Granny Wang was anxious. "But, Madam …"

"I'm fine. I'll think of a way to deal with this."

Granny Wang could only shut her mouth unwillingly.

In the following days, when Chu Lian went to pay her respects to Countess Jing 'an, she always felt that Countess Jing' an was acting strangely every day.

Chu Lian couldn't pinpoint exactly what was strange about her.

Today, in the study, Chu Lian was drawing jewelry patterns for Treasure Pavilion with a charcoal pencil.

She suddenly paused in the middle of drawing. Xiyan, who was serving beside her, heard the noise and put down her needle and thread. "Third Young Madam, what's wrong?"

Chu Lian put down the thin charcoal pencil in her hand and sighed. "I remember why I felt that Mother's courtyard was strange."

Xiyan blinked her large eyes and waited for her to continue.

"Don't you think that many of the decorations in Mother's room have been changed?"

After Chu Lian's reminder, Xiyan frowned and recalled.

In the past, Countess Jing 'an's main room had a pair of cloisonné vases with a hundred flowers on the main table. There were even a few gorgeous peacock feathers in the vases.

When the two of them were chatting, they had mentioned that the cloisonné vases were an extremely rare pair. Granny Gui had privately said that they might have been passed down from the previous dynasty and were probably worth a few thousand taels of silver. At the time, Wenqing and Wenlan had been shocked. They had never seen such an expensive vase before.

Countess Jing 'an's dowry had been very generous. Her maternal family was a large clan in Jiangnan that had been around for hundreds of years. They were quite famous in the previous dynasty, but they slowly declined during the Chengping era. However, Countess Jing' an didn't mistreat her when she got married.

Countess Jing 'an's dowry was one of the highest among the wives of the aristocratic families in Shengjing.

Unfortunately, her health had deteriorated and she had spent most of her money on expensive medicine for over ten years.

However, a starving camel was still bigger than a horse. Countess Jing 'an still had a few treasures.

The red jadeite bracelets she had given to Chu Lian and Madam Zou were one of them, and so were the cloisonné vases.

"That pair of vases has been changed!" Xiyan exclaimed in shock.

Chu Lian nodded. Actually, it wasn't just that pair of vases. Some of the decorations in the room had been changed as well. Although the new items weren't that bad, they weren't as good as before.

If it weren't for the fact that she was drawing patterns here today, thinking about the patterns on the artworks she had seen in the modern world, she wouldn't have thought of the pair of vases.

"But isn't that pair of vases Madam's treasured possession?" Xiyan asked doubtfully.

Senior Nurse Wang, who worked in Countess Jing 'an's courtyard, had once said that the pair of cloisonne vases had been placed in the reception pavilion for almost thirty years!

It was said that they were placed there the day after Count Jing 'an and Countess Jing' an got married. Countess Jing 'an treasured this pair of vases very much and often personally wiped the dust off them.

Since he loved it so much, he shouldn't have changed it at this time, right?

Chu Lian couldn't think of the reason at the moment. She ordered Xiyan, "Go and find out what happened in mother's courtyard these days."

Xiyan let out a sigh and went out.

Actually, Chu Lian had a faint guess in her heart, but she couldn't confirm it yet. She shook her head and decided to wait for Xiyan to come back and confirm it. If it really was as she thought, she and He Changdi couldn't just ignore it as juniors.

These days, her mother-in-law, Countess Jing 'an, had clearly become much more haggard than before. Even Divine Doctor Miao had come to visit her and asked her to advise Countess Jing' an to take care of her body. He didn't want her to waste his medical skills and rare medicine for nothing.

Xiyan only returned in the evening and secretly told Chu Lian the information she had gathered.

When Chu Lian heard this, she realized that it was just as she had guessed. The pair of cloisonne vases had been pawned. Although Countess Jing 'an had done it secretly, it was impossible that she hadn't left behind any clues.

Chu Lian guessed that the money from pawning the vases had most likely been deposited into Count Jing 'an's public accounts.

As Chu Lian waited for He Changdi to come back for dinner, she thought about how she should break the news to him. Then, she received news from Yue Yang that He Sanlang had gone out to eat with his colleagues from the Ministry of War and the Martial Selection Division. His eldest brother, He Changqi, and second brother, He Changjue, were both there, so it was likely that they would only be back a little later.

Chu Lian said that she understood and had Senior Servant Gui and the others prepare dinner. She ate early and prepared to rest.

While Chu Lian received the news, Matriarch He received the news as well. The matriarch even specifically instructed the servants in the front courtyard to take good care of her grandchildren who were returning home late.

After dinner, He Ying pulled her daughter into the room and whispered a few words into her ear.

When she finished speaking, Pan Nianzhen's entire face instantly flushed red. She nervously fiddled with the handkerchief in her hand and timidly said, "Mother … this … is this really okay?"

He Ying slapped her daughter's back. "What's wrong with it? If we don't use this method, you won't be able to stay in the Count's Estate for the rest of your life. Do you really want to marry those poor people who have neither money nor power?

Do you want to help them take care of their troublesome mothers-in-law? "

Pan Nianzhen hurriedly shook her head. "No … I don't want to."

"If you don't want to, then do as Mother tells you.

If things don't work out, Mother has ways to keep it a secret. If things work out, can your maternal grandmother stop you from marrying into the Count's Estate? "

At this moment, Pan Nianzhen mustered up her courage. She bit her lip and finally nodded at her mother. "Okay, Mother, I'll listen to everything you say."

"That's right, this is my good daughter. Mother's painstaking efforts to teach you all these years haven't been in vain."

That night, at the end of the night, the three He brothers finally returned together.

Because it was too late, He Erlang didn't return to the Dragon-Tiger Guards. Instead, he followed his eldest and third brothers back to the estate in the same carriage.

As soon as the three brothers entered the estate, the second steward in the front courtyard welcomed them with a servant.

Tonight, it wasn't just the three He brothers who drank too much. Even their personal attendants were forced to drink at a separate banquet.

Laiyue, Kangshou, and a few other personal attendants had already been helped to a side room in the front courtyard to rest.

Because of Matriarch He's earlier instructions, the second steward didn't dare to slack off.

Of the three brothers, only He Changdi was slightly sober. If it wasn't for him, they might not have been able to return tonight and would have had to stay outside.

Diagonally across from the restaurant where they were socializing was Wang Xian Restaurant — the most famous brothel in Shengjing.

Because of He Changdi's personality, he didn't like to drink. His tolerance for alcohol was average. Even though he controlled it, his head still hurt.

Among the three, the eldest brother, He Changqi, was the most drunk. The second brother, He Changjue, could still speak, but the way he spoke, it was obvious that he was drunk!

He Changdi rubbed his temples, his brows knitted tightly. He ordered the steward in a low voice, "Help Eldest Brother and Second Brother to the study in the front courtyard to rest. It's so late, don't disturb Grandmother and Mother."

He Changqi was directly carried by a strong servant to a side room in the study to lie down.

He Changjue, on the other hand, was drunk and refused to go in to rest. He even pulled He Changdi, not letting him leave.

"Ah … Third Brother, don't go!

Let's drink a few more cups. Second Brother hasn't had such a good time drinking with you in a long time. "