Chapter 18 The five 'daughters' of the Marquis' Mansion each have their own merits.

Chapter 18

The four daughters of the Marquis' Mansion had different reactions after receiving the gifts.

Miss Lin Zhiqin's brows lit up with joy. She held the palm-sized doll and looked at it over and over for a long time. She then looked at the other two one by one, and pinched the eyes, tail, and limbs to look at them all - it was obvious that she liked it very much.

Second Miss Lin Zhiqi tossed the palm-sized dolls back and forth, then asked someone to help the largest one stand up and steady it, then punched it to test the feel. After being glared at by Gu Tingxuan, she smiled innocently and then asked her master in a flattering manner - Master, do you like it? If you like it, you can give it to her.

Gu Tingxuan: "The princess gave it to you, please keep it well."

The third young lady, Lin Zhishu, circled around the three dolls of different sizes twice. Her brows were filled with joy and her face was flushed. She picked up the doll that was as long as an adult's forearm and put her cheek against it. The touch was comfortable and soft. Her eyes curved into crescents, showing that she liked it too.

But... she still had social anxiety, and when Lin Zhiyi stared at her, she hid behind her mother again.

Fourth Miss Lin Zhihua focused on studying the doll's painting skills. She held the doll further away thoughtfully, imagining what its flat drawing would look like, and sighed in rapt attention, "Her Royal Highness is so talented! She actually thought of using such a method to make handicrafts!"

—Wait, this thing seems familiar. Where have you seen it before?

—In my arms! That little fox!

"Xiuyuan, this set of dolls the princess gave me looks like your little fox, right?" Lin Zhihua asked first.

Lin Zhiyi: "Fourth sister has a keen eye. Yes, this is the puppet made based on Yuanbao."

Lin Zhihua: "The princess is so ingenious. This puppet is so lifelike, but the combination of its facial features, body, and tail is completely different from Yuanbao. It can be said that it has captured Yuanbao's charm..."

Lin Zhiyi raised an eyebrow: "Does Fourth Sister like it?"

"I like it. The princess is so amazing." Lin Zhihua praised again.

"Actually - I drew the blueprint, and the princess ordered people to make it according to the blueprint." Lin Zhiyi coughed lightly and said.

Lin Zhihua was surprised: "You?!"

The others also looked surprised.

"This is all thanks to the influence of my fourth sister on a daily basis - my fourth sister is equally skillful and sensitive in drawing and making handicrafts." Lin Zhiyi praised.

After all, she still had to live in the Marquis' Mansion for a while, and she also had to deal with her four sisters. She had to show them some of her unknown talents from time to time so that they could slowly accept her true other side instead of suspecting that she had changed her mind.

Lin Zhihua was very proud after being praised: "Of course! The things I make, no one else can make them! Even if they are a skilled craftsman!"

"That's right, Fourth Sister is the best." Lin Zhiyi agreed. At the same time, she glanced at the expressions of others. Seeing that everyone suddenly understood and there were no other doubts on their faces, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Zhihua began to discuss painting skills with her, but Lin Zhiqi was not interested. She reported to the Marquis's wife and took Gu Tingxuan back to her yard to practice martial arts.

Lin Zhishu whispered to Madam Hou: "Mother, I'll leave one for you to play with, okay?"

The Marquis's wife stroked her hair lovingly and said with a smile, "It's good that you're so thoughtful, Shu'er. As your master said, this is a gift from the princess, so just keep it for yourself. I'm old now and don't like to play with these things anymore. Besides, the princess also gave me a set of gold and jade headwear and gave your Master Gu an armor-piercing spear. It shows that the princess is very thoughtful. You don't have to be restrained."

"I understand, mother."

"Let's go, mother will come to your place and sit for a while." The Marquis's wife felt very sorry for her third daughter. She was often sick when she was young, and she was frail, introverted, and timid. She was the one she cared about and loved the most among her daughters.

