The only one who felt happy after being confined by Zhang was Lin Yuqiao.

She's five years old now, five years old. Except for when she was a baby and could sleep until dawn, this is a blessing in disguise; being confined to the house means she doesn't have to pay her respects and can finally sleep in.

However, compared to Lin Yuqiao's satisfaction, the Li family's situation was not so good.

Li was deeply resentful because Zhang had confined her to her quarters and stripped her of her housekeeping duties. It was clearly He Qingfang who had provoked her at the banquet, and Lin Yuqi who had bullied her daughter, yet Zhang, being so biased, had punished them both the same. Because she was the housekeeper, Li felt that losing her duties was actually a harsher punishment than He Qingfang's.

Furthermore, after Li returned home, Marquis Lin Zirong of Chenliang also showed his dissatisfaction with her for upsetting Zhang by not entering the main courtyard to rest for several days, and instead sleeping peacefully in the study, which made Li even angrier.

She had been secretly cursing Chen Lianghou for being so cold and unfeeling; after all these years, he still showed her no warmth whatsoever. He had never considered her feelings in any situation, and he was extremely indifferent to their child. If he truly loved Chen so deeply, why did he remarry?

However, even if Marquis Chen Liang didn't value her, Lady Li still needed to win him over. Her children were not yet grown up, and she had accepted her fate after marrying into the Marquis's mansion. She wouldn't reach for what wasn't hers. As for the position of heir apparent, she couldn't obtain it in her past life, and she didn't have the fate to obtain it in this life, so she stopped eyeing it.

But she couldn't abandon her own children. The children no longer had the attention of their father and grandmother, and if their mother lost her voice in the household, who knew how badly they would be bullied.

Over the years, Lady Li hadn't grown up for nothing. Since Marquis Chen Liang didn't come to the main courtyard, she would send someone to invite him over. Although Lady Li was forbidden from leaving the courtyard, others could still come in. People in the world were expected to be polite and filial, and it wouldn't be right for Prince Lin Yuqi not to pay his respects to her.

Li Shi understood, and even He Qingfang could see, that she and her children combined were probably less important than a single hair on Lin Yuqi's head in the eyes of Marquis Chen Liang and Zhang Shi. However, before her children could establish their own futures, they all needed to rely on the Marquis's mansion for support. Therefore, only by winning over Lin Yuqi could they have a good life in the mansion.

When Lin Yuqi greeted her in the morning, Li deliberately cried in front of him, "Your second aunt said something she shouldn't have at the banquet, which implicated me and got me confined to my quarters. Qi-ge'er, your father is also angry with me."

Over the years, Lin Yuqi had gotten along quite well with Li Shi thanks to her deliberate flattery, and Lin Yuqi's character was also quite upright. He could pretend not to know before, but now that Li Shi had complained to him, he couldn't very well not offer a word of advice. Sure enough, that evening, Marquis Chen Liang returned to the main courtyard to rest.

It is evident that Lin Yuqi's words still carry weight with Chen Lianghou. The next day, Li Shi also sent the kitchen to deliver eight-treasure chicken soup to Lin Yuqi to show that she appreciated his kindness.

Now that she has been reborn, Li has come to understand things better. Everything in this world has a front and a back. When there is no way to have both, it is better to sacrifice face than to lose substance.

She made the same demand of her children: even if they felt wronged, they had to maintain a good relationship with Lin Yuqi. Chen Lianghou valued Lin Yuqi the most, and seeing their good relationship with her would earn him more respect. But they had to remember that jealousy and comparison were useless; accepting reality and striving for improvement was the only way forward.

That's reality; it's beyond human control, so we have to accept it. The best way to repay them is to work hard one day and make something of yourself, even more successful than Lin Yuqi.

Therefore, her eldest son, Lin Yucheng, worked hard from a young age and passed the imperial examinations at a young age. Li Shi understood that Lin Yucheng always had a sharp edge in his eyes, and what kept him working so hard was that resentment and unwillingness to accept defeat.

Just like in the previous life, Lin Yucheng and Lin Yuqi fell ill at the same time. Chen Lianghou obtained blood ginseng at a high price but used it all on Lin Yuqi. If she didn't know for sure that Lin Yucheng would recover, Li Shi would have wanted to kill Chen Lianghou if she had to go through that difficult time again.

But Lin Yucheng persevered. After learning that Chen Lianghou had abandoned him, Li Shi saw a bright light in his eyes. She knew that from that moment on, Lin Yucheng had completely given up on Chen Lianghou, and he began to force himself to grow up. As her de facto eldest son, he knew that he couldn't rely on Chen Lianghou as his father, so he had to strive to become outstanding and become a pillar of support for his younger siblings and mother. Despite the difficulties, he succeeded.

