Xue Chucheng looked at her helplessly and asked, "You really don't want to move to a new residence?"
Song Zhaoyang gave a gentle smile and replied, "It's okay to stay in the Marquis Mansion from time to time, but I'm used to living here."
Xue Chucheng lovingly pinched her cheek and said, "Alright, I'll grant your wish."
Song Zhaoyang happily hugged Xue Chucheng's arm.
Looking at the excited Song Zhaoyang, Xue Chucheng hooked his lips, picked her up horizontally in his arms.
"My lady, your husband hasn't taken a bath yet. May I have the honor of being served by you?"
Song Zhaoyang blushed. She seemed to be intoxicated by the smell of alcohol on Xue Chucheng. She laid her head on his shoulder and let him carry her to take a bath.
The mandarin ducks neck - to - neck in the bathing pool, the fragrant waves rippling with deep affection.
---
Little Lady Wen returned to her courtyard dejectedly. Thinking of what had happened in Song Zhaoyang's courtyard just now, her heart seemed to be stabbed hard by an invisible dagger.
Why did Xue Chucheng and Song Zhaoyang have such a good relationship, while she and her husband were at odds!
"Smack!"
In anger, she picked up the teacup in her hand and smashed it hard on the ground. Her face was ashen.
"Madam, please calm down," Little Lady Wen's wet nurse tried to console her.
Little Lady Wen glared at the wet nurse with her blood - red eyes and said unwillingly, "If I had married Xue Chucheng back then, everything Song Zhaoyang has today would be mine! And Song Zhaoyang wouldn't be showing off in front of me!"
She couldn't help but recall that back then, Lady Wen had wanted her to marry Xue Chucheng.
She was overjoyed. Compared to the good - for - nothing Xue Chuzhong, Xue Chucheng was the most capable one and also the eldest legitimate son!
Who would have thought that Xue Chucheng would actually refuse, saying that he had no romantic feelings for her.
She was heart - broken at that time. If she had insisted on asking her aunt, as the legitimate mother, to force Xue Chucheng to marry her, everything would have been different!
The wet nurse was so scared that she sent away the waiting maids in the room and whispered, "Madam, please don't say such things. If they get out, it won't be good for you."
Little Lady Wen slapped the table hard and roared angrily, "Did I say something wrong? The one who should have married Xue Chucheng was supposed to be..."
Before she could finish her sentence, the wet nurse covered her mouth.
"Madam, watch your words! Don't forget you have the eldest young lady! With the eldest young lady around, all the glory of the first branch will be yours!"
"Although the eldest young lady didn't get engaged to the crown prince today, it's not certain in the future! By then, you'll be the final winner."
The wet nurse's words brought Little Lady Wen's sanity back. She gradually calmed down, hooked her lips proudly, and said arrogantly, "Song Zhaoyang never thought that everything she has will belong to my daughter! As for her bastard..."
She snorted coldly.
"Bring over Bailiu!"
The wet nurse left as ordered and soon came back carrying a child who was crying like a kitten.
Yaoyao was fair and plump when she was one - month - old, while Bailiu was like a little monkey. Her whole face was sallow, her eyes were bulging, and she had no flesh at all. She didn't look like a one - month - old baby at all.
Little Lady Wen looked at Bailiu mockingly and ran her sharp fingernails across the baby's face.
A child's skin was very delicate, and soon a bloodstain appeared.
Bailiu whimpered in pain.
Hearing Bailiu's cries, Little Lady Wen suddenly felt a sense of relief. The depression she had accumulated in Song Zhaoyang's courtyard just now disappeared.
She made a decision!
From now on, whenever she was angry with Song Zhaoyang, she would take it out on Bailiu. This was called "the mother's debt to be repaid by the daughter"!
---
When Song Zhaoyang woke up the next day, Xue Chucheng was no longer by her side.
Magpie and Purple Oriole saw Song Zhaoyang getting up and immediately stepped forward to serve her.
"Has the Marquis gone to court?" Song Zhaoyang asked lazily.
She had been exhausted by Xue Chucheng all night. She felt as if her whole body was falling apart.
This man was like a wolf that had been hungry for a long time. He almost devoured her.
Hearing Song Zhaoyang's words, Magpie replied respectfully, "Yes, the Marquis got up early and told us not to wake you up."
Song Zhaoyang's lips curled up slightly.
"Madam, earlier the old madam sent someone to invite you to her place."
The smile on Song Zhaoyang's face faded a bit.
She had thought that Lady Wen would keep a low profile for a while before causing trouble for her again. She had been too naive!
After having breakfast and playing with her daughter for a while, Song Zhaoyang slowly walked towards Lady Wen's courtyard.
Since she was injured by Nurse Shi last time and suffered a series of shocks, Lady Wen had fallen seriously ill. After recovering, half of her hair had turned white. Her once - plump cheeks had sunken in, showing her clear jawbones. She looked much more mean.
"Mother seems to be in a good state today," Song Zhaoyang stood in front of Lady Wen and asked seemingly concernedly, with a faint smile on her lips.
Lady Wen was reclining on the brocade pillow. Her gloomy eyes fell on Song Zhaoyang's smiling face. Her expression darkened.
"I heard that the Emperor and the Empress visited yesterday. Why wasn't I informed about this?"
Song Zhaoyang feigned surprise and asked, "Mother, do I need to tell you about this?"
"Ridiculous!" Lady Wen suddenly stood up, slapped the table hard, and roared, "I'm the mistress of the Xue Mansion. Shouldn't I be informed about this?"
Looking at the angry Lady Wen, Song Zhaoyang smiled faintly, "Mother, isn't the mistress of the Xue family me now?"
"Song!" Lady Wen gritted her teeth and squeezed out a sentence through her teeth, "I'm not dead yet! If you want to be the mistress of this family, wait until I'm dead!"
Song Zhaoyang restrained the smile on her face. Her calm eyes met Lady Wen's angry ones. For a moment, the room became eerily quiet.
The servants present didn't even dare to breathe loudly, for fear of being involved in their masters' anger.
Song Zhaoyang was silent for a moment. Suddenly, a strange smile appeared on her lips, "Since mother says you're still the mistress of the Xue family, I'll return the account books to you later."
"What?!" Lady Wen was stunned for a moment.
Song Zhaoyang gently patted her sleeves and said indifferently, "When I first married into the family, mother couldn't wait to hand over the right to manage the household to me. Since I'm not the mistress of the Xue family, I shouldn't be in charge of the household affairs. Mother, am I right?"
"The Marquis said that after the child's full - moon banquet, our first - branch family will move to the Marquis Mansion bestowed by the Emperor. It's really inappropriate for me to still be in charge of the household. Don't you think so?"
Lady Wen's face visibly darkened.
Song Zhaoyang was actually going to return the right to manage the household to her!
Looking at Lady Wen's embarrassed expression, Song Zhaoyang sneered.
The reason why Lady Wen had given her the right to manage the household back then was that the Xue Mansion was already in debt!
The money that the Xue family could use had already been embezzled by Lady Wen. Lady Wen couldn't wait to hand over the right to manage the household to her just to let her use her dowry to make up for all this.
She used to be a fool. Considering that Xue Chucheng was leading troops outside and not wanting to distract him, she had stupidly used her dowry to fill these holes. In the end, it was Lady Wen and the second - branch people who benefited.