Count Jing 'an was a military family, and the current Count Jing' an's grandfather was one of the founding fathers of the empire. Although the title had been passed down for three generations, from duke to count, Count Jing 'an's influence was still not to be underestimated.

Count Jing 'an's family was not an ordinary military family, nor was it a military family without any real power that the emperor kept in Shengjing like pigs.

The current Count Jing 'an guarded the Great Wu Dynasty's most important frontier, Ming Province, and was conferred the title of General of the South.

Besides the eldest son, He Changqi, who stayed at home to manage the household, the second son, He Changjue, also held a position in the army and was currently in the Left Guard.

He Sanlang had been practicing martial arts with his father and older brothers since he was young and often went to the army. He had already made a name for himself.

Countess Jing 'an had given birth to three sons for the He family, but she had injured her body when giving birth to the third son, He Sanlang, and was still bedridden.

Count Jing 'an was stationed at the border and only returned home once every few years. The He family had a rule that the sons of the He family could only marry one wife, and only concubines were allowed after thirty.

Although Countess Jing 'an's health was poor, she had given birth to three sons for the He family, so Matriarch He was especially fond of this daughter-in-law.

Perhaps Count Jing 'an's generation had used up all the luck of the He family's progeny, but when it came to the three He brothers' generation, they still hadn't given birth to a son.

Count Jing 'an's heir, He Changqi, married Marquis Dingyuan's granddaughter, Madam Zou.

Madam Zou only got pregnant a year and a half after entering the family, but she gave birth to a girl. Two years later, she got pregnant again, and the child was a young lady.

Perhaps it was because of He Dalang or Madam Zou, but after four years, she didn't get pregnant again.

He Sanlang was even weirder. He had joined the army a long time ago, and was now twenty-four years old, but he still didn't want to get married. He had argued with his family many times already, and didn't return to the estate unless there was something important, staying in the barracks of the Left Guard.

Every time He Dalang saw this second son, he wanted to slap him to death.

Now, the beautiful He Sanlang had finally gotten married, and it was a daughter of the Chu family that Matriarch He had specially begged for him.

Matriarch He thought that she would soon be able to hold her chubby great-grandson, but unfortunately, He Sanlang was a troublemaker. It would be strange if he was willing to consummate with his wife who had cheated in his previous life!

Sigh … this was going to be a long time!

Of course, Matriarch He did not know this.

Chu Lian, who was following behind He Sanlang's straight back, didn't know what was going on with He Sanlang who had suddenly turned dark. She was the female lead in the book she was reading!

When she first read this book, Chu Lian felt that this heroine who had the same name as her made her speechless.

This He Sanlang had the looks, the talent, the family background, and the family environment was simple. Wasn't it good for her to be a well-behaved young mistress of a noble family?

Why did he have to cause so much trouble for that damned Xiao Bojian?

She had ruined her own reputation. Damn it. At that time, she had suspected that the female lead was the author's biological daughter.

Perhaps it was because her resentment was too deep that she became the damned female lead when she woke up!

If she had known it would be like this, she would have read it faster and finished the ending. But now, she was stuck in the middle. She didn't know how the plot would develop, who the female lead would end up with, and what would be the ending for He Sanlang.

Coupled with He Sanlang's strange changes, Chu Lian was so angry that she was about to go crazy.

Because she was walking absent-mindedly, she almost sprained her ankle on a cobblestone path. Fortunately, Xiyan supported her.

He Sanlang, who was walking in front of her, heard the commotion and glanced over coldly. His gaze was filled with warning, as if to say, "Be careful!"

For an aristocratic family, the population of Duke Jing 'an's estate was really simple.

The person with the highest status was Matriarch He, and the person with the lowest status was Dalang He's two daughters. The estate didn't have any concubines or illegitimate sons and daughters. It was a far cry from the Duke of Ying's estate, which had a complicated population.

The place where the newlyweds served tea was Matriarch He's residence, Qingxi Hall.

The newlyweds had just arrived at Qingxi Hall's arched door when they saw Matriarch He's capable servant, Senior Nurse Liu, coming to greet them.

"This old servant greets Third Young Master and Third Young Mistress."

Chu Lian hurriedly stepped forward to help Senior Nurse Liu up. "How could I allow Senior Nurse Liu to greet me and my husband?"

This Senior Nurse Liu was the manager of the estate and had real power. She was also a good person and was someone worth befriending.

Chu Lian secretly took note of this information in her heart.

He Changdi saw that she was being so attentive to a senior nurse the moment she arrived at the He Estate and felt that she was extremely fake.

Out of sight, out of mind. He Changdi took a step into Qingxi Hall first.

Senior Nurse Liu frowned when she saw He Sanlang, then turned around with a smile and took Chu Lian's small hand to personally lead her into the courtyard.

There was a circle of people sitting in the reception pavilion of Qingxi Hall.

Chu Lian looked around and matched these people with the descriptions in the book.

The old woman with silvery hair and a jade headband sitting at the head of the table was most likely Matriarch He of Duke Jing 'an's estate.

Matriarch He was dressed elegantly. Although she didn't have a single strand of black hair on her head, her face didn't look old at all. At most, she looked to be in her fifties or sixties.

Duke Jing 'an was stationed at the borders of Ming Province and couldn't easily return without an imperial edict. When his most beloved third son got married, he only sent a thick letter back home, but he was still in Ming Province.

