By the time Lu Lingjun had made Bixi behave herself, it was already October.
She looked at the major events that had happened recently in the mansion and felt quite emotional.
I've been married for almost two years, and the backyard has been filled with new people replacing old ones.
So many people came and went, just like the flowers in her yard, blooming and withering.
At this time, she heard the babbling sounds of children around her.
Lu Lingjun turned her head and saw Bing'an, who was almost eight months old, crawling towards her on the bed.
"Hey, hey, mom~"
An unclear pronunciation startled Lu Lingjun.
Wen Niang, who was standing by, said in surprise, "Young Madam! The young master just called me mother!"
Lu Lingjun walked up to the children in surprise and hugged little Bing'an.
"Hey, mother, hey!"
Little Bing'an really knows how to call for his mother!
Seeing little Bing'an being held, little Binghao and little Suying also crawled towards Lu Lingjun babblingly. They were more than a month younger than Bing'an and could not make any sound yet, so they could only babble. But they waved their little arms and legs and came over to ask Lu Lingjun to hold them.
He was determined to compete with Lu Lingjun.
Lu Lingjun couldn't hold her, so she used one hand to hold Siying, and Binghao beside her started crying.
She put Bing'an down and hugged Binghao, and Bing'an called her "queen" again.
Each cry became clearer than the last, and the other two babies followed suit.
Just like a nest of little birds with their mouths wide open, all eagerly looking forward to their mother bird.
This just made Lu Lingyun's heart melt.
At this time, a servant from the yard came to report.
"Madam, Dongsheng is here."
"Dongsheng is here." Lu Lingjun looked at the three crying babies in front of him and had to call their nurses over, "You guys watch over them first."
"Yes, Madam!"
The three children were taken away by the wet nurses, and Dongsheng also came in at this time.
"How are you, Madam?" Dongsheng came in and asked Lu Lingjun how she was.
Dongsheng has grown a lot taller this year. He has been working for Lu Lingyun for many years and looks like an adult now.
"Dongsheng, what happened?"
"Today, the people from the East Courtyard moved to live on the mountain." Dongsheng hurried to report.
"On the mountain?"
"Yes, during this period, there has been an endless stream of people coming to the East Courtyard. Nun Miaoyin is very famous, and all of them are here to visit her. The East Courtyard is small and can't accommodate all of them, so they have moved to the Taoist temple on the mountain in the past few days! They have already moved there today!"
Lu Lingyun: "..."
This Qin Shaojing is really capable of making trouble.
The nun really asked her to hold it up.
One villa is not enough for them.
But it's better to move away, move to the mountain, so that if something happens in the future, it will not implicate the Marquis' Mansion.
Lu Lingjun frowned, and suddenly thought of someone, "Has Cheng Qi been there these days?"
"No, I haven't seen you since we moved to the mountains."
Dongsheng was staring outside the East Courtyard and was discovered by Cheng Qi several times. However, Cheng Qi knew that Dongsheng was Lu Lingjun's man, so he kept silent.
Let him guard outside the east courtyard.
Lu Lingjun thought for a moment and said, "Go to the mountain and keep an eye on it. If anything happens, notify me immediately."
"Yes, Madam!"
As soon as Dongsheng left, someone else came to report.
"Madam, the eldest young lady from Duke Xu's residence sent someone to ask if you are free recently. She wants to invite you to her residence for tea."
When Lu Lingjun heard that it was Li Niyue, "If I have time, I'll go to her place tomorrow."
"Yes, I'll go back right away."
The next day, Lu Lingjun visited Duke Xu's mansion.
As soon as she arrived at the gate of Duke Xu's mansion, she ran into an acquaintance.
The curtain of another carriage was opened, and two young ladies dressed as noble ladies came down, supported by their maids.
One of them, Lu Lingjun, looked very familiar.
Before Lu Lingjun could speak, he heard the man say, "Aren't you Shao Jing's sister-in-law?"
"Yes, Miss Zhang." Lu Lingjun still remembered her last name.
That day in the East Courtyard, there was a young lady from an official family named Zhang who ate the elixir made by Master Miaoyin.
Next to Miss Zhang was a woman of rather ordinary appearance.
Her facial features were ordinary, her eyes were small, and there were many spots on her face, but she was dressed extremely luxuriously, wearing a long skirt made of soft silk, a Suzhou embroidery brocade jacket with extremely meticulous and intricate embroidery, and her head was adorned with luxurious kingfisher feather and gold and jade jewelry.
You can tell it's noble and extraordinary at first glance.
The plain-looking woman raised her eyebrows and asked, "Zhang Er, who is she?"
"It's the Miss Qin from the Qin Mansion who supports a very effective nun, her sister-in-law, whom I told you about!"
"The Duke Qin's family." The woman chuckled, "They are all not presentable."
Lu Lingyun: "..."
"Well, everyone knows that Sister Lanling, your family, the Duke of Liu's Mansion, is very prestigious. How can some small families compare to you?"
When Liu Lanling heard this, her face became even more arrogant. She glanced at Lu Lingjun with a haughty look, turned around and walked into Duke Xu's mansion with Miss Zhang, "But is the witch you mentioned really accurate?"
"It's very accurate! Just look at my complexion and skin. Are they much better than before?"
"It's much better."
"Go and see Second Madam Cui later. She has taken the elixir twice and looks better than me! I will go for the second time in the next few days. It just so happens that the nun and her family have moved to the mountain, which is much more convenient than the small east courtyard. We can also stay overnight. I will take you with me."
Liu Lanling thought, "If it's really that magical, I'll give it a try."
"You must try it!"
Lu Lingjun behind them: "..."
At this time, Li Niyue's nanny came out and said, "Madam, I'm late!"
"It's not late, I arrived a little early today."
"Please come in, our eldest young lady is missing you!"
Lu Lingjun followed Nanny Li to the backyard of Duke Xu's mansion.
After a while, they arrived at Li Niyue's yard.
"Ling Yun!"
"Ni Yue."
Lu Lingjun and Li Niyue now call each other by their names and have a very good relationship. Li Niyue pulled Lu Lingjun to sit down, and Nanny Li whispered a few words in her ear.
Li Niyue couldn't help but frown and asked, "People from Duke Liu's Mansion are here too?"
Normally, their Duke's Mansion had almost no dealings with the other two families.
"Yes, she came with Miss Zhang Er and went to the Second Madam's room." said Nanny Li.
"Forget it, leave her alone." When Li Niyue heard Cui Tonghua's name, she was too lazy to care. She drank tea and chatted with Lu Lingjun, "It's strange to say, Cui Tonghua seems to have changed a lot recently."
"What do you mean?"
"Her complexion has improved a lot, and she looks a lot younger. People come to her house every day to ask her what she ate. By the way, Lingyun, do you know that 'magic pill'?"
"Cough cough cough." Lu Lingjun coughed twice when he heard this.
Magic pill, how could she not know about it.
At this time, a group of noisy conversations could be heard outside the courtyard.
"Madam, the second madam is here with her friends. She came to say hello to you."
"Oh, Speak of the devil, he's here again." Li Niyue said to her maid, "Please bring everyone in."
"yes!"
Not long after they left, Lu Lingjun saw Cui Tonghua leading the two young ladies he met at the door today in, talking and laughing.
Cui Tonghua caught a glimpse of Lu Lingjun and said, "Sister-in-law Cheng is here too."
"Hello, Madam Cui." Lu Lingjun nodded at her.
"What's the wind today that makes our house so lively?" Li Niyue spoke up and took over the conversation.
He was afraid that Cui Tonghua's upturned nostrils would not be able to spit out any ivory and would confront Lu Lingjun.
Cui Tonghua really didn't want to blame Lu Lingjun at this moment. After all, she had no hatred or grudge against Lu Lingjun.
She simply looked down on Lu Lingjun's background, thinking that the daughter of a minor official was not worthy of sitting with her.
The chain of contempt among the upper class nobles is so simple and direct.
Normally, they are not so straightforward and do not openly express their dislike for one or contempt for the other. That is because the two classes do not even mix together.
Cui Tonghua would naturally not look down on some minor official at home, or be disgusted when he sees someone of lower status than himself in some important occasions.
Those people have nothing to do with her and can't be associated with her at all.
But Lu Lingjun actually entered her circle and was able to sit with her.
This is what makes Cui Tonghua depressed.
She was also feeling disappointed because she failed in the previous talent show. How could she accept the fact that the daughter of a fifth-rank civil servant could call her sister-in-law?
But today, Cui Tonghua didn't come to confront Lu Lingyun. She came to find Li Niyue, "Sister-in-law, I just told Miss Zhang Er and Miss Li Si that we are going to Shao Jing to ask Master Miaoyin for another prescription. Do you want to come with us?"
