something, and Sixth Sister is a bit too pitiful."

  "Pitiful? Ting Xuan, there's a saying that goes well, 'a pitiful person must have a hateful place'. Ting Ruo was provoked and didn't look like herself. Can one sentence of 'pitiful' cover it up? I asked the master to teach them to distinguish right from wrong. Ting Ruo thought too much, I still care about her face, but can I let her surpass her own flesh and blood? Although Ting Ruo is born by Liu Shi, she didn't learn from her in terms of temperament. If I don't give her a lesson, one day she'll suffer because of her arrogance. I'm looking at Liu Shi's face and giving Ting Ruo a lesson. If she can understand, then it's fine. If not, the Ding family can't tolerate her either. Even if I'm kind-hearted, I won't let Ting Ruo ruin the reputation of the Ding family and implicate my sisters."

  "Ah, Ting Ruo has changed her ways, and it's all because of Ting Min. Do I not know? I can turn a blind eye to the private squabbles between my sisters, as long as they don't affect the bigger picture. Let them bicker among themselves. But when we go out in public, we represent the Ding family's young ladies, and that concerns my dignity and our family's reputation. Ting Ruo may be at fault, but she is still better than Ting Min, who constantly schemes against her. Whether born to a wife or a concubine, they are all flesh and blood of the Ding family. How many noble families have been ruined by infighting among their own kin? I will not tolerate this. Ting Min only gathered information to curry favor with me, but today I won't be giving her any jade or pearls. And did you hear what she said today? She knows more about the merchants' hoarding of grain than our own household's steward, and that makes me wary."

  "Is mother going to get rid of third sister?"

  The old lady patted her daughter's cheek and smiled: "I won't send you far away, I have to take another look. It's not easy for me to raise a concubine's daughter, let alone the fact that your father has a special eye on Ding Min. Her birth mother, Liu Yiniang, is a distant relative of mine, how can I afford to displease your father because of Ding Min? Although the old lady seems to be letting go of everything in the mansion, which point can escape her attention? Grandmother is an extremely clever person, go and accompany her when you have nothing to do."

  "I visit my grandmother every day." Ting Xiu sighed, "Grandmother always recites Buddhist scriptures, I'm really tired of listening to it."

  Mrs. Dai smiled indifferently, but Ding Yu was too young to listen to Buddhist scriptures. Mrs. Dai's two daughters were different in temperament, with Ding Yi following her mother's lead, while Ding Yu, being the youngest, was more pampered by her mother, who arranged everything for her. Compared to Ding Yi, Ding Yu seemed a bit more innocent and naive. That's why Mrs. Dai invited her maternal aunt, Sanmei, to visit, as she had been closest to Sanmei among her relatives back in their hometown. Sanmei's eldest son, Zhu Neng, whom Mrs. Dai had met a few years ago, was now in the capital, and if he turned out to be a good person, it would be a great match.

  "The old master picked up the book and forgot about Madame, I discussed with Father whether to choose someone from among us sisters to accompany Madame, but I don't think anyone is willing to go?"

  "I respect my grandmother, but she chants Buddhist scriptures all day long, I can't stand it." Ting Xiu leaned towards Mrs. Dai, "I miss my mother."

  Mrs. Dai let out a slightly disappointed sigh: "What a pity, Madam Ding's skills are wasted on her daughter-in-law; if she had taught Dinger instead, she would have been another virtuous lady."

  The lady remembered something and asked Ding Yu: "Have you seen the old princess of the Chu Ling Wang Fu?"

  Ding Ju furrowed her brow and thought for a long time, "No, I've only been to my sister's husband's house once, where else would I go to see the old princess?" Seeing the serious expression on Madame Ding's face, Ding Ju asked, "Mother, is there something wrong?"

  The lady shook her head, "Nothing." But the old princess's intention to choose a daughter-in-law for Yang Mo, the illegitimate grandson of the mansion, made the lady's eyes seem distant. It wasn't because she had a good impression of Ding Xiang that she would think of him, so what was it? It wouldn't be without reason that she would take a liking to the daughter of the Ding family. The eldest daughter of the Ding family was indeed a suitable match for the illegitimate son of the Wang family, but there were other families with similar social status to the Ding family. Ding Xiang had just turned twelve and in the lady's impression, there were many people more suitable than her. So why would the old princess personally send an invitation for her to take her daughter to see the flowers? There must be a reason behind this.

  The madam thought and thought, and suddenly an idea popped up, the illegitimate son was granted a title... The madam's mouth curled up, fearing that the old master would be promoted. The old lady of the Chu Ling Wang mansion valued the old master's future, which was beneficial to Yang Mo. As one of the only two remaining royal mansions, the Chu Ling Wang mansion couldn't compare to the Xinyang Wang mansion, but a thin camel is bigger than a horse, and being close to the current emperor allowed them to better understand the imperial will. The daughter of a noble family could not enter the palace as a concubine, but the old lady often entered the palace to pay respects to the empress, and although the current emperor was promiscuous, he was extremely respectful to the main empress. In front of the empress, some hints would be revealed, and the emperor had taken a liking to the old master, making the madam's face full of smiles.

  "Come with me to visit the temple and fulfill my vow in two days."

  Ding Xuan nodded in response, "Mother, San Jie said something about grain..."

