Wang Simu's shock

Little Dou Ding was kicked out of the hall by his aunt and could only play alone in the courtyard.

The aunt coughed and smiled at her nephew, "Well, Ningyan, I remember you cooked a few dishes in the kitchen last time. The style and flavor were quite unique. Hmm, I think Miss Wang is the daughter of the Grand Secretary, used to eating delicacies, so it's nice to try something different occasionally."

"Oh, I'll go to the kitchen and teach the cooks a lesson."

Xu Qi'an was full of anticipation for the good show that was about to begin, and now he would agree to whatever his aunt asked.

On the other side, after being kicked out of the hall, the little boy played alone in the yard for a while, but when he got bored, he ran to his sister Xu Lingyue's room.

As autumn approached, Xu Lingyue was making autumn clothes for her beloved elder brother, using the brocade that Emperor Yuanjing had once bestowed upon him.

Xu Lingyue's needlework was exceptional; the robes she made were more beautiful and exquisite than those bought in shops.

Li Miaozhen brought the female ghost Susu to help. Of course, the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect couldn't do needlework, but when Susu was alive, she was a proper young lady from a respectable family.

Music, chess, calligraphy, painting, needlework, and embroidery are all essential skills.

Over the years, Li Miaozhen's clothes, even her undergarments, were all made by Su Su and the female ghosts under her command.

Xu Lingyue glanced at her younger sister, who had climbed onto the table to get pastries, and said softly while embroidering patterns:

"Lingyin, wouldn't you like to have a sister-in-law?"

"What is a sister-in-law?" Xu Lingyin started eating again.

"Sister-in-law is Second Brother's wife, and she'll be in charge of the family finances in the future," Xu Lingyue said softly.

Xu Lingyin gave an "Oh," indicating she wasn't old enough to grasp the importance of economic power. Su Su, on the other hand, sneered.

"Miss Lingyue, what are you saying? With your second brother's meager salary, can he support the Xu Household's expenses? Your mother buys expensive flowers and plants, often costing more than ten taels of silver. Who earns that money?"

Xu Lingyue pursed her lips and smiled faintly, "It's money earned by my elder brother."

The Xu Household rose to prominence three times. The first time was when the spirit dragon went mad, Xu Qi'an saved Lin'an, for which Emperor Yuanjing rewarded him with a sum of money. The second time was when he was granted a noble title, which also brought him a large sum of silver and fertile land.

During her two periods of success, Xu Lingyue acquired numerous shops selling cosmetics, silks, and general merchandise. While these shops were nominally managed by her aunt, Xu Lingyue was in reality in control.

The third stroke of good fortune came at the beginning of the year from the profits shared by the chicken essence workshop. It was an unimaginable fortune that turned the Xu Household into a gold mine.

If it weren't for having so much money, a thrifty woman like my aunt wouldn't be spending money on flowers so often.

Of course, the Xu Household's apparent wealth does not include the private savings that Xu Qi'an hid in the fragments of the Earth Book.

The official silver, gold ingots, and treasures collected by the Duke of Cao were enough to build a small mountain of treasure.

Su Su snorted twice, then declared confidently, "So, even if the family's finances are to be managed in the future, it will have to be Xu Ningyan's wife."

A sharp glint flashed in Xu Lingyue's eyes as she smiled and said, "Then, Miss Su, who do you think is the most suitable match for my elder brother among the people you know?"

Su Su skillfully avoided pressing the issue of Xu Lingyue's death, muttering to herself:

"How would I know? Your elder brother is a womanizer and was willing to spend eight thousand taels to redeem the most beautiful Imperial Academy of Music."

These words struck a nerve with Xu Lingyue.

Xu Lingyue, that girl, suspects Su Su and her elder brother of having an affair; her intuition is truly sharp. Su Su is no slouch either, retorting with eight thousand taels of silver to Xu Lingyue's heart. The Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect sits to the side, leisurely eating cakes and watching the show.

Xu Lingyin ate some pastries in her sister's room. She couldn't understand what the adults were saying, so she got bored. She took her fabric ruler and ran out into the yard, waving it around as if she were a female knight-errant.

