tried to stop the master from coming to their quarters.As soon as Gu Jingheng stepped through the door, he saw his wife's face beaming with joy. He was puzzled. He had been to Shouantang just before...Our government treats officials very well. Not only is their salary higher than in the previous dynasty, but they also have more holidays. In addition to the designated public holidays, officials can also take leave for family celebrations such as weddings or births. For example, if an official or their child gets married, they get nine days of leave. There are also holidays for close relatives' weddings. Furthermore, these holidays do not include travel time, considering that some officials may need to go to other places for events.

When Gu Xuanyi got married, Gu Jingxi and Gu Jing Song, as paternal uncles, had three days of holiday. Gu Jing Sheng, being the father, had nine days of holiday.

On the day Gu Xuanyi returned to her natal home for a three-day visit, the entire Gu family was present. The whole family, young and old, waited eagerly for Gu Xuanyi and her husband to return.

Zhang has been tossing and turning in her sleep these past two days. She knows her daughter's temperament well and is worried that she won't be able to handle the people at her husband's family. Right now, she's eagerly awaiting news, hoping for the best.

At this time, a maidservant came in to report: “The eldest daughter and her brother-in-law are back.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang immediately instructed Gu Xiuyuan and Jiang to go greet the elder as siblings-in-law, demonstrating the importance placed on relatives by her family. It's unnecessary for elders to greet juniors after all.

Before long, Gu Xiuyan and his wife brought Gu Xuyang and his wife to Shou'an Hall to pay their respects to Old Madam Gu and greet the other elders.

Setting aside his complicated family background, the Crown Prince of Wuan appears to be quite a good person. He is handsome, refined, and well-educated. It is said that he is also academically accomplished. Standing with Gu Xuanyi, they make a perfect match, a couple of talent and beauty.

The granddaughter greets her grandmother.

The grandson greets his grandmother.

Gu Xuanyi and her husband first paid their respects to Mrs. Gu, then greeted the other elders.

Zhang looked at her daughter, seeing a polite smile on her face, but noticing the pallor. She could guess that her daughter wasn't living a comfortable life with her in-laws. If things were good, her complexion would be rosy and she would have a bit of the shyness expected of a new bride.

In front of her son-in-law, Zhang shi didn't dare to ask anything. She just chatted with her daughter and son-in-law about some family matters.

The rest of the Gu family had bright eyes, and it could be seen that Gu Xuyi was a little haggard. It seemed that the eldest daughter of the Gu family, who was domineering at home, had suffered a loss after marrying into another family.

Afterward, everyone left Shou'an Hall. Gu Xiuyuan and his brothers accompanied Wu An Bo's son-in-law, while Zhang Shi prepared to speak privately with her daughter.

Prince Wu An smiled and said softly to Gu Xuanyi, "My wife, I'll go chat with my brothers for a while and discuss some academic matters. You should have a good talk with your mother-in-law. She must miss you very much these past few days."

Gu Xuanyi met his smiling eyes, her face stiffened slightly before quickly breaking into a smile: "Go on, husband. I'll see you at the noon banquet later."

Prince Wu'an nodded in response. "Good."

Gu Xiuming, hearing their conversation, teased, "Big sister and brother-in-law seem to have a good relationship. They are reluctant to part even after a short separation."

Gu Xuyan smiled and lowered her head, blushing.

Jiang took a glance at her younger sister-in-law and smiled, "Newlyweds are always so affectionate. Just wait until you get married yourself, you'll surely be as loving with your new wife as they are."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Jiang realized she had said something she shouldn't have. Given how much Gu Xiuming doted on his concubine, which woman would dare to marry into this household and suffer such treatment

Gu Xiuming's face changed slightly, but he said nothing with a smile.

Others glanced at Gu Xiuming nonchalantly, tacitly changing the subject. Everyone left with laughter and chatter.

Zhang shi led her daughter back to their own courtyard, dismissing all the maidservants. Only then did she ask, "Xuan Yi, how was your time at Marquis Wu'an's residence"

Gu Xuanyi saw her mother looking at her with concern. Her eyes instantly turned red, but she still managed a smile and replied softly, "Mother, I'm doing well at Marquis Wu'an's mansion."

