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

"Fortunately, I made a name for myself in my studies, which caught the attention of my elders and made me known to many ladies in the capital. Thanks to this, I got a good marriage. My efforts paid off. My choice proved to be the right one."

"Xiangcao, you don't know. Actually, before the engagement, because of my studies, I broadened my horizons and no longer cared about my appearance as much as before."

On the contrary, I think they have beauty but no brains, and they live their whole lives only for men. What's the point?

Unlike me, I am well-read and naturally elegant. I am surrounded by an ocean of knowledge, drawing courage and strength from it to live in this circle. I feel I am stronger and better off than them.

As He Zhihuan spoke, she suddenly fell silent. She sighed, "If only things could always be like this. It's a pity I met Meng Silang. He's too handsome; 'handsome' doesn't even begin to describe it. Standing next to him, I feel completely uncomfortable." Her words were filled with inferiority.

"Later, because of the rare book left to me by my grandfather, I began to correspond with him in private, and I became more and more deeply involved and could not extricate myself."

She thought of that gentle and refined man, her eyes shining, yet filled with bitterness.

"If only I had never fallen in love with Meng Silang."

“But even a tree would feel fond of someone as talented as Young Master Meng,” Xiangcao couldn’t help but chime in.

"Yes, he may not be the most dashing man in the capital, but any woman who catches his eye will surely fall in love." His captivating eyes have bewitched countless young girls.

He Zhihuan thought she had good self-control, but she couldn't resist the deep affection in his eyes and the heartstrings plucked in the words in his letters.

In the quiet night, she tugged at Xiangcao's clothes and said, "Do you know? When I found out that my aunt coveted my rare book, I told myself that I must not lose that book. It is my confidence after marriage, and it is also the token of love between Silang and me."

"Looking back now, I was like I was possessed at the time. I didn't want to and couldn't produce the real rare copy, so I thought about how to frame my cousin for this."

Actually, I knew in my heart that the probability of this succeeding was very low, and the chances of me keeping the rare copy were also slim.

Moreover, even if I succeed in my scheme, the unique copy will definitely not be returned to me in name. Even if I have the original in my hands, I would not dare to openly take it to the Meng family. The Meng family would not admit to having the original, which would be like wearing fine clothes in the dark.

But I thought it would be good to at least annoy my aunt and uncle.

He Zhihuan couldn't help but cry out, "Actually, I didn't want to force myself into that situation, but my aunt insisted on making things difficult for me, so I came up with this terrible idea to get some revenge."

"I can't touch my seventh sister. She's just a foster cousin, and her father's family has no one to back her up. What can't I do to her? Blame it on her having such a greedy aunt."

"But, after dating Cousin Rong for only a short time, I actually fell in love with her."

At the same time, I also realized that my cousin Rong was actually a pitiful person. Her life was already difficult enough; how could I possibly add fuel to the fire?

So, when the time came, I became a coward. Vanilla, I've decided to abandon my crazy idea. Let her go, and let myself go too.

Xiangcao couldn't hide her surprise and instinctively clasped her hands back. Perhaps she used too much force, because He Zhihuan couldn't help but frown. "Miss, I don't object to you sympathizing with Miss Biao's hardships and not holding it against her."

What about that rare copy? Aren't you going to care about it either? Don't you want it anymore?

If this plan doesn't work, we can think of another one. The young master's wedding is still two or three months away; let's plan carefully again. Don't give up now." Young Master Meng was still waiting to see.

"Vanilla, you're hurting me." He Zhihuan didn't even notice Vanilla's rudeness in referring to herself.

But Xiangcao was truly bewitched and seemed not to hear. She continued to coax, "Miss, why don't we go directly to the Second Master? He is your biological father. Let's beg him to allow you to use that rare book as part of your dowry, out of consideration for our father-daughter relationship."

He Er had probably really come to terms with it, and even had the mind to mock Xiangcao's naivety. He shook his head helplessly, "It's no use. I'm just a concubine's daughter, and our second branch of the family all depends on the first branch for survival."

Although this rare book is very valuable, my father and stepmother, for the sake of their brothers' future, would not go against the wishes of my eldest uncle and aunt.

"Instead of using this rare book to please those outside who don't appreciate it, it's better to give it to the eldest son's family. They will definitely not abandon us, the second son's family, in the future. Father and stepmother know how to weigh the pros and cons."

"When the young lady gets married next year, she can take this rare book with her to the Meng family. The He and Meng families will then become related by marriage, and the Meng family can also help the Marquis's mansion. If we intercept this rare book now, how will the young lady conduct herself in the Meng family in the future?"

And aren't the masters and ladies of the Marquis's mansion afraid of offending the Meng family because of this? Young Master Meng is a top scholar, with a bright future ahead of him. Are we, the Marquis's mansion, really going to treat such a good son-in-law poorly?

“The Meng family is a scholarly family, but Meng Silang, a legitimate son, is asking to marry me, an illegitimate daughter. In the eyes of everyone in the Marquis’s mansion, how important is the Meng family?” He Zhihuan couldn’t bear to hurt Xiangcao’s feelings, but she still told the truth.

"Instead of using this rare book to curry favor with the Meng family, who won't see much use for it, it's better to keep it in the Marquis's mansion. Who knows, it might come in very useful someday."

"Will the young lady hand over the rare book in the end? How could she be so willing to part with it?" Xiangcao had something to say but hadn't. You are an illegitimate child, and you are not worthy of the immortal-like Fourth Young Master. Now you are even unwilling to part with the rare book as part of your dowry. Where do you get the nerve to look down on the Meng family?

Besides, Young Master Meng had told her in private that the Meng family only cared about getting their hands on the rare copy, and didn't care at all about whether they could legitimately let the world know about it.

It's better not to know.

Looking at Xiangcao's overly tense face, He Er took a deep breath to hide his frustration. "I don't know, I don't know either. My thoughts are all jumbled up right now."

“It’s normal for you to be upset, Miss. Miss Cousin doesn’t seem to be the same kind of person as the Lady of the Marquis, and she gets along very well with you. I’ve noticed that you two talk for longer than you do with the other young ladies in the manor. It’s because you’re kind that you don’t want to hurt her.”

Xiangcao is still He Zhihuan's maid, and she hasn't married into the Meng family yet.

She knew that her behavior just now was too unusual, so she could only suppress her resentment for the time being and turn to speak well of her cousin.

Previously, the second daughter appeared indifferent to fame and fortune, focusing solely on studying the classics. Many people privately said that she had become obsessed and foolish from studying so much. But she knew that the girl had only chosen to study because her appearance was too ordinary.