Hou Mansion

Although she was a concubine and did not need to greet her parents-in-law on the first morning of her marriage, in order to get to know the Ningyuan Marquis's residence as soon as possible, Li Wan dressed up early and went to the courtyard of Old Madam Xie in the West Mansion with Xiuzhu and Xiuhe.

I heard from Madam Zou that Xie Qi's mother, Lin Lan, passed away more than ten years ago. Now, in the inner courtyard of the Marquis's mansion, Madam Xie is the most respected, and the household affairs are managed by the concubine, Madam Yang.

The Ningyuan Marquis's residence is divided into east and west sections. The west section is the original Ningyuan Marquis's residence, where the Ningyuan Marquis's mother, Madam Xie, the Ningyuan Marquis Xie Chaohui and his wife, as well as his concubine Yang and his second son Xie Ye, lived.

After Lin Lan passed away, Xie Qi bought a large plot of land in the east of the mansion and built the East Mansion, which he lived in alone. The two mansions were collectively known as the Ningyuan Marquis Mansion.

The mansion has hundreds of courtyards of various sizes, and countless houses and side rooms.

Li Wan moved into a small courtyard called Yingyue Residence. The courtyard had a main house that was not large but still quite elegant, plus a few side rooms. Although it was not as spacious and luxurious as Changfu Garden in the Jiang Mansion, it was still quite comfortable.

At least, it's much better than Li Wan had imagined.

The east and west mansions are separated by a plum grove. A small blue brick path through the plum grove from the east mansion leads directly to the backyard of the west mansion.

The plum blossoms were in full bloom in December. The forest was filled with fiery red, light pink and white flowers, like a sea of ​​flowers. When Li Wan walked into the forest, she couldn’t help but stop to admire them, completely unaware of the gaze behind her.

"My lord, Miss Jiang entered the manor yesterday, and neither the Fourth Prince nor the Third Prince made any unusual moves."

Standing next to Xie Qi, Shen Jie saw his master looking at Jiang Feiwan and immediately reported on the situation of this double agent who had already been exposed.

At first, Shen Jie didn't understand why the master would still comply with the wishes of the two princes and take her into the mansion, since he knew that Jiang Feiwan's identity was complicated and her intentions were impure.

Later, I finally understood. First, the Fourth Prince is eccentric and will not give up until he achieves his goal. If you reject Jiang Feiwan, he will definitely send other women to harass you. You might as well keep Jiang Feiwan as a useless pawn to block him.

Secondly, the Third Prince has always appeared indifferent and aloof from worldly affairs, and in recent years he has become quite close to the Lord, which seems to be an attempt to win him over. So why send a woman?

So the lord decided to play along and brought Jiang Feiwan to his side in order to find out what the Third Prince was thinking.

Thirdly... Shen Jie followed the adult's gaze and saw a woman on the blue brick path wearing a rouge-colored brocade cloak, revealing only her small face, which was no bigger than a palm. Her eyes were slightly upturned, and her nose was round and delicate. When she tiptoed to smell the flowers, her figure appeared even more slender and delicate.

Keeping such a pleasing woman by your side is a win-win situation for the man; it's a clever move that achieves three goals at once.

"Chen Jie".

A clear voice suddenly interrupted Shen Jie's ventriloquism. He turned his head to look at the adult and found that the adult was looking at him. The cold and sharp gaze made him tense up and quickly lower his head.

Damn it, how could he stare at an adult's woman like that!

Xie Qi glanced at him, too lazy to pay him any more attention, and walked into the woods.

"girl."

Xiuhe tugged at Liwan's sleeve, and Liwan turned around and saw Xie Qi.

He was also wearing a scarlet round-necked official robe with a wide belt with animal patterns around his waist, which showed off his superior figure with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His features were cold and flawless, making him stunning every time he was seen.

He stopped two steps away from her, his tall stature making even the surrounding plum trees seem shorter than before.

"I hope you are well, sir."

