f the letter was brief and to the point: The jewelry shop found... 。She didn't linger, taking her pendant and heading out the door. 。Upon leaving, she instructed Mama Ji: "When the second young master...At last, the carriage arrived at the gate of the Ningguo Marquis' Mansion.

There was something to what Ye Wen said, the Ningguo Marquis's Mansion did indeed have someone waiting at the door to welcome them, but it wasn't Xiao Shubi's relatives, but rather the mansion's steward.

The old butler, seeing the Ye family's carriage arrive, immediately stepped forward. As soon as the curtain was lifted, Xiao Shi was the first to emerge.

He acted with restraint, merely bowing his hand and calling out, "Second Madam." Then he continued in the same manner, "You've finally arrived. The Marquis has been waiting for a long time and is eager to speak with you!" Finally, he added, "Second Madam, you truly know how to cause trouble for your family."

This steward's words were not only bland, but also very distant. He called Mrs. Xiao "Second Mistress" every time, making the Xiao family seem completely irrelevant.

Xiao Sh beyaz also heard it, but today she was feeling guilty and didn't know what to say.

The steward finished speaking to her and then came over to greet Ye Wenyan. Seeing that Ye Wenyan had disembarked the train and was steady, he bowed: "Old slave greets Miss Ye Si, Miss Ye Si please come in quickly. The master and madam have always been thinking about you, today they finally got their wish."

Xiao Shubi's face sank again, and she thought of her younger brother Xiao Fang's relationship with Ye Jia's eldest son, Ye Zhigui.

Ye Wen didn't rush inside. Instead, he stood there and asked the butler, "Has our Fifth Miss arrived yet"

The steward immediately replied, “She has arrived. The fifth young lady is here with Master Lian and Sir Yun, having tea in the front hall.”

"Hey, you're all in the front hall." Ye Wenyan actually showed a look of annoyance on his face. "How did you get to the front hall Oh, I blame myself for being late. If I had arrived earlier, there was nothing I could say to stop her from entering Ningguo Hou's mansion."

"Oh, Miss Four, what do you mean by that" The old butler was a bit confused.

Yè Wēn yàn said: "It's really too inconvenient. This matter is our Yè family's negligence. Fifth Miss is a concubine's daughter, and the Ningguo Hou Mansion is a high-ranking and noble household. How can a concubine's daughter be worthy of entering the mansion, let alone going to the front hall."

"Miss Fourth, you mustn't speak like that!" The old steward was bewildered. Night Wen Yan's words left him stammering, "All who come are guests, and the Ningguo Duke's Manor doesn't discriminate between legitimate and illegitimate children."

Ye Wenyan suddenly realized, "That's right. The current Marquis is also from a concubine's family. If the Ningguo Hou Mansion still distinguishes between legitimate and illegitimate children, wouldn't that slap the Marquis in the face Therefore, Auntie Second, you should be more careful with your words in the future and not look down on the Marquis's status yourself, which would then lead you to look down on our Ye family's illegitimate daughter. Saying things like an illegitimate daughter is not worthy of entering the Xiao family, is there such a huge gap between legitimate and illegitimate children in Auntie Second's heart"

The steward of the Xiao household's face immediately fell, and he coldly questioned Xiao Sh beyaz: "The old marquis has no sons, after you married out, the family was taken care of by our master. Even when the old marquis was dying, only our master was by his side. You haven't shown filial piety and brought no glory to the Marquisate, why do you look down on the marquis Furthermore, now that you clearly despise him, why would you drag the Marquisate down with you when trouble arises"

He finished his question and, without waiting for Xiao Shubi to answer, only said to Ye Wenyan: “Miss Si, please come in!”

The Ningguo Hou Mansion wasn't as imposing as a first-rank general's mansion. As it had been passed down through generations, the successive Ningguo Hous had lived there for years, causing it to gradually show its age. Its antique air was palpable, lending it more depth and character.

Ye Wen felt that this foundation was excellent, just like the former life's Xuanmai Ye family. As long as he smelled the scent of the house, he could smell the passing of thousands of years and the inheritance from generation to generation.

This feeling is absent from the General's Mansion. Although it has been passed down through three or four generations, it has never developed a deep foundation.

In the front hall of the Ningguo Hou's mansion, Madam Xiao sat at the head, with Lian Shiyun and Ye Chulian sitting on her left side, while on her right sat Ningguo Hou Xiao Fang and his wife, Mrs. Gu.

When Ye Wenyin entered the courtyard, she overheard Lian Shi saying: "Yanhuagong has stood for over four hundred years, revered by people throughout the world. This is the first time we've heard of someone daring to steal from Yanhuagong. The Xiao family truly knows how to raise daughters, setting a precedent for Beqi!"

Yun Chen followed his words and said, "How could it be the first of its kind in Bei Qi It's clearly the first of its kind in the entire world."

Across from her sat Lady Ningguo, her brows furrowed and she kept shielding her face with her hand, muttering repeatedly: "Shameful, absolutely shameful! I've lived this long and for the first time someone has come to my door for this reason. If it were my daughter who did this, I would guarantee a good beating, I wouldn't hesitate to eliminate such a scourge from this world!"

Madame Xiao's face darkened as she asked, "Do you mean for me to kill Shū Bai"

Mrs. Gu rolled her eyes. "I never said anything about other people's daughters. I only said my own. Each mother should discipline their own child. If they have ideas, they should do it themselves and not blame me."

