She got pregnant after the swap marriage, and the scumbag's family regretted it so much they cr

Li could understand her intentions, having dealt with her for so many years in her previous life.

Lu Huan followed her words and said, "Alright, I should go back to the courtyard and sort through the old things my mother left me. And the maids in the courtyard should also be taken care of. I can't keep so many people confined to the backyard even though I'm married!"

Li's expression immediately turned sour: "Your father and I will take care of these things for you. Why have you become estranged from your family after you got married?"

“Father and I are not estranged.” Lu Huan knew what Li Shi was up to and directly asked Lu Chengde for help. “Father, could you lend me the head steward for a while? Most of my maids are born into the household, and I can’t decide where they go.”

"Alright, alright." Lu Chengde still wanted to use Lu Huan to climb up the social ladder to the Prince of Yan's mansion, so he readily agreed.

Li and Lu Ruyi quickly exchanged a glance, realizing that today's plan might not be so easy to succeed.

Lu Huan stood up, but to her surprise, Gao Yan also stood up: "Wife, I'll go with you!"

"That's fine..."

"no!"

Li Shi and Lu Huan's voices rang out simultaneously.

Lu Huan raised an eyebrow and continued, "That's good. The maids should indeed get to know him, otherwise they won't know what their son-in-law looks like."

As they were about to turn and leave, Madam Li stopped them, saying, "This is utter nonsense! How can a man go to the backyard!"

“The head steward is also a man. With him accompanying you, what is there for Ayan to avoid? If you are really worried, just close the courtyard gate.”

After saying these two sentences, Lu Huan grabbed Gao Yan's hand and left without looking back. Shi Gu glanced at the people sitting in the main hall, picked up his bundle from the ground, and also slipped away.

Li was so angry that her voice cracked. Pointing at Shi Gu's back, she complained to Lu Chengde, "Look at your good daughter!"

Lu Chengde retorted, "Isn't it all because you taught him that!"

He glanced at the two sons-in-law sitting to his right, one a scholar and the other Li's nephew; there was nothing interesting to talk about with either of them.

So he instructed his son, "Haoyu, help me greet your two brothers-in-law."

With even her father gone, Lu Ruyi could no longer sit still.

She tugged at Li's sleeve: "Mother, how are you preparing my dowry? Let's go back to the courtyard and take a look! My eldest brother can take care of things here."

The once bustling main hall was now empty except for Lu Haoyu, Gao Zhongbao, and Li Rong.

Fortunately, Lu Haoyu ran a bookstore. He often interacted with scholars and candidates for the imperial examinations, and Li Rong was adept at social maneuvering. The three of them chatted amiably and found themselves getting along very well.

Lu Ruyi and Lu Jinxiu's courtyard is located on the east side of the Lu residence, while Lu Huan's courtyard is on the other side. Therefore, Lu Ruyi is not worried at all that Lu Huan will hear them talking in the courtyard.

"Mother, you have no idea how despicable Lu Huan is! She actually used the silver notes you secretly gave me to buy a shop! Go and get the money back!"

Seeing that Madam Li still looked lost in thought, Lu Ru urged, "Mother! What are you daydreaming about? Everyone in the backyard listens to you. She only has Gao Yan by her side. Does she think she's afraid of him?"

Madam Li patted Lu Ruyi's hand, signaling her not to act impulsively: "I'm just curious, how did she suddenly slip out of control?"

Lu Jinxiu, who had been following behind them without saying a word, spoke up at this moment: "Did my sister insist on the arranged marriage and upset her too much?"

"I regret it now. I should have just given her a packet of sleeping pills. If all else failed, I should have at least given her an aphrodisiac!" Lu Ruyi's eyes were filled with venom.

Li slapped her on the shoulder and looked around, afraid that someone would hear her nonsense.

"Are you crazy shouting so loudly? Do you think it's something to be proud of? Do you still think you have a great reputation in the city!"

What did I tell you before? I told you not to mess with her, not to mess with her, why didn't you use your brain!

What we should do now is let it sit for now. Wait until everyone forgets about it, or until a bigger rumor surfaces, then we can deal with her.

And you! You provoked her at such a sensitive time! Look at her these past few days, besides not marrying Gao Zhongbao, when have you ever gotten the better of her?!

After being scolded by Li, Lu Ruyi regained her senses. She reviewed the events of the past three days and realized that, as her mother had said, she hadn't gotten anything good out of it.

"Mother, what should I do? I'm just worried about you, it took you so long to get eight thousand taels of silver from Father!"

Enjoying Lu Ruyi's coquettishness, Li's eyes turned fierce: "You just need to keep your husband and in-laws in check at the Gao family. You don't need to worry about the Lu family. If I can get eight thousand taels from Lu Chengde, I can get another ten thousand!"

"Mother is still the best to me!" Lu Ruyi nestled into Li's arms, her face full of affection.

Lu Jinxiu stood aside with her head down, like an outsider, isolated from the world of the Li mother and daughter.

Compared to the harmonious atmosphere in Lu Ruyi's courtyard, Lu Huan's side was much more chaotic.

The maids were quite startled by the shocking revelation Lu Huan had made.

Going back to a quarter of an hour earlier, Lu Huan was pulling Gao Yan along in front, with Lu Zheng and Shi Gu following behind.

Before I even stepped into my own yard, I could hear the sounds of laughter and playfulness coming from inside.

Lu Huan's expression didn't change much, but Lu Zheng seemed a little embarrassed.

Most of the maids in the young lady's courtyard were born into the household.

Their parents were either managers on the estate or in charge of the Lu family's businesses. They had always been pampered and spoiled, so they were no less well-off than the Third Miss.

“Look how happy they are, I shouldn’t have kept them confined in the yard.”

After Lu Huan finished speaking, he pushed open the courtyard gate and went inside.

Two of the maids were honest and were still sweeping the courtyard. But the other maids seemed to be deliberately going against them, throwing the shells of the sunflower seeds they had just cracked onto the spot they had cleaned.

"Don't go too far!"

"What, who are you trying to fool with this act? You used to be able to fawn over the young lady, but now that she's married, who are you still pretending for!"

Looking at them, some sitting and some lying down, it seemed as if they were the owners of this courtyard.

Lu Huan couldn't help but clap his hands: "This is really lively!"

Xiangqiao cursed under her breath, but seeing the head steward Lu behind Lu Huan, she had no choice but to get up from the small couch, walk up to her and bow.

"Young Miss, why are you back? Why didn't you let us know beforehand? We could have made some preparations."

Lu Huan walked past her toward the main house, muttering to herself, "I never thought that a married daughter would really be like water spilled from a bowl."

Lu Zheng glared at Xiang Qiao and followed her inside.

As she passed the small couch, Lu Huan didn't even glance at it. Since it wasn't something her mother had left her, she didn't care who had used it.

Stepping into the main house, apart from some dust on the floor, it was exactly the same as before her marriage. But for Lu Huan, it felt like an entire lifetime had passed.

Gao Yan's voice rang out behind her, interrupting her reverie: "So this is your boudoir!"