"You guys just go, I won't join in the fun." Li Niyue smiled.
These days, she always heard Cui Tonghua talking about elixirs and magic pills, and she knew what they were doing.
But she wasn't very interested.
Born into a family of great Confucian scholars, she had no good impression of those kinds of elixirs. In her opinion, all medicines are poisonous and cannot be taken casually.
"Just come with us, we are still short of one person." Cui Tonghua said to Li Niyue in a rare good temper.
"Why do I have to go?"
Miss Zhang Er said, "Master Miaoyin said that every time you ask for an elixir, you must bring a new friend. Then you and I will each get one."
Lu Lingjun, who was standing by, choked on his tea with a "puff".
She didn't know that Qin Shaojing had such an operation!
Attract new people...
She coughed violently.
Li Niyue hurriedly asked, "Lingyun, are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Lu Lingjun took the maid Shuanghong's handkerchief, wiped the corners of her mouth, and hid her smile.
Cui Tonghua on the side said with disdain, "No wonder people from small families come out of this place, they are really not presentable."
Lu Lingyun: "..."
Li Niyue hurriedly protected Lu Lingyun, "Tonghua, if you bully Lingyun in my courtyard again, you will go back!"
"Okay, sister-in-law." Cui Tonghua turned around and ignored Lu Lingjun, and continued to talk to Li Niyue, "Just go with us."
"Last time I brought Miss Zhang Er with me, and this time, she brought Liu Si with her. We are still short of one more person, so it won't be in vain if you go with us. When the time comes, you will get an elixir, and we will get one too."
"Master Miaoyin said that if you eat three elixirs, you can stay young forever. Don't you want to be as beautiful as us?"
Li Niyue: "..."
Lu Lingyun: "..."
Li Niyue looked helpless, and even thought that this group of people were crazy as she looked at Lu Lingjun, and saw Lu Lingjun laughing secretly on the side.
"Sister-in-law Li." Zhang Er added, "Just look at me. I didn't look so good before. I took the elixir given by Master Miaoyin, and my face became rosy. My mother even said that I looked better."
"Then why don't you ask your mother to go?" Li Niyue asked.
"Master Miaoyin said that this elixir is only useful for young women under the age of 20, and unmarried women are best. I was thinking that you are just a few months away from turning 20, so I hurried to take you there so that you wouldn't miss it." Cui Tonghua continued to lobby.
Lu Lingyun on the side: "..."
She probably knew why they were looking for people under 20 years old.
The elixir is very poisonous. Young people with good physical constitutions can withstand it, but the elderly will have their faces ruined immediately after taking it.
In her previous life, Master Miaoyin was a fraud in the Jiangnan area. She was exposed quickly because a concubine of a wealthy family wanted to maintain her appearance, so she asked for an elixir in the name of her daughter, and she ate it secretly.
The next day, my face was covered with sores and pockmarks.
Later, some doctors studied it and said that this elixir is induced by the essence and blood in the body. Young women have abundant essence and blood, and after taking it, they will become more beautiful. However, once the essence and blood are burned out, it will cause a lot of backlash, causing sores, pockmarks, and premature aging!
If older women ate it, they would not be able to withstand it and their faces would be ruined immediately.
"Sister Li, just come with us."
"Can we harm you?"
"I don't think it's necessary..." Li Niyue said tactfully.
With the lobbying of a group of people, Li Niyue gradually softened. It was not that she believed what these people said, she was also curious about the elixir, but she was simply unable to do so for the sake of face.
"Ni Yue, you are right. All medicines are poisonous. We should take less. There is no need for this." Lu Lingjun helped Li Ni Yue out of the predicament.
As soon as she finished speaking, Cui Tonghua angrily said, "What do you know, a country bumpkin!"
Lu Lingyun: "..."
"No wonder Shao Jing didn't ask you to go. She must know that you are an old stubborn bumpkin who knows nothing. It's useless to tell you. Can't you go and learn more? You always make people laugh and embarrass yourself!"
Lu Lingyun: "..."
"Cui Tonghua!" Li Niyue shouted at the side, "You are really getting more and more unruly. Lingyun is my guest and is also liked by my mother-in-law. You can't help but look at who it is every day. If you have the guts, come with me and repeat what you said to my mother-in-law!"
Li Niyue brought up her mother-in-law's name, and the arrogant Cui Tonghua immediately lost her arrogance. She glared at Lu Lingjun, then turned to look at Cui Tonghua, "You really mean it, but I came to you to tell you this good news because I miss you."
"Thank you for your kindness, but I won't go. Someone, show me out!" Li Niyue didn't give Cui Tonghua any face in front of outsiders.
Cui Tonghua was so anxious that she wanted to curse, but Miss Zhang and Miss Liu tried to stop her.
"Forget it, forget it."
"If your sister-in-law is not happy, forget it."
"We've already told her about the good things, and she didn't want to go. By that time, we'll all be good-looking, and it won't be our fault if she doesn't have a chance because she's too old."
Liu Yuling glanced at Li Niyue and Lu Lingjun, "Who wants to take these old women with them? They think they are so popular that we have to beg them. Didn't you say that Master Miaoyin has agreed to take men with her? I will take my brother with me later. We won't take them with us!"
Hearing this, Cui Tonghua's anger disappeared by more than half. She glared at Li Niyue provocatively, "Li Niyue, just wait for me, I will regret it!"
Li Niyue: "..."
Lu Lingyun: "..."
The three noisy people left Li Niyue's yard.
After they left, Li Niyue felt angry and aggrieved. She stroked her chest and said, "I've never seen such a person before. He came to beg me, but I refused and he wanted me to regret it. I'll just wait and see how I regret it!"
Lu Lingjun finally burst out laughing.
"Lingjun, you're still laughing. Have you seen this group of people?"
Lu Lingjun smiled and shook his head, "Just let them be, and wait and see who will regret it later."
When Li Niyue heard this, she looked at Lu Lingjun in confusion, "Why, do you know what that elixir is?"
"How would I know what that elixir is?" Lu Lingjun shook his head and said meaningfully, "But I know that there is no elixir in this world. If you forcibly change the laws of everything, there will inevitably be backlash."
Li Niyue nodded in agreement after hearing this. "Yes, yes, I think so too. If there really is an elixir that can keep your youth and beauty, it would be against the will of heaven. How can a mortal like you bear it? And if we take it into our own bodies, who knows what will happen then? If you ask me, birth, aging, sickness and death are the normal state of human beings. We are not gods. It is best to be safe and not toss around."
Lu Lingjun nodded approvingly.
Li Niyue is very clear-headed. She will not be greedy for such unrealistic things and will not be fooled.
"But Cui Tonghua is really irritating. I have to see what good food she can get!" Li Niyue still couldn't swallow this anger. She was waiting to see what Cui Tonghua would do next.
When Lu Lingjun heard this, he smiled and said nothing more.
Because she couldn't say it. If she told others, she would not only save these people but also offend them.
They all jumped in one by one. She stood up and told them that this thing was poisonous and would damage their faces. First, they didn't listen, and second, they would hold a grudge against her!
It's all because of the grudge held by Qin Shaojing and the so-called Master Miaoyin.
It is these people who are rushing in and are holding a grudge.
Because they are already out of control, there is no way they will stop, no matter who persuades them. But the person who persuades them will help them find an outlet for venting after the incident.
They would all rush over to accuse her, why not stop them!
By then, their irreversible damage will be transferred to the person who tried to dissuade them. They will hate Lu Lingjun forever and only hate her for knowing about it but not stopping them.
Lu Lingjun would not gain any benefit and would only offend all of them.
So, Lu Lingjun knew nothing about this matter.
Besides, she had reminded him twice, so she felt clear on that.
If anything happens in the future, just look for Qin Shaojing and that witch Miaoyin, it has nothing to do with her.
After leaving Li Niyue's courtyard, Lu Lingjun went to pay his respects to Cui and said hello before leaving Duke Xu's Mansion.
She has some free time today, so she's taking a stroll down the street.
The carriage went on for a while until it arrived at Dongzhimen.
Lu Lingjun saw Cheng Qi who had just changed his shift.
"Second uncle?" Lu Lingjun called out to Cheng Qi.
At this time, Cheng Qi was wearing casual clothes, leading his horse, and wandering at the city gate, as if he was going out of the city.
He heard the sound, turned around, and saw the Cheng family's carriage.
"Sister-in-law."
Cheng Qi led the horse to the carriage.
Lu Lingjun lifted the car curtain and asked, "Second Uncle is going to Shao Jing again?"
Hearing this, Cheng Qi looked slightly embarrassed, "Shao Jing hasn't asked me to go these days."
