The thoughts of the Cui and Guo families converged; she also felt that Li Man'er was hiding her abilities, and had been doing so for so many years.
Guo's mind was in a turmoil. She couldn't understand the meaning of Li Man'er's actions. No one knew better than she did how difficult Li Man'er's seventeen years had been. Was her pretense of foolishness merely to protect herself?
When Ning Shi left, Li Man'er was still in swaddling clothes. The Marquis did not concern himself with the inner affairs of the household, and her mother-in-law, Cui Shi, disliked this granddaughter. Therefore, Li Man'er's matters had always been managed by Guo.
If Guo had been magnanimous, she could have doted on Li Man'er like her own daughter. Even if it was just an act, to avoid any criticism, it would have earned her a reputation for generosity. After all, she was just a girl who would eventually be married off. If she could marry into the Duke of Rong's mansion, she would be an asset to the Iron Gallant Marquis's mansion in the future.
However, Guo was petty. She viewed Li Man'er as a thorn in her side, a painful splinter. Of course, the main reason was her envy of the dowry Ning Shi had left for Li Man'er and her jealousy of Li Man'er's advantageous marriage bestowed by the Empress Dowager.
Guo had begun plotting to cripple Li Man'er early on. The wet nurse she found for her was a crude peasant woman. The servants in her courtyard were either dull-witted or shirkers. In short, except for Wu Momo, who had been left by Ning Shi, everyone else was useless.
Under these circumstances, how could Li Man'er not be ruined?
She thought she had succeeded, only to suddenly realize that it was all Li Man'er's pretense! It was a carefully crafted deception, deliberately fooling herself.
No, Li Man'er had not only fooled herself but also everyone in the entire mansion, and even those outside had been deceived by her.
"Is she a born monster?" Guo panicked.
"Ning Shi was exceptionally intelligent. Putting aside her background, she was flawless in appearance, intellect, and methods. How could her daughter be inferior?" That girl, in terms of looks and methods, surpassed Ning Shi. If it weren't for Guo's extreme actions this time, she would have continued to hide.
"Mother, what do we do now?" Guo asked worriedly. She truly regretted not having crushed Li Man'er earlier!
"Things haven't reached the worst point yet. You must keep Zhao'er in check recently, make her restrain her temper, and avoid any further complications! As for Man'er, let's observe her further."
Guo was unwilling, "Mother..."
"I'm tired!" Cui Shi said impatiently. "You go back! Zhao'er has been arranged for, so you don't need to worry."
The punishment of Li Zhao'er kneeling in the ancestral hall for a night was merely a show for outsiders.
Guo had no choice but to say, "Then this daughter-in-law will take her leave! Mother, please rest."
After Guo left, Cui Shi shook her head helplessly, feeling very dejected.
To be honest, she was not very satisfied with either of her daughters-in-law.
Ning Shi was excellent in every way. Her family was incredibly wealthy, and she had indeed helped them greatly during her years married into the Marquis's mansion. However, no matter how outstanding she was, she came from a merchant background, which Cui Shi disliked immensely! She felt Ning Shi's background was too low for Li Shu, and she only agreed to the marriage because the Marquis's mansion was experiencing financial difficulties. Had it not been to plug the holes, Cui Shi would never have agreed to the match.
"What do you think of Man'er now?"
Only Wang Momo was serving her, and only to her could Cui Shi speak without reservation.
"This old servant believes the eldest young lady is a person of great wisdom."
"I underestimated her. Now that I think about it, if she had shown her brilliance from a young age, Yu Fei would have tolerated her even less."
Wang Momo served Cui Shi a cup of tea, comforting her, "Old Madam, please be at ease. It is a good thing that the eldest young lady has awakened."
The old madam had been shrewd her whole life, and the madam also believed she was full of schemes. Yet, in the end, the eldest young lady feigned foolishness and deceived everyone.
It made them look so foolish.
"Hmph! You old crone, you only know how to comfort me."
Wang Momo understood Cui Shi's thoughts and was about to say more when Du Momo entered with a grave expression, "Old Madam, after the Marquis left the palace, he took his men to the Western Mountain camp. Halfway there, he suffered a poisoning attack, and his life is now uncertain."
The teacup in Cui Shi's hand crashed to the floor, her eyes widening, "What happened? How could he be poisoned?"
Du Momo was about to say something when the courtyard suddenly became chaotic. Guo, tears streaming down her face, entered the room, "Mother, how could the Marquis be poisoned? What will we do?" She had just received the news and had panicked.
Cui Shi's brows furrowed, "What are you panicking about? The Marquis has trusted confidants with him, what trouble could arise? We don't know the situation yet, let's wait for news."
Hearing Cui Shi's words, Guo finally felt she had found a pillar of support. She daintily wiped her tears with a handkerchief, feeling a sense of reassurance.
Cui Shi glanced at Du Momo, who immediately added, "The Marquis's trusted men have sent word asking us to make arrangements, and they will escort the Marquis back shortly."
"Send someone to invite Second Master and Fourth Master over."
Li Er Ye, Li Yi, who received the message, rushed over in a hurry. However, Fourth Master Li En was not at home, reportedly having gone to a poetry club.
Cui Shi's face fell. Fourth Master was always causing trouble. It was also Tian Shi's fault for not being able to keep her own husband, letting him frolic outside under the guise of attending a poetry club. He was becoming more and more useless.
"Go find him again, bring that rascal back." He was becoming increasingly insufferable.
"Mother, what's happening? Eldest Brother was fine, how could he suddenly be poisoned?"
Cui Shi mustered her strength, "You ask me, who do I ask! The most important thing now is to prepare. He is likely on his way back. Hurry and send for an imperial physician. Also, invite all the doctors who usually visit the mansion."
"But Mother, making such a big fuss, isn't that inappropriate?"
"Is this the time to consider such things? A life is at stake." Cui Shi's gaze was deep. The fate of the entire Marquis's mansion rested on Li Shu alone. The heir was only twelve years old and incapable of taking on responsibilities. If Li Shu met with misfortune, the Iron Gallant Marquis's mansion would inevitably decline in the future.
"Yes, son will go immediately." Although Li Yi had a scholarly air and was prone to indecisiveness in times of crisis, he had one advantage: he knew what he was not good at and was willing to listen to advice.
The entire Iron Gallant Mansion was in motion. Servants bustled about with preparations, not daring to even breathe loudly. The atmosphere within the mansion was extremely tense.
Li Man'er also heard about Li Shu's poisoning in Qingping Xuan and found the matter peculiar. He had left the palace and gone directly to the camp. When was he poisoned? Was he tricked in the palace?
"Young lady, the Heir and Second Young Lady have gone. You should go and see too!" As Li Shu's children, they shouldn't let others steal the spotlight. This was the time to show their loyalty.
Li Man'er's first reaction was, "Shouldn't Li Zhao'er be kneeling in the ancestral hall? Why is she running around?"