It was several days later when Xue Yuxin came to visit Shen Yuning that Shen Yuning learned the news of the Xue family's division.
The Xue family had two mansions in the capital. One was the Marquis Mansion bestowed by the emperor, located near the imperial city. The other was the Xue family's old residence. Although the location was not bad, it was rather old and the yard was smaller. In fact, it was even smaller than Shen Yuning's Baroness Mansion.
Now that the family was splitting up, of course, Marquis Qiyang would stay in the Marquis Mansion, while the second branch of the Xue family would have to move to the much smaller old residence.
Xue Yuxin happily drank a bowl of soup. "You don't know. After I was framed and lost my reputation, grandmother helped us divide the family. But my father, thinking that we all shared the same surname Xue, agreed to divide the family but not the house. Well, those people on the other side were really something. They said they had divided the family and got half of the family property, but in fact, didn't our first branch still cover their daily expenses? Now that we're dividing the family again, it's even more ridiculous. Over the years, my mother and sister - in - law have managed the family property so well that the income from these years would be enough to buy many more fields and shops. I don't know what they spent their money on, but they even sold several fields."
Shen Yuning had always known that perhaps because Mrs. Xiao had not received much attention in her natal family since childhood, after marrying into a noble family, she liked to act generous. As long as her natal family said a few nice words, she couldn't help but give them money. And Xue Yuxuan was always self - important and liked antiques, calligraphy, and paintings.
In the past, when they were not in charge of the Marquis Mansion, the amount of money was fixed. When she was a child, she had heard Mrs. Xiao complain many times, saying that Mrs. Shao, who was in charge of the family finances, was so strict with them and must have embezzled a lot of money.
However, at that time, she thought Mrs. Xiao was her real mother, so she always tried her best to persuade Mrs. Xiao, saying that her aunt was not such a person, and she would console Mrs. Xiao every time, saying how beneficial it was for them not to be in charge of the family finances.
Now, thinking about it, Mrs. Xiao doted on Xue Yujiao not only because she was her own daughter but also because Shen Yuning, her former daughter, never spoke up for her but whole - heartedly believed that the Marquis Mansion was a united family.
Shen Yuning asked, "Are they really willing to move to the old residence this time during the family division?"
Xue Yuxin and Shen Yuning were in the room. Just like when they were children, Xue Yuxin felt as if she was in her own room and didn't care about anything. She climbed onto Shen Yuning's bed and lay on it, fiddling with the tassels by the bedside. "You've asked the right question. How could they be willing? But my mother said that even if we have to give up half of the family property, it's worth it to get rid of such a disgusting and greedy family."
Shen Yuning half - opened her mouth. Although she had followed her aunt before and didn't learn the family - managing affairs in detail, she still knew a thing or two. Later, after she started managing the shops, she realized the wealth of a big family. For a noble family like the Xue family, with a deep heritage, the amount of money was no small matter. Giving half of it to the second branch?
She suddenly felt like Old Man Zhang when he saw Lord Wan, stomping his feet in frustration.
Seeing her like this, Xue Yuxin thought she was very cute. She immediately reached out and tickled her. "Don't worry. My mother may be willing, but my father isn't. Over the years, how many messes has he helped Uncle's family clean up? Of course, to be thorough, he also really shelled out a large amount of money this time."
Seeing Xue Yuxin's happy look, Shen Yuning understood. It was better to pay a large sum of money once than to be constantly exploited. Just like Shen Jingui was to her, she couldn't get rid of him or do anything about him. Shen Jingui had been exiled for fifteen years, and it was unknown whether he would come back. Although the second branch of the Xue family was troublesome, except for Xue Yujiao, the others were still polite and wouldn't do anything illegal. So it was impossible to exile the whole second - branch family and punish them. It was a good thing to relieve Marquis Xue's stress.
However, Xue Yuxin also felt a bit melancholy. "Speaking of which, I'm more worried about Yuhan and Yuxi. Grandmother took Yuhan back to the countryside because she was afraid that Yuhan wouldn't be able to marry into a good family if she was in the hands of Uncle and Aunt. But Yuxi...唉."
