Reborn, the daughter of the Marquisate went crazy

Xie Qingli stopped at Zhang Shouan's door, hesitating how to start.

Zhang Shouan smiled gently and teased, "Sister Li'er, why don't you dare to come in? I don't have any poisonous snakes or ferocious beasts here, only fragrant tea and delicious food. Don't you want to come in and try it?" The servant had already set the fragrant tea and snacks.

Xie Qingli looked at Zhang Shouan and saw that he looked normal. He felt relieved and secretly thankful that the rumors had not reached his ears.

"Then I won't be polite! Second brother, don't think I can eat." Xie Qingli walked in with a smile: "But I'm not a person who eats for free. This is the qi-replenishing pill I prepared recently. Second brother, take one every morning after getting up, and your body will recover faster." As he spoke, he handed over the pill.

Zhang Shouan took it, carefully stroking the delicate patterns on the bottle. He smiled and asked, "Sister, you didn't come here today just to bring me medicine, did you?" He paused and said, "Yesterday, two maids deliberately gossiped outside my window, telling a bunch of devilish and misleading stories."

Xie Qingli was shocked when she heard this and stood up hurriedly. "I did come here today for this matter. Don't worry, second brother, I have no ulterior motives." She said solemnly, "I am deeply grateful to my adoptive parents for adopting me and giving me the love I have never felt before. I dare not covet their wealth. Second brother should know my background. I will leave soon and go to Shengjing City to find my biological parents."

Zhang Shouan's expression darkened. Fairies really wouldn't stay around mortals. He suppressed his surging emotions, stood up, and pushed Xie Qingli into a chair. "Don't worry, sister. This little trick won't sow discord between you and me."

He coughed lightly and spoke with a dejected tone, "I've been frail since childhood, and I'm the only child in my family. My father and mother worry every day, worried that I might leave them at any time. They've never enjoyed the slightest bit of family happiness."

"But now, you and Big Brother have cured me. Father and Mother have the three of us, surrounded by children and grandchildren, enjoying their old age. I've never seen them so happy, so I'm very happy to be able to become a family with you and Big Brother. As for the family property, to me, money is external to the body, and it's the least important. If you want it, I'm willing to give you everything in this house."

He looked deeply at Xie Qingli and said, "Li'er, remember this: from the moment you performed the ceremony of paying respects, you, Xie Qingli, are my sister, Zhang Shouan. From now on, no matter where you are, no matter what difficulties you encounter, you can rely on me, and I will do my best!"

In his nearly twenty years of life, Zhang Shouan had never spoken such a long speech. As he spoke, he was shocked to realize that his usually cold self had actually spoken so passionately. He felt anxious, fearing Xie Qingli's reaction, yet also hoping for a response. He gently sipped his tea, his long feathery eyelashes drooping, hiding the light in his eyes.

Zhang Shouan's words were like a clear spring, flowing with a trace of warmth, seeping into Xie Qingli's heart. Her eyes were red and tears flowed involuntarily. Such unswerving protection and support, this is what family is! Her second brother was so frank, but she was worried that he would have a grudge. She was narrow-minded.

Seeing Xie Qingli crying, Zhang Shouan's heart suddenly tightened. He reached out and rubbed Xie Qingli's head, took out a handkerchief and gently wiped away her tears, teasingly saying, "In the past, you were a calm, self-controlled, intelligent and wise doctor, but today you cried like a little cat. You finally act like a little girl your age."

The faint scent of herbs on the handkerchief reassured Xie Qingli. She sniffed and retorted, "My second brother isn't much older than me, but he speaks like a seventy or eighty-year-old grandfather."

After saying this, the two looked at each other and smiled.

Thinking of the important matter, Xie Qingli hurriedly asked, "Second brother, do you still remember the names of those two maids? Such an outrageous rumor has spread throughout the mansion in a short period of time. I suspect someone is fanning the flames to sow discord between us. We need to find the person behind this as soon as possible, otherwise who knows what tricks he will come up with."

Zhang Shouan hadn't expected Xie Qingli to be so thoughtful at such a young age. He secretly praised her cleverness and said calmly, "Don't worry, sister. I'll handle this matter. I won't let those ignorant people bully you again. As for the two maids who delivered the message, I've ordered them to be interrogated. Sister, just wait for good news."

Xie Qingli was a little surprised. Zhang Shouan didn't seem like the type to meddle in other people's business, yet he took the initiative to take on this matter, which actually reduced Xie Qingli's troubles. She was worried that if the culprit was a servant who had gained respect, she would be criticized for punishing the servant right after arriving at the mansion.

……

The next morning, Zhang Shouan sent someone to invite Xie Qingli.

Xie Qingli arrived at Madam Zhang's courtyard, where the master and servants had already arrived. Zhang Shouan calmly recounted the entire story, and he discovered that the source of the rumor was actually the maid who tended the flowers and trees in Madam Zhang's courtyard. This maid's daughter, Lancao, was Madam Zhang's most capable maidservant, and through her daughter's influence, the maid had considerable influence within the mansion.

This was the first time Madam Zhang had heard these rumors. She was furious and ordered the maid to be immediately tied up and interrogated. Lancao pleaded for her mother, but Madam Zhang remained unmoved. The two worked in the same courtyard and saw each other every day, so Madam Zhang refused to believe that Lancao knew nothing.

After a few slaps, the woman confessed everything. A few days ago, when she was leaving the mansion, a young man from Renjitang stopped her and offered her fifty taels of silver. He told her to spread rumors and sow discord between Young Master Shouan and the eldest daughter. If the rumors were successful, he would give her another hundred taels. If the eldest daughter was driven out, he would give her another three hundred taels. The woman had never seen such a large sum of money before, and, dazzled by the sight of the money, she agreed to the job.

Everyone in the Zhang family was furious, and the culprit was the old bastard Xue Henian, who was really haunting them.

Madam Zhang was ashamed and furious that the servant she had personally trained for years was behaving in such a way. She ordered the old woman and Lancao to be sold off. The servants were stunned. Everyone had seen how much Madam Zhang relied on Lancao, but now, simply because Lancao's mother had spread a few rumors about the eldest daughter, both mother and daughter were sold off. The servants realized that the person they couldn't afford to offend the most in the mansion was the eldest daughter.

Madam Zhang took Xie Qingli's hand, her face full of apology: "I didn't even keep an eye on the people under my stepmother's nose, causing such a thing, and making you suffer."

Xie Qingli smiled softly, "Mother, how could Li'er be wronged? I just heard some rumors, and my second brother quickly took action to resolve it." She paused, "But it's not appropriate for my second brother to make such a fuss. He must have no experience in handling matters in the harem. Mother, please don't blame him."

Madam Zhang tapped Xie Qingli's nose. "You clever little rascal, are you worried that your stepmother will lose face today and blame your second brother? Do you think your stepmother is so petty?"

She said with some relief, "Shou'an has always been aloof. This is the first time I've seen him take the initiative to take charge of things. He made such a big fuss today, isn't it just to establish your authority? Let's see who dares to bully you in the future! He loves you like a sister, and you protect him like a brother. Inside and out, I'm the only bad guy."

Xie Qingli hugged Mrs. Zhang's arm and acted coquettishly: "My stepmother is the best, better than my second brother. Li'er's favorite person is my stepmother." Mrs. Zhang's eyes were curved. Who wouldn't want a delicate and soft daughter?

Meanwhile, Old Doctor Xue was leisurely listening to a tune and sipping a cup of tea, happily anticipating when the Zhang family would close their net. He had no idea how many hornet's nests he had stirred up...