Strangely enough, Lin Zhiyi is her youngest child and should have been raised with great love, but she turned out to be very tough. I don’t know if it’s because she was raised as a son since she was a child, she has gradually become a man of responsibility and is more resilient and open-minded than her sisters.

Mu Hanyan glanced at Lin Zhiyi, who was chatting happily with her fourth daughter. Seeing that she looked normal and not as panicked as she had been when she first learned about Princess Shang before the spring hunt, she felt a little more at ease.

There is always a way to deal with it. Yuan'er will definitely find a way to deal with it.

The Marquis's wife personally sent her third daughter back to the courtyard, leaving only three people in the main courtyard - Lin Zhiqin, Lin Zhihua and Lin Zhiyi.

Lin Zhiqin quietly approached her sister and brother who were chatting happily, and listened attentively to their conversation.

Lin Zhiyi had basically figured out Lin Zhihua's temperament. Seeing Lin Zhiqin approaching from the corner of his eye, he smiled at her and said, "Big sister, you like it too, right?"

Lin Zhiqin nodded, then asked with a bit of restraint: "Yuan'er, do you still have the manuscript of this blueprint?"

Lin Zhiyi shook his head: "No. I drew it in the princess's carriage at the time, and gave it directly to the princess after I finished it."

Lin Zhiqin showed a look of regret, frowned and sighed softly.

Lin Zhiyi: "Big sister, do you want a blueprint too? I'll help you draw a new one."

Lin Zhiqin shook her head: "Forget it, since we've already given it to the princess, we can't keep a copy. It's just a pity... a pity for such a great business opportunity."

Lin Zhiyi: “…”

I almost forgot that the eldest daughter of the Marquis has a good business mind.

After three days of digesting the trivial events in the original owner's memory, she had a better understanding of the four daughters of the Marquis' Mansion.

The eldest daughter, Lin Zhiqin, was probably interested in business because she lived with her maternal grandparents for a few years when she was young and was influenced by her grandfather and uncle. It is said that she was given an abacus when she was given the name of her first birthday.

She also has a business mind. When she occasionally stays at her grandparents' house, she will contribute some of her own ideas to her grandparents, uncles and aunts, making her grandparents' business more prosperous.

It’s just a pity that she is the eldest daughter of the Marquis’s family. Due to her status, she is not suitable for doing business and is trapped in the Marquis’s family courtyard.

Second Miss Lin Zhiqi needs no introduction. She spent her life on the battlefield before, during, and after her birth. Influenced by her father, a military commander, and a female martial arts master—she loves martial arts! Her lifelong wish is to wear armor and fight in battle, just as good as any man!

Fortunately, the world has been relatively peaceful in recent years, so I guess there is no place for her to use her skills.

Furthermore, in the hundreds of years of history of our dynasty, there has only been one female martial artist and general, Gu Tingxuan. People still have many restrictions on women.

What's more, she is the daughter of a marquis. Her destiny is to study hard, choose a good husband, and take care of her husband and children in the future - or, in other words, it is the destiny that the world and her family would like to see her have.

The third young lady, Lin Zhishu, was born and raised in the Marquis's mansion. However, Mu Hanyan had returned from the battlefield at that time, and her health was not as good as before. She had been ill since her mother's womb, and had been suffering from a series of ailments, both major and minor, since her birth. Fortunately, the Marquis's mansion paid attention to her and had a good relationship with the Imperial Hospital. With the care and nursing of the imperial physicians, she grew up smoothly. Aside from a little weight gain from the medication, she was otherwise fine.

However, she had been frail and sickly since childhood, so the Marquis, his wife, and her two sisters favored her and protected her with care. If someone else was so favored, they would probably develop an arrogant and domineering personality, but Lin Zhishu was different. Instead, she was raised to be cautious and fearful of others.

She likes quietness and loves reading, so her family members searched for all kinds of books for her to read.

She became less and less willing to go out of the house or the yard.