The most difficult days are over. Now, Li asks for nothing more than that her son be successful and her daughter, Qiao, marry well.

Now that Zhang has placed her under house arrest, Li isn't too worried. She understands the current situation in the Marquis's residence. Zhang is getting older, and her energy for managing the household is waning. Lin Yuqi won't be getting married anytime soon. Even if she does, as a newlywed princess consort, she can't immediately take charge of the household unless she makes a serious mistake, since she's doing a much better job as the Marquis's wife now than she did in her previous life.

Even Zhang Shi couldn't immediately hand over the power of managing the household to the Crown Princess, lest outsiders who didn't know the situation think that the Crown Princess had taken over her mother-in-law's power of managing the household as soon as she entered the family, which wouldn't sound good.

Therefore, Madam Li guessed that Madam Zhang only took back the power to manage the household to teach her a lesson, so that she and the second wife, He Qingfang, wouldn't be so at odds. Once Madam Zhang apologized and made a mistake, the power to manage the household would return to her.

But now, Madam Li herself is unwilling to back down. Over the years, she has made no mistakes, managed the Marquis's mansion perfectly, and treated Lin Yuqi with a clear conscience. Yet, in the eyes of Marquis Chenliang and Madam Zhang, she still hasn't gained anything. It's always He Qingfang who starts things, so why should she always give in to her?

So even while Li was under house arrest, she didn't rest. She left behind all the accounts and records of servants' rewards and punishments that she had previously compiled for Zhang. Without these established precedents, Zhang, who hadn't managed the household for many years, was bound to be overwhelmed by a sudden influx of things to worry about, and was bound to suffer some health problems from the stress and haste.

She felt she had vented her anger; she would see if Zhang would dare to arbitrarily take away her household management power next time.

As for Lin Yuqiao sending someone to say that there were many unfamiliar characters in the *Women's Classic*, and therefore she didn't want to copy it herself, Madam Li had no objection. She already felt that Lin Yuqiao had been wronged in this matter, and was only angry at Zhang Shi for being unfair and Lin Yuxuan for bullying her. She didn't intend for Lin Yuqiao to copy it herself, and she figured Lin Yuxuan wouldn't be so obedient as to copy it herself either. So she sent someone to the outer courtyard to find Lin Yuning, and had his page copy the book for Lin Yuqiao.

It was almost the end of the year by the time Lin Yuqiao's confinement was lifted.

Lin Yuqiao obediently followed Li Shi to Cixin Hall to kowtow to Zhang Shi, who seemed to be in a good mood. After Lin Yuqiao finished apologizing, Zhang Shi made her serve tea to Lin Yuxuan, saying, "You are the younger sister, so you can't be so rude and argue with your older sister again."

Lin Yuqiao obediently served tea to Lin Yuxuan, who accepted it expressionlessly. Seeing that there was no smile on Lin Yuxuan's face, Madam Zhang reprimanded her again, "You are the elder sister, and also the eldest among the sisters in the mansion. You should know better how to behave. Be kind to your younger siblings on weekdays, so that when you leave home, others won't laugh at the Marquis's family's upbringing."

He Qingfang secretly pinched Lin Yuxuan, then smiled and came to her rescue, saying, "Among the sisters in the manor, Sister Xuan dotes on Third Sister the most. She always thinks of Third Sister first when there's something good, even Sister Mei has to come second."

Lin Yuxuan smiled insincerely at Lin Yuqiao and said, "Yes, I love Qiao-jie the most. It was because Qiao-jie didn't appreciate my good intentions the other day."

Lin Yuqiao inwardly scoffed, "What good intentions could you possibly have? I'd much rather you didn't 'care' for me."

Li Shi, who was also on the same page as Lin Yuqiao, said, "We dare not say we love her, and we don't expect to get any benefits from Xuan-jie. In the future, let the maids do whatever work is needed, and don't make our Qiao-jie do it."

Second wife He Qingfang hated Li Shi to death, but dared not act rashly because Zhang Shi was right in front of her. She could only say awkwardly, "Sister-in-law, you really have a heart as small as a pinhole. You've held a grudge for the children over such a small misunderstanding."

Zhang knew in her heart that the second wife, He Qingfang, was naturally arrogant and reckless, capable of stirring up trouble even without any wind. Now that Li's son had become successful and established himself in the household, his temper had also grown, unlike in previous years when she would give in to him. If the two of them were to quarrel now, it would be like needles and wheat awns, neither willing to give in.

