The clingy concubine ran away, and the sickly prince lost control.

"Zhao the doorman, it's me, Luo Qingyan."

Zhao the gatekeeper was always glib and often teased the pretty maids in the mansion.

"Nonsense," Zhao the doorman said dismissively, chewing on a toothpick and swinging his leg.

Speaking of the second young lady of the Luo family, that handywoman at the clinic, dressed worse than a maid, didn't catch his eye. She always wore a headscarf, and if you didn't know her, you'd think she was some old lady. It seems like I haven't seen her for a while. However, she couldn't possibly be the person in front of me with gold hairpins and brocade clothes.

Luo Qingyan was carried out of the Luo residence through the back gate in a small sedan chair at night; the gatekeeper at the main gate did not know.

The reason for going through the back door was at the request of the older sister, Luo Haitang, because she would have entered through the main gate when she got married, and she didn't want her younger sister, Luo Qingyan, to step through the main gate first, and it was only right that she should have gone first.

Luo Qingyan looked Zhao the doorman up and down; it seemed he didn't recognize her.

"Zhao, it is indeed me, Luo Qingyan. You can have your mother come and acknowledge me."

"How dare you call her 'Madam of the Luo Family'? Get out of here, hurry up and leave. The Second Miss of the Luo Family is not meant to be like this."

As Zhao the doorman's dark, oily hands were about to touch her dress, Luo Qingyan took two steps back.

Luo Qingyan chuckled. It seemed that even the gatekeeper Zhao probably didn't know what the second young lady of the Luo family looked like.

"You servant, you don't even recognize the masters and young ladies of this manor."

As expected, when the Luo family did not open the gates for a long time, Granny Zheng made things difficult for Aunt Luo.

She stepped off the carriage in one swift motion, her dark eyes fixed on Zhao the gatekeeper.

Zhao the doorman's fat, greasy body trembled: "Who...who are you?"

"From our Duke Xun's mansion," Liu Yue added.

Zhao the gatekeeper wasn't afraid. Instead, he chuckled and said, "Not pretending to be the second young lady of the Luo family anymore? Pretending to be from a noble family? And you call yourself the Duke of Xun's mansion? Look at your carriage. What's the difference between it and the other carriages on the street? You can't even get a decent carriage before you start swindling people."

"It's not your place to dictate the rules of the Duke's mansion."

"Snapped!"

Granny Zheng slapped Zhao the doorman across the face.

"You swindlers dare to hit people? Just you wait!" Zhao the doorman covered his face and turned to go inside to call for help.

A short while later, Luo Haitang came out.

After hearing Zhao the gatekeeper's explanation, Luo Haitang guessed that the person at the door must be Luo Qingyan. She was probably beaten beyond recognition by the Duke's mansion and chased back. Even an old man like Zhao the gatekeeper didn't recognize her. He must have been beaten to a pulp.

The door opened, and Luo Haitang's face instantly darkened. She wore a pink brocade top with a brocade skirt, and her hair was adorned with a gold hairpin with butterfly tassels, which was currently the most fashionable item.

Luo Qingyan was wearing the outfit that the old lady had given her that day.

It's Luo Qingyan.

Luo Haitang recognized the face all too well. She had no interest in looking at Luo Qingyan's face, but stared intently at the gold hairpin on Luo Qingyan's head, which must be worth a lot of money.

"elder sister."

Luo Qingyan stepped forward, called out to Luo Haitang, who was staring at her headdress in a daze, and then gently adjusted the gold hairpin with her hand.

Realizing her lapse in decorum, Luo Haitang immediately and affectionately grasped Luo Qingyan's hand: "Little sister's back!"

The muscles in her jaw twitched slightly, and her molars almost broke.

She had never been able to bring herself to buy this gold hairpin, but now it was lightly draped over Luo Qingyan's head.

The Duke's mansion is really generous; is she pregnant?

Luo Haitang held Luo Qingyan's hand tightly, saying, "Little sister, it's sunny outside, come inside with me quickly."

The two sisters entered the mansion hand in hand, displaying a deep sisterly bond.

