Chapter 2: Ignorance
After the incident at the Marquis of Changxin's Mansion, they immediately demoted his wife to a concubine, seized her dowry, and eventually tortured her to death.
Chun Liu saw that his young lady did not respond for a long time. He looked up and saw tears in Xia Xing'er's eyes. He immediately became anxious.
"Miss, what's wrong with you? If you don't want to hear it, I won't tell you. I'll go find the dowry list right away."
Chunliu took out the dowry list and said, "Miss, in the past three years, the cash you gave to the General's Mansion alone was 45,843 taels, 2 coins and 45 coins. The shops and the farms have not been touched, and the things that the Madam and the others gave you privately have not been touched either."
"Hmm." Xia Xing'er couldn't help but be lost in thought as she looked at the list. Her parents gave her so much dowry because they were afraid that she would suffer in the general's mansion. When she thought that all these things would eventually benefit this heartless family, her heart ached.
"Miss, shall we go back to the Marquis' Mansion? Will the Madam blame you? Otherwise, we should go back to Meishan and hide for a while, and come back after the Madam and the others have calmed down."
Chunliu asked nervously from the side.
She thought of her family members who all died tragically in the end, and there was no one to collect their bodies. She felt a sudden pain in her heart. "Let's go back to the Marquis' Mansion. Father and Mother will definitely agree with my approach!"
"If you leave, won't you be fulfilling their wish?"
Xia Xing'er said calmly, "Then let them be. Even if we stay here, we will just waste our lives."
Chunliu thought of how much the master, mistress and several young masters doted on her young lady. If they knew the injustice suffered by her young lady, they would definitely agree with her actions and seek justice for her.
"Miss, are we going back like this?"
Xia Xing'er's eyes were cold, but she smiled. "Of course your young lady won't go back like this. I need to go to the palace. This marriage was arranged by the Queen Mother. If I want to leave, I need a decree of divorce."
As the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Changxin, even if she leaves, she must do so in a dignified manner.
There are only three days left, so she has to hurry and prepare some supplies to prevent the tragedy of her previous life from happening again.
Then someone called out from outside: "Young Madam, the old lady wants you to come over." Chun Liu said softly: "It's Aunt Gui, the old lady's attendant. The old lady is calling you over now. She must be trying to persuade you to allow the female general to enter."
Xia Xing'er raised the corner of her mouth: "Then go and take a look."
In her previous life, because Helian Zhi came to her, she agreed immediately and this didn’t happen.
The sun is shining brightly in March
The General's Mansion was given to Helian Zhi's grandfather by the late emperor. The General's Mansion used to be bustling with people, but now it is deserted.
Helian Zhi's grandfather had only one son, Helian Zhi's father, and he did not inherit his father's bravery and fighting skills, so his career was not successful.
Helian Zhi was born, along with a younger brother Helian Hui and a younger sister Helian Rong. The heavy responsibility of reviving the former glory of the General's Mansion fell on Helian Zhi.
The main reason for proposing to Xia Xing'er that day was because of her family background.
Xia Xing'er brought Chunliu to the old lady's room. The old lady looked rosy and no longer looked sick.
It really proves the saying that people feel refreshed when happy events happen.
Seeing Xia Xing'er coming, he smiled and said, "Xing'er is here."
Helian Zhi's father, younger brother and younger sister were all in the room.
"Father, Mother." Xia Xing'er greeted them according to her usual name.
"Xing'er, come here and sit next to your mother," the old lady took her hand affectionately and asked her to sit on the edge of the bed.
She said with relief, "Now Zhi'er is back. You finally see the light after waiting for so long. I've wronged you for the past three years."
The old lady is indeed a veteran, but Xia Xing'er doesn't buy it.
Xia Xing'er pulled her hand back from the old lady's grasp: "Mother saw Ye Qingyu, General Ye today."
The old lady didn't expect that she didn't follow her own ideas, and the smile on her face could no longer be maintained.
Then he returned to his previous state and said with a smile: "I have seen him. His appearance cannot be compared with yours. Maybe it is because he leads the troops, so his temperament is a bit rough."
Xia Xing'er then laughed and said, "So, mother doesn't like her anymore?"
The old lady said earnestly: "I can't tell whether I like you or not now. After all, we have only met once, but Zhi'er likes you. In the past three years, you have not been by his side. It is all thanks to Qingyu that he has shared hardships. This kind of affection is rare. They have made military achievements this time and will directly ask the emperor to grant them marriage. This is something that cannot be changed.
In the future, she and Zhi'er will make meritorious contributions in the army, and you will be in charge of the general's mansion and enjoy the military merits they have worked so hard to earn. Isn't that great?"
Xia Xing'er was so angry that she almost laughed at the shameless remarks, as if she had taken such a great advantage.
"Mother is right. This is indeed a good idea, but is General Qingyu willing to be my concubine?"
The old lady didn't take it seriously, thinking she agreed, so she continued with a smile, "You silly child, what nonsense are you talking about? Qingyu is an official appointed by the court, how can she be a concubine? She is an equal wife, no different from you in age."
Xia Xing'er said, "Oh, is that so? When did this rule come into being in our dynasty? There's no distinction between the eldest and the youngest wives? It seems I've been staying in the mansion for the past three years and have become somewhat ignorant."
The old lady's face immediately turned cold. "Xing'er, since you have married into the Helian family, as a Helian woman, you must put the interests of the Helian family first. Zhi'er and Qingyu have made great contributions this time. In the future, if they work together as a couple and make more military achievements, and you are in charge of the affairs of the mansion, you will definitely restore the general's mansion to its former glory."
Xia Xing'er said expressionlessly: "They are a couple, what can I do to them?"
The old lady said unhappily, "How come you have nothing to do with this? Aren't you in charge of the general's household expenses?"
Xia Xing'er took out the key from her waist, placed it on the table, and said, "Before, my mother was ill, so I took over the management of the household. Now that my mother is well, it's best to leave the management of the household to her. I'll have Chunliu bring you the account book later. From now on, I will no longer interfere in the affairs of the mansion."
When the old lady heard this, she was so shocked that she immediately said, "Xing'er, I'm not fully recovered yet. Besides, you've been the head of the household for the past three years and everyone is quite satisfied. You should continue to manage this family."
Xia Xing'er sneered. How could she not be satisfied? In the past three years, she had subsidized all the expenses of the General's Mansion out of her own pocket. Otherwise, they would not be able to live so comfortably.
The old lady’s medical expenses alone cost several thousand taels of silver every year.
The clothes, jewelry, and monthly wages of the servants of all the masters in the mansion throughout the year were all subsidized by me, a sucker.
She didn't care about these things before because she wanted to live a sincere life with Helian Zhi. Now, she doesn't want to be the one being taken advantage of anymore.
She stood up and said, "It's settled. From now on, I won't be involved in the affairs of the mansion anymore."
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