  The lady shook her head, "I know that even if we can make a fortune, it's not something we should do. The Ding family's standing in the capital isn't due to wealth, but rather our noble lineage. For generations, the Ding family has been known for their love of literature and have always looked down on merchants. Our ancestors once debated with the Taizu Emperor about commerce, and although Grandfather was hot-headed in his youth, the wise emperor didn't blame him and instead appreciated his straightforwardness, appointing him as a high-ranking official. You could say that our family's reputation was established through this debate. Although we do have some business dealings, they must be done with restraint. Our ancestors valued nobility over wealth and extravagance. This year's harvest has been poor due to the drought, but I've stored away grain in case of a disaster. With Grandfather's temperament, he would likely donate all the grain if needed."

  Ding Yu smiled and said, "Mother is afraid of being taken advantage of by others?" The old lady lightly slapped Ding Yu's face, "I've been with the master for half a lifetime, if I still don't understand him, I'll be ashamed to death."

  Ding Yu nodded as if she had suddenly understood something, "Mother is so clever, no wonder Father can't leave you."

  The madam's eyes slightly raised, and Ding Xiu asked: "Where is Sixth Sister? When will Mother bring her back to the manor?" The madam closed her eyes, "Compared to Ding Ruo, I miss Liu Shi more. Liu Shi is a stubborn person, if Ding Ruo doesn't return to the manor, she'll stick with Ding Ruo no matter what. I reckon that after half a year passes, Ding Ruo will make some progress, and coincidentally it's Father's birthday, so I'll send someone to bring her back in two days. If Ding Ruo is still like before, we can arrange for her to be married off early, Liu Shi won't follow Ding Ruo to get married."

  "Mother and Liu Yiniang?" Ding Xuan had this feeling for a long time, "You like Liu Yiniang very much?"

  "In a wealthy family, the young lady and her personal maid always have some untold stories. The madam smiled and said: 'Where did you think of that? Liu Shi saved my life, I won't forget it. Moreover, she is honest and loyal, having her by my side to chat with is also a comfort. It's hard to find someone trustworthy, so I insisted on keeping her as my father's concubine. I'm not saying I never thought of letting her go to be a ordinary wife, but her temperament... it's hard to say whether it's good or bad. If I didn't keep an eye on her, she'd probably get bullied to death? I know people well, and I'll provide for her as a backup plan. As for the men outside, I don't have time to deal with that.'"

  "Today you saved my life, I will ensure a lifetime of wealth and peace for you." The madam sighed, recalling the danger they had faced earlier. "A person's words must be counted as true, to know kindness without expecting repayment... If it weren't for Liu's desperate efforts to save me back then, I'm afraid I would have long since become a pile of bones. How could there be today's wealth and glory? Although she is a servant, from that day on, I never treated her as just a servant again. Liu's nature is gentle and warm, matching my heart's intentions."

  "Mother is clever and fierce, willing to protect Liu Niang." Ding Ju said with a smile.

  "Perhaps it was a fate from the previous life, but I just can't bear to see her with tears in her eyes. I hope that Ding Rou has learned a lesson and will not hurt her heart again."

  "I'll ask one more thing, Concubine Liu served Father and gave birth to six sisters, doesn't she have any privileges at all? If... if my husband favors Concubine Liu over me... I won't be able to bear it. Not just Concubine Liu, but also Concubine Wang, Little Concubine Liu, they're all Father's concubines, people who share his favor."

  The lady was stunned, "Also said they were concubines, I am the legitimate wife, they followed me to manipulate and control, father can't just have me alone, sitting firmly in the position of mistress, brothers and sisters are talented, I respect my father like a guest, husband and wife are harmonious, isn't it good?"

  The lady thought to herself that it was not a pleasant feeling, but most families were like this, and hadn't ended up like the Emperor Taizu's family where they became sworn enemies. It was said that Empress Taizu had imprisoned Emperor Taizu for an entire year. The lady shook off her thoughts, "Father is a man of strict rules, he himself is outstandingly handsome, Ding Tanhua was once famous for his good looks, I didn't feel humiliated marrying Father."

  As soon as Ding Yu thought that her brother might be doting on a woman, she became so angry that she couldn't bear it. She didn't have the magnanimity of her mother, nor could she learn from her elder sister who voluntarily offered to let her husband take a concubine because of her pregnancy. Ding Yu asked in a soft voice: "Is there something going on at the Lanling Hou Mansion?"

  The old lady's face changed, and she said sternly: "You are not yet married, these dirty things, must not be asked."

  "Yes, Mother, don't get upset and hurt your body."

  The big wife let out a deep sigh, "It's me who misjudged people and annoyed Big Sister."

  The madam can actively arrange for her husband to take a concubine and sleep with her, but the maid beside her secretly sleeps with him without her knowledge, which is what the madam cannot tolerate the most. Ding Yi's trusted maid, Hupo, actually served Langling Hou, and the madam was so angry that she wanted to tear her apart. She had thought of her as a maid with backbone, but unexpectedly, Hupo was the one with the most schemes. Not only did she avoid drinking the infertility medicine, but she also became pregnant, which is really infuriating and hateful. Hupo even slapped Ding Yi in the face, losing face for the madam. The maids who accompanied Ding Yi as her dowry were all chosen by the madam herself, so how could the madam not be angry?

  After nearly two months, it will be on shelves tomorrow. Just one sentence, I hope you continue to support Ye, subscribe to the official version, thank you.

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