Seeing him like this, Lu Lingjun guessed that Qin Shaojing had moved to a new place, and Zhang Er and the others said that they could stay overnight on the mountain, so Cheng Qi was naturally not needed.
Lu Lingjun was thinking badly at the moment, and wanted to ask Cheng Qi to see what Qin Shaojing was doing. "I was planning to go to the East Courtyard to take a look. If Second Uncle is free, why not come with me?"
When Cheng Qi heard this, his eyes lit up instantly, "Okay! I'll take my sister-in-law there."
He acted quite proactively. He was not just sending Lu Lingjun to the villa, he was going there for Qin Shaojing.
Seeing how excited he was, Lu Lingjun smiled, lowered the curtain, and told the driver to go to the east courtyard.
The sun was still setting when Lu Lingjun arrived at the East Courtyard.
But as soon as they arrived at the East Courtyard, they saw that the usually bustling East Courtyard was now deserted.
Only a servant from the marquis's mansion was left guarding the door.
"Second Master, Young Madam, you are here."
"Where have all the people gone?" Cheng Qi asked as soon as he dismounted.
"Miss Shao Jing moved to the Taoist temple on the mountain with Master Miaoyin."
"Moved away?" Cheng Qi was very surprised to learn that Qin Shaojing had moved away.
"Yes, it happened in the past few days."
At this time, Lu Lingjun's voice came, "Why didn't Shao Jing tell us?"
"Maybe we moved in a hurry and haven't had time yet." The security boy said respectfully.
After hearing this explanation, Cheng Qi still couldn't hide his disappointment on his face.
Qin Shaojing moved away without even telling him.
On the way back, Cheng Qi was still in a bad mood, and it was obvious that he couldn't figure things out.
She had clearly been very close to Cheng Qi, calling him Brother Cheng Qi all the time, and was always smiling towards him, but why did she move away without even notifying him?
Lu Lingjun saw him like this, taking everything in, and didn't say a word.
The point is that Cheng Qi can see more of Qin Shaojing's true self. Whether he can see it clearly and understand it is his own business.
She returned to her own courtyard.
Nothing happened overnight.
On the second day, Lu Lingjun was leisurely handling daily chores in his own courtyard as usual.
Another winter is coming, and the family has started to make purchases for the winter.
A lot of things were sent from the Qin family's villa, including five pieces of top-quality fox fur for Lu Lingyun to make a coat for this winter. Qin said that this was a gift from the servants to the old marquis, but the two of them would not need it this year, so she gave Lu Lingyun a good piece of clothing.
If there is extra material, I will make a small hat for each of the three children.
When Lu Lingjun received the gift from Qin, she couldn't help but smile. She had to say that her mother-in-law was quite nice.
Whenever I come across something good during festivals, I always think of giving her a share.
I give her real benefits and gifts, never empty promises.
In addition to fox fur, there were also some cheap woolen materials. Lu Lingjun counted them and called the servants, "Call all the concubines."
After a while, Qiu Ling and Ling Long arrived at Lu Lingjun's place.
"Where's Aunt Li?"
Bixi didn't come, but Xiaoju, her maid in the courtyard, came.
"Madam, Aunt Li is not feeling well today, so I was asked to come here to apologize to you. Please don't blame me, Madam."
"She is the only one who is troublesome." Qiu Ling said dissatisfiedly.
"Everyone can come, but she can't. Usually she seems to be the one who knows the rules best, but in fact, she is the most stubborn!" Linglong followed.
Listening to what they said, Lu Lingjun looked at Xiaoju, "What happened to your aunt?"
"She's having her period," Xiaoju looked at everyone, "Auntie Li said she's been weak since she was young, and she caught a cold while working in the palace. She gets cold when she has her period. She's been to a doctor before, and he said her illness can't be cured, and it'll be hard for her to have children."
Xiaoju said the last sentence carefully while looking at everyone.
Qiu Ling and Ling Long, who were about to make some sarcastic remarks, were stunned when they heard this. They stopped talking and there was something strange in their eyes.
Is it difficult for Bixi to give birth?
Everyone was silent for a moment, each with their own thoughts.
"She has such an old illness, why didn't she tell us before?" Lu Lingjun said at this time.
"Aunt Li is afraid that everyone will worry about her."
Lu Lingyun drank tea and said, "If you can't come, just take a good rest. You can take the things to your aunt later and ask Doctor Liu to take a good look at her. Giving birth is a big deal, don't delay it."
"yes."
Lu Lingjun took out some lynx furs of inferior quality and gave them some to choose from.
She had said before that in the future when the concubines divided things, they would come to her to choose, so as to avoid fighting.
Qiu Ling and Ling Long each happily picked out a fur coat of their favorite color. They didn't get much material, just enough to make a fur vest.
But even so, it's good enough.
There are a few families where the aunts have furs to wear.
The Marquis' Mansion is a noble and prominent family, and there are clear distribution rules within it. Fur jewelry is almost never distributed to the concubines. In other marquis' mansions, if a favored concubine pleases the master of the house, it is not a big deal to get a piece of fur jewelry.
But this was given to them by Lu Lingjun.
Qiu Ling and Ling Long both thanked Lu Lingjun happily.
They have to say, they are really grateful to have such a kind and generous mistress above them, who never beats or scolds them and even remembers them when they get good things!
"Thank you, Madam, for the reward."
"Thank you, Madam."
Living with Lu Lingjun is a hundred times better than living with Cheng Yunshuo!
"Well, go back after getting the reward." Lu Lingjun nodded at the two of them.
She looked at Xiaoju again and picked out a light yellow lynx skin from the remaining ones that was about the same size as Qiu Lingling and gave it to her. "Give this one to your Aunt Li."
"Yes, Madam Xie!" Xiaoju bowed and stepped forward to take the lynx skin.
She was about to leave when Lu Lingjun said, "Your aunt is feeling cold, so bring her a smaller scarf so she can wear it as a winter scarf."
"Thank you, Madam!"
Qiu Ling and Ling Long saw that Bixi had received the smallest lynx skin tail, but they didn't say anything.
The two of them left Lu Lingyun's yard together.
"Sister Qiu Ling, do you think Aunt Li really has a cold or is she just pretending to have one?" Linglong muttered in a low voice.
"Is it true? The palace is damp and cold, and most of the palace maids are infertile." Qiu Ling said.
This is true. As a servant girl of the Marquis's Mansion, Qiu Ling had seen some released old palace maids before, and many of them were unable to give birth to children.
It's just that I have to work too much in the palace. There is nothing good about life in the palace.
The lower the rank of the palace maid, the harder the work she did, and the colder and damper the room she lived in, and many of them fell ill.
Bixi even spoke out about her inability to have children, and it didn't seem like it was false.
"Then she can't give birth?" Linglong couldn't help but ask.
"It's very possible. Look at her condition and her age. Maybe she really can't give birth." Qiu Ling analyzed.
As the two of them talked, their hostility towards Bixi lessened significantly, and they even felt a hint of sympathy.
In the final analysis, the women in the harem rely on their offspring to survive. Qiu Ling already has a child, which makes her invincible. Linglong doesn't have one, but she comes from a humble background and doesn't have high aspirations. It's enough for her to be able to make a living in the Marquis' Mansion.
Seeing that Bixi was going to be like her and unable to have children in the future, Linglong felt that she was not so annoying anymore.
There are so many women coming and going in this backyard. As concubines, it is no better for them to do their duties well and live a good life!
Lu Lingyun's yard.
After she distributed the furs to the concubines, there were a few left. As usual, she gave a vest to Cheng Hui and Cheng Qi respectively. There was one extra fur, so she thought about it and asked someone to deliver it to Du Ruo in the mountain temple.
Lu Lingjun kept all the money in the mansion for Du Ruo. It was up to her whether she used it or not.
After she finished distributing the things, Nanny Wan came to her.
"Young Madam."
"You're here." Lu Lingjun saw Nanny Wan coming and sitting on the soft chair, nodding.
"Just now, Doctor Liu went to see Aunt Li. He told me that Aunt Li was indeed suffering from a cold, and he prescribed a prescription for her," Nanny Wan reported. "Aunt Li said that she might have to take medicine for a long time in the future."
After hearing this, Lu Lingjun smiled lightly and said meaningfully, "Tell her to get the medicine."
"yes!"
After Nanny Wan responded, she said to Lu Lingjun as if to take credit, "I have managed the people in her courtyard very well these past two days. The two maids and the old woman dare not even show their faces in front of the young master! Whenever the young master goes to Aunt Li's place, I will be waiting in the room. Aunt Li dare not say a word, let alone flirt with the young master!"
Lu Lingjun sipped the hot tea, still smiling, "Okay, Nanny Wan, you've worked hard, you can go back first."
"yes!"
