After being sentenced to death, she came to her senses.

“Miss, since you didn’t go to the front yard, the master has asked about you. After all, it’s the eldest son’s big day. If you don’t show up soon, the master might scold you.”

Ziju brought over a bowl of hot tea and handed it to Fang Xiaoran, telling her everything she knew and offering quiet words of advice.

Now that things have escalated to this point, it's probably difficult to maintain appearances. How could Fang Xiaoran care? She smiled and said, "Going is just for fun. What difference does it make if I'm there or not?"

"But if we do that, the master might be displeased and dissatisfied with you, young lady."

“He was already dissatisfied with me, and it won’t change just because I went there. I know you hope that my relationship with my father will improve, but there’s a dead end between us. You don’t need to worry about it.” Fang Xiaoran said, getting up and bringing over a jar. She pricked her finger and let a drop of blood drip into the jar.

Ziju had seen this scene many times, but she was still frightened. Although Ziju wondered what was inside, she always knew that she would never ask a question about her young mistress unless the young mistress told her herself.

"By the way, the manager of Danxi Pharmacy handed me a secret scroll, which Guicheng secretly gave to me to pass on to you."

Wu Guicheng was also thoughtful. He knew that among the two personal maids, Ziju was the most reliable, so he chose to entrust her with the task. Qinglan had betrayed her master in her previous life. Although she had not yet developed any disloyalty in this life, Fang Xiaoran still tried to avoid her in important matters, learning from her past mistake.

After receiving the secret scroll, Fang Xiaoran opened it and glanced at it. She was slightly surprised that He Chunming had actually handed her the pharmacy's account book to review.

It should be noted that her relationship with Danxi Pharmacy was merely a partnership, and she never inquired about the pharmacy's profits. Even with the Yishen Pill, she always only took 60% of the profits. He Chunming's move was simply to completely bind her to Danxi Pharmacy, which would naturally only benefit the pharmacy.

At the bottom of the ledger was a contract. Fang Xiaoran glanced at it and was surprised to find that He Chunming had actually handed over the position of the head of the gang to her, while he himself had been relegated to the position of the second-in-command.

This is not just a simple binding agreement, but a sharing of benefits. He Chunming is quite clever. He does not ask about Fang Xiaoran's true identity, but only recognizes "Doctor Qi". Although doing so has disadvantages for him, once the person disappears, he will never be able to find her again, and there is also the possibility that she will be absconded with the money. However, high returns are always accompanied by high risks, and he is willing to take this gamble.

Dealing with smart people is naturally much more pleasant. Fang Xiaoran did want to expand her network and business in Yancheng. In her previous life, she had nothing and no way out, which is why Zhao Jin forced her to such a point. Her mother also gave all her dowry to the Fang family, leaving herself all alone and ultimately without a place to go. No matter what, she could not let the same thing happen again.

Fang Xiaoran stood up, took an exquisite peach wood box from the shelf, and handed it to Ziju. "Give this to Wu Guicheng. He knows what to do."

"Yes."

After obtaining the wooden box, Wu Guicheng, dressed in black and wearing a straw hat, flipped over the wall and disappeared into the horizon.

Meanwhile, the wedding procession had arrived at the Fang family home. Fang Huaihong dismounted from his horse, walked steadily towards the wedding sedan chair, and extended his hand, waiting for the bride to emerge.

The person in the sedan chair paused briefly, then slowly extended their hand. As soon as the bride stepped out of the sedan chair, Fang Huaihong decisively grabbed her around the waist and, amidst the cheers of the crowd, strode towards the Fang family's main hall.

The deafening sound of firecrackers instantly made the entire Fang residence exceptionally lively. Upon hearing the firecrackers, a servant hurriedly reported, "They're here! Master, they've arrived!"

Meanwhile, far away in Manchun Garden, Madam Wang was so anxious when she heard the firecrackers outside that she paced back and forth in her room. She kept glancing at the gate and saw that not only had the number of guards not decreased, but there had been a few more. It seemed that Madam Liu was determined not to let her leave even for a moment.

"My son is getting married today, but as his mother, I can't even have a chance to see him. Liu Aoyun is too heartless. When her son gets married in the future, I will definitely make her pay double!"

Madam Wang roared and overturned everything on the table, startling Xia Lian who quickly stopped her, saying, "Madam, today is a joyous occasion. Please don't be angry. Everyone knows that the eldest son is filial. Even if he can't drink the tea offered by the bride in court, he will definitely bring the young mistress to pay his respects to you personally."

"But what will the Zhou family think of me? How can this daughter-in-law be expected to be filial to me in the future?"

"Perhaps the young mistress is a reasonable person and will not disrespect you."

"Sensible? If they were truly sensible, how come no one from the Zhou family would dare to propose marriage? Let my son get the better deal."

"Madam, it's probably not a good idea for you to say that..."

Xia Lian couldn't believe her ears. On such a joyous occasion, the concubine would say such things. If someone with ulterior motives heard this and relayed it to the young mistress, who knows how much trouble it would cause.

"Forget it, it wasn't for a reasonable daughter-in-law anyway." Madam Wang sighed and slumped into a chair. Xia Lian quickly poured her a cup of hot tea and handed it to her. Madam Wang took a sip and calmed down. "The Zhou family is very prominent. As long as she can be an asset to my son, I'll accept even an ugly daughter-in-law."

After the ceremony, Zhou Qin was led along a winding path and it took her quite a while to arrive at Manchun Garden. Compared to the front courtyard of the Fang family, it was much quieter here, lacking any of the joy and liveliness of a bride entering the family. Instead, it was like an ice cave, devoid of any vitality.

"Young Madam, my mistress said that when you arrive at Manchun Garden, you must first offer her a cup of tea before entering." The maid stood guard at the entrance of Manchun Garden and said to Zhou Qin in a low voice.

She didn't even bother with formalities, and her arrogant tone greatly displeased Zhou Qin.

The reason a maid dared to do this was simply because she was instructed by her master. This was Wang's way of deliberately making things difficult for the bride, fearing that she would disrespect her in the future, so she was giving her a warning first.

However, Zhou Qin is the apple of the Zhou family's eye and has never suffered any grievances since childhood. Wang's actions will only backfire.

Zhou Qin immediately stopped, abruptly lifted the veil, glanced coldly at the maid, then walked over and slapped her across the face. Caught off guard, the maid covered her cheek in shock and disbelief, saying, "Young Madam, you've only just entered the household and you're already so disrespectful to your mother-in-law? Aren't you afraid...?"

"Where did this mother-in-law come from? I am the legitimate daughter of the Zhou family. The mother-in-law I should respect is the legal wife of the Fang family. Has she arrived?" Zhou Qin asked coldly. The maid was speechless for a moment, "This..."

"Since you didn't come, then get out of my way. How dare you block my path? Are you tired of living?"

Her face was ashen. She forcefully pushed the maid aside and swaggered into Manchun Garden. Before leaving, she commented with a look of disdain, "This place is far too small. It's not even as big as a vegetable garden in my Zhou family. He married me and now he wants me to live in a place like this. What is Fang Huaihong good for?"