The Marquis and his wife even discussed it quietly: at worst, they could just support their third daughter for the rest of her life. As long as she was happy, that was all that mattered.

The fourth daughter, Lin Zhihua, was born with great hopes placed on her by the Marquis and his wife. They both hoped to have a son - one who would inherit the title, take over the responsibilities of the entire Marquisate, and take care of the three older sisters.

But the fourth child is still a rich girl.

Feeling disappointed, she couldn't help but feel a little perfunctory towards her. In addition, the third daughter was often ill, which required more of their attention, so the fourth daughter was left to her own devices.

Fortunately, the fourth daughter is in good health and has a carefree personality. She can play by herself, or go play with her older sisters. She has quite a few creative ideas, and no one knows how so much thinking goes on in her little head. She spends the whole day writing, drawing, doing handicrafts, woodworking and other crafts, and she never gets tired of it.

After all, Lin Zhiyi is the 27-year-old elder sister in her soul. After sorting out these memories again, she felt more distressed and admired for Lin Zhihua.

Of course, she also felt sorry for the original owner of this body.

When Lin Zhiyi was born, Lin Shuo, Marquis of Ding'an, was sent by Emperor Longshun to defend against the northern barbarians and was not in the capital.

Before Mu Hanyan decided to have this fifth child, she took good care of her body. She also learned a set of boxing techniques from Gu Tingxuan to strengthen her body. She exercised every morning and evening. Her whole mental outlook and physical condition were different from before. It can be said that conceiving 'Lin Zhiyi' was the easiest pregnancy for her, and the birth was also very smooth.

——The midwife and the imperial physician didn’t even have time to come and serve.

This unexpected incident actually gave Mu Hanyan the opportunity and courage to act decisively. She suppressed her disappointment and announced to the public that the fifth child in the Marquisate was a son.

This news was also passed to the army by scouts, and Ding'an Hou was very happy. He defeated the 13th army of the Northern Barbarians and forced them out of the Dayan border. In addition to suppressing the rebellion of the vassal states, this time he defeated the Northern Barbarians and made another great military achievement.

Emperor Longshun also heard the good news of the addition of a new baby to the Marquis's family - a little boy, so he first rewarded Marquis Ding'an in the name of rewarding the troops, and then gave the little marquis a one-year-old gift to inherit the title.

After that, 'Lin Zhiyi' began her life of disguised as a man.

In order to hide the matter from Marquis Ding'an, Mu Hanyan informed Gu Tingxuan of the matter and brought her into her camp to help cover it up.

Apart from the two of them and Hui'er, the personal maid who was with her during the delivery, no one else knew about this.

Hui'er, the personal maid, grew up with Mu Hanyan. They have been friends for more than ten or twenty years. She married the housekeeper in the Marquis's Mansion and had children. She became Hui'er, the Marquis's wife's maid. Their family relies on the glory of the Marquis's Mansion, so there is no need to worry that she will betray them.

After all, it would be of no benefit to her if this matter were made known.

As for Gu Tingxuan, she is a good sister who has shared life and death with her. She will be more worried than Mu Hanyan about whether this secret will be discovered by others.

It was thanks to the fact that Ding'an Hou Lin Shuo spent more than a year to repel the northern barbarians and then stayed in the border for another three years before returning to Beijing.

At that time, Lin Zhiyi was already four years old. Although Lin Shuo was a military commander, he was also a gentleman of etiquette who was well-versed in the books of sages. Naturally, he would not open the child's clothes to check.

If Lin Shuo had a bad character and was suspicious, how could Mu Hanyan be willing to bear five children with him? And how could the two of them be so affectionate and so well-known in the capital?

In short...Lin Zhiyi grew up safely to the age of seventeen.

During this period, she also learned to read and write, compose poetry, and use swords, spears, axes, knives and forks, working hard towards the goal of being proficient in both civil and military affairs.

Until an imperial edict came down.