Old Madam Ouyang stood at the door for a long time, listening to what Mrs. Huo said. Mrs. Huo was already like this, let alone the future.
"Madam," the maid who was supporting Madam Ouyang said softly, "Do you want to go in?"
"Let's go back." Old Madam Ouyang didn't want to go in, to avoid a conflict with the Huo family.
Mrs. Huo was a daughter of the Bo family, so how could Old Lady Ouyang dare to say anything to her? Mrs. Huo was not afraid of Old Lady Ouyang at all, and Old Lady Ouyang was unable to suppress her.
The old lady simply wanted to take pity on the sickly baby girl, such a frail child… She had originally thought that if Mrs. Huo didn't like the baby girl, she would keep her with her. Her eldest grandson and granddaughter lived across the street, and it wasn't convenient for her to visit them all the time.
Mrs. Huo treated the old lady badly, and Lord Ouyang treated her respectfully, but the old lady knew her son resented her. She wanted to raise a granddaughter so she wouldn't be so lonely.
Who would have thought that Mrs. Huo herself didn't like the baby girl and wouldn't let the old lady raise the child.
The old lady couldn't force Mrs. Huo to hand over the baby girl, so she had to go back.
While Mrs. Huo was talking to the wet nurse, she heard noises outside. She knew that Old Madam Ouyang was standing outside the door, and she said those words on purpose. That old woman didn't even know how to take those two children to the countryside, so the old lady couldn't even think of contacting her granddaughter now.
Lord Ouyang had long known that the relationship between the Huo family and Old Madam Ouyang wasn't particularly close, but since he himself wasn't particularly close to the Huo family, how could he possibly say anything about them? At most, he simply believed that Old Madam deserved this, believing that she favored noble ladies.
The emperor asked the people from Jingning Marquis' Mansion to come back, which was no small matter. The emperor also rewarded Rongning County Princess with a house and some land.
The people in the capital are not fools either. They all see that the emperor values Princess Rongning.
The Cen family had just held a banquet two days ago, primarily to entertain the Cen family's relatives. Madam Cen had told the married Cen women to be patient and to remain calm, as the ups and downs of officialdom were commonplace.
Madam Cen tried to appease the others, but she understood that things were different at home. None of the married women from the Cen family came to this banquet. Madam Cen knew that those women had either been told not to come by their in-laws, or that they simply didn't want to come.
Not every daughter of the Cen family values the Cen family that much; some even despise the Cen family's upbringing. From a young age, the Cen family teaches their daughters to consider their natal families even after marrying out. Some Cen family daughters are unwilling to marry certain people, yet they are still forced to do so.
For example, a girl from the Cen family was forced to marry a man who was over a generation older than her and had both sons and daughters. This young woman was forced into marriage, and her family constantly brainwashed her into valuing the man's character and future potential.
The original wife has left behind children, and the family property is inherited by the eldest son, who is relatively old when he inherits it.
The girl from the Cen family didn't want to marry into the family, but she couldn't defeat the people in her family, so she had no choice but to marry into the family. After she got married, she took whatever benefits she could from her parents' family, and if she couldn't, she would not get close to those people.
Maybe some people think that the girls of the Cen family all value a person's character. But Miss Cen doesn't think so. What she means by valuing a person's character is that she clearly values a person's power.
Madam Cen reported those things to Madam Cen. The current situation of the Cen family is unlikely to improve.
"The people from Marquis Jingning's Mansion are coming back." said Madam Cen.
"It's okay. We don't have a big grudge against them," said Old Madam Cen. "At most, we just burned those books. Besides, we are only following the emperor's orders. The people from the Jingning Marquisate wouldn't dare to cause trouble for us."
Old Madam Cen was not very afraid of the Jingning Marquis' Mansion. The Jingning Marquis' Mansion had been ransacked once, so the Liu family would definitely keep a low profile after returning to the capital.
"That's what I said, but..." Mrs. Cen was still a little worried.
"We'll know when they return to the capital," said Old Madam Cen. "Instead of thinking about this now, you might as well think about how to get the Third Prince to release your daughter from the manor."
