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"Our eldest daughter is accomplished in every respect; I'll find an elderly nurse to teach her etiquette in a few days."

Lady Zhao was immensely grateful, knowing that Lady Shen intended to give this opportunity to her own daughter.

When the servants returned with the lotus seeds, Lady Autumn also sent word. Indeed, Lady Autumn was pregnant, but due to its early stage, she herself hadn't noticed.

How could she not notice? Perhaps because of this pregnancy, she had harbored delusions, wanting to plot a future for the child in her womb before the news of her pregnancy spread.

Lady Shen watched Pei Yuanxi happily shelling lotus seeds and inwardly sighed in pity. Recalling how clever and adorable this child had been in her youth, perhaps it truly proved the old saying that extreme wisdom inevitably leads to harm.

Pei Yuanxi shelled out plump, white lotus seeds, carefully removing the bitter core.

"Mother, have some."

The lotus seeds were shelled perfectly, even the outer seed coat was removed cleanly. Lady Shen looked at the lotus seeds in her palm, feeling a strange sense of sorrow.

"Eat, Third Daughter, Mother won't eat them."

Lady Li was restless, looking like she wanted to take her daughter away, "Third Daughter, don't bother Madam, come here to Auntie."

Pei Yuanxi shook her head, "No, I like Mother."

Lady Shen's heart jolted, and she smiled, "Mother likes Third Daughter too. You're just being too cautious, Rulan. I see that Third Daughter is very obedient, not causing any trouble at all."

"Lady, you don't know, when Third Daughter goes wild, she hits anyone she sees. This servant fears she might hurt Madam if she gets out of hand."

Ten fools, nine idiots, and one is a madman. There had been such a saying among the common folk, but no matter how Lady Shen scrutinized Pei Yuanxi, she couldn't see any signs that she would go mad. Over the years, she had often heard Rulan say how unruly Third Daughter was and how troublesome she was, but she had never seen it with her own eyes, as Rulan kept Third Daughter confined to the courtyard day after day.

Raising such a child must be very tiring.

"Don't worry, she's being very well-behaved right now, let her stay by my side."

Lady Li sat back down, looking distressed. Lady Zhao looked at her deeply, her calm gaze revealing no emotions.

Just then, Pei Yuanjun woke from her nap and came to greet Lady Shen. The flower shoes she stepped over the threshold with had a large, round pearl in the center, and her flowing skirt looked cool and light, made of the extremely rare green snow ramie gauze.

She carried herself with dignity, her appearance bright and dignified, exuding an aura of nobility. She gave a slight nod to the two aunties as she passed by them, and her eyes flickered slightly when she saw Pei Yuanxi sitting beside her mother.

In Lady Shen's eyes, her own daughter was perfect in every way. No matter how well-mannered the eldest daughter was, she couldn't compare to Yuanjun's demeanor, and no matter how charming the fourth daughter was, she wasn't as graceful and majestic as Yuanjun.

She looked at her daughter with loving eyes, gently pulling her close. Turning around, she saw Pei Yuanxi staring with big eyes, and had Laomama bring over a spring stool, seating her daughter beside her. She asked her daughter in a low voice if she had slept well and if there were enough ice basins in her room.

Lady Li stood up again, but a glance from her made her sit back down uneasily.

Earlier, Pei Yuanxi had shelled quite a few lotus seeds that she wanted to give Lady Shen to eat, and those lotus seeds were placed on a white jade porcelain plate. Lady Shen didn't eat them, but now she picked up several and handed them to Pei Yuanjun.

"Have a taste, they were just picked, especially fresh and sweet."

Pei Yuanjun habitually leaned over to accept the feeding from her mother, "Indeed, they are very fresh and sweet."

Pei Yuanxi lowered her head in confusion, a hint of loneliness flashing across her eyes.

Chapter 4: The Marquis of Xuanping

Lady Shen disliked having outsiders present when she was close to her daughter. When she gave birth to Pei Yuanjun, she had damaged her foundation, and this was the only daughter she had in this lifetime. She personally handled everything about her daughter, unwilling to entrust her to the servants.

Lady Zhao tactfully excused herself, and Lady Li apologized, saying she had to take Pei Yuanxi back. Pei Yuanxi looked longingly at the lotus seeds, reluctant to leave.

"Let Third Daughter take those along." Lady Shen ordered someone to pack a good number of lotus seeds, and only then did Pei Yuanxi cheer up.

Lady Li hesitated, expressing her gratitude profusely. As soon as they left the Xuan courtyard, her expression changed. Pei Yuanxi was unaware, tightly hugging the bag of lotus seeds and skipping merrily.

As soon as they entered the house, Lady Li shouted, "Kneel down!"

Pei Yuanxi looked confused, not knowing what had happened. She stood there like a wooden post, her big, dull eyes staring blankly, making one's heart uneasy.

Chunyue was so scared that she knelt down immediately, secretly tugging on her young lady's dress.

"Chunyue, why are you pulling me?" Pei Yuanxi asked innocently.

Lady Li's eyes were cold as she called in her old woman, Old Lady Huang, "Chunyue failed to protect her young lady, allowing Third Daughter to sneak out and go to the Clear Bright Pond, give her five strikes! Don't do it outside, do it inside the house."

"Don't hit Chunyue!" Pei Yuanxi shielded Chunyue, glaring at Lady Li. Lady Li hardened her heart and signaled Old Lady Huang to act quickly.

Before the first strike landed, Pei Yuanxi had already thrown herself onto Chunyue. Old Lady Huang looked at Lady Li uncertainly, and Lady Li turned away in pain, signaling her to continue.

The blows landed on Pei Yuanxi's body, and even though Old Lady Huang used skillful force, it still hurt. After five strikes, Chunyue was already sobbing uncontrollably. Pei Yuanxi cried out in pain, wailing loudly.

Lady Li also began to cry, rushing over to hug her, "Third Daughter, why are you so disobedient? Auntie only has you as a daughter, if anything happens to you, wouldn't it kill Auntie? Does it hurt? Auntie's heart is almost broken. But Auntie knows that if she doesn't teach you a lesson, next time you'll run off to a place like that again..."

"Auntie hit me, Auntie is bad!" Pei Yuanxi cried, tears and snot streaming down her face, smearing them on Lady Li's clothes. She started lashing out, hitting Lady Li with her fists, "Auntie hit me, I'll hit Auntie too!"

Old Lady Huang pulled her away, "Third Daughter, how can you hit Auntie? She's doing it for your own good. She serves Madam day after day for your sake, do you think she doesn't want to be waited on like Lady Zhao and Lady Autumn? She hasn't taken care of herself these years for your sake, look at how worn out she is, she's a concubine of the marquisate!"