They played all the way to the main gate of the Xu Residence. Seeing that the usually closed middle gate was open, Xu Lingyin threw away the ruler, climbed up the high threshold, and stretched out her arms to play with balancing on it.

"Sister Lingyin, hurry back, hurry back, guests are coming soon."

Old Zhang, the doorman, waved his hand.

Xu Lingyin stood on the threshold, struggling to maintain her balance, and tilted her head to ask, "Is she my second brother's wife?"

The gatekeeper, Old Zhang, was speechless and waved his hand again.

Xu Lingyin tilted her head and fell off the high threshold, dusted herself off, and ran off happily.

On the other side, with the rumble of wheels, Wang Simu's luxurious carriage slowly came to a stop in front of the Xu Residence.

The maid took a stool from under the carriage to help the young lady alight.

Wang Simu glanced at the gate of the Xu Residence and nodded slightly. Although it was far inferior to the royal mansion bestowed upon the Wang family, the Xu Household was still quite wealthy to have bought such a large mansion in this prime location in the inner city.

Having managed the Wang family's finances for many years, Wang Simu estimated the house to be worth at least seven thousand taels of silver with just one glance.

Knowing that the distinguished guest had arrived, the gatekeeper, Old Zhang, hurriedly stepped forward to greet him and led Wang Simu and her personal maid into the mansion.

Wang Simu took a deep breath, adjusted her mindset, and stepped over the threshold.

Suddenly, Wang Simu stepped on something. Looking down, he saw it was a ruler.

The ruler symbolizes rules. The matriarch of the Xu Household threw the ruler at the door, clearly intending to set rules for me. Wang Simu's expression changed slightly.

He thought to himself that the matriarch of the Xu Household had a very domineering temper and was not easy to get along with.

When the maid saw her stop, she asked, "Miss, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Wang Simu said calmly. "The ruler fell here. Pick it up and return it to the owner."

It might not have been a warning; it could have been a test from the matriarch of the Xu Household. After all, my father was the Grand Secretary, and marrying Erlang would have been considered a step down for her. She was afraid I was arrogant and unruly, so she threw a ruler at me to test me.

If I were truly a spoiled and willful heiress, I would surely be furious, but I am clearly not that shallow.

She had no intention of fighting with the matriarch of the Xu Household today. As the saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle." She was here to gather intelligence.

She needed to first understand the methods and temperament of the matriarch of the Xu Household before deciding on how to get along with her in the future. It seemed that the matriarch was testing her just like she was thinking.

He's definitely a master.

As Old Zhang led the distinguished guest inside, he instructed the servants to inform Miss Lingyue.

As Wang Simu walked through the outer courtyard and entered the inner courtyard, he happened to see Xu Lingyue smiling and coming out to greet him.

The Xu Household wore a lotus-root-colored long dress and had her hair styled in a simple and elegant updo. Her oval face was delicate and refined, with strong three-dimensional features, yet she also exuded a gentle fragility that made men want to cherish her.

"Sister Wang, I haven't had time to invite you to our home since the last poetry gathering. Today, my wish has finally come true." Xu Lingyue's smile was clear and sweet.

"Speaking of which, I've always felt guilty about causing my younger sister to fall into the water during the poetry gathering." Wang Simu's smile was dignified and gentle.

The two women held each other's hands, appearing to be close sisters who loved each other dearly.

Upon entering the inner hall, Wang Simu finally met the legendary matriarch of the Xu Household. She sat in the main seat with a smile, looking at him with kind eyes.

She was so stunning, with a delicate oval face and exquisite features. At first glance, she didn't look like Xu Lingyue's mother at all, but more like her older sister.

Wang Simu was both surprised and unsurprised by the beauty of this mistress of the Xu Household, because by referring to Xu Lingyue beside him and Xu Erlang whom he admired, he could roughly guess that this mistress was exceptionally beautiful.

She was surprised that the mistress was so well-preserved; she didn't look like a mother of three at all.

