The Grand Secretary's Child-Raising Diary

Qin Bingshan looked embarrassed but still refused to give up his idea of ​​supporting the Qin family. Liu Shi was too lazy to argue with him anymore and waved her hand:

"If the master wants to go, then go. In any case, the lives of this whole family combined are not as precious as your aunt in the master's heart."

Seeing her son pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, and if he succeeded in the next examination, he could enter the court and obtain an official position, but now his future was ruined because of an old incident, Aunt Zhao could no longer hold back and cried out loud:

"Waaah, my poor Yan'er, why is your life so miserable?"

Qin Bingshan had been irritable these past few days, and the noise from Aunt Zhao's crying only made his head spin. He shouted angrily, "What are you wailing about? I'm not dead yet!"

Qin Yan was Aunt Zhao's destiny. For many years, she had watched her son study late into the night, feeling heartbroken but helpless, only hoping that things would be better once he passed the exam.

But just when things seemed to be at the last minute, everything fell apart. Qin Bingshan, the father, remained indifferent, and Aunt Zhao was no longer afraid of him.

"What you say sounds nice, sir. You'd be better off dead than a father like that." If the madam had taken over the household earlier, the Qin family might not have ended up like this.

When his concubine told him to go die, Qin Bingshan's anger burned even brighter: "Zhao, if you dare to spout nonsense again, I'll throw you out of the mansion."

When the life of a concubine is in someone else's hands, Aunt Zhao shrank back and collapsed to the ground.

Although Qin Yan was not born to Madam Liu, she had put a lot of effort into him over the years. Now that things had turned out this way, not only Aunt Zhao, but also Madam Liu was heartbroken and couldn't sleep all night.

Seeing that Qin Bingshan still dared to say that he would sell his concubine who had a child into the mansion, Liu was truly speechless.

"It's getting late, sir. You still have to go to the Marquis of Chengen's residence, so let's hurry."

There's only one problem: this household cannot tolerate that troublemaker. If you, sir, wish to bring her back, you'll have to find a way to settle her yourself."

.......

The case was presented on the imperial desk. Emperor Chenghe used a vermilion brush to underline the two characters "Prince Chen," and then smiled slightly and said, "Even a centipede with a hundred legs does not fall down when dead. Order the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, and the Prefectural Capital to conduct a thorough investigation."

Upon leaving the palace, Lord Huang looked at the sky, which seemed about to snow, and once again lamented his miserable fate.

The Ministry of Justice and the Prefectural Government of the Capital, upon receiving the imperial decree, shared the same thoughts as Lord Huang.

At first, no one expected that a scholar from a humble background could single-handedly bring down the powerful and influential Vice Minister of Rites.

The imperial edict stripped the Qin family of their official titles, confiscated their property, and sent the entire clan back to their ancestral home—but that wasn't the worst part. What truly drove the Qin family to despair was the edict's clause: "For three generations, they are forbidden from taking the imperial examinations."

This effectively cuts off the Qin family's path to resurgence. Without money or power, what difference will the Qin family make from ordinary people after three generations?

Upon receiving the imperial decree and watching the soldiers enter the mansion to ransack his home, Qin Bingshan's vision went black and he collapsed. When he woke up, he found that although he was fully conscious, he could not move his body and could not even speak a complete sentence.

As the saying goes, when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter; with the Qin family in trouble, none of their old friends came to visit.

Only Liu's brothers, dressed in ordinary clothes, came to find a doctor for Qin Bingshan.

The doctor took Qin's pulse and prescribed medicine: "Master Qin has suffered a stroke. With careful care, he can recover somewhat, but he must not be subjected to any further stimulation."

After seeing the doctor off, Lord Liu and Madam Liu chatted on the side: "Sister, if you really don't want to go back with me, and if you're hesitant to speak up, then I, as your younger brother, will speak to you on your behalf."

Liu was a strong-willed woman. She had been frightened and confused by the Qin family's affairs for so long, but she had never shed a single tear.

But seeing her younger brother, who was not young, still having to run around for her sake, Liu finally shed tears.

"You don't need to persuade me anymore. If I can't go back to the Liu family now and it would bring shame to my family, even if it's not for any other reason, I should think about the unmarried daughters in the Liu clan."

Lord Liu: "There's no shame in returning to your own home, sister. Don't worry, Qiao Shi and the children at home all want you to come back."

That's precisely why she can't go back.

"The children in the family are inexperienced and I, as their mother, have to hold them together. If I leave, this family will fall apart completely."

Undeniably, compared to Qin Bingshan, Liu was the backbone of the Qin family.

Seeing that she was determined, Lord Liu sighed and said, "Tell these children that they must not harbor any resentment towards His Majesty and involve Prince Chen. It is already a mercy that the entire Qin family has not been exiled."

……

Chengenbo Mansion

No sooner had Lady Qin returned from the Dali Temple than she learned that her imperial title had been revoked. Before she could even grieve, Lu Xin arrived with Lu Chong's orders.

Looking at the letter of divorce that Lu Xin had presented to her, Madam Qin asked in disbelief, "He wants to divorce me?"

Lu Xin sighed: "Madam, you should never have interfered in the Qin family's affairs. His Majesty is already dissatisfied with the Earl because of the Second Master's matter, and the Earl's mansion cannot withstand any more turmoil."

"Lord has no choice. You've seen the Qin family's fate. Even if you don't think of Lord, you should at least think of the eldest son and the two young masters. The title of Earl's Mansion cannot be lost."

Madam Qin: "Where is my lord? I want to see my lord. He cannot divorce me."

Seeing that he couldn't reason with her, Lu Xin stopped talking and waved his hand, ordering, "Pack for the lady; we'll move to the estate outside the city tomorrow."

Lu Chong's orders could not be changed, and no one in the Qin family could support Qin Shi. For the first time in her life, Qin Shi, who had been proud and domineering for half her life, had to use tears to win back Lu Chong's heart.

Back in the front courtyard, Lu Xin, thinking of his son who was still by Lu Jingyan's side, couldn't help but offer a word of advice: "Lord, Madam has already realized her mistake, and His Majesty has only revoked her title and hasn't pursued the matter further. Why not consider the young master's sake..."

Lu Chong closed his eyes and said, "It is precisely for Jingyan and the two children's sake that I cannot keep Qin Shi around. You know her temperament. She's just not over it yet. Who knows what trouble she'll cause once things calm down."

Qin's temperament might indeed be what it seems. Lu Xin stopped trying to persuade her: "If Madam cannot return to the Qin family, I will personally escort her to the estate tomorrow."

Lu Chong: "You decide what to do."

Upon hearing the news of Lu Chong's divorce, Lu Shiyan couldn't help but sneer. Lu Chong really hadn't changed at all.

After several days of careful consideration, Xiao Shubai finally selected the one he was most satisfied with and showed it to Lu Youning.

"The Dew-Gathering Pavilion, how about it? Isn't it elegant?"

Lu Youning repeated the three words to herself without hesitation: "Good, indeed very elegant."

Having received Lu Youning's affirmation, Xiao Shubai breathed a sigh of relief as if he had completed a very important task: "Then, Aning, let's go to Jinxiu Pavilion for a big celebration."

Lu Youning had already planned to take Xiao Shubai and the others to see the palm dance again, and upon hearing this, he said, "Alright, but this time when we go to Yaohuang Pavilion, invite Meng Yue and the others, I'll treat them."

Xiao Shubai: "Okay, let's go to Yaohuang Pavilion."