There's no one who knows a daughter better than her mother.

Zhang clearly knows what kind of personality her daughter has. Her daughter is such a sensible child Before, she would make a fuss in front of her if she received even the slightest bit of grievance. She wasn't someone who could suffer losses. Now, after only two days, she has suddenly changed a lot and grown up a lot. She doesn't know what she has experienced.

She asked again, "Xuan Yi, tell your mother the truth. How have the people at the Duke of Wuan's mansion treated you"

Gu Xuanyi slowly lowered her head, tears finally unable to hold back and slid from her eyes. "Plop," they landed on the back of her hand, sobbing softly, suppressing her cries.

From the moment she returned home, even though she felt wronged, she always made an effort to smile and keep a composed appearance, afraid that others would see through her unhappiness and make fun of her. After all, she had defied her mother's wishes and secretly communicated with the son of Marquis Wu'an, filled with anticipation of marrying into his household.

Seeing this, Zhang shi felt a pang of sympathy and anxiously asked, "Xuan Yi, what's wrong Tell your mother, if they dare to bully you, while your uncle-in-law is still at our house and your third uncle is here too, we can intimidate him. We'll get justice for you later."

Gu Xuyan looked up at Zhang, seeing that her face was full of worry and concern. In the end, grievance overcame her facade, and she confided in her mother: "Mother, the people at Wuan Marquis's mansion are difficult to get along with. The old lady and my mother-in-law seem to have a bad relationship. On the second day I entered the house, the old lady gave me a test. As for the other sisters-in-law, the ones from the second and third rooms were not as troublesome since they were concubines' daughters. But the fourth sister-in-law, being the old lady's daughter, is also difficult to deal with."

As for this, Zhang wasn't surprised. This was expected. With a light sigh, he said: "I told you before, the environment at Marquis Wu'an's mansion is complicated. You wouldn't listen to my advice and still came privately. Now that things have come to this, there's no turning back. You can only be more resourceful in the future, learn from your mistakes."

Zhang said, seeing her daughter's tears falling even more fiercely, she stopped criticizing and instead said: "Although the old lady is your mother-in-law's mother-in-law, she is a concubine, only a few years older than your mother-in-law. She also has biological sons. This son is even more outstanding than your father-in-law, but because there is your father-in-law as the legitimate heir, he cannot inherit the title. She is unwilling to accept this and it's impossible for her to get along with your mother-in-law. By the way, how does your mother-in-law treat you"

When it comes to Lady Wu An, Gu Xuanyi felt even more wronged and choked back tears: "My mother-in-law isn't as kind as before. The day after I got married, she set rules for me. Today, I got up early and waited in her courtyard. I served her with dressing, washing, and breakfast. In the future, I have to serve her diligently at dawn and dusk."

Although Zhang felt sorry for her daughter, she couldn't find fault with her. After all, she had set rules for the new bride, requiring her to pay respects at dawn and dusk every day. This was something many mothers-in-law would do, and no one could criticize it.

She looked at her tear-filled daughter, Pear Blossom weeping like rain, and could only comfort her: “Xuan Yi, just bear with it for a while. Go along with your mother-in-law first. If you make her happy, she naturally won’t make things difficult for you. This rule will only last a year or two. If you perform well and please her, it’ll be over in six months.”

Gu Xuyan wasn't soothed and felt even worse. She said, feeling both wronged and angry, "I married into their family as a daughter-in-law, not as a maid. There are already maids, why should I do the work of a maid and wait on her"

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face, her voice choked with grievance: "Grandmother never set rules for you and your second and third aunts. She said these were things maids did, no need for you to do them. But my mother-in-law made me do it! I've grown up this big and never done such servant-like work before."She ordered the maids to leave, glared angrily at her daughter, and scolded in a furious voice, "Xuan Yi, didn't I tell you before that the son of Marquis Wu'an is not suitable for you How could you g...