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

"So, the grandma took out a full one thousand taels?" Chuan'er asked in surprise.

Cai Er nodded with a smile, "Not only the money, but also the grandma has to make up for the false claims. That grandma is really amazing."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Of course it's accurate. Qiu Shuang heard it from the maids in the warehouse. Those maids even made fun of the grandmother."

Qiu Shuang entered the Marquis' Mansion with the help of Mother Liu last time and was assigned to clean the storehouse.

Chuan'er exhaled, "Grandma is helping the princess so much, why does the princess want to set a trap for her?"

——————

"Why? I guess it's because of Xiaohuan's matter, and also because she made things convenient for Li, which made Hu unhappy." Zhou Yu said.

"There are a few more things. Ever since I came into the family, my sister-in-law has become less and less cooperative with the princess's plans. There were several times when the princess wanted to take advantage of the situation to talk about me, but she didn't respond. It was always my third sister who took over. Maybe she was thinking of tricking my sister-in-law at that time." Meng Wan nodded.

"That's possible. Mrs. Xie doesn't even think about it. Mrs. Hu has been in charge of the palace for so long, how could she let her do whatever she wants? The people who do the purchasing and the people who manage the warehousing are all Mrs. Hu's. How can she really cook the books with confidence? Stupid." Zhou Yu scraped the lid of the teacup and took a sip.

"So, it is very important to seize the real power in the inner house. From the New Year to now, I have been getting along well with Third Aunt, but every time she talks about mother, she is always reluctant to say more, at most she will criticize the princess. I think Third Aunt is also waiting and watching, she wants to see if I have the ability to compete with the princess."

Zhou Yu nodded, "This is understandable. After all, Jun cousin has a bright future now, which is due to his efforts and the reputation of the Shenjunwang Mansion. If Third Aunt helped you without thinking about the consequences, and you are no match for Hu, and Hu came to father and made up a few words, then father would definitely be angry with Jun cousin."

Meng Wan frowned, "That's exactly the reason. There's just one thing I don't understand."

"what?"

"The late Empress Dowager is your great-aunt, and the Emperor respects her very much, so why doesn't he just make you the Crown Prince?"

Zhou Yu smiled slightly. "I have discussed this issue with my sister and brother-in-law. Since that rumor came out, the emperor has never mentioned anyone or anything related to the late empress dowager. Even the palace where the late empress dowager lived was sealed."

Meng Wan nodded. Judging from the outcome of Prince Duan this time, the Emperor would not tolerate any sand in his eyes regarding the matter of the late Empress Dowager.

"Secondly, think about it, even if the emperor appointed me as the crown prince, do you think I would grow up safely to marry and have children?"

"Ping'an, you call this growing up safely?" Meng Wan looked Zhou Yu up and down.

"This is different. At least there are no missing limbs. If the position is determined early, the Hu family will be more ruthless. Therefore, we need to defeat the enemy with one move, so that the Hu family cannot turn over, and Zhou Zheng will lose the qualification to compete for that position forever."

Meng Wan understood. Judging from the degree of Zhou Yiheng's favor for Hu, if one wanted to put pressure on her from the outside, whether Zhou Yiheng agreed or not was one thing. But if Zhou Yu really had this or that "accident" in the future, it would be hard to say what would happen.

Therefore, they could only start with Wang. As long as they could find evidence that Hu murdered Wang and make it known to everyone in the capital, she would never be able to make a comeback, and then Zhou Yu's position as the crown prince would be secure.

"I understand. It seems I have to take the initiative." There was no emotion in Meng Wan's voice.

Zhou Yu stood up and gently embraced Meng Wan in his arms. Meng Wan continued, "I still remember that my eldest sister-in-law was still pregnant with Brother Hong at that time, but she wanted to plot against my fourth sister."

Zhou Yu was stunned. He had never heard of this. He supported Meng Wan and looked at her. "When did it happen?"

Meng Wan told him about Xie Fen's attempt to frame Meng Qi when Yue Zhen got married. She also told him about how Xie Fen tried to frame Chuan Er with some ancient jade at Baron Bo's mansion after she got engaged to Zhou Yu, thereby making her lose face.

"Sister-in-law was pregnant but still served the princess. She also used Brother Hong twice, but failed to achieve her goal. The princess still schemed against her." Meng Wan sighed, "Sister-in-law seems to be a smart person. Why didn't she expect the princess to be so capable?"

"To put it bluntly, it's all about greed. I thought she should have made preparations and conducted experiments, but she didn't expect the princess to have done something double-handed." Zhou Yu sneered.

"In fact, the princess's attack on my sister-in-law at this time is indirectly helping us." Meng Wan said.

"Oh? Tell me."

"After this incident, I think my sister-in-law will not listen to the princess in everything. This way, some information will be easier for me to find out or intervene."

Zhou Yu nodded, "I understand what you mean. I think that in the future, as long as it does not involve the interests of Xie and the first house, she will not say anything."

"Yes, my sister-in-law fell into the trap of the princess, as you said, it was just greed. This is easy to deal with. It is not easy to talk about family affection with someone, but if it is about money, there is a chance."

Zhou Yu sighed, "Hu is just too confident. One day she will regret embarrassing Xie so early."

