After the replacement marriage, I was forced to fight at home

Meng Wan sat on the kang with her quilt wrapped around her, and Cai'er told her the news she had heard.

"Xiao Huan is the daughter of Mrs. Zhong's sister, and her only child."

Meng Wan gestured to Cai'er to sit on the edge of the kang, and Chuan'er poured a cup of boiling water and handed it to her.

"Xiaohuan's mother had a miserable life. She became ill when she gave birth to Xiaohuan and could no longer get pregnant. In addition, she gave birth to a daughter, so her husband divorced her and kicked her out along with Xiaohuan."

"Ah? You don't even want your own daughter?" Chuan'er sat on the embroidery stool.

"Well, Xiaohuan's mother had nowhere to go with Xiaohuan, so she had to go back to her parents' home. But Xiaohuan's grandfather disliked his daughter for bringing shame to him, and he cursed her every day. She was already injured when she gave birth to Xiaohuan, and coupled with depression, Xiaohuan's mother passed away within a few months."

Meng Wan nodded. Xiao Huan was also a poor person.

"Just when Xiaohuan's grandfather was thinking of giving Xiaohuan away, Mrs. Zhong got the letter and returned to her parents' home and took Xiaohuan away."

"Where is Xiaohuan's grandmother?" asked Chuan'er.

"She is Mrs. Zhong and her sister's stepmother."

Meng Wan understood that Xiaohuan was the flesh and blood of Mrs. Zhong's only close sister.

"It was Aunt Zhong who brought up Xiao Huan. They had a very good relationship. She had no intention of letting Xiao Huan work in the palace. She thought that when she was old enough, she would find a good husband and live a peaceful life. In order to have a job in the future, Aunt Zhong even taught Xiao Huan her accounting skills. But she didn't expect that three years ago, when the prince celebrated his birthday, there were not enough maids in the palace, so she asked the girls who had no work to do in the servants' homes to come to the palace to help.

"Mrs. Zhong wanted to let Xiaohuan come and take a look. First, she could earn a few copper coins, and second, she could see the world. But she didn't expect that Xiaohuan, who was helping in the tea room, accidentally broke a teacup. That set of tea set was the princess's dowry, and they couldn't afford to compensate for it. So Xiaohuan had no choice but to sell herself in and use her monthly salary to pay off the debt for the tea set."

"Second Madam, why do I have to pay for a set of teacups if I just broke one?" Cai'er asked, blinking her big eyes.

Meng Wan sighed, "Since it is the princess's dowry, it must be good stuff. It is decent to use it as a set. Now that one cup is missing, the rest are not a set, so it is not good to use them to entertain guests."

"Then there's nothing wrong with drinking tea by yourself on weekdays. This is really too much." Cai'er said angrily.

"Don't even bother talking about it. I'm afraid that even a cup is something that Mother Zhong and the others can't easily afford." Meng Wan said, "And then Xiao Huan went to Concubine Li's courtyard?"

"I don't know how she went to Concubine Li's place. I only know that when Xiaohuan came into the mansion, she was with Mrs. Zhong. I don't know why she went to Concubine Li's place."

"It seems that it was not the intention of Mrs. Zhong and Xiaohuan for Xiaohuan to serve the prince?" Chuan'er looked up at Meng Wan.

Meng Wan nodded, "Which flower-like girl would be willing to do it? From what I saw today, she might have been persuaded by Concubine Li, or she might have been forced. Unfortunately, our foundation is too shallow, and we can't find out whether Xiaohuan got pregnant by the princess or Concubine Li. Judging from the situation tonight, the princess has more influence."

Meng Wan thought about Concubine Li and Xie Fen, and did not feel the same joy that Xiaohuan felt about her pregnancy.

Meng Wan used her fingers to trace the eyes of the mandarin ducks on the bright red quilt. What was Hu's intention? There was only one child in the mansion now, and that was Xie Fen's brother Hong. Zhou Yiheng loved this grandson very much and would hold him in his arms every time to show his affection.

Hu's biological son Zhou Zheng has not yet been married, and having children is even more uncertain. Before he has a child, Zhou Yiheng will only favor Hong Ge. No, even if he and Zhou Yu have a child, Zhou Yiheng will not like it much.

Xiaohuan belongs to Li's family. She can warm the prince's bed, but giving birth to a child to share the prince's favor with Hongge is something that not only Li but even Zhou Ming would not agree to.

