CH 9

The maid lifted the curtain and greeted the visitor in a clear voice, “Good day, young master.

Hearing this from the inner room, Wu Junru quickly called out, “The young master is here? Invite him in quickly.

In the inner room, Wu Junru sat by the window, smiling broadly as she waved to Xiao Jingduo, “You must be Xiao Jingduo. Come over and let me take a look at you.”

Xiao Jingduo, curious about Wu Junru’s intentions, obediently walked over.

Wu Junru beckoned Xiao Jingduo to her side, examined him closely, and then pointed at him with a smile, saying to Nanny Wei, “There were too many people in the main hall earlier, so I couldn’t ask much. Now that I see him up close, the more I look, the more I like him.”

With a gentle smile, Wu Junru slowly asked Xiao Jingduo, “How old are you this year? What do you usually enjoy doing?”

Xiao Jingduo really didn’t want to answer these silly questions. However, it was clear that Madam Wu didn’t intend for him to answer anyway. Before Xiao Jingduo could say anything, Nanny Wei started praising from the side, “Madam is truly beautiful and kind-hearted, always gentle and considerate with everyone. You have always loved children the most. Everyone in the Wu family knows of your good name. Now that the Xiao household has so many children, there will always be someone to keep you company when you’re bored.”

“Nanny, what are you saying? There are so many people here!” Wu Junru pretended to scold Nanny Wei with a glare.

The two of them carried on as if they didn’t need Xiao Jingduo’s input at all. He stood silently on the side, watching their performance quietly.

Seeing that the moment was right, Wu Junru slowly moved to the main point of the day. She smiled and asked Xiao Jingduo, “You’re at the age where you’re still growing, and you mustn’t be careless about that. Are your servants taking good care of you?”

Xiao Jingduo immediately understood Wu Junru’s intentions. After all this pretense, it turned out she just wanted to place some people around him. Realizing her true motive, Xiao Jingduo felt more at ease and vaguely replied, “Why do you ask?”

“I heard from the Marquis that you only have one maid by your side. How can that be enough? As your mother, it’s my responsibility to take care of you properly. I should arrange a few more clever maids for you. But I wonder if you would agree?”

After saying this, Wu Junru confidently waited for Xiao Jingduo’s response. Her words just now were well-reasoned and considerate of Xiao Jingduo’s needs. No matter how he tried to refuse, he couldn’t avoid appearing ungrateful. She was ready to leverage this in front of Xiao Ying.

After whispering a few words in front of the Old Madam, Xiao Jingduo’s reputation for disrespecting his legitimate mother will be established. Over time, as these small mistakes happen more frequently, Xiao Jingduo will lose favor with the elders, and compared to him, her son will be in a much better position.

Wu Junru felt that her words were flawless. She looked at Xiao Jingduo with a sense of satisfaction, smiling proudly.

“Do you want to assign maids to me?” Xiao Jingduo smiled back and readily agreed, “Sure!”

“Huh?” Wu Junru was taken aback, “What did you say?”

“I’ve long thought that Qingze Courtyard doesn’t have enough staff. If you want to assign people, that would be great!” Xiao Jingduo said, “Mother is seriously ill, and Qiu Ju is almost entirely occupied with decocting medicine and taking care of her. If we could get a few more maids, it would be much better. That way, when I need to assign someone to do something, there will be people available.”

Wu Junru sensed that something was off. The fewer people who knew about Zhao Xiulan’s existence, the better. It would be best if she stayed obediently in the secluded courtyard without stepping out. However, if Wu Junru really assigned people to Xiao Jingduo, although she would have her spies around him, the increase in staff would inevitably expose Zhao Xiulan’s presence.

Wu Junru’s mind raced, and she silently overturned her original plan. It wouldn’t do to insert people around Xiao Jingduo. She forced a smile and didn’t respond to Xiao Jingduo’s suggestion, instead shifting the topic to other matters.

Inwardly, Xiao Jingduo let out a faint laugh.

The most classic strategy in household intrigue—placing spies around the legitimate heir—had failed, so Wu Junru had to adopt another approach: flattery. She continued to maintain a gentle smile and asked patiently, “Can you read? What kind of books do you usually read?

Xiao Jingduo paused almost imperceptibly before saying, “Read? Why should I learn to read? Grandmother said that I will inherit the title of Marquis of Dingyong in the future. The entire marquisate will be mine, and the Xiao family’s brothers and sisters will all rely on me. Why should I bother learning these things? Isn’t it enough to recognize common characters?”

These words struck Wu Junru deeply. Her heart ached, but bound by her role as a virtuous wife and good mother, she had to smile and agree, “Yes, Grandmother is right. In the future, you can just enjoy yourself…”

Having started the conversation, Wu Junru wanted to continue, hoping to soon turn Xiao Jingduo into a worthless playboy. However, just as she began to speak, Xiao Ying arrived.

Wu Junru was startled. She couldn’t let Xiao Ying hear these words, so she immediately shut her mouth and reluctantly swallowed the words she had almost spoken.

“Marquis.” The maids on both sides bowed in greeting.

Wu Junru also walked up with a smile, “You’re back.”

