Although there are still two days until the heir apparent's wedding, everyone in the Chen Liang Marquis's mansion is already in full swing.

After checking the menu for the wedding banquet, Li had to quickly draft a list of return gifts for each relative, as well as arrange the number of guests and their seating, and the hospitality for male and female guests. All of this required her attention.

"Mother, shouldn't you go and check it one last time? It's still hot, what if all the prepared things spoil?"

Lin Yuqiao lay half-reclined on the couch, holding the menu and looking at it. Whenever she encountered a word she didn't recognize, she would ask Wu Mama, who was by Li Shi's side, in order to find a few dishes that suited her taste.

A small kitchen had long been set up in her yard, but it was always based on Li's menu. Now that Li saw that she had been studying hard during this period, she decided to reward her by allowing her to order her own food.

"You silly girl, don't you see I'm so busy right now, and you still want to order me around? There are people in charge watching over those things."

Besides, Lin Yuqi wasn't born from her womb. She's already done her best; what more could she ask for?

Although Li didn't say it explicitly, Lin Yuqiao roughly understood her thoughts. But in her opinion, since they were going to do it, they should do it completely, otherwise, if something went wrong, wouldn't all their efforts be wasted?

"Mother, you should still make time to go and see. When the wedding banquet of my eldest brother is held, it will be a lively and joyful occasion, and Father and Grandmother will be happy too."

Seeing that Li was still unwilling, Lin Yuqiao shook Li's arm and continued to persuade her.

Unable to resist Lin Yuqiao's earnest persuasion, Li also felt that since they had already taken ninety-nine steps, why not take one more?

"I know, I know, you little rascal, you're always worrying about nothing."

Li tapped Lin Yuqiao's forehead. Although she didn't say it, she was actually very satisfied with her.

Although Lin Yuqiao wasn't particularly talented in academics and her handicrafts were just average, she was still very thoughtful and insightful at a young age. Her temperament and intelligence were something that even after marrying into a noble family in her previous life, let alone when she was a child, she couldn't match.

Although Lin Yuqiao sometimes caused Li a headache with her naughtiness, Lin Yuqiao was clever and Li could never bear to scold or punish her.

Although her daughter was shrewd and precocious and wouldn't suffer any losses in the future, Li, as a mother, still hoped that Lin Yuqiao could grow up innocently and carefree. Lin Yucheng and Lin Yuqiao's understanding and thoughtfulness made her feel somewhat guilty. She felt she was too incompetent to win over Chen Lianghou's heart to them.

"I'll have Granny Wu make another copy. You can take the menu back and choose slowly, picking out what you like to eat and having the kitchen prepare it. Continue drinking the daily tonic soup, so you can grow taller and stronger, and I'll feel at ease."

Held in Li's arms and lovingly rubbed, Lin Yuqiao felt her mother's care and tenderness, and felt incredibly warm inside. She was so lucky to have a loving mother and brother in this life. Seeing them working so hard to provide for her, she longed to grow up quickly and protect her family.

"If he grows up to be strong and sturdy, I guarantee his mother will be even more worried."

Lin Yuqiao's teasing dispelled Li's initial anger. She pinched her daughter's nose and said, "I'm busy now. Don't cause me any more trouble. Go back quickly."

After Lin Yuqiao returned, Madam Li was busy again. After finally getting everything arranged, she remembered Lin Yuqiao's words and decided to personally inspect the kitchen and storeroom.

As fate would have it, the storeroom manager's expression immediately changed upon hearing that Madam Li wanted to inspect the kitchen and storerooms. This was noticed by Granny Wu, who had gone ahead to inform them. After reporting to Madam Li, Granny Wu and the steward first inspected the two storerooms that had been prepared in advance.

After investigation, it was discovered that, in addition to vegetables and meats being perishable and needing to be delivered daily, some of the more durable ingredients, such as various beans and mushrooms, were of inferior quality. There were even some spoiled items that hadn't been removed and were mixed in with the substandard products. Furthermore, a small portion of the return gifts for guests, including fabrics, fruits, and tea, were also of inferior quality.

Enraged, Li immediately ordered Zhang, the steward, to be tied up and continued to inspect all the warehouses and other details. Fortunately, everything else was fine.

Although the Chairman wouldn't dare use those substandard ingredients, it would still cause a lot of trouble if they were discovered at a banquet outside. Moreover, problems arose with the return gifts, and if word got out, Madam Li, as the housekeeper's wife, would certainly be branded as having ulterior motives and being jealous of her stepson's success.

Being a stepmother is difficult enough, but this life has been especially tough. Li Shi has always tried to protect her reputation and treated Lin Yuqi with utmost care, afraid of being criticized or nitpicked. She had to swallow all the bitterness in her heart. If Lin Yuqi hadn't discovered her plans in advance, all her efforts would have been in vain.

Because Steward Zhang was originally Zhang's personal attendant, Li never dared to replace him after taking over the household. Now, even if they were to interrogate him, they didn't dare to act on their own; they had to report back to Zhang before allowing the torture to proceed.

After the interrogation of the steward, Li was filled with lingering fear. Fortunately, Lin Yuqiao reminded her to come and check. Her previous trust in Steward Zhang had not only failed to be rewarded, but had also emboldened them.

In order to profit from this, the money manager and the purchasing agent colluded to sell inferior goods as superior ones, pocketing the price difference.

She initially thought it was just a simple case of the steward embezzling, but later Steward Zhang couldn't take the beating and confessed everything, which even implicated the second wife, He Qingfang.