"Mrs. Xu!"

Wang Simu gracefully bowed.

"Miss Wang, please don't be so polite, have a seat."

With a reserved smile, the aunt gestured for Wang Simu to take a seat.

Of course, she couldn't be too enthusiastic, after all, this was her future daughter-in-law, so she still had to maintain the demeanor of a mother-in-law.

After Wang Simu took her seat, she looked at her personal maid and said with a gentle smile, "When I entered the manor just now, I saw a ruler at the entrance, so I had the maid pick it up for me."

After the maid placed the ruler on the table.

Auntie was taken aback. "Hey, Lingyue, isn't this your ruler? Why did you leave it by the door?"

Xu Lingyue looked closely and, sure enough, it was her ruler. She exclaimed, "Oh dear! Lingyin must have left it there. She took my ruler to play with earlier!"

What a shrewd tactic! I'm speechless. Wang Simu forced a smile; she couldn't very well say anything bad about a child.

Next, Wang Simu had his attendants bring up gifts. Since they were going to dine there, he brought some expensive pastries, as well as some jewelry for his aunt and Lingyue.

These are no ordinary pieces of jewelry; they are the work of artisans in the imperial city who specially crafted jewelry for the concubines in the harem.

Of course, Wang Simu wouldn't deliberately point out her identity as a craftsman; that would be too low-class and would only make her seem like a shallow and showy woman.

She only said it was made by artisans in the capital, but what that meant was clear to any wealthy young lady or woman with a bit of knowledge.

"Miss Wang, you're very kind."

My aunt was quite happy to receive the jewelry.

Seeing this, the eldest daughter of the Wang family realized that her little trick was not enough to surprise the mistress.

Outside the hall, Xu Lingyin noticed her older brother sitting on a bench in the corridor, listening intently to something. She ran over excitedly and asked, "Big brother, what are you doing?"

"Is Big Brother watching or listening to a play?" Xu Qi'an patted her head.

"I want to hear too!" Xu Lingyin waved her arms.

Xu Qi'an picked up his younger sister and placed her on his lap.

Xu Lingyin also pretended to listen attentively.

Is this all the fighting power Miss Wang has? Well, since she hasn't married into the family, it's understandable that she's being polite and reserved, but isn't this a bit too much of a "make money by being friendly" attitude?

Based on my understanding of Miss Wang, she should be a very opinionated and assertive person, and it's impossible that she wouldn't test her aunt's abilities.

Why hasn't she made a move yet? I'm waiting for her to shut her up.

Inside the hall, Wang Simu chatted casually with the matriarch of the Xu Household and Xu Lingyue without any apparent flaws.

After a period of testing, Wang Simu was surprised to find that the matriarch of the Xu Household was not as unfathomable as she had imagined.

Wang Simu was a master of palace intrigue and had a keen sense for her own kind, but she didn't find any similar characteristics in the Xu Household matriarch.

She was quite straightforward and ignored his probing, seemingly oblivious to the intrigue and power struggles around her. Moreover, because of her status as the daughter of the Grand Secretary, she was treated with exceptional courtesy, as if afraid of failing to provide adequate hospitality.

For example, when talking about cosmetics, she immediately loses her elder-like demeanor and becomes talkative, just like a little girl.

He even complained that he couldn't understand the accounts of the shops outside and could only ask Xu Lingyue to help manage them, thus revealing his own shortcomings.

No matter how you look at it, she doesn't seem like the kind of woman with superb skills.

Wang Simu felt deeply confused.

After that, the aunt suggested that Xu Lingyue take Wang Simu for a walk around the mansion.

Because she couldn't yet gauge the true strength of the Xu Household's matriarch, Wang Simu also wanted to go out for a walk to clear her head and change her mindset before waiting for another opportunity to fight.

The Xu Residence mansion was not as large as the Prince's mansion, but it was still a large courtyard with three courtyards. Both the inner and outer courtyards were equipped with gardens and small ponds, and Aunt was a flower lover.

The flowerbed is planted with many precious flowers, shrubs and trees.

