Compare… Liu Yuqin had originally wanted to compare and discuss things, and she particularly wanted to pit Madam Qin against Liu Yulian. Who knew the Marquis of Jingning's mansion didn't prepare that much dowry for Liu Yulian? Liu Yuqin had assumed the mansion had prepared a lot.

Don't those people love Liu Yulian so much? Liu Yuqin said again, "They must have taken most of the things in the mansion as a dowry."

"Are you really trying to find fault?" Madam Qin asked. "Everything in the mansion was earned by my younger sister."

Even though Liu Yanjing was currently in the patrol camp, he was still highly valued by the emperor. In fact, if it weren't for Liu Yulian, Liu Yanjing wouldn't have been able to return to the capital so quickly.

"If I'm not picky, then I'm not picky," Liu Yuqin said. "I just feel..."

"Eat your food," said Madam Qin. "Don't dwell on this. Just live a peaceful life and don't dwell on it. You should consider that the dowry the mansion has prepared for you is larger than my younger sister's. At least, you're better than my younger sister in that respect, so don't feel unfair."

Madam Qin thinks that Liu Yuqin is just thinking too much. They just think that since her younger sister is so capable, they wish they could be as capable as her. They want everything Liu Yulian has to belong to them.

But how is this possible? They don't have the ability and can't want those things.

"..." When Liu Yuqin heard what Madam Qin said, she couldn't help but look at Madam Qin twice more. This elder sister seemed to have changed.

"Don't always stare at my younger sister." Madam Qin picked up some food for Liu Yuqin. "We have to live our own lives, too."

"It's just... I'm a little unwilling." Liu Yuqin said in a low voice.

"Do you think she's living so well even though she was exiled with her family?" Madam Qin had thought the same thing before. She should have been happy that her younger sister had returned to the capital and that her family had all returned, but jealousy is just like that. "Okay, don't think about it. I brought some things with me. Take them back to your son."

Madam Qin still remembered Liu Yuqin's child. "Be nice to that child. After all, he is your biological child."

"My mother is here." Liu Yuqin didn't like the child. She thought that as long as Aunt Qing took care of the child, "nothing will happen."

Madam Qin Da Shao didn't say much. She had made mistakes before and had lived her life like that. She had no right to criticize Liu Yuqin. She just needed to live her own life well. She couldn't care less about other people's lives.

Seeing Madam Qin like this, Liu Yuqin thought to herself, "Madam Qin has become like this." It seems Liu Yulian is truly powerful, forcing these people to retreat. Indeed, the Jingning Marquisate relied on Liu Yulian to return to the capital. Even though Madam Qin is the eldest daughter of the Marquisate, they still favor Liu Yulian more.

If it were me, I would probably favor Liu Yulian more because she could bring me benefits.

When Liu Yuqin returned, she saw Su Qiuya standing at the door of the shop.

Su Qiuya was waiting for Liu Yuqin to come back. She was afraid that Liu Yuqin would do something stupid. She didn't want Liu Yuqin to implicate her family, but she couldn't just go to Princess Rongning's mansion or Marquis Jingning's mansion. She thought about waiting a little longer. If she couldn't wait for anyone, she would go out and take a look.

"Just talk to my elder sister." Liu Yuqin said.

"That's fine." Su Qiuya said. As long as Liu Yuqin didn't go to find Liu Yulian and the others, it would be fine.

"Do you think I went to the Marquis of Jingning's residence?" Liu Yuqin asked, "Or do you think I went to the Princess of Rongning's residence?"

"Just come back." Su Qiuya said.

"I'm afraid I won't have the chance to visit these places again in my lifetime." Liu Yuqin laughed at herself, "I don't have the ability, and the person I marry isn't that powerful."

Liu Yuqin thought that if the man she married was more powerful, Liu Yulian would not have dared to talk about breaking off the engagement.

"Have you eaten? Do you want to eat some more?" Su Qiuya asked.

"I don't want to eat anymore." Liu Yuqin said.

Su Qiuya didn't say much about those things to Liu Yuqin. Su Qiuya didn't want to say those things. It would be bad if someone heard it.

Seeing Su Qiuya like this, Liu Yuqin felt that it was very boring. These people were all like this. They were all afraid of Liu Yulian. Liu Yulian was also very powerful. Even though Liu Yulian didn't say many harsh words in front of these people, these people were afraid.