In order to make things difficult for Li, He Qingfang bribed Steward Zhang to replace some of the mushrooms with wild ones.

He Qingfang wanted the Crown Princess to be on her side after she entered the palace, so she devised a plan to sow discord between Li Shi and Jin Shi, creating conflict between them first.

Wild mushrooms are poisonous. If some guests eat poisonous mushrooms at the banquet, they will vomit and have diarrhea in less than half a cup of tea, ruining the entire wedding banquet. I'm not afraid that the newlywed Jin family will hate the Li family.

Li reported the results of the interrogation to Zhang, who was indeed furious. Li watched coldly; she wasn't angry that the second wife had framed her, but rather that the person in charge had disgraced her and ruined her precious grandson's wedding.

Originally, Zhang locked He Qingfang up only to temporarily suppress her and express her dissatisfaction, but He Qingfang still did not behave.

Now Zhang had no more leniency. She sealed off He Qingfang's courtyard, sending her things every day, and forbade her from sending anyone out, nor from Lin Yuxuan and Lin Yumei visiting her.

After clearing out all the unusable, substandard, and broken items from the warehouse, Li quickly purchased a new batch, managing to get the wedding done without delay.

After Lin Yuqi was escorted into the bridal chamber and the guests who had been drinking outside were all sent home, Madam Li finally breathed a sigh of relief as she lay in bed that night. It was finally over.

Chen Lianghou did not stay in Li's courtyard that night; he was probably in his study reminiscing about his first wife. Li felt somewhat numb; over the years, she had never been able to warm this man's heart, and had long since become indifferent.

If you are heartless, then I will leave. Life is about making do; everyone makes do eventually, and besides, she has loving and devoted children.

The next morning, Lin Yuqi brought his new wife to Zhang's place to recognize the person. Lin Yuqiao and the others were already waiting there.

Now that she was Lin's sister-in-law, Jin's expression was calm, and she performed all the proper etiquette flawlessly. However, she had no extra interaction with Lin Yuqi, which Lin Yuqiao found a bit strange.

They're newlyweds, after all; there should be some sweetness in their relationship.

Madam Li found it understandable; after all, Madam Jin was rather plain-looking, far less attractive than Caihe. With a charming and pitiful maid on one side and a plain and reserved wife on the other, comparisons were inevitable. However, Lin Yuqi was always well-mannered and would likely respect his wife as well.

Li's idea wasn't bad, but what she didn't know was that before his marriage, Lin Yuqi had been frequently taken to brothels like Cuiyuexuan by Feng Jin and others. Gradually, he developed a desire for women and, having seen countless beautiful and alluring women, found his wife's appearance merely average, failing to satisfy his aesthetic standards. Although he didn't completely neglect her, he unconsciously revealed these signs.

Jin was also a woman of ambition. Before her marriage, she had harbored various expectations in her youth, hoping to receive her husband's tender and affectionate love. However, Lin Yuqi was cold and distant, and their wedding night ended hastily, causing all of Jin's passion to cool down.

But Madam Jin was optimistic. Now that she had entered the family and become the Crown Prince's wife, she would manage things well, and things would only get better. Since there was no love involved, she would hold on even tighter to what was rightfully hers.

Once back in her room, Lin Yuqi gave a brief greeting and left, leaving Jin Shi to meet with the servants and arrange her dowry and personal belongings.

Among the maids and servants below, Madam Jin immediately spotted several maids with outstanding looks. They were all beautiful and unique, especially the one named Caihe, whose eyes were full of affection, and whose waist was slender and whose hair was thick with hair. She had the appearance of a vixen.

However, considering that they were all second-class maids who generally did not enter the room to serve, Madam Jin did not want to deal with them. She was a newlywed, so she could not do much. She simply sent those people away to do other errands so that they would not get in her way.

Even after finishing her work in the afternoon, Jinshi couldn't rest. She had to wash and groom herself again before going to Zhangshi's place to serve her in the evening.

Sitting in front of the mirror, Jin looked at herself carefully. She knew that she was not good-looking, and her mother had given her two beautiful maids as part of her dowry before she left home, so that they could be put to use if she couldn't keep Lin Yuqi by her side.

Fortunately, Lady Jin was not ashamed. She understood that she was both the principal wife and the wife of the heir apparent, and that once she gave birth to the legitimate son, no one could shake her position.

Recalling her mother's words on the eve of her wedding, Jin felt that everything else was not urgent; her stepmother, Li, was the person she should pay the most attention to and be most careful about.

Especially with Lin Yucheng's recent success, he has always been a powerful threat to Lin Yuqi. How can the Li family remain at ease? They are probably all smiles on the surface but bitter on the inside.

They are not Li's biological children, and they will inherit the Marquis's mansion in the future. Li will definitely not be happy about this and will have to resort to means. She must be careful to guard against it.

Fortunately, Chen Lianghou was fair and was not swayed by Li's pillow talk. He not only did not favor Lin Yucheng and the others, but also always valued Lin Yuqi.

The fact that Marquis Chen Liang had no other concubines made Jin Shi feel that things were a bit difficult.

If Marquis Chen Liang has other women, he can recruit more to serve them. This way, he can quickly obtain firsthand information about the mansion and won't have to worry about Lady Li's favoritism and her secretly plotting against Marquis Chen Liang.

Looking to the future, Madam Jin felt that as the wife of the heir apparent, she would eventually inherit the Marquis's mansion with Lin Yuqi, so she needed to take control of the household management as soon as possible.

Li Shi always favors her own children, and the longer she manages the household, the more the interests of the eldest branch of the family are lost.