Xu Di didn't mind the mess. He carried two large baskets, which were filled to the brim, into the examination hall. After entering, the Marquis of Yongning said to the crowd still standing on the main street of the examination hall, "Alright, go back and wait."

Chen Zhaoci agreed and arranged for people to guard the entrance of the examination hall every day. He then took Xu Bai and the others home.

Wu's side only sent someone over early in the morning to inquire, and Chen Zhaoci didn't pay much attention. That's just how her mother-in-law is, and she's gotten used to it over the years. However, when she returned from the examination hall, she heard Bai Wei say that she saw her eldest aunt from the family return.

The eldest aunt was referring to Xu Shao. In the past two years, Xu Shao has come back frequently. When she visited the old lady, she would either go alone or with her child to give a perfunctory greeting. Sometimes, she wouldn't even go to the Marquis's place. When Xu Shao came back, she would go to Wu Shi's courtyard. People in Wu Shi's courtyard were whispering that Xu Shao never left empty-handed.

Ning was seething with hatred. Xu Shao came to dig up her mother-in-law's private savings. Did her mother-in-law's private savings belong to Xu Shao alone?

Ning Shi wasn't concerned about her mother-in-law's things. Ning Shi understood that over the years, all the good things her mother-in-law had had been used to subsidize Xu Shao, both openly and secretly. But people can't always be so ungrateful. Their Yongping Marquis's Mansion had a bad reputation in the capital. The Yongping Marquis's Mansion had been in deficit for many years, but everyone in the mansion still acted like a member of the Marquis's Mansion. Xu Shao, as the wife of the heir, had no real power in the mansion, yet she used her dowry to fill the mansion's deficit. Many people in the capital laughed at Xu Shao.

Xu Shao didn't care about other people's jokes. It was as if she wanted to compete with her mother-in-law. She would do anything to get ahead of her mother-in-law, even if it meant killing eight hundred enemies and losing a thousand of her own.

Xu Bai followed behind Chen Zhaoci. Upon hearing Bai Wei's words, his eyes darted around, and he whispered, "When a night owl comes into the house, it's never a good thing."

Chen Zhaoci glared at Xu Bai, who stuck out his tongue, made a face, and pulled Chen Yuyuan into the yard.

Bai Wei leaned close behind Chen Zhaoci and whispered, "Just now, we heard crying coming from the Lady of the Marquis's courtyard. The head maidservant by the First Madam's side chased all the servants out of the courtyard. Later, the Heir Apparent's wife received the news and went in with her people."

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhaoci felt that something serious must have happened, otherwise Xu Shao wouldn't have come to her parents' home to cry.

Before Chen Zhaoci had even entered the room, a maidservant from Ning's side came over and said to Chen Zhaoci, "Third Madam, our mistress invites you to the Marquis's courtyard to discuss something."

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhaoci frowned. She was really impatient to get involved in these matters, but on the surface, Madam Wu was still Xu Rao's legal mother, and there were some things she couldn't avoid. So she could only sigh and, with Bai Wei and Bai Mi, followed the maid toward Madam Wu's courtyard.

When they arrived, they discovered that not only was Ning there, but Yao was also there, standing in Wu's courtyard.

When Yao saw Chen Zhaoci arrive, she quickly waved to him.

Chen Zhaoci walked over to Yao Shi and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong now?"

Yao whispered, "Eldest sister is back and causing trouble, but this time she's stepped on sister-in-law's shoulders. Sister-in-law is inside talking to mother-in-law and eldest sister about it."

Chen Zhaoci asked curiously, "Why did my sister-in-law, mother-in-law, and eldest sister invite us over to reason with them?"

Madam Yao looked around and listened to the faint crying coming from inside the house. She whispered, "It seems that my eldest sister wants her mother-in-law to arrange for our fourth daughter to marry our eldest sister's son, Xing-ge."

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhaoci was taken aback. He looked at Yao Shi, who nodded and said, "It should be true."

Chen Zhaoci said in surprise, "How dare you say such a thing, eldest sister? Fourth Sister is the apple of your eye, I think even Hua Ge'er is inferior to that brat."

Madam Yao nodded and said, "Who says otherwise? Xing'er is already over twenty years old. He didn't pass the provincial examination last time and is still studying at Second Sister's academy. I think Eldest Sister is just grasping at straws in her desperation."

Chen Zhaoci thought of Xu Shao's eldest son, who was tall and thin, with a pale face, and was taciturn all day long. When he came over for holidays, he would only answer one question and never say a word more.

Yao said in a low voice, "I think that what my eldest sister values ​​now is not Fourth Sister as her daughter-in-law, but rather that Fourth Sister can bring her dowry from the past."

Chen Zhaoci shook his head when he thought of Xu Shao's temperament and said, "Sister-in-law, you're really getting desperate. If things don't go well inside, you might go to the Marquis's place and cry."

For some reason, Yao couldn't help but laugh out loud. She quickly covered her mouth with her handkerchief and whispered, "Sister-in-law isn't incapable of doing such a thing. She already has a lot of grievances against eldest sister, and this time she even made a fuss about wanting our fourth daughter to be her daughter-in-law. I think eldest sister is just wishful thinking."