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

"Madam, what are you saying? Even without the help of the second and third madams, you still have us loyal servants. We will surely be able to handle things perfectly. It's just that you will have to work harder, as all the big and small matters in this mansion must be reviewed and approved by you."

"Who says otherwise? Although I've handed over the kitchen and garden to my two younger siblings, I still have to keep an eye on the accounts. Taking a break is only temporary."

"Well, that's enough. I'll go back and check on things now. The eldest young lady and her husband will probably be returning to the manor soon. As their legal mother, I have to be there to support her."

“Madam is kind. The eldest daughter is just a concubine’s daughter in the household. It is not necessary for you to personally deliver it.”

"Alright, after all, she is the Marquis's first daughter. It's just a matter of walking a few more steps. I won't leave the Marquis's residence; I'll just escort her to the second gate."

The farewell scene was lively, but Xiaoyue, with a bitter face, hid among the maids and servants, harboring resentment towards these powerful families, which sowed the seeds of misfortune for the young lady's good days.

----

Qingwuyuan

"Why have you come to my courtyard today? The young ladies in your household were hosting a flower-viewing banquet, and I heard it was quite lively. Have all the invited guests gone home?"

Hua Sirong never imagined that her first close friend in the Marquis's mansion would be the second young lady of the household.

The second daughter, He Zhihuan, familiarly took Hua Sirong's arm. "Let's go back. After lunch, we played in the waterside pavilion for a while, chatted for a bit, and then went our separate ways."

"You must be tired from accompanying your guests today, so why did you come all the way here? Aren't you tired?" Hua Sirong closed the book in her hand, which was a travelogue about mountains and rivers.

She personally brewed tea for He Zhihuan and pushed it towards him.

"I am a little tired, physically tired, and mentally tired too." He Zhihuan sipped her tea, seemingly lost in thought, her expression unreadable.

“Cousin Rong, you live in such a remote place. Are you unhappy with my aunt? After all, she is your aunt and the mistress of the Marquis’s mansion. She could easily arrange a better courtyard for you to live in, which would make it more convenient for you to pay your respects and go out.”

Hua Sirong found it strange. She hadn't had much contact with He Zhihuan, but the few times they had met, she felt they got along quite well.

Their conversations usually revolved around calligraphy and painting, rarely touching upon matters concerning the people in the household.

She suppressed her surprise and didn't reveal any dissatisfaction with the Marquis's mansion in her words. "Did my cousin Huan hurt her feet when she came to my Qingwu Courtyard today?" Her teasing tone confirmed that she was indeed living comfortably.

Then she continued to explain, "My aunt has asked me many times if I'm used to living here and wanted to move me to a courtyard closer to you, but I didn't want to. Besides, she had her reasons for choosing Qingwu Courtyard for me to live in."

I'm still in mourning, so it's better for me to live in a quiet place.

The old lady of the Kuang family is also a kind and generous person. I only pay my respects two or three times a month, and I don't find the journey difficult or long."

He Zhihuan actually regretted asking the question, but ever since her eldest sister's homecoming banquet, all the sisters had asked her for her rare copy of the book.

Before the flower viewing party, she was only busy with this one thing: sending books to her younger sisters one after another, except for Hua Sirong, who had not yet received hers.

At today's flower-viewing banquet, she saw many beautiful guests, each more beautiful than the flowers themselves. She was able to stand out in the flower-guessing game by relying on her talent.

Even so, she couldn't always come out on top. With someone as beautiful and talented as her, she, as one of the hosts and a concubine's daughter of a marquis, was no match for her.

When she occasionally received compliments, whether genuine or insincere, she always felt that they implied her appearance was too ordinary, which made her feel depressed, and she inevitably brought it up in her words.

In the end, what should have been a wonderful flower-viewing banquet ended abruptly because of her.

Moreover, she also earned a reputation for being arrogant and conceited.

How could she not feel sad? Before she knew it, she had walked into Hua Sirong's Qingwu Courtyard.

Thinking about how she would inevitably be lectured by her stepmother when she returned to the second branch of the family, and having caught a glimpse of Hua Sirong's stunningly beautiful face up close—flawless and fair—she couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.

"If my cousin could come to today's flower viewing party, she would definitely shine and show those madmen that there are always people more capable than you."

"Why do you say that, cousin?" Hua Sirong asked, puzzled. How could the usually serene and unassuming Second Miss He have become so vulgar?

Knowing full well that she was still in mourning and couldn't go anywhere.

"I was just dazzled today and started to dislike my own face." He Er gently touched his ordinary face, looking aggrieved.

Hua Sirong couldn't bear to see her friend getting stuck on something, so she decided to recommend a good book to distract her.

"Here, lend me this travelogue of mountains and rivers. Take a look for a while, and I guarantee you'll be in a great mood. You'll truly understand what it means to have a beautiful appearance that is all the same, but to have a magnificent landscape with a unique charm."

"What book could have such a miraculous effect?" He Er was very supportive.

She took the book but didn't look at it. Instead, she asked Hua Sirong, "Cousin, in this world, a book that is unique is called a rare book, and two or three of them are also considered precious books. But if there are many copies, shouldn't we call them commonplace and not worthy of being worth a fortune?"

Hua Sirong knew there was something hidden in her words, but she didn't know the details. She simply replied in a conventional manner, "Copies are valuable, preventing precious ancient books from being lost for no reason. But unique copies are rare and have great research value."

"Does my cousin mean that even if several more copies circulate, it won't affect the value of the unique original?"

Uh, this...

There will definitely be an impact, and it depends on the content of the unique copy itself to determine whether the impact is large or small.

However, Hua Sirong couldn't elaborate on these points, as Miss He Er had her own judgment in mind.

"I shouldn't have made things difficult for my cousin," He Zhihuan said, forcing a smile.

She knew in her heart that if she could still keep the rare copy, even though she had given away several handwritten copies, the pain of losing such a precious item would be limited.

But she was born out of wedlock, and the Lady of the Marquis was doing this through her elder sister. Her real intentions were definitely not about a handwritten copy of limited value.

Her goal must have been to keep the rare copy in the mansion, while the married girls were only entitled to take away copies.

If they were even more shameless, they could just come to her door to ask for it, or offer any random item in exchange. How could she, an unloved illegitimate daughter, possibly refuse?

At that time, she was filled with bitterness and had no one to confide in. She wandered aimlessly in the garden and unintentionally walked near Qingwu Courtyard. Thinking that this was her aunt's niece, she decided to befriend her.

But after several encounters, Hua Sirong treated her with genuine sincerity.

Since others treated He Er with genuine sincerity, she naturally couldn't do something as disgusting as the Lady Hou. Her previous schemes had gone through her mind several times, but in the end, they all vanished into nothingness.

Hua Sirong noticed something amiss on He Zhihuan's face, which had been changing several times. To break the deadlock, she changed the subject, "Sister Huan'er, does your aunt know that you often come here to see me?"