Aunt Shen glanced at Xiao Yunrou hatefully, but she couldn't keep pestering her if the lady didn't say anything. She was a concubine's daughter and was very good at reading people's expressions and acting accordingly. Otherwise, how could she have hidden it from her stepmother and entered the Zhenyuan Marquis' Mansion? The only reason she caught the eye of this aunt was because her last name was Shen.

"Mother, Concubine Shen has given birth to a child. Although the prince is not willing to disturb her from doing her job, father still has to tell her about it."

Shen nodded without thinking and agreed, "Send someone to inform the Marquis. He has been worried about Feng'er's offspring for a long time. Now he has a grandson. The Marquis should be happy."

Shen smiled again as she looked at the child in her arms. Xiao Yunrou felt that it was ironic. The Marquis was not Shen. He always valued legitimate sons and daughters. It was also because of his suppression that Shen gave the housekeeper power to him. Thinking of the Marquis, Xiao Yunrou suppressed her temper and said:

"It's time to arrange the second young master's third-day baptism ceremony. I'll go back and take care of it now."

Although Shen didn't like Xiao Yunrou very much, she was still confident in her housekeeping methods. She nodded slightly and let Xiao Yunrou go.

But when Xiao Yunrou just walked to the door, she could vaguely hear Aunt Shen sobbing softly and saying something like "The legitimate son, register your name..."

Xiao Yunrou thought about it and knew what Aunt Shen was planning. She lowered her eyelids, smiled coldly, and thought to herself: Shen, I will never let you hurt my child again in this life. Your child was a bastard in the last life, and in this life, he will never escape the fate of a bastard!

Xiao Yunrou walked back to Derou Garden at a leisurely pace. The main room where Xiao Yunrou lived was very large. As soon as she entered the room, she could see the long red sandalwood table in the middle. In the middle of the long table was a three-legged incense burner with filigree and enamel, from which a faint fragrance was wafting. On the floor was a wool carpet about two inches thick, with exquisite patterns embroidered on it, which was very beautiful. This wool carpet alone was worth a fortune. These were all furniture that the Xiao family had bought for her. When they were placed that day, they shocked all the servants in the Marquis' Mansion, and provided a lot of convenience for Xiao Yunrou to enter the Marquis' Mansion and take charge of the imperial treasury.

When Hongzhuang saw Xiao Yunrou coming back, she hurriedly opened the gold-thread rattan and red lacquer bead curtain to let Xiao Yunrou in. After she sat on the rosewood couch, Lvyi immediately handed Xiao Yunrou a cup of tea that was seven-tenths hot.

Xiao Yunrou took the teacup and took two sips, then the housekeeper from the backyard came.

"Mother Xu." Xiao Yunrou's calm voice rang out. Mother Xu was startled and quite nervous. Thinking that she didn't seem to have done anything wrong to Xiao Yunrou, she pretended to be calm and asked:

"I wonder if the Madam summoned me here for any instructions?"

Xiao Yunrou leaned back in her chair, reached out to take the eldest son's account book for the third day of his pregnancy, flipped through it casually, and roughly knew the number, so she said lightly:

"The Crown Prince is happy to have a son, so it's time to hold a baby's third birthday ceremony. Ten tables were invited to Xuan'er's baby's third birthday earlier, so this time, we'll prepare five tables and set up the same as Xuan'er's."

After twenty years, some things have gradually left an impression. When the eldest son was born, the court was cleaning up corruption cases, and the Marquis's mansion did not dare to hold a large banquet for the eldest grandson, so it was reduced to ten tables. Although the matter had been settled after two months, the banquets of various mansions in the capital were held under various names, but even because of such a thing, Xiao Yunrou was not happy that a bastard's son was overshadowing her own son.

Seeing that she was not the one who had fallen into Xiao Yunrou's hands, Xu Mama breathed a sigh of relief and quickly agreed. The Marquis' Mansion had been in existence for a hundred years, and almost all the servants in the mansion were family-born children, with complicated relationships. She knew that the calm-looking wife of the prince in front of her had sold out the families of the few people who had caused trouble at the beginning, under the unwillingness of the wife to give up power. The rest of the people were trembling with fear after seeing such a brutal method, and dared not to cause trouble again.

"I will have someone send out the invitations. The troupe should ask the Yanqing troupe to come." Xiao Yunrou thought for a moment and said:

"Go to Haitang Garden later and tell Aunt Shen that you can let Mrs. Li preside over the second young master's third-day bath."

After Xiao Yunrou gave a few more instructions, Madam Xu left Derou Garden. But when she arrived at Derou Garden and told Madam Shen what Xiao Yunrou meant, Madam Shen's face suddenly turned ugly.

"Five tables? There aren't enough seats for the relatives of the Marquis' Mansion. What does she mean by this? After all, the Second Young Master is also the son of the Crown Prince. Is she going to act like this just because I call her mother?"

Mother Xu's face was not very good either. Aunt Shen's temper was so loud that it could be heard even in the yard. She just came here to pass on a message. She was not a member of Haitangyuan, so she didn't want to listen to Aunt Shen's temper.

"I have delivered the message. I will go downstairs to prepare for the Second Young Master's third birthday."

