The peasant girl has a private space, and her husband is handsome.

When Madam Lu, the Second Madam of Shen, heard that Princess Zhaohua had arrived, she was overjoyed.

She quickly changed into her most gorgeous clothes, added two more jeweled hairpins to her hair, and excitedly went to the reception room.

Princess Zhaohua was sitting next to Gu Ying, chatting warmly, "Cousin Ying, Miss Su wrote to me, asking me to come visit you often..."

Standing outside the reception room, Madam Lu felt a sharp pain in her heart as she heard Princess Zhaohua calling her "cousin" repeatedly.

How hateful! Isn't Gu Ying a commoner? How did she end up being related to Princess Zhaohua?

"Cousin Ying, if anyone bullies you, tell me and I'll stand up for you."

Madam Shen had already stepped over the threshold with her right foot, but upon hearing Princess Zhaohua's words, she felt somewhat guilty and stepped back.

Lianxiang saw with her own eyes that Madam Shen Er was standing at the door, tearing the handkerchief in her hand to shreds; she seemed to be very angry.

Serves you right! Who told you to bully my young mistress? My young mistress has powerful backers.

Master Su said he would support the young mistress, but he actually invited Princess Zhaohua. Now let's see who in the manor will dare to bully the young mistress.

As the head lady of the household, Madam Shen naturally had to accompany Princess Zhaohua, this distinguished guest. She assured the princess, "Princess, rest assured, we dote on her so much that we will definitely not let her suffer any grievances."

"Madam Shen, then I'll trouble you to take care of my cousin. Our Duke Anguo's mansion will be holding a banquet in a few days, and I will send an invitation to the Shen family then."

"Princess, rest assured, we will take good care of you."

Madam Shen was overjoyed. The Anguo Duke's Mansion was a wealthy family that invited only the rich and powerful. The Shen family had never been invited before. She never expected that they would send an invitation to the Shen family this time.

It just so happens that her second daughter has reached marriageable age, and if she could get a word of praise from the Duke of Anguo in public, it would be a great help to her marriage.

We should really thank Gu Ying's cousin. Princess Zhaohua said that she came to the Shen residence at the request of Gu Ying's cousin.

After Princess Zhaohua returned to the manor, she was summoned by the Duchess.

The Duchess had been in a particularly good mood lately because everything had gone smoothly for her. She had gained weight and looked radiant.

"Zhaohua, today is the second day of the Lunar New Year. We should prepare all the New Year's gifts for our household, especially the New Year's gift for Miss Su, which is to be sent to Qinghe County, such a far place. It would be best to pack it up tonight and send someone out first thing tomorrow morning."

"I understand, Mother. Don't worry, I will make sure everything is prepared."

In the evening, Madam Shen woke up.

"I feel much better after drinking the flower tea brewed by Ruofeng's wife," said Madam Shen, her voice full of confidence.

Second Madam Lu curled her lips, her face full of disdain: The old lady really knows how to flatter Ruofeng's wife. It's just flower tea. Although it smells nice, it doesn't deserve to be praised like this.

Madam Shen knew that the old lady was still worried about sending supplies to the border. As long as this matter could be resolved, the old lady would no longer be tormented by this worry.

"Mother, Princess Zhaohua sent a lot of things to our manor. They are quite valuable, and none of them have the markings of the Imperial Household Department, so selling them won't cause any trouble. I think selling just one-fifth of them will be enough to send supplies to my third brother this year."

As Madam Shen spoke, she looked at Gu Ying and said, "But Princess Zhaohua is sending gifts mainly because of Ruofeng's wife, so Ruofeng's wife must agree to this."

Gu Ying said with a smile, "Let's do as my aunt says. Actually, Princess Zhaohua gave the gift not because of me, but because of my cousin."

The First Madam had already realized during the day that Princess Zhaohua valued Ruofeng's wife's cousin very much.

I heard that Ruofeng's wife's cousin lives far away in Qinghe County. She managed to establish a relationship with Princess Zhaohua in the capital, even from such a distant place, and even got Princess Zhaohua to personally come to the Shen residence to support her cousin. It's clear that the young girl is very capable and truly remarkable.

With such a capable cousin, the Gu family is destined for a life of happiness.

"My cousin is a very good person; she will definitely agree to exchange these gifts for money to support the frontier."

Gu Ying's voice was as gentle as ever.

