Chapter 431: Chapter 431

With her biological sisters taking turns to comfort her, Zhou Zhi, who had originally been panicking, quickly settled down.

By the time the three of them returned, the conversation among the few people in the front hall had mostly run its course, and the atmosphere was inevitably somewhat awkward.

After all, whether it was the young yet steady Han Xu, or Chen Siyuan, who had studied diligently since childhood and spared no effort in utilizing any resources or opportunities around him to climb upward, the contrast with Earl Zhou, who was used to a life of leisure yet held himself in rather high regard, was simply worlds apart.

Even the knowledge that Father Zhou prided himself on was, in the eyes of this third son-in-law, truly quite shallow, and even listening to him speak carried an obvious air of showing off.

If Father Zhou was , Eldest Brother Zhou was even worse, and the other two younger ones didn't show much cleverness either.

In the front hall, the two sons-in-law exchanged a glance, actually feeling somewhat perplexed deep down.

Not to mention the fifth sister-in-law, who was as intelligent as she was, the future Duchess, even their own wives were both talented in learning and sufficiently clever. Who would have thought that their father-in-law and brother-in-law were actually ...

Fortunately, as sons-in-law, the two of them still showed some face, which prevented the atmosphere from becoming too awkward.

After a harmonious and amiable banquet, Third Miss Zhou finally held her two sisters' hands and reluctantly left.

Even though Zhou Baiyan was sitting in the lower seat, neither the Grand Princess at the head nor Lady Jiang showed the slightest hint of awkwardness or embarrassment. Or rather, in the Grand Princess's eyes, there was clearly no longer any trace of this man surnamed Zhou. If not for being An Ning's birth father, he probably wouldn't even receive a sliver of her peripheral attention now.

Instead, she showed some appreciation for Lady Jiang, who remained composed to this day.

In any case, it's unknown what others thought. As soon as the group had just left, Earl Zhou's face instantly fell, turning both green and black, truly frighteningly so.

Unfortunately, with no more value to offer, no one in the residence paid him any mind now. Not to mention Lady Jiang, even Concubine Lin, An Ning's birth mother, who had previously loved competing for favor and tried every method to please Father Zhou, now usually couldn't be bothered with him.

Especially when she thought of the master's performance during his recent visit, Concubine Lin couldn't help but shake her head inwardly. How had it come to this in just two years...

Tsk, no wonder the Grand Princess looked down on him!

Putting aside these disappointing matters, Concubine Lin was currently gleefully admiring the countless treasures in the room.

"As expected of the Princess's Residence, truly wealthy and noble. My daughter will have good fortune from now on!"

As she spoke, she took out a portion of the private funds she had saved over the years and placed them in her daughter's hand. Finally, she couldn't help but complain a few words about Earl Zhou.

"Ah, your father really isn't a generous man. Every time he talks sweetly, not a single bit of actual goods materializes."

This statement wasn't wrong. Looking at the not-so-heavy plain wooden box in her hand, An Ning thought to herself that this was probably one of the reasons why, although there were conflicts in the Count's household's rear courtyard, they weren't particularly intense.

Apart from Lady Jiang's truly formidable methods and stable position, there was also what the concubine before her had said. A person's coldness and indifference can be glimpsed, especially by those who share their pillow.

Don't look at how Concubine Lin was quite favored in previous years, the legitimate private savings she had genuinely accumulated weren't really much, and a large portion of that still had to subsidize her son.

Unlike the original body's daughters, who were raised in the main house, their daily food, clothing, expenses, and the education they received were all first-rate. Lady Jiang was even more willing to invest in the young ladies. Occasionally, when going out, a single outfit alone could easily cost over a hundred taels of silver. Fearing they might suffer from heat or cold, damaging their health, the charcoal fires in winter and the ice basins in their rooms in summer were always in abundance, never lacking.

Compared to this, the days of Zhou Yili, the original body's younger brother by three years and the fourth young master of the household, were much more difficult. The eldest young master above wasn't a tolerant person. With insufficient talent himself, his daily treatment of the two younger brothers below mostly involved belittling and suppression.

