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

After seeing off the distinguished guests, Hua Sirong was kept behind by Madam Shen for a long talk.

Shen glanced at Hua Sirong's sleeve pocket two or three times, but this time she didn't mention the money again.

Instead, he took several pieces of brightly colored fabric from his private treasury and gave Hua Sirong three sets of jewelry before stopping.

Hua Sirong tried to refuse by saying she should dress modestly for the mourning period, but Madam Shen directly retorted, "Your father left a will forbidding you from observing mourning. You may ignore his words, but your aunt will remember them for you."

"You will definitely have to attend any flower viewing banquets or similar events held in the manor in the future. Your eldest cousin is getting married next month, and your aunt will personally send you an invitation. You are not allowed to stay in Qingwu Courtyard alone anymore."

Hua Sirong smiled and said, "Okay, I'll do whatever Auntie says."

Before Madam Shen could say anything more, the old woman guarding the gate came to report that the Marquis had arrived.

Shen stood up and looked at Hua Sirong again.

Hua Sirong tactfully stood up to take her leave. "Aunt, Uncle must have something important to discuss with you, so I won't disturb you any longer. I'll return to Qingwu Courtyard through the side gate and pay my respects to Uncle again next time."

Madam Shen had been thinking that her niece had been in the mansion for so long but had not yet met her uncle. Now that they had bumped into each other today, she wondered whether she should let the two of them meet.

But looking at Hua Sirong's face, which resembled her third sister's, she still nodded in agreement to Hua Sirong's suggestion.

Just as Hua Sirong stepped out the door, Lord He walked in.

Lord He heard the door close and glanced over, but saw nothing. He looked around the hall and saw no one else except Madam Shen.

"I heard the Jiang family sent people. Where are they?"

Shen glanced sideways. The Jiang family did indeed hold some sway among the nobles of the capital, but it was rather strange that Marquis He was so eager to get involved.

Madam Shen explained, "I was originally receiving relatives from my third sister's husband's family. Little did I know that the patriarch of the Jiang family from the capital was among them."

It was only after exchanging words that they learned that the old man, Mr. Jiang, was actually the youngest legitimate son of the Jiang family in the capital, and the younger brother of the family head.

Lord He rubbed the jade thumb ring on his hand, "Madam should have sent someone to the front yard to look for me."

How could such an important guest be received so casually by the women of the inner quarters! At the very least, there's still Zhang-ge'er in this household.

Madam Shen: "I originally planned to have someone stay at the mansion for a meal, and then invite Zhang-ge'er to keep me company. But I didn't expect that Master Jiang would take his leave after finishing his business."

Seeing Lord He's darkening expression, Madam Shen changed the subject, "However, Master Jiang has acknowledged my third sister's husband's life-saving grace and is treating my Rong'er like his own daughter. He even said he would prepare a dowry for her in the future."

Lord He then revealed a kind and gentle expression, "You are a kind-hearted person. You not only treat your children well, but you also take excellent care of your sister's orphan."

However, since Rong-jie is living in our mansion, we should treat her like our own child. When she gets married, we shouldn't trouble Master Jiang to provide a dowry.

Our household will arrange Rong'er's dowry. I think it should be the same as that of our eldest and third maids. I'll trouble you to take care of it then, Madam."

Shen expressed her gratitude verbally, but inwardly she cursed him, thinking, "What a vain man! If you knew that Master Jiang was giving away a hundred taels, I wonder if you would still dare to compare this to your two illegitimate daughters!"

It was a rare moment of harmony between Lord He and Madam Shen. In a relatively good mood, and considering the influence of his brother-in-law Shen at the Imperial Academy, he felt a pang of conscience and decided to part with some money.

"I recently acquired a summer resort, and I'll send someone over with the deed later."

Since Madam Shen had never received anything good from Lord He, she couldn't help but glance outside the door, wondering if the sun had risen in the west today.

Of course, she wouldn't say this aloud; she simply smiled and thanked Lord He.

I thought Rongjie would have great fortune today, but I never expected that even she, the Lady of the Marquis, would be favored today. What an unexpected windfall!

Before leaving, Lord He emphasized to Madam Shen again, "If the Jiang family sends any more messages to the inner quarters, no matter what they are, just send someone to let me know."

If you can't find me, you can just tell the servant in my courtyard.

Madam Shen nodded, "I've remembered what the Marquis said."

"But our Lady Zhaoyi is close to Consort Bing, who has a fourth prince. If we get too close to the Jiang family, wouldn't that be bad for Lady Zhaoyi?"

"I originally thought that Master Jiang valued Rong'er, but he is an old man who is still unmarried, and it is not easy for a woman from the inner quarters like me to make friends with him."

"My lord, since you are preoccupied with court affairs and cannot be too involved, I thought it best to maintain Rong'er's relationship with the Jiang family for now. I will occasionally accompany her, and our relationship with the Jiang family can be gradually built up."

Lord He nodded, "You're not wrong to think that way."

The Jiang family is the maternal family of the late Empress and the maternal family of the Second Prince. Although they have fallen out of favor in recent years, the Emperor has few sons, so each one is naturally precious.

Furthermore, the current Empress has no children, and His Majesty is no longer young; no one can predict what will happen in the future.

Although he said he was unsure, his eyes were secretly gleaming.

Seeing that Lord He rarely spoke to her about matters of the previous dynasty, Lady Shen couldn't help but ask a question.

"Previously, the master wanted to send the sixth girl to the palace and also got to know the fourth prince. I thought the marquis was interested in her."

Lord He gave Madam Shen a deep look. “I have my own plans for what’s going on outside. You just need to take care of the household affairs. You don’t need to worry about anything else. Also, don’t do anything unnecessary, lest you ruin my important plans.”

Shen's good mood was instantly dampened.

Don't think she doesn't know that Aunt Shui speaks her mind freely in front of you, Marquis He, and who knows, sometimes she might even influence your wise decisions.

But she said nothing, only nodded in agreement, and silently acted as a qualified lady of the Marquis's mansion.

Lord He left satisfied, but what he was thinking in his heart remained unknown.

Meanwhile, Hua Sirong and her servant quickly left Yimei Garden, preparing to return to Qingwu Courtyard.

Little did she know that a young girl would stop her on the road, saying that her uncle was waiting at the second gate and had something to discuss with her.

Hua Sirong had no choice but to ask a maid to lead the way, presumably because of the money she had previously taken.

In front of his aunt and Uncle Jiang, the uncle only wanted to get away with it, but in the end, the most important thing was to satisfy Hua Sirong, the person in question.

Mrs. Wang: "I wonder what she wants with the girl? Why didn't she say so earlier?"

Hua Sirong: "I'm afraid they're trying to play the emotional card with me."

Mrs. Wang suddenly realized something and pursed her lips.

……

Uncle Hua: "Sister Rong, over here, over here."

Hua Sirong saw her uncle emerge from behind a weeping willow tree.

She stepped forward to pay her respects, and her uncle greeted her warmly, a stark contrast to his previous indifference.

"What does my uncle want with me? Please speak freely."