And she was the chicken being killed to scare the monkeys, so she should go back early.

Liu Yuqin couldn't let her husband know her life story so soon. Her life was pretty good right now. Her husband only had a daughter, no son. If she gave birth to a son, her husband would definitely be on her side.

As for her daughter, Liu Yuqin thought that she was lucky enough to make sure that the child had enough food and clothing. Since she was not her own child, how could she possibly be so good to her?

This is what Liu Yuqin thought when she treated her stepdaughter. She originally wanted Liu's mother to give her more things, and she didn't think about what qualifications she had to ask for more.

He Xiyuan and Liu Yulian returned to the Princess Rongning Mansion. The Princess Mansion was huge, no less impressive than the Marquis Jingning Mansion, and the furnishings were even better. This was originally a royal gift, and some of the things inside were also royal gifts.

Liu Yulian had seen this when she visited the Princess's Mansion before. She couldn't possibly move the things from the Princess's Mansion to the Jingning Marquis' Mansion. It wouldn't look good and would easily lead to gossip. Liu Yulian liked the Princess's Mansion very much. Although she hadn't lived there for a long time before, it was her own home.

"With just the two of us, we can use one or two yards to grow some things." Liu Yulian planned to build a small shed where they could grow some other things.

"Just make the arrangements." He Xiyuan joked, "This is the princess's residence, so of course we have to listen to you."

"Then who do you think you are? You are also the master here." Liu Yulian said.

"Yes." He Xiyuan said, "As long as you don't abandon me, then I am."

"And your study." Liu Yulian said, "I can give you a separate yard."

"Isn't it convenient for you not to let me into the house when you are angry?" He Xiyuan raised his eyebrows.

"..." Liu Yulian blinked. She didn't think so. But when He Xiyuan said that, Liu Yulian felt that it was indeed a good idea.

"A husband and wife should fight at the head of the bed and make peace at the back of the bed." He Xiyuan said, holding Liu Yulian's hand, "Let's go first and hear your plan."

"That's all." Liu Yulian didn't have any plans. She just wanted to do something and how many courtyards she wanted. She said it anyway, and the housekeeper would arrange it. Liu Yulian didn't need to give any instructions herself. "I don't really understand these things, so I'll let the housekeeper take care of it. If they don't do anything right, just tell them."

"Sure." He Xiyuan nodded.

In the northwest, Mrs. Huo hadn't rested well in recent days. She was thinking about Liu Yulian's marriage, and then about herself, how she had divorced Liu Yanjing, and how Liu Yanjing had become the heir of the Marquisate, while she had been exiled to the northwest.

"Pay back the money." Someone else came to ask Da Huo to pay back the money.

Mrs. Huo refused to pay back the money, even if it was just a few dozen coins. She felt that if she paid this person back, the next person would come after her. She refused to pay back the money now, gritting her teeth and saying she had no money.

If those people had the guts, they could have sold her. Otherwise, they wouldn't have gotten any money from her. She gave them clothes to pay off their debts, but they didn't want them back, so she couldn't be blamed.

The eldest Huo was such a shameless person. She had lived in the northwest for so many years in her previous life, how could she be such a respectable person? If she were still in the capital, she would definitely not be like this, but she had been exiled to the northwest, so why did she care so much about things?

Even if she paid back the money, those people would not be able to treat her well.

Mrs. Huo was thinking about the bad things she had heard people say about her behind her back, saying that she had been abandoned by the Bo family and that her life would be like this. Mrs. Huo didn't want this to happen at all. She still thought that her biological son would be very successful in the future. Unfortunately, she had already divorced Liu Yanjing and her son didn't recognize her.

In her previous life, Mrs. Huo did not divorce Liu Yanyan respectfully, and her son did not like her. Her son liked Liu Yulian.

"Don't play dead, I know you're in there." Someone was knocking on the door, just to get Mr. Huo to pay back the money quickly.

Seeing that the man kept knocking on the door, Mrs. Huo frowned, but she didn't go out or answer the man.

The man talked outside for a long time. Since Mrs. Huo didn't come out, she had to talk too.

"Who are you, the daughter of a wealthy family? You owe me a few dozen coins and you refuse to pay me back."

