The Twenty-Eighth Hexagram: Preponderance of the Great

  (ps thanks for the peace charm, Xiaozui received tips for the first time, thank you very much, collected.)

  After Qian Pozi left, the house was quiet and still. Guwalgiya said, "The Liu Li Factory should not be the only one with her family." Guwalgiya's meaning was very clear: don't let Qian Pozi enter the Duke's mansion again. Looking at Qian Pozi's performance today, it really wasn't worthy of being on stage. How could the royal princes and nobles tolerate her? She was just pretending to be a big shot, but the old lady actually believed her. No wonder the Duke's mansion, apart from having plenty of money, gradually became distant from the top aristocratic class in Beijing.

  Zhi Cheng Zhi Hao's official position was a light and easy job with no crime, and the ladies' social interactions were mostly relatives or admirers of the middle and lower ranks of the duke's mansion. If it weren't for Li Qiqing who had some face in front of the Empress Dowager, the Duke's Mansion might not have been able to hold on.

  The aristocratic families of the Ming and Qing dynasties gradually disappeared, and even in the Qing dynasty, princes were also slaves to the emperor. Few truly noble families passed down through generations, and the elegance, literary talent, and integrity of the nobility decreased. The prestige of famous aristocratic families did not rely on wealth or inherited titles, nor was it achieved by marrying off daughters to powerful officials, but rather on the depth of their family heritage. In the Tang Dynasty, the Yang family of Hongnong dared to challenge the imperial family, and when several major families joined forces, even the emperor had to show some restraint.

  Zhiyuan has no interest in the Duke's mansion, and the Gualjia family looks down on the Duke's mansion. They are eager to separate from the family and live a new life. The Gualjia family is confident that they can make their own family rise through Zhiyuan's promotion, becoming a new noble family with the elegance of an aristocratic family. Looking at Old Master's state, he won't pass away for a while. What kind of ginseng did Li Qinger give to Old Master, and how come he is getting more spirited?

  Gwalcia is not waiting for the old man to die, but for the division of the family property. Her parents had built a house that would never be divided, and Gwalcia did not have the patience to save the dukedom. However, the seemingly clever but actually muddled old lady was in charge of the dukedom, and the whole household was filled with the stench of copper. They clung to the powerful and noble, but were far from the truly powerful and top-ranking nobles. The marriage of Gwalcia's two sons and one daughter would be extremely difficult to arrange.

  "Our household may not be a hereditary title, but it is also a legitimate dukedom conferred by the emperor himself. Just because someone is a merchant, they can enter our door? Mother, the household should be rectified."

  Gua Lijia saw the old lady's hesitation, and Li Ziqing took over: "Second Aunt, they are just a few businessmen, no big deal. Qian Pobaby is usually sharp and capable, otherwise she wouldn't be able to keep the shop running. Today she must have had a bit too much to drink, and was speaking out of turn to please Grandma. I'll scold her later, that's all."

  The Qing dynasty's requirements for the women of the Eight Banners were not as abnormal as those of the Ming dynasty, but Li Ziqing could not easily leave the Duke's mansion. She relied on these merchants to transmit messages and help sell medicinal materials. If the old lady followed the suggestion of Guwalgiya and rectified the Duke's mansion, it would undoubtedly cut off one of Li Ziqing's arms. With less silver, her finances would be tight, and she could not buy off the palace maids who served the Empress Dowager. Without their reminders to the Empress Dowager, how could Xiaozhuang still remember her? How could she have married Prince Four, Yinzhen?

  Li Ziqing understood better than anyone that after the selection, being betrothed to her was not enough due to her humble origins. The only way was for Empress Dowager Chongqing to intervene and bestow marriage on Yongzheng in her name. Shu Yao lowered her eyelashes, how terrifying this white sister-in-law was! Shu Yao truly felt Li Ziqing's immense longing for Fourth Brother Yongzheng. What Shu Yao couldn't understand was, who exactly was Yongzheng? Was he an exceptionally handsome man?

