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The original owner was born into a family of scholars and officials. Her ancestors had been marquises for five generations. Her father was a newly-appointed scholar and her mother was the legitimate daughter of a duke. She was stunningly beautiful, well-educated, and her parents loved each other very much. Unfortunately, it took her mother ten years of marriage to have a daughter like the original owner.

The original owner was poisoned from birth and was weak and sickly from birth. He started taking medicine as soon as he could drink milk.

Later, his mother died and his father was unwilling to remarry. He was also worried that the original owner had no female elders to educate her, which would make it difficult for her to get married in the future. When his mother was alive, he intended to marry the original owner back to her natal family, the Duke of Anguo's Mansion.

It just so happened that her eldest cousin from her maternal grandparents' family came to Yangzhou to pick her up on the orders of her maternal grandmother. Even though she was reluctant to leave her father, she had no choice but to go to her maternal grandparents' house with a stack of silver bills.

My maternal grandfather's family, the Duke of Anguo's Mansion, was also a prominent family. Even though it is no longer valued by the emperor, its difference is evident in every aspect.

Although my family is a prominent one, they are a family of scholars and they hate this kind of ostentatious feeling the most.

Although the original owner came with "living expenses", except for her grandmother and second cousin, no one in the Duke of Anguo's Mansion welcomed her. They all thought she was asking for money.

The aunt even brought her own niece over, under the pretext of making things lively, but mainly because she didn't want the original owner to be with her son.

The original owner was treated coldly in the Anguo Mansion, especially after her father passed away, her grandmother also ignored her, and her fiancé cousin also married someone else.

The original owner was heartbroken, and the Anguo Mansion embezzled her dowry, and she finally vomited blood and died.

……

"Miss, the eldest young master of the Anguo Mansion has arrived and is waiting in the outer hall. The master would like you to go over and meet him."

Zhang Shan used a handkerchief to wipe the tears from her face. The original owner was a sentimental girl. She was only twelve years old and had just lost her mother. Now she had to leave her father and go to an unfamiliar place. She felt sad and helpless.

"Please wait for a moment, father and distinguished guest. I will change my clothes and come back soon."

The main thing was that the original owner's eyes were red and swollen like walnuts, which looked very scary. The maid Chunying took out two jade rollers from the ice basin and rolled them gently on Zhang Shan's face.

"Miss, how many tears have you shed? You must never do this again in the future." Chunying looked at Zhang Shan with heartache.

"Chun Ying, my good girl, I have never been to my grandparents' house, and I don't know whether it is a disaster or a paradise. I feel at peace when you are by my side."

Father Zhang is over fifty years old and his health is not as good as before. He is also depressed because of his wife's death. He has been in poor health and it seems that he will not live many years. He is even more unwilling to waste the time of a good girl.

Of course, it is also possible to adopt a child to support Zhang Shan in the future, so that she will not be bullied without anyone to help her seek justice.

However, the Zhang family has few descendants, and there is no suitable candidate in the clan to be adopted. Moreover, his character cannot guarantee that he will protect Zhang Shan, and instead will become a burden to Zhang Shan.

Therefore, Zhang Shan’s trip to the Duke of Anguo’s Mansion was imperative.

"The daughter pays homage to her father."

Zhang Shan bowed gracefully, and Zhang's father helped him up with a distressed look on his face. He introduced him to Zhang Shan, "This is your eldest cousin from your maternal grandfather's family."

My eldest cousin is named Rong Jing. He is the eldest grandson of the first branch of the Anguo Mansion. In fact, he is the third son of the eldest master. The first two died in accidents, and now he is the only one left.

"Meet my cousin."

Rong Jing also returned the greeting to Zhang Shan, "Hello, cousin."

Rong Jing is a man who likes beautiful things. He has a beautiful wife and concubines at home, but when he sees his cousin from his aunt's family, he can't bear to take his eyes off her.

I thought to myself, my second brother, that fool, is so lucky.

The marriage between the original owner and Rong Jue was well-arranged. Rong Jue was three years older than the original owner and was already fifteen years old. They could get married as soon as the original owner reached the age of marriage.

This is also the reason why Zhang's father was willing to entrust the original owner to the Anguo Mansion.