Li Wan reluctantly curtsied. Upon seeing him, she recalled the humiliation he had inflicted on her that day. Although she had cursed him countless times in her heart, seeing him again now still stirred up hatred within her.

However, there was no other way; from now on, I would have to live under someone else's roof and had to swallow my disgust.

Xie Qi took in her angry but speechless expression and sneered, "Miss Jiang, you have quite the methods. You entered the Marquis's mansion one day and had your father obtain an imperial decree to make me your secondary wife."

Li Wan asked, puzzled, "What do you mean?"

Xie Qi glanced at her, impatient to explain.

Shen Jie said, "Minister Jiang entered the palace as soon as the palace gates opened today to inform His Majesty about your entry into the Marquis's residence. His words were full of dissatisfaction with you, sir."

"His Majesty felt ashamed about falsely accusing Minister Jiang of embezzlement, so he reprimanded my master for being arrogant in the morning court, allowing the Minister of Revenue's eldest daughter to become a concubine, and ordered my master to immediately elevate you to the position of equal wife."

In this dynasty, the inner quarters of the household were divided into wives, secondary wives, and concubines. Although secondary wives were slightly lower in rank than the principal wife, they were still considered the principal wife and were the mistress, not the concubine or servant.

Li Wan felt a pang of sadness. Her father had said he would never care about her again, yet he still swallowed his pride and begged His Majesty.

Although she didn't care about his wives and concubines, her father couldn't bear to see her suffer for the rest of her life.

Li Wan lowered her moist eyes and smiled faintly: Jiang Feiwan, you and I both have a father who loves us the most.

Xie Qi looked at the woman's rosy lips curving slightly, his tone disdainful, "You and your daughter have succeeded in your scheme, so laugh if you want to, don't hold it in."

Li Wan glanced at his black official boots discreetly, without saying anything more to him.

"I am going to pay my respects to the old lady in her courtyard. Would you like to come with me, sir?"

Upon entering the Marquis's residence, Li Wan felt a little apprehensive about meeting her elders alone. She thought that if Xie Qi could go with her, it would at least be less awkward.

Xie Qi saw through her thoughts at a glance, and his tone became a bit more serious, "Are you sure you want to go?"

Li Wan didn't understand why he suddenly became so cold and stern, but since she had already spoken, she could only nod and say, "Having just entered the manor, I must greet my elders."

"what ever."

Xie Qi uttered two words and then strode towards the West Mansion, with Li Wan quickly following behind him.

The West Mansion had more masters than the East Mansion, so naturally there were more servants. Along the way, the maids, servants, old women and guards all bowed and showed respect to Xie Qi.

Stepping into the main hall of the West Mansion, Li Wan suddenly felt a strange chill.

She glanced around quietly. The main hall of the house was as solemn and luxurious as any ordinary wealthy family's, only it was unusually quiet.

On the right side of the hall, in the main seat, sat an elderly lady dressed in a brown long gown with a dark pattern. Unlike other ladies from high-ranking families who were elegant and luxurious, she was dressed very simply.

Seeing Xie Qi lead Li Wan in, the old lady's face softened slightly.

On the other hand, the middle-aged man sitting on the left was wearing a white robe, which is taboo for everyone, and even the hair tie on his head was white.

His black and white beard, paired with his gloomy and dull complexion, made people feel uncomfortable.

Even when he saw the two of them come in, his eyes didn't light up at all.

“Grandmother, Father, she is Jiang Feiwan from the Jiang family. I married her yesterday.”

After Xie Qi finished speaking, he sat down on a side armchair, crossed his long legs, picked up his teacup, and looked at Li Wan as if watching a play.

Li Wan was stunned, not because of Xie Qi's attitude, but because she realized that as the eldest son of the family, he had taken the eldest daughter of the Minister's family as a concubine, yet his grandmother and father were completely unaware of it.

"Grandmother, Father."

She curtsied. Xie Qi had just said "marry," which meant he had acknowledged her as his equal wife. Who would want to be a concubine if they could be a wife? So she performed the proper etiquette for a daughter-in-law.

"Good child, we are family now, no need for formalities."