After receiving the approval, Nanny Wan left Lu Lingjun with a smile on her face.
After she left, the other maids in the yard started discussing.
"Madame Wan is really amazing. She made Bishuiyuan a perfect place as soon as she arrived there!"
"Everyone in Bishui Garden should be punished! Last time, something happened in Aunt Du's family, and the news spread everywhere except Bishui Garden. If we don't punish them, we won't know who is the master of this mansion!"
"I just can't stand Aunt Li. I always think she's mean and sullen."
"I feel the same way. She's old and cunning. Every time she comes here, she pretends to be submissive and humble, just to trick men into showing her sympathy!"
"Forget it, didn't you hear Aunt Wan say that she can't give birth? If she can't give birth, she will be like that in the future!"
"Yes, yes, yes. She is still old and has no children. When she grows old and ugly, the prince will definitely dislike her!"
Lu Lingjun listened to the maids in the yard saying this one by one. She drank her hot tea calmly, smiled and said nothing.
At this time, it is Bishuiyuan.
After Doctor Liu examined the pulse of the bedridden Bixi, Nanny Wan went to Lu Lingjun and slowly got up.
Bixi took out a prescription from under the pillow, looked at the medicine on it, and a smile gradually appeared on the corner of her mouth.
Lu Lingjun controlled everyone in her courtyard, and Nanny Wan also kept an eye on her, preventing her from bribing others.
But she can bribe Doctor Liu.
This was the secret recipe for having a child that she had begged Doctor Liu for, after spending almost all of her wealth to modify it.
The secret recipe came from the palace.
It is said that you can win in one try.
Bixi must have children. If she wants to gain a foothold in this mansion, she cannot do without children!
When she saw the prescription, she couldn't help but smile.
"Xiaoju, help me get the medicine." She called Xiaoju.
"Yes, Aunt Li." Xiaoju took the prescription and went outside to get the medicine.
Bixi looked at Xiaoju who was leaving, and her smile widened.
This time, she also announced to the public that she was infertile due to a cold constitution, so the women in the harem, including Lu Lingjun, would definitely take her lightly.
She has seen a lot of dirty tricks in the harem.
After the concubines finally conceived, how many of them could give birth safely? Even if they did, how many of them could survive and grow up safely?
The back house is like the imperial harem, and how many mistresses in the back house are good?
She must keep a low profile.
She must take advantage of this opportunity to get pregnant.
At this time, she saw the fur that Xiaoju brought over.
"Xiaoye, put away all the furs."
"yes!"
She would definitely not use any of the things Lu Lingjun gave her!
Two days passed in a flash.
Lu Lingjun had nothing to do these days. Ever since the day Bixi revealed her infertility, Qiu Ling and Linglong would not confront her or deliberately make things difficult for her when they occasionally saw her.
Bixi is a person with high emotional intelligence. Even though she is older than both of them, she calls them "sister" all the time and always greets them with a smile, as if she wants to improve her relationship with them.
Although Qiu Ling and Ling Long did not try to make things difficult for her, they just couldn't get close to each other.
When Li Bixi came into the mansion before, she made everyone unhappy.
Nowadays, our relationship can only be described as so-so and we don't make things difficult for each other.
Such a relationship actually saved Lu Lingyun a lot of trouble.
Ever since she got married and took charge of the backyard of the Marquis's mansion, the first two always made a mess of the mansion, while Li Bixiang was very scheming, but she was very easy to deal with.
Don't cause her any trouble.
Then there was Cheng Yunshuo, who also lived peacefully.
Cheng Yunshuo would still come to Lu Lingyun's place every night to take a look at the child, but he would no longer leave food at Lu Lingyun's place, let alone stay overnight.
After taking care of the children, he would go to Bishuiyuan and accompany Bixi every night.
Cheng Yunshuo's cold attitude made Lu Lingjun's maids quite dissatisfied. They were annoyed and even worried. They didn't know what Cheng Yunshuo was thinking.
I just feel that Cheng Yunshuo is indeed a heartless man. Every time he has a new love, he forgets his old love. It's a pity that my young lady has done nothing wrong from beginning to end, but she has never been liked by him.
Now he is even colder to her and stays with his new concubine all day long.
So heartless and ruthless!
The most ruthless man in the world!
The only good thing is that Cheng Yunshuo is still very respectful and polite to Lu Lingjun and will not let anyone go past her.
Lu Lingjun felt the change in Cheng Yunshuo, but said nothing and maintained the same attitude as usual. If he came, he would just say a few words to him, and then he would leave without staying.
As Cheng Yunshuo watched her with ever-increasing respect as she remained calm and indifferent as always.
That is a level of respect that no one can surpass.
On this day, news suddenly came during a leisurely afternoon tea.
"Madam, there is news from your mother's family. Please go back when you have time."
"What's up?"
"Someone from your maternal family, the Tong clan, is here!"
When the word "Tong" came out, Lu Lingjun's hand holding the teacup paused.
Her mother's family!
That afternoon, Lu Lingjun took a carriage back to the Lu family.
Liu's yard was bustling with activity.
"Aunt has come a long way, so you must rest well. I have asked someone to clean up the yard where Lingyun used to live. You can live there for the time being."
"Thank you, Mrs. Lu, for your hospitality." An old voice came.
"What are you talking about? I have always treated Ling Yun as my own daughter. You are Ling Yun's grandmother, aunt, and sister. If I don't treat you well, Ling Yun will be mad at me!"
"Yun'er is so lucky to have a stepmother like Madam Lu!"
"I was a little worried when I came here, but now it seems that I was really narrow-minded."
"Pei Rong, you are indeed narrow-minded. Ling Yun was able to marry into the Marquis's Mansion and become the Crown Prince's wife, which shows that Madam Lu put a lot of effort into it! Others would not even be able to get such a good marriage for their own daughters!"
When Liu heard what the group of people in front of her said, she felt bitter in her heart.
She had indeed reserved this best marriage for her own daughter!
But her own daughter is blind. She gives up the chance to be the Crown Prince's wife and instead rushes to marry Li Er, which is disappointing.
These days are getting harder and harder, and the gap is getting bigger and bigger!
But at this moment, she couldn't show any emotion at all. Even if she felt bitter, she had to swallow it with a smile.
"Lingyun is my biological daughter. From childhood to adulthood, I always put her first! I would never wrong others but her!"
At this moment, the door creaked open.
A huge group of people appeared at the door of Liu's house.
The leader was a young lady who was less than twenty years old. She had her hair done in a bun and was dressed in silk and satin from head to toe. She was wearing a padded jacket inlaid with gold thread and dark embroidery, which was something that ordinary people outside could never afford to wear in their entire lives.
She wore a simple emerald jade hairpin and kingfisher flower ornaments on her head. There were not many of them, but each one was extremely exquisite. At night, she wore a pair of glass-type jasper bracelets that were obviously of extraordinary value.
As soon as they entered the door, there was only one word left in everyone's mind.
Noble!
Priceless!
The temperament of this lady of a noble family startled everyone in the room. Before anyone could say anything, they heard the young lady call out softly to the old lady sitting next to Liu.
"Grandma!"
Lu Lingjun walked quickly to the old woman and knelt down in front of her with a plop.
The old lady was startled when she saw Lu Lingyun kneeling in front of her, and then she said without waiting for Liu to introduce herself, "You are... Yun'er!"
"It's me." Lu Lingjun looked at the old man in front of him excitedly.
This person is none other than her biological grandmother!
To be precise, she was not Lu Lingyun's biological grandmother, but Lu Lingyun's great aunt.
The women on her mother's side of the family all had problems with fertility. Her mother died shortly after giving birth to her. The same thing happened with her maternal grandmother, who died after giving birth to twins for her mother and her uncle. Her mother and uncle were raised by their aunt who remarried since childhood.
In order to raise the two of them, their great aunt never had any children in her entire life. To them, she was their biological mother.
And to Lu Lingjun, she was even closer than her own grandmother.
Because in her previous life, all the greatest help she received in Jiangnan came from her.
It can be said that without her, Lu Lingjun would never have been able to become a first-rank lady in her previous life!
"Hurry up, hurry up, and ask grandma to take a good look."
The old lady excitedly told Lu Lingjun to get up quickly.
After Lu Lingjun stood up, she looked at her carefully.
"You and your mother are alike! Very alike!"
When Lu Lingjun heard this, tears welled up in her eyes. This was what her grandmother said when she first saw her in her previous life.
At that time, she was busy seeking official positions for Li Wenxun. After being promoted to Jinling, she realized that she had returned to her mother Tong's hometown.
