Xu Rao's men hurried to the capital. Upon arrival, they went straight to the Yongning Marquis's residence. The old lady was surprised to find that the messenger had arrived just as Xu Rao's family had reached Ganzhou. Hearing that there was news from Ganzhou, she quickly ordered the letter to be taken over.

The old lady put on her tortoiseshell reading glasses and grew angrier the more she looked at the letter. The Marquis, who had come with the letter, noticed the old lady's expression and asked, "Mother, what did the letter say?"

The old lady had finished reading the letter, placed it on the kang table, and said to the Marquis, "You may read it yourself, Your Excellency."

The Marquis picked up the letter, and after reading it, he was furious. He said, "This, this, how could you do such a thing?"

The old lady said, "We just agreed that none of the girls in our household, regardless of their social status, would become concubines, and now someone wants to bring our ninth daughter into the family. It seems that everyone in our household is of good character."

The Marquis said, "Ninth Girl is only thirteen years old. Even if she is engaged, she can only marry after she reaches the age of marriage, right?"

The old lady said, "Rao'er and Zhaoci are right to worry. It would be good to let Xiao Jiu marry into the family now. However, it won't be easy to find a reason to let her marry into the family now."

After pondering for a long time, the Marquis said, "Mother, this matter should be carried out in a grand manner, not only for those people to see, but also for the Emperor. I don't want to hold this grudge."

The old lady said, "Of course we can't keep it to ourselves. Go find the Marquis of Pingxi and tell him I have something to discuss with him in person. This matter requires his intervention."

After pondering for a long time, the Marquis said, "My son already has a plan in mind."

The old lady said, "Tell me about it."

The Marquis said, "The biggest problem with the Pingxi Marquis's mansion now is the poor management of the mansion. Many of the farms and shops from years ago have been sold off. The eldest son and his sister were adopted by the second branch of the Marquis's mansion. Others may not know the reason, but I do. It's because the Chen family stepped in and decided to keep most of the dowry of the first wife of the Pingxi Marquis. Back then, when the Chen family married off their daughter, it was a grand wedding procession of ten miles. The Zheng family only married the Chen family's daughter because of the Chen family's generous dowry."

The old lady said, "I never imagined there was such a reason behind this."

The Marquis said, "Yes, the Marquis of Pingxi's second wife has always regarded the two children left by the late wife as a thorn in her side. Before the late wife passed away, she decided on the position of the Marquis of Pingxi's heir. The second wife has always wanted her son to take his place, but she also wanted to make it look good on the surface. I don't know who gave this eldest son of the Zheng family the idea to propose to be adopted by his great-uncle."

The old lady said, "The second young master of the Zheng family was a valiant general in the army back then. He even saved the life of the late emperor on the battlefield. Because of this, the late emperor left a certificate of merit for the second young master's wife. It's just a pity that the second young master's wife was weak and died in childbirth, leaving no bloodline. In fact, it is a good thing that someone from the Zheng family can be adopted into his name."

The Marquis said, "That's why everyone says that the eldest son of the Zheng family made a good move. His Majesty truly held the late Emperor in high esteem, especially respecting some of the old ministers from the late Emperor's time, not to mention those who once saved the late Emperor's life. The Chen family has also gone to great lengths to allow these two siblings to be adopted together. I plan to ask the Marquis of Pingxi to intervene and have the Chen family do the work openly and honestly."

The old lady nodded and said, "If that's the case, then don't worry about anything else. Don't worry about the young ladies in the manor who haven't been betrothed yet. Go and tell your brother that the young ladies cannot enter the prince's manor. Not for any other reason than for the lives of the more than one hundred people in the manor, they cannot get involved in the struggles between the princes. In the past, those who followed the emperor were the most rewarded, but how many women and children in the families of those who followed the wrong master and stood on the wrong side lost their heads?"

The Marquis said, "Mother, please rest assured, my second brother and I will definitely discuss it."

The Marquis and the Marquis of Pingxi had a past relationship, so the Marquis did not go to the Marquis of Pingxi's residence. Instead, he sent someone to invite the Marquis of Pingxi's residence to a small restaurant on the street.

This small restaurant usually serves only delicate dishes. It has a small storefront and doesn't have many customers. However, few people know that it is a stronghold of the Marquis of Yongning. He often entertains relatives and friends here. This small restaurant has more than just a door leading to the street.

When Marquis Pingxi was invited over, he saw the small storefront and felt somewhat disdainful. He secretly thought that Marquis Yongning was the best at making money, yet he had invited him to this place.

In earlier years, although they were both heirs of marquises, Marquis Yongning was older than Marquis Pingxi. Moreover, in earlier years, when Marquis Yongning went to the battlefield with his fathers, his fathers were on good terms with Zheng Rong, the second younger brother of Zheng Zheng of the Marquis Pingxi's family. The younger Marquis Yongning was well taken care of by Zheng Rong. Because of this, Marquis Yongning now takes good care of the people of the Marquis Pingxi's family.

Unexpectedly, because Zheng Rong, the second younger brother of Marquis Pingxi Zheng Zheng, died on the battlefield, Marquis Pingxi Zheng Zheng himself retired from the army after being seriously wounded. The late emperor, remembering the life-saving grace of Marquis Pingxi, retained the title of Marquis of Pingxi even though no one else among the Marquises of Pingxi was able to fight on the battlefield.

The current Marquis of Pingxi, having been raised by female elders in his family since childhood and spending his time in the inner chambers, has not inherited much of his ancestors' will, but is quite famous for his love of pleasure and indulgence.

Upon entering, Marquis Pingxi discovered that while the small restaurant appeared unremarkable from the outside, it was quite exquisite inside.

He was led into an elegant room, and immediately felt refreshed and relaxed.

The private room was small, but there was a wide reed curtain hanging in front of the window. At this moment, the reed curtain was rolled up high, and looking out of the window, one could see a shallow stream with withered lotus leaves held high, and several ducks swimming in it, making one feel as if they were in the countryside.

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