“Since you are already here, why shout so loudly? Don’t frighten Sister Zhu’er—especially with the Crown Prince present." Wen Yansheng muttered discontentedly.
"Third Brother, how can you say that! Sister won’t mind, will she? Third Brother has always been straightforward since childhood."
Wen Mingzhu sat beside the Crown Prince in the upper seat; her voice was pleasant, crisp yet tinged with charm.
Today Xiao Jin did not want to ride a horse; he wanted to sit in the carriage with the little girl, Leng Yan drove the carriage, and Jin Que sat with him at the front.
All along the way only Xiao Jin’s cheerful voice was heard; Wen Qingwan chimed in now and then, making him sound even more delighted.
Wen Qingwan looked at the man grinning like a fool, while inwardly wondering whether Wen Mingzhu would return home today.
She made the Marquis household’s boys stand up; Wen Qingwan’s main aim was the unexpected surprise from the Merit Mall, while letting them eat meat at every meal was only incidental.
“The Marquis household’s status is indeed not low; Second Brother is handsome and elegant, and he’s no longer young—he should have long since married and established himself.”
“Since you haven’t yet married, you should first establish your career. If it were two years earlier, you could still get away with the excuse of ‘too young to marry.’”
Wen Qingwan saw the Marquis’s father grinning cheerfully, yet inside he is ranting fiercely.
[I may be incompetent, but I never cover it up, and I certainly don’t act like some swaggering tough guy.]
[My wife died, I was deeply grieved, yet they shoved all the blame onto me, and my father‑in‑law just patted his backside and walked away.]
The first ray of morning sunlight shone through the window onto the man’s face. Wen Qingwan patted Xiao Jin through the quilt, saying: “Uh, hurry and get up to receive the edict.”
He shook his head, trying to wake from the haze of sleep: “Wife, what edict are we receiving?”
Although he had long been awake, he truly did not know what kind of edict the Marquis’s household could possibly receive.
"Tomorrow, everyone need not rise too early; wait until your elder brother brings the tutor back before beginning."
"Eldest sister‑in‑law, are we not going to study at the Imperial Academy?" Eight‑year‑old Xiao Lidong asked timidly.
"Go study at the Imperial Academy? Once you enter, you’ll only be bullied. Don’t even think about it—better to study here at your own residence."
Everyone in the Xiao household was stuffed, yet none could bear to put down their chopsticks—the food was simply too delicious.
Especially the half‑grown children, who ate every grain of rice in their bowls without leaving a single one.
Tonight’s dishes differed from the Marquis’s New Year feast; though New Year’s offered more variety, it never had this much meat.
Wen Qingwan looked at the man who could barely stand; she had clearly overthought—his fief was prosperous.
And he merely happened to own a few villages, with ten thousand households of wounded soldiers, that’s all!
In her previous life as empress, when she assisted Zhao Jue with memorials, she never saw any record of Xiao Jin as a Marquis of ten thousand households.
“No blame! Ever since marrying my wife, I’ve realized I can’t I can’t keep wasting my life anymore.” Xiao Jin’s low voice carried helplessness.
He had originally wanted to shut the door and live out the days peacefully with his little girl.
The life and death of others in the marquis’s household had nothing to do with him!
After entering the Crown Prince’s palace in her previous life, Wen Qingwan’s life hung by a thread; she was too preoccupied with survival to care about outside affairs.
The Marquis of Chengen had a poor reputation, and the Emperor openly shunned him. As a result, no person of standing or status in the capital city was willing to associate with the Marquis's estate.
Even after Wen Qingwan became Empress, she remained unaware that the Marquis of Cheng’en existed.
“Why do you have to check on me first?" the Marchioness asked in an unfriendly tone.
"You were the former mistress of the household, you should set an example." Jinque lifted an innocent smile.
“What if I am unwilling?" The Marchioness wanted to gain some time, letting her personal maid hide some items.
[Family estate? What estate does the Marquis’s house still have? Could it be that Jin’er didn’t dare tell his wife about the Marquis’s situation?]
[Fortunately I acted quickly and tossed the household authority to the heir’s wife. If the heir had told her the Marquis’s household situation, she absolutely wouldn’t have accepted it.]
An hour had not yet passed, so Wen Qingwan could hear the inner thoughts of Madam Xiao and Lady Xiao Wang.
When Wen Qingwan heard the inner thoughts of Madam Hou, her eyes widened, wanting to curse, and at that moment a voice sounded in her mind.
[Host, taking over the Marquis residence’s household authority will earn you one thousand merit points. Besides, saving a single life surpasses building a seven‑tier pagoda.]
Yo! What a good deal—one thousand merit points can buy lots of mind‑reading charms and gossip charms!
The Marchioness of Cheng'en took the teacup that Wen Qingwan handed over with both hands and a beaming smile, and immediately brought it to her lips for a sip.
“Mm, good tea. Yunqing, bring over my name-change gift.” Lady Xiao’s voice was soft—she used “my” instead of “this madam.”
“Yes, Madam.” The maid Yunqing, standing behind her, took out a small, delicate pouch from her sleeve.
“Wife, shouldn’t you help your husband change first?” The voice behind her was puzzled, yet soft and low, with a husky, seductive edge.
It truly made Wen Qingwan dazed for a moment—when that voice sounded, she nearly nodded in agreement by instinct.
“Hah! You lost—and you still expect me to wait on you? Get out of here. The farther, the better.” Wen Qingwan turned, her voice tinged with fury.
When Wen Qingwan saw two grown men kneeling on the ground, she flipped down and, striking a fighting pose, said: “Come at me if you dare!
Xiao Jin looked at the stern, murderous air flashing across her bright face, and a trace of excitement flickered in his eyes. His little girl was like a wild kitten.
Leng Yan really wanted to step forward and pull their madam away, but their master glared at them and said: “Who let you in? Get out at once.”
"Aren’t you… supposed to be toasting guests in the front hall, husband?" Wen Qingwan asked, noticing the domestic abuser’s face flush red with embarrassment.
She couldn’t help but wonder—he blushes just from speaking a few words, and he’s supposed to be abusive?
“I am going,” Xiao Jin said. “I’ll call your maid in to help you.” With that, he hobbled out—limping with each step, yet his back remained perfectly straight.
Xiao Jin felt extremely unhappy when he heard his little girl praising the Crown Prince, but he didn't know what to say.
Especially when he saw the Crown prince and Miss Wen openly embracing each other as if no one else was around, he didn't know whether to despise or envy them.
His gaze lingered on Wen Qingwan, heavy with things unsaid. In his eyes, a storm. Then he walked away, not turning back.
After Wen Mingzhu roared, Wen Qingwan heard a lifeless voice: [So what if I am the system? The host refuses to cooperate, causing me to be ashamed to face my fellows systems.]
"It was my fault in the past life, I shouldn't have wanted to take it easy and lie down. Now that I have been given a second chance, let's work together to reach the pinnacle of life. "
[The host will try harder? Don't be ridiculous!]
Xiao Jin saw that his future father-in-law had a flattering expression. He felt it was strange, but there was no emotion on his face.
After all, his Marquis father is worse than his future father-in-law. He is used to it!
He just didn't expect that besides his father, he could see such an expression on Minister Wen's face.