"As for your clothes, you should take them to the pawn shop yourself and see how much you can get for them. You let us go, just to get more money from us, right?"

"There's no one in this world as shameless as you. You owe money and don't pay it back, and you even pretend you're not at home."

…

No matter what that person said, Mrs. Huo just refused to come out.

Mrs. Huo was already accustomed to this kind of life, and people could say whatever they wanted. These people were still concerned about the Bo Mansion, so they didn't dare to really do anything to her. At most, they would just talk about it.

The emperor did indeed send people to monitor the Da Huo family in the palace. He knew how Da Huo lived. Unless there were special circumstances, those people would only report once a month.

Sometimes the emperor would suddenly think of the Huo family far away in the northwest and ask a few questions. When he learned that there was nothing unusual, the emperor would feel relieved.

Da Huo was reborn, but unfortunately she was just a woman in the inner palace after all, and she knew very little.

The emperor knew from Da Huo's words that the northwest wasn't always so stable, but now everything had changed. General Xu's memorial also stated that the tribes were now stubbornly defending their own territories. They rarely waged war against the Daliang Dynasty, but there were many wars between the tribes.

The people in those tribes were fighting for grassland, raising cattle, sheep, and horses... They then sold those things to the Daliang Dynasty, where they could make a lot of money and wouldn't have to suffer from the cold and hunger.

The emperor had long known that Mrs. Huo was disfigured, but he hadn't ordered any good ointment for her. He also knew that Mrs. Huo lived in constant fear because she had done many foolish things in her past and present lives.

The emperor went to the queen's place. The queen didn't know about Da Huo's past and present life, and the emperor didn't tell her about those things.

"Rongning should have gone to Duke Cheng's mansion," the emperor sighed. "When I went to the northwest, she was still quite young."

"You may be small, but as long as you are capable, that's all." The Queen valued Princess Rongning very much. This dynasty paid attention to the legitimate and illegitimate children. Her son was the crown prince. As long as her son was alive and well, he would be the emperor.

The Queen also hoped that Princess Rongning could research more, so that the Liang Dynasty could become stronger. A strong Liang Dynasty would make it easier for the Emperor to be emperor.

"Rong Ning is married. When she has a child, I wonder if she will become stupid for three years." The Queen looked at the Emperor, "One pregnancy will make her stupid for three years."

"What's the big deal? No matter how stupid she is, she's still better than those people," the emperor said. "You can't stop her from having children just to prevent her from being stupid. Maybe her child will be as smart as her and be able to do more research."

"Your Majesty is absolutely right," the Queen said. "It's just that being a woman has a hard time. When you're pregnant and giving birth, you're bound to be criticized."

"What are you afraid of?" the emperor said. "She's also the director of the research institute. Don't think you can get away with it when she gets pregnant and gives birth."

The dynasty stipulated that the mourning period should be one year, so that officials could return to the court early to do their work. If officials were to mourn for three years, some would have to mourn for their parents for six years, and some would have to mourn for their grandparents for many years. How could officials continue to work?

Of course, the emperor couldn't just let a woman go home and rest when she was pregnant. She needed to take care of herself when she needed to, and she needed to work when she needed to. If she was always forced to go home and rest, it would be difficult for her to stay in the officialdom.

"Queen, do you have any hidden worries?" The emperor couldn't help but ask.

"It's nothing, I just think it's not easy for women." The queen herself is a woman, and she knows how difficult it is for women to do things outside, so she hopes that the court can be more tolerant of these women.

Liu Yulian is also an ordinary woman and will encounter the same problems as ordinary women.

The Queen hoped that the Emperor would not listen to his ministers and would not think of letting anyone else be the director of the academy.

"It's not easy." The emperor nodded. "There are other people at the research institute, but no one can replace Rong Ning."

In other places, the emperor cannot say whether others can replace those women. If those women want to avoid being replaced, they must have strong enough abilities.

This world was inherently demanding of women, and the emperor didn't think his idea was wrong. If women were stronger, they wouldn't be replaced by men.

But how many women in this world can be that strong?

The emperor didn't think too much about it. If those people could really become powerful, he would be willing to let those women become officials.

The Queen thought that women's colleges should begin to teach those miscellaneous subjects. Few women served in the court, but they could start by serving as researchers. There were also female officials in the palace, but these female officials were also servants.

