It was already past noon, and according to the usual rules, unless it was a close family friend or an extremely urgent matter, it would be impolite to visit again, as it would show disrespect to the host's household.

  Although Qingjiang County Master is Jian Yu Bai's elder sister, Song Yi Xiao has been married for a short time and is not very familiar with this elder sister-in-law. After weighing the pros and cons, she did not set out immediately, but instead sent someone to deliver another invitation card to inquire whether it would be convenient for her to receive a visit the next day.

  "Send someone to tell Zhao's mother, the case of Grandfather's is not over yet. Considering the current situation at the You family, it's better for her not to rush back. First, take care of things at home properly." She also instructed, "Also, ask Doctor Li to take a good look at Nai Jie and the children. If there's not enough money, just withdraw from the household funds, and put it on my account."

  Thinking of Zhao's mother, she couldn't help but think of Zhiqin - Song Yixiao arranged a series of trivial matters and specially went to the small courtyard in the southeast corner of the Guogong Mansion to visit Zhiqin who was placed here for quiet recuperation.

  She was very concerned about this maid when she lived in Hengshan Wangfu.

  Now that she has reached the stage of being a legitimate and rightful mistress, Zhiqin's life naturally becomes more luxurious.

  Not only did she live in a separate house with its own gate, facing the sun, but she also had two young maidservants to attend to her needs - supposedly as a senior maid, but actually with treatment almost as good as that of an ordinary rich family's daughter.

  Song Yixiao walked in and saw Zhiqin being supported while sunbathing in the courtyard.

  The sun had already set, she narrowed her eyes and curled up in the large rattan chair, covered with a thin blanket to keep out the chill, but this only made her look even more petite.

  From this angle, only half of Song Yixiao's face can be seen, which is still intact, with a gentle and delicate complexion, curved eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes, and a faint smile on the corner of her lips, like a serene beauty painting.

  It was only when she heard footsteps and turned her head that the painting style instantly changed from a beauty to a female ghost.

  ...Zhu Qin saw that it was Song Yi Xiao with her only remaining eye, and hastily tried to get up, opening her mouth to silently form the words "Miss".

  "How many times have I said it, don't be like this in front of outsiders!" Song Yi laughed and endured the discomfort and guilt in her heart, quickly stepping forward to press down on her, and casually tucked a quilt around her.

  "Please calm down, Grandma!" Just then, the two little maids who were originally in the house doing something unknown also sensed it and hurriedly ran out, bowing their heads to pay respects while looking somewhat nervous.

  Song Yi Xiao frowned, looking at them: "How do you do things?! Don't you know to leave someone in the courtyard to wait for orders?! What if Zhi Qin gets thirsty or hungry?! You're supposed to take care of Zhi Qin, is this how you take care of her?!"

  Zhi Qin couldn't speak but her hearing was fine. Seeing the situation, she quickly stretched out her hand to pull on Song Yi Xiao's sleeve, apparently wanting to plead for mercy.

  "This lazy bones has nothing good to stay, wait a moment and I'll replace two for you!" Song Yi Xiao didn't want to indulge, originally Qi Xin's disability was a thorn in her heart, all these years she couldn't get rid of the feeling of being choked by people like Cui Jian, it was already like a fishbone stuck in her throat. Now these lowly people still dared to disobey her orders - if it weren't for Qi Xin being right in front of her, she would have liked to personally take a feather duster and severely scold these two useless things!

  However, this matter also made her realize: "These two little maids are still my dowry, and they clearly know how much I value Zhiqin, yet they dare to neglect her! It's obviously because Zhiqin is not only disabled but also just a maid in terms of status!"

  Song Yi smiled as she spoke to Zhiqin, thinking about how to give her a title. Otherwise, the new little maid who came over would probably be dissatisfied too.

  With this idea, after Jian Yu Bai returned home that day, the two of them first talked about the outcome of You Hong's case and together guessed at Qiu Xiao Xia's next move - based on the current information available, there really wasn't any clue.

  So in the end, we can only take precautions as the main thing and continue living our lives.

  Song Yi Xiao immediately said to Zhi Qin: "If it weren't for her back then, I would have been gone from this world long ago. She ruined her appearance to save me, and now marriage has become a difficult problem. Those people with ulterior motives who come to propose marriage are not worth my consideration. It's possible that I'll have to support her for the rest of her life - if she were still just a maid, how would the person sent to serve her listen to her? In the end, they would speak sarcastically and hurt her heart!"

  She had a must-get attitude towards this matter, so when discussing with her husband, she couldn't help but use some small tricks.

  For example, she stood behind Jian Yu's back, seriously pinched his shoulder for a while, then leaned her body against him, resting on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his chest, twisting the sash of his coat back and forth, slightly tilting her head, her red lips almost touching her husband's earlobe, whispering sweetly, "I may not be able to do this alone, so..."

  "This is non-negotiable!" Jian Yu Bai closed his eyes, savoring the affectionate hug from his wife, but his tone was firm and unyielding. "Although it's just a title, that maid of yours has ruined her appearance too thoroughly! Even if I don't want her to attend to me personally, outsiders knowing that I've taken in such an ugly concubine is enough to humiliate me!"

  Song Yi smiled: "......"

  She was stunned for a good dozen breaths before woodenly saying, "Why did you think I wanted you to take her as your concubine?!"

  "Didn't you say you would raise her yourself?" Jian Yu opened his eyes, asking strangely, "Do you still want me to permit - isn't this wanting her to be my concubine, what is it?"

  "I just plan to take care of her for the rest of my life!" Song Yi laughed and suddenly stood up, pushing him hard and shouting, "But not hoping she'll never get married! I still hope she can meet a good person and live a happy life, okay?! I said I'd give her a name, I wanted to recognize her as my adopted sister!"