At that time, the situation in Jinling was extremely tense. It was divided up cleanly by various powerful families. Everyone was trying to exclude the newly promoted prefect of Jinling. Li Wenxun had no foundation, no one believed in him, and all his policies could not be implemented. Lu Lingjun occasionally found out that the Tong family, the largest family in Jinling, was her maternal family. She knew at that time that her mother Tong almost broke with her family when she married Lu's father.
Lu Lingjun mustered up her courage and risked everything to visit the Tong family and build relationships. At that time, she was isolated and helpless in the entire Tong family.
Until her grandmother came out and said that she looked very much like her mother, and from then on she was treated like her own treasure.
She gave Lu Lingjun whatever she needed. If Li Wenxun wanted to push forward the decree, the Tong family would be the first to support it.
When other families wanted to suppress her, the Tong family was the first to stand up and support Lu Lingjun.
After that, Lu Lingjun really rose rapidly to high positions.
Thinking of everything that happened in his past life, Lu Lingjun's eyes couldn't help but turn red.
"Silly child, what are you doing?" Grandmother Lin wiped Lu Lingyun's tears, "Is someone bullying you? Tell me, and I'll take care of it for you."
On the side, Liu heard this and said quickly, "Madam, Yun'er is just happy to see you."
"Yes, yes, yes. Our cousin has become the wife of the prince of the Marquis's Mansion. Who can bully her? Grandma, my cousin is happy!" A crisp voice sounded in Lu Lingyun's ears.
Lu Lingjun was sitting beside Old Lady Lin, hugged by her. She looked at the source of the voice.
Then I saw a familiar face. The girl looked about thirteen or fourteen years old, with red lips, white teeth, a rosy face, and a pair of twinkling almond eyes. She was very cute.
Tong Nanyuan.
"This is your cousin Nanyuan." Old Madam Lin's voice came to her ears, "Your uncle's third daughter."
"Cousin Lingjun." Tong Nanyuan walked forward coquettishly and greeted Lu Lingjun with a smile.
"Sister Nanyuan."
Lu Lingjun smiled widely. Tong Nanyuan, her uncle's youngest daughter, was lively and cheerful, straightforward and sensible. She had a very good relationship with her in her previous life.
Unfortunately, she died of complications during childbirth after she got married.
It was after seeing her child die during childbirth that Lu Lingjun realized the reproductive deficiencies of the women in her maternal clan.
When she saw Tong Nanyuan again in this life, her eyes couldn't help but tear up.
"I just kiss cousin Lingjun when I see her." Tong Nanyuan felt the familiar and intimate look from the bottom of Lu Lingjun's heart, and couldn't help but step forward.
"I also think our girl is easy to kiss when she looks at us." Another voice came.
This is the voice of a middle-aged woman.
"Yun'er, she is your second aunt Wang." Old Mrs. Lin said.
Lu Lingjun looked at the middle-aged woman, Wang Peirong.
Lu Lingyun has two uncles in total. One is Lu Lingyun's mother's biological uncle, the current head of the Tong family, and the other is his second uncle born out of wedlock, who was a fourth-rank provincial judge in Jiangnan and was later promoted to a Beijing official.
This Wang Peirong is the original wife of my second uncle who was born out of wedlock.
Lu Lingjun had hardly seen her in her previous life, because when she went to the Tong family, her second uncle's family was promoted and left.
She sorted out the timeline in her mind, and it was right now that their family was promoted.
At this time, Old Madam Lin said slowly, "Your second uncle got promoted, and his family moved to the capital. I remembered that you got married and stayed in the capital, so I wanted to come with me to see you."
Mrs. Lin smiled amiably, and her second aunt Wang Peirong smiled even more and said, "Lingyun, we should go out more often in the capital!"
After hearing this, Lu Lingjun understood the purpose of their visit.
In this life, she became the Crown Prince's wife. When her second uncle's family came to the capital, they had no roots, so naturally they wanted to establish contact with her.
But after all, her mother's marriage to her father had caused unpleasant feelings among the family, and her second uncle, who was born out of wedlock, was promoted, making him several levels away from Lu Lingyun. The embarrassment of coming directly to look for relatives was no less than when Lu Lingyun asked the Tong family for help.
Thinking of this, Lu Lingjun understood why her grandmother, at such an old age, had traveled across mountains and rivers to come to the capital.
Old Madam Lin came along, firstly to help her illegitimate son, and secondly because she really wanted to see Lu Lingjun.
Lu Lingjun didn't think that her grandmother came here with utilitarian motives. Even if she did, she could accept it.
In her previous life, her grandmother helped her so wholeheartedly, so how could she not fulfill her wish in this life?
"Hello, second aunt. Congratulations on second uncle's promotion. In the future when we are in Beijing, we should visit each other more often. We are all family. As the saying goes, people of the same blood are connected and it is better to prosper together." Lu Lingjun followed Wang Peirong's words generously and agreed to this relative.
After hearing what Lu Lingjun said, Second Aunt and Old Mrs. Lin's eyes lit up.
Wang Peirong held Lu Lingyun's hand with gratitude and emotion, "Lingyun, you really made my second aunt at a loss for words. Yes, we are all family, and we will stick together from now on!"
Wang Peirong never expected that Lu Lingjun valued them so much. She was very nervous about this trip.
They were afraid that Lu Lingjun would not recognize them or would be indifferent to them.
After all, the Tong family had never contacted Lu Lingyun before. When Lu Lingyun's mother got married, she offended the old man, who ordered that they had no contact with their family, as if they had no daughter. Later, Lu Lingyun's mother died after giving birth to Lu Lingyun, and there was no news from them at all.
Over the past decade, they never asked about Lu Lingjun's life in the capital or how she lived. They also had no contact with her after she got married. It was really embarrassing that she came to the capital to recognize her relatives when they knew she married into the marquis's mansion and became the prince's wife.
After much thought, she decided to persuade Old Lady Lin to come to the capital to see her granddaughter before leaving.
He wanted to use Mrs. Lin's reputation to get closer to Lu Lingjun.
Unexpectedly, Lu Lingjun really treated them as family members.
Old Mrs. Lin didn't expect Lu Lingjun to say this and value her so much. She couldn't help but hold Lu Lingjun's hand with tears in her eyes, "Good child, grandma didn't take care of you before, but you don't blame us."
"Grandma, that's not the case," Lu Lingjun said beside Old Lady Lin, "We are a family."
Lu Lingjun was already grateful to Old Lady Lin and the Tong family. Besides, for her, having another powerful relative in the capital would only bring benefits and no harm.
Lu Lingjun was having a great time with everyone.
She accepted them generously, and both Old Lady Lin and Wang Peirong became very close to her.
"You have a cousin who hasn't come yet. I'll bring them to meet you some other day."
"Okay." Lu Lingjun nodded.
Wang Peirong's eyes lit up at her calm and generous appearance, and she praised to Old Lady Lin, "No wonder she is my eldest sister-in-law's child, she is generous and dignified. When our Yun'er just came in, her whole temperament made me unable to take my eyes away. I have also seen many ladies from wealthy families in Jiangnan, but I have to say that none of them can compare to Ling Yun!"
"Second aunt, look at what you said, am I any worse than that?" Tong Nanyuan said from the side.
"Listen, listen, our Third Miss has never been willing to be inferior to anyone or suffer any humiliation!" Wang Peirong pointed at Tong Nanyuan.
Tong Nanyuan got angry and turned her head away.
Lu Lingjun smiled lightly and said, "Second aunt is complimenting me. Sister Nanyuan, you are the prettiest. Among all the girls I have seen, you are the most beautiful."
Lu Lingjun's words made Tong Nanyuan turn around, and her watery eyes blinked at Lu Lingjun.
There are many girls in the Tong family. She has two older sisters and four younger sisters. When there are many girls, there will inevitably be competition and comparison. But Lu Lingjun did not compete with her. She praised her as soon as she opened her mouth.
This feeling made her feel great.
Wang Peirong glanced at the two of them and said, "Ling Yun would still say that one of you is dignified and elegant, and the other is graceful and beautiful. You are both good daughters of our Tong family!"
Hearing this, Tong Nanyuan pointed at a girl in the corner who had been quiet from beginning to end and said, "Nanxia is not bad either!"
"Yes, yes, and there's Nanxia too!"
"Lingjun, that's also your sister, her name is Tong Nanxia." Old Mrs. Lin began to introduce.
Tong Nanxia, who was in the corner, was startled when her name was called. She raised her head with a little panic and looked nervously at Lu Lingjun, who was the center of attention.
Beside her, a middle-aged woman dressed richly but not quite so nice pushed her and said, "Why don't you say hello to your cousin?"
Tong Nanxia was not prepared to be pushed out and staggered a big step. Fortunately, the maids supported her.
She turned to look at the middle-aged woman, who said with a look of disgust and regret, "What a shame!"
