After the rebirth of the wronged soft girl, the devil's crematorium

Su Wan smiled in surprise. Instantly, the atmosphere returned to silence, their gazes locked. The lingering aroma lingered around them like a thin veil, yet their gazes seemed to penetrate it, reaching deep into each other's hearts. They knew perfectly well that every word the other had uttered these days was a carefully calculated bargaining chip. Could they one day develop a greater level of trust?

Su Wan thought, maybe not.

"Hey. Xie Yin, what are you doing staring at a man every day..."

At this moment, Xiao Yucheng, dressed in blue, rushed through the door, but froze for a moment. He rubbed his eyes, looked at Su Wan and then at Xie Yin, and a hundred thoughts crossed his mind. No, no.

Seeing Xiao Yucheng pointing at him, Xie Yin was so excited that he couldn't speak. He slapped the man in the face and sent him flying.

He closed the door and said sideways, "Your people are outside. If you still care about your reputation, then go out the back door quickly. Don't forget, you owe me one." After that, the man pushed the door open and left.

"Xie Yin, you, you, you've gone too far! You don't love Ying'er, and you don't love Chuntao either, you, you, you..."

"If you say one more word, I'll let Ying'er, the piano player, take care of you by your bedside today."

Looking at the departing figure, Su Wan breathed a sigh of relief.

After exiting the back door, Liuyan came to greet her. Su Wan had instructed her that if she didn't come out within an incense stick of time, she should rush in with the people she had privately trained. Of course, this was a bad idea, as if things got out of hand, it would inevitably cause a stir. Therefore, Liuyan always kept Su Wan's words in mind and never acted rashly.

Seeing Su Wan come out unharmed, Liu Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Young Madam, if you don't come out soon, I'm going to rush in with my men."

Su Wan smoothed her hair and smiled comfortingly, "Okay, I'm fine now, right? Those people have gone back. Did they tell us not to draw attention?"

Liuyan nodded, "I've already told you."

The master, servant and Steward Liu returned to Mingxiangxuan from the back door. Half an incense stick of time had passed by then and they did not dare to stay any longer, so they went downstairs. Along the way, they deliberately discussed the woman's illness to dispel the two guards' doubts.

Upstairs in Fengming Tower, Xie Yin watched the departing carriage, his eyes darkening. The singing girls and dancers in the room had all been sent away, leaving only Xiao Yucheng and Xie Yin.

Xiao Yucheng pinched his waist and said, "Explain?"

Xie Yin frowned and looked at him, too lazy to pay attention.

"Let me tell you, the people in this shop are very strange. Maybe they are your enemies. I have also discovered a secret."

Xiao Yucheng cared deeply about his friend Xie Yin, so much so that he had secretly investigated and discovered that Mingxiangxuan had a common target. Xiao Yucheng had intended to investigate the owner's background, but he simply refused to acknowledge his ignorance, repeating his willingness to cooperate like a puppet. He suspected the owner had been kidnapped by Manager Liu.

"What secret?" Xie Yin asked.

"He and you are both looking for someone."

Xie Yin turned around and saw Xiao Yucheng smiling evilly.

After Su Wan guessed that Xie Yin's men were playing a prank, she simply warned Manager Liu to be careful and not to make any moves in the next few days. After returning to the Duke's Mansion, she didn't go directly to Tingyuxuan, but instead went to the kitchen in the backyard.

Inside Youchun Hall, upon hearing that Su Wan had just returned to the Zheng family, Wen Shi's brows flickered with displeasure. Ever since Su Wan took over the household, Wen Shi had been dissatisfied. After all, she couldn't handle even a few people. Wen Shi had never reflected on the root causes of the Duke's Mansion's frequent turmoil, instead blindly blaming Su Wan for her incompetence.

After hearing about the recent incidents involving men and women in the kitchen and garden, Wen Shi regretted her decision to replace the staff. However, Su Wan was still too useless.

Qin, who was sitting at the bottom, saw that Wen was dissatisfied with Su Wan, so she said, "My daughter-in-law is also at fault in this matter. My sister-in-law is not able to shoulder the burden, and I have not been able to assist her well."

Wen snorted coldly, "Your crime is more than just this." If it weren't for her grandson and son, she would have locked him up long ago. If it weren't for her, why would the Duke's Mansion let Su Wan, such a fool, run the household?

Qin choked and laughed dryly, "Mother-in-law is right, but right now we need to plan the Spring Festival Banquet and avoid making a fool of ourselves in the capital." The Spring Festival Banquet was an annual banquet held by aristocratic families during the Dachang migration south to inspire the people and soothe their homesickness. All the sons of the aristocratic families in the capital were required to attend. However, over time, the Spring Festival Banquet became a tool for the aristocratic families to form cliques and pursue personal interests through marriage alliances.

Speaking of this, Wen Shi felt depressed again. The public treasury was in deficit, and she couldn't help herself. Qin Shi had no private property to begin with, and she had wanted Su Wan to find a solution, but who knew she hadn't made any move in such a long time. What a waste! Her Zheng family had fallen to the point of being run by a crude, ignorant maid.

"Now, the palace is in financial difficulty, and we need to save money while still maintaining a respectable appearance. This has posed a great challenge to my younger sister-in-law."

Wen's eyes remained silent as she listened to Qin's words, "Our Zheng family's century-old foundation has always relied on ourselves. However, the Spring Banquet is unusual, and even more so, it involves the imperial court. If a poor reception leads to gossip, it will damage both our reputation and our interests."

These words struck a chord with Wen. While the Zheng family may appear glamorous on the surface, they're actually weak on the inside. The previous incident gave them cause for criticism, resulting in significant losses and even the Yu family's discontent. Therefore, Wen offered her own dowry to cover the shortfall and, by the way, to please her husband. If anything untoward were to happen again, not only the Wang family but also the Yu family would be the first to deal with the burden.

"Then do you have any good ideas?"

Qin nodded. "My daughter-in-law has a foolish idea. The Spring Banquet is nothing more than a pile of money. The Duke's Mansion is in deficit right now, but..." Qin looked up at Wen and said, "My sister-in-law has a generous dowry. If she is willing to help the Duke's Mansion, it would be a good thing."

Wen raised her eyelids, seeming a little surprised. But Qin knew that in Wen's eyes, Su Wan was extremely stupid. Why did Wen repeatedly insist that Su Wan handle this matter? Wasn't it because she wanted her to pay? It was just that her mother-in-law was too proud to say it out loud.

"Since Wan'er married into the Zheng family, we have never treated her unfairly. Now, she has only been the head of the household for a few days and has caused some trouble. Ultimately, she is responsible."

Wen sighed and took over the conversation, "Yes, ask yourself, we have been tolerant enough, but look at what she did?"

Isn't that right? Not only that, to this day, her belly still hasn't moved, causing endless rumors in the capital. If she hadn't been kind, she would have found a reason to kick this idiot out of the house long ago. It was all her son's fault, so what if she bleeds a little?

"Mother-in-law is right. As a member of the Duke's Mansion, I must do my best for its future."

Wen's expression softened and she sighed, "She's too dull to accomplish anything significant. Let the two of you run the Spring Banquet. You should take more of the initiative." Wen stood up and said, "This is also an opportunity I'm giving you. Don't let me down."

Qin stood up, looking respectful on the outside but sneering in her heart. What kind of intention was that? It was obvious that he was just using her as a knife to make sure Su Wan paid.