Chapter 3: Overthinking is a Disease!

Su Xuanming was in a daze and couldn't help but ask, "Mother, what did you just say?"

Gu Nanxi sized Su Xuanming up from head to toe before speaking, "I was asking Jingniang how much gold she intends to bring to show her filial piety to me. You weigh well over a hundred pounds; I can't let you be a cheap bargain."

Su Xuanming felt happy that his mother had finally relented, yet he felt something was off about this matter—he couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it felt uncomfortable in every way.

"Mother, how can you ask Jingniang for things?" Su Xuanming leaned close to Gu Nanxi's ear and whispered.

Gu Nanxi knit her brows and rebuked him, "If your younger brother and sister can receive gifts, why can't I? Are you looking down on me?"

Gu Nanxi did not lower her voice, ensuring everyone heard her clearly, which instantly caused the guests to whisper among themselves.

Su Xuanming was so embarrassed he felt like he could dig a three-bedroom apartment with his toes.

Jingniang, on the other hand, calmed down quickly. "The gifts for the Second Young Master and the Young Lady are merely small gestures. To present formal gifts to you, we must not lose our sense of etiquette. Once my father and I have conducted a careful inventory, I will send them to you."

Only then did Gu Nanxi nod in satisfaction, taking Jingniang's hand. "I know you are an excellent woman. My eldest son has a pure heart and high standards. If he has fallen for you, it is naturally because you possess extraordinary qualities."

Jingniang was overcome with bashfulness. "Madam, you praise me too much."

Jingniang's heart was racing. This Marchioness placed great importance on Su Xuanming, even going so far as to use her connections to enroll him in Songshan Academy, the top private school in the capital.

Could she really agree to her relationship with Su Xuanming so easily?!

Was there a hidden catch?

Gu Nanxi pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed heavily. "Alas, my constitution is unreliable. After several days of exhausting myself with funeral arrangements, I simply couldn't hold on. The Old Madam is advanced in years, and I cannot bear to let her overwork herself. My daughter is still young and cannot shoulder these responsibilities either."

Jingniang's eyes widened, and she asked in disbelief, "Then, do you mean...?"

Gu Nanxi patted Jingniang's hand with relief, as if a great burden had been lifted. "Heaven has been merciful and sent you. I must trouble you to take charge of this. Consider it practice for the future."

A massive surge of joy overwhelmed Jingniang.

She knew this did not conform to traditional rites and rules.

But to be in charge of the Marquis's funeral meant she was destined to be the matriarch of the clan!

Who wouldn't lose their head when such a massive windfall fell from the sky?

Jingniang nodded repeatedly. "Madam, please rest assured. I will never fail your expectations!"

With a person in charge, Jingniang was soon called away by the servants, submerged in a mountain of trivial tasks.

Su Xuanming stood there like a stunned goose.

Gu Nanxi gave him an annoyed glare. "Why aren't you going to help Jingniang? She can handle the affairs of the female guests. Must she also show her face to handle the men in the front courtyard?"

Only then did Su Xuanming snap out of it. He nodded repeatedly, and before leaving, he turned back and gave Gu Nanxi a heavy, respectful kowtow. "Mother, I... I did not know that, compared to the reputation of the Marquis's manor, my happiness would be more important to you."

With that, Su Xuanming straightened his back and walked out.

Gu Nanxi pursed her lips sheepishly. *Sigh, that silly child, he's overthinking everything.*

She simply felt that dealing with the commotion would be too exhausting, so she wanted to settle things as quickly as possible.

As for arranging for Jingniang and Su Xuanming to handle the funeral, that was purely because she didn't want to do the work!

In her past life, overtime at least came with overtime pay.

In this life, doing less work is earning more!

"Mother, why would you rather give such a big task to an outsider than to me?" Su Yunyan pouted, clinging to Gu Nanxi's arm and swaying back and forth, nearly knocking Gu Nanxi over.

Gu Nanxi gripped the armrests of her chair tightly, gasping in pain.

The place where her arm was being held felt as if it were being squeezed by a pair of iron pliers; if this continued, she would surely bruise!

This young daughter looked so delicate and lovely, yet she possessed a strength that completely contradicted her appearance!

With this kind of strength, she could probably slap an adult man flying.

No wonder, in the original book, she was unfavored after entering the palace.

The Emperor wasn't a fool; who would dare keep a human weapon by their side overnight?

"Silly girl, do you think managing a funeral is a good job? It's a grueling chore; everyone is fighting to do it." Gu Nanxi tried to pull her arm away.

*Oof.* It wouldn't budge.

Instead, her arm hurt even more.

*Forget it, let it be. Once the pain becomes numb, it won't hurt anymore.*

Gu Nanxi's "lying flat" attitude was no joke.

Recalling the recent chaos, Su Yunyan felt a sense of trepidation, but ultimately she was unwilling to let it go and wanted to go out to see how Jingniang was managing things.

Along the way, Su Yunyan faintly heard the female guests conversing.

"Has the Marchioness of Yongchang gone mad with grief? To actually allow a merchant's daughter to manage the funeral. Where is the dignity of the Marquis's manor in this?"

Another, older voice replied persuasively, "You are still too young. Think back to how that merchant's daughter received us just now. What was the scene like?"

The young woman recalled for a moment. "She was overly attentive, lacking proper decorum."

"Exactly! She is merely a merchant's daughter. Without a Marchioness to guide her, how could she know the social etiquette of the high nobility? By hosting us with the mannerisms of a merchant, she has lowered her standing. Tell me, did you notice?"

The young woman realized instantly. "Merchants are experts at reading people; she surely knew! The Marchioness of Yongchang wants to use our hands to give her a warning, to make her realize the difficulty and retreat!"

The older woman nodded with satisfaction. "If your husband favored another woman and wanted to divorce you to marry someone else, would you resist head-on?"

The young woman thought for a moment and understood once more. "Initially, I would test him firmly. If that showed no results, I would show weakness and then break down his defenses one by one! So that's how it is!"

"The Marchioness of Yongchang had strongly opposed it before, but since the Eldest Young Master Su still caused this commotion, she changed her strategy! A master, truly a master! However, if the Marchioness is so formidable, why does she allow her concubines to climb over her head?"

The older woman laughed. "You still haven't mastered the art. You think that because the Marquis is far away at the border and has two other concubines, the Marchioness is unfavored. How do you know this isn't exactly what she desired?"

"With children of both sexes, and no need to serve a husband, the manor is her own domain. Why bother going to that harsh, cold border to serve a man and eat sand? What does it matter whether she has a man's affection? The Marchioness's position is indestructible."

The young woman was filled with admiration. "The Marchioness's level of wisdom is far beyond my reach."

The older woman also marveled, "It took me until I was nearly sixty to realize this truth, yet she understood it long ago."

Hearing these words, Su Yunyan felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck her mind. So, in the Yongchang Marquis's manor, the most cunning person wasn't Concubine Duan or her grandmother, but her mother?!

Su Yunyan dashed back to Gu Nanxi, babbling incessantly and expressing her deep admiration. She earnestly pleaded with Gu Nanxi, for the sake of their mother-daughter bond, to teach her a few tricks.

To this, Gu Nanxi's response was: *Overthinking is a disease; it needs treatment!*

The original owner had simply failed at domestic warfare, whereas she was merely trying to avoid work!

On the other side, Jingniang, who had also overheard the conversation, bit her lip hard, her eyes filled with cold light. *Want me to retreat? In your dreams!*