Springtime Affairs in a Noble Family

Dingguo Gongfu.

Cui Zeyu stood in a row with several children from the Lu family's collateral branches, and he was the most conspicuous one.

This was the first time he had faced the Qin family directly.

The others were all children under ten years old, and they dared not look at Qin Shi and the Duke of Dingguo. Only Cui Zeyu kept staring at Qin Shi.

For so many years, the two of them had wished the other dead, but now, facing each other, they were filled with hatred.

The Duke of Dingguo spoke first, "You are all good children, and today I will choose one of you..."

"Who said we had to choose one?" Qin suddenly spoke up. "The Duke has someone he's satisfied with, and I have someone I value. We can each choose one, and whoever is more successful in the future will inherit the Duke of Dingguo's mansion. The elders have no objections, right?"

The Qin family had already informed these clan elders, and they assumed that the Qin family and the Duke of Dingguo had agreed to select two people. Only after they nodded did they realize that the Duke of Dingguo's eyes were not quite right.

The Duke of Dingguo wanted to speak, but Lady Qin smiled at him instead.

Qin leaned closer and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "I advise you to know when to stop, otherwise you'll call me crazy too. If you make me unhappy, nobody will have an easy time today!"

The Duke of Dingguo frowned; he knew that the Qin family wouldn't agree so easily.

Oh well, it's just another adopted son.

Once the property is under his name, how it is allocated will be entirely up to him.

The Duke of Dingguo needed Qin Shi's cooperation in putting on this act, so he stopped arguing with her.

Cui Zeyu didn't care about the child; he just wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible.

Madam Qin had already taken a liking to the person she had chosen. With a casual gesture, she pointed to a child of about seven or eight years old who walked up to her. "You have a full forehead and a rosy complexion. You are a blessed person. What's your name?"

"My name is Lu Weijie, and I am already a student." The child had been brought to the Duke of Dingguo's mansion several times and was no stranger to Madam Qin. He answered clearly this time, and Madam Qin nodded with satisfaction.

"Alright, I feel a connection with you, so I'll choose you." After Qin finished speaking, the old woman beside her brought out the jade pendant and handed it to Lu Weijie.

Although Lu Weijie was young, he understood why he had come today. He was happy to be chosen, but also a little sad because his parents had said that they would no longer be his parents, and he could only call them uncle and aunt, and he could never go back.

The child's thoughts were written all over his face, which displeased Qin. Seeing this, Liu Mama pulled Lu Weijie to Qin's side and whispered a few words to him. The child forced a smile.

When it was the Duke of Dingguo's turn to choose, everyone present knew who he was going to pick, since Cui Zeyu was the most outstanding among the group of children.

Moreover, Cui Zeyu bears a striking resemblance to the Duke of Dingguo. The clan elders, though unaware of Cui Zeyu's true identity, can more or less guess what he might be thinking, given that he is a man.

Just as the Duke of Dingguo got up, Qin Shuyang barged in.

"We can't choose him!" Qin Shaoyuan stormed in, reeking of alcohol, nearly falling to the ground. "Aunt, we absolutely can't choose that Cui Zeyu. He's just a merchant, stinking to money. I've heard he'll do anything to make money. How can we let someone like that be adopted into the Duke of Dingguo's mansion?"

The Duke of Dingguo's face instantly darkened, and he turned to glare at Qin Shi, "You sent him?"

Qin said no.

But how could the Duke of Dingguo believe that?

In his view, it must have been Qin Shi who sent Qin Shuyang, this纨绔 (playboy), to cause trouble in order to ruin his chance to reunite with his son.

"This is a matter for the Lu family, what business is it of yours?" Duke Dingguo spoke up, and Qin Shuyang was still a little scared, especially since Duke Dingguo was yelling at him. He timidly ran behind Qin Shi and whispered, "Aunt, Cui Zeyu is really no good. He's already so grown up. If you adopt him into the Duke Dingguo's mansion, he won't be docile. To be honest, it's better to adopt me than him. At least I'm related to you by blood!"

He had indeed considered it, but his father punched him twice, saying that the Duke of Dingguo was not senile yet.

Upon hearing this, the Duke of Dingguo flew into a rage. "Qin Shi, not only are you preventing me from taking a concubine and cutting off my lineage, but now you, the Qin family, are trying to seize my Lu family's property?"

The elders of the Lu family were equally angry upon hearing this.

Whether it's Lu Weijie or Cui Zeyu, they are both of the Lu family bloodline. The Lu family isn't extinct yet, so when will it be the Qin family's turn to inherit the Duke of Dingguo's mansion?

"Oh, I was just saying it casually, why are you all so anxious?" Qin Shuyang said, pouting. "I'm just trying to be helpful by reminding you that Cui Zeyu isn't a good person. If you don't listen, things will get worse later..."

Before Qin Shuyang could finish speaking, Qin Shi slapped him across the face.

"Aunt, why did you hit me?" Qin Shuyang looked at his aunt in disbelief.

Qin knew that from the moment Qin Shuyang said "Why not adopt him?", she had to make a statement, otherwise the elders of the Lu family would really think that she wanted to help the Qin family seize the Lu family's business.

"If you're drunk, get back home. This is the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, not your Qin family's backyard. When did it become your right to boss people around?" Madam Qin looked at Qin Shuyang. He might be a spoiled brat, but Qin Shuyang was never one to back down. "I'm asking you, who encouraged you to come?"

This idiot has no grudge against Cui Zeyu, so he has no reason to cause trouble.

Qin Shuyang, after being slapped, became much more sober. Covering his face, he sobbed, "It was Marquis Jiang Yuan who told me. He said Cui Zeyu reeks of money and does shady things. I was afraid you'd be deceived, so I kindly came to warn you!"

He said, angrily covering his face as he walked out, "Fine, fine, I don't care about the Lu family's affairs anymore, I'm leaving!"

Upon hearing that it was Song Shulan's idea, Cui Zeyu narrowed his eyes. This Song Shulan, I really don't know how to spell "death".

The Duke of Dingguo looked at his son. He had remembered Song Shulan's matter, but the most important thing right now was to establish a proper status for his son.

Duke Dingguo pointed at Cui Zeyu and asked him to step forward so that he could hand over the gift he had prepared.

The adoption was settled. The family genealogy was opened, incense was offered, and tea was served to the Duke of Dingguo and Lady Qin to change their address.

Lu Weijie was young, so he did whatever the adults told him to do.

When they arrived at Cui Zeyu's place, Liu Mama brought over hot tea and asked him to serve it to Qin Shi. Suddenly, his hand trembled, and the tea spilled all over Qin Shi's thigh.

The scalding tea seeped into the fabric, and Qin jumped up in surprise, exclaiming, "What are you doing?"