Jingxuexuan.

"She accepted it?" Su Xuening combed her long hair in front of the mirror.

"Yes." Green Lotus bowed in response, then thought for a moment and added, "Second Miss seems quite excited."

Su Xuening sneered: "Ignore her, she can't scheme against me."

Su Feiling was very excited. That must be what she had thought. She also hoped that she could succeed. If it worked out, it would be another wonderful show!

Looking at the face in the bronze mirror—half celestial being, half devil—Green Lotus felt a chill run down her spine.

In just these few days, she has truly experienced how formidable the young lady is.

Miss wasn't stupid before; she was kind-hearted and disdained to fight with the Second Madam and the Second Miss. Now, I don't know what triggered her, but she has suddenly changed into this. Not only is she decisive in her actions, but she is also ruthless.

She had come to realize that, given her young mistress's intelligence and methods, neither the second madam nor the second young lady could outmaneuver her.

She should still serve her mistress obediently and listen to her instructions, lest she not only lose her life but also implicate her family.

“Miss, the people from the second branch of the family are still in the manor today,” Bihe reported, bowing.

Su Xuening didn't mind: "They have nowhere to go for the time being, so it won't hurt them to stay one more night. They should leave tomorrow."

Her aunt would never allow Su Renyi and the others to be homeless, and the Emperor would not let Su Renyi go unattended. If Su Renyi were to fall into such a state that he was homeless, it would not only be Su Renyi who would lose face, but also the Emperor and Consort Su.

"You've all worked hard today. No need to keep watch. Go and rest," Su Xuening said, putting down her comb.

"yes."

Bihe and Lülian agreed and bowed as they left the room.

Now that the young lady has hired many guards, the General's mansion is very safe, and it's fine even if she doesn't keep watch at night.

After the two left, Su Xuening took her pulse.

It has been half a month since that day at the cold pool, and the pulse seems to be different now, but since it is still early in the month, the diagnosis is not yet very accurate.

Su Xuening gently stroked her belly, thinking about what strategies she should take after marrying into the Holy King's Mansion.

The next morning, as soon as Su Xuening woke up, Green Lotus came to report: "Miss, the second branch of the family has started moving."

Su Xuening raised an eyebrow in surprise: "You already have a new house so soon?"

I guessed they would be moving today, but I didn't expect them to move so early.

"Yes." Green Lotus nodded: "I heard that Second Master went to the palace early this morning. It seems that the Emperor bestowed a house on West Street upon him."

"West Street?" Su Xuening was surprised again.

She thought the emperor would at least bestow a residence on South Street, since it was a marquis's mansion, but she never expected it to end up on West Street.

You should know that in Kyoto, houses and shops are the same; the closer they are to the Imperial Palace, the more valuable they are. East Street is closest to the Imperial Palace, so land on East Street is the most expensive, costing a thousand taels of gold per zhang (a unit of length), and there is no market for it. Next is South Street, where a zhang costs five hundred taels of gold. Then comes West Street, where a zhang costs one hundred taels of gold. As for North Street, it is a mixed bag, closest to the city gates of Kyoto, and furthest from the Imperial Palace, where a zhang only costs ten taels of gold.

Although both are in Kyoto, their different locations result in vastly different values.

"It's on West Street. I heard the mansion is quite large." Green Lotus didn't know the specifics either. It was because of her relationship with the second branch of the family that it was easier for her to find out. However, as for why the Emperor bestowed a mansion on West Street upon the Second Master, not only Zi Shu and Cui Que, but even the Second Miss probably didn't know.

The emperor's mind is unpredictable, and Su Xuening didn't want to guess what he was thinking. In any case, she was satisfied with the result.

Su Xuening got up to dress and had breakfast before going to the door. She happened to run into the second branch of the family loading the carriage, with many people watching.

In truth, the second wife's household didn't have much left; the concubines each had only a small bundle of valuables. Su Renyi and Madam Zhong each had two carriages full of belongings, which looked rather meager.

"Su Xuening, how dare you show your face!" Upon seeing Su Xuening emerge, Madam Zhong glared at her with hatred.

Su Xuening smiled calmly: "My second uncle and aunt have a new house, so of course I have to come and see them off."

Madam Zhong was already annoyed that the Emperor had bestowed the Yong'an Marquis's residence on West Street, and now, hearing Su Xuening's sarcastic remarks, she immediately became furious and shouted, "Su Xuening, you bitch! You swindled so much money from us, you'll die a horrible death!"

Su Xuening's face darkened, and she raised her voice, "I advise Second Aunt to watch her mouth. You misappropriated hundreds of thousands of taels of my mother's dowry. Shouldn't you use your dowry to compensate for it? Let everyone judge this!"

The onlookers erupted in uproar upon hearing Su Xuening's words.

"My God, she embezzled hundreds of thousands of taels of silver!"

"Yesterday her son was branded and exiled, and her daughter had her tongue cut out by the Emperor. Just think about what kind of person she is, raising such children!"

"Hundreds of thousands of taels of silver! No wonder she was so eager to keep someone else's dowry safe!"

"Fortunately, His Majesty intervened this time and got these things back for Miss Su, otherwise she would have squandered them all!"

"She's shameless herself, yet she calls others sluts. Truly, shamelessness knows no bounds!"

"Let's go. We're no longer part of the General's Mansion, so what are we doing still lingering there?"

"Get out of here!"

Even before Su Xuening could say a word, the surrounding people were already cursing the Zhong family and their relatives to the point of being furious.

Seeing that the surrounding people were not only driving them away but also throwing things at them, Su Renyi glared at Zhong Shi with a grim expression, then ordered Ding Shan to drive the carriage: "Let's go!"

The members of the second branch of the family either rode in carriages or ran away, and in an instant they were scattered like rats crossing the street.

Watching their disheveled retreat, Su Xuening smiled contentedly and instructed the gatekeeper beside her, "Set off a string of firecrackers to send them off."

"Alright!" The General's Mansion is having a big celebration lately, so there are plenty of firecrackers and fireworks.

The gatekeeper immediately hung up celebratory firecrackers on both sides of the General's Mansion.

A series of crackling sounds indeed created a lively and festive atmosphere.

Su Xuening felt extremely happy listening to the sound of firecrackers.

Finally, they got rid of those usurpers, and their General's Mansion is finally clean.

The celebratory firecrackers had just been lit when guests arrived at the General's Mansion.

Tang Shi, leading Mu Lingxi, stepped off the carriage and saw Su Xuening standing at the entrance of the General's Mansion. She asked with a smile, "Why is it so lively here?"

Upon seeing that it was Tang Shi, Su Xuening quickly came down the steps to greet her: "Aunt."

"Cousin Ning'er." Mu Lingxi also curtsied to Su Xuening.

Su Xuening took Mu Lingxi's hand, and the two smiled at each other.

Tang glanced at the departing carriage of Su Renyi and his group: "Did your second uncle and the others leave the manor?"

"Yes, we're seeing them off," Su Xuening explained with a smile.

Tang raised her eyebrows; so that's what setting off firecrackers and fireworks meant.

Thinking of something, Tang asked worriedly, "Did you not suffer any losses? Did you get all your things back?"