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

Meng Wan looked out the window. After a while, Mother Liu appeared in the yard with a plump white woman. The two of them went into the house talking and laughing. After a short while, eight or nine little girls, who looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old, stood in the yard.

They were not wearing thick but clean clothes, and stood in a row with their heads lowered, looking timid. Some of them who were brave enough raised their heads to take a look, then hurriedly lowered their heads.

The matchmaker must have called out their names. The girls whose names were called stepped forward, raised their heads and saluted Mama Liu. Although their gestures were clumsy, they looked quite professional.

When it was the turn for someone that Mama Liu had taken a liking to, Dongmei would emphasize and say that he had some background, age, etc., and that he looked good. Once he entered the mansion and was trained by Mama Kong and Dongmei, he would be able to take on important responsibilities in the future.

"I think it's good." Meng Wan asked Dongmei.

"Does Qinghe Garden require four people?" Dongmei asked softly.

"Well, don't give them too many. I think some who are unwilling to give up will find ways to squeeze more in. We should always give them some opportunities."

As he still had to go back to see Song Zhu's family, Meng Wan had no intention of looking any further and turned around to leave. Suddenly, a short girl standing in the back row, who looked somewhat similar to herself when she first arrived at the West House, looked up at him.

Meng Wan was stunned for a moment. Not caring whether she could be seen over there or not, she pushed the window open a little wider and looked at the girl carefully.

She had dry yellow hair and was wearing a jacket that was so washed that its color couldn't be seen anymore. Her hands were twisting the corners of her clothes nervously. After looking at herself, she looked at the matchmaker again. She didn't know what the matchmaker said to her, but she shrank back in fear.

"Second Madam, what's wrong with you? Were you caught in the wind?" Chuan'er saw that Meng Wan's face looked strange, and he looked at Dongmei, then supported Meng Wan on both sides.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Dongmei, go tell Mama Liu to find a reason to buy the girl with the mole on her forehead. No matter how much money you pay, this is not the place to talk... Buy her and send her to Defenglou."

That’s right, Meng Wan saw the girl that Meng Qi asked her to help find, the girl with a small bright red mole the size of a mung bean on her forehead.

When they returned to Defeng Tower, Mingfu told Meng Wan that Zhou Yu had gone out and asked her to wait for him here and he would pick her up later.

Meng Wan thought that maybe what Meng Zhi said was too important, so he went to find that Mr. Lin.

After a while, Song Zhu's family came in, bowed politely and stood aside. He didn't come forward to show his courtesy, nor did he look around. He just kept his hands behind his back, looking very obedient.

Meng Wan nodded in her heart, "Liu Gen did a great job on Chun Tao's matter."

"That's what I should do. It's a blessing for my family to be able to help Second Madam."

"Have you thought it through? If I find out that you are indecisive or have other thoughts, you know the consequences. At the very least, I am the second wife of the mansion, the second lady of the Huainan Marquis's mansion. Do you understand?"

Song Zhujia stepped forward and knelt on the ground, "I understand. As long as Second Madam gives my family a chance, I will definitely not let you down."

"Get up. You know something about the current situation in the mansion. Although you are with me, you can't let others know. Otherwise, I won't have to see you outside. By the way, what excuse did you use to come out?"

"My aunt, the head of the household, used to serve in the old princess' courtyard. When the old princess was about to pass away, my aunt asked for mercy and released the contract. My aunt has no children, and I take care of her on weekdays. She doesn't want to live in the back streets, so she rents a house in the south of the city. I come to visit her every once in a while, and everyone in the mansion knows about it. And because my aunt is an elder in the mansion, no one says much every time I come out. The last time I met Miss Chuan'er, I used this excuse."

Aunt? Meng Wan remembered that it was either Mother Kong or Cai'er who mentioned this in the news she got back, but she didn't pay much attention to it at the time.

"Is he a personal attendant?"

"She used to be by the old princess' side, but after her husband and son passed away, it was inconvenient for her to serve closely. She took on the responsibility of a second-class housekeeper, responsible for the chores in the courtyard."

Meng Wan nodded. She was considered unlucky because she had no husband and son. But she was also useful because she could take on the job of the second-class housekeeper. From this point of view, she must know something about the old princess. I will ask Mother Kong to check it out later.