  It's actually quite pitiful to be remembered by my cousin, Amitabha, Yongzheng, please restrain your grief and change. Shu Yao recalled that when she saw Li Zhiying yesterday, she accidentally discovered Li Zhiying's fervent ambition to become either the empress or the empress dowager if her abilities were not mistaken. My cousin shouldn't be rushing towards the crown prince, right? Shu Yao had heard from her brother that the current dynasty has a crown prince, and isn't the crown prince the future emperor? Shu Yao suddenly thought of Yongzheng, just how much charm does he have to make my cousin Li Zhiying give up on her dream of becoming the empress dowager.

  Women, once caught in the web of love, are beyond reason. Shu Yao made up her mind to be rational, so she would regard the god of love as mere clouds in the sky.

  "Niece, if you call me Second Aunt, I'll say a couple more words to you."

  Shu Yao came back to her senses and heard that her mother's tone was calm, Shu Yao knew that her mother was angry. The angrier her mother got, the more ruthless she would be in dealing with people. Shu Yao stood firmly behind Gua Erjia Shi, who smiled faintly. "Originally, I shouldn't have said these things, but since we've already reached this point, let me say a couple of sentences."

  Mrs. Gu's sharp tongue was exposed, the atmosphere in the house was heavy with anger, and a timid little maid almost couldn't stand still. Just now she saw the second wife being very gentle, but suddenly became fierce, and the old lady was also greatly shocked. The momentum was too strong, even if she herself was frightened by it.

  "You're a young lady raised in the duke's mansion, and the old lady treats you like her precious gem. Among your cousins, you're considered the most outstanding one, and they all look up to you and learn from you. And yet, you dare to scold merchants? Who do you think you are? You foolish niece, haven't you figured it out yet? Without the duke's mansion backing you up, who would care about you? Money can be earned again, but once your reputation is ruined, no amount of money can restore it. The noble ladies of the Eight Banners value pride and dignity, not lowering themselves to associate with merchants every day."

  Li Ziqing had never been scolded face to face before, and with a brush of her sleeve, tears of grievance rolled down her cheeks. Second Aunt felt sorry for her daughter and bore the pressure from Guwalgiya: "Second sister, you're being too harsh, isn't Ziqing doing all this for the Duke's household?"

  "Second Aunt, don't say such things. My husband would be too ashamed to let our niece support us. It's shameful to the death! He relies on his own abilities and talents to get promoted and uses his salary to support the family, that's what a man should do." Gua Erjia stood up, casually brushed off her sleeves, and gave a proud and clear glance at Li Zhiying who was crying in the old lady's arms. "If you really care about your daughter, you shouldn't have let her enter the palace now. Our niece's status and experience are not enough, she has to flatter and fawn in front of the Empress Dowager, today you see Qian Puzi as a clown, but don't know that our niece..."

  Gua Lijia would never say that Li Ziqing is an actor, actors are of the lowest class, degrading Li Ziqing would be self-degradation, Li Ziqing is Shu Yao's cousin, their bones and tendons are connected.

  "Tong Jia's words came out of her mouth, 'How can Second Aunt say that her niece is an actress? It really doesn't look good.'"

  "Shut up." The old lady glared at Tong Jia and shouted: "Close your mouth."

  The daughters-in-law all stood up, standing respectfully. Tong Jia's wife dared to say this, taking advantage of Gua Erjia's words, she had always been displeased with Li Zhiqing. "Mother, the daughter-in-law is defending her niece, it's the second aunt..."

  Something flew in front of her, and Tong Jia couldn't dodge in time. The teacup hit Tong Jia directly, fortunately the tea wasn't hot, but Tong Jia's clothes were wet, with tea leaves stuck to her body, looking very disheveled. The old lady angrily said: "I told you to shut up."

  Gualga led her daughter by the hand, watching the play with a calm and collected air. Seeing the old lady's unfriendly gaze, Gualga didn't feel tense at all; she dared to speak out because she had backing.