The cannon fodder original wife's bad story

"But Guanzhou saved the lives of two young men, and there's also the Tenth Prince in the palace. If anything were to happen to him, given His Majesty's lukewarm attitude towards the Duke's mansion, he would certainly be harshly reprimanded."

"My elder sister is not very magnanimous; she only thinks about herself and would never let others off so easily."

Also!

"Besides..."

At this point, Zhang Fanghui waved away Granny Li and the servants. Only the couple remained in the inner room. Zhang Fanghui even got up and went to the folding chair to sit down next to her husband.

His face was mysterious, and his lips were tightly closed, which made Xiao Bei burst out laughing.

"What? What earth-shattering news do you want to tell me?"

"I only stumbled upon it by accident, but I never told anyone else. Husband, my elder sister doesn't like watching boats, I'm afraid she has other plans in mind."

What are your plans?

Zhang Fanghui sighed almost inaudibly, and after much deliberation, she dared not speak rashly. Seeing this, Xiao Bei became even more curious, "Even I can't tell?"

"Not at all."

Zhang Fanghui slowly shook her head. "Two or three days ago, when it was pouring rain, my elder sister came back from outside and said that the roads were slippery from the rain and the carriage almost overturned."

“It is normal for the eldest sister to be in charge of all affairs of the mansion and to come and go from the mansion.”

“I went to find my eldest cousin’s wife to sit for a while. Lianhua, that little maid, is always very kind. She led me and the maid along a small path. On the way back, I thought the scenery of the garden path was pleasant, so I simply took the path as well. But I heard my eldest sister talking to Shuangyue. I didn’t have time to avoid it and overheard it.”

"What you're saying is nothing to make you so surprised."

As the fourth young mistress of the Xiao family, she was well-informed and experienced, and naturally not one to engage in ordinary trivial disputes.

"Husband, I'll repeat to you exactly what my elder sister and Shuangyue said: 'I sat with the eldest young lady for a short while today, and I realized how much better it is to compare. The one in my household is so arrogant and domineering every day, it's a disgrace. If the fourth son and the eldest young lady... alas! Having such a virtuous wife is better than a thousand wicked women like me! What a pity—' Husband, do you know who this eldest young lady is?"

Xiao Bei was stunned. Was this what his elder sister had said?

He looked incredulous and shook his head, pretending not to know. "There are plenty of young ladies in the world, and besides, Si Lang is already married to Guan Zhou. Who would still have such thoughts?"

Does she really not care about her reputation?

"Golden Clouds".

Zhang Fanghui pronounced those three familiar names slowly and deliberately, and Xiao Bei wasn't surprised at all. He just narrowed his eyes and said, "...You're quite cunning!"

"You've noticed something?"

Xiao Bei sighed, "The day Guan Zhou and Cang Ge'er competed in mathematics, I'm not afraid to tell you, my wife, that I was originally looking at Qin Er. That guy is in Shaohua Garden every day, with men outside and women inside, without any restraint, but An Ge'er doesn't seem to care. I was worried that he might have some inappropriate thoughts, so I took a few more glances that day."

"Don't even mention Qin Erxiang and Jin Fuyun?"

Xiao Bei shook his head.

"To my surprise, Qin Er's eyes were full of indifference, and he even looked at Jin Fuyun with a bit of coldness. I followed his gaze and saw that Jin Fuyun's eyes were only fixed on the couple Guan Zhou."

"To watch the boats?"

Zhang Fanghui frowned. "I did glance at her, and her eyes were cold. I can't say she was familiar with Guan Zhou."

"They weren't familiar with each other. She stared longingly at An-ge'er's back. Occasionally, when An-ge'er turned around, she would smile radiantly, her face as beautiful as a peach blossom."

"Heavens! What my elder sister said—"

"What else did you hear?" Xiao Bei pressed. Zhang Fanghui whispered, "Besides a sigh of regret, I dared not hear anything else. And my elder sister was helping Shuangyue walk further and further away. I just don't understand, could it be that my elder sister still wants that young lady to enter the manor?"