Slightly rubbing her temples with a headache, Zhang felt a tightness in her chest and a headache whenever she saw Li and He Qingfang arguing. She was thinking about quickly finding a granddaughter-in-law for Lin Yuqi, so she wouldn't have to be caught between Li and He Qingfang watching them fight.

So he didn't look at them, but pulled Lin Yuqiao over and asked her to talk to him.

When Lin Yuqiao came today, she wore a narrow-sleeved lotus-colored silk jacket with a blue satin vest over it. The collar was trimmed with white rabbit fur, which made her face look even more rosy and lovely.

Although Zhang Shi had her own preferences towards her two daughters-in-law, and only had eyes for Lin Yuqi among her grandsons, she had no prejudice against her granddaughters and treated them equally. It was only because she was close to He Qingfang in daily life that she was more tolerant of the Lin Yuxuan sisters.

Touching Lin Yuqiao's little face and coaxing her to eat the tea and fruit on the kang table, Zhang asked, "What books is Qiao'er reading now?"

"My granddaughter is currently reading the 'Women's Classic' and the 'Thousand Family Poems'," Lin Yuqiao said seriously, putting down the rose pickling in her hand.

"Yes, Qiao'er has grown up quite a bit." Madam Zhang was pleased to see Lin Yuqiao's well-behaved and polite demeanor. All three sisters in the household were legitimate children, but Lin Yuqiao was exceptionally beautiful at such a young age. Compared to Lin Yuxuan, who could only be described as pretty, and Lin Yumei, whose features were rather plain, she was likely to have a brighter future.

Previously, Madam Zhang had lamented that while the men in the Marquis's mansion and among their relatives were all quite handsome, the girls were all of average appearance. Now, seeing Lin Yuqiao blossoming into a beautiful young woman, she couldn't help but feel even more affection for her.

Seeing that Lin Yuqiao seemed to really like the osmanthus lotus seed paste pastry on the table, Madam Zhang asked someone to make another batch of pastries and send them to Lin Yuqiao's courtyard. She also said to her, "Whenever you have nothing to do, Qiao'er, come to Grandmother's place more often to keep her company and chat."

Lin Yuqiao was a little surprised, but quickly nodded in response and then coaxed, "Then I'll often come to Grandmother's place to eat and drink for free. Grandmother, please don't find it annoying."

"It seems that now that the old lady has a clever girl like her third sister, she doesn't care about us unlikable people anymore."

Hearing Zhang tell Lin Yuqiao to talk to her more, Lin Yumei, who often went to Cixin Hall to talk to Zhang, said some sarcastic words, half-jokingly. Zhang patted her back lightly and scolded her with a smile, "You little monkey, I usually find it annoying to have you come, but now you're talking and teasing me."

The three Lin sisters, each with their own thoughts, patiently chatted and laughed with Zhang, creating a lively and harmonious atmosphere.

After leaving Zhang's place, Lin Yuqiao and Li went to Huifang Courtyard together, and Lin Yuqiao took the opportunity to tell Li about Zhang's advice to visit Cixin Hall often.

After thinking for a moment, Li smiled at Lin Yuqiao and said, "Since your grandmother wants you to visit often, then go whenever you want. Spending time with her is also a way of showing your filial piety."

There was one more thing she didn't say, stuck in her throat. Li knew it would only be a while; after a while, Lin Yuqi would be talking about a daughter-in-law, and Lin Yuxuan would be talking about someone else. Then you'd see if your grandmother would still be in the mood to call you over to talk.

After some time, when Chen Lianghou returned to his room that evening, he said to Li Shi, "This year, make the gifts you send to the Marquis of Anle's residence three times more generous."

Lady Li knew that this was the Crown Prince's wife's decision.

After helping Chen Lianghou change his clothes, Li Shi served him a cup of hot tea and asked, "I understand. Has Qi Ge's wife been chosen?"

Chen Lianghou nodded, "That's about right. After the New Year, let Qi Ge'er take a look at the birth chart in person. Once he approves, we'll start exchanging the birth charts."

Li thought to herself, "What's coming is finally here." She wondered if Lin Yuqi had also personally chosen a husband in her past life. Back then, she and the Marquis could barely speak to each other anymore, and the Marquis had long since stopped coming to her room.

She lived an open and honest life in this life, so she had nothing to fear. No matter how capable Jin Xiyan was, she would not be afraid of her.

