Forced to marry, I picked up a young powerful official

Shen Nankui knew that the Marquis' Mansion must have sent someone to pick up Shen Pingwan again.

She didn't look at it any more. Just as she and Gu Yichuan were about to enter the house, Huang Madam beside He suddenly came over and said, "Miss, don't go to the front hall. I'll take you in through the side door."

Shen Nankui was a little puzzled, "Mother Huang, why is this?"

Mother Huang looked solemn and lowered her voice, "Young lady, the Taoist priest that Madam invited was performing the third and final ritual for the second young lady today. Unexpectedly, the wife of Marquis Jianning suddenly came to visit. Madam did not want her to know about these things, so she pretended that you have been restless recently, so she asked the Taoist priest to perform a ritual to pray for peace. After hearing this, the wife of Marquis Jianning said she wanted to watch the ritual. Now the Taoist priest is still waiting in the courtyard, delaying the time."

"Young lady, we have to make do with this matter urgently. Please follow me and go in through the side door!"

After saying that, she started to drag Shen Nankui to the side door.

Gu Yichuan stopped her and frowned, saying, "This is a ritual to exorcise evil spirits. My wife is fine, how can mother-in-law let her take her place?"

Mother Huang looked anxious and bowed hastily.

"Don't be upset, my dear. Madam knows that this has wronged the eldest daughter. She will compensate her after the incident. She really can't wait any longer. Do you want to see the second daughter being criticized after returning to the Marquis' Mansion?"

"Besides," she raised her eyes and glanced at Shen Nankui, "The second young lady was not like this originally. She was so angry after the eldest young lady talked to her. Therefore, the eldest young lady is also responsible for this matter. Please don't shirk it anymore, otherwise the lady and the master will be unhappy if they know."

Shen Nankui looked cold and said, "It seems like I have to go."

"That's right." Mother Huang nodded.

Gu Yichuan said in a deep voice: "Nan Kui, don't go, I will go talk to my father-in-law."

Shen Nankui shook his head. "Forget it. Let's go and take a look first. It's just a ritual. It can drive away evil spirits if there are any. If there are none, it can keep you safe. It won't hinder me in any way."

Huang's mother urged, "That's exactly the reason. Let's not waste any more time and go in first."

She hurriedly pulled Shen Nankui away, and Gu Yichuan hurriedly caught up.

An altar had already been set up in the yard. In the middle, a Taoist priest in green stood with his eyes closed, muttering something.

He and the others were standing in the corridor. Seeing that there was no movement, Madam Qihou asked, "Why haven't you started yet?"

He smiled and said, "It will be soon. Once the auspicious time comes, we can start the ritual."

Shen Pingwan also looked a little nervous, and cursed in a low voice: "If this Shen Nankui makes any mistakes, I will not let her off!"

No one heard what she said clearly, but the wife of the Marquis of Qi turned her head to look at her, and He quickly gave her a wink.

As soon as Shen Pingwan saw her mother-in-law, she felt a little scared and quickly lowered her head and stood still.

There were footsteps in the yard. It was Shen Nankui who came out. She had a lot of talisman wrappers and talisman papers hanging on her body. She came to the altar and stood still.

The Taoist in green also took action, holding a bell in one hand and a peach wood sword in the other, and began to perform magic around Shen Nankui.

Finally, he used water to dissolve a bowl of burnt talisman paper and gave it to Shen Nankui.

The ritual ends here.

He was relieved, and said to Madam Qihou with a smile: "The ritual is over. It's cold outside, so we should not stand in the wind. Madam Qihou, please move to the front hall."

Logically, the Qi family and the Shen family are related by marriage, so He should call them in-laws. However, looking at their condescending attitude, she always felt unable to say that.

Madam Qi looked at Shen Nankui in the courtyard and said, "I heard that the second young lady in your mansion is not the daughter of your madam?"

"That's right. This girl's mother was Wan'er's wet nurse. She got along very well with me. Her biological mother passed away early, so I kept her as my child."

This was the Shen family's unified statement to the outside world, and the He family was able to deal with it with ease.

Madam Qihou nodded and said, "My father-in-law loves his daughter very much. I heard that my daughter-in-law has been weak since she was a child and has been raised in a farm in the countryside. Now I see that she has recovered well."

He forced a smile, "Her father and I took pity on Wan'er because she had been sickly since she was a child, so we didn't discipline her much. As a result, she developed a spoiled personality and caused trouble for the Marquis's Mansion..."

Madam Qi Hou waved her hand calmly, "Not really. A spoiled personality can be tempered, and a shallow knowledge can be learned. It just takes some effort, it's not difficult."

These words were like a slap in He's face.

The wife of the Marquis of Qi was almost saying openly that Shen Pingwan did not meet her expectations.

He looked embarrassed and didn't know how to respond. Fortunately, Madam Qi had no intention of continuing the topic. She turned and left, saying, "I heard that the eldest daughter of the Shen family married a scholar from another place. It's rare for her to come back, so let's ask her to come and talk."

He breathed a sigh of relief and replied, "Okay, I'll call her over later."

There was a warm charcoal stove burning in the front hall. As soon as Shen Nankui entered the room, he took off his cloak first and then went to pay his respects to the wife of the Marquis of Qi.

"Meet Madam Qihou."

Her manners were graceful and her posture was dignified and elegant, which made the wife of the Marquis of Qi's eyes light up.

Although this adopted daughter of the Shen family did not come from a very good family, she had such a rare calm temperament and a great demeanor. No wonder I fell in love with her at first sight.

"No need to be so polite, please take a seat, young lady."

Shen Nankui sat down in the corner, drinking tea quietly. Unless someone asked her questions, she never spoke.

The wife of the Marquis of Qi exchanged a few pleasantries with He and then went straight to the point.

"My dear, since Ping Wan has married into the Marquis's Mansion, she is a member of our Qi family, but she has been living in her parents' home and not going back. Isn't this asking outsiders to laugh at our Marquis's Mansion for having no rules?"

As the mistress of the Marquis of Qi's family, the wife of the Marquis of Qi spoke with a certain degree of authority, and He couldn't help feeling a little nervous.

"Madam Qi, Wan'er's behavior is indeed impolite. I have already told her about it, but... but she also has her own difficulties..."

"What's your reason?" Madam Qi Hou raised her eyebrows slightly. "Please tell me, my dear relative, what's your reason?"

He felt bitter, and the wife of the Marquis of Qi pretended to be ignorant even though she knew the truth, which made He feel troubled.

How could she bring this kind of thing up in the open?

Moreover, once it is revealed, wouldn't it make the Marquis' Mansion even more embarrassed? If the Qi family offends them, how will he respond?

He hesitated and did not respond. Shen Pingwan suddenly stood up and said, "Mother-in-law, it's not that I don't want to go back, but the prince is like that. Do you want me to be a widow in the Marquis's Mansion for the rest of my life?"

He was shocked when she heard this, and was a little annoyed at her daughter's impulsiveness, so she quickly asked all the servants to leave.

"Madam Qi Hou, Wan'er is young and ignorant. She spoke without thinking. Please don't blame her..."

Madam Qi Hou's expression did not change at all. She picked up the teacup, blew away the tea foam, took a sip of tea, and then said, "She is not wrong. The prince does have some deficiencies. However, I have something to ask you."

Seeing that she was not angry, He felt relieved. "What does Madam Qihou want to ask?"