Yuhan and Yuxi were the concubine - born son and daughter of the second branch. When Mrs. Xiao was pregnant for the second time, the pregnancy was not going well. The child was not born, and she even ruined her body and couldn't have any more children. Originally, since Uncle was there to continue the family line, grandparents were not the kind of people who insisted that every family member must have a son. But Mrs. Xiao herself was not willing. She asked her mother from her natal family to find a daughter of a scholar from another place and make her a concubine.
This concubine, Mrs. Bai, was a sensible woman. Although Shen Yuning didn't see her very often when she was a child, every time she saw her, she was well - behaved. And the younger brother and sister she gave birth to were also obedient and cute. Shen Yuning really liked this pair of siblings.
Shen Yuning didn't want to think about things that were beyond her ability. She reached out and flicked Xue Yuxin's forehead. "You're about to get married, and you're still so unruly. Doesn't Aunt say anything to you?"
A blush appeared on Xue Yuxin's face. She turned her face away from Shen Yuning. "Humph, whoever wants to get married can go ahead. I don't think he's a good person either. He's so unclear with that so - called princess."
Shen Yuning couldn't help laughing. She knew Xue Yuxin was just saying it on purpose and quickly asked, "So, is he really unclear with Yin Zhaoming?"
Xue Yuxin thought she had misunderstood and quickly turned her head to defend. "Of course not. The Rong Prince's Mansion told the Tang family early on that they wanted Yin Zhaoming to marry Tang Chuanhan. I just didn't expect that Yin Zhaoming had feelings for Zhu Bin. Don't spread this around, okay?"
Tang Chuanhan was the former fiancé of Xue Yuxin. Unexpectedly, after all these twists and turns, these people were still so intertwined.
Although Shen Yuning had no interaction with Yin Zhaoming, she knew how strict this world was with women, so she would never gossip about Yin Zhaoming.
Xue Yuxin was a bit shy. She lowered her head for a long time before saying, "Zhu Bin... If it weren't for him that year, I would really have been humiliated by those people, and I wouldn't even have the face to return to the capital..."
Shen Yuning didn't know the truth of what happened that year. When she heard this, she quickly asked in detail.
It turned out that when the kidnappers abducted Xue Yuxin and just arrived at the outskirts of the capital, they unexpectedly met Zhu Bin, who was there to practice horse - riding. By chance, Zhu Bin saved Xue Yuxin. But it was pouring rain that day, and they were delayed. By the time they returned to the capital, the news that the eldest daughter of the Xue family was missing had already spread far and wide.
Fortunately, with the testimony of the young master of the Zhu family who saved her, the eldest daughter of the Xue family's reputation was not completely ruined. Thanks to Xue Yujiao's lack of intelligence, she couldn't design a perfect trap, which saved Xue Yuxin from hanging herself.
Shen Yuning felt heart - ache. She really couldn't understand why there was such a stupid and bad person as Xue Yujiao in the world.
Xue Yuxin was too embarrassed to continue talking about this matter, so she quickly changed the topic. "The Zhu family has been military generals for generations, and now the population is dwindling. After Mrs. Zhu II finished handling her nephew's affairs, she will also have to find a match for Young Master Zidu."
Shen Yuning secretly gossiped. "I heard that Young Master Zidu is now twenty - one years old. He is the son left by the former Young Master Zhu in Wuyun before he got married. Is it true?"
Xue Yuxin shrugged. "I don't know. But at several banquets, I saw that Mrs. Zhu II was very kind to Young Master Zidu. If he were really the son of her husband's concubine, could she really tolerate him?"
Mrs. Zhu II had given birth to two sons. The eldest son died prematurely, and the youngest son died in a fierce battle before he was even fifteen years old. It was not easy for her to hold on for so many years. How could she tolerate the son of her husband's concubine? Like Mrs. Zhu III, after learning that her husband and son were gone, she followed them in death. It was really pitiful.