"Shan'er, when you get to your grandparents' house, you must be filial to your grandma, respect your uncle and aunt, respect your cousins, and love your brothers and sisters..."

Perhaps they would never see each other again in this life, so Zhang's father talked a lot and Zhang Shan could only listen patiently. She inadvertently put some tonic medicine in Zhang's father's tea.

Zhang Shan quickly boarded a boat heading north. Before that, Zhang's father had arranged for many people to go to the capital to clean up the dowry yard of the original owner's mother.

The courtyard is a quadrangle with three entrances, just opposite the Anguo Mansion, and is usually taken care of by Mrs. Zhang's dowry.

Mrs. Zhang's dowry consisted of servants from the Anguo Mansion, and the courtyard returned to the hands of the Anguo Mansion.

But the title deed was in Zhang Shan's hands, so she pretended not to know and asked someone to clean it up first. It would be her house from now on.

"Did Uncle Zhang really say that?"

"Really, the people he sent have entered the opposite courtyard. Madam, do you want to report to the old lady?"

The person in charge of the Anguo Mansion now is Rong Jing's wife, Lin, who is the niece of the second wife. The power of the Anguo Mansion has always been in the hands of this aunt and niece.

"What are you reporting? That was originally my aunt's house and yard. Ask someone to ask if we can help clean it up. That's where Zhang's cousin is going to live."

How could Lin not know that Rong Jing went to Yangzhou to pick someone up? However, without the order from the old lady and the second lady, she did not dare to make a decision on her own to clean up a courtyard for Zhang Shan to live in.

Now that Zhang's father had people clean up Zhang's mother's dowry and yard, it had solved her urgent problem.

"That would be great. Miss Zhang is engaged to the Second Young Master. If she moves in and wins over everyone, how will the Young Madam manage the household in the future?"

Although the second wife gave the housekeeping power to her grandmother, the badges and storeroom keys were never delivered, so every time before the month's payment, the family had to ask the second wife.

After working so hard as a housekeeper, in the end all the good reputation went to the second wife. Grandma’s situation is already difficult. If another capable sister-in-law comes along, how can she live a good life?

"You are overthinking it. Miss Zhang is weak and sickly. A scholar would not do such a thing."

Lin was still very confident in Zhang Shan. She always understood that her opponent was not Zhang Shan, but her aunt.

Lin sent someone to ask, but the person was just polite. The servants of the Zhang family did not dare to take it seriously, and hurriedly declined and respectfully sent the person out.

Soon the old lady and the second wife found out.

"Why did Master Zhang send people to clean up the house? Is he worried that we would wrong his daughter? Shan'er is my own granddaughter, the child of my only daughter, how could I abuse her?"

The old lady was very dissatisfied with Zhang's father's behavior. She took her granddaughter in with good intentions. Although the marriage was engaged, there was no betrothal gift or exchange of engagement letters, so they could go back on their word.

"Madam, Master Zhang said that Miss Zhang and my daughter-in-law are engaged, but they haven't gotten married yet. It's not good for them to live together. For the sake of the reputation of the two families, they had no choice but to do this. Madam, please don't get angry and hurt yourself."

Lin sat beside the old lady and helped her calm down. She took the water handed to her by the maid and gave it to the old lady.

"How do you know this? What benefit did that Zhang give you that made you speak for him like this?"

Although the old lady was not so angry anymore, she still felt embarrassed.

"It's unfair, old lady. I found out that the yard opposite was cleaned up, and I went to ask about it. I think that when the eldest master comes back with Miss Zhang in a few days, there must be a letter of apology from Master Zhang."

At this time, the other grandchildren girls also came over.

"Hello, grandma, hello, sister-in-law."

"Hello, sisters." Lin waved to the girls. The old lady loved the hustle and bustle, and the girls also loved to make the old lady happy.

Zhang Shan's boat sailed on the river for more than half a month before arriving in the capital. The person who came to pick her up was the steward of the Zhang family.

A plaque of the Zhang Mansion has been hung on the three-courtyard building opposite the Anguo Mansion, and the housekeeper is also someone trusted by Zhang's father.

