A Poor Man's Son-in-Law: He Picks Up the Daughter of a Duke's Mansion at the Start

When Aunt Liu came out of Qixia Courtyard, her legs were weak.

She stood leaning against a pillar for a while, the autumn wind chilling her face, which finally brought her back to her senses. Looking down at her hands, she saw they were still trembling. The small porcelain bottle tucked into her sleeve felt heavy, like she was carrying a block of ice.

Granny Wu followed her out and stood behind her, her voice neither too loud nor too soft: "Madam, the Madam said that there is no time to lose."

Aunt Liu gritted her teeth and turned to go to Songhe Hall, where the old lady lived.

Songhe Hall is located at the easternmost part of the Duke's Mansion. It has a large courtyard and is planted with many pine and cypress trees. The old lady is a devout Buddhist and doesn't usually concern herself with the affairs of the mansion, but if she were to say something, even the Duke would have to think twice.

As she approached the courtyard gate, the old woman guarding it saw that it was Aunt Liu and greeted her with a smile: "Aunt Liu, what brings you here at this hour? The old lady has just finished her lunch and is about to take a nap."

"I have something important to report to the old lady," Aunt Liu said, trying to make her voice sound normal. "Please inform her."

The old woman glanced at her, and seeing that she did indeed look unwell, nodded and went inside. She came out shortly after, lifting the curtain: "Grandma invites you in."

Inside the main room, sandalwood incense burned, its smoke curling upwards. The old lady sat on a couch by the window, fiddling with a string of prayer beads. She was sixty-five years old, her hair was gray, but she was in good spirits, and her eyes shone with a sharp light when she looked at people.

"Greetings to the old lady." Aunt Liu knelt down and kowtowed.

"Get up," the old woman said calmly. "What's the rush?"

Aunt Liu didn't get up. Instead, she kowtowed again, her forehead pressed against the cold floor tiles: "Old Madam, I...I did something foolish, and I've come to beg for forgiveness."

The old lady paused her hand that was twirling the prayer beads.

The maids and servants who were serving inside the room quietly withdrew, leaving only Chen Mama, the old lady's most capable maid, guarding the door.

"Speak," the old woman uttered a single word.

Aunt Liu straightened up, tears already streaming down her face: "The incident a few days ago when the Third Miss encountered danger outside the city was arranged by me."

The old lady's eyes suddenly sharpened.

Aunt Liu recounted everything in detail. From her nephew's gambling debts to the second mistress's veiled promises, and then to bribing the coachman and hiring people to impersonate bandits—she only omitted the part about the second wife, as instructed by Madam Wang, and only said that she had been instigated by some scoundrels outside and wanted to scare the third young lady so that she would lose her chance to enter the palace.

She spoke and cried, and by the end, she was almost sobbing uncontrollably: "I was truly bewitched... I only wanted to frighten the Third Miss a little, I never intended to really harm her... I repeatedly warned the bandits that they were only allowed to scare her, and never to actually do anything... But I never expected things to turn out like this, and those nasty rumors to circulate outside... I truly deserve to die..."

The old lady listened quietly, slowly turning the prayer beads in her hands. After Aunt Liu finished speaking, the room was so quiet that only her suppressed sobs could be heard.

"You deserve to die." The old lady finally spoke, her voice as cold as ice. "Weiwei is the legitimate daughter of the Duke's mansion, your mistress. How dare you, a mere concubine, plot against her?"

Aunt Liu lay on the ground, trembling all over.

"What did your second son's wife promise you?" the old lady suddenly asked.

Aunt Liu was taken aback and hurriedly said, "No, no... I was just confused..."

"You yourself?" the old woman sneered. "You're just a housewife; how would you know anything about thugs outside? How would you know how to hire someone to impersonate a bandit? Without someone guiding you, could you have come up with such a plan?"

Aunt Liu dared not speak, and just kept kowtowing.

The old lady, seeing that her forehead was bruised from kowtowing, slowly said, "Did Madam Wang send you?"

