The reborn daughter of the Marquis Mansion takes over the world

In the front hall of the Su Mansion, Aunt Fang was pacing back and forth with an anxious look on her face.

Her daughter Leng Yihong could not help but persuade her, "Mother, please stop making things difficult for cousin Su. He and Princess Azhao haven't married yet, so how could he easily agree to take a concubine first? Moreover, we don't know what Princess Azhao's attitude will be towards this matter."

Fang walked up to her and snorted, "What do you know? This matter must be settled before Seventh Brother gets married. Once he marries Princess Azhao, we mother and I will no longer have a say."

Fang looked at Leng Yihong with eyes full of disappointment and anxiety.

Thinking of the unhappy days she had led in her husband's family, she hardened her heart and warned Leng Yihong: "My daughter, we have come all the way to Kyoto to seek refuge with your cousin. This is a desperate move and there is no turning back. Do you still want to return to the Leng Mansion and continue to live a life of being bullied and having no dignity as a legitimate lady?"

There was a hint of fatigue and sadness in Fang's voice.

"Mother is old and no longer has the strength to protect you three siblings. Your father is heartless and has ignored us since the Su family fell into decline. He has only been pampering that bitch Du Ximei these years."

"First, your eldest sister's marriage was hastily arranged, and now they are pushing you into the fire pit and forcing you to marry an old man in exchange for your brother's future. Mother was forced to do so, so she shamelessly came to beg your cousin, just to find a way out for you!"

At this point, Fang couldn't help but burst into tears. Leng Yihong felt mixed emotions and couldn't say anything for a moment. She could only comfort her.

"Mother, please don't be sad. My cousin will come soon. Let's see what he says. If he agrees, I will have no regrets even if I am just his concubine."

Fang felt a little relieved, and gently patted Leng Yihong's hand and said, "Mother, seeing that Seventh Brother is humble and polite, and kind-hearted, he will definitely sympathize with our difficulties. Back then, the old lady and your cousin loved me very much, and when I got married, they gave me a generous dowry. I will always remember this kindness in my heart."

"I think, considering our past friendship, Brother Qi will not stand idly by."

Leng Yihong nodded obediently and agreed: "Don't worry, mother. I will follow your arrangements in everything."

Seeing that Leng Yihong had been persuaded, Fang immediately restored her dignity as an elder and urged the servants to quickly invite Su Yanqi over.

Although the servants were quite dissatisfied with Fang's attitude of taking the initiative, they had no choice but to act according to etiquette and retreat to invite Su Yanqi.

As soon as I reached the corridor outside the door, I saw Su Yanqi and Ning Ziqing coming side by side.

The servant stepped aside and bowed, "Greetings, sir, Princess Azhao."

Ning Ziqing walked to the threshold and looked up, only to see Fang's mother and daughter sitting in the hall with different expressions. She smiled slightly, naturally took Su Yanqi's arm, and walked into the hall with him.

Fang's mother and daughter had not paid attention to the movement outside the door before. When they saw a beautiful woman following Su Yanqi, they were stunned.

Fang's heart skipped a beat and she asked hastily, "Seventh brother, who is this girl?"

Su Yanqi reminded at the right time: "Aunt, cousin, this is Princess Azhao, why don't you come and pay your respects to her."

Fang's mother and daughter were shocked. They quickly stood up and bowed to Ning Ziqing to apologize: "We didn't know Princess Azhao was coming. We failed to welcome her. We hope Your Highness will forgive us."

Fang lowered her head, feeling extremely flustered. She glanced secretly at Su Yanqi, as if questioning him why he had invited Princess Azhao.

Su Yan glanced at Fang seven times and explained with a smile: "Aunt, I have thought about it. I have already reported to Princess Azhao the fact that you want me to take cousin Yihong as my concubine. This matter is very serious and it is difficult for me to make the decision on my own."

Fang's face changed slightly, and she seemed a little uneasy.

"Seventh brother, why don't you inform me first so that Hong Jie and I can prepare and not have to rush to welcome Princess Azhao."

Ning Ziqing smiled and said to Fang: "Aunt, please don't blame Qilang. I am visiting the Su Mansion privately today and I didn't mobilize any troops."

Su Yanqi's eyes warmed slightly when he heard her calling him so intimately. He took over the conversation and said, "Aunt, taking a concubine is a matter of great importance. If it is accidentally spread out, it may cause waves. Therefore, I specially asked Princess Azhao to come and discuss this matter together."

Fang was stunned, with panic flashing in her eyes. Leng Yihong was so scared that her face turned pale. She snuggled up to Fang tightly, not daring to say a word.

After a moment, Fang murmured quietly, "Seventh Brother, this...taking a concubine is just a small matter in the family, how can it be as serious as you said?"

"Aunt," Su Yanqi's tone became serious, "Princess Azhao is of noble status, and her marriage has attracted much attention. Before I marry the princess, if it is rumored that I have the intention of taking a concubine, once His Majesty and Prince Qian know about this, not only will I and the Su family be punished, but even my aunt and cousin may be implicated."

After hearing this, Fang took a deep breath and felt her legs go weak and she could hardly stand.

