The Grand Secretary's Child-Raising Diary

He had a good son, but it was useless if he wasn't on the same page as his father.

News from the previous dynasty reached the inner palace.

Consort Zhao felt that all her scheming had come to nothing; not only had she lost Cao Li, but she had also lost Huang Shuheng.

She lay on the chaise longue, rubbing her forehead and groaning. The thought of the companions who were now by the Eighth Prince's side made her heart ache. Her perfectly good son had been ruined by those bookworms and simple-minded warriors, and he no longer had a smile on his face.

The nannies knew best what their mistress was thinking, but after the incident of changing the companions, if they still couldn't see that His Majesty did it on purpose, then they would be incredibly stupid.

She comforted Consort Zhao, saying, "Your Highness, His Highness is still young. Who can predict the future? Your most important task now is to maintain His Majesty's favor."

The Empress was old and her beauty had faded; she only had one son, the Crown Prince.

In this vast harem, is it only her mistress who covets the throne? As long as her mistress can maintain her position and receive more favor, and with the Crown Prince growing older, someone will inevitably succumb before them.

Now that things have come to this, Consort Zhao can do nothing but quietly nod and agree to the old woman's words.

Lu Shiyan's promotion and Tan Xiuwen's appointment as the Grand Canal Commissioner were like the gentle flapping of a butterfly's wings, signifying the gradual improvement of the new regime system of the Great Qian Dynasty, headed by Emperor Chenghe.

秦府

After three years, the Qin family was finally able to have a real family reunion dinner.

Looking at Qin Yan and his grandchildren, who seemed to have grown taller, and even his eldest son's face looked more relaxed and open than when they were in the capital, Qin Bingshan sincerely bowed to Madam Qin: "You've worked hard these past three years, Madam. You've raised the children very well."

Madam Qin also felt that she had taken good care of the children, and readily accepted the praise. She smiled and pointed at Qin Yan, saying, "Yan'er is doing well. After dinner, you can test his studies. Yan'er will definitely be on the list of successful candidates in this autumn examination."

When called upon by his stepmother, Qin Yan hurriedly stood up: "I would also like to ask Father for guidance on my studies. If I can pass the imperial examination this autumn, I will not let down Mother and Father's expectations."

Aunt Zhao was naturally beautiful. After living in Jiangnan for three years, she spent her days worrying about her son's food and daily life, playing cards and entertaining guests with Madam Qin. Her courtyard was spacious, and her life was more comfortable than when she lived in the capital. She was even more charming than before. As soon as she opened her mouth, she attracted Lord Qin's attention.

"Yan'er, you must do your best this time, so as not to let down the efforts that Madam and the eldest son have put into your studies."

Upon hearing her mention this, Madam Qin hurriedly waved her hand, "Alright, the exams are just around the corner, so please don't put too much pressure on the children."

Looking at the harmonious scene between his wife and concubine, and then at Aunt Zhao's constant focus on Liu Shi and Qin Yan, Lord Qin felt as if he were an outsider in this family.

With no one causing trouble, the Qin family enjoyed their reunion dinner quite well.

The next morning, Madam Qin took her children and prepared to return to her parents' home.

At the Chengen Earl's Mansion, Madam Qin got up early and sat in the banquet hall, glancing outside every now and then.

Chunyan and her maids knew what Madam Qin was waiting for, but they secretly hoped that the old woman who had delivered the invitation to the Qin residence would return even later. Their mistress's relationship with her family had been strained in recent years, and now that the matriarch of the Qin family had returned, it would be fine if she could forgive and forget. However, if she still harbored resentment, given Madam Qin's temperament, there was likely to be more trouble.

Even if it's slow, both the Qin residence and the Chengen Earl's residence are in the capital, so it will take no more than an hour for the people who went to the Qin residence to return.

Qin was clearly nervous, but because she still harbored resentment towards Liu for taking the children and leaving for the south three years ago, she refused to back down. Seeing the old woman return, she casually asked, "Did you see my sister-in-law from my maiden family?"

Thinking back to what had happened at the Qin residence that day, the old woman felt a pang of bitterness, but she couldn't hide anything: "Reporting to Madam, Madam Qin returned to the Liu residence early this morning. This old servant arrived a little late and didn't get to see her."

Qin had originally planned that if Liu was willing to give her a way out, she would pretend that the events of the past three years never happened and continue to be a good sister-in-law with Liu.

Given how much Liu valued her in the past, she would always wait for Liu to come to her door when she returned from a long trip. However, when she heard from the old woman that Liu had gone back to her parents' home early in the morning, she immediately felt unhappy.

Still unwilling to give up, she asked again, "What about my brother? I haven't seen him either."

The old woman said, "The Vice Minister also went to the Liu residence with the First Madam."

Accompanying a wife back to her parents' home is a perfectly normal thing to do in any family, but if you know clearly how she has interacted with her parents' home over the past few decades, you will know how unusual this is.

Overwhelmed with grief, Qin covered her face and wept, saying, "Brother and sister-in-law still resent me. Go, go and invite the Earl back, and tell him to come with me to the Qin residence to apologize to my brother and sister-in-law."

Seeing that Qin was not in a good mood, Chunyan and the others hurriedly went to invite Lu Chong back to the mansion as she had instructed. However, Lu Chong immediately refused when he heard that he was going to the Qin mansion. No one knew what was wrong with him. Ever since the family split up, Lu Chong had completely lost his spirit.

Thinking that she had given Lu Jingyan all she could, including her family property and title, she figured he couldn't offer anything more, so she was too lazy to put in any more effort.

Therefore, the servants were unable to persuade Lu Chong to return.

秦府

When Qin Bingshan and Liu returned from the Liu residence, the first thing they heard from the steward was that the aunt of the Marquis of Chengen's mansion had sent a visiting card to their door.

Qin Bingshan held the visiting card, looking at the Qin residence which had just returned to its former bustling state yesterday. After a long while, he shook his head and said, "Send someone to the Cheng'en Earl's residence to tell them that the lady has had a long journey and will not be receiving guests for the time being."

Although Liu had been away from the capital for three years, everyone in the Qin household was her person. Qin Bingshan had just sent a message to the Marquis of Chengen's residence, and she received the news shortly afterward.

Aunt Zhao handed Liu a cup of tea at just the right temperature, and said with some annoyance, "This young lady is really restless. We just got back and she can't wait to come over."

"Madam, if Master wishes for you to rekindle your relationship with your aunt, what are your thoughts? I've heard that she caused quite a stir in the capital not long ago."

Madam Qin was naturally aware of these matters.

She sighed. After spending three years with Zhao in Jiangnan, she was willing to give her a few words of advice: "That man in the Earl's mansion is muddle-headed, but even if you don't care about the monk, you should at least care about the Buddha. In the past, the master favored his own sister, and we could only respect him."

But the foolish things that man did have already affected the marriage prospects of the children in the family, and I, as the matriarch, could not sit idly by.

But the master and that woman are, after all, siblings from the same mother. Now that the master is showing consideration for our attitude, we cannot go too far. We refused the young lady's visit this time, but we must not do it again next time.