The Third Madam put down the teacup in her hand and said indifferently, “It’s just a cheap and counterfeit tea set!”

“Third Aunt…” Shao Jie’er exclaimed in surprise.

“Well, we’re done for now. I’m tired. You can leave now!” the Third Madam said, reached out to touch her head, and closed her eyes slightly.

“How are you going to redecorate my yard, Third Aunt?” Shao Wanru asked softly.

The Third Madam closed her eyes and whispered, “Of course I’ll do all I can to make it as good as possible. Nevertheless, I have just taken charge of Duke Xing’s Mansion recently, so I may not be able to handle everything perfectly nor guarantee that you will be pleased with everything I choose to place in your courtyard.”

“I believe you will do a good job, Third Aunt. Second Aunt has been detained in the ancestral hall, and no one knows when she will be released. You’re the only person in charge of the domestic affairs of our mansion. I heard that when my mother lived here, you got along well with her. I have to trouble you to redecorate my courtyard. If there’s anything that doesn’t go well with my courtyard, please tell me bluntly. I’ll go to my maternal grandma’s mansion to see if she has anything better!”

Shao Wanru spoke with a sweet smile and raised her long eyelashes, looking elegant and leisurely.

However, with her face changing, the Third Madam suddenly opened her eyes and looked at Shao Wanru coldly. Meanwhile, Shao Wanru looked at her without avoiding her eyes.

Shao Jie’er, who couldn’t stand it anymore, suddenly stood up, glared at Shao Wanru, and said, “What are you talking about? Do you mean that you will turn to Rui’an Great Elder Princess as long as you find anything unpleasing in your yard?”

“Don’t be angry, Second Sister. If you also had a maternal grandmother like mine, you would probably say the same thing!” Shao Wanru shook her hand gently and said with a smile.

Although she spoke in a soft voice with a sweet smile, the provocation in her words enraged Shao Jie’er so much that her face turned red.

Everyone in the mansion knew that Shao Jie’er was the daughter of a concubine without a noble grandparents’ family. Shao Wanru was obviously picking on her.

“Shao Wanru, you…” Shao Jie’er was so angry that her voice almost cracked.

“Don’t get angry, Second Sister. I’m afraid you won’t be able to marry Commandery Prince Qing as you expected. I heard that he has an engagement!” Shao Wanru said meaningfully. She heard the news from Qing’er.

Although it was only a rumor now, it seemed to be targeted at Shao Jie’er.

“What? You are talking nonsense!” Shao Jie’er said, really getting anxious this time.

Shao Wanru said meaningfully, “You can send someone to inquire about it to see if I’m talking nonsense, Second Sister. After all, news heard from others could be false, right? It’s been so long since the accident. Has Commandery Prince Qing’s Mansion sent anyone to propose marriage to you? Could it be possible that he’s not even going to take you as his concubine?”

Since Shao Jie’er took the blame for Shao Yanru, of course, she intended to make Chu Qing accept the marriage with her so that she could be his princess.

Of course, Shao Jie’er showing up here was no coincidence. No matter who advised Shao Jie’er to come here today, Shao Wanru would like to enlighten her that with her reputation tarnished, she was busy enough with her own affairs.

Since someone incited Shao Jie’er to mess with Shao Wanru, Shao Wanru decided to mess the situation up even further. Someone like Shao Jie’er was unable to accomplish anything but was liable to spoil everything. Shao Wanru had better incite Shao Jie’er to mess with someone else than let Shao Jie’er mess with her.

“I… I’m going to Big Sister’s courtyard…” Shao Jie’er couldn’t sit still this time. After saying that, she turned to Shao Yanru angrily.

She would not have dared to do that in the past. But in the current situation, she would definitely go to check it out.

Watching Shao Jie’er vanish in her sight, the Third Madam snorted and said, “You’re quite smart, Wanru!”

Shao Wanru took two steps forward and bowed to the Third Madam. Then she straightened up and smiled more gently. Glancing at the tea set with some curiosity, she said, “Third Aunt, this tea set looks really like it is from my mother’s dowry. You know, there are paintings of some precious things in my mother’s dowry valued by her, a female member of the royal family, in case someone tries to deceive her descendants.”

The Third Madam’s face darkened, but she still said in a gentle voice, “It’s just a counterfeit tea set, not the authentic tea set.”

“It looks like the authentic tea set,” Shao Wanru said with a sweet smile.

“Well, you can leave now. I know what you mean.” The Third Madam asked her to leave with a displeased look.

At the moment, a maid entered the room with a bowl of medicine, followed by Shao Caihuan, the Third Miss of Duke Xing’s Mansion. Before the maid had come in, they had smelled the medicine.

Shao Caihuan walked in without looking sideways and said, “Mother, it’s time to take the medicine now!” After bowing to the Third Madam, she sat down beside her in an intimate manner.

“Third Sister!” Shao Wanru stepped forward and bowed to her.

Shao Caihuan raised her eyes and asked in a lukewarm tone, “Oh, you’re here, Fifth Sister. What brings you here?”

“Third Aunt asked for my opinion about the redecoration of my yard. Since Third Aunt has made the decision for me, I expressed my gratitude to her here!” Shao Wanru bowed to the Third Madam gracefully, made her farewells, and then left.

The Third Madam’s face remained gloomy even after Shao Wanru left, and she glared at Shao Wanru’s back as she walked away.

“Mother…” Shao Caihuan gently pulled her sleeve and said.

