Qi Yunxiao and Shen Qingyu arrived hand in hand, each carrying two large boxes.
Four boxes?!
Marquis Qingping felt relieved: He still knows to bring things home; it seems he hasn't become that heartless.
Lady Qingping, with her sharp eyes, thought: That looks like... a food box?
They haven't been back for so long, and now that they've finally come back, are they just going to bring back some food?
The elderly couple, though their feelings differed, both smiled and said, "You're back! Please sit down!"
"Father! Madam!"
Qi Yunxiao and Shen Qingyu put down the box and bowed to each other.
"Have you returned from the palace?"
Marquis Qingping still wanted to assert his father's authority, but when he thought about how he needed his father's help, his expression softened somewhat.
"Yes," Marquis Qingping replied.
What did His Majesty say to you?
"This is a secret of the imperial court, and it is not appropriate to explain it to my father."
Qi Yunxiao had obviously thought about how to respond on his way back, and immediately refused.
Marquis Qingping: "..."
Lady Qingping's eyes reddened slightly: "The heir apparent can now access state secrets?!"
Jealousy made her voice tremble.
Qi Yunxiao glanced at Lady Qingping and said, "Yes."
Lady Qingping: "It seems the young master is highly regarded by His Majesty... I wonder if you need an assistant for your job? Your younger brother is all grown up now, after all, we're family..."
"His Majesty has his own considerations regarding who to appoint and what to do, so I cannot say more."
Qi Yunxiao interrupted Lady Qingping, lowering his eyes and refusing to look at her.
Lady Qingping: "..."
Although she knew long ago that she couldn't rely on Qi Yunxiao, she still felt disappointed and resentful when she was rejected.
Why won't he give me even the slightest chance?
He clearly doesn't have good relations with the major families in the capital. Even if he doesn't give this opportunity to his own family, no one else would be grateful to him!
Doesn't he want to see the Qingping Marquis's mansion rise up?
Thinking of this, Lady Qingping felt distressed: "When you came back this time, I noticed that you didn't bring a single servant. How about I give you a few maids to take with you? That way, you'll have someone to do your daily chores."
Qi Yunxiao: "No need. I've been traveling around for years and I'm used to living in the countryside. I'm no longer used to being waited on."
The Marquis of Qingping and his wife: "..."
The elderly couple had anticipated this refusal.
Marquis Qingping coughed and said, "Since you're back, stay at home."
Qi Yunxiao glanced at Qingping Hou: "We won't be staying long this time. My wife has some things to take care of at her parents' home. So we won't be staying at home."
Marquis Qingping: "...Her family background?"
She's just a country woman.
Isn't her maternal family in Tongxin Prefecture, which is thousands of miles away?
Where in Beijing did she come from, from her maternal family?
The Marquis of Qingping and his wife exchanged a surprised glance. The Marquis's wife asked in astonishment, "Is it one of Qingyu's relatives?"
Shen Qingyu then stepped forward to reply, "Madam, it is my maternal family. I only recently learned that my mother is the Duchess of Wei, and I am the only young lady of the Duke of Wei's mansion..."
"Clang!" It was the sound of a teacup shattering as it was knocked to the ground. Lady Qingping stood up abruptly: "What did you say?"
Shen Qingyu and Qi Yunxiao exchanged a glance. Now that the matter had been formally approved by the emperor and they were going to the Duke of Wei's mansion, it was impossible to keep it a secret.
So Qi Yunxiao stepped forward to explain, omitting the beginning and end of Shen Qingyu's background.
The Marquis of Qingping and his wife: "!!!"
"The Duke of Wei and his wife have been missing for many years, and you actually ran into them at Tongxin Mansion?"
What incredible luck!
Shen Qingyu nodded in agreement, which made Lady Qingping's eyes redden.
"Although the Duke of Wei and his wife have been missing for many years, their grain shops have been doing extremely well, with branches all over the prefectures of the Great Qi..."
The more Lady Qingping spoke, the angrier she became, and the way she looked at Shen Qingyu was so intense it seemed she wanted to throw a knife.
Shen Qingyu smiled gently and virtuously: "Yes, my mother told me."
"Since you are the only legitimate daughter recently recognized by the Duke of Wei's mansion, what did the Duchess of Wei say about your marriage?" Lady Qingping asked, frowning.
Shen Qingyu glanced shyly at Qi Yunxiao: "I've already had three children, so naturally my mother has nothing to say."
Lady Qingping: "..."
Is this what I asked you?
I'm asking you, now that you've been recognized and taken back, what does your mother think about your dowry?
Gritting her teeth, Lady Qingping decided to cut to the chase: "Did your mother... give you any compensation for your dowry?"
Shen Qingyu glanced at Lady Qingping with slight surprise: "I grew up in the countryside and don't understand the rules of these high-ranking families..."
"Does Madam know that I am the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Wei's family, and that she wants to provide an additional betrothal gift? And then have my mother provide a similar dowry?"
Lady Qingping: "..."
Who wants to provide an additional betrothal gift?
Our family doesn't have money for your betrothal gifts!
Even if they were to give it, it would be to their own son, Qi Yunheng, who was about to get married!
However, after Shen Qingyu said that, Lady Qingping understood: even if the Duke of Wei's mansion was as rich as a country, it had nothing to do with the Marquis of Qingping's mansion.
After all, our family didn't give any betrothal gifts, and we don't plan to give them any more.
Thinking of this, Lady Qingping became discouraged again.
She couldn't help but look at Marquis Qingping.
Marquis Qingping was somewhat dazed, clearly still immersed in the shock of Shen Qingyu's background.
"Lord Marquis...Lord Marquis?"
Lady Qingping called out twice before Marquis Qingping snapped out of his daze, looking completely bewildered: "Huh?"
What do you mean, "huh"?
Is it none of your business if I ask for money?!
Lady Qingping suppressed the urge to curse and smiled at him with a gentle (stiff) expression: "We originally thought that the heir was marrying a country woman, so we didn't take it to heart. But now we know that she is the only daughter of the Duke of Wei. If you ask me, this is a great joy. We should open the ancestral hall and tell our ancestors!"
"The Crown Prince didn't return for the Mid-Autumn Festival ancestral worship. Why don't we take advantage of today to have him go to the ancestral hall to offer incense and share this good news with our ancestors?"
Marquis Qingping glanced at Qi Yunxiao, then belatedly nodded, "Absolutely right! Absolutely right!"
Lady Qingping then ordered the steward to make preparations.
The steward, who had been in cahoots with the plan, looked troubled after hearing the order: "Madam, have you forgotten? After the Mid-Autumn Festival sacrifice, the house... was robbed (pawned), and the gold and silver utensils used for the sacrifice were all stolen... If we are to hold the ancestral hall sacrifice, those gold and silver utensils will need to be replaced!"
Lady Qingping immediately realized, "Oh dear... that's right... I had completely forgotten. Xiao'er, you see, we're currently strapped for cash and don't have enough money to buy new things right away. I wonder if you..."
The Marquis of Qingping and his wife looked longingly at Qi Yunxiao and Shen Qingyu.
This is acknowledging your wife's status in the family, and you're still not paying?!
Qi Yunxiao and Shen Qingyu exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with disdain: Are the Marquis of Qingping and his wife desperate for money?!
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