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

She couldn't let go of the young man she had just met. "Wouldn't Sixth Sister be able to see the Fourth Prince in the palace often from now on?" But wouldn't she have no chance?

"Whether she sees me or not doesn't matter. If she marries into a higher social class, she'll be destined to be a concubine, just like her aunt. Even if she has talents that rival those of men, she'll still have to be subservient to me, the mistress of the house." Madam Shen never hid her dislike for concubines from her children.

"My son was born noble. I will definitely find you a good family to marry into so that you can be a respectable wife." She gently stroked her daughter's hair, thinking that she should find a good match for her daughter as soon as possible.

He Zhizhu, however, offered a different opinion: "Even if Sixth Sister becomes someone's concubine, and I marry into a family that is not as good as Sixth Sister's husband, when I see Sixth Sister, I will still be inferior to her."

Shen: ...What you said makes a lot of sense.

"Do you think your aunt is doing well in the palace?" Madam Shen could only try to bring her daughter out of her daze by giving examples.

"My daughter thinks that my aunt lives a life of luxury in the palace, which is quite nice."

"That's because you only saw your aunt's glorious days. If you knew how much suffering and hardship your aunt endured, you wouldn't think her life was a good life."

"Mother," He Zhizhu said coquettishly, knowing that her mother simply didn't want her to covet the Fourth Prince anymore.

"I can't resist your coquettishness, but I'm your mother. I only want what's best for you, and I won't push you into a fire pit. You're young, and it's understandable that you can't control your heart sometimes, and I don't blame you."

Just remember this: your mother and brother will never sacrifice your future for your own. We only hope that you can live a peaceful and happy life. If you marry into the royal family and suffer any injustice, our Marquis's mansion will be of no help.

But if you marry into a family that is of equal social standing to ours, your father and brothers will stand up for you if you suffer any grievances in your husband's family.

To put it bluntly, if you marry down, your future husband will have to live at your mercy. If he wants to take concubines, keep maids, or have illegitimate children, he'll need your permission.

"Tell me, would you rather watch as people come and go in the royal family's backyard, or would you rather be the head of the household in a family of equal social standing?"

Shen felt that anyone with a clear mind would know how to choose.

He Zhizhu had a peculiar idea: "Regardless of status, men always think about taking concubines, so why don't I find one with a higher status? Then the children I have will be superior to others, right?"

Anyway, I am the legitimate daughter of a marquis, I would never marry into someone's family as a concubine. Just like her mother, if her mother hadn't married into the marquis's family, how could she have been born a young lady of the marquis's family?

Like her cousin Rong, after her parents died, her clan wouldn't even give her a place to live.

If she marries into the royal family, even if she ends up as a widow, she won't be an ordinary widow; she won't have to worry about herself and her children being left without support.

Of course, her family is the Marquis of Muqing's mansion, so no matter where she marries, she won't end up like her cousin Rong.

But that doesn't stop her from using this as a point of contention.

A sense of powerlessness rose in Shen's heart. When did her daughter become so sharp-tongued?

Someone must be instigating this behind the scenes. Once she has calmed her daughter down, she will definitely find the person behind it and teach them a lesson.

“You’re all grown up now, and your mother can’t argue with you anymore. You’re still so young, yet you’re already thinking about getting married. Aren’t you ashamed? Starting tomorrow, you’ll begin learning to manage the household with me. It’ll only be for an hour in the morning, so it won’t interfere with your school.”

Previously, Madam Shen only cared about her daughter's happiness, but since there were unruly people in the mansion, she couldn't blame her mother for letting her daughter come into contact with those dark things at an early age.

After letting He Zhizhu return to her courtyard, Madam Shen relaxed. As Granny Zhang massaged her back from behind, she slowly said, "Seventh Miss has grown up. This old servant thinks what Seventh Miss said makes sense."

“That makes sense, but that sense of reasoning isn’t necessarily something she came up with.” Madam Shen drank the tea that Granny Zhang handed her and continued, “I know my own daughter. If she could come up with such profound principles, I would risk my reputation to help her secure a future in the royal family. But look at her, is she even cut out for it?”

"At first glance, she really startled me. I thought she had suffered some injustice in the palace, and even her personality had changed."

"But after a few more words, she revealed her true colors. I don't know who tricked her, but she even put on an act when she entered the palace."

"Madam is too kind. Our Seventh Miss is excellent in every way. She is as still as a virgin and as swift as a rabbit. That's exactly what we mean by our young lady."

"Just spoil her, nanny."

"Our girl has a good foundation; she won't be spoiled."

Madam Shen was pleased to hear this, but she said the opposite of what she meant, "Seventh Girl has had a smooth life since she was little, and we've spoiled her. Starting tomorrow, let her get to know the housekeeper so she can understand how difficult it is to be the mistress of the house. Let's see if she still thinks marrying into that cannibalistic place was a good choice."

"Madam's intentions are good, and the young lady will surely understand. However, there are also those who are wicked, even in humble households."

Our seventh young lady is simple-minded. Whether she marries into a higher or lower social class, Madam, you only need to choose someone who is wholeheartedly good to her. With you and the young master protecting her, our young lady will never encounter any unpleasant things in her life.”

"Sigh, if I were alive, I would have to take care of the wicked child I gave birth to. I'm just afraid that after I'm gone, if Seventh Girl runs into trouble, she'll have to be mindful of her sister-in-law's feelings."

“You personally chose the future Crown Prince’s wife. Our Crown Prince only has one younger sister from the same mother. How could she not care about her?”

"I hope so. Now that she's married, I'll let Zhu'er get to know her sister-in-law better. For a girl to have a good life in her husband's family after marriage, besides having a son, she needs a strong family to support her."

"By the way, Granny Zhang, could you quietly ask the maids around Zhu'er? I want to see who's behind this, plotting against my seventh daughter."

Granny Zhang accepted the order.

This matter is easy to investigate. Given Zhang Mama's status, the maids around He Zhizhu spilled the beans about the young lady's affairs.

The one harboring malice is He Zhizhu's wet nurse, Xin Dajia.

Taking advantage of He Zhizhu's absence from school, Shen interrogated her.

Thinking about what Zhu Jie'er had said, she thought it would be good to call Hua Sirong over to listen.

Hua Sirong received a message from Madam Shen inviting her to lunch, and got ready early to go to Yimei Garden.

Before lunchtime, we watched a dramatic interrogation of prisoners.

"Sister Rong is here, please have a seat."

I was just about to interrogate this old servant who had bewitched the master, and you happened to be there, so come and listen in.

"We'll eat after the trial." Shen's originally serious face melted like ice and snow when she saw Hua Sirong, causing the servants serving her to exchange bewildered glances.