The old lady's surprise was obvious; she looked Li Wan up and down, her aged eyes even glistening with tears.

Is it really that joyful?

Li Wan looked at Ning Yuanhou with further confusion, but his face remained ashen.

The old lady noticed Li Wan's embarrassment, glared at Ning Yuanhou, and then took off a lustrous green jade bracelet from her wrist and handed it to the old nanny serving her.

"That wretched Qi'er, he didn't even tell us about such a big event as getting married. There wasn't a single thing to prepare for in the manor. We only found out today when the imperial decree came down. You've really been wronged."

The old lady spoke kindly, and the old nanny brought over the jade bracelet and put it on Li Wan's wrist.

"This bracelet was part of my dowry many years ago. Consider it a small gift when we meet. Please don't find it offensive."

The bracelet felt smooth and warm on her wrist, clearly made of superior material. Li Wan quickly said, "Thank you, Grandmother."

The old lady saw that Li Wan had a dignified and clean appearance, clear and open eyes, and did not hold a grudge against the Marquis's family for neglecting her marriage. She could tell that Li Wan was a well-behaved and sensible person, which made her even happier.

Wen smiled and said to Li Wan, "Qi'er has been busy with court affairs, and the inner quarters are empty. Now that you have entered the manor, I can finally rest easy. As for the foolish thing he did, don't worry, the gifts, documents, and servants will all be made up for. From now on, you can just be the master of the Marquis's manor."

"Yes, thank you for your trouble, Grandmother."

The old lady spoke earnestly, and it was clear that she was genuinely pleased that Xie Qi had married.

But what is the background of this Marquis of Ningyuan?

Li Wan glanced at Ning Yuanhou out of the corner of her eye; he remained silent, which was quite strange.

The old lady noticed Li Wan's gaze, a hint of helplessness flashing across her face. She could only say, "Your father is not good with words, but his heart is the same as mine; he would not mistreat you..."

Before the old lady could finish speaking, Marquis Ningyuan suddenly raised his hand, and the old servant beside him quickly walked behind him, grabbed the armrest of his chair, and pushed his chair forward.

The sound of wooden wheels rolling across the floor echoed in the main hall.

Li Wan then realized that Marquis Ningyuan had been sitting in a wheelchair the whole time, his legs hidden under his white robe, not moving at all.

As the wheelchair passed by Li Wan, she instinctively stepped aside to make way and bowed, but Ning Yuanhou didn't even glance at her.

Only then did Li Wan understand why Xie Qi had put on such a spectator's act; he had anticipated Ningyuan Hou's attitude.

But she wasn't going to stay in the Marquis's mansion forever, so what did the Marquis of Ningyuan's attitude have to do with her?

Li Wan showed no embarrassment and calmly said, "It's very cold today. Father must be feeling unwell and should go back to his room to rest early."

Upon hearing this, Xie Qi looked up at her with a mocking smile: "You're quite good at finding a way to save face."

Li Wan gave him a sidelong glance, too lazy to argue with him.

The old lady didn't notice the hostile glances between the two. She hadn't expected that Marquis Ningyuan would be so indifferent to his daughter-in-law, who had finally entered the mansion. She was both angry and heartbroken. Fortunately, her granddaughter-in-law was sensible and didn't hold it against her.

"Yes, your father has caught a slight cold these past few days," she had no choice but to reply.

After Li Wan sat down, she talked with the old lady for a while.

After bidding farewell to the old lady, the two returned to the East Mansion together.

Li Wan wanted to ask Ningyuan Hou about the cause of his leg injury several times, but seeing Xie Qi's reluctance to speak, she held back.

When they arrived at the archway of Yingyue Residence, where they lived, and saw that Xie Qi had no intention of going in, Li Wan called out to him.

Xie Qi stopped, and after a moment, turned around with his hands behind his back, looked down at her cheeks reddened by the cold wind and her bright eyes, and suddenly smiled.

"What, do you want me to come to your room?" The tone was ambiguous, the meaning obvious.