After being reborn, I stole the female lead's cheat ability and raised the empress.

Chapter 34 Visit

Not long after her older brother left, Wen Wan came to cause trouble again. Today, she was wearing a pink dress and dressed like a little white lotus.

"I remember you were in a bad mood during the day. Were you upset because Fourth Brother Gu broke off the engagement? Hahaha, you've finally met your match! So what if you're the legitimate daughter? He's still head over heels for me. You have no idea, the moment you went to the estate, he came straight to my courtyard..." Every word she uttered was filled with their deep affection.

Ali, too lazy to pay attention to her at the moment, said, "If I were you, I would have given up on Gu Ba long ago and thrown myself into the arms of the Ninth Prince. Although Gu Ba is the legitimate son, he has not yet been made the heir apparent, and it is uncertain whether the Marquis's mansion will even be his in the future. Besides, can a Marquis's mansion without real power compare to a prince?"

Wen Wan thought about it and realized it was true. She had met the Ninth Prince during the day; he was gentle, humble, and a refined gentleman, indeed far superior to Gu Ba in every way. However, "Why would you, Ali, be so kind?"

"What good intentions? I'm just unhappy with Gu Ba, that fickle man. He's engaged yet still has affairs with other women. I'm not trying to be mean, but you're so talented, gentle, and virtuous—a truly beautiful woman. How could you fall for a man like that? He can abandon me, so he can easily fall for someone else. With your qualities, who wouldn't be better than him?"

I'll help you broaden your horizons; the rest is up to you to fight for it.

"Hmph!" Wen Wan remained unmoved. "What do you know? My fourth brother and I are truly in love. If it weren't for your engagement, we wouldn't be sneaking around like this."

"But he is not a good match..."

Wen Wan spat out, "I think you're just jealous!"

Ali: ...

The chicken talks with the duck.

"Respect, blessings, and lock it in!"

"Hmph, now that you've broken off the engagement, my fourth brother will be engaged to me soon, and we'll get married when I come of age."

Hmm, Ali lowered her head and pondered for a while. If she and Wen Wan became good friends, would she be able to avoid the problem of becoming enemies in the future?

She's busy training people to start her business and doesn't have time to play house with children, so she went straight to the point: "Wen Wan, do you want the position of the legitimate daughter?"

"You know that's good. If you know what's good for you, then..."

"I'll give it to you. I'll be moving out of the Marquis's mansion soon, and you can have whatever you want. We'll live in peace from now on."

"real or fake?"

"You don't need to argue with me. I've never considered you an enemy, nor do I care about this Marquis's mansion."

"..."

Wen Wan is gone.

Ah Li summoned Bai Yue:

"Bai Yue, how many people are there in our courtyard in total?"

"Approximately one hundred and twenty-six people."

"Go and call everyone in the yard to the front yard." Her dream of becoming the richest woman was about to be put into practice.

"Yes."

Soon, everyone gathered together. Ali crossed her arms, exuding an imposing aura: "Are you all loyal to me?"

Immediately, everyone knelt down, and some even began to beg for mercy.

"Silence! I have only one request for you: be loyal to me, and only to me."

The servants all prostrated themselves on the ground, repeatedly swearing, "We swear to serve the young lady to the death."

"Alright. From today onwards, I will hire a tutor. Even when serving your master, you are not allowed to slack off in your studies. At the end of the month, I will test you all. Those who fail the test will not receive a reward. On the contrary, the top ten will receive double the reward. Of course, those with special talents will also receive a reward."

As for what she should learn, it will naturally be the way of business and self-defense. She can't do everything herself in the future, so she will have to train people.

Ali divided the slaves she bought on the black market into a separate group and named them the Guard. They were already skilled in combat, and she planned to train them all into top experts to protect her shop in the future.

Thinking of this, Ali called out a woman from the guard team: "Her name is Baiyue, so you will be called Heiyue. Today, I will promote you two to be personal maids and put you in charge of everything in the courtyard."

Baiyue, you can choose two more people to assist you, responsible for everyone in the courtyard. Heiyue, you'll be in charge of the guard team. If more than 10 people fail the assessment, you two will also be punished. My first task for you is to each provide a learning space for them. If it's in my courtyard, you can choose whatever you like; don't inform me. If you see something you like elsewhere, tell me, and I'll get it for you.”

Black Moon and White Moon answered in unison, "Yes!"

"Very good, you may all go and rest. I will invite the tutor over tomorrow to begin the studies."

As for the candidates for tutors, she knew a few, and they were all under her second brother's command, so it shouldn't be too difficult to get one, right?

"Bai Yue, you go... never mind, I'll go and talk to them myself."

Her second brother was beaten because of her, so as his younger sister, she should go and visit him.

Ningjinglou and Zhiyuanlou were the residences of the second and eldest brothers, respectively, and the two courtyards were adjacent to each other.

Just as Ali was about to knock on the door, she heard a sound from inside. It was Xia Jingwen's voice:

"Brother, be gentle, it hurts."

Xia Jingyuan's voice rang out, a mixture of concern and reproach: "Serves you right. You were so stubborn. You were injured like this and you still said you were fine."

"I was just afraid my sister would feel bad if she saw it."

Speaking of Ali, Xia Jingyuan couldn't help but sigh: "My sister is acting strangely today, and I'm very worried about her."

"You know what, I really felt something was wrong with my sister."

Ali, who was eavesdropping outside the door, broke out in a cold sweat. Oh no, had she been found out? She held her breath and continued to eavesdrop.

"My mother actually said that to her. She must be desperate. Good heavens, could she be disappointed in my mother?" Xia Jingwen exclaimed in surprise, belatedly realizing that the matter might be more serious than he had imagined.

"It's possible. I noticed today that the way she looked at my mother was like she was a complete stranger."

"It's really strange, doesn't Mother know who her biological daughter is?" Although he was angry about his mother's differential treatment, Xia Jingwen didn't want his mother and sister to become estranged. He tugged at his brother's sleeve and said anxiously, "No, no, we have to think of a way, otherwise my sister will really hate Mother."

Xia Jingyuan stated calmly, "What can we do? Unless we kick Wen Wan out of the house. But do you think that's possible?"

Xia Jingwen was stunned: "My mother protects her, and although my father often argues with my mother, he listens to her in everything. It's really impossible to get Wenwan out of the house. Sigh..."

"By the way, my sister is going to an auction tomorrow, so please take out your money."