Xiao Bei was furious upon hearing this.

"She might want to, but can it really work out? That young lady is now betrothed to Prince Yong, she's of unparalleled nobility, how could she possibly stoop to be a concubine?"

After the couple talked for a while, the next day, Xiao Bei finally couldn't hold back and went to visit Xiao Yinxiu on his own.

Xiao Yinxiu was overjoyed to hear that her cousin had come. She had Shuangyue personally go out to welcome him in. Although the two siblings were not related by blood, Xiao Bei lost his mother at a young age and had grown up with Madam Min from the first wife's family.

In truth, he and Xiao Yinxiu are not blood-related siblings, but their relationship is closer than that of blood relatives.

Xiao Bei didn't mince words and asked a few questions. Xiao Yinxiu, not understanding his meaning, asked in return, "Why are you asking about Miss Jin? She's a capable woman, good at both business and managing the inner courtyard."

"Indeed, she is of immeasurable nobility. She will be a princess consort in the future. I once had the honor of meeting Prince Yong. The two of them are truly a perfect match."

"Whoa!"

Hearing this, Xiao Yinxiu sighed imperceptibly, "She has absolutely no say in this marriage. That Prince Yong is excellent in both character and learning, and also quite capable. But I've heard... he's useless. I'm afraid it will be difficult for Fuyun to have a child to enjoy with her after she marries into the family."

"...Such private matters should not be spread by hearsay, elder sister."

"It was only because Fuyun was so open with me that she explained things clearly. As a woman myself, I naturally feel it's a pity, but it's a marriage personally approved by the Empress Dowager..."

"Nothing is ever perfect. I've never heard before that my elder sister and she were close friends. Now that I hear this, I feel a little sorry for the eldest daughter."

Xiao Yinxiu knew that Xiao Bei's words were more pleasant to listen to than Xiao Cang's, so she felt the urge to confide in him. Xiao Bei was gentle, refined, and polite, which led Xiao Yinxiu to talk more and more.

"It's a pity about the fourth son. Before the marriage was arranged with the Song family, everyone in the capital, whether they had daughters or not, wanted him as a son-in-law. He was handsome and the youngest Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), enjoying unparalleled prestige. But alas—"

"Guanzhou is also good. She is the daughter of a Grand Secretary. Her status, position, and family background are comparable to those of the Duke's family."

"Pooh!"

Xiao Yinxiu spat lightly, "What does a poor scholar's family have? The girl he raised is aloof and proud. It's only because her uncle and the Grand Scholar are longtime friends that she can understand the feelings of a young lady in love."

"...Guanzhou isn't as bad as my elder sister says..."

"That's because you don't know."

The siblings were chatting animatedly. Xiao Bei remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was in turmoil. What did his elder sister mean by this? She kept praising the eldest daughter of the Jin family and expressing regret and pity, but what was she really thinking?

“I know that my elder sister and the eldest daughter are close, but now that Si Lang has married early and the eldest daughter of Jin has a fiancé, it is impossible for them to be together in this life, only in the next life.”

After saying this, Xiao Bei pretended to be casual, but in fact he did not miss any expression on Xiao Yinxiu's face.

As expected, Xiao Yinxiu fell silent.

The siblings talked at length about Zhang Fanghui's health, and Xiao Yinxiu said in a low voice, "...Sister-in-law is having a hard time, so why don't you and your husband sleep in separate rooms? If you don't disturb her, she'll be better off."

"Don't worry, elder sister, it won't be that bad."

"How could it not be? You'll have to take the imperial examinations again next spring. Why don't I find you a good maid..."

"useless!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Bei quickly waved his hand in refusal, saying, "I am determined to study hard. What my elder sister is doing is just disturbing my mind."

Xiao Yinxiu snorted coldly, "Is it your sister-in-law who's intolerant?"

Are they all going to try and become love-struck fools like Pei Si?

ridiculous!