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

Seeing such a beautiful female merchant today, I couldn't help but feel a little jealous, and I couldn't help but speak a bit harshly.

Ultimately, he still looked down on Hua Sirong, who came from a merchant background.

Even if the Third Miss looked down on Hua Sirong, she only dared to laugh at her in her heart and secretly complain in her own courtyard. She would never dare to laugh at her stepmother's niece in front of her stepmother.

I just lost my composure and felt really bad about it.

What a joke! She and her aunt still have to rely on their stepmother for a living. She'll be getting married in a couple of years, and now is the crucial time for finding a spouse. She absolutely cannot afford to offend her stepmother.

Unlike her sixth sister, who had a favored concubine, she wasn't like her eldest sister, who was just a girl in the household and whom her stepmother wouldn't dare to marry off casually.

So the blame can only be shifted to the fourth sister. "I didn't say that, the fourth sister said it herself. I just thought of a joke I heard yesterday and couldn't help but laugh. It has nothing to do with my cousin Rong."

His expression, as if to say "don't try to scam me," made the elders present unable to suppress their laughter and unable to get angry.

Although the old lady didn't care about their petty squabbles in private, today was the first time she had received guests. If the quarrel continued, she was afraid that Rong'er would not be able to stay peacefully in the mansion. As a result, her usually warm old face became a bit serious.

“Rong’er has just arrived and is not yet familiar with you. She said she only knows a few words, which must be a humble statement. You all seem so clever, yet you believed her.” Seeing that the maids had all calmed down, the old lady’s temper subsided somewhat. However, she still thought that girls should cultivate the virtue of keeping quiet, and added, “Third and Fourth Sisters, when you go back, remember to copy the ‘Women’s Virtues’ two hundred times. Calm your minds and don’t be so impetuous.”

The others were used to reading faces, so they awkwardly shut up.

The third and fourth young ladies were extremely unwilling, but they still had to perform the rites and accept the punishment. Only the fourth young lady was a bit bolder, and she secretly glared at Hua Sirong.

The elders saw it, but pretended not to.

Hua Sirong didn't want her to have such a falling out with the Hou family sisters on their first meeting, so she had no choice but to apologize, "Madam, it was my fault. I really only know a few words and can use an abacus a little. The third and fourth young ladies of the manor are not wrong. It is I who have dragged them down." She was really terrified. How could she stand in the manor after this?

Having been a matriarch for so long, the old lady was used to making the final say on some matters. Her original intention was to make things easier for Hua Sirong in the mansion, but by punishing her own granddaughter, she had somewhat backfired.

However, it was impossible for her to take back the punishment. "Don't panic, Rong-jie. They couldn't control their mouths, so it's only right that they were punished by copying. But since Rong-ya has pleaded for them, let's reduce it from two hundred times to twenty times as a small punishment to serve as a warning."

After saying that, she looked at her own child and said, "This is our own home, so it's okay if we make a mistake. But if we go to someone else's house in the future, we should know that trouble comes from what we say, and people will say that the Muqing Marquis's family doesn't know how to raise their daughter." These words were a bit serious, but the reasoning was sound.

Third Sister and Fourth Sister dared not express any dissatisfaction; at least outwardly, they had to thank their grandmother for her teachings and their cousin for her intercession.

The old lady still loved her granddaughter. Seeing that they knew they were wrong, she didn't dwell on the matter. She only said to Hua Sirong, "There are many maids in the family, and they love to bicker. If Rong'er wants to go to school, just tell your aunt and ask her to make arrangements."

If you need anything in the yard, just ask your aunt. Good child, treat this place like your own home and don't be shy. You don't need to come here to pay your respects regularly. If you miss this old woman, just come over on the first or fifteenth of the lunar month.

Just like those rascals, there's no need for them to come every day. Your aunt is closer to you; if you have nowhere else to go, you can bother her instead.

The old lady felt that she was probably getting old and couldn't bear to see children suffering. So when she met one of her relatives, she said a few extra words.

Hua Sirong was both apprehensive and moved. Being a stranger in a foreign land, she was already extremely fortunate to receive even a half-word of concern from someone.

Because of the lawsuit they had just been in, everyone chatted for a few more minutes before going their separate ways.

The girls had finally gotten a half-day off, and now there wasn't much left. Except for the third and fourth girls who had to go back to copy the virtues of women and do it as a formality, the others were making the most of their time to gather together and have some fun.

As Hua Sirong's blood cousin, the Seventh Sister also wanted to abandon her newly recognized cousin to go play, but thinking of her mother's earnest admonition last night, she had no choice but to follow her mother to find another opportunity to slip away.

Seeing her dawdling, Madam Shen couldn't help but chuckle. "I knew you couldn't sit still, you little monkey. Go play with your sisters. Your cousin just arrived and has something to do today, so she can't keep you company." She had just left the old lady's place and walked around a pavilion in the garden before sending her youngest daughter away.

He also instructed the servants to keep an eye on Seventh Sister, so that she wouldn't get sweaty and catch a cold.

"Rong'er, it's not that your aunt is restricting you from playing with them. It's just that I still have something to take care of, and I'm waiting for you to make a decision." As usual, Madam Shen held Hua Sirong's hand and spoke, without mentioning a word about what had just happened in the old lady's courtyard.

Hua Sirong thought for a moment and knew what it was about.

The Hua family members are still in the capital. She had almost forgotten about them yesterday because she had moved to a new environment.

"Aunt, you've gone to so much trouble for me. You must be referring to my clan. May I ask which clan uncle has come to visit?" Hua Sirong didn't know if the Hua family members and her aunt had reached an agreement, but judging from her visit to pay respects to the old lady today, it seemed unlikely that she would be allowed to return to Xishan so soon.

"The housekeeper said that the guests are the younger brother of the head of your Hua family and your second uncle's eldest cousin."

Hua Sirong thought to herself, "This is quite a grand gesture. If it weren't for the long distance, the clan chief and my second uncle would probably have come to capture her themselves."

It was only because the money she had previously given was enough for the clan to fight amongst themselves for their own interests that she had so much time to make it to the capital smoothly.

Fortunately, she went to Baiyun Temple; otherwise, she might have been caught and taken back by the Hua family at the last minute before entering the capital.

She quickly bowed to Madam Shen and apologized, "I've caused you trouble, Aunt." Not only had she come to the Marquis's residence to cause trouble, but the Hua family had also come to visit, which was truly annoying.

"Not at all. You call me aunt, and I've already accepted it. There's no reason for me not to help my own family."

As they talked, they soon arrived at the main hall of the courtyard, where Madam Shen received male guests, such as the male stewards of the household. It was also here that they had met Hua Sirong yesterday.

When the two groups met, Hua Sirong, out of courtesy, greeted her uncle and eldest cousin.

When the two men met the Lady of the Marquis, they naturally had to pay their respects. One was a commoner, and the other was a Lady of the Marquis with an imperial title. They dared not be disrespectful.