Just because she looks weak doesn't mean she's easy to bully.

The Duchess's wife has not been feeling well recently, so Cheng Jinchu and the others stayed in the house to chat with her.

Cheng Jinchu mainly played the role of a companion. Most of the time, the Duke's wife would pull Ning Jiaoer aside to talk, and occasionally would take care of Cheng Jinchu and have a brief conversation with him.

Before dinner, Xie Yu came back and came to the Duke's wife's courtyard.

Although Xie Yu was not born to the Duke's wife, his mother died during childbirth, so Xie Yu was raised by the Duke's wife since birth.

She had always treated him as her own son, so when she saw Xie Yu coming, she quickly greeted him.

"Yu'er, you're back. I thought you were going to the Prime Minister's Residence to have dinner before coming back today!"

Having said that, the Duke's wife turned to Ning Jiaoer and explained.

"The prime minister's eldest son is called Zhao Jing. He was a classmate of your cousin and they had a very good relationship. The child is not bad, but it's a pity that his leg was broken. I don't know if he can ask the Medical Saint Palace to treat him."

Having said this, the Duke's wife sighed.

"Mother, it is said that the princess has returned recently, so the Prime Minister has gone to ask His Majesty to see if the princess can come to see him in person. I, I met my cousin when I went out, and mother told me yesterday that my cousin was coming, I..."

When Xie Yu said this, his ears turned red and he lowered his head in embarrassment.

"Sit down. Why is a big man like that standing there?"

The Duke's wife smiled and said to Xie Yu, and a little maid brought a stool for Xie Yu to sit on.

The Duke's wife didn't like having too many people in the house, so she only left two maids to serve in the inner room. Before Cheng Jinchu and the others entered the house, Ning Jiao'er's personal maid Bai Lu took Yunzhi to the next room.

"I have already discussed it with your parents. After the New Year, we will finalize your marriage. When Yuanyuan becomes Yu'er's wife, she will be able to accompany your aunt all the time."

The Duke's wife took Ning Jiao'er's hand and patted it gently, with a smile in her eyes.

"Aunt~"

Ning Jiaoer blushed so much that she lowered her head, not daring to look at Xie Yu who was sitting next to her.

"My mother loves me and will..."

When Xie Yu said this, he glanced at Ning Jiaoer with satisfaction in his eyes.

"I am the luckiest person in the world to have such a good cousin as my wife. I..."

Xie Yu's face was full of smiles as he continued to add.

"I will definitely protect Jiao'er for the rest of my life and treat her well..."

"Yo~ What did I hear? Did I miss something? That's really touching!"

Before Xie Yu could finish his words, a gentle female voice interrupted him. Everyone looked towards the door after hearing the voice.

A beautiful woman came in. She was not very old, maybe twenty at most, with an oval face, fox eyes, and snow-white skin. There was a golden hairpin on her bun, which swayed slightly as she came in.

She was wearing a luxurious red cloak with delicate white fox fur on the edge, adding a touch of grace.

Behind her stood a little girl, wearing simple clothes, standing respectfully behind her with lowered brows and a pleasing look.

The little maid took off the cloak from the beautiful woman and held it in her hand. Although the Duke's wife was unhappy to see the beautiful woman, she still asked her maid to take the cloak and put it away.

The beautiful woman took off her cloak, revealing a bright red double-breasted jacket with gold edges on the hem and cuffs.

Cheng Jinchu looked at the people who came in carefully. If someone who didn’t know saw the Duke’s wife and the beautiful woman, they would definitely think that the beautiful woman was the Duke’s legal wife!

A maid brought a stool to the beautiful woman, and she sat on it. The maid she brought with her stood behind her with her head down.

"Sister, please don't blame me for coming here uninvited. I just heard that your niece was coming, so I wanted to come and see my niece. After all, I have heard the Duke talk about her many times."

The Duke and the Duchess were not such bad people from the beginning, but when Ning Jiao'er was born, their relationship began to deteriorate.

Ning Jiao'er was really lovable when she was a child. Although the Duke did not like his wife, he really loved his little niece. Xie Yu was the Duke's favorite eldest son. He agreed to Xie Yu marrying the Duke's wife's niece only because the Duke's wife chose Ning Jiao'er as her niece.

Cheng Jinchu also knew this after reading the book. In the book, Ning Jiaoer actually lived a good life in the Duke's Mansion, but she herself thought that her status was low.

She was a slave at that time, so she asked to live in the maid's quarters, which is why she got along closely with Ma Xiner.

The place where Ning Jiao'er lived in the book was the same as the place Cheng Jinchu arranged for Yunzhi, which was a separate room. Because Ma Xin'er always complained to Ning Jiao'er that there was a boy named Xiaoguo in her room who excluded her, bullied her, and even threw her quilt into the water, Ning Jiao'er brought Ma Xin'er to live with her in her room.

"Yuanyuan, this is your uncle's concubine who was brought into the mansion not long ago. Originally, she is nineteen years old, and you should call her sister, but now she is your uncle's concubine, so you should call her concubine Zhou!"

When the Duke's wife said this, she didn't even look at Aunt Zhou. She lowered her head, blew on the tea, and took a sip of it.

"Hello, Aunt Zhou!"

Ning Jiaoer knew that this was her uncle's favorite aunt. She couldn't help but take a few more glances at her today. No wonder her uncle liked her so much, she was really beautiful.

Of course, if she had not met her sister Jinyi, she would definitely say that this was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Her every frown and smile, even the way she inadvertently lowered her eyes, was so captivating that it was difficult for a man not to be captivated by her.

"Hey... this child is so good-looking and cute. I like her very much. A few days ago, the Duke mentioned that you were going back to the imperial capital. When he talked about you, he kept praising you and said that he hoped I could give him a beautiful girl like this in the future! I am the Duke's elder, but I just like her so much that I said too much. Today, I saw that she is really pretty."

When Xie Yu heard what Aunt Zhou said, his face darkened. He sat beside her, holding the teacup, and took several gulps of tea.

The Duke's wife showed no expression.

"The Duke accompanied my sister back yesterday. I thought he would be back the day after tomorrow."

Aunt Zhou covered her mouth with a handkerchief and chuckled.

"What are you talking about, sister? How could the Duke accompany me back? He just happened to be on his way yesterday and dropped me off."

Aunt Zhou was not lying. The truth was that the Duke wanted to go, but Aunt Zhou acted like a spoiled child and didn't want him to go.

Anyway, in the end...

The Duke just walked her to the door but didn't go in.

After Aunt Zhou came in, she chatted with the Duke's wife in a casual manner, while Cheng Jinchu was looking at another person carefully.

Because when the girl came in, Chengzi specifically told her that it was Ma Xiner, the heroine of this obedient maid, who came.

Even if Chengzi didn't tell her, she knew that Ma Xiner in the book was a personal maid serving this most favored aunt.

Although Ma Xiner lowered her head and looked very respectful, it did not prevent her from secretly looking at Ning Jiaoer.

Ning Jiaoer wore a pink brocade jacket today with delicate plum blossom patterns on the collar and cuffs. She showed her temperament and elegance, making her look more lively and agile.

Of course, what Aunt Zhou said to praise Ning Jiao'er was not nonsense. It was just that Aunt Zhou was indeed too pretty, and it seemed a bit fake for her to praise a girl who was not as pretty as her.

Both Ma Xiner and Ning Jiaoer are cute, but to be honest, Ma Xiner's looks are only half as good as Ning Jiaoer's.