Tianliangyuan

Chapter 305 Arrangement

Xu Zhaozhao didn't really want to help Xiaolin; she simply didn't want to see anyone cause her trouble.

Since Madam Kobayashi brought the maids into the mansion herself, she had to take care of them herself.

Moreover, she didn't believe the servants in the Duke's mansion wouldn't know she was returning home today.

Furthermore, Xie Zheng returned to his residence first after entering the city to change into his official robes, and only then did Xie Zheng return to his residence by carriage.

So, those maids deliberately started a fight on the way?

Do you want to elicit sympathy, or do you simply want to stand up for someone?

If she wasn't mistaken, that girl named Cai Die Cai Juan clearly knew her, so why didn't she greet her immediately?

They're just pretending not to know me in order to get my attention.

Besides, does she really think she can hide anything from her in the entire Duke's mansion, no matter where it is?

She could know exactly what kind of food was hidden in a rat hole if she wanted to; she just couldn't be bothered with them now.

Let Madam Kobayashi deal with the trouble she brought back herself, and stop bothering me!

Xu Zhaozhao simply used the excuse of flower viewing to invite everyone over for a lively gathering.

In the dead of winter, the news that Xu Zhaozhao had a variety of colorful flowers in bloom naturally aroused everyone's curiosity.

Xie Zheng's two half-sisters arrived uninvited, wanting to be the first to see what kind of flower it was.

Xu Zhaozhao's impression of her two half-sisters was so-so; she didn't dislike them, but she didn't particularly like them either.

"Peony, take the two young ladies to the temporary greenhouse first."

"Yes, master."

Xie Juan and Xie Chan bowed and took their leave, while Xu Zhaozhao was still racking her brains about whether to ask Madam Yu to arrange some servants to come to the banquet.

This is precisely the main reason why Xu Zhaozhao was unwilling to hold a banquet.

The more guests you invite, the more servants you need.

Although the staff in Jinxiu Garden are sufficient, if dozens of female relatives were to arrive at once, the servants would not be able to handle it.

Therefore, we still need to let Mr. Yu make the arrangements.

Fortunately, Xu Zhaozhao made it clear from the beginning that she would only be hosting a banquet for female relatives, so nothing indecent should happen.

However, there are probably some minor conflicts among these ladies.

We'll see when the time comes. As long as things don't fall apart under her nose, anything goes.

Xu Zhaozhao is a new bride, so it would be perfectly acceptable to hold a banquet after the New Year.

However, Xu Zhaozhao had her own plans. After the New Year, she planned to stay in Lantian County for a while.

It would be more troublesome to organize a banquet at the Duke's mansion at that time, and she really didn't want to associate with people she wasn't very familiar with.

Just because of Prince Qing's outburst, and with the capital having just experienced a bloodbath, Xu Zhaozhao's hosting a banquet for her relatives at the Duke's mansion also sends a signal: both the Xie and Xu families are unharmed, and everything is peaceful.

To put it bluntly, it's about calming these people down.

Not everyone has access to information about those at higher levels.

Therefore, with Prince Qing in trouble, and given that it involved Madam Xie's friends and even one of Xu Zhaozhao's cousins, it's inevitable that people would have many thoughts.

We're holding this banquet now to put everyone at ease.

As for the Marquis's residence, Xu Zhaozhao also took some time to go back there.

"Your cousin suffered a great blow this time. Actually, the scar on her face wasn't that serious anymore. Even if she couldn't marry into a wealthy family, she could still find a well-off one. It's a pity she brought this upon herself by scheming against the Jia family, and in the end, she lost both her money and her husband."

Now that she's remarried, let alone those better families, even a scholar with some integrity probably wouldn't be willing to marry her.

The Daxing Dynasty did not particularly despise women who married twice, but there were always some men who valued this aspect.

Therefore, the fact that some women who remarry can marry well does not mean that all women who remarry can marry well.

For example, Sun Qian.

She was already disfigured, so it's really too difficult for her to marry into a good family again.

The main issue is that, whether someone is deliberately trying to harm her or not, rumors are circulating that she is a jinx to husbands.

Sun Qian had not been married into the Jia family for long when the Jia family not only lost their property, but also lost its members.

If Xu Han and Sun Qingyang hadn't made arrangements in advance, even Sun Qian would have been implicated.

Fortunately, Sun Qian obtained the divorce papers before the Jia family's incident.

Sun Qian had just brought her dowry home when the Jia family's property was confiscated.

Therefore, having a noble relative is extremely important.

When Sun Qingyang saw that his daughter had finally returned unharmed, he was also filled with lingering fear.

If it weren't for the connection with the Marquis's family, Sun Qian would definitely not have been let off the hook.

Fortunately, they were well-informed, and Xu Han had also taken credit for Sun Qingyang, so Sun Qingyang was not only not implicated, but was even promoted.

This time, Sun Qingyang truly experienced the benefits of having a relative like the Marquis's family.

As for Sun Qian, she was immediately confined to the inner courtyard, and no one was allowed to let her out without Sun Qingyang's permission.

As for Xu Lin, she was naturally happy to learn that her husband had been promoted, but she felt a little awkward when she learned that it was thanks to her brother from her maternal family.

“Mother, Sun Qian’s matter has served as a reminder to us. You are in charge of the inner quarters, and our Marquis’s mansion is currently enjoying great influence. It’s time to give those relatives a warning.”

“You’re right, that’s what your father meant last night too. He’s thinking of having a good talk with some of the elders or the people in charge of the clan in a few days. Also, I’ve arranged for people to go down and check the accounts, and also to see if there’s any bullying or abuse of power. At times like this, we have to be on our guard.”

"Mother is indeed very thoughtful. Of all the officials and gentry involved earlier, are any of your old friends in trouble?"

Wang Ruolan sighed, "How could there not be?"

However, it's not that we have no feelings for each other at all, since we haven't been in contact for many years.

But to say that there is any real deep affection between them is not quite accurate.

"She's one of your aunts. Before I got married, we were close friends. But after I married into the Marquis's family, her family fell on hard times and she married into a minor official's family. This time, they were also implicated."

"So what are Mother's plans?"

"Fortunately, the charges are not too serious. All that is certain now is that he will be dismissed from his post and exiled, but his female relatives should be able to stay."

"You weren't reduced to slavery, were you?"

"No. I sent someone to inquire, and they said they should be released in the next day or two. Except for men over twelve, the rest will be released, but their property will be confiscated. So I thought I would give them a place to stay outside and a way to make a living."