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

After all, she was her aunt, so He Zhihuan continued to comfort her, "If Xin Yucheng doesn't succeed, I'll shamelessly go and beg my grandmother again."

Grandmother has always been kind to us grandchildren. At worst, the Marquis's mansion will give Xin Yucheng a better position, and I'll find a good family from out of town, someone who doesn't know the truth, and marry him far away.”

Aunt Ge's crying stopped abruptly. "You, you, you actually plan to do this? No wonder you have no attachment to your engagement with Meng Silang at all."

But if you marry far away, won't your aunt never see you again in her lifetime?

As she thought about it, Aunt Ge cried even more bitterly.

Seeing Aunt Ge so heartbroken, He Zhihuan couldn't help but shed tears as well.

If you could marry someone from the capital, you could go back to your parents' home every year during holidays. Who wouldn't want that?

But that's just how the world is; it's better to marry someone who lives nearby.

Even if you marry far away, like a princess or empress, you might not be able to return to your parents' home even once a year.

A closer look reveals that it's common for couples to not see each other even after being married for ten or twenty years.

Aunt Ge held He Zhihuan in her arms, saying, "My child, it's just that you're unlucky to have been born into my womb. If you had come out of your stepmother's womb, I wouldn't have worried about you even if you married someone from Jiangnan or the borderlands."

He Zhihuan stroked her mother's back. If people could choose their own birth, there wouldn't be so many regrets in this world.

"I don't regret being born into my aunt's womb," He Zhihuan comforted her. What good would it do to regret it? Why make her aunt cry again?

The following day was the bride's family recognition banquet.

Hua Sirong knew her identity and hid in Qingwu Courtyard without going out.

Of course, Yimei Garden did not send anyone to invite Hua Sirong to meet her new sister-in-law.

However, in the afternoon, Qingwu Courtyard welcomed Dujuan, the new cousin's personal maid.

She came specifically to deliver a gift to Miss Rong, who was staying at the Marquis's residence.

Hua Sirong thanked her respectfully, but the girl named Dujuan did not leave immediately. Instead, she chatted with Hua Sirong for a long time and then found an excuse to look around Qingwu Courtyard.

After Dujuan left, Wang Mama couldn't help but come closer and ask, "Why does this young mistress's trusted maid seem so petty?"

Hua Sirong wore a faint smile; she never looked down on anyone.

Du Juan had only visited her Qingwu Courtyard for the first time, and she would not look down on Du Juan or the young mistress behind her because of this.

In order to survive, many people in this world wear masks, and some wear more than one.

Like herself.

Madam Wang couldn't help but complain in a low voice, "Although the Marquis's wife is now in charge of our household, the young mistress can also whisper sweet nothings in the young master's ear."

"I'm just afraid that this young mistress might have some dissatisfaction with you, which would jeopardize our lives in the Marquis's mansion."

"Could it be that the young mistress heard about what happened at yesterday's wedding banquet and is now trying to pin the blame on you, Miss?"

"She really picks on the weak. Why doesn't she blame the Third Madam? Why doesn't she blame Miss Jin? I think she just looks down on us because the girl is all alone and has no one to back her up."

As Wang's mother pondered, she began to torment herself again.

Hua Sirong didn't think Wang Mama's analysis was wrong, but as long as she was alive, she couldn't sever ties with the Marquis's mansion, including the future mistress of the mansion.

Even if she was dissatisfied, she could only deal with it cautiously.

Du Juan returned to the young mistress's Fragrant Garden. The young mistress came from the Duke of Li's mansion, her surname was Yuan, and her given name was Tiao Tiao.

Yuan Tiaotiao had met all her relatives today and served Shen Shi lunch. She finally had a chance to return to Mixiang Garden after Shen Shi took a nap. Right now, she was reclining on the couch with her eyes closed, resting.

Du Juan called softly, "Young Madam, Young Madam?"

Yuan Tiaotiao slowly opened her eyes and glanced at Du Juan. "Look at our cousin, isn't she really as beautiful as the rumors say?"

Du Juan lowered her eyes meekly and said, "What kind of beauties don't we have in our capital? That cousin is just so-so."

She's from a small town. I looked around her courtyard and didn't see anything fancy. There were only a couple of servants there, so she's clearly not valued in this household.

Yuan Tiaotiao listened with great interest, "Although our Duke Li's mansion has declined, you've been by my side since you were little, so you've seen quite a few good things. You said her courtyard is shabby, which shows that there really isn't anything good in her courtyard."

My mother-in-law is also short-sighted. There are countless good things in the Hou Mansion's storeroom that have been gathering dust. She just picks a couple of things and puts them in Qingwu Courtyard. When my cousin gets married, those ornaments will naturally be taken back.

The mother-in-law wasn't worried that the noble ladies visiting the mansion would see this and ruin the good reputation she had built up over the years.

Upon hearing her young mistress's words, Du Juan immediately beamed with delight and flattered her, "The young lady and the young master have such a good relationship."

"It's only the first day of your marriage, and the young lady is already talking about our Marquis's mansion all the time. It's clear she's adapted quickly and considers this place her own home."

Yuan Tiaotiao blushed, thinking of the handsome and gentle He Zhizhang, and a sweet feeling welled up in her heart.

"This morning, the young master instructed me that he has a cousin who is staying at the manor, and asked me to take good care of her. I thought it was rare for the young master to make such a request of me, so I asked you, his dowry maid, to go and check on her in person."

Du Juan smiled, "The young lady and her husband are so loving and harmonious. We servants can only be happy to see them like this. When we return to our parents' home tomorrow, we can let the Duchess and the Second Miss see how well our young lady has married!"

Yuan Tiao Tiao burst out laughing, "You naughty girl, my stepmother and sister wish I would marry a peasant so they could trample me to the ground and make me unable to get up."

If you go back and publicize this so loudly, won't they be so angry tomorrow that they won't even be able to eat at their homecoming banquet?

Du Juan nodded proudly, "That would be wonderful. The girl has suffered so much in silence all these years living under her stepmother's thumb."

Now that you've become the young mistress of the Marquis's mansion, you can finally hold your head high for once.

Yuan Tiaotiao smiled, her face glowing with a faint light. Although the Marquis's mansion was not as prestigious as the Duke's mansion, He Zhizhang was a capable man, unlike those纨绔 (spoiled) officials' descendants or second-generation nobles in the capital.

Her younger sister, Yuan Zhaozhao, was born to her stepmother, who was of low social standing. For her to marry a man with a noble title like her was simply a pipe dream.

Yuan Tiaotiao was in a great mood, and the unpleasantness of being disciplined by the Shen family today gradually faded away.

“I’ll visit this cousin another day. After all, my husband specifically mentioned her, and as her wife, I can’t just ignore it.”

If it weren't for the fact that she was still a few days into her marriage and that her cousin Rong was known as a jinx, she would definitely have gone to visit her in person.