Yi Ning smiled slightly and said, "Grandma, let me tell you the whole story of the rent."

"Manager Li said the farm should raise the rent. I refused, but my aunt did. But my aunt knows there hasn't been much rain this year, so the wheat isn't filling well, and the harvest won't be satisfactory. Famine is easy to occur in years like this. If we arbitrarily raise the rent, people will say our Duke Ying's family is taking advantage of the situation, and all the good reputation my father has built up over the years will be gone." Yi Ning looked at Old Lady Wei and added, "And at this juncture, Grandmother, do you think my family can still withstand this kind of trouble? It's just that some people are taking advantage of the rent increase to pursue their own interests."

After hearing this, Mrs. Wei's face became solemn. She had never thought about the reputation.

Yi Ning continued, "Aunt keeps saying I don't understand, but do you really understand? You don't even know how to judge people, let alone manage a household." She pointed at Steward Li and said, "Let me testify on your behalf. Steward Li did say that. But I just threatened him a few times, and he immediately changed his story and accused you of instructing him. What do you think?"

Xu's face turned red and white, which looked very ugly.

She couldn't utter a word in rebuttal.

Mrs. Wei was puzzled by this. This granddaughter was much more capable than she had imagined. Using threats, inducements, and reasoning, she pushed the issue forward step by step. It was all logical and reasonable!

"Alright, someone with such evil intentions doesn't deserve to stay in this mansion." Old Madam Wei waved her hand. "Drag Steward Li out and break his legs. Don't let him return to the Duke of Ying's mansion."

Manager Li was so frightened that his face turned pale. He kowtowed and begged for mercy, but he was quickly dragged away.

Old Madam Wei glanced at the stewards present and said, "From now on, the young lady will be the one making the decisions in this mansion. No one else's words count. Everyone, remember this."

In fact, there was no need for Mrs. Wei to tell them, because after this incident, all the managers knew it very well.

Looking at the petite and pretty young lady, if he doesn't attack her, it's fine. But once he does, he will definitely kill her and leave her no room for mercy.

She is truly worthy of being the daughter of an English Duke.

Old Madam Wei asked Yining to go with her to Jing'an Residence to talk. Yining was surrounded by maids and servants, and she didn't even look at Wei Yi and Xu when she walked past them.

Wei Yi saw her back, which was a kind of pureness that came from her bones. He suddenly thought of Shen Yu, who was still depressed.

Mrs. Wei returned to Jing'an Residence and drank the medicine. She was leaning against the wall, listening intently to Wei Jia's words. Wei Jia's voice was clear and bright, like the chirping of a bird. Seeing her was like seeing Mingzhu in her childhood, so tender and lovely when she was that young. A faint smile played on her face.

She turned her head and asked, "Where's Mingzhu?"

Fang Song replied, "Didn't you ask her to practice needlework? She's learning needlework right now."

Old Madam Wei nodded and told Wei Jia to leave first. She held Yining's hand and said thoughtfully, "Your father...if he really can't come back. In our family, it's just you and me who depend on each other. Mingzhu has already reached the age of marriage, and I've actually found a family for her. That family has a clean background, and their child just passed the imperial examination. Although they are not rich, they are ambitious. After Mingzhu gets married, there will be only the three of us in the family. Therefore, we should not be too decisive among our clan members."

Yi Ning smiled faintly: "Grandmother, do you think Yi Ning has gone too far?"

Old Mrs. Wei sighed and said silently: "Some things...you can only understand them when you reach my age."

Yi Ning remained silent. She absolutely didn't believe that Xu had no desire for the Duke of Ying's mansion. Her emotions had been excessive today, perhaps because of Luo Shenyuan's incident.

She suddenly felt that there was no one around her whom she could trust. What a lonely feeling it was.

Yi Ning left Jing'an Residence and saw Xu Shi teaching Wei Jia under the grape arbor in the courtyard. After a while, Wei Jia grew tired and leaned her head against her mother's chest, acting like a spoiled child. Xu Shi combed her daughter's hair and said with a smile, "You're not as good at studying as your brother. He's competitive and likes to compete in everything."

The wind blew the shadows of the trees swaying. Wei Jia opened his eyes wide and said, "That must be tiring!"

Mrs. Xu pinched her daughter's face and said, "It's okay if our Jiajie doesn't want to study. You can just rely on your father and your brother from now on! I see that you are confused and don't understand anything."

Yi Ning stood quietly for a while, looking at them without saying a word.

Xu also saw Yining. Thinking of what happened just now, she naturally didn't look at Yining in a good mood and turned her head away stiffly.

Only then did Yining turn her face away.

Back in the East Garden, Yining fell asleep without asking about Ting'er's homework.

She was suddenly too tired to ask anything.

It was just the hour of the morning when I woke up the next day. Songzhi, hearing the noise, lit the oil lamp and came in. It was still dark at the hour of the morning, but the scenery outside was already faintly visible. The little girl wrung out a hot handkerchief and handed it to Yining to wipe her face. As she wiped, Yining asked Songzhi, "I heard you often send letters?"

"It's for my parents back home," Songzhi said as he put her shoes on. "They're always worried about me back home."

"I remember that your parents were tenants of the Luo family farm. They couldn't read, right?" Yining continued to ask.

Songzhi forced a smile and said, "The village head can read, and there's even a scholar with the same surname. They can just ask these people."

Yining didn't ask any more questions.

After washing up, she leaned against the windowbed, looking at the account books, when Ting'er ran in. He saw Yining leaning against the window in a royal blue, open-sleeved jacket, her skin as white as snow. He clung to Yining, asking her to go see the newly blooming flowers in the yard. "Grandma asked everyone to go see those cyclamen plants... right next to the east wing, they're blooming beautifully!"

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