The Third Madam gave an order, “Change the furniture we’ve prepared before and send something better from the mansion to her courtyard. If there is no suitable furniture in the mansion, buy some outside. We must offer her some decent furniture. Return the furniture you and your sister chose before, and send them to her yard!”

“Mother, why? Didn’t you say that we can choose whatever we want now?” Shao Caihuan asked in confusion.

After taking charge of the domestic affairs of Duke Xing’s Mansion, the Third Madam immediately became generous to her two daughters and acted like the hostess of Duke Xing’s Mansion.

During all these years, the third branch had always been under the control of the second branch. In the inner courtyard, the Third Madam was neither favored by Old Madam nor the hostess of Duke Xing’s Mansion, so all the good things were reserved for the two brothers of the eldest branch. Not only Old Madam but also the others in Duke Xing’s Mansion considered the Third Madam to be an insignificant person.

What’s more, the birth mother of the only son of the third branch was a concubine, which made the Third Madam even less respected. Her two daughters were as out of favor as she was. Now she got a hard-won opportunity and became the hostess. Of course, she wanted to keep all the good things for the third branch.

This time, she coveted the furniture of Piaoyun Courtyard. Unexpectedly, Shao Wanru refused to make any concessions and claimed that she would ask Rui’an Great Elder Princess to have a look after the redecoration was done.

What kind of person was Rui’an Great Elder Princess? Rui’an Great Elder Princess could even enrage Old Madam of Duke Xing’s Mansion so much that Old Madam almost spat blood, not to mention the Third Madam was just a powerless Madam. The Third Madam did not dare to confront Shao Wanru. Besides, she had carelessly presented evidence of keeping Shao Wanru’s mother’s stuff just now.

“I got this tea set from your grandma. It’s rare for her to be so generous. I presented them today in order to amaze Wanru. Unexpectedly, she recognized that this tea set was part of Infanta Qinghua’s dowry,” the Third Madam said with a gloomy face.

.

When she noticed that Shao Wanru stared at the tea set just now, she immediately had a bad intuition. She suddenly remembered that after Old Madam gave her this tea set, she had sent someone to make an investigation, only to find that it was part of Infanta Qinghua’s dowry. It was not appropriate for her to use her eldest sister-in-law’s dowry. Moreover, if Rui’an Great Elder Princess found out about it, she would probably make another scene.

“So we are going to just let it go?” Shao Caihuan said reluctantly. Like the Third Madam, she had always been an insignificant person in Duke Xing’s Mansion, inferior to Shao Yanru. After all these years, her mother finally became the hostess of Duke Xing’s Mansion. Anyway, she thought that she should get great benefits from it like Shao Yanru had done before.

“At least leave the eldest branch alone!” the Third Madam thought for a moment and said. Then she picked up the bowl of medicine and drank it up.

After putting the bowl down, she wiped the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief and looked at the door thoughtfully. From the short conversation with Shao Wanru just now, she could tell that Shao Wanru was not simple. Shao Wanru used both soft and hard tactics to make Shao Jie’er, who tried to mess with her, leave. After that, when Shao Wanru saw the tea set in front of her, she suggested that it belonged to her mother instead of pointing it out directly.

She was much shrewder than ordinary people.

Everyone in the mansion said that Fifth Miss Shao was the most poor master not favored by Old Madam in the whole mansion. Since she had reclaimed her identity, no one really regarded her as a member of Duke Xing’s Mansion. Any servant could tread such a master underfoot. However, Shao Wanru was fine, while Madam of Duke Xing got into trouble.

The Third Madam knew her second sister-in-law well. How could her second sister-in-law, who was so scheming and cruel, get into trouble?

There must be something fishy about it!

Not only the members of Duke Xing’s Mansion but even people outside said that Shao Wanru was pitiful, but it was someone else other than her who got into trouble. Thinking about it carefully, the Third Madam found it extremely horrifying.

After thinking it over, the Third Madam made up her mind and said slowly, “Send this tea set to Shao Wanru after cleaning it, and pay more visits to the eldest branch when you have time.”

“Mother, why? Didn’t you ask us to keep our distance from them just now?” Shao Caihuan asked, more confused. Her mother didn’t say so before and told them not to get close to the others in the mansion. Anyway, the others didn’t take them seriously, so they could just keep themselves aloof from the others in the mansion with the excuse of taking care of their sick mother.

“Our third branch has never been taken seriously in the mansion, and I’m much inferior to your second aunt. When Infanta Qinghua, the Madam of the eldest branch, was here, she was really nice to me. Now Shao Wanru and her brother are the only members of the eldest branch. It won’t do any harm to get along well with them. You don’t want to be Shao Yanru’s stepping stone, do you?”

The Third Madame spoke casually.

“Absolutely not!” While saying this, Shao Caihuan gnashed her teeth. Others considered the First Miss of Duke Xing’s Mansion gentle and dignified, but she knew that Shao Yanru was extremely vicious. Shao Yanru had always trodden others underfoot to get everything she wanted. If she had not been smart enough, her future would have been ruined by Shao Yanru. Every time she thought of this, Shao Caihuan hoped that she could tear the mask off Shao Yanru’s face.

“Mother, don’t worry. I will make friends with Fifth Sister!” Shao Caihuan was not stupid. She immediately understood the Third Madam’s words and said with a nod.

The Third Madam, who was still in poor health, supported her head with her hand and said, “Take this tea set to be cleaned and send it to her. Take your sister to visit her!”

“Yes, Mother. I’ll go in a minute!”

“Wait a minute, take this ring as well!” the Third Madam said and suddenly rolled up her sleeve, revealing an exquisite ring inlaid with a dark ruby on her slender finger…