Oh no! Seven kids at the start, all yellow and skinny.

Chapter 294 Zhuang Xiuxiu

Zhuang Xiuxiu is the eldest daughter of the third branch of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

Zhuang Zuming, the former Duke of Zhenguo, joined the uprising led by Emperor Gaozu at the age of fifteen. After overthrowing the previous dynasty and establishing the Great Zhou, he was granted the title of Duke of Zhenguo. To date, he has been a veteran of three dynasties.

The Zhuang family has an ancestral rule that men do not take concubines and women do not become concubines.

He and his wife had three children. Their eldest daughter married into the Zou family, and her husband was the prefect of Baoding Prefecture.

The second son, who is also the eldest son, inherited the dukedom. He and his wife, Lady Hou, had two sons. The eldest son has already been granted the title of heir apparent and is now married and has a grandson.

The youngest son now works at the Dali Temple. He and his wife have two children, the eldest being their son, and the younger one is Zhuang Xiuxiu.

It can be said that Zhuang Xiuxiu is the only girl in this generation of the Duke of Zhenguo's family.

The old Duke's favorite granddaughter was this little girl. He personally held her in his arms and taught her from a young age, and even took her to the battlefield.

This girl is upright and hates evil. She will whip anyone she doesn't like, and even people in the royal family have to give her some leeway.

However, the person she disliked the most was Fang Yunyi. She didn't know what had gotten into her, but every time they met, they would pinch each other, and they had even fought.

Fang Yunyi was no match for her, so she became the person Fang Yunyi hated seeing the most afterward.

After Fang Yunyi passed away, Zhuang Xiuxiu looked down on the Fang family even more.

Fang Yunduo and her younger brother Fang Yunze had both suffered at the hands of the other party, so she tried to avoid them whenever possible.

I never expected to run into you here today.

"No reason, I just can't stand you." Zhuang Xiuxiu shrugged. "Maybe... I just hate ugliness."

The ladies around couldn't help but laugh.

"You've gone too far." Fang Yunduo's eyes reddened. "You..."

"I bullied you? Come on, don't you know how disgusting you are?" Zhuang Xiuxiu curled her lips, then leaned closer to Fang Yunduo, "Don't think I don't know, Fang Yunyi was harmed by you guys, wasn't she?"

"You're talking nonsense. She clearly eloped with someone. She's immoral..."

"Don't let me find any evidence." Zhuang Xiuxiu snorted and was about to leave when she ran into two people who were about to enter.

These two people were none other than the two that Sun Qingli had instructed Fang Yunduo to befriend: Eighth Princess Zhou Xuening and County Princess Zhou Jianing.

"Sister Xiuxiu, you're back from the Northeast?" The Eighth Princess's eyes lit up as soon as she saw Zhuang Xiuxiu. "I thought you wouldn't be back until after the first month of the lunar calendar."

The others, upon seeing the two, hurriedly bowed.

Zhuang Xiuxiu also clasped her hands in a fist salute.

"No need for formalities." The Eighth Princess raised her hand. "Tell me quickly, is the snow over there really enough to drown a person? Does the water freeze in mid-air when it's splashed out?"

Zhuang Xiuxiu smiled: "Eighth Princess, I will go to the palace tomorrow and tell you all about it then."

The Eighth Princess stopped asking questions and glanced at Fang Yunduo, her eyes flashing: "Second Miss Fang, is there really no news about your eldest sister?"

Fang Yunduo quickly shook her head: "No."

"So it seems that the marriage between the Fang family and the Third Prince..." The Eighth Princess shook her head and said nothing more. Instead, she pulled Zhou Jianing and Zhuang Xiuxiu upstairs again. "It's rare for me to leave the palace today, so I need to choose a couple of nice outfits."

After everyone left, Fang Yunduo finally breathed a sigh of relief. She glanced at He Mianmian, whose face was also very pale, and realized that her mother was right. Continuing to associate with someone like He Mianmian would bring no benefit whatsoever, so it seemed best to have less contact with her in the future.

At the Earl's residence, Sun Qingli waited for Fang Tang to return, but her daughter, who had been shopping, and her son, who had been playing with his classmates, returned instead. Her husband, however, did not return.

They sent people out to inquire, only to learn that Fang Tang and several colleagues had gone to Chunfeng Lane.

Chunfengli is a very famous street in the capital, home to more than a dozen brothels and entertainment venues, a paradise for men.

Sun Qingli was heartbroken, so she didn't sleep all night. Just as she was starting to feel sleepy, Fang Tang finally returned, covered in the morning dew.

"Lord, you're back. Are you tired?" Sun Qingli hurriedly came over when she heard Fang Tang return. She smelled the fragrance of his perfume and even saw the lip rouge on his collar, but she pretended not to see or smell it. Instead, she became even more gentle and attentive.

It was precisely because of her sensible nature that she managed to win over Fang Tang back then.

And through her son, she entered the household as a concubine from a mistress's side, and then became the wife of the Countess.

But she knew that Fang Tang was fickle and easily bored, and she couldn't let other women threaten her position.

And so, her smile became even gentler.

"It's alright." Fang Tang went straight into the clean room.

Sun Qingli took a deep breath, calmed herself down, and then followed him into the clean room: "Cousin, let me scrub your back." She had come this far because she understood men very well, at least she understood Fang Tang.

"I'm tired."

"They don't do much, just rub your back and give you a massage to help you relax."

……

However, soon, the sound of panting that would make one blush could be heard coming from the washroom.

"Cousin, you're still so amazing after all these years."

"After all these years, you're still so seductive, still so irresistible to me."

"Does your older cousin like it?"

"If I don't like you, will you become my aunt?"

"Hate."

……

After a long while, Sun Qingli helped Fang Tang back to his bed in the room.

I'm probably too excited, and I can't fall asleep for a while.

“Cousin, the Earl’s Mansion has a marriage agreement with the Third Prince, but there’s still no news about the eldest young lady. Could we let A’duo take her place?” Sun Qingli leaned against Fang Tang’s chest and asked this question with seductive eyes.

Fang Tang's face suddenly darkened, and his tone turned cold: "Didn't I tell you? Don't interfere in A Duo's marriage."

"How can I not care?" Sun Qingli sat up abruptly despite her exhaustion. "You know, A'duo is madly in love with the Third Prince. I'm worried that she won't be able to bear it if she can't marry him." Her eyes reddened as she spoke.

"You have to bear it whether you like it or not." Fang Tang got up and got out of bed. "Don't mention this again. I'm going to the study." He then walked away.

Enraged, Sun Qingli threw the pillow, which landed on the table and knocked the tea set to the ground, shattering it into pieces.

Fang Tang paused as he stepped outside, his face darkening further. He thought to himself that he had spoiled that woman too much, and she was getting increasingly irritable. It seemed he would have to give her some space for a while.

From that day on, he never set foot in Qingli Courtyard again throughout the entire first month of the lunar calendar, which infuriated Sun Qingli, but that's another story.

As soon as Fang Tang arrived at the study, the guard Su Mu appeared: "My lord, I have found the whereabouts of the young lady."