Chapter 149 Sharp Edges
Xie Qingran pulled Xiao Yanran along, and the two of them quietly sat down at Xiao Yu's door, eavesdropping on what was happening inside.
Xiao Yanran was a well-behaved girl, so she had never done anything like this before. Now, squatting next to Xie Qingran, she was also very scared. She tugged at Xie Qingran's sleeve and then whispered, "Sister Xie, is it not good for us to eavesdrop on other people's conversations like this?"
"This doesn't count as eavesdropping."
“They’re so loud, we can’t not listen even if we don’t want to. Besides, they’re not just anyone, they’re your brother.”
Xie Qingran used a series of fallacies to fool the little girl.
Guihua never expected that Xiao Yu would discover her deception, nor did she expect that Xiao Yu would make things difficult for her because of it.
She knelt on the ground, sobbing and pleading, "Young Master, I know I was wrong, I was really wrong. Please, Young Master, have mercy on me and don't send me away. Please, Young Master, for the sake of me having been with you since I was a child, please let me stay."
"I can't leave you here."
“Leaving you here would be a disservice to my brother and to the ancestral tablets in the ancestral hall.”
Xiao Yu's eyes were red, her small hands were clenched into fists, and although tears were about to fall, her eyes remained very firm.
"Young master, I've been with you since you were a child, how can you be so heartless?"
Guihua was a little annoyed, not understanding why her child, who used to listen to her every word, had become like this.
“If you refuse to leave, then I will have no choice but to hand you over to your sister-in-law.”
"You know her temper; you'll die."
Xiao Yu suppressed all his emotions and immediately issued an ultimatum.
Although Xie Qingran thought the child was quite clear-headed and admired his decisiveness, what was this unfortunate child saying?
Who is she, that someone would use her to scare people!
That brat!
Xie Qingran snorted and pulled Xiao Yanran away.
Although Xiao Yanran was young, she was very perceptive. She could sense Xie Qingran's anger, but she didn't understand where Xie Qingran's anger came from.
She looked at Xie Qingran cautiously: "Sister-in-law, are you angry because of my brother?"
"no."
"Yanran, be good and go to sleep."
Xie Qingran didn't continue the topic. She just smiled gently at her, then carried her to bed, sang two songs to lull her to sleep, and then turned and walked outside.
“Baozhu, go find Hongshan and tell him to keep an eye on Guihua and see who she is working for and who she is reporting to.”
After leaving the courtyard, Xie Qingran gave Baozhu an instruction.
Upon hearing this, Baozhu rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. "Miss, you've been busy with the Zhenguo Duke's mansion ever since you married into the family. Look how thin you've become. Besides, it's been several days already, and you and the young master haven't even consummated your marriage yet. You... you should also think about yourself."
“Well, the young master and young lady aren’t your biological children after all. You should still leave yourself a way out.” Baozhu looked at Xie Qingran with some concern.
Xie Qingran knew that this girl was saying these things for her own good, so she smiled gently and said, "You're not allowed to say things like that again, or I'll kick you out!"
Even though Xie Qingran was smiling, Baozhu could still feel the icy chill emanating from her, so she could only obediently nod: "Yes, this servant understands."
When Xie Qingran returned to the room, Xiao Jue was already lying on the bed. Standing at the door, she could hardly tell whether he was really asleep.
She tiptoed over, intending to check if Xiao Jue was asleep, but unexpectedly met his cold and indifferent eyes.
"Your Highness...you...are you still awake?"
Xie Qingran was startled and stood rooted to the spot, not daring to take another step.
Even though Xiao Jue always protected and supported her after she married into the family, it was all for the benefit of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and had little to do with her personally.
The two had agreed to a business relationship before marriage, so Xie Qingran didn't dare to have any wild thoughts, especially since Xiao Jue seemed as steady as an old dog, but in fact he was crazy as hell!
No one knows whether the wind will blow or the rain will fall next.
Meeting Xie Qingran's wary and fearful eyes, Xiao Jue sat up, raised an eyebrow at her, and asked, "What, am I that scary, or do I eat people?"
"That's not what I meant either." Xie Qingran breathed a sigh of relief, then walked over and sat down next to Xiao Jue. "I just don't know what displeased you, Your Highness. Please tell me."
“You’re very good, I have no complaints.” Xiao Jue said this almost through clenched teeth.
Xie Qingran is wonderful, practically a perfect princess consort. In just three days since she arrived, the entire household has been transformed, and even the two children are much more energetic than before. Yet, ironically, none of her actions are motivated by Xiao Jue.
She thought of everything and did everything, but as the Crown Prince's wife, she neglected the Crown Prince, which made Xiao Jue feel indescribable dissatisfaction and disappointment.
However, since the two had already made a prior agreement, Xiao Jue couldn't even express his true feelings.
He's a very proud and arrogant person, and the more he is like that, the more unforgiving he becomes.
Xie Qingran felt that Xiao Jue was very conflicted. Since he had no complaints, why did he always have a cold face?
She tentatively tugged at Xiao Jue's sleeve: "Is there anything you don't like, Your Highness? You can tell me, and I'll change it."
"What could I possibly be dissatisfied with? Everyone, from top to bottom, even the dogs in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion have gotten new homes. They like you so much, how could I possibly be dissatisfied?"
"snort."
Xiao Jue gave a sarcastic snort, then lay down and pulled the blanket up, leaving Xie Qingran with only her back to him.
Although Xie Qingran didn't know what was wrong with him, she didn't take his emotions to heart. She simply got up, sat down at the table, and began to check the account books of the shops in the manor.
Even though Xie Qingran had been mentally prepared, seeing the chaotic ledgers still made her feel dizzy. She really couldn't understand how a brave and skilled general could be so bad at managing his subordinates.
How could such trivial matters at home and at the shops on the estate be managed in such a way?
And Qin Shi too, she seems intelligent, how did she end up like this, it just doesn't make sense.
However, after spending this time together, Xie Qingran could roughly guess that Xiao Jue was too lazy to manage, and Qin Shi was unable to manage. Qin Shi was gentle and intelligent, but she had no sharp edges, so she was not good at managing her subordinates.
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