An ugly girl starts off, then becomes a beauty

In the middle of the month, Nie Ce came back from Xunyang to treat the epidemic. After he went to the palace, he went straight back to the Marquis' Mansion. He first went to the Wuyuan wing room to bathe, and after changing his clothes, he went to Yunyue Pavilion to visit his mother.

After taking the medicine for half a month, Madam Zhaoyu had recovered about 70% of her health. Sang Ling was just coming out of the accounting office when he saw Nie Ce coming in from the hall.

In fact, someone had replied yesterday, saying that the Marquis would return home today, but she was busy at the time and forgot about it after hearing it. It was not until she saw him now that she suddenly remembered it.

I don't know why, but the heart that had been immersed in the bottom of the lake suddenly moved.

She didn't remember how many days they had been apart, but this time, it seemed like a century had passed.

Unlike when he returned from Jiaozhou in the same year, this time his face was obviously tired. A line of light blue stubble appeared on his chin, and even the area under his eyes was obviously dark blue. I don't know if it was an illusion or not, but the young general's body was not as straight as before.

When the two met, they tacitly understood each other and didn't say anything. She walked over quickly, and Nie Ce opened his left hand and took her into his arms, rubbing her shoulders for a long time.

However, this kind of tenderness only lasted for a moment. "Mother is much better now. She can eat some rice and meat these days. She even went out for a walk in the afternoon when the sun was brighter." She was the first to speak.

Nie Ce nodded, then he hugged her and went into the bedroom.

Only when they reached the barrier did the couple separate.

Nie Ce had nothing to hide and knelt down beside Madam Zhaoyu's couch. Sang Ling followed closely behind him, and asked someone to light the incense in the corner and the lamps beside the table one by one.

When things were peaceful, Nie Ce was actually a bit of a rebellious teenager in front of his mother - although he didn't refute her on major issues, he was definitely not a well-behaved and sensible person. It was only when things really got tough that the son's loving side was revealed.

It was also the first time for Sang Ling to see Nie Ce like this. The young man knelt under the lamp, lowered his head and approached the tent, tightly holding the hands of the person inside. The brown gauze curtain was blown up by the wind in front of the window, and the figure beside the couch was slightly hunched, and then he rested his forehead on the hands of the person inside.

She didn't know what to feel. After thinking for a moment, she walked forward and knelt beside Nie Ce. When she raised her eyes again, she saw tears in the eyes of the woman inside.

"Just focus on your own business. Everything at home is fine. I don't have to worry about it, and I can take good care of myself."

He had just finished speaking when two old ladies outside came in to reply.

The current mistress of the household was the Second Young Master's wife. Sang Ling turned his head and cast a glance, and without even needing Madam Zhaoyu's signal, he excused himself. Cheng Ai, Zong Xiang, and Wei Chu, who were waiting by the wall, also followed her out of the bedroom.

The remaining two maids of Yunyuexie came forward to change their towels. The curtain of the eldest lady was lifted, and the woman inside still had a sallow complexion. She looked at her son seriously, and first asked about the situation in several places below the capital, and then asked whether Nie Ce was doing well these days and how the task at hand was going.

After Nie Ce finished replying in detail, the atmosphere between mother and son finally eased. Madam Zhaoyu patted her son's hand and sighed again, "Fortunately, your wife is still capable of handling things. Otherwise, if she were to let the people over there take care of things, it would be hard to say what would happen in the mansion now."

This was talking about the West Palace. Nie Ce lowered his brows and thought for a while, but did not rush to reply.

"I know your wife is capable." Madam Zhaoyu cast her eyes on the curtains. The afternoon light and shadows were mottled, as if the beautiful figure of the young woman was still there. "When I first fell ill, I thought she was too young. Even if she had some abilities, she would not be able to take on such a big responsibility. No matter how busy she was, she had to come to this room and report to me one by one. Now I think it's hard for her."

Only the head of the household knows the bitterness and hardships involved. It is not easy to manage such a large mansion, not to mention there is an epidemic going on right now.

"Yes." Nie Ce responded with his eyes lowered.

It was the first time that he heard his mother praise Sang Ling. Although he was happy, he didn't know how to respond for a moment.

After listening to Madam Zhaoyu recounting all the family affairs during the epidemic and Sang Ling's handling of the situation, she pretended to be embarrassed and said, "It's her job. A daughter-in-law should take care of the family affairs after she gets married."

But after saying the first sentence, he immediately changed the subject and raised his voice without even realizing it, "She is indeed capable. She manages everything in Wuyuan in an orderly manner. My son doesn't live at home often, and many household affairs are neglected. If she hadn't been taking care of it all the time, my son wouldn't be able to live so peacefully after returning."

In fact, these were all unintentional words, and Nie Ce himself did not realize it.

But it sounded different to Madam Zhaoyu. It seemed that the couple's feelings were genuine. However, there was another meaning in these words. Madam Zhaoyu knew it well. Since they talked about Wuyuan's past, they must be talking about Shen's aunt and nephew.

All the things that happened before are actually a book that Madam Zhaoyu has been keeping track of.

The marriage of Shen’s niece this year was the first counterattack.

Last month, she and the old man reported the personnel of the two mansions. Afterwards, she casually mentioned the fact that there were no maids in the Wuyuan. The old man asked about it immediately. In the conversation, it was vaguely stated that it was Shen's doing.

I didn't care about it in the past because the matter was not that serious. If I had to deal with it, it would inevitably give the old man the impression that there was disharmony in the family.

Only when all the small things are accumulated together and reported to the old man at once can they have the greatest effect.

The old man likes to gloss over the situation, so how could he tolerate having such a troublemaker in his family?

Later, Shen Huajun's marriage was much easier for Madam Zhaoyu.

"So it's better to commit less evil. Just because other people don't care about the minor things you do, do you really think you can do whatever you want?"

She did not follow her son's words and talk about Sang Ling, but instead mentioned Shen again.

After so many years, how could she not have hatred in her heart? This mistress of the household seemed to have unlimited glory, but in fact, the grievances and sufferings behind her were endless.

Especially with an old man pressing down on him.

All the accounts will be settled one by one when the old man passes away.