As the daughter of a top-tier Aristocratic Clan, Wang Simu knew that only truly wealthy families had the leisure and resources to cultivate precious flowers and plants.

Therefore, they held the Xu Household's wealth in higher regard.

In the courtyard, the little boy was practicing boxing, while Lina sat on a stone chair, gnawing on a pork knuckle while instructing her apprentice.

"That's my younger sister, Lingyin," Xu Lingyue introduced with a smile.

I'd only heard Erlang mention it, but he seemed unwilling to elaborate on the child. Wang Simu nodded slightly and said, "Sister Lingyin practices martial arts?"

"Yes," Xu Lingyue sighed.

"Only my second brother in the family was a scholar, but he was too busy with his studies to teach her. Sending her to school only resulted in her being bullied, and my mother was at her wits' end, so she simply let her learn martial arts."

Miss Wang frowned. This was not good. A woman should still be educated and reasonable. The more knowledgeable and reasonable she was, the better she would be able to marry into a good family in the future.

She thought for a moment and said, "If you don't mind, I can help Lingyin with her early education."

Xu Lingyue smiled sweetly, "Thank you, Sister Simu."

Wang Simu smiled faintly. If he could become Xu Lingyin's mentor, he would surely gain some respect from the Xu Household and showcase his talent.

Xu Lingyue added, "In this family, the one Mother finds most troublesome is Lingyin; she's helpless with her."

Xu Lingyin is the weakness of the matriarch of the Xu Household. Wang Simu quickly extracted the core element.

However, the matriarch of the Xu Household didn't seem as "terrifying" as Wang Simu had imagined; she wore a relaxed smile.

Just then, she heard Lina scolding her apprentice. "You're so stupid! You can't even learn a few sets of boxing techniques properly. When will you be able to lift a stone table?"

Lifting a stone table? Such a young child is supposed to lift a stone table?

Then, she saw Lina effortlessly "pinch" the stone table with two fingers.

"."

Wang Simu forced a smile, "Who is that young lady?"

"Oh, her name is Lina, a girl from the Gu tribe in Southern Frontier. She's temporarily staying at the manor to teach Lingyin martial arts," Xu Lingyue said.

"He's a truly capable and strict teacher," Wang Simu said.

The two turned the corner of the corridor and saw Xu Qi'an and Zhong Li sitting on the eaves, basking in the sun and whispering to each other.

Wang Simu's heart stirred, and she tentatively asked, "I heard that Xu Yinluo's parents died early. Madam Xu must have racked her brains and gone to great lengths to raise him to be a successful person."

"You do not say."

Xu Lingyue sighed softly and said, "When we were little, Dad insisted that my eldest brother learn martial arts, but my mother disagreed and wanted him to study like my second brother. Dad and Mom argued about this for many years."

Wow, amazing! Wang Simu exclaimed inwardly.

The entire Great Feng knew that Xu Ningyan was a scholarly talent, and even his father, Wang Zhenwen, had remarked, "If only this son were a scholar."

However, because Xu Qi'an 'Xu Household uncle insisted on learning martial arts, a brilliant and talented scholar was wasted.

Unexpectedly, the matriarch of the Xu Household had recognized her talent many years ago.

Xu Lingyue continued, "When we were young, my eldest brother and mother had a strained relationship and often argued. In a fit of anger, they moved out of the mansion and lived in a small courtyard next door for five years. It wasn't until we moved to the inner city that the family was able to live together again."

What?!

Even Xu Qi'an couldn't defeat the matriarch of the Xu Household?

Even Xu Yinluo, the arrogant and unruly man who blocked the Meridian Gate and angrily cursed the officials, and who beheaded the Duke at the execution ground, was forced by the matriarch of the Xu Household to move out of the Xu Residence at a young age.

Wang Simu then realized that everything before was a pretense; the so-called frankness and the so-called lack of fighting skills were all deliberately displayed by the matriarch of the Xu Household.

Wang Simu's breathing quickened suddenly, and his expression became more serious than ever before.

P. S.: I took a short nap, but finally finished writing it.