When Tong Nanxia heard this, her eyes became more sensitive and cautious, and she said humbly, "Hello, cousin."
Lu Lingjun looked at the woman in front of him and said, "Sister Nanxia is good. Sister Nanxia is indeed beautiful. There are beauties in Jiangnan."
Tong Nanxia was the illegitimate daughter of her uncle, and the one who pushed her out just now was her aunt.
Lu Lingjun had a deep impression of Tong Nanxia, because she was really pretty and the most beautiful of her uncle's four daughters. It was a pity that she was a concubine's daughter. Her mother was a maid who came with the main wife as a dowry, so she was not very favored, but she was very fertile.
Among these four daughters, except Tong Nanyuan, the legitimate daughter, all others were born to her.
With this fertility ability, her status in the Tong family is not low at all.
This time when she came to the capital, Old Lady Lin brought Tong Nanyuan and Tong Nanxia from the first wife's house, and also brought this concubine along.
This shows her status in the Tong family.
Tong Nanxia blushed at Lu Lingjun's compliment, and because they were outside a place where she didn't know him well, she didn't know whether to say thank you or refuse. She twisted her handkerchief and lowered her head, "I, I, I."
At this time, Tong Nanyuan spoke for her, "Cousin, Nanxia has always been timid, so don't ask her to speak."
Hearing this, Lu Lingjun nodded to Tong Nanxia, "Don't be nervous, cousin, just sit back like you're at home."
Tong Nanxia immediately went back to sit as if she had been released.
After she returned, her aunt looked at her with a look of disappointment, her eyes piercing her, and she whispered, "What a shame!"
Tong Nanxia lowered her head even lower.
Fortunately, at this time, a servant came from outside the house to report that Father Lu had returned.
The main person had to come back. Liu, who had been standing by, also stood up and said, "It's almost time. The food is ready. Let's go eat as a family!"
Everyone stood up and walked towards the reception room under Liu's hospitality.
Tong Nanxia followed the crowd.
After leaving the house, Aunt Zhao kept twisting her arm, "You are so useless, you can't even speak clearly. Look at what other people are like, and what you are like. Why did I give birth to such a useless person like you!"
Tong Nanxia lowered her head very low.
Lu Lingjun glanced behind him and saw Tong Nanxia who dared not say a word.
Soon, everyone arrived at the reception room, where three banquet tables were set up in the big room.
The sons and daughters of the Lu family also came out to welcome the guests, and Father Lu took it very seriously.
How dare he not take it seriously?
First, the Tong family is extremely powerful and a prominent family in Jiangnan. The second master of the Tong family is going to Beijing to serve as an official, so they will be colleagues in the future. Second, this is a relative from Lu Lingjun's biological mother's side. Now that Lu Lingjun is the wife of the prince of the marquis's mansion, for her sake, Lu's father has to pay attention to her.
In addition, out of a little affection for his deceased wife, when Mr. Lu heard that the Tong family was coming, he rushed back to entertain them.
"Hello, grandma." Father Lu greeted Grandma Lin politely.
"You are well too." Old Mrs. Lin looked at him with emotion, "After so many years, you have also grown old..."
"It was my fault back then. I didn't take good care of Jiao Lan."
When she heard her daughter's name, Mrs. Lin's eyes misted. She hugged Lu Lingyun beside her and said, "Don't talk about the past anymore. You have raised Yun'er very well, and you have done your best for Jiao Lan."
Her words made Father Lu feel guilty.
He looked up at his eldest daughter who was calm and composed. He had never cared about his daughter at all.
Not long after her biological mother died young, he remarried Liu. He had a lot of things to do, including officialdom, colleagues, and even his concubines. He had no time to care about a girl whose mother died young.
It was only after Lu Lingjun got married, when she gradually established herself in her husband's family and became famous, that he realized that he had such an outstanding daughter.
The irony is that he clearly liked Liu's children more before and always felt that Lu Hanyi was better than Lu Lingjun.
Now, with all these things happening, he was still being praised for bringing up Lu Lingjun well, which made him feel guilty and ashamed for a moment.
At this time, Lu Lingjun said, "Father has worked hard to run this family. Let's take a seat."
Lu Lingjun gave her father a way out, and Father Lu couldn't help but look at her with great relief.
How could he have been so blind in the past that he didn't even notice such a good daughter!
"Yes, take a seat!"
Father Lu warmly entertained the Tong family.
After dinner, they were asked to stay.
However, the Tong family had already bought a house in the capital and established their property, so they naturally didn't need to live with the Lu family.
Lu Lingjun wanted to take Old Madam Lin away, "Grandma, why don't you and Nan Yuan and Nan Xia come live with me?"
Lu Lingjun took away Old Lady Lin, Tong Nanyuan, Tong Nanxia, Aunt Zhao and other people from the main house.
Second aunt Wang Peirong made an appointment with her to visit her home in two days.
Lu Lingyun nodded in response.
After arriving at the Marquis' Mansion, Old Lady Lin and the others looked at the magnificent and wealthy Marquis' Mansion and couldn't help but say, "Sure enough, the Marquis' Mansion is rich and famous, and its reputation is well-deserved."
Lu Lingjun smiled softly when he heard this, "My uncle is doing very well too."
The Tong family is a big family in Jiangnan, with the heritage of several generations, and their wealth is even greater than that of the Marquis' Mansion.
"Cousin Lingjun, there is no comparison. You are in the capital city. Jiangnan can't be compared with the capital city." Tong Nanyuan said while holding Lu Lingjun's other arm.
"Yes, cousin, you married well and are destined to be a phoenix. In my opinion, you have the best destiny among all of us girls." A flattering voice sounded, and it was Aunt Zhao who spoke.
Lu Lingjun glanced at Aunt Zhao and Tong Nanxia who kept her head down beside her, "Sister Nanxia is beautiful and will definitely have a bright future."
"She is not worthy at all. She is a daughter born out of wedlock, how can she deserve a good life? I will pray for her if she can get married and become a legal wife!" Aunt Zhao's eyes were shining as she belittled her own daughter.
Lu Lingjun frowned slightly. Before she could say anything, Old Lady Lin on the side scolded her, "Who allowed you to say that about the young lady of the mansion!"
"Old lady, it's not that I look down on her, it's that Nanxia really doesn't deserve it." As she said this, Aunt Zhao pushed Tong Nanxia, who had been keeping her head down.
Tong Nanxia stood up and said, "Grandma, I am not worthy, Auntie is right."
After hearing her words, Mrs. Lin swallowed back all the words that she was going to say to speak up for her, with an unpleasant look on her face.
Tong Nanxia saw that she was unhappy, and she said tremblingly, "Grandma, please don't be angry because of me. Nanxia doesn't deserve it."
After saying this, Mrs. Lin no longer wanted to care about her.
Tong Nanyuan on the side looked at her with disdain and said, "Forget it, forget it. Ignore her."
"Cousin Lingyun, please take me and my grandmother to have a good look around your place."
"Yeah." Lu Lingjun nodded, and when he turned around, he looked at Tong Nanxia again. She was timid and looked like she had done something wrong. She hung her head, looking very pitiful.
Her aunt glared at her fiercely.
Lu Lingjun couldn't help but shake her head. She had a deep impression of Aunt Zhao and Tong Nanxia.
It was like this in the previous life.
Aunt Zhao scolded her daughter all day long and belittled her in front of everyone. She criticized Tong Nanxia as being worthless and timid. She originally had a good marriage, but Aunt Zhao ruined it by saying that she was not worthy every day. In the end, she even jumped into the lake and committed suicide.
Even after her death, her mother cursed her all day long.
The reason why she scolded her daughter like that was because she had never given birth to a son. As the eldest branch of the Tong family, she gave birth to three daughters. She had always hoped that there would be a son among them so that she could turn things around.
Tong Nanxia was the prettiest of her daughters, so she had the highest expectations of her and received the most scolding.
Lu Lingjun didn't say anything and took Old Lady Lin and others on a thorough tour of the Marquis' Mansion.
In the evening, Cheng Yunshuo came back from work. He learned that someone from Lu Lingjun's maternal grandparents' family had come, so he came over to pay his respects and say hello.
When Mrs. Lin saw the dignified Cheng Yunshuo, she praised him again.
First, he saw that the mansion that Lu Lingjun married into was wealthy and not a noble family with nobility in name only, so he was quite satisfied. Then, he saw that Cheng Yunshuo was good-looking and seemed to have a good character, which made him even more satisfied.
Later, she learned that it was okay for her parents-in-law to take care of her, and that the power of the Marquis' Mansion was in Lu Lingjun's hands. She was extremely satisfied with her granddaughter's marriage.
After Cheng Yunshuo left, he kept praising her for marrying well.