The gatekeeper, Zhao, was so frightened that his legs trembled. When did the Second Miss climb up to the high gates of the Duke of Xun's mansion?

As Granny Zheng passed by, she glared at him fiercely, causing Gatekeeper Zhao to shrank his head even further into his shoulders.

inside the house.

"I have met my mother."

Madam Sun, who had been frowning and glancing sideways at Luo Qingyan, immediately softened her expression when she saw Luo Haitang give her a meaningful look: "Qingyan, get up quickly, your mother has missed you so much."

As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes, and she wiped them away with a handkerchief.

"Mother, I miss you too," Luo Qingyan said, but this time she looked directly into Madam Sun's eyes, showing neither joy nor anger.

For a moment, Madam Sun's eyes darted away. In the past, when Luo Qingyan spoke to her, she would always lower her head and never dare to look her in the eye. It seems that her trip to the Duke's mansion has made her bolder.

The Duke of Xun's mansion is known for its strict rules, so why didn't they make this girl suffer?

"Mother, I'd like to see Granny Liu." Luo Qingyan was eager to know what Granny Liu was doing, whether she had eaten breakfast, and if she was feeling unwell.

Sun's eyes twitched slightly. "That country bumpkin, even now that she's in the Duke's mansion, dressed and adorned in fine clothes, she still thinks about that slovenly Liu Mama. That inherent lowliness in her bones is truly incorrigible. She's not even half as good as Haitang."

No one knows which bastard gave birth to the unwanted child, but the master insisted on taking it home and raising it, listening to the words of a passing monk who said it was a lucky star.

Sigh! I've grown up so much, but I haven't brought any good fortune to my family.

After glancing at Luo Qingyan, Sun's eyes gleamed with a golden light. She then smiled and said, "Granny Liu is busy. I'll call her over later. Let's have a private chat first."

Madam Sun took Luo Qingyan's hand and led her into the inner room. As she turned around, she instructed the maid to serve tea to Granny Zheng and Liuyue and to take good care of the people from the Duke's mansion.

In front of the Duke's family, Luo Qingyan should naturally be close to her mother. She was only using the pretense of coming back to see her parents. If she insisted on seeing Granny Liu, it would only make people think more.

The inner room.

"Qingyan, I never expected you to be living so well in the Duke's mansion, wearing gold and silver. You can't go to the clinic to do odd jobs anymore. It's not good if the family doesn't have any support." Madam Sun's voice became stern.

Her mother was asking her for money.

Luo Qingyan immediately took a few steps back, bowed her head, and acted as obedient and pitiful as before: "Mother, what I wear and what I carry were given to me by the Duchess. They are just for show, so that people won't laugh at the Duke's mansion for being shabby when I go out. But I didn't actually receive any money as a reward, so I can't help you out."

"Don't try to fool your mother. Even concubines in ordinary households receive a monthly allowance, let alone those in the Duke's mansion!" Madam Sun's voice was shrill.

My mother is so obsessed with money that she's forgotten about the days ahead.

"Mother, I've only been at the Duke's mansion for less than a month, where would I get my monthly allowance?"

Sun choked, realizing she had spoken too hastily.

"I'm mainly reminding you that once you receive your monthly allowance, don't forget to help support your family. The Luo family is your true home."

"Mother is right, let's wait a month! I'm going out now."

Luo Qingyan gave a perfunctory agreement, as she needed to find Granny Liu first; she couldn't wait for Granny Liu to come to her.

In my past life, the image of Granny Liu's tragic death kept flashing before my eyes.

By then, she was already a ghost, watching helplessly as Granny Liu was beaten to death, her blood flowing everywhere. The dull thud of the nails and sticks striking Granny Liu's body echoed in her ears.

Each time the nail stick was raised, it tore through flesh and blood.

With her mouth gagged, Granny Liu could only wail silently until she breathed her last, her eyes still open.

Sun was still yelling and cursing from the side: "Why not chop her up and feed her to the dogs? Without your encouragement, would that brat Qingyan have dared to commit suicide? I wouldn't be satisfied even if I beat you to death."

Luo Qingyan is her daughter; she can tell her who to marry and she can marry whoever she wants. Her life is hers.