Aunt Liu froze.

"You think you can hide your little schemes from her?" The old woman waved her hand. "Fine. Since she sent you here, she's sparing your life. Tell me, what does she want you to do?"

Aunt Liu then realized that the old lady knew everything. Her voice trembled as she said, "Madam said she wanted me to come and confess to the old lady, to beg for her judgment… And also, that coachman, Old Zhao…"

She took out a porcelain bottle from her sleeve and presented it with both hands.

Granny Chen stepped forward, took the item, and handed it to the old lady. The old lady uncorked it, smelled it, then put it back and handed it to Granny Chen: "Do it according to the rules."

"Yes," Chen Mama replied and withdrew.

The old lady then turned to Aunt Liu: "Did Wang pay off your nephew's debts?"

"Yes……"

"The shop has been redeemed too?"

"Yes……"

The old lady nodded, remained silent for a long time, and then said, "Go back and reflect on your actions. You are not allowed to leave the courtyard without my permission. From now on, the monthly allowance for the household will be halved. Do you accept this?"

Aunt Liu nodded emphatically: "I'm convinced... Thank you for your mercy, Old Madam..."

"Hmm?" The old lady sneered. "I'm not showing mercy, I'm just giving Wang Shi face. Since she wants to keep you, she has her reasons. But remember—this is the first and the last time."

"I remember, I remember..." Aunt Liu kowtowed repeatedly.

"Go."

Aunt Liu felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She kowtowed again before leaving. As she reached the door, her legs went weak and she almost fell, but luckily she managed to grab the door frame.

After she had walked away, the old lady sighed and asked Chen Mama, who had just returned, "What do you think?"

Granny Chen whispered, "The First Madam...she's holding back a trick."

"Yes." The old lady picked up her prayer beads again. "Liu is stupid, but easy to manipulate. The second wife is the real trouble."

"The rumors outside..."

"The rumors have already spread, and there's no way to suppress them." The old lady closed her eyes briefly. "Weiwei won't be able to enter the palace this year. What a pity..."

Granny Chen hesitated for a moment: "What about the second branch of the family..."

"No rush." ​​The old lady opened her eyes, her gaze clear. "Since Wang has made her move, she has her own plans. Let's just wait and see."

Just then, a maid's voice came from outside: "Grandma, the Third Miss has arrived."

A slight smile finally appeared on the old lady's face: "Let her in."

Yun Shuwei walked in, her eyes still a little red, but she had freshened up and changed into a light yellow dress, looking refreshed. She bowed respectfully and sat down next to the old lady.

"Grandmother..." she called softly.

The old lady patted her head: "Have you been wronged?"

Yun Shu's nose tingled, and she felt like crying again, but remembering her mother's words, she held back: "Granddaughter is fine. It's just... just that I've caused trouble for the family."

"Silly child," the old woman sighed, "the ones who are wrong are those with bad intentions, not you."

She held her granddaughter's hand and looked her over carefully: "But after this incident, you should be more careful. This mansion may seem peaceful on the surface, but there are many undercurrents beneath. Think more carefully before you speak and act in the future."

Yun Shu nodded slightly: "Granddaughter will remember."

The grandmother and granddaughter chatted for a while, then the old lady suddenly asked, "What was the name of the scholar who saved you that day?"

"Lu Qingyan," Yun Shuwei said, "is said to be a candidate from Yongning Prefecture."

What's his character like?

"He looks quite respectable." Yun Shu thought for a moment, "His granddaughter gave him some money, which he accepted, but he didn't ask for more. He said it was only right to bring his granddaughter back."

The old lady nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

After Yun Shuwei left, she said to Granny Chen, "Send someone to investigate this Lu Qingyan. If he's really a good person, he might be useful in the future."

Granny Chen agreed.

Outside the window, the sky gradually darkened. The sandalwood incense in Songhe Hall still wafted gently, but there was a different scent in the air.

A storm is brewing.