"I think the prince has good character, and the Ningyang Marquis's Mansion is good."
Lu Lingyun: "..."
It's not that he is good, it's all because of her discipline.
"I said that our cousin married well. She was destined to be rich and prosperous, and married a rare talent. This blessing is not something that ordinary people can have. Only our cousin deserves it!"
"Come on, come on, Aunt Zhao, please stop talking." Tong Nanyuan quickly interrupted her.
Aunt Zhao looked at Tong Nanyuan with a smile, "Miss Nanyuan, you are destined to be rich and noble. You will definitely marry into a good family in the future! After all, you are both the legitimate descendants of the old lady, and you are both blessed by her!"
"You mean Nanxia doesn't have it?"
"How can a concubine's daughter compare to your legitimate daughter?"
The old lady was annoyed after hearing this, "It's getting late, you should take Nanxia to rest first."
"Yes, ma'am."
Aunt Zhao respectfully led Tong Nanxia to pay her respects, and the two of them went out together.
After they left Lu Lingyun's room, Aunt Zhao turned to Tong Nanxia and said, "Nanxia, mother is doing this for your own good. You are not worthy. Those in there are all legitimate granddaughters and granddaughters. Their lives are predetermined. You are a daughter of a concubine and you are not worthy to compare with them."
Tong Nanxia nodded, "My daughter knows."
Seeing her like this, Aunt Zhao couldn't help but say, "Oh, it would be great if you were a son. If you were a son, mother would have a good life. Why did I give birth to a useless daughter like you?"
Tong Nanxia lowered her head even lower.
In the room, Tong Nanyuan listened to the mumbling outside, "That Aunt Zhao is really annoying, she shouldn't have been allowed to come here."
"Okay, ignore those people."
Old Lady Lin looked at Lu Lingjun and chatted with her about family matters, asking about her parents-in-law and relatives in the Marquis' Mansion, which made her laugh heartily.
Tong Nanyuan would interject a word or two from time to time, and the three of them quickly became familiar with each other.
On the second day, Mrs. Lin got up late, and Tong Nanyuan came to Lu Lingyun's yard to play first. After a while, Aunt Zhao brought Tong Nanxia here as well.
"Good morning, cousin, good morning, Miss Nanyuan." Aunt Zhao stepped forward and saluted warmly, "Is the old lady awake?"
"Grandma is still resting." Tong Nanyuan looked unhappy when she saw Aunt Zhao.
"The old lady must be tired. I will go and serve her now."
Tong Nanyuan glanced at her and said, "Go ahead."
Aunt Zhao was born to love serving others. She usually rushed to serve the old lady, her mother, and her father, and no one could stop her.
After Aunt Zhao left, Tong Nanxia still stood there.
Tong Nanyuan couldn't help but call out to her, "Why are you still standing there like an idiot? Come and sit down!"
Tong Nanxia is the same age as Tong Nanyuan and she came over and sat down obediently.
Seeing her so honest, Tong Nanyuan was very disappointed, "Why do you always listen to your mother? You must remember that no matter what, you are still the master of the family. You can't let her, an aunt, bully you every day for no reason!"
Tong Nanxia lowered her head and said timidly, "Auntie is fine."
Tong Nanyuan was furious when she heard this, "You just let her bully you, wait and see how I'll deal with her!"
"No, no!" Tong Nanxia raised her head quickly and strongly refused, "Third sister, please don't do this. I know you are doing this for my own good. I am really fine."
"You are such a piece of shit!" Tong Nanyuan was furious. "When you were a child, my mother wanted to take you in and raise you in her house, but your aunt refused. Then your great-grandmother asked to raise you in her house, but your aunt still refused. She said that you, a concubine's daughter, were not worthy of her!"
"So what if you are a concubine's daughter? A concubine's daughter is also the master of the mansion. My mother and grandmother are willing. It's her turn to bully you all day long. It's okay at home, but she still does this when she goes out. I really can't stand it."
As she spoke, Tong Nanyuan was about to wake up Old Lady Lin, intending to send Aunt Zhao away first and rush back to her hometown in Jiangnan to tell her not to bully Tong Nanxia again.
"Third sister!" Tong Nanxia spoke hurriedly.
Lu Lingjun also said at this time, "Nanyuan, sit down first."
Tong Nanxia's voice did not stop Tong Nanyuan, but Lu Lingjun's voice was effective.
Tong Nanyuan stopped and turned to look at Lu Lingjun, "Cousin, you don't know how annoying Aunt Zhao is. She bullies Nanxia all the time because she gave birth to several girls and my mom and dad gave her some face."
"My mother originally planned to take all the sisters to her courtyard to raise them, but Aunt Zhao held on to Nanxia and refused to let go, insisting that she raise her by herself. She was so easy to raise, but she bullied Nanxia like this!"
Tong Nanxia listened to Tong Nanyuan's words, "Auntie didn't bully me, Third Sister, I'm fine."
"You're just a wimp! You don't even know how to let people bully you!" Tong Nanyuan scolded angrily for her.
Lu Lingjun watched from the side and said nothing.
At this time, Aunt Zhao came out of Old Lady Lin's room and said, "The old lady said she was very tired today, maybe because she was not used to the climate and wanted to rest for a few days. The girls don't have to wait for her to eat today, you should eat and play."
Lu Lingjun heard this and said, "I'll ask someone to take care of the old lady. Aunt Zhao, you go and have a rest."
"No need, cousin. I will serve the old lady every day at home. Just leave the old lady to me. You don't need to worry about anything at all!"
"Cousin Lingyun, let's go." Tong Nanyuan stood up and said, "Aunt Zhao loves to serve Grandmother the most."
"Yes, yes, yes," Aunt Zhao smiled, "It's enough for the old lady to have me by her side."
Lu Lingjun didn't say anything more after hearing this. Tong Nanyuan and Tong Nanxia were the daughters of the eldest house, and they would definitely return to Jiangnan in a few days. As the host, she should take them around. She instructed Nanny An and the other little girls in the courtyard, "You must serve my grandmother and Aunt Zhao well, and don't treat them badly."
"Yes, Madam."
After settling everyone, Lu Lingjun went into the house to take a look at the tired old lady, then took Tong Nanyuan and Tong Nanxia out.
Before leaving, Aunt Zhao called out to Tong Nanxia, "Why are you going? Stay and serve the old lady."
"Aunt Zhao, are you done yet? Nanxia is not a servant. Does she need to serve like you?"
"Miss San, I feel that she is not worthy of playing with you. She is a bastard girl and cannot be worthy of..."
"Shut up! Is it up to you to decide whether I am worthy of this or not?"
"Forget it, Third Sister, I don't have to go." Seeing that a quarrel was about to break out, Tong Nanxia said hurriedly.
"No, just come with us." Tong Nanyuan forcefully grabbed Tong Nanxia and took her out.
Aunt Zhao saw this and said, "Nanxia, you are lucky. Your sisters love you. You must take good care of your two sisters when you go out."
Tong Nanyuan was so angry at this woman that she got on the carriage and said even more depressedly, "This Aunt Zhao is used to being a slave herself, and she wants to treat Nanxia as a slave as well. Nanxia, don't listen to your mother's nonsense."
Tong Nanxia lowered her head and nodded submissively.
"I feel sorry for you when I see you like this," Tong Nanyuan raised her head and looked at Lu Lingyun, "Cousin Lingyun, why don't we help Nanxia together!"
Lu Lingjun raised his eyebrows slightly, "How can I help?"
Tong Nanyuan's clever eyes turned around, and she immediately came up with an idea, "When we come back, we'll tell them that Nanxia is possessed by an evil spirit, and that she's asking her mother to copy the sutras for a hundred times behind closed doors, and send her away, so that we can have some fun during this time."
Before Lu Lingjun could laugh at this idea, Tong Nanxia said hastily, "No, no."
"What's the problem? When you come back, just pretend to be sick! Leave the rest to me!" Tong Nanyuan looked like he was determined to save Tong Nanxia from danger.
"Third sister, this..."
"If you don't agree, don't call me Third Sister anymore, and I won't care about you anymore!"
As soon as Tong Nanyuan became assertive, Tong Nanxia immediately fell silent and dared not say a word.
Lu Lingjun just looked at the two sisters, smiled faintly and shook his head.
Soon, after walking around the famous streets of the capital, they returned home.
After the carriage stopped, Tong Nanyuan looked at Tong Nanxia and said, "Pretend to be sick. From now on, you are not allowed to speak."
"Third sister..."
"No more nonsense!"
Tong Nanxia nodded awkwardly.
"Liu Ying, Fei Shuang, the two of you carry the Fourth Young Lady."
"yes!"