Madam Cen had no other options. If she had, she would have done it long ago. However, the emperor had rewarded the third prince, and the third prince stayed indoors, so they had no chance to speak to him.
They went to visit the Third Prince's residence, but the Third Prince refused to see them and they could not enter.
Madam Cen looked at Madam Cen and said, "Didn't you say that father is ill? Could you send someone to the Third Prince's residence to let him know?"
Old Master Cen is ill. Old Master Cen is the Third Prince's grandfather, so the Third Prince has to come and see him. Then Old Master Cen can say that he misses his granddaughter and ask the Third Prince to release her.
"Don't think about it." Madam Cen's face turned cold. "It's hard to say."
Old Master Cen wasn't sick at all. He was just pretending to be sick because the Cen family was in trouble. He wanted to suppress the emperor. Even though Old Master Cen knew that the emperor was not afraid of him and the emperor had suspended Old Master Cen from his duties, he still did it.
There were also members of the Cen family in the court, and Grandpa Cen pretended to be sick so that those people would speak well of the Cen family in front of the emperor. Grandpa Cen thought that he had done so much for the court, and if he was sick and those court officials said something, it would be difficult for the emperor to take action against the Cen family at this time.
Since Old Master Cen wasn't really ill, he naturally couldn't meet those people more often, nor could he threaten the Third Prince more. Old Master Cen was afraid that if he threatened the Third Prince now, he would have to use his illness as an excuse to do other things, which would be difficult to do.
"The third prince won't let us go." Madam Cen said.
"Just think of a way." Old Madam Cen said, "But it doesn't matter whether you come out or not. It's useless. What's important is the Empress in the palace. If she can be reinstated as a concubine, everything will be fine."
Concubine Cen was not reinstated as a concubine for a long time, and the emperor did not pay much attention to her.
The Cen family members were all anxious. They used to be able to count on Concubine Cen to whisper in the emperor's ear, but now, they can't even think about it.
The Cen family also has people in the palace, and news can also be spread from the palace. This kind of thing is done secretly, and no one dares to know. The emperor must not like others to plant so many people in the palace.
"Wait." Old Madam Cen picked up the teacup.
In the northwest, the eldest wife of the Liu family had breakfast early in the morning and took some cakes, dry food and other items with her. They were about to set off back to the capital.
The first wife's family had severed ties with the second wife, so they naturally couldn't go and tell the second wife much. They didn't go to the third wife's family to tell her either, but just sent someone to tell her.
Liu Yulian, supported by her maid, got into the carriage. She looked at the house they had lived in before, and felt a little sad. She had originally thought she wouldn't be reluctant to leave this place, but when it came time to leave, the feeling was still a little different.
After Liu Yulian took a few glances at the old house, she stopped looking.
"I won't look at it anymore." Liu Yulian turned her head and closed the curtain. After they go back, they might think of this place again.
"No need to look, I remember everything." Liu's mother said. Liu's mother and Liu Yulian were sitting in a carriage. "It's like this here."
Liu's mother didn't look at it for long. She didn't want to look at it and just wanted to reminisce about it later.
Father Liu and Liu Qingyun rode in one carriage, Princess Zhaoyang and little Liu Jia rode in another. Liu Yanjing and He Xiyuan rode on horses, and with the guards, the group was quite large.
The researchers Liu Yulian found followed behind and returned to Beijing together.
There were many of them, so they could not move that fast. At night, they stayed in the wild. When Liu Yulian and the others were exiled here, they were not so comfortable.
"Eat something." He Xiyuan brought food to Liu Yulian. "It's still hot."
"You eat too." Liu Yulian said, "Eat more."
Outside was not like home, they could not always have cakes to eat. Even if they prepared cakes, they were not as delicious and there were not as many of them.
"Okay." He Xiyuan said, "You won't feel hungry at night."
He Xiyuan knew what Liu Yulian was thinking. They only had a few cakes and pastries, not enough for everyone to have a late-night snack. Those things were mainly for children, who were weak, like little Liu Jia.
In the capital, Mrs. Huo was not asleep. She stood by the window, looking outside and at the moon.
Mrs. Huo didn't know how her situation had become like this. After she and Liu Yanjing divorced, the Liu family unexpectedly restored their title. Everything she did seemed ridiculous, but she knew she couldn't tolerate those people any longer.
