Lady Yong'an was paralyzed in bed.
Jiang Mingli, the eldest son of the emperor, was imprisoned in Dali Temple.
Jiang Mingyi, the second wife, is ill in bed.
The Earl of Yong'an also suffered repeated blows and fell ill to the point that he could no longer get out of bed.
Tian, from the third branch of the family, didn't even dare to show her face, and claimed to be ill and not going out, for fear that Gao would push the power of managing the family, which was already heavily in debt, into her hands.
The only master in the manor who is still alive and in control is Jiang Mingwei.
As expected, Gao simply pushed all the household management and debts onto Jiang Mingwei, and then "fell ill and never recovered."
After Jiang Mingwei took over the management of the household affairs, she realized that her mother's previous statement that the household was already in dire straits was not just empty talk.
Right now, we're not just struggling to make ends meet, we're on the verge of bankruptcy!
Everything in the mansion that could be sold has already been sold, and there are very few servants left.
I finally scraped together some money for this meal, but I don't know where my next meal will come from!
Every day, creditors would come to the door, not only refusing to eat or drink but also writing large characters in blood on the blue brick wall at the entrance, such as "Pay back the debts."
The Earl's Mansion has now become the biggest laughing stock in the capital.
In the end, it was Jiang Mingyi who regretted it.
Lying in bed every day, he thought countless times, "If only I hadn't made that mistake in the first place..."
When Yunni arrived at the Earl's residence, she was indeed in her element.
For the first few days, she was very cautious, as if walking on thin ice.
Later, after learning about the current situation of the Earl's mansion, she gradually felt relieved.
Even though the Earl's mansion is now declining, the daily necessities she enjoys are far superior to what she had in the impoverished opera troupe.
At first, Jiang Mingyi was cold and indifferent to her, but she was careful to please him and knew how to behave appropriately. Gradually, she made Jiang Mingyi let go of his resentment.
Furthermore, on one occasion, he stumbled upon Yun Ni's "accidentally" overturned wardrobe, revealing the undergarment he had worn during their lovemaking, which she had treasured. Yun Ni, tearful and embarrassed, explained that she had been in such a hurry that day, and her clothes had been torn, so she had to wear his undergarment before taking the clothes with her. This stirred Jiang Mingyi's guilt and pity, and he began to treat her with kindness and gentleness.
With his special treatment of her, and considering that she was the adopted daughter of the old lady of the Yunhou Mansion and the adopted sister of General Pingyuan, coupled with the dire state of the Earl's Mansion, no one in the Earl's Mansion had the mind to deal with such a pregnant woman.
Except for the Gao family.
She had always wanted to find an opportunity to kidnap Yun Ni and bring her to Princess Qingping, hoping that she would calm down and be lenient enough to bring her husband back.
Unfortunately, her attempts to drug Yun Ni failed several times, only making Yun Ni more wary and causing her to cry to Jiang Mingyi. As for the affairs of the inner quarters, Jiang Mingyi had no choice but to entrust them to Jiang Mingwei.
With Jiang Mingwei protecting her, Yun Ni lived a very comfortable life in the Earl's mansion.
In contrast, Jiang Mingyi spends every day in regret.
Especially when he learned that Marquis Pingyuan had been reinstated.
When the Yong'an Marquis's Mansion first arrived in the capital, in order to trample on the former Pingyuan Marquis Yun family, they deliberately placed their house near the Yun family's old residence.
Unexpectedly, not long after, the Earl's family was heavily indebted and barely surviving.
In the past few days, the Yun family mansion has been bustling with activity, and on this day, firecrackers were set off one after another, bringing joy and celebration.
He didn't need the servant to tell him what had happened; he knew it was a joyous occasion of the Yun family's return.
He knew he couldn't just sit and wait to die; he had to do something!
...
On this side, the Zhou family received someone who was not on the invitation list but was also expected.
who?
Her mother was Guo, the wife of the Minister of War.
The Minister of War was an old subordinate of Marquis Yun. That year, he pleaded for Marquis Yun and was reprimanded by Emperor Shunqing. It was only right and proper that Madam Guo should come and celebrate.
Madam Guo is not yet fifty years old and is very well-maintained. Today, she came dressed in a low-key but very appropriate and elegant manner.
However, her daughter, the former third wife of the Marquis of Pingyuan, Guo, was too ashamed to come. Instead, her two children, Yun Tianyi and Yun Manyin, followed behind their grandmother.
Since these two children were of the Yun family bloodline, Madam Zhou naturally had no reason to be cold towards them, and greeted them with a smile.
When they arrived at the flower hall and met with Madam Yun, Madam Guo did not mention her daughter Guo at all, but only praised how well-behaved and sensible her granddaughter and granddaughter were in the Guo family.
When Yun Tianyi saw Old Madam Yun, he rushed over with a loud cry. Old Madam Yun doted on him just like she did on her other children and grandchildren.
Yun Manyin bowed to the elders and then obediently hid behind her eldest sister, Yun Manyan.
...
At this moment, in a very secluded side room of the Guo family, Guo Shi sat alone on the bed, tears streaming down her face.
The Yun family has actually been reinstated to their original positions?
So why did I have to make such a scene and ask to be dismissed and sent back to the capital when I had finally gotten through the most painful days with the Yun family and was almost about to see the light at the end of the tunnel?
Originally, she returned to her parents' home with her two children, only to be met with disdain from her elder brother and sister-in-law, who resented her for ruining the reputation of the Guo family's daughter, causing the Guo family's daughter to have difficulty finding a husband.
But she gritted her teeth and always felt that it was worth it, even if it damaged her reputation and was looked down upon, for the sake of her two children's future.
Who knew...
To his surprise, not only did his daughter fail to find a suitable match, but his reputation in the capital was also completely ruined.
Now, the Yun family, which they thought was beyond saving, has actually... been reinstated to their original positions?!
If she had known it would turn out this way, why did she even bother to take a leave of absence and go home?!
Last year on New Year's Eve, although we were still living in the village, our family's situation had improved a lot... and it's only been less than a year since the beginning of the year...
What incredibly stupid thing did she do?!
Just now, when her mother brought her children back to the Yunhou Mansion, all her sisters-in-law came over and made sarcastic remarks.
She could have continued to be the third wife of the Marquis's mansion, but now she's become a useless, divorced old aunt...
Even if her daughter and son return to the Yun family, their reputation will be tarnished by her, and their future prospects are not necessarily bright.
And in the end, what did she have left? Nothing!
...
Over there, the banquet at the Yun residence has already begun.
Since none of the men from the Yun family had returned, the banquet was for female relatives who were close friends in the capital.
Zhou had clearly sensed the women's closeness to Su and her daughter, and took the opportunity to curry favor with the Princess and the old lady of the Duke of Zhenguo.
Halfway through the banquet, the palace also sent over rewards.
Not only her own cousin, Consort Zhou, but also the Empress's gifts, and even the Emperor's gifts.
As Zhou Shi was seeing the imperial eunuch off, he whispered a reminder, "If it weren't for Lady Su's brilliant idea that alleviated the national treasury's crisis, His Majesty might not have bestowed such a generous reward. When you have some free time tomorrow, bring Xiao Fu Bao to the palace to express your gratitude."
Upon hearing this, Zhou was terrified.
When ordinary noblewomen entered the palace to express their gratitude, they usually went to the inner palace, and it was not unusual for them to bring a child with them.
But she naturally understood what it meant to bring Xiao Fubao along.
The Emperor wanted to elevate Lady Su, but he couldn't directly let a divorced woman enter the palace, so he used the name of Little Fu Bao to show his goodwill to Lady Su.
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