Marrying a royal playboy and becoming a glamorous matriarch

It's strange that Qin Ping'an personally brought tea to her late at night to serve her aunt's tea.

Wei Qingrou looked at Qin Ping'an suspiciously, but he leisurely sipped his tea, seemingly unconcerned.

Since that's the case, Wei Qingrou perked up and started dealing with Jiu Ying.

"If you're not asking for tea, then come on."

She led her people to the hall, where tea and cushions had already been laid out.

Chunxi placed a cup of tea in Jiuying's hand, and she gracefully knelt down at Wei Qingrou's feet.

"Please have some tea, Madam."

Wei Qingrou took the teacup, touched her lips with it, and then put it down.

He gave the man a few words of admonishment according to the rules, rewarded him with a plain silver hairpin, and then sent him away.

When she returned to the inner room, Qin Ping'an was reclining on the daybed, fiddling with a small gold and jade abacus, which made a crisp sound.

Wei Qingrou was actually quite unhappy. Qin Ping'an had clearly stopped caring about Jiu Ying's affairs before, but today he suddenly brought her back. What did that mean?

As the lord, he shouldn't be interfering in the inner quarters. Is his sudden intervention a deliberate attempt to reprimand her, or does he still have feelings for Jiu Ying?

However, she got along quite well with Qin Ping'an in the afternoon. Qin Ping'an even said that the concubines in the inner quarters were not qualified to compete with her, which did not seem like he was deliberately trying to put her down.

But this incident occurred after only a short absence, so something unexpected must have happened.

Being in the inner quarters required being sharp-eyed and alert, but this change happened so quickly that she was caught completely off guard. Qiu Xi had gone out to gather information but hadn't returned yet.

At this moment, Qin Ping'an handed her the golden abacus and asked, "Do you know how to use an abacus?"

Wei Qingrou shook her head; she could do mental arithmetic and didn't usually need an abacus.

"Then I'll teach you."

Qin Ping'an pulled her into his arms, took the abacus, and gently fiddled with the beads.

"How much more expense will there be each year if we have an extra concubine?"

Wei Qingrou felt a chill run down her spine. It turned out that he wasn't going to teach her how to use an abacus, but rather to talk to her about matters of the inner quarters of the household.

"An extra five taels of silver per month, plus an extra set of clothes for each season, adds up to no more than one hundred taels a year."

Qin Ping'an nodded and picked up another bead. "How much did you pry from her before?"

Wei Qingrou felt a chill run down her spine. Qin Ping'an was actually watching these underhanded tactics of infighting within the household? Could it be that he was going to cause trouble for her?

She quickly defended herself: "She was too arrogant to serve tea the first time, so I arranged for someone to teach her the proper etiquette. She tried to bribe me to slack off, so I taught her a lesson."

Qin Ping'an gazed at her with his deep eyes, and after she finished speaking, he asked, "That's alright, we're settling accounts, not other things."

Wei Qingrou had no choice but to tell the truth, "I distributed half of that money to my subordinates, and I received about a thousand taels."

Qin Pingan raised an eyebrow: "Then she has no money left, but I still have a use for her."

So that's why you brought her here today? Wei Qingrou's heart clenched; it turned out Qin Ping'an was using Jiu Ying.

So, the reason you spent so much money to compete with others for it back then wasn't because you really liked it?

Wei Qingrou was instantly surprised and began to guess Qin Ping'an's purpose in doing so.

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find a solution; her mind was a complete mess.

After all, she was a hastily trained socialite cultivated by Madam Wei, not a true noblewoman, and she really didn't understand the intricate and complex relationships in the capital.

Qin Pingan tapped her head, "Stop thinking about it, come and help me settle down for the night."

Wei Qingrou smiled sweetly and snuggled closer to him.

To be honest, she appreciated Qin Ping'an's willingness to tell her these things; it was already a gesture of goodwill from him.

If he were to remain silent and leave her to guess everything, her life would be even more difficult.

At night, Qin Ping'an bit her round shoulder and said, "Didn't you say you were saving money to start a business? I'll give you a shop and capital, how about that?"