Sitting next to Matriarch He was a woman in her forties. Her face was pale and she was thin. Although she had a full head of pearls and jade, it couldn't conceal her illness. This was definitely a mother-in-law who was bedridden all year round.

Next to Countess Jing 'an was a slightly plump, beautiful woman in her twenties.

She was dressed in a lotus-colored dress. She looked dignified and graceful, and her entire body exuded an extraordinary aura. Standing beside her were two little girls. One was slightly older than the other, and the other was slightly younger. These two little girls were the two youngest legitimate daughters of Duke Jing 'an's estate, Sister An and Sister Lin.

Madam Zou, the wife of Duke Jing 'an's heir, had described Madam Zou to be neither good nor bad in this book. Now, Chu Lian wasn't sure if she was someone she should be close to.

Sitting next to Madam Zou were two middle-aged women. It was briefly mentioned in the book that these two were Matriarch He's married daughters.

Sitting on the other side of Matriarch He were He Dalang and He Erlang.

He Dalang was a dark-skinned and burly man. He Erlang and He Dalang looked very similar. From the looks of it, these two looked more like they were born from a martial family. In contrast, He Sanlang had a gentlemanly and elegant appearance. Most people would think that they weren't born from the same mother.

She didn't know if her father-in-law, Duke Jing 'an, was a boorish middle-aged man like He Dalang.

He Sanlang didn't care about Chu Lian at all. When he saw the two servants place a soft cushion in front of them, he immediately knelt down.

Chu Lian was new here and didn't dare to look too long. Thus, she obediently knelt down as well.

Senior Servant Liu smiled and brought two cups of tea to the newlyweds.

Chu Lian took the tea and handed it to Matriarch He, who was sitting on the main seat.

"Granddaughter-in-law greets Grandmother and wishes her happiness as boundless as the East Sea and longevity as long as the South Mountain. Please have some tea, Grandmother!"

The old lord of Duke Jing 'an's estate narrowed her eyes as she looked at the golden boy and jade girl in front of her. She smiled widely.

She took the teacup and drank the tea Chu Lian offered. Then, she intimately patted Chu Lian's white hands. Then, she personally removed a high-quality Thousand Fortune Jade pendant from her waist and stuffed it into Chu Lian's hands.

"Good child, accept this jade pendant. It's something your grandfather left behind. It's a good item."

Chu Lian didn't dare to refuse an elder's gift, let alone a bride. Chu Lian smiled and accepted it. She kowtowed to Matriarch He in thanks.

He Changdi knelt to the side and looked at everything coldly.

Haha!

As expected, it's that Thousand Fortune Jade pendant again!

This slut isn't worthy of this jade pendant at all. In a few years, this jade pendant will be worn on Xiao Wujing's waist!

He Changdi's eyes were cold. He wanted nothing more than to snatch this jade pendant away on the spot.

Chu Lian didn't have the time to pay attention to him. She didn't know what was wrong with this guy.

In this estate, other than Matriarch He, there was only Countess Jing 'an, who was Chu Lian's mother-in-law.

He Sanlang was Countess Jing 'an's most beloved son. Countess Jing' an cared about him the most.

Chu Lian couldn't figure out this mother-in-law's temperament, so she only respectfully offered tea. Countess Jing 'an's health wasn't good, so she only took a small sip. Then, she reminded the young couple to treat each other harmoniously.

Then, she returned a blood jade bracelet to Chu Lian.

Chu Lian looked at these greeting gifts that were exactly the same as those in the novel. She smiled helplessly in her heart.

The rest were her peers. They didn't need to kneel and offer tea.

It was He Dalang and the Zou madam's turn.

On the Zou madam's side, there were two grandmaidens and three madams. For a moment, it was hard to tell their seniority.

At this moment, there were only the two newlyweds standing in the middle of the reception pavilion. Chu Lian didn't even have anyone to guide them.

He Changdi stood beside her with his hands behind his back. He looked on expressionlessly and didn't say a word.

Matriarch He frowned when she saw this.

Fortunately, Chu Lian had read the novel. Otherwise, she might really make a fool of herself.

She bent her knees to the young madam in the light pink dress and said, "Greetings, sister-in-law."

Then, she called the burly, dark-faced man on the other side, "Big Brother."

After offering tea, she accepted the gifts from her big brother and sister-in-law. Then, she offered tea to the remaining elders in order.

After the ceremony, the young couple stood at the last position on the left.

He Changdi's handsome face was wooden. Chu Lian moved a little uneasily. After all, this place was too different from modern society. Although she had the golden finger of knowing the plot of the novel, it was still her first time in this kind of society. Fortunately, the He family had a simple population. Otherwise, she would be even more nervous.

"Wife …" He Sanlang, who had been too lazy to pay attention to her since he woke up this morning, suddenly approached her and called out to her through gritted teeth.

Chu Lian turned her head curiously. She looked at He Changdi with a pair of innocent, limpid eyes. "Husband, what's the matter?"

He Changdi wanted to strangle this evil woman who was putting on an act. His entire body stiffened. He said word by word in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "You're stepping on my shoe!"

Chu Lian lowered her head to glance and quickly shrank her foot. He Changdi's face was even darker.

He yelled angrily in his heart. Pretend, pretend, continue pretending!

One day, he would let the entire He family see this evil woman's true colors!