"What's the current situation at the accounting office? Do you know anything about the Fuchun family?"

"The one from the Fuchun family is from the Grandmother's courtyard. He is also good at accounting, and his skills are comparable to those of the Guan Wei family. When the princess was selecting the person in charge of the inner courtyard's account office, both of them competed. I don't know what method the Guan Wei family used to squeeze the Fuchun family out. The Fuchun family was unwilling to work under the Guan Wei family, so after the Grandmother came in, they leaned on him, and now they are highly valued by the Grandmother."

"Do you know why the princess transferred her there?"

"I don't know the specific situation, but I heard from Xueyan that because of the arrangement of this matter, the things of the previous princess were put aside."

Meng Wan frowned, "Could it be that he is busy with the year-end accounts?"

"It shouldn't happen. According to the rules of the mansion, it's not time for the farms and shops to report their accounts. Besides, even if the accounts are reported, they are mostly reported to the outer courtyards."

What is the situation? What is Hu planning?

"Let your daughter keep watching. If there is really no chance, then see if there is a chance to check the accounts of the former princess."

It should be Song Zhu’s family.

"Also, your aunt lives alone now?"

"Yes, I originally hired a little maid, but she went home to get married in the winter, and I haven't seen a suitable one for a while. I'm also worried about her, and she needs someone to take care of her. During this period, the landlady has been taking care of her."

"She rents a house and hires maids. It seems that the old princess treats her well."

"When I was serving as a personal attendant, I was highly valued by the old princess. Although the household expenses were in the hands of the princess, some important matters still had to be approved by the old princess. The prince was also a filial son. Except for the fact that he had some unhappiness with the old princess over the promotion of the current princess, the prince had never disobeyed the old princess over all these years. That was back then, back then..."

"What was it back then? Just tell me."

"Yes, when he married the previous princess, I heard that the prince was very reluctant. Even the old prince said that if you really don't like her, you don't have to force it, and you will be unhappy in the future. But the old princess insisted, and later, the prince had no choice but to agree and marry the previous princess."

Meng Wan nodded. She now understood why Zhou Yiheng disliked Zhou Yu and his sister. Wang was not the one he wanted to marry, and before marrying Wang, he had always thought that the old princess could marry Hu for him, but it turned out to be a failure.

Boys and girls aged seventeen or eighteen are just beginning to fall in love, and Mrs. Hu was very good at winning people over. Zhou Yiheng was deeply in love with her, but he was forced by his mother to marry someone he didn't like.

And Hu schemed to enter the palace and became a concubine. She would definitely not say anything good about Wang. With Hu's mentality, it would be too easy for her to frame Wang. All these things would only make Zhou Yiheng dislike Wang even more.

"What did you mean when you said she couldn't leave someone to take care of her?"

"Here's the brain." Song Zhujia pointed to her head. "She lost her husband first, and then her only son. It was a big shock to her. She was a very smart person, but her reaction is not as good as before. This is also one of the reasons why the late princess did not let her get close to her. But no matter what, she has been needed for many years. Besides, her fate is really sad, so she was not allowed to leave.

"I know what Second Madam meant by asking just now, because I have always been by the old princess's side, so I have received a lot of rewards. Later, when she was in charge of the affairs of the courtyard, the maids and servants always had to take care of her. When the inner courtyard wanted to see the old princess or pass on a message, or pass on a message outside, it was inevitable that my aunt would check and pass it on, so naturally she had more money. And she was alone, so she had no place to spend money, but she saved some money, rented a house, hired someone to serve her, and it was enough for her to live out her next life."

Song Zhu's family lived a tight life, but they did not try to take advantage of their aunt who was not very smart and had some loose money. For this reason, Song Zhu's family was useful.

Meng Wan understood. "Go on, tell me, did she have an accident or something? Why can't she be alone?"

"Although he was stimulated by the successive loss of his family members, he was also a little slow to react, and sometimes he spoke absent-mindedly. When he was on duty, he took this and forgot that, but he was also able to speak freely and do things in an orderly manner. It was just that about half a year before the old princess passed away, he suddenly became very ill. When I went to see him, he was terrified and didn't even recognize him. The maid who was on good terms with my aunt told me to ask for mercy to redeem myself while the old princess was still alive and not to stay in the mansion."