Wei Qingrou's eyes lit up, and she hugged him affectionately.

"Is this true?"

"Okay, be good, hurry up."

Real gold and silver are the most touching things, and Wei Qingrou could never resist the temptation, so she raised her red lips and offered them to him.

The tricks of the white moonlight and cinnabar mole will only bother Wei Qingrou for a while.

But making money is what she's interested in all her life.

The next morning, Qiu Xi told Wei Qingrou the news she had found out.

"Yesterday, Jiu Ying once again spent money to inquire about the Second Master's whereabouts, waiting to intercept him. The Second Master was originally impatient, but Jiu Ying said something, and the Second Master took her back to the main courtyard."

Qiu Xi was a little uneasy. "It seems that Second Master still doesn't care about her. In any case, she will definitely not be able to surpass you."

The maids around her were somewhat apprehensive. Having grown up in the inner quarters, they knew that the struggles within the inner quarters never ceased.

The struggle for power, fame, profit, and favor is fierce, with everyone vying for their own interests; there's never a moment of peace.

They were worried that Wei Qingrou and Qin Ping'an would hurt their relationship, and they were also afraid of being implicated and having their anger taken out on them.

Wei Qingrou waved her hand, "Don't worry about her, and you should all stay away from her in the future."

Since Qin Ping'an has made arrangements for Jiu Ying, she should keep her distance and not get in the way of Qin Ping'an's plans, nor should she let Jiu Ying see through her intentions.

The maids around her didn't understand and tentatively asked, "Are you really going to let her have her way? Isn't Madam afraid of letting her get too big for her britches? She should be disciplined."

Wei Qingrou raised an eyebrow, not saying it was Qin Ping'an's arrangement, but simply reminding them.

“You’ve taken over a thousand taels of silver from her before, and even the valuables in her room, but she can still produce silver now. What does that mean?”

Chunxi exclaimed in surprise, "This shows that this concubine is not simple; she is hiding her true abilities and may have other tricks up her sleeve."

"Yes, so you all need to be vigilant and keep a close eye on her every day, but don't take action."

"Yes."

Everyone in the room quickly agreed, feeling grateful to Wei Qingrou.

A mistress who is willing to openly advise her servants is a good mistress; sometimes, a seemingly insignificant word can be a lifesaver.

Like Jiu Ying, who was initially thought to be just a concubine who used her beauty to gain favor, but little did she know that there was more to her than met the eye.

Today is the Double Ninth Festival. According to tradition, married daughters should return to their parents' home to serve them for a day to show their filial piety.

The prince and princess only had two sons and no daughters, so this day was always cold and lonely.

Wei Qingrou specially made Chongyang cakes and personally served them to the prince and princess during breakfast.

The two elders were overjoyed, praising Wei Qingrou for being considerate and filial, and for her excellent cooking skills, their faces beaming with happiness.

After breakfast, the princess urged her to go back to her parents' home as soon as possible, saying, "It's getting late, your mother is waiting for you at home."

Wei Qingrou smiled and bid farewell, returning to the Wei family with her husband and gifts.

Upon entering the Wei family's gate, the two parted ways. Qin Ping'an went to the study to see Master Wei, while Wei Qingrou went to the inner courtyard to find Madam Wei.

Before even reaching the flower hall in the back of the Wei family residence, Wei Qingrou could hear cheerful laughter and chatter inside.

When the maid saw Wei Qingrou, she quickly lifted the curtain and said with a smile, "Third Miss is back. Madam was just talking about her."

"It's so cold outside, sister, you must be tired." Chunxi handed her the purse.

The maidservant accepted the gift with a smile, saying, "Thank you for the reward, Third Miss."

Upon entering the house, one sees Wei Lianxin sitting in the middle, surrounded by a group of relatives who are showing concern and care for her.

She was usually aloof and indifferent, but today her face lit up with joy as she spoke to everyone with a smile, appearing kind and approachable.

That's strange. Could it be that Wei Lianxin has recently encountered something good?