The attic connects the past and present; I became a tycoon and got rich overnight!

Chapter 75: The Difference between the First-Legal and the First-Legal
"But there are just too many. If I wear a different one every day, I probably wouldn't wear the same one twice in a month."

Zhu Ling chuckled upon hearing this and said, "What's so special about this? These jewels and hairpins alone could fill two large carts with my mother's dowry. She gave away many of them without even wearing them. If you have any styles you like, just tell me, and I guarantee I can find them for you at her place."

“No need for that.” Song You’an quickly declined, “I am already very grateful for the gifts you have given me, Madam. To be honest, I haven’t had a chance to visit any jewelry shops during my stay in Kyoto. This saves me the trouble.”

Zhu Ling nodded: "You deserve this. Besides, nothing in the entire Kyoto jewelry shop can compare to my mother's things. You can tell by what I wear and carry every day."

Zhu Ling wasn't exaggerating when she said that the wooden box was exquisitely crafted, down to the smallest pendant; it was clearly a high-quality item.

The two were talking as they walked out of the courtyard when they nearly bumped into each other at the gate.

The other party was a woman who looked to be around thirty years old and a boy who looked to be around seventeen or eighteen years old.

The boy was handsome and fair-skinned, but his figure was too thin, making him appear frail.

The two stopped in their tracks upon seeing Zhu Ling and bowed, greeting her, "Greetings, Second Sister."

"Greetings, Second Miss."

Zhu Ling's smile faded slightly, and she looked at the two of them calmly, asking, "Third Brother, Aunt Qiu, what brings you here?"

Aunt Qiu lowered her head slightly upon hearing this and said respectfully, "We have some important matters to discuss with Madam."

Zhu Ling frowned slightly, her gaze sweeping over the two of them before she spoke again: "Mother must be tired from the journey, she's probably just resting. Aunt Qiu and Third Brother, is there anything urgent? Why don't you come over later?"

Aunt Qiu and Zhu Lin exchanged a glance, but since Zhu Ling had already said so much, they couldn't very well insist on going in.

Aunt Qiu nodded, turned to leave, and her eyes caught sight of the wooden box in Song You'an's hand.

At a glance, she remembered that this wooden box was a gift she had given to her wife when she first entered the family, and the gemstones on it were all carefully selected by her.

Why did it end up in someone else's hands at this point?

She subconsciously looked up at Song You'an, and seeing that her face was unfamiliar, she couldn't help but ask, "And who is this young lady?"

Song You'an nodded slightly and replied, "This humble woman, Song You'an, greets Aunt Qiu."

Her name was also quite unusual. As a concubine, she knew very little about the outside world, except for matters within her own quarters. Even when she did learn something, it was long after the news had died down.

“Miss Song is my friend, it doesn’t matter if Aunt Qiu doesn’t recognize her.” Zhu Ling said, then seemed to suddenly remember something, and added, “I remember a few days ago I had someone send two cakes to Third Brother and Aunt Qiu, did Aunt Qiu eat them?”

cake?

Aunt Qiu paused for a moment before realizing it must be those pretty and delicious little desserts.

She smiled and nodded: "I ate it, it was delicious."

Zhu Ling raised an eyebrow triumphantly at Song You'an: "Look, that's what Miss Song made. It would sell for ten taels of silver a piece in the capital and there would still be no market for it."

Aunt Qiu was taken aback, but Zhu Lin reacted quickly and said, "Miss Song has excellent cooking skills. I've remembered it ever since I tasted it once, and I can't forget the taste." Song You'an could now tell that the two people in front of her were the concubine and illegitimate son of the Marquis of Fuyang, but she was unsure about their relationship with Zhu Ling.

Within a prominent family, there is a distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, so Song You'an did not show too much enthusiasm towards them in front of Zhu Ling.

Therefore, she only responded to Zhu Lin's praise with a smile.

"Then we'll head back now. We'll come to pay our respects to Madam later, or tomorrow." Aunt Qiu said, bowing to Zhu Ling again before leaving with Zhu Lin.

After the two had walked away, before Song Youan could ask, Zhu Ling began to explain: "This Aunt Qiu was my father's only concubine. My mother told me that when my grandmother celebrated her birthday, Aunt Qiu was the top performer in the troupe of musicians hired from outside. She played the pipa very well, and just one song was enough to steal my father's soul."

"Later, she was carried into the mansion through the back door and became a concubine of our Marquis of Fuyang. Over the years, she has given birth to two sons for my father and has thus established herself. However, she is quite obedient, and my mother has never made things too difficult for her."

Song Youan nodded in understanding, and then Zhu Ling said, "My third brother failed the imperial examination this year, which made Father very unhappy. He has no talent since he was a child and relies entirely on rote memorization to study. Compared to my second brother, he seems even more useless."

"Aunt Qiu's visit today must be to bother Mother again with his marriage. But someone as mediocre as him, even if he comes from the Marquis of Fuyang's mansion, is unlikely to be favored by any girl."

"The Marquis holds a high position and wields great power. Even if he is an illegitimate son, surely someone would be willing to marry their daughter to him?" Song Youan asked casually.

Zhu Ling chuckled and shook her head, saying, "That's not necessarily true. There are different social classes among illegitimate children. Those born into respectable families are different, but Aunt Qiu is a musician, so that's a different story."

"She herself was not outstanding, and her mother was a musician. Even a concubine's daughter would hesitate to marry her off to a respectable family."

In ancient times, people cared most about their birth and reputation. Even those born out of wedlock were subject to a hierarchy of contempt, and some people would feel inferior for life because of this status.

Song Youan couldn't understand or empathize with this, but she considered this feudal system that divided people into different classes to be historical dross, and she couldn't agree with it.

After leaving the Marquis of Fuyang's residence, she carried the small wooden box and headed towards the Duke of Su's residence.

"To see our young lady?"

The servant who opened the door saw that Song You'an was a stranger, and seeing that she was carrying a wooden box, he subconsciously assumed that she had come to curry favor with the young lady, and his expression was not friendly.

Song Youan was not annoyed, and simply said, "My surname is Song. Miss Li sent me an invitation. Please take a look."

After speaking, she handed over Li Chuyou's invitation. The other party took it with some doubt and took a look, and found that it really was a letter from the young lady.

He glanced at Song You'an again before slowly opening the door and saying, "My young lady has important matters to attend to right now and cannot see you immediately. Please come with me to the side hall to wait."

Song Youan nodded and followed the servant into the mansion.

Several dusty little heads peeked out from the alley not far away, blinking their eyes as they looked toward the vermilion gate of the Duke of Su's mansion.

"Brother Bao, why does the young lady always go around to the homes of officials whenever she goes out? What is she doing?" one of the little beggars asked.

Yuanbao shook his head: "How would I know? Miss must be some important person. She stayed at the Marquis of Fuyang's residence for several hours today, and now she has entered the Duke of Su's residence. These are not places that ordinary people can go to casually."