Granny Lu said, "They are all the old lady's flesh and blood. The old lady was a woman who could take things in stride back then. I reckon many people still remember her decisive and ruthless manner. Alas, we are all old now. Even if we remember, what good will it do?"
Xu Di said, "That always leaves behind the legend of the old grandmother."
Xu Di had seen Xu Zhi's past life through the original owner's memories. The young master of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion was famous, and girls from good families were unwilling to marry into it. At that time, the Yongning Marquis's mansion was already in turmoil. Yang Siying plotted to arrange a marriage between Xu Yao and the young master. Later, it was Concubine Zhu who, in order to eliminate Xu Rao's family, instigated Ning Shi to have Xu Zhi marry in place of him.
At that time, life wasn't easy for the Duke of Dingguo's family either. Their young master had offended someone and was injured. On the verge of death, he wanted to get married to bring good luck. The young master was unconscious in bed and no longer cared who married into the family. As long as he could have a wife, that was enough. Xu Zhi married into that hellhole.
Under the meddling of Concubine Zhu, the Yongning Marquis's mansion was in a very difficult situation. Especially after the Marquis and the Old Madam met with misfortune one after another, Concubine Zhu, in league with people outside the mansion, finally led the once grand mansion to its end.
Aunt Zhu eradicated Xu Rao's entire family in this way to prevent anyone from discovering that Xu Rao and Xu Shao had switched places. Xu Rao had always been studying in seclusion, and few people had seen him. Once he passed the imperial examination and came into contact with more people, it was inevitable that someone would discover the truth. Killing Xu Rao unexpectedly was the best option.
Given this background, whether it's the deceased Xu Rao and Zhang Zhaoci, or the remaining Xu Zhi and Xu Di, they were all victims of Aunt Zhu's selfish desires. Fortunately, the truth has now come to light, and Aunt Zhu has already submitted to her fate. It's estimated that Xu Yao will not be engaged to the young master.
Thinking about these things, Xu Di sighed and said, "Actually, Yang Siying is a very cunning person. On the one hand, he arranged for Aunt Shao to get engaged to him, and on the other hand, he gave some hints to our fourth young lady. He probably has some ulterior motives, and only he knows them."
Girls have a hard time in this world, especially young girls in their teens. Their hearts are just beginning to flutter, and they can easily fall for those who are good-looking, talented, and have ulterior motives. Granny Lu knew this, and Zhang Zhaoci understood it too.
Zhang Zhaoci and Granny Lu both frowned and looked at Xu Di. Xu Di said, "The Yang family has not been doing well these past few years. Yang Siying is quite capable. He's associating with the young master of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion. Only he knows why. I asked around and found out that Yang Siying has made a lot of money following the young master of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion these past few years."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "What does his making money have to do with Fourth Sister?"
Xu Di said, "It's an open secret that the young master has a penchant for homosexuality. I don't think Yang Siying is actually that kind of person. He's just putting on this act to please the young master. After his mother married into the family with her dowry, that dowry filled the family's accounts, and they've always lived a tight life. Yang Siying would have been better off marrying a daughter from a wealthy merchant family, but he insisted on marrying a legitimate daughter from a noble family. Why? So that his family could stay at the so-called upper class. Actually, his cousin Siyan isn't his best choice, but those from better families don't want him, and those who do want him, he looks down on because of their family background. It's been dragging on until now. If his marriage isn't settled soon, it won't be right."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "I heard that Siyan and he have already gone through a small engagement."
Xu Di said, "Yes, their marriage is already a done deal, so why is he keeping his fourth sister hanging?"
Upon hearing this, Granny Lu frowned even more deeply and said, "He has ulterior motives for keeping Fourth Miss hanging."
Xu Di said, "I've never understood it. But today, when I saw the young master of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, I realized that he wanted to arrange a marriage between the young master and the fourth young lady."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "How could that be? Fourth Miss is the legitimate daughter of your eldest uncle and aunt. Although the young master is the young master of the Duke's mansion, he has a bad reputation and such a quirk. Your eldest uncle would not agree to it."
Xu Di said, "Yes, we all disagree, but what if the young master and the fourth sister cause some trouble?"
Zhang Zhaoci and Granny Lu were stunned. Zhang Zhaoci even felt a layer of white sweat break out on her back.
Seeing Zhang Zhaoci looking at him in horror, Xu Di sighed and said, "Mother, this is the worst possible outcome I can think of. Perhaps the young master made some kind of deal with Yang Siying, or perhaps Yang Siying did it to curry favor with the young master. After all, Fourth Sister is the legitimate daughter of our Marquis's Mansion, and Uncle will be the heir to this Marquis's Mansion in the future. In terms of family background, Fourth Sister is the most suitable candidate."
Granny Lu sighed and said, "Fortunately, our Fourth Miss has realized her mistake and returned to the right path."
Xu Di said, "This is what I thought of when I saw Yang Siying with the young master tonight. I inquired and found out that the young master really did spend the night there, and sometimes he wasn't served by just one person. But Yang Siying would always go home before curfew. He told outsiders that it was a rule set by his mother at home. In fact, Yang Siying probably doesn't have the same hobby as the young master."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "He's only a teenager, yet he has such thoughts."
Xu Di said, "I've analyzed it. Their Marquis's mansion hasn't actually been doing very well these past few years. Their Marquis isn't an ambitious person. He relies on his childhood friendship with the Emperor to help him guard the imperial estate. It seems like a great honor, but in reality, no matter what, someone who stays on the estate for decades without achieving anything will always be looked down upon. Their mansion has only recently risen to prominence again in the last two years. This is all thanks to Yang Siying's machinations."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "This person is terrifying. He is willing to drag innocent people down with him for his own purposes."
Xu Di said, "In his view, his fourth sister was not an innocent person. He probably felt that his fourth sister was someone he looked down on because she kept bothering him, someone who had to make sacrifices for him."
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