In the future, there will probably be more women working as researchers.

The Queen hopes that one day women will be able to do what they want.

A new day began. Liu Yuqin woke up early in the morning and was about to leave.

"Just take good care of yourself and try to get pregnant as soon as possible." Liu Yuqin looked at Su Qiuya, "Don't just focus on running the shop all the time, you also have to take care of your health."

"Sure." Su Qiuya breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Liu Yuqin like this.

At least this time Liu Yuqin did not say that she would leave behind a young and beautiful maid. Liu Yuqin just left like that, and Liu Yanbo personally sent her back.

Su Qiuya watched them leave. She hoped that Liu Yuqin would always be like this, and that she would stop bothering with unnecessary things. She hoped that they would just live peacefully. She didn't want to worry about their affairs all the time.

At the Jingning Marquis's Mansion, when Liu Yulian returned home, Madam Qin, Xue Liu, and Liu Fang, the three married daughters from outside, all came. Liu Fang wanted to come back, so she asked the other two people and decided to come back when Liu Yulian returned home.

Therefore, when these people came, Liu Yanyuan and his wife also came with their children.

Liu Fang was much quieter. She did not deliberately go to Liu Yulian to criticize her. Liu Fang also knew how to say some nice things, saying that she was ignorant when she was in the northwest.

Of course, Liu's mother would not bother with Liu Fang too much. As long as Liu Fang kept a clear mind, Liu's mother would not mind Liu Fang coming to the Marquis' Mansion occasionally.

Xue Liu never cared about what her other sisters did. She just did her own thing and lived her own life.

Seeing so many people at home, Liu Yulian didn't say anything bad. Those people were Liu's father's children, and Liu Yulian couldn't stop them from coming.

Fortunately, none of these people said anything bad about Liu Yulian, and they were all polite to her.

"Little sister." Liu Fang walked to Liu Yulian's side, "A few days ago, I saw that you were all busy and didn't have time to talk to you more."

"You can tell me now." Liu Yulian said.

"Yes, we will stay in the capital from now on, and we will have the chance to meet again." Liu Fang said with a smile, "I just hope you don't despise us."

"I don't dislike her." It's impossible for Liu Yulian to say in front of others that she dislikes Liu Fang. It would be a lie to say that she has no opinion about Liu Fang.

"They are all..." Madam Qin Da Shao originally wanted to say that they were all sisters, but then she remembered that she had said these words for Liu Yuqin before, so she stopped talking. "Don't all stand there, sit down and have some tea."

Madam Qin Dashao has become much smarter. She is indeed the eldest sister, but that doesn't mean she has to talk and do more.

Liu Yulian looked at Madam Qin, and she felt that Madam Qin seemed to have something to say. However, whether Madam Qin had finished her words or not was irrelevant.

After Liu Yanyuan and his wife returned to the capital, they also sent holiday gifts to the Marquis' Mansion, but they seldom came in. The number of times they went to the Marquis' Mansion in a year was very few, and Liu Yanyuan and his wife also knew that the people in the Marquis' Mansion did not like them very much, so they did not go out of their way to visit.

This time, it was also because Liu Fang and the others were here that Liu Yanyuan and his wife came. Liu Yanyuan and his wife also wanted to ease the relationship with the Marquis' Mansion. Even if they could not return to the Marquis' Mansion, any easing was a good thing.

He Xiyuan sat with these people and just chatted casually. He Xiyuan didn't care about the things happening in the Marquis' Mansion, or what Zhen Wenze and Liu Yanyuan were going to do. It had nothing to do with He Xiyuan.

"This pastry is good." He Xiyuan said.

"My little sister's pastries are delicious." Liu Yanjing said with a smile, "You can try my cooking more often in the future."

"I can also make something to eat for Sister Lian." He Xiyuan answered subconsciously.

When He Xiyuan finished speaking, he thought of Madam He, who had told him to do more cooking and not always wait for Liu Yulian to cook for him. When He Xiyuan thought of this, she smiled.

"I have to make it for her myself," He Xiyuan said firmly, "grab her stomach."

"..." Liu Yanjing's mouth twitched slightly. With He Xiyuan's lousy cooking skills, he still wanted to capture the little sister's stomach?