Favoring the concubine and killing the wife? She divorced the concubine and lived with her concubine

Xiao Lan thought that perhaps these stewards were there because Xiao Zongshan had passed away so hastily, and they needed to quickly interact with the new master and become familiar with him. After all, she had been hiding at home for two days, using the excuse of feeling unwell, and now she had no choice but to go to Xiao Zongshan's funeral hall to kowtow.

Xiao Lan felt taboo about Xiao Zongshan's death. She didn't want to kowtow, and she didn't want to see the pale corpse again.

She couldn't help but think of her dear father "Xiao Jianguo", which made her feel that she had done something very disrespectful behind her father's back!

Xiao Lan looked up at the white cloth covering the Xiao family's front door and fell into deep thought. Liu Hu thought she was sad and comforted her softly, "Don't be sad. Do you know who killed your father? I'll help you get revenge, okay?"

Today, Liu Hu insisted on coming along. Xiao Lan said that he was willing to play only the role of a servant, so she left him alone.

In fact, Liu Hu was worried that these people in charge would give Xiao Lan a hard time, so he wanted to protect her from behind. Secondly, he was worried about the "hero saving the beauty" plot arranged by Xiao Zongwen. If he was not there, he would miss the opportunity or cause someone to accidentally hurt Xiao Lan.

Xiao Lan didn't care about what Liu Hu said, and just deliberately challenged him, "If your brother killed him, how can you help me? I don't think you will ever be able to beat your powerful brother in this life."

Liu Hu was stunned by what she said. His face darkened, but he wasn't angry. He just felt a little embarrassed. "He has been playing tricks since he was a child. I'm used to it. If he really killed me, you can use my life to pay for it."

This time it was Jasmine's turn to be disdainful. "The person is dead, what's the point of saying this? Who can take whose life? If you die, Master Xiao will live."

"Besides, it wasn't you who killed him. Even if you send him to the King of Hell, he won't recognize him." Xiao Lan said this and walked away. The servant at the door greeted him respectfully and led him into the Xiao family's gate.

Sun Jiye and Sun Xiner, who got off another carriage, were led by Mother Xu and followed behind, and did not hear the three people talking.

"Mother." Sun Jiye and Xin'er ran over, each holding one of Xiao Lan's hands as they walked inside.

Liu Hu watched silently from behind and felt that the scene was extremely heartwarming. If Xiao Lan could give birth to a child for him, he would definitely hold her in his arms every day.

But he didn't know if Liu Yu was really Xiao Lan's father's murderer. If it was Liu Yu, what would he do? If he really lost his life, how could he and Xiao Lan live together forever? He didn't think he could bring himself to kill Liu Yu either. The more he thought about it, the more upset he became, and the expression on his face became more and more unsightly.

The servants who passed by him all took a detour, thinking that the man behind Xiao Lan was really scary.

"Kowtow to Grandfather." Xiao Lan asked Sun Jiye and Sun Xiner to kneel in the mourning hall and kowtow to Xiao Zongshan, but she just watched silently from the side. The old housekeeper asked her to kowtow, but she just said that the blood clots had not yet cleared and she couldn't kowtow, so she got away with it.

Jiye and Xin'er were left with Mother Xu to play in other courtyards of the Xiao family. He then took Moli and Liu Hu to the hall to meet the stewards.

In the hall, Xiao Wu sat at the head of the table, flanked by the workshop managers. When Xiao Lan entered, several people scrutinized her. Her dark blue jacket and skirt, embroidered with gold thread, accentuated her rosy complexion. Her makeup, rather than feminine, was more heroic, giving her the air of a head of household. Most importantly, she didn't look as frail as rumored. The managers exchanged glances, but remained silent.

Although Jasmine's outfit was simple, it was made of fine materials. She was obviously a personal maid. She was used to being a housekeeper now, so she was not shy at all when entering and leaving such occasions. She was graceful and polite.

