They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 464 No Hope

Thinking of his daughter in the palace, Marquis Rong'an's dissatisfaction and anger towards his wife subsided somewhat.

In any case, we have to give way to Consort Xue.

The Marquis's residence cannot be embroiled in scandal, and the birth mother of Consort Xue cannot have her reputation ruined either; otherwise, how can the Consort face herself?

The Empress Dowager is deeply favored by the Empress Dowager, so what if the Emperor's attitude towards her is indifferent now? Even if the Empress and the Emperor are deeply in love, how many more years can their love last? Once the Empress grows old and loses her beauty, I don't believe the Emperor will still only have eyes for her.

Consort Xue is in the prime of her youth, and with the Empress Dowager's support, her future is limitless.

No matter how much the Emperor dotes on the Empress, there are still no princes in the palace, only two princesses, who are not born of the Empress.
With all these factors combined, Marquis Rong'an couldn't help but feel a burning desire to rise within him.

Therefore, his wife must also be virtuous, dignified, and of noble character, and must not be associated with any bad rumors.

Besides, even if Xu is really An's daughter, so what? Compared to Consort Xue in the palace, she is far inferior. There is no reason for her to implicate Consort Xue.

Not to mention how despicable she is, she doesn't respect her own father at all, and she treats Bai Baoying so cruelly, without giving him any face. Even if she is really his daughter, what use is she?

Marquis Rong'an knew his wife wasn't telling the truth, but he didn't intend to ask any further.

"You still know how to think about Consort Xue, then you've thought it through. You must be thorough and careful in everything you do, so as not to leave any loopholes or weaknesses. If someone catches you, it will harm Consort Xue for no reason."

Lady Rong'an was overjoyed. "My lord, rest assured, I guarantee that I will absolutely not implicate Consort Xue in any way."

In the residence of Marquis Wuxuan, Xu Zhichun comforted Lu Yin.

She doesn't know if Lu Yin would care about things she doesn't care about, but even if she doesn't care, she'll probably still feel heartbroken.

Marquis Rong'an is truly cold-blooded and ruthless!

It's impossible for her to be completely unmoved or indifferent. She naturally hated the Lady of Rong'an Marquis to the bone and had no expectations of her whatsoever. However, she still harbored a sliver of hope for her biological father, whom she had never met.

She didn't know what she was hoping for, but she hadn't given up hope.

She anticipated that even if everything Bai had done was exposed, Marquis Rong'an would certainly not divorce her, but he would at least have some reaction.
She was disappointed.

Marquis Rong'an pretended to be deaf and dumb, showing no intention of blaming Bai Shi in the slightest. Instead, he made a suggestive remark to Xu Zhichun that "blood is thicker than water," indicating that she should let Bai Baoying go for nothing.

How ridiculous!

Lu Yin was filled with grief and indignation and didn't need Xu Zhichun's comfort at all.

"Sister, you don't need to comfort me. I'm fine. I'm not that stupid, and I certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to keep going back to him even after all this. He's cold-blooded and ruthless, which makes me feel much more at ease. I'm determined to avenge my parents."

Xu Zhichun gently squeezed her hand, "You still have us, and you still have Young Master Ji. Don't worry, we will definitely avenge this."

"Ok!"

Before long, Ji Yingxuan also arrived in a hurry, naturally heading towards Lu Yin.

Xu Zhichun smiled and wisely left the time to the two of them, then went to talk to Liang Minglang. Bai Baoying was sentenced to twenty strokes of the cane and three years of exile in the Northwest. The servants, of course, fared even worse, receiving a beating that left them half-dead. The yamen notified the Rong'an Marquis's residence to come and pick them up.

They were servants, practically objects. If they did something wrong, they were considered accomplices of their masters, and their punishments were not as severe as Bai Baoying's.

Therefore, the matter of exile had nothing to do with them.

Having suffered greatly at the Nine City Military Commandery, Bai Baoying was no longer the arrogance he once was. He was now disheveled, timid, and trembling like a quail, utterly terrified.

A bully like him, who preys on the weak and fears the strong, will immediately back down once he suffers a setback.

On the day of his exile, Bai Baoying was filled with fear and dread, but dared not resist in the slightest. He could only cry, and dared not even wail.

He thought that his mother, sister, aunt and uncle would definitely come to see him off, and would send him a carriage, servants, silver and all the food, clothing and other necessities. Even if the fact of his exile could not be changed, they would at least comfort him, so that he would not suffer on the way and have something to look forward to.

To my surprise, not a single ghost was seen.
How could he know? His mother and sister were kept completely in the dark and had no idea when he was leaving, while his aunt and uncle were forced to agree by Xu Zhichun and Liang Minglang, and the Rong'an Marquis's mansion could not show up at all.

Therefore, he could only embark on his journey in utter desolation.

The escorting officials had heard him mutter countless times that his mother, aunt, and uncle would definitely come to visit him and bring him money, food, clothing, and other necessities. The officials were even hoping to make a fortune themselves.

It wouldn't be bad to take this opportunity to get on the good side of the Rong'an Marquis's mansion; they wouldn't mind doing the mansion a favor.

Unexpectedly, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment, and he ended up with nothing.

The officials were extremely disappointed and couldn't help but think that Bai Baoying was a liar and a braggart. They mocked and cursed him, and their attitude towards him became even worse.

Bai Baoying, a grown man, broke down in tears, filled with extreme resentment.

What relatives? They're all fake, completely fake!
They're all selfish and self-serving!
Lady Leshan, the wife of the Marquis of Leshan, hosted a flower-viewing banquet and sent invitations to the Marquis of Wuxuan's residence.

Xu Zhichun had no reason not to go, and he and Liang Minglang discussed with a smile how to get there.

Liang Minglang was worried that she would be bullied, so he was actually reluctant for her to attend these banquets. However, he also knew that as the wife of a marquis, not attending the banquets would be tantamount to cutting herself off from her social circle, and it would be even more unfair to her.

"It's fine to treat the various benevolent noble families with courtesy, but if they have ill intentions, Zhichun, you don't need to give them face. In short, you can't be wronged. I'll pick you up after the banquet."

Xu Zhichun smiled and nodded: "Don't worry, Granny Feng has told me a lot, so I know what I'm talking about."

Liang Minglang then smiled and let it go.

The restless Lady Qi had long been caught red-handed by Xu Zhichun and driven out. Now, Granny Qin Qing was in charge of the courtyard. All the maids, big and small, had finally seen who their mistress really was, so they dared not have the slightest thought of disrespecting or fooling anyone.

Everyone was well-behaved and respectful.

Granny Feng was one of the most shrewd and clever among them. She answered all of Xu Zhichun's questions without reservation, and even answered questions that Xu Zhichun hadn't thought of asking.

Therefore, Xu Zhichun also knew something about the Marquis of Leshan's residence.

Marquis Leshan had a concubine's daughter who married General Meng, who had also distinguished himself in the suppression of the rebellion. This wouldn't have been a problem in itself, but General Meng already had a wife before he rose to power. Now that he had become an official and climbed the social ladder, he didn't hesitate to demote his wife to a concubine. His wife couldn't bear it and left him.