"Mother!" Jiang Shuxiu saw the eldest lady Sun standing in front of the door at a glance, walked up to her quickly and took her arm.

"Oh, my son, you're finally back." Sun's face was filled with a joyful smile. "Let me see, have you lost weight again?"

"Mom, it's not that easy for me to lose weight." Jiang Shuxiu turned her head away coquettishly, not letting Sun look closely.

Hong Yingrong also walked over slowly, a friendly smile on her face. She looked around the gate of the Jiang Mansion and praised sincerely, "Mother-in-law, this welcoming pine tree in front of the gate is trimmed just right. It's pleasing to the eye."

Sun smiled modestly and immediately bowed, "No, no, old lady, thank you for the compliment. Please come into the mansion."

The crowd surrounded Hong Yingrong and Jiang Shuxiu as they entered the Jiang Mansion. Qiao also came forward warmly to greet them and exchanged a few words with Hong Yingrong.

As they were talking, everyone had arrived at the flower hall. Servants filed in, serving exquisite tea and snacks.

Hong Yingrong looked at the busy servants and the exquisite decorations, picked up the teacup and said, "My mother-in-law is really good at managing the household. The Jiang Mansion is well managed."

Nanny Zhao, who came with them to the Jiang Mansion, directed the servants from the Marquis' Mansion to move the gifts for the Jiang Mansion into the flower hall one by one. Several large boxes of gifts were neatly arranged, and the flower hall suddenly looked full.

"This white glazed statue of Manjusri Bodhisattva was specially ordered for your residence."

Everyone's eyes were focused on the statue of Manjushri Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva's face was kind and majestic, with his eyes slightly drooping, as if he was looking down deeply at all living beings in the world, revealing a temperament of compassion for the world.

Second Madam Qiao spoke hesitantly, her eyes gleaming with amazement and disbelief, "Madam, this Bodhisattva statue...is simply a work of art beyond compare."

Madam Sun was also deeply moved by the solemn appearance of the Bodhisattva statue: "Old Madam, you are truly thoughtful. This Bodhisattva statue is truly rare in the world. The Marquis's Mansion has given us such a generous gift. We in the Jiang Mansion are truly honored and unworthy of it."

Hong Yingrong said with emotion: "The Marquisate is in trouble now, and thanks to the two ladies for coming to our aid, we will never forget this kindness."

After hearing this, Mrs. Sun and Mrs. Qiao smiled at each other, and a warm feeling surged in their hearts.

Sun responded sincerely, "Madam, you seem to be being distant. You've always treated Shuxiu like your own daughter. What we're doing now is just a small favor, not worth mentioning."

Mrs. Qiao also nodded in agreement: "What the eldest sister-in-law said is true. Our A Lun and the second young master of the Marquis' Mansion are like brothers. When he learned that the Marquis' Mansion was in trouble, he was even more anxious than we were."

Having said that, Mrs. Qiao turned around to look for Xue Zhongfu who was in the flower hall just now, but found that he was nowhere to be seen.

Upon seeing this, the servant of the Jiang Mansion immediately replied cleverly, "Second Master Xue was called by the Second Master to reminisce about the past."

Hearing this, Hong Yingrong smiled slightly and said, "That's good. He's not comfortable here either."

Mrs. Qiao took over the conversation and said, "My master just mentioned that he had acquired a few rare collections of essays, and he was just thinking of finding your second son to appreciate them together."

The eldest lady instructed her servants to carefully bring the Bodhisattva statue to the Buddhist temple for worship. The rest of the gifts were also delivered to each courtyard according to the records on the gift list.

Jiang Shuxiu wanted to pay her respects to her father, Jiang Wensong, so she asked her mother, "Where are my father and cousin? Why aren't they here today?"

Sun explained softly, "It's been less than a month since the Spring Examinations, and your father has decided to temporarily reside in the Imperial Academy to teach and answer questions for the students. Your cousin was eager to participate in poetry competitions upon returning to the capital, but the other day, he was ordered by your father to study behind closed doors at the academy."