Liu Hu, dressed in a dark tights, followed behind with his head held high and his chest puffed out. He looked like a bandit to begin with, and now he was in a bad mood. Even a casual glance from him could make people terrified.

Seeing Xiao Lan arrive in all his splendor, Xiao Wu was slightly pleased. Clothes make the man, and saddles make the horse. Previously, Xiao Lan had always appeared somewhat frail. She had also heard that Xiao Lan's compound housed many martial artists, so she didn't doubt Liu Hu's identity too much.

"These are all old people who have followed your father for many years. Now that your father has passed away, we need a few more people to take over the business." Mrs. Xiao Wu raised her hand and waved, motioning Xiao Lan to sit on the main seat next to her, which was Xiao Zongshan's previous seat.

Xiao Lan bowed to Xiao Wu, then turned and bowed to the others. Jasmine knelt behind her, but Liu Hu remained motionless.

"My father passed away suddenly, and in the midst of this grief, I had to take over the business early. I'll need your guidance in the future. Sorry for the inconvenience."

Several managers also stood up, bowed, and introduced themselves.

"I'm Li Shan from the porcelain workshop."

"Gu Er from the Paint Shop."

"Kick the cloth shop Du Wei."

"Wu You from the Brocade Workshop."

"..." The eight workshops were introduced, each with its own specific division of labor, encompassing everything from porcelain and fabrics to winemaking, carpentry, and goldsmithing. However, each of these workshops was responsible for two areas. One area supplied the capital, utilizing high-quality materials and exquisite workmanship. The craftsmen within these workshops were often highly skilled artisans hired from various locations. While output was low, they constantly strived for excellence. The other area supplied South City and other surrounding towns, producing whatever they could find a market for.

The materials from the North City Cloth Shop last time were some defective products that Xiao Zongshan selected from the materials specially supplied to the capital. But even so, they were already rare in these small towns.

Xiao Lan listened carefully to what the managers said and felt that Xiao Zongshan was quite capable. Most of these workshops were organized by Xiao Zongshan himself, while his grandfather had only hired a few skilled craftsmen to do some fine work.

Xiao Lan would greet each manager with a respectful greeting as they introduced themselves. After the whole process, she felt completely exhausted. She suddenly recalled a previous trip to a certain country where people were always bowing and scraping, which had also exhausted her and was very unaccustomed to it.

"It's almost the end of the year, and the goods that should be sent away have been sent away. The workshop is no longer so busy, so Madam Sun doesn't need to worry about it. But the account has to be settled with the capital at this critical juncture. Previously, it was supervised by Mr. Xiao himself. Even when Mr. Xiao was in the north a few years ago, he would temporarily return to the capital to settle the accounts before leaving. Now..." The person who spoke was Du Wei. Although he was in charge of the cloth-beating workshop, he was the most senior among these managers.

The look this man gave Xiao Lan was not kind; he looked at her too directly and spoke bluntly, as if Xiao Lan would have no control over the matter.

"Settling accounts is a real hassle. One time, Master couldn't make it to the capital, and the accounts were never settled. The Xiao family had to pay for the craftsmen to go home for the Lunar New Year, and only after Master Xiao returned to the capital did the money get settled," Wu You echoed. He was in charge of the brocade workshop, which supplied the capital with the most items, using countless gold and silver threads. The skilled craftsmen had inherited their craftsmanship, and their wages were the highest.

"Don't worry, everyone. Even if I don't come back, I won't ask you to pay for it." Xiao Lan heard the hidden meaning in their words, every word implying that this debt was very difficult to collect. She wondered if asking her great-grandfather Xiao Yu for help would make it easier for him to speak in the capital. After all, they were old acquaintances...

"I heard that there are very few women in charge of households in the capital. What's more, Madam Sun is weak and can't even guard her father's mourning hall. Can she take on this important task?" The speaker was Li Shan from the porcelain workshop. Like Du Wei, he looked at Xiao Lan with disgust.