Lord Yongning didn't concern himself much with family matters, but he paid close attention to what was happening in the old lady's courtyard. Hearing that the old lady was preparing to send things to Hexi, he was a little surprised. His personal attendants, Qingfeng and Mingyue, looked at each other when they heard the lord ask.

The Marquis was even more puzzled and asked, "What are you two doing? Speak up if you have something to say."

Fearing that this matter might cause further conflict between the old lady and the marquis, Granny Shen spoke to someone close to the marquis about it. The main point was that the old lady was very unhappy that the marquis's family had not sent anything to Hexi for the past two years.

Qingfeng stepped forward and told the Marquis what Granny Shen had told him. The Marquis felt a bit annoyed after hearing it, but since his daughter-in-law was now in charge of the household, he couldn't say anything. After thinking for a moment, he gritted his teeth and said, "Go, find something from my private treasury for Granny Shen. Send it to the Zhang family first thing tomorrow morning and ask them to take it to Hexi."

Qingfeng and Mingyue looked at each other. Mingyue asked what they were looking for, and the Marquis said, "Whether it's medicine or writing materials, also bring three thousand taels of silver."

Qingfeng and Mingyue quickly accepted the order and left. The Marquis sat in the study for a while. It was already quite late when the small kitchen sent out food. The Marquis asked that it be delivered to the Marquis's wife, Madam Wu's, courtyard, so he got up and went to Madam Wu's courtyard.

The Marquis would spend about half a month each month in the Marquis's courtyard, and the rest of the time he would either be in his study or in the courtyards of his concubines.

When Lady Hou saw the kitchen staff bring over the Marquis's dinner, she knew that he would be eating here that evening. He would usually rest here after dinner. Although he was already over fifty years old, he still felt dignified to be able to rest in his own courtyard.

Before entering the Lady of the Marquis's courtyard, the Marquis calmed himself down. The Lady of the Marquis had always been very indifferent to Xu Rao, her illegitimate son, and basically didn't care much about him. In fact, the Lady of the Marquis didn't care much about many things in the mansion, otherwise she wouldn't have given the power to manage the household to her daughter-in-law.

The infatuation of her youth has vanished with the indifference of her partner and her fickle nature, leaving only a heart ashen with despair. But life must go on, and as the second most powerful woman in the household, the Lady of the Marquis is happy to accept the honor bestowed upon her by the Marquis.

He did not speak while eating or sleeping. After the meal, he went to the Luohan couch in the banquet area to drink tea.

The Marquis took a sip of tea. It was White Peony, the tea that the Marquis's wife loved to drink. When the Marquis came over, he would usually drink this tea with her. However, in his own study, the Marquis preferred to drink Silver Needle White Tea.

Lady Hou said, "This was just delivered by Shao'er."

Xu Shao, the eldest daughter of the Yongning Marquis's family, married into the Yongping Marquis's family. She became the wife of Zhao Ziqi, the heir apparent of the Yongping Marquis's family. Zhao Ziqi was currently a fourth-rank official, serving as the Junior Minister of the Imperial Stables, responsible for raising horses for the emperor. Fortunately, a fourth-rank official in his thirties was rare, and coupled with his frequent audiences with the emperor, he wielded considerable power. However, the Yongping Marquis's family was now managed by the Marquis's wife, Zhang Shi. After marrying into the Zhao family, Xu Shao suffered considerable mistreatment from her mother-in-law.

Xu Shao has been married for over ten years and has given birth to two sons and a daughter. Her eldest son, Zhao Sixing, is two years older than Xu Di, and her eldest daughter, Zhao Siyan, is one year younger than Xu Di. She also has a second son, Zhao Sishen, who is just eight years old.

Zhao Ziqi also had several concubines. Two were maids who had been with him before he got married, and two others were put in by his mother-in-law before he had his first son. In addition, he had a concubine of good virtue. According to the laws of the Great Liang Dynasty, a concubine of good virtue had a document for taking a concubine and was registered with the government. The master could not buy or sell her at will.

Xu Shao has had a very difficult time in her husband's family these past few years. Her relationship with her mother-in-law is not very harmonious. However, she was able to have a legitimate eldest son at a young age and has both a son and a daughter. She can hold her head high in the household. Her eldest son is about to be married, but because her mother-in-law is in charge of the household, she has to consult her mother-in-law on everything.

Lady Yongning picked up her teacup, sighed, and said, "Shao'er came over this morning, but you weren't home, so she had to rush back and didn't wait for you. This White Peony tea was a gift from someone under our eldest son-in-law. He knows I love it, so he specially asked Shao'er to bring it over." As she said this, Lady Yongning couldn't hide the smile on her face.

When Marquis Yongning thought of his eldest daughter, he naturally knew about the affairs of her husband's family. Marquis Yongning was a very shrewd man; otherwise, he wouldn't have made sure that Xu Rao studied hard and passed the imperial examination, eventually becoming a seventh-rank county magistrate.

Marquis Yongning asked, "Didn't Shao'er say anything else?"

Lady Hou sighed and said, "What else can we say? It's just her mother-in-law. I don't know what Shao'er's mother-in-law is thinking. Among so many noble families in the capital, who is like her? At such an old age, she still clings to the affairs of the mansion. It's one thing for her to be greedy for power, but she also says outside that her daughter-in-law can't handle things and that she can only suffer. It's really infuriating to hear."

The Marquis shook his head and said, "The Marquis of Yongping is the kind of person who doesn't care about anything. His wife has always been in charge of managing the household, so it's understandable that he doesn't trust the younger generation."

Lady Hou sighed and said, "But our daughter has been wronged. Look at all the women in the capital who are the same age as our Shao'er and have married the eldest son. Aren't they all in charge now? Besides, doesn't Lady Yongping know how our son-in-law got his official position back then?"

The Marquis sighed and said, "Madam, let's not talk about the past anymore. Talking about it too much will hurt the harmony between our two families. It's just that our son-in-law is a shrewd person. Otherwise, even if we introduced him, he wouldn't be anything if he didn't have the ability. Please calm down. Shao'er's mother-in-law is not young anymore. Her energy is limited. Can't Shao'er just wait a little longer?"

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