Chapter 143 I Don't Want to Let Yu Qingci Get Away with It

For noble families like theirs, the most taboo thing is disputes between legitimate and illegitimate children. If Yu Qingyan's mother is really just a concubine, then her status as the eldest legitimate daughter will be greatly diminished.

The rumors surrounding the brides' substitute marriages in the Nanping Marquis's mansion had piqued the curiosity of these sheltered young ladies, who had thoroughly indulged their gossip. Now that the topic had come up again, the two noble ladies looked at Yu Qingyan with keen interest, awaiting her answer.

Yu Qingyan gritted her teeth secretly. She certainly wouldn't defend Yu Qingci's status in front of these two noble ladies. After thinking for a moment, she could only vaguely say:

"To be honest with you two sisters, Mother felt sorry for Father's own flesh and blood, which was why she agreed to let the two of them return home."

However, having grown up in a remote rural area, her knowledge and upbringing were limited, and she couldn't adapt to the etiquette and rules of a noble family after returning to the Earl's Mansion.

My grandmother, understanding that she was young and didn't know any better, wanted to invite a palace instructor to come back and teach her manners. However, my father doted on her and was afraid that she wouldn't be able to handle those restrictions, so he refused my grandmother's offer.

She had only been back at the Earl's mansion for a little over a month. She was usually aloof and difficult to approach, and she disdained to associate with the other sisters in the mansion. In her eyes, I, her older sister, was no different from a stranger.

Later, a high-ranking monk from Taijue Temple calculated that her birth chart and General Lu's birth chart were a match made in heaven, and she readily agreed.

You all know what happened next.

In short, our Earl's Mansion did not force her, nor did we mistreat her. These shops were part of her dowry.

Since it's already part of her dowry, how could she possibly let us benefit from it?

I see.

The two noble ladies showed expressions of understanding.

They don't really care what the truth is; the more mysterious and shrouded in mystery, the more gossip they can have to offer. However...

Ultimately, it was a private matter of the Nanping Earl's Mansion that couldn't be inquired about in such detail, so the two noble ladies didn't press the matter further.

For the sake of my good friend, let's just assume that this third young lady from the Earl's mansion, who was sent as a substitute bride, was indeed a daughter of the Earl and his wife who doted on their own daughter and specially brought her back to the mansion.

Seeing the aggrieved look on Yu Qingyan's face as she spoke, Miss Liu, as her good friend, felt a little guilty and said:

"So that's how it is. Since it's part of the dowry of that third young lady, and she's not close to you, you really can't make decisions about her shop. In that case, let it go. We misunderstood you earlier."

Yu Qingyan quickly shook her head and said, "It's nothing, I'm just glad you two sisters don't blame me."

Miss Shang: "Even if we're not close, she's still a girl from your Nanping Earl's Mansion. And the cloth shop is doing business under the name of the Nanping Earl's Mansion, which is why it's able to gain a foothold in the capital. Otherwise, who would recognize who she is?"

Both morally and logically, she should be indebted to your family for your kindness.

Yu Qingyan smiled and said, "After all, she is the younger sister my father brought back, so I don't care about these things."

After chatting for a while, Miss Liu and Miss Shang finally couldn't resist the temptation of shopping and went into the shop.

Yu Qingyan didn't want to go into Yu Qingci's shop, but since her two friends had already gone in, she couldn't just wait outside. So she gritted her teeth and pretended to follow them as if nothing was wrong.

This fabric shop was formerly owned by the Marquis of Nanping. It has a spacious operating area and is one of the shops that Yu Qingci focused on developing, so it has a wide variety of goods. In addition to the limited edition Xia Guang brocade, it also has a full range of other precious brocades such as Yun brocade and Shu brocade.

Miss Shang and Miss Liu liked it more and more as they looked at it. With the shopkeeper's enthusiastic recommendation, they each bought a bolt of brocade and several other bolts of brocade. They only stopped when the maids following them couldn't carry any more.

Only Yu Qingyan watched silently from the sidelines without buying a single horse; she wasn't going to let that brat Yu Qingci get it for free.

Upon returning to the Marquis's residence, Yu Qingyan immediately went to the Begonia Courtyard to vent her grievances to Madam Qiao.

After hearing her daughter's words, Mrs. Qiao only glanced at her indifferently and did not say anything.

Yu Qingyan stamped her foot anxiously and said, "Mother, say something!"

Qiao: "What do you want me to say?"

Yu Qingyan was speechless for a moment, and stammered for a long time before saying:

"Yu Qingci and her mother are really despicable. They use our Nanping Marquis's name to do business outside, and their business is quite booming. It makes me so angry."

Madam Qiao: "So what? With your father backing them up, they can naturally do business under the guise of the Earl's Mansion."

Yu Qingyan: "Does Mother think she can just swallow this insult? Doesn't Mother know how booming the business of that Xia Guang brocade has been lately? Every cloth shop that sells it is making a killing. Does Mother just want to watch the Su family mother and daughter count their silver until their hands are sore?"

Recalling the scene she saw on the street today, Yu Qingyan felt a burning jealousy. Those shops were originally part of her mother's dowry, but they all ended up benefiting that little bitch.

Madam Qiao sighed and said, "How many times have I told you? You are the eldest daughter of the Marquis's family. You must be calm and composed when things happen. You must never be rash. Look at the state you are in now."

You know our current situation. Last time, things went wrong, and I finally managed to dispel your father's doubts. Now, the best course of action is for us to just endure it and not make any plans.

You should broaden your horizons and not just focus on the present. We've finally managed to save you from the fate of being a widow, so finding you a good match is the most important thing now.

Hearing her mother mention her marriage, Yu Qingyan inevitably blushed and lowered her head to change the subject:

"Your daughter will listen to you in everything, but Mother, nowadays all the noble ladies in the capital are proud to wear the brocade of the sunset. Should we buy a few bolts as well?"

While shopping, she was angry and naturally refused to give Yu Qingci money. However, during the New Year period, she inevitably had to go out to socialize with her girlfriends and visit her maternal grandmother's house. Other women considered wearing brocade as fashionable. If the girls of the Earl's Mansion did not wear brocade, wouldn't they be outdone by others?

Seeing her mother's face darken, she quickly added, "It's not like they're the only ones who have this kind of material. We can definitely find it if we go to a few more stores."

Qiao said irritably, "Do you think I haven't sent people out to buy it? Right now, the only place in the whole capital that sells Xia Guang brocade is the Su family's shop."

As the matriarch of the household, Mrs. Qiao was naturally very sensitive to new things that appeared outside, and in fact, she had noticed them from the very beginning.

At the time, he was too busy plotting against Yu Qingbai to pay attention to anything else. He never expected that the plot would fail and that a trusted servant would be lost.

On the surface, the Earl believes that this matter has nothing to do with her, but in recent days, even when he returns to the mansion, he only stays in the study in the outer courtyard and has not stepped into the Begonia Courtyard. He has not even inquired about her "injury" anymore. She has been feeling uneasy for a long time.