Leng Yihong was horrified, and she grabbed Fang's arm tightly, pleading with a trembling voice: "Azhao...Princess, cousin, we are wrong, we shouldn't have such unreasonable thoughts, please forgive us, Your Highness."

Fang looked dejected, and it took her a long while to come to her senses and agree.

Su Yanqi secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw them backing off.

Ning Ziqing on the side scolded Su Yanqi: "Qilang, don't scare your aunt. I've been standing here for a while, shouldn't you let me have a cup of tea first before we talk about business?"

After that, she reached out her hand and gave Fang a helping hand: "Aunt, please sit down, we will talk slowly."

The four of them sat down one after another. Su Yanqi ordered the servants to serve tea. Ning Ziqing said, "Give me the Golden Deer Fragrant Snow, and prepare some more and wrap them up. I want to take it back to the Marquis' Mansion to drink."

Su Yanqi glanced at her with dissatisfaction: "Don't push your luck. You want to eat and take something from me today."

Ning Ziqing sneered, "Stingy, I see your aunt is not an easy person to deal with, your shocking words just now probably won't last long."

Before she finished her words, just as she expected, Fang covered her face with a handkerchief and cried.

Ning Ziqing asked, "Aunt, is there anything you can't tell me? Please tell me, maybe Qilang and I can help."

Fang gradually stopped crying, a gleam of light flashed in her eyes, and she decided to give it another try.

"Princess Azhao, I insisted that my seventh brother take Hongjie as his concubine. I really had no choice..."

"We are already struggling in the Leng family, and we can hardly survive!"

Fang fell into grief and slowly talked about the bitterness she had experienced over the years.

In the past, the Fang family, relying on their deep connection with the Su family, carefully selected an enviable marriage for Fang.

On the day of her wedding, Fang married into her husband's family with great ceremony. Due to the protection of the Su family, she was highly respected in her husband's family and lived a comfortable and happy life.

However, things are unpredictable. The Su family gradually declined after the turmoil of the previous dynasty. Su Yanqi's father resolutely resigned from his official position and went into business. This move attracted a lot of criticism and ridicule from the clan members.

Although Concubine Wan in the deep palace had a noble status, her family had fallen from power and it was difficult for her to gain the emperor's favor, and naturally she could not lend a helping hand in the court.

Fang's husband Leng Jian once dreamed of returning to Kyoto to pursue an official career. Fang wanted to lend him a helping hand and wrote to the Su family and Concubine Wan for help, but was rejected by Concubine Wan on the grounds that "the harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs."

From then on, her husband's family's attitude towards her took a sharp turn for the worse and became increasingly distant because Fang had lost the support of the Su family.

Leng Jian even fell in love with other women and took several concubines in succession. One of them was a girl from a wealthy family named Du Ximei, who was particularly favored by him.

Aunt Du relied on her family's extensive connections in official circles to help Leng Jian get transferred to the position of provincial governor.

From then on, Aunt Du's status rose rapidly, and she even surpassed Mrs. Fang, the principal wife, in the Leng Mansion.

Not only did he seize Fang's power as housekeeper, he also made things difficult for her and her three children at every turn. His methods were cruel and outrageous.

A few years ago, Du Ximei forced Fang's eldest daughter Leng Yiyao to marry a poor scholar. Now she is instigating Leng Jian to let his second daughter Leng Yihong marry a retired official who is over 50 years old, in an attempt to use this as a stepping stone for Leng Jian's career.

Fang firmly disagreed and vowed to fight to the death. Aunt Du threatened Fang with her son's future in an attempt to force her to submit.

In desperation, Fang had to sell her jewelry to gather enough money, and secretly took her second daughter to Kyoto to find a way out.

"Seventh brother, your aunt was really driven to desperation by the Leng family, so she came to Kyoto to beg you for help. Please save Hong Jie'er for the sake of the friendship between me, the old lady, and your father!"

Fang wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes as she spoke. Suddenly, she stood up and knelt on the ground with a plop. Seeing this, Leng Yihong also knelt down.

Su Yanqi was stunned and quickly stepped forward to support her.

"Aunt, what are you doing? Please get up."

Fang grabbed Su Yanqi's arm and begged bitterly: "Seventh brother, auntie begs you, please go and ask Princess Azhao to ask her to agree to let Yihong enter the palace."

Su Yanqi shook his head firmly: "Aunt, I once made a promise to Princess Azhao that I would only have her in my life and would never take a concubine. Please understand my difficulties and don't force me anymore."

When Fang heard this, her eyes turned red with anxiety, and she became more and more agitated: "Seventh brother, it is common for a man to have three wives and four concubines. After you have been with the princess for a long time, you will get tired of her. At that time, instead of looking for other women outside, why don't you choose Sister Hong who knows you well..."

"Aunt, be careful with your words!"

Su Yanqi interrupted her harshly, his face turning pale with anger at her careless words, and he turned back to his seat with some anger.

Fang realized that she had said the wrong thing and closed her mouth unwillingly.

At this moment, Ning Ziqing in the hall burst out laughing.

"Aunt Fang, you are so eager to let Qilang take cousin Yihong as a concubine. I'm afraid you have other purposes."

Fang's face froze, her eyes flickered, and she stammered, "Princess Azhao, what do you mean by that?"