Shen Yuning nodded and said, "I think Young Master Zidu has an extraordinary bearing. He was even conferred the rank of a fifth - grade general by the emperor. It's a pity that his face was disfigured, and he has no chance of further promotion. I'm afraid he will soon go back to Wuyun, and the possibility of him returning to the capital is very small."
Xue Yuxin shrugged. "Who knows? Anyway, Mrs. Zhu II is very concerned about his marriage. But it seems that most of the girls who take a fancy to him are after the power and influence of the Zhu family because he is a direct descendant of the Zhu family. Most of them are from small families. The most well - known one is probably Qiao Peilan, who, like you, was conferred the title of Baroness."
"Qiao Peilan?" Shen Yuning thought hard but seemed to have never met such a person.
Xue Yuxin laughed. "Of course you haven't met her. I haven't either. She is a daughter of the Qiao family, a merchant family. How could we have met her before? Although you are now the owner of a famous business, I think the Qiao people you've met are mostly the men in charge of the Qiao family. How could you have met the girls in the inner courtyard?"
She thought for a while. "However, I've heard that if there are banquets in the capital now, Baroness Qiao will attend. As for you, unless someone personally sends you an invitation, you don't like to attend such banquets."
Shen Yuning smiled. "You know that my status is different from before. How can I attend such banquets for the noble? As for Baroness Qiao, she is not only a baroness conferred by the emperor but also has an aunt who is a side concubine in a prince's mansion. How can I compare with her?"
Xue Yuxin didn't like to hear Shen Yuning's sarcastic words. She stepped forward and pinched her face, sighing. "Anyway, it is rumored that Baroness Qiao and Young Master Zidu are probably a good match."
For some reason, after hearing this, Shen Yuning felt a bit unhappy. But if she were to say exactly what made her unhappy, she couldn't explain it clearly.
She suddenly thought of the fierce aura on Zidu. She always felt that it was a bit like Xuanzhi's. Maybe she missed Xuanzhi so much that she always used Zidu to deceive herself.
However, even so, Zidu's face was disfigured. If Qiao Peilan took a fancy to Zidu, it must not be because of the person himself but because of the Zhu family behind him.
Was Young Master Zidu really going to marry such a woman?
After lunch, Xue Yuxin didn't want to go back to the mansion yet. She simply dragged Shen Yuning to go shopping on the street.
After walking for a while, they were a bit tired. They chose a teahouse and sat in a private room on the second floor. They could also hear the storyteller on the first floor excitedly telling a battle story from the Three Kingdoms.
This storyteller was very interesting. There were no words related to the Great Zhou, Great Ye, or Yunfan in his speech, but one could immediately tell that the three kingdoms he was talking about were exactly these three.
Of course, the main part was about how brave the Zhao family was in resisting the enemy. The Zhao family in the storyteller's mouth was naturally the Zhu family.
"General Zhao had no choice but to hold on and move forward at the critical moment to give his nephew in the rear more time to evacuate. Just then, a handsome young man came galloping with a group of cavalry. With one arrow, he hit the enemy general right between the eyebrows. Without a leader, the enemy was naturally panicked and fled in all directions. The Zhao army won without a fight."
"General Zhao took this young man back to the camp. After looking at him carefully, he felt that the young man's face was very familiar. Suddenly, he remembered. When he was young, while guarding the border with his father and brother, he met a tough - looking woman. This woman was not like the ordinary delicate ones. She was extremely powerful and could shake the mountains with one hammer. The young General Zhao was full of vigor and spent a good night with this woman. But when he wanted to marry her, she didn't want to go back with him. She only wanted to guard the border with her big hammer for the rest of her life. The young man in front of General Zhao was exactly the son of this goddess - like woman!"
Xue Yuxin widened her eyes and whispered in Shen Yuning's ear, "This storyteller makes it sound so real."
Shen Yuning lowered her head and said nothing. Young Master Zidu's origin was a mystery. But the Zhu family had been respected for many years. How could the common people let General Zhu have a bad reputation of keeping a concubine? So they tried their best to make up a strange origin for him.
Moreover, looking at the people in the main hall on the first floor, they all nodded, believing every word.