  Jian Yu Bai cried and laughed at the same time, saying: "It's you who recognized her as a sworn sister, not me. Can't you just make up your own mind? Why do you need to find me for help? And still have the nerve to push me - when it's clear that what you said is unclear!"

  Song Yi laughed coldly, her voice rising: "Am I being unclear? Did I say you should take a concubine?! It seems to me that you're the one who's been thinking about taking a concubine all along, and now everything is pointing in that direction!"

  When did she become so virtuous and gentle that she would persuade her husband to take a concubine?

  She herself doesn't even know how open-minded and magnanimous she is!

  It's all because of your own deceitful and unscrupulous nature, yet you still have the nerve to talk about yourself!

  "But it's just a misunderstanding, I didn't say I wanted to take a concubine, why are you unhappy about it?" Jian Yu Bai originally didn't think much of it, but upon noticing his wife's unpleasant tone, he turned his head to look at her, and his expression became somewhat playful. He raised an eyebrow and said, "You don't want me to take a concubine? Or are you afraid that if I take a concubine, I'll dote on the concubine and abandon my wife?"

  "You're thinking too much!" Song Yi smiled and walked around to his front, sitting down across from him. She poured herself a cup of tea and took a sip before speaking calmly, "With your identity and status, it's not surprising that there won't be many more 'understanding flowers' in this household in the future! However, I am your legitimate wife, and you've only been back for a few days. If you bring someone else home now, I'll inevitably face ridicule when I go out in public later on. So, I hope you'll consider our marital bond and cherish me as your treasure, and wait a bit before taking another path."

  "Actually, you leave early and return late for official business, and I'm really bored staying at home alone. If there were a few sisters to accompany me, it would be a good way to pass the time."

  She thought that this remark was reasonable and tactful, and clearly implied that she would get along well with her concubine in the future. After hearing it, even if he didn't feel particularly pleased, he felt that he had chosen a wise and understanding wife who knew how to handle things; shouldn't he stop being suspicious of her being jealous now?

  Who would have thought that upon hearing this, his face suddenly fell!

  He silently stroked the black-glazed tea bowl with a delicate, pale finger, which seemed to be carved from beautiful jade. The corner of his mouth slightly curled up, as if holding back a smile, but his eyes did not show any amusement. In a light tone, he said: "You're quite generous, I thought that since you could casually say something that would make me divorce my wife, your personality must be similar to your mother-in-law's, only wanting your husband to dote on you alone."

  So, it's really not a good thing that my mother is too powerful!

  Song Yi sighed quietly: "Mother's reputation is well-known outside, as her own daughter, it's indeed difficult to pretend to be a virtuous woman!"

  However, under current circumstances, it's tough but we can only continue!

  She first assumed that she had been hungry for three days, and then imagined Rong'er as a braised pork trotter that was oily but not greasy, tender and fragrant, with a rich sauce - suddenly her eyes naturally flowed out with infinite admiration: "Everyone's blessings are different, how can they be forced? You're not unaware of my background, to tell the truth: I'm already lucky enough to live a life of luxury, being able to manage this large estate, it's already a blessing from heaven! How dare I wish for more?"

  She said this with tears in her eyes and a sincere expression, she almost moved herself!

  Didn't you say before that you would take care of yourself and understand the overall situation?

  Now that things have been said to this extent, even if he still has doubts, shouldn't he be moved a little?

  Jian Yu Bai Jing listened quietly, her hands suddenly stopping the motion of rubbing the tea bowl, the faint smile at the corner of her mouth instantly disappearing without a trace. Her eyebrows furrowed, and her eyes became icy: "So, you're marrying me for good food and drink, and to be in charge?"

  Huh, isn't it?

  Song Yixiao felt this was too inexplicable: "Wasn't it tacitly understood from the beginning that I would manage your rear, and you would provide me with a luxurious house and beautiful clothes?"

  How can he still be dissatisfied when you strictly follow the agreement and speak accordingly?

  She glanced at him with a pale and icy expression, her heart racing as she fidgeted with the bangle on her wrist, thinking anxiously: "Could he have seen through my casual words, when in fact I was just considering murdering my husband, clearing myself of suspicion, adopting a child from another house to inherit the title, taking control of the country's government as a widow, shutting herself indoors and ruling with an iron fist, training her adopted son, and doing whatever she pleased?"

  Looking back on her behavior since she joined the company, Song Yixiao thought that except for occasionally being a bit petty, overall she was still a qualified good wife - even if she was being petty, it was what her mother had said, that couples having some minor conflicts at three or five in the morning helped to increase their affection and helped them to monopolize each other's love, absolutely not belonging to the "seven outs" of jealousy!

  What's more, Jian Yu Bai didn't even trust himself, so how could he have married himself in the first place!

  After these days of getting along, although they can't be said to be close friends, at least they have a pleasant cooperation.

  This person is not a prophet, how can he see his own cruel nature through those gentle and obedient appearances?

  Song Yixiao tidied up her thoughts and felt that since Jian Yu Bai hadn't exposed her, she might not have revealed any flaws after all. It was better not to get flustered. So, after a moment of contemplation, she decided to carry out "knowing the tone" and "self-awareness" to the end: "Of course! I said it, I've never had any wild ideas..."

  "That's enough!" A short, violent shout cut off her words - Song Yi smiled vaguely and raised his head, but saw that his eyes were no longer cold, they were sharp!

  Like a knife, every time he glanced at her, he couldn't help but want to scrape off a layer of flesh from her body!

  What did I say wrong?!

  Song Yi Xiao had never felt so wronged in her life!!!