Madam Shen felt that Ruofeng's wife was too low-key.

If the second wife had such a powerful backer, she would definitely be even more arrogant.

When Madam Shen heard that there was money to buy supplies to send to the frontier, her spirits improved considerably.

"Ruofeng made a good choice in marrying her!"

When Madam Shen first received the letter from her daughter Pengcheng, she was very dissatisfied that Ruofeng had married a commoner who was eight years older than her, so she sent a very meager wedding gift.

Thinking of this, the old lady took off the gold and jade bracelet from her hand and put it on Gu Ying's wrist. "Ruofeng's wife, you are a good one."

Gu Ying's eyes were a little moist. She knew that it was her cousin who gave her the confidence to establish herself in the capital.

When she first arrived at the General of the Cavalry's mansion, no one looked up to her, but after Princess Zhaohua was entrusted by her cousin to come over, everyone treated her kindly.

Madam Shen was in high spirits and spoke without getting tired. She instructed, "Eldest daughter-in-law, hurry up and purchase supplies to send to the frontier. Also, today is the second day of the Lunar New Year, and there are only twenty-odd days left until the New Year. The New Year gifts that the Shen family sends out should also be prepared."

The First Madam secretly decided that she would send an extra New Year's gift this year. Gu Ying's cousin was so capable, she had to send her a New Year's gift.

The fact that Miss Su could persuade Princess Zhaohua shows that she is no ordinary person. She might even be of great help to the Shen family in the future, so we must maintain a good relationship with her.

Meanwhile, the siblings Vivian Hsu and Ruofeng Hsu worked overtime and finally managed to buy a suitable shop.

Vivian Hsu sighed and said, "I've already told my aunt about our purchase of the shop, but she has no intention of buying the shop next door. This shows that she doesn't trust Gu's ability to make money."

Xu Ruofeng was not angry.

He did the math and found that he still had a lot of the silver that Su Dongjia had given him.

The fact that Mr. Su entrusted him with such a large sum of money shows that he trusts him, and he must live up to Mr. Su's trust.

So Xu Ruofeng simply bought all the shops next to the teahouse for Su Qianqian. Once Gu's Teahouse opened and business prospered, it would drive up the prices of the surrounding shops, and Su Dongjia's net worth would also increase.

Perhaps next spring, Mr. Su will open a restaurant in Beijing.

After buying the shop, I became even busier.

The brother and sister, along with Gu Ying, came to help. They worked day and night in the shop to finish the renovations. At night, they slept on the floor in the shop with the shop assistants and didn't go back to the Shen residence.

These three are all pragmatic types. They all want to seize every minute to renovate and open for business as soon as possible so that Mr. Su can make money quickly.

When Madam Lu, the second wife of the Shen family, heard that the Xu family was so busy that they didn't have time to rest, she was just waiting to see them make a fool of themselves.

There are so many established families in the capital doing business, and there are no fewer than ten time-honored teahouses. How could the Xu family's newly opened teahouse possibly compare to the established ones? They're just waiting to lose money.

Madam Shen also liked Yuhe Courtyard and had mentioned wanting to move there several times, but it never happened.

Why is it that Gu Ying, an outsider, gets to live in the best courtyard in the mansion as soon as she enters!

"Sister-in-law, look, you gave such a nice Jade Lotus Courtyard to Ruofeng's wife, but Ruofeng's wife doesn't come home every night. And that girl Ruoxuan also doesn't come home at night. It's really outrageous. If word gets out, she'll have a hard time getting married."

Madam Shen is not as polite to Madam Shen as she used to be. Madam Shen used to look down on military officers and think she was superior just because her family were civil officials.

But now that the manor has become affiliated with the Duke of Anguo's manor, the Second Madam's family is no longer worth mentioning.

"Second sister-in-law, I advise you to say less. Don't keep putting Ruofeng's wife down. She has powerful backers. You can't afford to offend Ruofeng's wife's cousin. In short, it's fine if you're not afraid of death, but don't drag our Shen family down with you."

Madam Shen was furious. Cousin, cousin!!! Now, everyone in the Shen family, from masters to servants, is talking about how amazing Gu Ying's cousin is. No one takes her, the second wife, seriously anymore.

Madam Shen packed her things and went back to her parents' home.

Since her husband had already died in battle, there was nothing left for her to miss about the Shen family.

When the time comes, the Shen family should not go to the Lu family to beg her to come back!