In her previous life, Da Huo had done this several times on her way to the northwest. Her actions had caused dissatisfaction among those people. If she had not divorced Liu Yanjing in this life, Liu Yulian might have become a princess and asked Liu Yanjing to divorce her. She should avoid having much contact with Liu Yanjing.
She should just forget about Liu Yanjing!
But Mrs. Huo really couldn't forget how good Liu Yanjing had been to her. In his previous life, Liu Yanjing had never divorced her or divorced her. Even when she acted up, even when Liu's father and others didn't like her as a daughter-in-law, even when Liu Yulian didn't like her, and even when his children didn't like her, Liu Yanjing had always tolerated her.
If she hadn't divorced him in this life, perhaps Liu Yanjing would have continued to tolerate her. However, no one could predict such things, and the Huo family couldn't guarantee that Liu Yanjing would still treat her so well.
How did Liu Yanjing marry Princess Zhaoyang?
"Zhaoyang..." Mrs. Huo thought it was ridiculous. After Liu Yanjing divorced her, he married a woman of higher status, which made her look even more ridiculous.
"Madam." The maid walked to Da Huo's side and put a cloak on her.
"Where is the master?" asked Mrs. Huo.
"The master didn't come back today." The maid replied.
Sometimes, Lord Ouyang would stay with his children. He wanted to spend more time with them, fearing they would think he didn't want them anymore because he had a younger daughter. Lord Ouyang believed that his own children didn't receive as much attention, but it was different for Mrs. Huo's daughter.
Even if Mrs. Huo didn't care that much about her daughter, Mrs. Huo would still care about her granddaughter when she came.
Lord Ouyang is not unconcerned about his little daughter. When he returns home, he will also ask his little daughter a few questions.
"He went there again." Mrs. Huo didn't ask any more questions. She knew where Lord Ouyang had gone. Lord Ouyang was always like this. She couldn't say anything. She couldn't stop her husband.
"Yes..." The maid was helpless. They all knew that Lord Ouyang often went to another house.
"You go down first." Da Huo said, "I'll go rest by myself."
Mrs. Huo didn't scold the maid. She had to behave dignified and virtuous, so that Lord Ouyang would be nicer to her. She didn't want the Liu family to come back and let them know that she and Lord Ouyang were not on good terms.
She had to let the Liu family know that she was living well in the Ouyang family.
Mrs. Huo is just like that. She cares a lot about her reputation.
If it were in the past, Mrs. Huo might have said a few more words to the maid until she cried.
"Yes." The maid responded.
After the maid left, Mrs. Huo wanted to smash something, but she finally held back. She couldn't do that casually. She had to be quiet and wait for Master Ouyang to come back.
The next day, when Lord Ouyang came back, Mrs. Huo asked the maid to go and find Lord Ouyang.
"Our daughter is still young and so weak. You should go home more often recently," said Mrs. Huo. "I won't stop you from visiting your children. I just ask that you don't forget our daughter."
Mrs. Huo didn't like her daughter, but at this time, when she wanted Lord Ouyang to stay at home, she said so.
"Yes." Lord Ouyang nodded, "She is a little weak, so take good care of her."
Lord Ouyang certainly did not want his little daughter to die young. He still hoped that his little daughter could grow up well.
"Yes." Mrs. Huo said, "The doctor said the same thing. Only when she is well and in good health will it be convenient."
"Then keep a closer eye on her," Lord Ouyang said. "She is my daughter. I cannot possibly ignore her."
This was Master Ouyang's promise to the Huo family. He would come home more often and see his youngest daughter more often. He also couldn't ignore his two children, just trying to maintain a balance.
"What happened before is all in the past." Mrs. Huo continued, "From now on, let's live a good life."
Lord Ouyang looked at Mrs. Huo with some suspicion. How could Mrs. Huo say such a thing? He simply didn't believe that Mrs. Huo would correct her mistakes, nor did he think that Mrs. Huo would live a good life with him.
Da Huo just likes to make trouble. Even if Da Huo is quiet now, it doesn’t mean she will continue to be quiet in the future.