Meng Wan agreed with Zhou Yu's statement. Even Meng Qi said so, which showed that Hu's downfall in her previous life was probably caused by her arrogance.

"So, we must think it through. Either don't do it, or make sure it hurts her. I thought that after the two incidents of salt and cloak, she would be on guard against me. I want to take advantage of Chuntao's belly to stir things up as soon as possible, and use this opportunity to clean up the garden."

Zhou Yu nodded, "After Chuntao's matter is resolved, I will let Mother Fan go to Rongyang, so that you can let go."

Meng Wan held his hand and said, "I know you can't bear to leave Mother Fan. No matter if she is capable or flexible, she is the only one who protects you sincerely. No one else can do that."

Zhou Yu sighed and nodded, "It's just that in my current situation, I need a smart assistant and an ally who can stand by me through thick and thin."

Meng Wan smiled slightly, "Oh? Which one do I belong to?"

Zhou Yu looked at her carefully and shook his head, "You don't belong to any of these categories."

Meng Wan raised her eyebrows and was about to speak when Zhou Yu continued, "You are my closest relative and someone I can trust with my back."

Meng Wan originally thought that he would say some sweet words, but she didn't expect it to be this sentence. Suddenly her eyes were wet. "Don't you know there is a saying that women have the most vicious hearts? Aren't you afraid that I will be bribed by someone? When you turn your back on me, I will stab you with a knife."

As she spoke, she pointed her finger in the direction of his heart.

Zhou Yu held Meng Wan's hand and laughed, "Don't be afraid. If that day really comes, it must be because I have done something unforgivable to you. But I think I will never give you this opportunity in my lifetime." After saying that, he pulled Meng Wan's hand to his mouth and kissed it gently.

"Let Chuan'er get Qingning's prescription. She is careful. Don't go to our pharmacy to get it." Zhou Yu instructed. Prince Shen's mansion has a pharmacy in the east of the city. It is not big and sells precious medicinal materials.

"Well, is that medicine really that powerful?"

"Don't worry, Qingning is good at making medicines. He can't cure ordinary headaches or fevers, but he is very good at making strange medicines."

"How did Qingning learn medical skills?"

Zhou Yu thought for a moment and said, "Uncle Qi said he didn't know Qingning's life story. Once when Qingning was being hunted and fleeing, Uncle Qi saved him. At that time, he was poisoned and was dying. Uncle Qi felt sorry for him. Seeing him dressed like a nobleman and his whole body was so white, he knew that he was sick and poisoned. He thought that if he really didn't have that fate, he should at least build a grave for him.

"Qingning was not destined to die. When they were on the road, they met a master, Qingning's master, 'Yunling Mountain Man'. So, Uncle Qi handed Qingning over to him. More than three years later, Qingning suddenly found Uncle Qi and said that he had become the last disciple of 'Yunling Mountain Man'. Although the poison was cured, because it had been too long and he had that disease, Qingning's health has not been very good. Uncle Qi said that he would not live past the age of 30."

Meng Wan was surprised. "Chasing? How old is he?"

"He is eighteen years old this year." Zhou Yu said, "So Uncle Qi guessed that Qingning must have an extraordinary background. Uncle Qi did ask Qingning, but he didn't say anything, so Uncle Qi never asked again."

Meng Wan nodded. He seemed to be a pitiful child as well.

——————

"Have you learned your lesson now?" Zhou Ming sat on the chair angrily.

Xie Fen's red and swollen eyes were full of hatred. "Are you blaming me? Others may not know why I did this, but don't you know?"

Zhou Ming choked, thinking about the new house he saw at Li's house a few days ago, and the proud look of his little cousin whom Li valued and doted on very much. He couldn't vent his anger on Xie Fen.

"If mother hadn't wanted to help your cousin get married and move to a bigger house, she would have asked us to pay one thousand taels. That's one thousand taels, not one hundred taels. Where would I get it? Would she ask me to sell my dowry? Don't you know how much you bring home every month? I help the princess manage the household, but I'm in charge of thankless work. It's a good year to get a few dozen taels a month. Not to mention our pitiful monthly allowance. How much did Brother Hong spend on medicine a while ago? And is this just the first time your mother took it away? Don't I have to make up for the money she takes away every now and then?

"Even if I hold a golden bowl, I can't eat white rice. If it weren't for your cousin urging me to move house, and if I hadn't happened to get the job of princess, I would have had no choice but to set my sights on it. Why would I be so embarrassed?" Xie Fen was already in tears when she said this.

Zhou Ming stood up and walked to Xie Fen, hugging her shoulders. Xie Fen turned around and said, "Brother Hong is growing up. If he has other children, shouldn't you make plans for them? Uncle, at least have pity on me. You are not the only one with your mother."

"I know, I know. Okay, this matter is not your fault. I will tell mother. Mother also knows that you did it for her. She also said that this is the last time for the Li family. Once my little cousin gets married, there will be no more problems for their family."

Xie Fen shook his shoulders and said nothing.

"Besides, my father knows how difficult our situation is. I'll go and cry to him more later, and he'll help us solve some of the problems."

Xie Fen said, "But I can't let this matter go like this. She used me and then used my brother Hong, and finally set me up with such a big trap. She thought she could intimidate me, humph, let's wait and see."