Tong Nanyuan ordered people to take Tong Nanxia to the yard. Lu Lingjun watched them making trouble from behind. She usually didn't like to meddle in other people's business, but she loved to watch the fun.
She watched Tong Nanyuan go through a lot of trouble and then bring people into her yard.
"Aunt Zhao, Aunt Zhao!" Tong Nanyuan called out.
Aunt Zhao, who was busy in the house, came out immediately and said, "Young lady is back. What happened?"
"Something happened. Nanxia went shopping with us just now and fell ill when she came back. A Taoist priest told us that she had run into something bad on the road and that her loved ones had to copy the sutras for her to be cured behind closed doors a hundred times!"
When Aunt Zhao heard this, she quickly looked at her daughter and asked, "Nanxia, what's wrong with you?"
"Aunt Zhao, don't touch her. Let Nanxia rest. Go back to your room and copy the scriptures a hundred times!" Tong Nanyuan said.
Aunt Zhao was full of hesitation when she heard this. "How can this be possible? The old lady is still waiting for me to serve her."
"Is Nanxia more important or is it more important for you to serve others?"
"Miss San, this cannot be compared..."
"What can't be compared? My great-grandmother has many people to serve her, and she doesn't need anyone except you. But you are the only close relative of Nanxia, so why are you hesitating?"
Aunt Zhao looked at Tong Nanxia who suddenly fell ill and said suspiciously, "How about I ask another master to come up and exorcise the evil spirits? I think her illness is not that serious."
"Don't tell me that. I'm just asking you now, do you choose Nanxia or my grandmother?"
Aunt Zhao said under questioning, "Nanxia is just a daughter born out of wedlock, not a son. How can she compare to the old lady? The old lady can't live without me."
Aunt Zhao's words made Tong Nanyuan angry, "Is there any mother like you?"
Tong Nanxia, who was pretending to be sick, could not hide her disappointment, "Third sister, forget it."
Hearing her words, Aunt Zhao hurriedly asked, "Look, isn't this all right?"
Tong Nanxia didn't dare to say anything else and lowered her head. Aunt Zhao continued, "I said nothing would happen. The capital is a treasured place where nobles live. How could you offend evil spirits? If you do, it means your life is worthless. Your life is worthless and no one else can decide. If you feel uncomfortable, go back and rest for a while."
"Yes, aunt."
"Nanxia." Tong Nanyuan wanted to hold Tong Nanxia back and seek justice for her, but Lu Lingjun grabbed her wrist.
Lu Lingjun shook his head gently at her.
Aunt Zhao looked at them with a smile and said, "I'll go back with Nanxia to rest for a while. She will be fine."
"Aunt Zhao, please go." Lu Lingjun nodded at her.
Aunt Zhao led the obedient Tong Nanxia out and back to their room. She grabbed Tong Nanxia and said, "Now you have grown up and are using tricks on your mother."
"Mom, I didn't."
"Do you think I'm stupid? You're the only one who thinks you're evil when a group of people go out, and you're trying to deceive your mother along with others. Are you crazy? Do you think I would believe you?"
Tong Nanxia pursed her lips and dared not speak.
"You were born useless, and now your brain is broken. Who do you think you are? Do you really think others are helping you? You deceived your mother with others, and they all made fun of you! You are just a lowly concubine's daughter who can't see your own identity!"
Tong Nanxia was scolded so much that she clenched the handkerchief in her hand and dared not utter a word.
"I am so miserable. I gave birth to a fool like you. I don't have a son to help me. Now you are plotting against me together with outsiders! Why am I so unlucky!"
"Mom, I was wrong. I will never dare to do it again..."
"You have to know that you are born lowly. Your mother is the only one in the world who truly treats you well. Don't mess around with your elder sister anymore!"
"I understand, mother..."
The conversation in their courtyard reached Lu Lingjun, and Tong Nanyuan became angry again.
"I knew that Aunt Zhao was always trying to sow discord. She can't say a single good thing! Nanxia has been bullied by her!"
Tong Nanyuan was so furious that she wanted to rush to the next yard and rescue Tong Nanxia.
When she was in the Tong family, she knew that Tong Nanxia was a coward and was bullied by her mother, but her mother was good at performing and pleasing her superiors.
Among the children she gave birth to, only Tong Nanxia stayed with her to raise her, and no one wanted to force her to leave.
Tong Nanxia was a quiet person and never said anything at home. No one knew when she was wronged. Tong Nanyuan only spoke up for her a few times when he heard her being scolded in public.
Now that she heard Aunt Zhao's instigation behind her back, she really couldn't stand it anymore.
No wonder Tong Nanxia didn't tell her.
It was all Aunt Zhao who instigated this behind the scenes!
Seeing that Tong Nanyuan was in the same temper as in her previous life, Lu Lingjun grabbed her and asked, "What are you going to do?"
"Go save Nanxia!"
"How to save?" Lu Lingjun smiled faintly.
Tong Nanyuan gritted her teeth and thought, "I'm going to take Nanxia out by force, and never let Aunt Zhao control or scold her again."
Lu Lingjun sneered, "Do you think Nanxia will be grateful to you?"
"What else?" Tong Nanyuan looked curious.
"Why don't we make a bet?" Lu Lingjun gently scraped the tea in the tea bowl.
"What bet?"
"See whether Nanxia chooses you or her aunt." Lu Lingjun smiled, his calm eyes filled with the coldness of human nature.
In the evening, Tong Nanxia came to Lu Lingjun's yard to eat.
When they arrived at the courtyard, the servant informed Tong Nanxia, "Fourth Miss, our young mistress just set up dinner in the flower hall and forgot to inform you and Aunt Zhao. Please come with us to the garden to eat."
Aunt Zhao was immediately dissatisfied when she heard this, "No need, we can go there by ourselves."
She turned around and left with Tong Nanxia. When she turned around, she said to Tong Nanxia, "See? You are just a concubine's daughter. People don't even bother to tell you before they eat."
Tong Nanxia remained silent.
"You are so silly. You always think that everyone treats you well, but in fact, they all look down on you!"
Just when Tong Nanxia was scolded to the point of being speechless, a crisp voice sounded in front of her, "Aunt Zhao, is this how you tried to sow discord behind our backs?"
Tong Nanyuan suddenly appeared, and Aunt Zhao was shocked. She quickly smiled and said, "Miss San, I'm not trying to stir up trouble. I was just chatting with her."
"Idle talk? Idle talk saying that we look down on Nanxia? Idle talk saying that Nanxia is a concubine's daughter, and my cousin didn't even bother to tell her before dinner?"
"This, this, Miss Third, you really misheard!" Aunt Zhao hurriedly tried to make amends, "What I meant was that Nanxia is of low status, she is not worthy of Miss Cousin's notice, so she should have some self-awareness."
"Don't try to argue here. You bully Nanxia and scold her often." Tong Nanyuan looked at Tong Nanxia and said, "Nanxia, do you believe what your mother says or what I say?"
Tong Nanxia looked at the two of them in panic with her timid eyes.
"Let me ask you, do you really think that my cousin and I look down on you?"
Tong Nanxia shook her head, "Third sister and cousin, you are all very nice to me."
"Well, I feel relieved with your words," Tong Nanyuan turned to look at Aunt Zhao again, "You are an unruly aunt who always bullies the young lady in the mansion. You dare to openly instigate in front of me. I will teach you a lesson today!"
As she said that, she rushed forward and pulled Aunt Zhao.
Seeing this, Tong Nanxia said hastily, "Third sister, how about, forget it!"
At this time, a jade pendant that Tong Nanyuan was carrying was pulled off by Aunt Zhao and broke with a bang.
Seeing the broken jade pendant, Tong Nanyuan shouted, "You broke the jade pendant that my grandmother gave me!"
When Aunt Zhao heard this, her face changed.
Tong Nanyuan picked up the jade pendant and grabbed Aunt Zhao, "Aunt Zhao, you are really done this time. You bullied the young lady first, and then broke my jade pendant. I will report it to my grandmother and ask her to deal with you!"
"Miss San, this..."
"Third sister, there's no need..."
"What do you mean you don't need it!" Tong Nanyuan looked at Tong Nanxia, "Nanxia, don't be afraid, just tell grandma what you heard and saw. Today I must deal with Aunt Zhao for you and help you get ahead!"
After Tong Nanyuan finished speaking, she grabbed Aunt Zhao and went to the flower hall.
Seeing this, Tong Nanxia quickly followed.
After a while, Lu Lingjun and Old Lady Lin, who were having dinner in the flower hall, heard the sound of pulling.
"Grandma, this time, you must severely punish Aunt Zhao!"
Old Madam Lin looked in the direction of the sound and saw Tong Nanyuan pulling someone over. "What's going on? What's going on?"