"Okay." Lord Ouyang knew that Mrs. Huo couldn't be that kind, but he still agreed. He just wanted Mrs. Huo to be less bothered. If he didn't agree, Mrs. Huo would definitely be unhappy. "You've worked hard taking care of the child, so you don't have to take care of the child all the time. Just let the wet nurse take care of him."
Lord Ouyang did not ask the old lady to take care of the child. This child was born after great difficulty by Mrs. Huo. Lord Ouyang knew that his first wife did not want the old lady to raise the child, so he could not force Mrs. Huo to take the child to the old lady now.
"Don't you want mother to take care of you?" Mrs. Huo asked deliberately.
"That's your child. It's better for the child to be with her biological mother." Lord Ouyang said, "Mother loves her little granddaughter very much."
Mrs. Huo didn't think that Madam Ouyang was a bad person because she liked her daughter. She thought that Madam Ouyang was the one who forced Lord Ouyang's first wife to death. Such an old man valued the status of women, and the old lady wanted a daughter-in-law with high status.
"I think she should like it." Mrs. Huo did not refute Lord Ouyang's words.
Seeing that Da Huo was so calm, Lord Ouyang wondered if she really wanted to live a good life. Was it because she had a daughter that she had changed like this?
In the Northwest City, Su Qiuya and Liu Yanjing's shop opened. Before their shop had been open for many days, Concubine Chai from the third room came to look for Concubine Qing.
"They actually left the house in the village to the Fourth Branch." Aunt Chai gritted her teeth. Even though the house in the village wasn't that valuable, she still felt that the Fourth Branch had gotten a bargain. "They left and even sold the house in town. It's really..."
Aunt Chai thought that the people from the Liu family's first wife were going too far. They clearly knew that the people from the third wife were in the town, so why didn't they give the house to the third wife?
The house in the village is left for four children, and the house in the town is left for three children. Isn’t that great?
When Aunt Chai learned that the Liu family's eldest house was being sold, she didn't dare run to the eldest house. It was useless. After the people from the Liu family's eldest house left, she couldn't go to the house to make a fuss and prevent others from moving in.
The buyer was also a capable person, so Aunt Chai didn't dare to go.
"We have severed ties with the eldest wife." Aunt Qing said that the eldest wife's affairs had nothing to do with them.
Qing Yi Niang had no intention of joining Chai Yi Niang in badmouthing the eldest wife. Su Qiuya and Liu Yanbo had both said that they should keep a low profile once they arrived in the capital. Qing Yi Niang was deeply hurt by Liu Yanbo's failure to pass the imperial examination, and because he wasn't as intelligent or as good at studying, she had been keeping quiet for the time being.
Aunt Qing felt that she was sorry for her son. She really didn't know the real situation. If she knew the real situation, she would never ask her son not to show it. It would have the same effect as if he showed it or not.
"You..." Aunt Chai thought about how the Second House and the First House had severed their relationship. The Second House couldn't take advantage of the First House, so naturally the people from the Second House wouldn't say anything more. "You guys aren't necessarily bad. Having people from the First House as relatives is the same as not having such relatives at all."
Aunt Chai doesn't like the people in the first house. They don't know how to consider their brothers at all. They are all cold-blooded and heartless.
"They are not good people." Aunt Chai said again, "They are heartless and ungrateful people."
"Maybe." Aunt Qing didn't say much.
"What's wrong?" Aunt Chai felt that something was wrong with Aunt Qing. "Why do you look so sick?"
"Nothing." Aunt Qing said, "I just moved to the capital and have been busy with so many things, so I'm a little tired."
"Then let's rest and chat." Aunt Chai said, "You all moved to the provincial capital, so it's hard for me to come find you. In the past, I went to the county town to look for you, and luckily I could return the same day. Now, I come to look for you and stay in the provincial capital for one night before returning."
Concubine Chai came to the city not only to talk to Concubine Qing, but also to have some fun. She didn't want to work in the shop at all. Those jobs were not that easy to do. She even felt that her hands had become a lot rougher.
Obviously, she was originally a delicate and gentle concubine, but now, Aunt Chai feels like she has turned into a street shrew.
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