Night Chu Lian also started to shed tears, putting on another pitiful expression: "Fourth Sister, you put such an important thing in my room. I never expected that even with all the precautions, a thief could still get in. Before, Mother stealing things from me was fine, but this time she even dared to steal the silver bills from Yanhuagong. Her courage is too great. Fortunately, Ningguo Houfu is willing to compensate, otherwise, I really don't know what to do."

Upon hearing this, Lady Gu became even angrier. "Why should the Ningguo Duke's Mansion be responsible for compensation Find the thief and hold them accountable! A married daughter is like spilled water—once she leaves her parents’ home, she belongs to her husband’s family, even in death. She is buried in her husband's ancestral tomb and listed in their genealogy. What does it have to do with her natal family The Ningguo Duke's Mansion isn't a bank for you to freely use its money! We also need to make a living."

Lian was stunned for a moment, "Well now, this is quite a situation. So the Ningguo Marquis's Mansion doesn't care Madam Xiao, you're taking on quite a bit here! Do you have that much silver yourself" He started counting on his fingers, "One million taels... no, double it, triple it, three million taels. How do you plan to settle this Cash, bank notes, or perhaps with valuables as collateral"

Lady Xiao suddenly felt a flash of gold stars before her eyes. How could it double so suddenly From one million taels to three million taels This was too fast, wasn't it

She asked Lian Shi, "Where did you get three million taels"

She repeated the same words that she had sent to Xiao Shoubai at General's Mansion last night, to both Xiao Shuofu.

Mrs. Xiao was speechless, choked by his repeated mentions of "Yan Huagong." This was the first time she had ever dealt with Yan Huagong, and even the palace maids there had never spoken to her directly before. She never expected their first encounter would be like this, it made her both nervous and annoyed.

But even if she was upset, there was nothing she could do. Xiao Sh beyaz her only child, and she had to protect him. Otherwise, she would have no family left in this world. Who knows, maybe one day, this illegitimate son Xiao Fang would kick her out of the house and leave her on the streets.

Elder Madam Xiao looked at Mrs. Gu with a glance, and said to her as calmly as possible: "As a family, we should share the difficulties together."

"What nonsense! Your daughter stole something, so why should we pay for it Let me be frank, your daughter was raised by you and her father. Whatever she turns out to be is your own doing. You never asked us to share in the glory of being related to a first-rank general back when things were good, so why are you saying we're family now that something has happened You're not even a real family!"

The more Gu spoke, the angrier she became. She stood up abruptly and paced around the hall twice before saying, "Two years ago, someone from my family came to borrow money. What did you say back then You said that since I'd married into the Xiao family, I was no longer part of my own family. You said there was no more need for contact with relatives, let alone lending money. Now that something has happened to your daughter, you suddenly remember how close-knit our families are What kind of twisted logic is this Are you taking advantage of the fact that our Gu family has no power or influence Do you think it's okay to bully me all by myself"

She sat back in her chair huffily. Beside her, Marquis Ningguo Xiao Fang gently tugged at her sleeve. Gu shi immediately swatted his hand away, “Let go of me! Stop bothering me! I’ve been holding this in for years, and today I finally have the chance to make things clear. Don't treat people like this anymore. You don't even care about your own son! Every day you push him to the brink of death, and not only do you pit yourself against him, but you also drag your married daughter back into it to cause trouble. Does our master owe you anything Pay for what you owe yourselves! Marquis Ningguo’s household won't get involved in this mess!”

Lady Xiao's face was completely lost. There were still guests present, and this daughter-in-law was practically scolding her to her face! If this got out, she wouldn't have any face left.

Then the old madam began to bang on the table, making a loud clatter, and shouted: “Audacious! Simply audacious! No respect for hierarchy, who's daughter-in-law would behave like this If I had known this beforehand, not even ten thousand cows could have persuaded me to let you into the Xiao family!”

As he spoke, Ye Wen also arrived at the door and couldn't help but laugh at her. Then he turned his head to Xiao Shuangbai and said: "Second Aunt, listen carefully, what Old Madam Xiao said to Ningguo's Duchess is exactly the same as what Old Madam Ye said to you!"

Xiao Shubi had known that Mrs. Gu was a fiery person, but she hadn't expected her to be so over the top. This wasn't just disobedience, this was outright verbal abuse! She wanted to speak up for her mother, to say a few words, but before she could even take a step forward, Old Madam Xiao slammed her fist on the table several times, completely scaring Mrs. Gu into silence.

"If I find out that your Xiao family is harboring a thief, there's nothing I will say, and I won't marry into your family! You can't afford to lose face!"

"You…" The old matriarch was so angry she was about to faint, "You unfilial wretch! How could the old marquis have passed down the title to you Oh heavens! Old Marquis! Can you see this This is the good son and good daughter-in-law you bestowed the title upon!"

Old Madam Xiao started her act again, crying and wailing. But Lady Gu completely ignored her. She said, “Crying to heaven or your father won't help, because this title can only be inherited by our late master. You can't give birth to a son, so you can't let your daughter inherit it. Do you think we want this In the end, this is forced upon us, and we even feel burdened by it. What do you have to cry about”

>n, where else can I go" He looked at the silver note in his hand. "I still have this money, maybe I could buy a small courtyard and rebuild a Zhou Mansion..." 。My parents and grandfather in heaven wil...