That's right, to divide the favor, Hu is going to use Xiaohuan's child to divide Hongge's favor. It seems that Li and Zhou Ming still have a very high status in the prince's heart. And the princess is not holding these two mothers and sons in her hands as she seems to be, otherwise she would not have thought of such an idea.

This is interesting. Li and Xie Fen will definitely try their best to prevent Xiaohuan from giving birth to the child, but the princess wants to give birth to the child and give Xiaohuan to Li to take care of. If Xiaohuan really gets into trouble, Li will be the first culprit, so Li and Xie Fen will definitely find an unlucky person to achieve their goal.

Man Fu looked around and thought that he might be plotted against by the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

Mrs. Hu is quite capable as she made Xiaohuan pregnant right under Mrs. Li's nose.

"Chuan'er, ask Madam Kong to speed up. The sooner you get to Madam Zhong, the better."

Xiaohuan is not pregnant yet, so abortion in the first three months is the best option. According to today's situation, the baby should only be a little over a month old, so she must make good use of the remaining one and a half months.

------

Meng Wan looked at the two maids standing there, one tall and one short, and said, "I invited you two here today, just to ask you, which family's banquets are usually used in the palace."

The tall one stepped forward and said enthusiastically, "I am from Li Geng's family. Second Madam, are you going to prepare for the autumn banquet? In previous years, the banquets were booked from Chunhua Tower and Desheng Tower. But this year, I heard that no outsiders will be invited to the banquet, only family members and in-laws. In this case, I think it would be better to prepare some in the mansion and order some specialties from outside to send in."

Meng Wan nodded at Li Geng's cheerful and quick-talking wife, "That's what the princess meant. If there aren't many people, there's no need to order everything from outside. The two big kitchens in the mansion should all be busy. This will show our sincerity and make things more lively."

The shorter one didn't say anything either, but nodded with a dull expression.

Meng Wan was a little surprised by Mrs. Hu's performance for the autumn banquet. Before he could ask, Mrs. Hong came with the two maids early in the morning. The two of them were in charge of the two large kitchens in the palace, and they were also very experienced in hosting banquets in the palace. Meng Wan just had to tell them what to do.

There are two large kitchens in the Prince Shen’s Mansion. The east one is responsible for the outer courtyard guards and daily meals for the servants, while the west one is responsible for three meals a day for the maids and old women in the inner house.

"How do you think it should be divided?"

Li Geng's wife glanced at the short maid, and seeing that she had no intention of responding, she stroked her hair and smiled, "Second Madam is hosting a banquet for the first time. In my opinion, it should be lively but not too much. Why not go to Chunhua Tower and order green-covered shark's fin and jujube sauce duck, and then go to Desheng Tower to order eight-treasure chicken and steamed fish with pickled mustard greens. These are what we usually order when we hold banquets. The fruit and snacks at Xikaimen are very good. You can add anything else. We can prepare more than ten dishes ourselves. It is not too extravagant and looks good. Second Madam, do you think it is feasible?"

Meng Wan was stunned when he heard what she said. Not only did Li Geng not make trouble, he answered very straightforwardly and even gave Meng Wan examples from previous years.

"This is my first time hosting a banquet, so it's a good idea to say that. Let's just follow the old routine. In that case, I'll leave this matter to you. You can come up with the menu and everything."

Li Gengjia looked flattered, "Thank you for your trust, Second Madam. I will prepare the menu when I get back."

Seeing Li Gengjia twisting her waist with a smug look on her face as she walked out of the yard, Chuan'er asked, "Second Madam, do you think she can do it?"

"She is the only one who can do it. Mother Hong sent two people here eagerly, but that one is like a wooden stake. If I don't listen to her, is she going to replace her?" Meng Wan smiled contemptuously.

"They said they wanted you to hold a banquet, but they didn't tell me how many people, how much money, or any other criteria. How can I be sure of that?"

"It doesn't matter. The princess just wants to embarrass me, but she won't embarrass the palace. When she brings the menu later, you don't have to show it to me. Just send it to Mother Hong and let her see it. As for other arrangements, you can go find Ruyi. She has always been with Grandma in previous years. It will be the same this time as before."

"No need to change it?"

"No, just change the menu. Where to hold the banquet, what tablecloth to put on, what tableware to use, and how many servants to employ will all remain the same as before."

Meng Wan didn't want to worry about this matter, and she had already discussed it with Zhou Yu. They had more important things to do.