Chapter 374 Clear Boundaries

"Sister Yuan, you've improved so many fruits, why didn't you improve this guava?" Wang Xifeng said with a smile.

Yuan Hongqu forced herself not to spit out the guava, forcing it down before speaking.

"There are so many delicious fruits, we might as well skip this one."

She felt that she must have gotten used to the high-quality fruits in the space, which was why she found the guava unpalatable; the fruit itself shouldn't be as she perceived it.

If it were truly too unpalatable, Fan Huaiqing wouldn't have gone to the trouble of bringing it back from overseas.

Yuan Hongqu felt that the fruit outside this space should still be given a chance.

"This stuff would make a good jam. Take it to Xiangtao and let her try making it into jam."

Upon hearing this, the person next to them immediately took the plate of guava away.

"Greetings, Lord Yuan." Ping'er, having finally finished dealing with matters outside, came in and bowed to Yuan Hongqu.

"Yes, everything's done." Yuan Hongqu asked casually.

Ping'er glanced at Wang Xifeng with a troubled expression.

“Most things in our manor have been taken care of, and the three young ladies can handle the remaining minor matters as well. It’s just that the East Mansion…” Ping’er hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.

Wang Xifeng couldn't help but be curious.

"What could possibly be causing you such distress? Regardless of what others say, we've severed ties with the Dong family. From now on, if he doesn't provoke me, fine. But if he does, I guarantee I won't let him off easy."

"Second Grandmother, it's not about whether you want them to have a good life or not, I'm afraid they'll drag us down and we won't have a good life in the future!" Ping'er said bluntly.

"How capable is he to be a burden to us?" Wang Xifeng said dismissively.

“He really is capable.” Yuan Hongqu’s expression turned serious as she thought of something.

Ping'er relaxed slightly when she saw that even Yuan Hongqu knew about this. In her mind, anything that Mr. Yuan was willing to get involved in would definitely have a good outcome. If Mr. Yuan was willing to help their second mistress, then perhaps they could escape unscathed should trouble come their way in the future.

When Wang Xifeng saw Yuan Hongqu's serious expression, she, who had been somewhat nonchalant, suddenly became tense.

Yuan Hongqu has been busy with the affairs of the academy these days, thinking that since she has settled Wang Xifeng in her own home, no matter what the Rongguo Mansion does, they won't dare to touch her. Therefore, she has stopped paying attention to the affairs of the mansion.

Unexpectedly, this oversight led to the forgetting of an important matter.

When Qin Keqing died, the scale of her funeral was far beyond what was customary.

The most outrageous thing was using the coffin that Prince Yizhong, who had committed the crime, was originally supposed to use. As for the four princes setting up a roadside memorial service, compared to the coffin incident, it seemed less serious.

This is nothing now, but when the reckoning comes later, it will be a major crime for the Eastern Prefecture.

As for the Rongguo Mansion, which was closely related to the East Mansion, it was also implicated and its property was confiscated.

Despite the tireless efforts of Jia Lian and his wife, in the Emperor's eyes, Jia Zhen's Ningguo Mansion and Jia Lian's Rongguo Mansion are now fundamentally different.

However, since Wang Xifeng did not show up this time, the Rongguo Mansion was left unrestrained, and at Qin Keqing's funeral, the two mansions were truly inseparable.

Putting aside the fact that the coffin was provided by the Xue family, relatives of the Rongguo Mansion, a staggering 30% of the servants used for Qin Keqing's funeral were from the Rongguo Mansion.

This was also Jia Zhen's ingenious idea. You, Wang Xifeng, are unwilling to come out and manage the affairs of their East Mansion, so why not use the people you've trained? They're just as effective!

When Wang Xifeng learned of this, she initially wanted to intervene, but then she thought that since some people in the Rongguo Mansion were on a perfectly good path but insisted on courting their own demise, then it was best not to stop them.

That's all she knew. As for the things that went beyond the proper etiquette at Qin Keqing's funeral, she really didn't know much about them.

Ping'er, having spent years with Wang Xifeng and interacting with Yuan Hongqu, had naturally gained much more experience than before, and thus was deeply worried when she learned of this matter.

"When Grandma Rong was being buried, Uncle Zhen donated a Dragon Guard to Grandpa Rong. Uncle Zhen said he couldn't find a good coffin board, so the Xue family sent him a good one, saying it was originally for the old Prince Yizhong... Such a board is not something a Dragon Guard's wife should be using..." If Ping'er could see that, how could others not see it?

However, the decline of the East Mansion is not yet obvious, and it still looks impressive from the outside. Therefore, no one is willing to risk offending the Jia family by reporting it to them.

"Go to the palace tomorrow and tell the Empress everything that has happened during this period."

Yuan Hongqu considered how things would develop before speaking.

"What's done is done. Trying to fix it will only make things worse."

"It's better to be honest and explain things clearly."

“If the Emperor really wants to deal with Jia Zhen in the future, he will not confuse you with him.”

"As long as you make your attitude clear enough, the Emperor is not an unreasonable person."

Finally, Yuan Hongqu reassured Wang Xifeng:

"You two have done many good deeds over the years, which the Emperor and Empress remember. If Jia Lian hadn't stopped his studies and it weren't for the fact that it wasn't appropriate to assign him a high position too soon, the Emperor would have already promoted him!"

Wang Xifeng, whose face had been somewhat pale just moments before, was completely relieved upon hearing these words.

"Sister, I'll do whatever you say."

"Before Jia Lian returns, apart from going to the palace, do not make any rash moves. No one knows whether those people are human or ghosts, so you must take care of yourself."

“Sir, shouldn’t the child be the priority?” Wang Xifeng found it strange. “You have never prioritized yourself; you have always prioritized Daiyu.”

Yuan Hongqu had no way to defend herself, because that was indeed the case.

"Am I that heavy? Why should I be the most important? Is it because I'm too heavy that I became the stone on Cao Chong's boat when he weighed the elephant?" Daiyu asked playfully as she walked over, her movements graceful and charming.

At first, no one understood, but once they realized what was going on, they couldn't help but laugh.

Daiyu herself started laughing, laughing so hard she could barely stand up straight.

"What brings you here today?" Yuan Hongqu smiled slightly. No matter how many worries she had or how many things she had encountered, as long as she saw Daiyu, she felt that even the biggest problems were not a big deal!

“I’m free every day, and I come here to visit Sister Feng whenever I have nothing to do. But unfortunately, Granny Yuan is always busy. It was only with great difficulty that I finally met Granny Yuan for the first time at Granny Yuan’s residence!”

Daiyu was sharp-tongued, and when Yuan Hongqu heard her speak so pitifully, her heart ached terribly.

"That won't happen again. I'll go wherever you go, okay?"