Chapter 1: The Husband Returns
In summer, at noon, the sun is at its hottest.

He Qingqing came out of the main room, and the maid Lingzhi held up an umbrella. The master and servant left the courtyard and headed towards the front yard where the old lady lived.

The Xuanping Marquis Mansion covers a vast area. The carved corridors in the mansion are simple and solemn, the pavilions are elegant and grand, and every blade of grass and every tree is a rare species. The huge mansion reveals the profound heritage of a century-old aristocratic family.

The front yard was far away from Lan Ya Ju where Qing Qing lived. The master and servant walked in twists and turns for a long time before they arrived at Chun Xi Tang where the old lady lived.

The maid at the door saw Qingqing and came forward to greet her, saying, "The Third Madam is here to visit the Old Madam, right? Please wait here for a while while I go in and pass the message."

The old lady this servant is referring to is Qingqing's mother-in-law, Wang.

Wang had been feeling unwell recently, and although she had a group of maids serving her, the noble family had strict rules, and when the elders were ill, the younger generation had to come to visit and pay respects three or five times a day. Although they stood outside the house every time they came, and most of the time they could not even see the people, even so, they could not relax at all.

This is the rule of the aristocratic families.

The maid went in for a long time, but no one came out. The maid Lingzhi muttered, "Why don't we see the first, second, and fourth wives today? It's already this late. If it were usual, they would have come long ago."

The people Lingzhi mentioned were Qingqing's sisters-in-law, all of whom were noble ladies from aristocratic families.

The master and servant waited for a long time, and finally saw someone coming out. It was Aunt Xu who was beside the old lady. When Aunt Xu saw Qingqing, she greeted her and said, "The old lady just took medicine and is sleeping now. I'm afraid she won't wake up for a while. Alas! It's a waste of trouble for the third lady to make a trip."

This was a euphemism to shut her out.

Qingqing was born in a humble family. She was able to marry into such a prominent family because she saved the life of Shen Han, the third son of the Marquis's Mansion.

Therefore, her mother-in-law Wang has never liked her. In the past, when she came to pay her respects, if she met other sisters-in-law, Qingqing could reluctantly go in with them. But today, she was alone, so it was obviously impossible.

The sun was high, and after standing outside for a while, Qingqing's forehead was already covered with fine beads of sweat. However, when she heard that her mother-in-law didn't want to see her, she didn't show any extra emotions, and just said lightly: "Thank you, Madam. I will go back first, and come with my eldest sister-in-law and others in the evening."

When Aunt Xu saw Qingqing was so sensible, a somewhat unnatural look appeared on her face. She opened her mouth hesitantly, but in the end she didn't say anything more.

The old servant in the deep courtyard was the best at hiding his emotions, but this subtle revelation did not escape Qingqing's eyes. She looked at Madam Xu and asked, "Madam, do you have anything else to say?"

Glancing at Qingqing's eyes as pure as water, Nanny Xu looked away guiltily, hesitating, "No, nothing." In the end, she held back her words and said to Qingqing like an elder caring about a younger person, "Madam, the color of your dress is too dark. You are so young and good-looking, you should wear something brighter and dress yourself up more."

Only by dressing beautifully can you win the favor of your husband.

Aunt Xu was kind and compassionate, and Qingqing knew she was just being kind and pitying herself. But her husband was not at home, so even if she dressed up, who would see her? It would only irritate some people and make them mean to her.

On the day of Qingqing and Shen Han's wedding, before they even finished attending the wedding ceremony, the sage gave an oral order, and Shen Han left her without hesitation to quell the rebellion.

This time I was gone for nearly three years.

In the past few years since she married into the Marquis's Mansion, her mother-in-law has disliked her, her sisters-in-law have suppressed her, and even the servants in the mansion looked down on her. She only has the title of Young Lady, but her life is like walking on thin ice.

Thinking of this, Qingqing felt a pang of sadness in her heart, but she still smiled politely at Aunt Xu and said, "Thank you for your advice, Aunt."

Aunt Xu sighed secretly, and after watching Qingqing leave, she muttered "What a sin", then turned around and went back to the main room.

On the way back from Chunxi Hall, Qingqing happened to meet her two sisters-in-law, the first wife Li and the fourth wife Xiao Wang.