Everyone was chatting happily. The Junshan Silver Needle tea brewed by Sun had upright buds and left a sweet and mellow aftertaste with every sip, which made Hong Yingrong praise it highly.

However, Sun couldn't help but worry about her son-in-law Xue Yuanchu's injury. Although she knew that he was punished for violating the court law and Hong Yingrong had dealt with it according to family rules, which calmed the matter, Xue Yuanchu was her daughter's husband after all. It was difficult for her to completely ignore him and show no concern.

After hesitating for a while, Sun turned to Hong Yingrong and said hesitantly, "Old Madam, how is the prince's injury now? As the saying goes, it takes a hundred days to heal a broken bone. He must rest well."

Hong Yingrong understood Sun's concerns and immediately comforted her: "Don't worry, mother-in-law. We have hired a famous orthopedic doctor from the capital. He comes to the mansion every day to change Yuanchu's dressings. The doctor said that the injury is not serious and he just needs to rest and recuperate."

After hearing the news, Sun didn't ask any more questions, but just nodded slightly with a faint smile on her face.

After lunch, Jiang Shuxiu accompanied her mother Sun to change clothes. Hong Yingrong knew that the mother and daughter wanted to have a private conversation, so she stayed in the flower hall to talk to Qiao.

In her previous life, Hong Yingrong did not have much contact with Qiao, and soon after, the Longxi military pay robbery occurred, Jiang Wenbai was executed, Jiang Lun was exiled, and Qiao also followed her son to Lingnan, and there was no news of her since then.

Today, Hong Yingrong noticed that Qiao had a straightforward personality and that her words were occasionally a bit honest and straightforward. The two of them had a very pleasant conversation.

Mrs. Qiao spoke with some anticipation, "I hope my son A'lun can achieve a degree in the imperial examination this spring. That way, I can shamelessly propose marriage to a daughter of a wealthy family on his behalf."

Hong Yingrong immediately grasped the deeper meaning behind Qiao's words, and responded smoothly, "A few years ago, I also wanted to find Huichun a man from a scholarly family, but I didn't expect it to take until now... Now I'm almost an old maid."

"Oh, Hui girl is so young. If I had a daughter like Hui girl, I would be happy to keep her by my side for the rest of my life."

Zhao Ma, who was standing beside Hong Yingrong, was extremely astute. She immediately assessed the situation and said, "Amitabha, our old lady always says that the fourth girl is a born little enemy. If you really love her, Second Madam, and the fourth girl becomes your daughter, our old lady will absolutely agree!"

Mrs. Qiao understood the profound meaning in Zhao Ma's words, and the joy on her face was hard to conceal.

"If the old lady is willing, I will have to write three letters and six engagements, and bring Hui girl back in a sedan chair carried by eight people."

After this conversation, there was an unspoken understanding between the two.

Mrs. Qiao stopped beating around the bush and stated her position directly: "Old Madam, you are well aware of the situation in the Jiang Mansion. A Lun is marrying a wife to carry on the family line with both branches. Ordinary families marry two wives as equals."

"But if Hui comes into the mansion, I, Qiao, hereby promise that I will never let A Lun take another wife! However, if this happens, Hui will probably have to work harder. She will need to give birth to a grandson for both wives."

Although Qiao's words were simple and straightforward, they also proved the sincerity and determination of the Jiang family to marry Xue Huichun, and they would never be greedy or take shortcuts.

Hong Yingrong realized Qiao's straightforwardness and honesty, and also understood that her love for Xue Huichun was not false, so she smiled and nodded.

"After the Spring Examination, our mansion will be waiting for good news from Jiang Lun!"

When Mrs. Qiao heard this, a glint of determination flashed in her eyes, "Don't worry, old lady, Alun will do his best and live up to your expectations."