After Ning and Chen Zhaoci left, Marquis Yongning stood in the courtyard of his study with a sullen face, pondering for a long time. He then said to Qingfeng, who was standing to the side, "Go to the Wu family and invite Wu's maternal uncle over. Tell him that I have important matters to discuss with you."

Qingfeng agreed and hurried to the Wu family to invite people.

After pondering for a long time, the Marquis instructed Mingyue: "Go to the Madam's courtyard and see if the eldest aunt has left. If she has, come back and let her know."

Mingyue agreed and hurried to the inner courtyard to inquire. She returned quickly and told the Marquis, "My lord, the eldest aunt hasn't left yet. She's crying in the madam's room."

The Marquis nodded and said, "Understood."

Mingyue waited for a long time but did not receive any further instructions. She looked up and glanced at the Marquis with some curiosity. She saw that the Marquis was frowning and seemed to be thinking about something. Mingyue's heart skipped a beat and she quickly lowered her head.

In the main room of the inner courtyard, Madam Wu looked at Xu Shao, who was sobbing and slumped over the table, with a headache. Xu Shao had been crying for a long time when she looked up and saw Madam Wu looking at her with pity. She took Madam Wu's hand and cried, "Mother, please have pity on me, have pity on your poor daughter. I've been married into their family for over twenty years. My mother-in-law is unkind, and my husband is not loving. Mother, I'm really having such a hard time. Xing'er is my only hope, but they actually want to marry that old hag's niece to Xing'er. What kind of good girl can that impoverished family raise?"

Madam Wu gently tucked a strand of hair behind Xu Shao's ear and said, "Shao'er, don't worry, things can always be resolved."

Xu Shao leaned against Wu Shi's chest, sobbing as she cried, "Mother, Zhao Ziqi is a scoundrel! I work so hard for our family every day, and he does everything that old hag has to do. A few days ago, he insisted on taking a concubine. I only found out later that she was the granddaughter of that old hag's distant cousin. Tell me, what kind of nonsense is this? They have nowhere to send their daughters, so they're just using our family to cause trouble."

Madam Wu was furious when she heard this, but in recent years, the Marquis had not allowed the Marquis's mansion to stand up for Xu Shao, and Xu Shao's life in her husband's family had been very difficult.

Xu Shao raised her head, her face covered in tears, and said, "Mother, Xu Yao is sixteen years old and still unmarried. Marrying her to our Xing'er would not disgrace our fourth daughter. Look at my sister-in-law, as soon as she heard that I was going to marry our fourth daughter to our Xing'er, she acted as if she had done something terrible to her. Listen to what she said, openly and secretly looking down on me and our Yongping Marquis's Mansion. Mother, you must stand up for me!"

In recent years, Madam Wu has not taken care of the household affairs, nor has she been willing to get involved in the marriages of her children. Especially after Aunt Zhu passed away, she spent most of her time either eating vegetarian food, chanting Buddhist scriptures, or sitting quietly in her room. When Xu Shao suddenly came over and started making a ruckus, Madam Wu felt a buzzing in her head and a throbbing pain.

Standing to the side, Granny Wu noticed that Madam Wu's expression was not good, so she quickly stepped forward to support her and said to Xu Shao, "Eldest Miss, Madam hasn't been sleeping well these past few nights and isn't in good spirits. Why don't you go and rest for a while? I'll have someone prepare some hot water for you to wash up, and after you've had some hot tea, you can talk slowly, okay?"

Xu Shao let go of Wu Shi's hand and slowly stood up. When Wu Shi saw this, she first helped Wu Shi to sit on the kang (a heated brick bed) by the window before going outside to call someone to fetch water for Xu Shao to wash up.

Xu Shao went to the outer corner room to wash up. Wu Mama served Wu a bowl of hot tea and whispered, "Madam, you shouldn't always spoil the eldest young lady. She can't handle things on her own. No matter how much you help her, it's useless."

Madam Wu sighed and said, "I understand, but I just can't bear to see Shao'er so sad. She's almost forty years old. In other people's homes, she should be enjoying the company of her grandchildren, but she still has to fight with her mother-in-law."

Granny Wu glanced outside and whispered, "Madam, Fourth Miss is the most beloved child of our young master and mistress. Even Hua-ge'er is secondary. Even if Fourth Miss is not engaged yet, I don't think the young master and mistress will easily agree to marry her off. It's best if we don't interfere in Fourth Miss's marriage."

Madam Wu nodded and said, "I understand this principle. Alright, don't say any more of this. It will only make Shao'er feel worse if she hears it."

Granny Wu sighed inwardly. They were mother and daughter, and it was inappropriate for a servant like herself to say too much. She could only keep quiet.

Seeing that it was lunchtime, Madam Wu asked Xu Shao to stay for lunch, but Xu Shao declined, saying that she had things to do at home, and left by carriage.

Madam Wu was quite sad. She knew why Xu Shao didn't stay for dinner. Every time Xu Shao came, the Marquis and the Old Madam didn't treat her well. Over time, Xu Shao became unwilling to stay for dinner. During festivals, she would bring her children to kowtow to the Old Madam or the Marquis, but she rarely stayed for dinner.

Just after seeing Xu Shao off, someone from the gatehouse came to announce that Wu's maternal uncle had come to visit Wu. Upon hearing this, Wu quickly instructed the kitchen to prepare several dishes that Wu's maternal uncle liked, and also opened a jar of fine wine. She then entertained her maternal younger brother in the side hall of her courtyard.

Wu Muyue arrived quickly; Qingfeng had invited him, and he came right away. After meeting the Marquis and hearing his words, Wu Muyue was speechless. He had known for a long time that Xu Shao was Concubine Zhu's biological daughter, but he later learned that Xu Shao was actually the child conceived by the former Crown Prince and Concubine Zhu in their early years.

Wu Muyue knew that Xu Shao was now a ticking time bomb for the Xu family. If she didn't explode, it would be fine, but if she did, it could wipe out the entire Xu family. Back then, the former crown prince was murdered and died unjustly. After that, the princes fought fiercely for the throne, and after so many years of peace, no one wanted to see any more turmoil caused by the messy affairs of the past.

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