The cousin's family is extremely wealthy; she deserves to be a concubine.

But the old lady was her mother-in-law, so she would always be inferior to her. "Thank you for your kindness, Mother. I am so fortunate to have married into the Marquis's mansion and enjoy happiness."

Regardless of whether life is good or bad in reality, since you married into a better family, you certainly wouldn't say anything negative about it.

"It's not easy for you to manage such a large family. Once Zhang's wife enters the household, you can relinquish your management duties and become an old lady like me before you start enjoying your retirement." The old lady now only cares about not being deaf or mute, not acting as the head of the household; this is how one should enjoy life.

However, after all these years together, it seems unlikely that she, as the eldest daughter-in-law, will easily relinquish her control over the household.

"Yes, once my daughter-in-law enters the family, I will follow my mother's example and just take care of my grandson, enjoying the joys of family life. Let the young people handle the worries." Madam Shen was satisfied with the eldest daughter of the Duke of Li's family who was about to enter the family.

"Whatever you want, I'm too impatient to worry about these things anymore." The old lady smiled indifferently. As long as her descendants didn't go astray and the matriarch was virtuous enough, she was happy to be a mascot.

"Then Mother, shall I clean up Qingwu Courtyard and let my poor Rong'er live there?"

The old lady frowned slightly. "Isn't it a bit out of the way? It's in the northwest corner of our big garden. It's probably a bit far for me to visit my sisters regularly."

“Rong’er is wearing mourning clothes and must observe the mourning period for three years. It’s not good to take her out of the mansion on a daily basis. I think she should stay in Qingwu Courtyard, where it will be quieter and more comfortable.”

Madam Shen offered a brief explanation, making sure not to give the impression that she, as the aunt, disliked her niece, since they hadn't even met yet and she wasn't about to be disrespected.

“You’ve thought this through. Several households live together, and if Miss Rong lives nearby, it’s easy for them to bump into each other when they’re walking around. If something happens, it’s easy for people to blame her.”

If they bring up the "bad luck for marriage" label again, how will that young girl find a husband? Their other two wives are no pushovers either.

“Mother is so kind-hearted, thinking so much about Rong’er. When the child comes, I will bring her to kowtow outside Mother’s courtyard.” There’s no need to go into the courtyard to see the elders. If something happens to the old lady, it’s a small matter if Rong’er is criticized, but it’s a big deal if she is blamed by her sister-in-law and husband.

“Alright, bring him along so I can meet the child.” The old lady was a devout Buddhist all her life and had a very kind heart. The child was performing rituals at Baiyun Temple to pray for her deceased parents, so she secretly wanted to meet the child.

"That child is still in mourning, so it's fine if her mother doesn't see her." With the reputation of bringing misfortune upon her relatives, and not even being the old lady's niece or granddaughter, how could she be brought to the old lady to show off?

"Let's meet him. You're not planning to let the child stay for a few days and then send him back to his hometown in Xishan, are you?"

"Of course not. According to Granny Zhang, Rong'er's relatives seem to want to seize her family property and also want to marry her off while she is still in mourning."

"So you're planning to send that child back to your maternal family to be raised?" The Shen family is also in the capital, and they are the child's maternal grandparents' family.

“My parents are getting old, and now my sister-in-law is in charge. That child is pitiful; he is the only child left by my third sister who died young, and it is my duty as his aunt to take care of him.”

If the child is well-behaved, my daughter-in-law plans to let her live in the mansion permanently. After the mourning period, I will provide a dowry and marry her off from the Marquis's mansion, which will be a way of giving my third sister and brother-in-law some closure in the afterlife.” When mentioning her younger sister who died young, Madam Shen appropriately expressed her longing and regret.

"Since that's the case, and we live in the same household, there's no reason for us not to see each other. We're all family, it's no big deal to meet. I'm practically buried in the ground, I'm not afraid of anything." Does being superstitious really mean you can live to be a hundred?

"Yes, Mother." As long as the old lady doesn't hold it against her, no one in the mansion will dare to object to her bringing her niece to live with them.

After Madam Shen left the old lady's courtyard, the old lady began to chat with her personal maid.

"What exactly does she mean by placing her own niece in Qingwu Courtyard?" Does it mean she values ​​her niece or doesn't care about her? The old lady herself wasn't quite sure.

To say she was heartless and indifferent would be an understatement; after all, she was her sister's only daughter, and to completely ignore her would be too cruel. The old lady herself could not accept that the eldest daughter-in-law she had once valued was such a person.

But to say she cares that much, even she, as an outsider, finds it hard to believe.

"From what Madam means, this servant thinks it makes sense." Granny Xie had served the old lady since she was a child. She had never married and had no children or grandchildren to rely on for a living under Madam Shen. Naturally, she didn't need to speak well of the Marquis's wife in front of the old lady. She simply took it as her own opinion.

"It sounds reasonable, but does that look like something she would do?" Even now, the old lady has to admit that she was fooled by reputation. She thought that marrying a girl from a humble family would be easy to control, but after marrying her, she realized that she was extremely capable.

It's remarkable that the Shen family, with its low social standing, could raise such a remarkable person.

"Madam is always thorough in her work." Granny Xie kept her eyes down, seemingly lost in thought.

"It's thorough, leaving no room for criticism." Her actions are watertight; even this old lady has suffered in silence at her hands. She's as thorough as could be.

"Then you still want to see that young girl, to save face for Madam?" Granny Xie mocked her mistress. She had a sharp tongue but a soft heart; she wasn't without tricks, yet she was actually being manipulated by her daughter-in-law?

"Harmony in the family brings prosperity in all things, Little Xie." The old lady couldn't help but laugh when she saw the twitching at the corner of Xie's mouth.

After the two, mistress and servant, finished their banter, the old lady turned the prayer beads in her hand, frowned, and said, "Putting aside the fact that the little girl looks pitiful, we are relatives and should lend a hand."

Over the years, our Lady Hou has secretly received countless gifts from the young girl's father; she shouldn't stand idly by at this time.

Besides, outsiders may not know the true wealth of our Marquis's mansion, but surely you, an old woman, know it all? Ever since the old Marquis passed away, your master has been reassigned to a sinecure, which is all show and no substance.

The other two gentlemen are even more mischievous and carefree, only knowing how to squander money. If we hadn't already divided our households and each had our own wives to support us, the mansion would probably have been in complete chaos long ago.

How much of the public funds has the Marquis's mansion been contributed by the Marquis's wife, who is in charge of the household, to maintain its current grandeur? And how much of that money came from the Hua family to support the Marquis's wife?

You have to have some conscience, you know. It's obvious this young girl came to the capital seeking refuge; it's just adding another chopstick to the household. What, can't we afford to support her?"

Thinking of the mountain of New Year's gifts and the light silver notes that the Hua family of Xishan sent every year at the end of the year, Granny Xie couldn't bring herself to object.