In his previous life, Zhang's father didn't think so much. After sending the original owner to the Duke of Anguo's Mansion, he thought the original owner would be treated well and would have no worries. However, he died of illness within two years.

It was Zhang Shan herself who proposed this. She didn't want to be like the original owner, living under someone else's roof and being looked down upon. She came with "living expenses" but was still treated as a pauper who was begging for money.

"Miss, you are tired from the journey. Are you feeling unwell? I am the butler sent by the master. My surname is Liu. I know that you will arrive today. The doctor is already waiting at the mansion. Please get in the sedan chair."

Zhang Shan nodded slightly. After sitting on the boat for more than half a month, she did feel uncomfortable and dizzy.

After getting on the sedan chair, about half an hour later, the sedan chair finally stopped in front of a big gate.

"Miss, here we are!"

The maid Chunying stretched out her hand, and Zhang Shan lifted the curtain and came out of the sedan chair. The sunlight was dazzling, and Zhang Shan slightly blocked it with her hand before she could see the plaque on the gate clearly.

"This is where we will live in the future. Across the street is the Duke of Anguo's Mansion, so it will be convenient for Miss to visit us in the future."

Zhang Shan covered her eyes and looked back. Opposite her was a wealthy family. A pair of stone lions stood at the door, looking mighty and ferocious. On the plaque were written four large characters "Anguogong Mansion" in a flamboyant manner.

After just one glance, she was in no mood to look again. The original owner's health was not good. Even though Zhang Shan came and slowly took care of her, she was still exhausted from the long journey.

After entering Zhang's house and bathing and changing clothes, Butler Liu came over with a doctor. "Young lady, you need to take good care of the deficiency you had in the womb. Can you show me the old prescription?"

Chunying gave the original owner's prescription to the old doctor, who took it and read it, then added a few more herbs.

After arriving in the capital, Zhang Shan did not rush to visit the people in the Anguo Mansion. After all, she was frail and sickly, and it was normal for her to fall ill after sitting on the boat for such a long time.

"The Zhang family's ship hasn't returned yet?"

The old lady saw Rong Jing but not Zhang Shan, and she was unhappy. She thought that Zhang Shan came from a small place and didn't know the rules. She came but didn't come to pay her respects to her grandmother, and she even asked her grandmother to send an invitation to her.

Rong Jing knew Zhang Shan's current situation best. "Cousin Zhang is sick. She called a doctor as soon as she arrived in the capital."

"sick?"

The old lady sighed, "What a poor child."

In the past, when her daughter wrote to her and told her that Zhang Shan was frail and sickly, she didn't take it seriously. But now, she called a doctor after just sitting on the boat for a few days, which shows that she is an unhealthy child.

Thinking of her most beloved Juer, she felt a little regretful.

A woman like this, not to mention whether she can give birth to a child, even just raising her would require a large amount of money.

The Second Wife also had her own thoughts, "Old Madam, my daughter-in-law has a niece who grew up in Bingzhou. Now that she is old, I want to return to the capital to visit her. However, the Lin family only left an empty big house with no one to take care of it. I am wondering if I can bring her into the mansion? That way she can keep Miss Zhang company."

Zhang Shan is in poor health, but compared to the girl from the Lin family, the old lady still prefers Zhang Shan. After all, the Anguo Mansion already has two daughters-in-law from the Lin family, and Jue'er cannot marry another girl from the Lin family.

However, it was difficult for the old lady to refuse the second wife's request. After all, there was no one in the court of the Duke of Anguo's Mansion, and the Lin family had two close ministers of the emperor, so the Duke of Anguo's Mansion would only ask for help from them.

Before Zhang Shan recovered from her illness, Lin Muxue, the girl from the Lin family, arrived. Lin Muxue was a kind of healthy beauty, and even though she had tried her best to pretend to be dignified and generous, a hint of casualness could still be seen in her behavior.

Miss Lin is a very honest person. She said that she came to the capital to look for a husband. After arriving at the Duke Anguo's Mansion, the Second Wife often created opportunities for Lin Muxue and Rong Jue.

That day, Rong Jue and Lin Muxue were admiring the flowers in the garden when they heard the servant say, "Miss Zhang is here."