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

Fang Xiaoran's words made Liu realize that the Lin family was in control of the situation, and the Fang family was at a disadvantage no matter what. Moreover, Liu had to consider her daughter's reputation. If this matter were to spread, it would undoubtedly drive Fang Yunyao to a dead end.

There is still a glimmer of hope in negotiating with the Lin family. Although the Xue family is not the best choice, it is better than having one's reputation damaged. However, the prerequisite is that Fang Xiaoran is willing to marry Lin Ziheng.

Just thinking about Fang Xiaoran's resolute and unyielding attitude made Liu feel a headache. Getting her to agree would probably be harder than growing gold from the ground.

"If Aunt Liu has nothing else, then I'll take my leave." Fang Xiaoran didn't want to linger any longer, so she turned and left after saying this.

Watching her receding figure, Liu couldn't help but sigh. This time, she had truly encountered a thorny problem.

"They are all a bunch of trash!"

Back at Manchun Garden, Zhou Qin was furious and swept all the tea and snacks off the table. Hearing the noise, Madam Wang immediately came out of the house and saw Zhou Qin raging in the courtyard. She felt a headache coming on and asked irritably, "What's wrong now?"

"None of your business," Zhou Qin replied expressionlessly, then turned to her maid, Mo Lan, and said, "Da Meng San Sheng has already prepared everything for them, but they've mistaken the person. They can't even handle this small matter properly, yet they dare to dream of getting my father and brothers' support? It's utterly delusional!"

Madam Wang's face turned ashen from the rebuke, but she was helpless against her daughter-in-law. She was about to slink back into the house when she heard Zhou Qin's words. She quickly turned around and asked in confusion, "What do you mean by mistake? Are you talking about Fourth Sister's secret rendezvous with the Xue family's young master?"

"Even though they've been confined to Manchun Garden, your information network is still so efficient. No wonder you've managed to keep Liu Xiaoniang under your thumb." Zhou Qin couldn't help but sneer and mock.

Madam Wang was furious, but she was also very curious, so she could only say in a gentle tone, "We are family, and it would be good for you if I were to be one step ahead of her. Qin'er, tell me what exactly happened."

"What do you mean, 'what's going on'? You're trapped here and can't even get out of the gate, what good would it do to tell you?" Zhou Qin said coldly.

Feeling embarrassed by her daughter-in-law's disrespect, but helpless, Wang could only say, "I can't go out for the time being, but I can give you some advice."

"You?" Zhou Qin glanced at her abruptly, and said with a hint of disdain, "You should think about how to get out of here."

After saying that, Zhou Qin turned and left. As she walked away, Madam Wang gripped the door frame with a pained expression, her fingertips trembling. "What kind of karma is this? I should have found a gentle and kind daughter-in-law. Ever since I married her, she has never given me a kind word."

Forget about giving her a kind look; Zhou Qin has never called her "mother-in-law" even once, which shows that in Zhou Qin's eyes she is merely a concubine and has no right to be called an elder.

“But the young mistress and the sixth young lady don’t get along either, so perhaps she can help you vent your anger.” The maid supported her and comforted her softly. These words made Madam Wang feel a little better. She sighed and said, “I hope she doesn’t cause any trouble. Not many people can control this girl’s temper.”

When Fang Xiaoran returned to the North Residence, it was already late. Lanterns had been hung under the eaves, making the North Residence much brighter than before. Even a few lanterns were placed on the stone bridge, probably because Ziju and the others were afraid that Fang Xiaoran would return in the dark.

In fact, with her sharp eyesight and keen insight, she could still move forward even in complete darkness without being affected in the slightest.

As Fang Xiaoran crossed the stone bridge, a maidservant saw her return and excitedly shouted, "Sister Ziju, Miss is back!"

These maids used to work at Manchun Garden. Since they stayed to work at Beiju, they have become more and more attached to this place. Even if Manchun Garden ever managed to scrape together the money to redeem them and send them back, they probably wouldn't want to.

After all, Fang Xiaoran treated her servants quite kindly, and the people in the North Residence were mostly young people, without those old women who relied on their age to act superior. It was much more comfortable to do things on a daily basis.

Besides, Fang Xiaoran is not short of money. Her food, clothing and daily necessities are naturally the best in the Fang family. The servants naturally benefit from this as well. Recently, the servants in the North Residence alone have acquired more clothes than the entire Fang family combined. The people in the other rooms are extremely envious.

Upon hearing that Fang Xiaoran had returned, Ziju rushed over, asking with great concern, "Miss, why did it take you so long to come back? It was just a birthday banquet, you should have been back by now. Could it be that the Lin family made things difficult for you?"

Fang Yunyao's matter was not made public; she was secretly sent back to the mansion. Naturally, the servants had no way of knowing, but they couldn't help but worry when they saw that Fang Xiaoran returned so late.

"Why is the Lin family making things difficult for me? I am a guest, after all. How can I be so careless about appearances?" Fang Xiaoran smiled and returned to Qishui Pavilion with Ziju. Qinglan brought over a bowl of red date and osmanthus soup and a plate of matsutake cake. Fang Xiaoran had just sat down and taken a few bites when Wu Guicheng rushed in to report: "Miss, the Xue family has gone to see the master and the old lady."

"The Xue family?" Qinglan looked at Wu Guicheng in confusion and asked curiously, "What are they here for? They can't be here to propose marriage to our girl, can they?"

Wu Guicheng replied, "I don't know, but it's clear that they didn't come at this time to propose marriage."

"It's not a marriage proposal, but it's pretty close." Fang Xiaoran's expression was calm. She chuckled and scooped a spoonful of soup into her mouth, then slowly picked up a piece of pastry and ate it, her demeanor very composed.

This made Qinglan even more puzzled. She asked suspiciously, "What exactly do you mean? The master and his family won't sell the girl to the Xue family, will they? If you ask me, it would be better to marry the second young master of the Gu family than to choose the Xue family. After all, it's a Marquis's mansion. If the second young master of the Gu family inherits the title in the future, then you will be a Marquis's wife."

“But isn’t that Second Young Master Gu disabled in both legs? And this marriage was arranged by Madam and Madam Gu when they were children. The Marquis’s Mansion hasn’t mentioned it since. I wonder if it still counts…” Ziju frowned slightly, her face showing worry.

Her concerns were understandable, given that Fang Chan had openly sought another marriage for Fang Xiaoran, while the Marquis's family had yet to respond, clearly indicating they didn't value the marriage. Furthermore, the disparity in power between the Fang family and the Marquis's family was too great; if Fang Xiaoran were to marry into that family, she might not have a smooth life.

Qinglan said irritably, "You're worrying too much. Whether it counts or not isn't just up to the Marquis's family. The young lady is deeply favored by the Empress Dowager. Maybe if she mentions it to the Empress Dowager, she'll approve the marriage. Then, will the Xue family dare to say a word against it?"

Ziju shook her head and said, "But the Marquis's family may not be a good match. The two families are of vastly different strengths. The young lady will suffer if she marries into that family."

"Where won't you suffer humiliation? It's better to cry in the Marquis's mansion than to be trampled on in a small household. At least on the surface, it's still respectable." Qinglan pouted and said bluntly.