"The General's Mansion is not a place where you can come and go as you please."
Seeing that the two were about to fight, Yi Qing pulled Xiao Tian in and told Jushuang to go out and see Deng Xiao off.
"What's he doing here?" Xiao Tian's face was full of annoyance.
"He just dropped by for a visit," Yi Qing replied vaguely, not wanting to easily betray Deng Xiao as the matter involved the emperor and knowing that Xiao Tian had a good relationship with the emperor. Then she changed the subject, "Where did you get angry just now that you want to come home and flare up? You're really something."
Xiao Tian squinted at her. "You're accusing the wrong person."
"Just tell me," Yi Qing said impatiently.
Xiao Tian then said, "I just saw Cao Ranran and Xu Maozhi in public, looking disheveled and pulling at each other. You should discipline her."
Yi Qing gave him a sidelong glance. "Can your words be trusted? You're biased against Ranran, so of course everything about her seems wrong to you."
Yi Qing still clearly remembered the time when Ranran was on her period and Xu Maozhi helped cover it up, but Xiao Tian went and beat him up.
Her intuition told her that this time, it was most likely that Xiao Tian had overreacted and made a mountain out of a molehill.
Xiao Tian flicked his sleeve. "Tell her mother that if they want to agree to the marriage, they should; but they should also discipline her."
"What's it to you?" Yi Qing said. "I'd be too embarrassed to say such a thing, but you can?"
Xiao Tian said, "It's broad daylight. They're ruining the view of the city."
Yi Qing said calmly, "Xiao Tian, don't put yourself in Xiao Jinghan's shoes. You don't know whether he recognizes this younger sister or not. You don't need to look so hostile on his behalf. We don't know the whole truth about the previous generation's affairs, so don't judge easily. But now, Aunt Fan and Ranran are very kind to Baozi. For this reason alone, I'll treat them well."
In her opinion, apart from being a bit low - on emotional intelligence, Xu Maozhi wasn't a bad person.
His low emotional intelligence might even be an advantage. Ranran seemed gentle on the surface but was actually strong - willed and capable. She was suitable for a husband like Xu Maozhi who was innocent of the ways of the world but obedient.
Xiao Tian paused for a while and then said awkwardly, "It's not that Xu Maozhi can't marry Ranran, but he's not someone who can be married off casually..."
Yi Qing was unhappy when she heard this and interrupted him. "Do you mean that Ranran isn't good enough for Xu Maozhi?"
"I didn't mean that," Xiao Tian said. "I mean that there are many people eyeing Xu Maozhi. If you want to agree to the marriage, do it; if not, reject it as soon as possible. No matter the result, don't make a scene in public."
The more Yi Qing listened, the more confused she became. "Of course there are many people eyeing Xu Maozhi. Even a Jinshi can be snatched up by a family for marriage right after passing the imperial examination, let alone someone as famous as him."
Not to mention that Xu Maozhi was at least passable in appearance. Even if he were as ugly as Zhong Kui, there would still be plenty of women willing to marry him.
"You're going around in circles. What on earth do you want to say? You've confused me."
"If you don't want to be targeted by the Mansion of the Earl of Yi'an, behave yourself!" Xiao Tian said coldly.
The Mansion of the Earl of Yi'an? Isn't that the mansion of Xiao Jinghan's scumbag father?
Although Yi Qing liked to complain about the dog - emperor, she was satisfied with his handling of the Earl of Yi'an.
The emperor naturally knew that Xiao Jinghan had a bad relationship with his scumbag father, so after ascending the throne, he sent the Earl of Yi'an back to his hometown in Jinling.
On the surface, he bestowed some rewards, but in fact, he just didn't want to see him.
"Are they back in the capital?" Yi Qing asked in surprise.
Xiao Tian gave a dull "hmm".
Yi Qing rubbed her chin. "That's a bit annoying."
What she was most worried about wasn't Aunt Fan being recognized, but her own and Baozi's situation.
The scumbag father was also Xiao Jinghan's legitimate father. If he came out to fight for the inheritance, it would be very troublesome; and even more importantly, if he wanted to fight for Baozi, as the grandfather, in this era of male superiority, the probability of him winning against her, the mother, was quite high.
Perhaps her worry was too obvious. Xiao Tian said, "You don't need to worry about yourself. I'm here."
Right, there was still Xiao Tian. He must know the enemy well.
Yi Qing said with a smile, "You won't ignore Ranran either."
"I will."
"I don't believe it." Yi Qing patted the seat beside her. "Come on, stop pulling a long face. Sit down and tell me about the situation of the Mansion of the Earl of Yi'an."
Xiao Tian sat down on the other side more than two feet away from her. "There's nothing to say. In the past, his mansion and the General's Mansion were like strangers. He was a proud man and would never admit his mistakes. So he disdained to have any contact with the General's Mansion, not wanting others to think that he was benefiting from it."
"Well... I think that's a rather valuable quality. I like it," Yi Qing said with a smile.
Xiao Tian glared at her. "That was in the past. I don't know how it is now."
"A leopard can't change its spots. I believe he'll still be so stubborn about his pride," Yi Qing said.
"He may be stubborn about his pride, but I'm afraid some people won't be able to hold back," Xiao Tian said coldly.
"You mean," Yi Qing rubbed her chin, "his cousin is up to no good?"
Xiao Tian said, "The most poisonous thing is a woman's heart."
"That's okay," Yi Qing clapped her hands. "I'm good at dealing with women. As long as she dares to come at me, I'll teach her a lesson."
Seeing her confident and aggressive look, Xiao Tian's tense face finally relaxed a bit, but he said, "You can't fight with that kind of person. She's not worthy. She'll use any dirty tricks, even worse than a shrew in the market."
"Tsk tsk, you think so highly of her?" Yi Qing rubbed her fists. "You think I'm no match for her?"
Xiao Tian was speechless. "Stop joking. I'm serious."
"So am I."
If the other side dared to covet the wealth of the General's Mansion, she could be even more of a shrew than anyone.
Since Xiao Tian told her about it, Yi Qing had been paying attention to the Mansion of the Earl of Yi'an. When Lady Di came to visit her, she asked Lady Di to help find out about them.
Lady Di couldn't help but look at Xiao Tian behind Yi Qing.
Yi Qing waved her hand. "It's no use looking at him. We can't count on him for this. I want to know about the background of the concubine in the Mansion of the Earl of Yi'an, how many children she has, the current situation of the mansion, such as whether the Earl has other women and what sources of income the mansion has."
Lady Di cleared her throat. "They may not come looking for trouble..."
Yi Qing was a bit helpless with her biological mother who had squandered her good cards. "It's better to be prepared. We can't be in the dark when they come to our door."
Actually, what Lady Di was worried about was Xiao Tian.
In Xiao Tian's eyes, the Mansion of the Earl of Yi'an was a taboo.
Xiao Tian naturally knew her concern and said in a deep voice, "Yi Qing is right."
Only then did Lady Di relax and said, "Then I'll send someone to check. I know a bit. Let me tell you first..."
From her, Yi Qing learned that the Earl of Yi'an, Xiao Yuanzheng, and his cousin, the White - Lotus Lady Sima, had a son and a daughter. The son was only a few days younger than Xiao Jinghan, and the daughter was about the same age as Ranran. This time when they returned to the capital, they should also be arranging a marriage for their daughter.