"It's so hot, it's not convenient for Third Sister-in-law to stay in the house. Where are you going?" The speaker was the Fourth Madam, Xiao Wang. She was very sharp-tongued, but also outspoken.

Qingqing first greeted her eldest sister-in-law, Li, and then replied to Xiao Wang: "I went to pay my respects to mother." Then, she turned to Li and asked: "Sister-in-law, why didn't you go to mother today?" Before Li could respond, Xiao Wang said: "Didn't mother send someone to tell us early in the morning that we didn't need to go at noon today."

Seeing Qingqing's bewilderment, she said in surprise, "Today, our third brother has returned triumphantly, and the whole family is preparing to welcome him. He is your husband, don't you know?"

Is Shen Han coming back?

The husband who left her on the wedding day and was away for three years is coming back?
Such a big thing, and no one told her!

After hearing what Xiao Wang said, Qingqing stood there in a daze, unable to come to her senses for a long time.

Li was the eldest daughter-in-law. When she saw Wang let the cat out of the bag, she secretly rolled her eyes at her, then turned to Qingqing and said in a gentle voice, "We only learned the news in the last half of the day. Although the third brother holds an important position, they are military commanders with great importance. Once there is trouble outside, there is no time to delay. Therefore, when he received the imperial edict, he was so anxious that he left his sister-in-law behind without even having time to enter the bridal chamber. He has been gone for such a long time. We all know that this matter has really wronged his sister-in-law."

After laying the groundwork for a long time, Li carefully explained, "The reason why we didn't tell you that Third Brother was about to return was because we wanted to give you a surprise."

Everyone in the house knew that her husband had returned, but she was the only one who was kept in the dark.

Just to surprise her?
Qingqing didn't think that, given her status in the Marquis' Mansion, it was worth everyone going to so much trouble for her.

After hearing what Li said, she smiled bitterly and said, "It's really hard for mother."

Qingqing is not a confused person. She understands that all this is the intention of her good mother-in-law, and the eldest sister-in-law who is in charge of the family is also acting on orders.

Li saw that she was clear-headed, so she smiled helplessly and tried to say something nice: "Everyone knows that you have been wronged. When my third brother returns today, I will make sure he apologizes to you in person."

Qingqing forced a smile and was about to turn around and leave when Second Madam Liu came over hurriedly.

When Liu saw Li, she said to her anxiously, "Sister-in-law, Wutong Garden is nice, but when I went over there just now, I saw that there was a large area of ​​peonies planted in the yard. Ruoqing is allergic to pollen, and she can't stand these peonies the most."

Ruoqing?

who is it!

After hearing what Liu said, Li first glanced at Qingqing warily, then winked at Liu and said, "Since she can't stand those flowers and plants, just order the maids to pull them out. It's not a big deal."

"It's such a large piece of land, all of which are exquisite products transplanted from Luoyang. It's such a pity." Liu said regretfully.

Xiao Wang, who was standing by, heard this and asked her two sisters-in-law quickly, "So it seems that the woman that Third Brother brought back is going to live in our house permanently?"

As soon as Xiao Wang said this, Li quickly gave her a warning with her eyes. Xiao Wang then realized that she had said something wrong and shut her mouth in dismay.

Li turned and subconsciously glanced at Qingqing beside him. Qingqing raised her head to meet Li's gaze, her eyes full of confusion and questioning, as well as anger that could not be concealed.

Li was born a princess, and her status was the most noble among the sisters-in-law. Naturally, she disdained to be on an equal footing with Qingqing, a commoner girl, as a sister-in-law. However, as the eldest daughter-in-law of the marquis's mansion, she had to act virtuous and maintain the superficial peace of the mansion.

Qingqing had suffered many injustices since she married into the mansion, but she had always been docile. Seeing Qingqing suddenly angry, Li Shi felt a little uncomfortable. She frowned slightly and explained carefully: "Third brother's wife, there are some things you may not know. At the beginning, mother wanted my third brother to marry Lin's cousin Ruoqing, but later my third brother made an engagement with you outside, so the marriage was cancelled."

Li was hesitant and didn't tell all the details. She thought about it for a while, and finally said hesitantly: "In short, according to Third Brother's personality, since he married you, he must be responsible to the end. As for that cousin from the Lin family, Third Brother must have his own considerations."

　A Que has started a new article, I hope you like it!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)