Madam Jia was finally relieved and asked, "Speaking of this Chen family, is it the Chen Miss who lost to the princess in a poem at the summer banquet in the palace and got slapped?"
“Exactly,” Wan’er nodded. “So, the reason for this is very complicated. The Chen family came to test us, probably thinking that if our family agrees, they will have a chance to avenge their precious daughter in the future.”
"Dream on!" Madam Jia Er curled her lip. "A princess is such a good girl, she can't possibly marry a good-for-nothing wastrel."
The aunt and nephew chatted for a while longer, had lunch, and finally waited for the First Madam and Jia Xu to return.
The First Madam's eyes were red and swollen, clearly indicating that she had broken ties with her family.
After all, the Feng family would rather protect their two granddaughters-in-law than a daughter who has married out.
It's not that the Feng family doesn't love their daughter, it's just that their daughter is like water spilled from a cup, while their granddaughter-in-law has been bearing many children for the Feng family...
Whether she didn't want to face her family or was truly heartbroken, the First Madam fell ill as soon as she returned to her courtyard.
Jia Xu was left behind to tell everyone the result: "The Feng family only punished the two granddaughters-in-law by confining them to their rooms to reflect on their mistakes. If we pushed them any further, Old Master Feng would have accused us of making a mountain out of a molehill. That's all we can do!"
Grandma Jia was furious and said angrily, "From now on, this marriage is off, and the Feng family is not allowed to visit again."
Master Jia nodded in agreement, "It's better if we don't go out, so that the family won't be burdened."
Wan'er felt she couldn't stay any longer; she needed to go home once she had the results.
The Jia family had already prepared a generous gift.
Wan'er refused to accept it, but the Jia family insisted on giving it to her.
In the end, it was Madam Jia the Second who quietly persuaded her niece, "These things were given to the Feng family by the First Madam, so why not take them? Otherwise, she might feel even more burdened."
Wan'er then accepted the gift, bid farewell to the Jia family, and returned to the Earl's mansion.
The two houses were not too far apart; the carriage arrived at their doorstep in just a quarter of an hour.
As soon as Wan'er got out of the car, she heard dogs barking and thought she had gone to the wrong place.
Li Lao Er and Mr. Wen stood in the front yard, watching with smiles as the servants fed the dogs.
I don't know when, but four big dogs appeared in the house. Each dog was guarding a bowl, gnawing on a meat bone, its tail wagging so happily it almost turned into a fan.
Each large dog is about half a person's height, weighs seventy or eighty pounds, has pure black fur, bright eyes, and looks extremely majestic, though some are rather thin.
"Father, Mr. Wen, where did these dogs come from?"
Wan'er was a little scared, so she leaned against the wall and bravely walked over.
"Mu Xu just returned. He heard that someone was proposing marriage to Fu Niu'er, so he went out and found these big dogs, saying he'd keep them in the front yard. If any unwelcome guests come, he'll release the dogs to identify them." Li Lao Er shook his head with a smile, clearly finding the method naive, but he felt quite pleased with himself.
Mu Xu is very devoted to Jia Yin; he won't allow anyone else to covet her.
Wan'er laughed as she heard this, and whispered, "He's afraid someone will steal his wife away."
Mr. Wen stepped forward and personally added a bone to a large dog's mouth. The dog sniffed his hand and continued to eat heartily.
Mr. Wen chuckled, "These dogs are quite clever; they recognize their own family members by scent. I wonder where Mu Xu found them?"
"He didn't have time to say much before he went off to run an errand with Zheng He. He only said that the previous owner of these dogs couldn't afford to keep them anymore, so sending them to our house would at least give them a place to live, otherwise they would starve to death."
Li Lao Er replied, "We'll keep them here at our mansion for a while, and then send two back to the village. Uncle Zhao and the others will be good help with their night patrols."
