With a stepmother comes a stepfather. After his second wife, Qian, gave birth to one daughter and three sons, Bai Chong paid little attention to the daughters born to his two first wives.

He was just staying at the mansion for a meal.

Including the marriage between the two sisters, Bai Ruifeng's marriage to the Marquis of Boyuan was arranged through ancestral connections.

As for Bai Yan, since her mother died early and her stepmother didn't care for her, a sixteen-year-old girl in this day and age should have been looking for a husband by fifteen.

But Madam Qian didn't even take her out of the mansion.

Without parents or care, Bai Ruier repeatedly stole things from the original owner of the body.

"Outrageous!" Bai Ruifeng gritted her teeth, her eyes burning with rage. "If you love to snatch things so much, why don't you rush to report to the King of Hell before everyone else?"

A dark glint flashed in her eyes; she had absolutely no intention of giving away her mother's dowry to the Qian family.

But she herself is just a figurehead; if she were to compete with the Qian mother and daughter now, she might not necessarily win in the end…

"Well, as long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood." As long as the person is still alive, everything is fine.

Bai Ruifeng's gaze swept across the room, then she instructed Bai Yan, "Go and find all your valuable jewelry. Even if we don't take the furniture, it won't benefit the Qian family. We'll take it and sell it."

"How many is this worth?" Bai Yan laughed.

She went through her memories again: "Besides the pair of glass jade pendants, Bai Ruier also took an enamel vase and two pairs of red agate ruyi scepters from my room..."

Her memory was much better than the original owner's; she read through in one breath all the dowries that Qian had plundered from the two sisters over the years.

“Including that shop in the west of the city that makes a fortune every day, it also belongs to Mother,” Bai Yan said.

Bai Ruifeng's heart bled when she heard about the shop. She knew it; it was a silk shop near the capital, so profitable that even her mother-in-law from the Marquis's mansion had coveted it several times in her past life...

"Sister, let's get all of Mother's things back," Bai Yan said to Bai Ruifeng.

Bai Ruifeng certainly wanted to reclaim what was rightfully hers, but she needed to plan carefully: "They won't give it to me..."

"Let's take some with us today. As long as we have green hills, we'll never run out of firewood."

"Don't worry, your elder sister will take what's rightfully yours for you in the future—"

“Come back…” Bai Ruifeng turned around: “Where’s Xiao Yan?”

She has such a big younger sister!

Bai Ruifeng's maid pointed outside: "The Second Miss took Sister Caizhu from Uncle Jiu's house to ask for something over there."

Bai Ruifeng immediately put down what she was holding. Now that she had calmed down, she didn't want to have a major conflict with Qian Shi.

But he absolutely didn't want his younger sister to suffer a loss, so he looked around and saw a straight jade flute in his sister's room, and casually picked it up to use as a weapon.

Bai Yan went to Bai Ruier's room, but unexpectedly, Bai Chong had just finished his court session at that moment.

Bai Ruier's marriage has been arranged. At this moment, Bai Chong is reporting the good news to Madam Qian: "Ruier has been added to the list of candidates for this year's imperial concubine selection. The people from the Chen Marquis's residence are in charge of drafting the list."

He glanced around and said, "When Rui'er enters the palace, she must at least be a Noble Lady."

Bai Ruier's joy was evident: "Father, don't worry, with my looks, I'll at least become a Noble Consort after entering the palace and gaining the Emperor's favor!"

Upon hearing her daughter's ambition, Madam Qian's expression first lit up with joy, but then she couldn't help but feel a little worried... She was puzzled. Bai Yan had already returned from the Chen Marquis's residence. She thought the matter had failed, so how did it succeed?

Just then, Bai Yan lifted the curtain and came in. She glanced at Bai Chong and said, "Father is here too..."

Bai Chong frowned: "Why did you barge in so recklessly without even announcing yourself? How did you learn the rules?"

Bai Ruier seized the opportunity to complain: "Father, she didn't come home last night! First, my eldest sister couldn't win over her husband after marrying into the Marquis's mansion, and now she hasn't come home all night. If word gets out, it will ruin my reputation."

"You must teach her a good lesson, lest she hinder my progress after entering the palace."

Bai Yan chuckled lightly: "Rules? My stepmother didn't teach me, so naturally I don't know them."

"As for what I did yesterday?" Bai Yan's gaze fell on Madam Qian: "Shouldn't your stepmother know best?"

Madam Qian denied it, frowning as she said, "What nonsense are you spouting in front of your father? How would I know you were running around outside?"

"It's a worry for your sister. She's a married woman, yet she still comes home to cause trouble."

As she spoke, Madam Qian covered her chest with her handkerchief again: "Master, you don't know, before you came back, the eldest daughter just made a scene at home, saying that if we didn't hand over the second daughter, our whole family would be in trouble!"

Upon hearing this, Bai Chong didn't even ask Bai Yan a question. He slammed his hand on the table and directly rebuked, "You wretched child, kneel down before me!"

Bai Yan raised her eyes and sneered, "What's the point of kneeling before a father like you?"

Bai Chong's eyes widened, and Qian Shi seized the opportunity to fan the flames: "Look at her, just because she has a sister, she doesn't care about her family anymore."

Bai Chong didn't particularly like the two daughters born to his first wife. Upon hearing this, anger flashed in his eyes, and he raised his hand to rush towards Bai Yan.

Bai Ruifeng had just arrived when she saw Bai Chong raise his palm and immediately stepped forward to protect her younger sister.

The slap landed on Bai Ruifeng's face.

"Sister!" Bai Yan rushed to her side upon seeing this, while Bai Ruifeng held her protectively in her arms, saying, "Sister is alright."

A hint of anger flashed in Bai Yan's eyes; she was genuinely angry.

"You still dare to protect her! Do you really think that just because you've become the Lady of the Marquis, you can disown me as your father?"

Bai Ruifeng looked at the furious Bai Chong in front of her and was already utterly disappointed. Naturally, she had no expectations now.

A wise man doesn't fight a losing battle, so she endured it for now, planning to hire bandits to rob the whole family after receiving the money.

They've all been robbed, and they've all been killed!

Bai Ruifeng thought viciously to herself, but the hatred in her eyes gradually subsided, and she regained her former gentle demeanor: "Father..."

"If you can't stand me, then take out everything my mother gave me." But then Bai Yan spoke up, pointing to her head, "My mother's dowry belongs to me and my sister, and the list is all in my head."

“I’m here today to get these things. Give me the things and I’ll leave immediately.”

Bai Chong stared at Bai Yan in disbelief, then laughed angrily before slamming his fist on the table: "What kind of logic is there in the world for a daughter to ask her father for things!"

Caizhu watched from the side. If Bai Chong made a move, she would have to do the same, as the emperor had ordered her to protect the second young lady.

“You ignorant brat, I’ll teach you a lesson right now—” But this time, he didn’t even have time to wave his hand.

Bai Yan chuckled lightly: "Lord Bai, please hold your temper."

She walked over slowly and opened the list of Bai Ruier's names for entering the palace from the table. It recorded Bai Ruier's birth date and time, which was naturally calculated before she could enter the palace. It was a very auspicious birth date and time.

"Give me my mother's things, and I might be able to make money with you for the time being."

Bai Yan looked at him, then sneered: "Otherwise, let Lord Bai know that leaving such a big handle in my hands will definitely prevent your precious daughter from entering the palace."