Although Madam Xu was not part of Shen's dowry, her husband's family was one of the most trusted guards of the Marquis, and that was why she had some power in the backyard. She was able to take a step further because Xiao Yunrou sold several families after she married into the family. Although she was afraid of Xiao Yunrou's methods, she preferred Xiao Yunrou to Aunt Shen's occasional nagging.

Mother Xu ignored an aunt who couldn't do anything about herself. After she left politely, she heard the sound of a teacup breaking in the house.

Xiao Yunrou at Derou Garden had no time to pay attention to Aunt Shen. She looked at the familiar names on the account book, the list of people who would be taking part in the third-day baptism in the future, but her thoughts drifted further and further away.

Until sunset, the setting sun shone into the main house, casting patches of light on Xiao Yunrou. When Lu Yi entered the house and saw this scene, she was startled. After coming to her senses, she whispered:

"Madam, is the dinner served in the main room?"

Xiao Yunrou withdrew her thoughts upon hearing this, closed the account book, and after taking another look at the list, she handed it to Lu Yi and said after a faint response:

“I’ll post it tomorrow.”

It was the third-day bath for the concubine's son, and the prince was not in the mansion, so inviting a few tables of relatives and friends was enough to show their respect. She remembered that in her previous life, the third-day bath for Concubine Shen was originally scheduled for five tables. She respected her mother-in-law Shen and handed it to her for review. However, she didn't know how Concubine Shen persuaded her mother-in-law to add three more tables. The banquet was as lively as the third-day bath for the eldest son, which led to a lot of gossip in the capital. In this life, Xiao Yunrou made up her mind not to save face for Concubine Shen anymore, and directly sent the invitation from her hands to see how Concubine Shen could persuade Shen to do something that would embarrass the Marquis's mansion.

Dinner was served. Xiao Yunrou gently put her hands into the basin, washed them thoroughly with warm water and scented soap, and then wiped them dry with a fumigated clean towel before sitting down to eat.

Xiao Yunrou ate absent-mindedly during dinner. Perhaps it was because she had just been reborn, and the past events came back to her one after another. She felt that the self who committed suicide by hanging was too far away, as if it was a real dream, which made her physically and mentally exhausted.

When Xiao Yunrou lay on the bed after bathing, she thought of her husband. She turned her head and looked at the empty half of the bed, not knowing what it felt like.

In her previous life, she and Pei Lingfeng treated each other with respect. She was his respected wife. No concubine in the mansion could surpass her. Despite the pressure from Shen, she was unable to surpass a noble concubine. No illegitimate sons or daughters could surpass her legitimate son. She even personally enlightened and cultivated Min'er with all her strength since she was four years old.

In the current dynasty, she lived a comfortable life and she had no hatred towards Pei Lingfeng. But after she was reborn, she didn't know how to face this husband who had lived with her for twenty years.

Xiao Yunrou couldn't help thinking, if she could go back to the time when she was still unmarried, how nice it would be. She would have found a way to get her mother to reject the marriage. In this way, she wouldn't have to face her enemies from her previous life, nor would she have to live in the depths of the struggle for succession in the future, fearing that the scene from her previous life would happen to her and her child again.

Xiao Yunrou was thinking aimlessly and didn't know when she fell asleep. However, she slept uneasily. In her dream, scenes from her past life replayed again and again, and her body tossed and turned restlessly.

Hong Zhuang, who was on duty at night, heard the noise and walked in quietly. She was a little frightened when she saw Xiao Yunrou's wrinkled brows and beads of sweat on his forehead. She wondered what kind of nightmare her master had.

Hong Zhuang came in with a basin of warm water, soaked a handkerchief, and gently wiped the sweat off Xiao Yunrou. Perhaps because she felt there was a familiar person by her side, Xiao Yunrou gradually calmed down, although she still didn't look very good.

Hong Zhuang breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't dare go outside again, for fear that something might have happened to Xiao Yunrou. She moved a stool and sat beside the bed to watch over Xiao Yunrou.

When Xiao Yunrou woke up, she felt a wet and uncomfortable sensation on her back. She sat up with a frown, but was startled to find Hong Zhuang sleeping on her bed.

Hong Zhuang opened her eyes abruptly upon hearing the noise, and when she saw Xiao Yunrou sitting up, she quickly said:

"Madam, wake up. I don't know what you dreamed about last night. You didn't sleep well until the second half of the night."

Hong Zhuang helped Xiao Yunrou get out of bed, and called the maids who were waiting outside the door for Xiao Yunrou to get up to come in and help her wash up. She turned around to make the bed, and looking at the dried sweat stains on the bed, she turned around and asked tentatively:

"Madam, would you like to take a bath now?"

Xiao Yunrou just felt uncomfortable all over. She readily agreed to what Hongzhuang said. She turned her head and looked at the dark circles under Hongzhuang's eyes. Her heart moved slightly. She knew Hongzhuang's loyalty and couldn't bear to see her maidservant serving her in such a desperate situation, so she said:

"You've been on guard all night, go down and rest, and let the greenery come in."

Hongzhuang did not refuse, and told the maid to fetch some hot water before she smiled and said:

"Thank you, Madam, for your grace."