"If my sister were home, she would be so happy. All the cats and dogs love to be around her! Not to mention, the three of them are practically spoiled rotten by her!" Wan'er missed her sister-in-law a little, and after saying a few words with a smile, she had someone set up a place for the big dogs.
Unfortunately, she made a mistake this time.
Inside Zhilan Palace, Jiayin was tapping the little fox's forehead with obvious disgust.
"You know, I should have kept a parrot instead, at least I could talk to it. Why did I end up with a glutton like you!"
"Look at this, I asked you to find out some information, and this is what you told me?"
"The cucumber went to see the old sweet potato, and the old sweet potato was going to kill the eggplant!"
"Luckily, I'm smart enough to remember the colors of the clothes people wore when I was teaching you to recognize them, otherwise I would have thought fruits and vegetables were fighting! Start learning to write right now!"
The three dogs, having been scolded, shrank back, their small eyes red.
Gathering intelligence is really not a good job!
Life is tough for foxes!
It's a top-tier fox, reigning supreme wherever it goes.
Now he's being looked down upon by a little girl!
It's a shame that it runs around all day, wasting so much time sleeping and eating fruit, helping to gather information, and yet it still gets criticized like this!
I feel so wronged, so incredibly wronged!
It turned its head around, turned its rear end towards its master, and refused to show its face no matter what!
This was the first time Jiayin had ever seen the little fox throw a tantrum. She blinked a couple of times, looking somewhat guilty.
Am I being too harsh on the pets...?
"Um, cough cough, my three little darlings! I didn't understand what you meant just now, and I was a little anxious, so I spoke a bit harshly."
Jiayin quickly picked up the little fox and coaxed it gently.
"Look, we've relied on each other for so many years. Others might not understand my temperament, but how could you not? I like you the most, and I'm the best to you."
"There are so many fruits in this space, but no one else can eat a single one. You, on the other hand, can sit in the tree every day and eat as much as you want! Also, all those dried meats, dried fish, and fish cakes of yours, I made them myself, didn't I?"
"You're getting angry with me over just a few words? Isn't that petty? That's not how a smart and magnanimous fox should act!"
The little fox was coaxed into submission, and gradually raised its head, letting out two haughty chirps.
Jiayin quickly pressed on, "I'm having you learn to write for your own good. Think about it, if you learn, you'll be the only fox in the world who can write! How proud and honored you'll be!"
The little fox's eyes sparkled...
Shuiling, sweating profusely, brought in freshly baked pastries from outside. There she found Santiao raising his right paw, dipping it in ink, and patiently tracing the characters from the calligraphy book.
She was so startled that her legs went weak and she almost dropped the tray she was holding.
Is competition this fierce these days? Even foxes are learning to write?
So does she also have to roll up her sleeves, otherwise she'll be eliminated sooner or later?
The little girl was devastated, realizing there was no longer a place for her by her master's side...
Jiayin didn't notice that Shuiling was secretly imagining things and scaring herself; she was frowning and sighing.
The situation is getting more and more serious. If only her godfather were in Xindu, she wouldn't have to go through all this trouble.
My imperial uncle is taking care of two today, three tomorrow, and it seems he'll soon have the court cleaned up.
The person was about to step out from behind the scenes, leaving everyone speechless.
She couldn't predict whether this person's rise to power would be a good thing or a bad thing for the family, but she just felt uneasy...
Whether the Feng family was too low-key or the Chen family was afraid of losing face, the fact that Madam Feng went to the Earl's mansion to propose marriage on behalf of the Chen family's son did not get out.
Those who also considered themselves clever also thought of using the Li family as a convenient "shield."
So, the next day, someone came to propose marriage again.
But this time, the visitors weren't as lucky as Madam Feng.
The servants inside the Earl's mansion asked questions carefully, and as soon as they heard the words "marriage proposal," the four big black dogs that had just settled in yesterday immediately took up their posts.
As soon as the side door opened, the four large dogs darted out like four leopards, barking wildly and biting anyone they could catch!
Two updates today!
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