Due to her own son, Lady Jiang naturally wouldn't put too much effort into cultivating or valuing these illegitimate sons. Their daily provisions were just the ordinary allotment, not a bit more. Master Zhou was even colder. After confirming that these two sons weren't promising, he usually couldn't even be bothered to ask about them more.

With the attitudes of the masters above being , the servants below naturally wouldn't be too attentive, and the boys were raised in the front courtyard.

Over time, the originally not-so-clever little brother became increasingly silent and timid.

On one side was a daughter, carefree in every matter, living a wealthy and comfortable life, daily enjoying flowers and reading poetry. On the other side was a son, subjected to suppression and lacking in importance. Regardless of gender, which one would naturally be more worrying was almost obvious.

Not to mention that the human heart is inherently biased, even if it wasn't originally biased, after years of worry and concern, it truly becomes biased.

The original host was intelligent from the start and had been meticulously raised since childhood. How could she not see the difference? Even though she knew the reasons, after it happened again and again over the years, their relationship naturally grew distant and cold.

However, An Ning, after all, wasn't the original body. Now, listening to the person before her repeatedly bringing up her little brother, she just smiled. Naturally, she didn't feel that bit of sourness in her heart.

Remembering the anxiety of those two in her previous life when the original body got into trouble in prison, and how they sought help from people everywhere, she spoke after a moment.

"With Eldest Brother at the Imperial College, given Little Brother's temperament, I'm afraid even if he went, it would be hard for him to gain any advantage. However, there is a rather famous Egret Academy in the outskirts of the capital. It's just that Little Brother would probably have to leave the household then."

As soon as the words fell, Concubine Lin nodded repeatedly.

She wasn't foolish. For her son, being able to leave the household was naturally a great thing. Over the years, Concubine Lin had seen clearly what the Eldest Young Master's disposition was like. Although, out of consideration for her daughter, he definitely wouldn't dare to openly belittle or suppress them anymore, what if he harbored ill intentions?

With her own son's soft, dough-like temperament, he definitely wouldn't be able to handle it then.

However, after the joy passed, looking at her daughter's somewhat distant and cold expression before her, Concubine Lin hesitated before finally speaking.

"Ning Ning, you are marrying up to begin with, already at a disadvantage. The family can't help in the slightest. Your brother's matter isn't urgent. Wait until you have a firm footing, then it won't be too late."

Actually, a spot at Egret Academy wasn't a difficult matter for her, even without using the prestige and connections of the Grand Princess's Residence.

A young lady's social connections from her boudoir days are still connections, aren't they?

Yet now, looking at the person before her, An Ning only gave an almost imperceptible nod and didn't say anything more.

Seeing that she wasn't making things difficult, Concubine Lin then breathed a sigh of relief and again took her daughter's hand, carefully instructing her about various things.

Time flew by, and soon it was the day of the wedding. Given the Grand Princess's usual style of doing things, this wedding was exceptionally grand. Even His Majesty in the palace specifically ordered a close eunuch to come personally, bringing a wave of lavish rewards.

However, although she was the bride, there wasn't much An Ning herself could do.

As for the various Princess Consorts and female members of the Imperial Clan who had come to the room now, regardless of what they thought in their hearts, their faces all wore smiles.

After all, many of these people from the Imperial Clan had been severely cut down by the Grand Princess's swift and decisive actions back in the day. Those remaining now were naturally quite obedient and didn't dare cause much trouble.

With the people around being amiable, An Ning naturally was happy to be at ease.

Amidst the flickering red candles, evening soon arrived. Given Xie Huai's physical condition, he naturally didn't dare touch too much alcohol. At most, he was only slightly tipsy now.

It must be said, viewing a beauty under the lamplight indeed had a unique charm. After the newlywed couple's somewhat clumsy mutual toasts and washing up, they finally both got onto the bed.

In an instant, the gauze canopy, as gentle as moonlight, slowly descended...