Just as Li was waiting for her daughter-in-law from her previous life to re-enter the family and preparing herself to be superior to her, Lin Yuqiao was also counting down the days, hoping for Lin Yucheng's return.

Lin Yucheng always had to come back for the New Year, but their academy's holidays started much later than the university in his previous life, and he couldn't go home until the 20th of the twelfth lunar month.

When Lin Yuqiao returned from Cixintang in the morning, Li was busy with household chores. With the New Year approaching, there were a lot of things to do, so Lin Yuqiao didn't want to bother her and found some fun to do on her own.

Thinking that it had been a long time since I had visited Lin Yuqi's Tongxin Hall to see the parrot, I decided to go and play there.

They had only walked halfway when they saw Lin Yuqi and Chen Lianghou coming out of the study together. Upon seeing Lin Yuqiao, Chen Lianghou picked her up and asked, "Sister Qiao, why are you in the front yard again?"

"I want to go see my older brother. He's been back for so long, and I haven't told him about the nice things I prepared for him yet!"

"Oh, what good things did Sister Qiao prepare for me?" Lin Yuqi took her from Chen Lianghou's arms, deliberately looked at her empty hands, and asked while tapping her nose.

"It will appear when we get to my brother's place."

Lin Yuqi pretended to be very interested, and carried Lin Yuqiao back to her own courtyard. She could roughly guess what kind of gift Lin Yuqiao was referring to.

After circling around the veranda of Tongxin Courtyard for a long time, Lin Yuqiao still couldn't see the parrot that used to hang there. Disappointed, she puffed out her cheeks and pulled Lin Yuqi to ask, "Where's the parrot?"

Chen Lianghou watched with amusement. Biyun, Lin Yuqi's head maid, quickly stepped forward and said, "Reporting to the Third Miss, it's getting cold and we were afraid that Yingge'er wouldn't be able to stand it, so we moved him inside."

"Then take me there to see it."

While directing the maid to lead the way, Lin Yuqiao pulled Lin Yuqi along with her.

"Big brother, I taught the parrot to talk before you came back. Let it talk to you!"

When they arrived at the main room, Biyun had already had someone bring the parrot over. Although they hadn't seen each other for a long time, the parrot was clever and recognized Lin Yuqiao. It immediately started chirping, "Though separated by mountains and rivers, our hearts are still connected. Can you call me 'brother'?"

"Alright, alright, big brother, how have you been all this time!"

Hearing the parrot's two self-answered questions, Lin Yuqi chuckled. Although it was just a child's trick, knowing that her younger sister still cared about her while she was away warmed her heart.

Actually, when he first returned home, the maids and nannies serving him in the courtyard told him that while he was away, the Third Miss often came to his courtyard to play with the parrot. That parrot had a rather loud voice; at night, when he was reading in his room, he would often hear it chirping something like "Though mountains and rivers separate us, our love remains constant," which puzzled him. As time went on, Lin Yuqiao stopped coming, and he didn't have time to think about the parrot anymore. So that's what the complete phrase was.

"Since you like this parrot, you can have it and play with it." Lin Yuqi wasn't interested in parrots or anything like that. They were just things to amuse children. She had wanted to give it to her for a while but never had the chance. After she was confined to her home, she forgot about it.

"Qiao'er knows that her big brother is the best!"

Lin Yuqiao smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons. She waved her hand, "But let's leave the parrot with you, big brother. If you give it to me, he won't have an excuse to come play with you on weekdays!"

Lin Yuqiao's words were so honest that Chen Lianghou and Lin Yuqi were amused. They pulled her over and pinched her cheeks. Chen Lianghou generously promised her, "Does Qiao'er like parrots? If she does, Daddy will find you an even prettier one!"

"Father, please give me a blue-eyed cat, a small one, pure white." Lin Yuqiao wanted to have a cat in her previous life, but back then she was saving every penny to buy a house, and she could barely afford to eat and drink herself, so she had neither the energy nor the money to be a cat slave.

Having finally achieved wealth and status in this life, with both money and time and no need for her to take care of herself, Lin Yuqiao quickly seized the opportunity, rubbing her face against Chen Lianghou's palm to act cute and express how much she loved the cat.

Older men are indeed powerless against the allure of cute little girls; they impulsively buy, buy, buy.

"Okay, I'll bring it to you as soon as I find it!"

Lin Yuqiao was overjoyed. She had only taught the parrot two phrases, yet she had not only played with it, but also pleased Lin Yuqi and Chen Lianghou, and now she had even gained a cat. It was a win-win situation!