Xiao Jingduo, however, remained standing still. Upon seeing Xiao Jingduo, Xiao Ying’s expression quickly turned cold.

Neither father nor son spoke, and the originally harmonious atmosphere in the room became awkward. Wu Junru glanced around and spoke up with a smile, trying to ease the situation: “Marquis, why did you come so late? Eldest Young Master came specifically to greet you and has been waiting for a long time. Who would have thought that at such a young age, he already understands manners so well.”

Xiao Jingduo turned his head, a mocking smile on his lips. Even Xiao Ying sneered at this: “Him, understanding manners? What a joke. He acts recklessly just because he’s the only son. He’s neither accomplished in literature nor in martial arts. I intended to have someone teach him about being an official and military strategies, but he doesn’t appreciate it. He’d rather idle away in the back courtyard than make progress.”

Hiring someone to teach Xiao Jingduo about officialdom and military strategies? Wu Junru frowned inwardly. This clearly indicated that Xiao Ying was grooming Xiao Jingduo as his heir. This wouldn’t do; she had to find a way to dissuade Xiao Ying from this idea.

“The Eldest Young Master is only nine years old; it’s too early for him to learn these things,” Wu Junru frowned, like a mother who cares deeply for her son, and said, “Though it’s good to study literature and martial arts, we shouldn’t rush it. Otherwise, it might change his disposition for the worse.”

But then Xiao Jingduo suddenly spoke: “But you just said that I don’t need to learn these things, just recognizing some characters is enough. Why have you changed your mind now?”

Xiao Ying frowned, his gaze sweeping between Wu Junru and Xiao Jingduo: “What’s going on here?”

Xiao Jingduo stood there in silence, but Wu Junru couldn’t remain seated.

Wu Junru’s face showed undisguised embarrassment. She hadn’t expected Xiao Jingduo to reveal their conversation just now. Some things could be subtly instilled in Xiao Jingduo privately, but must never be openly discussed. She hadn’t taken a nine-year-old seriously, but now this child was causing her great trouble. Wu Junru tried to cover it up: “What are you saying, child? The teachings of the sages must be learned. How can you become talented without studying? Your father’s arrangements for you are excellent. Just do as the Marquis says, and you must not disappoint his hard work for you.”

Wu Junru’s words were extremely insincere. She had originally intended to persuade Xiao Ying to neglect Xiao Jingduo, but now she had to contradict herself. Wu Junru felt a surge of frustration and silently resented Xiao Jingduo. This child was truly troublesome, always revealing things that shouldn’t be said.

At this moment, Wu Junru hadn’t realized that Xiao Jingduo was doing it on purpose.

Xiao Ying’s voice was filled with angry frustration, with a hint of malice. Xiao Jingduo believed that everything Xiao Ying said was true. This man was fully capable of confining his disobedient eldest son in a remote courtyard, stifling his growth and ensuring he would never pose a threat to Xiao Ying in the future.

Xiao Jingduo clearly understood the threat in Xiao Ying’s words, but his steps did not falter. Even though he knew he had just ruined his greatest opportunity for success and destroyed a path paved by the family, he had no regrets. While he was eager to achieve greatness, he wanted even more to remain true to himself and his principles.

What was rightfully his, no one could take away. He would reclaim everything in his own way.

In the main courtyard, Wu Junru was unaware that Xiao Jingduo and Xiao Ying had fallen out. She was convinced that Xiao Ying had become suspicious of her, which was why he had specifically called Xiao Jingduo out to discuss lessons. In fact, Wu Junru’s guess was not wrong, but she would never have imagined that Xiao Jingduo would reject the grand future arranged by the family.

Nanny Wei, following behind Wu Junru, anxiously chattered, “Madam, what should we do? Are we really going to let the Marquis treat that child as the legitimate eldest son? This is raising a tiger to invite calamity.”

“Impossible, I absolutely won’t allow it!” Wu Junru spoke firmly, with a hint of ruthlessness in her expression. “The title of Marquis of Dingyong and the Xiao family’s properties are for my son. No one else should even think about taking them!”

Wu Junru paced on the floor, growing more anxious the more she thought about it. Today, she had intended to test the waters and initially ruin Xiao Jingduo’s reputation, but instead, her plans had backfired. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.

She wanted to appear as a virtuous wife while secretly being a fierce competitor, benefiting from both sides. Thus, she had always been reluctant to use her family background to pressure others. But now, it seemed she couldn’t have it both ways. Weighing the lesser of two evils, she had to sacrifice her gentle and virtuous image.

“Nanny Wei, bring me a pen. I need to write to the Wu family and have them apply pressure.” Wu Junru said each word slowly and clearly. “I absolutely disagree with letting Xiao Jingduo be registered under my name as the legitimate eldest son.”

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Author’s Note:

Power Minister Game Latest Announcement: Xiao Jingduo abandons the minimalist mode, choosing the hell route.

New Player Information Update:

**Wu Junru enters the battlefield, house-fighting index: four stars.**

**Other participants in the same scene: Marquis Xiao Ying, house-fighting index: full stars; stepson Xiao Jingduo, house-fighting index: full stars.**

**Wish player Wu Junru a happy house-fighting.**

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