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

"Greetings to the old lady."

In Yi'an Residence, the old lady sits high above.

Luo Haitang curtsied.

"What are you doing here?" The old lady did not let Luo Haitang get up. In her opinion, the whole Luo family lacked discipline after today's incident.

"Please, Madam, have mercy and spare my mother. She was confused for a moment and did something wrong, but she now knows she was wrong."

Making her mother perform a year of forced labor would be the death of her, so Luo Haitang visited Sun Shi in prison.

Madam Sun urged her to beg the old lady to show leniency.

"With the laws of the Great Sheng Dynasty before you, begging me is useless."

The old lady said sternly, "Luo Qingyan is engaged, yet Madam Sun concealed this from her, thus putting her in an unjust position."

Thinking of this, the old lady's anger increased even more.

Luo Haitang met the old lady's gaze and immediately knelt down. She hadn't expected the old lady of the Duke's mansion to be so fierce. It seemed that Luo Qingyan's life wasn't easy either. Fortunately, it wasn't her who came.

Panicked, Luo Haitang tried to calm herself down. Her mother was, after all, an official's wife; how could she be punished by being forced to do manual labor?

According to the Da Sheng Law, female prisoners were usually assigned to labor service, such as pounding rice, doing odd jobs, and washing clothes.

In the capital, only women whose families were exterminated or whose households were raided were punished; it was rare for a woman to be punished alone by being forced into military service.

If my mother really goes to serve in the military, how will she ever be able to show her face when she comes back?

Luo Haitang's eyes darted around as she said, "Madam, Mother's actions were wrong, but sending my younger sister here ahead of time was ultimately beneficial to the Duke's mansion. If we break off the engagement first, the Ye family won't agree, and they keep dragging it out. Who knows how long that will last?"

"Miss Luo, have you forgotten that the person I have my eye on is you? As far as I know, you are still unmarried, which will not prevent you from entering my Duke's mansion. It's strange, though, that the elder sister is not yet married, so how come the younger sister is already betrothed? The Luo family really does have a way of doing things on a whim."

The old lady slightly raised her chin, looking down at Luo Haitang with disdain.

Sun suggested replacing her with her younger sister, who was more suitable for bearing children. Little did she know that the younger sister would be betrothed before the older sister.

So they didn't think about checking the facts, they just wanted to get the person to the Duke's mansion as soon as possible.

Given the Luo family's social standing, even if their daughter entered the Duke's mansion, she would at most be a concubine, not qualified to be the principal wife. However, it wouldn't be considered a loss. If she gave birth to children, her treatment would be comparable to that of the principal wife, and she would enjoy a lifetime of wealth and honor. For a daughter from a humble family, this would be considered a great leap forward, like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

The old lady's imposing presence made Luo Haitang blink instinctively, then lower her eyes to hide her unease. The reason she hastily betrothed Luo Qingyan to Ye Hui was precisely because she feared Ye Hui would compete with her for Shen Nanxun.

She was always very proactive, but Shen Nanxun was like a blockhead, keeping his distance from her.

"The old lady is right. Please, no matter what, save my mother."

Luo Haitang kowtowed, and when she looked up again, her face was covered in tears.

"Go back! There's nothing I can do."

Sun deceived the Duke's mansion by promising her a wife to two husbands without being punished. The Ye family would then accuse her of conspiring with Sun to steal his fiancée, thus damaging the Duke's mansion's reputation.

"Someone, see the guest out."

Granny Zheng dragged and pulled Luo Haitang out.

Luo Haitang lost her balance and fell to the ground.

"Who is that?"

When Cui Rou heard that Pei Shiyuan had suddenly fallen ill and was in a very serious condition, she dared not approach him and thought she would come to comfort the old lady.

"It's Miss Luo, Luo Qingyan's older sister, Luo Haitang," Ginkgo learned from the gatekeeper.

Cui Rou looked Luo Haitang up and down. Her clothes and makeup were better than Luo Qingyan's, and she wasn't using cheap cosmetics either.

Luo Qingyan, however, had to work odd jobs at the clinic.

"What do you think of their sisterly relationship?" Cui Rou asked Yin Xing, tilting her head.

"Of course it's bad," Ginkgo replied ominously.

"Please ask her to come over."

Cui Rou's lips curled into a mischievous smile.

Upon learning that Luo Qingyan had a fiancé named Ye Hui, Cui Rou saw Luo Haitang off with satisfaction.

For several days in a row, Luo Qingyan devoted herself to taking care of Pei Shiyuan.

After this illness, Pei Shiyuan became much more cooperative in taking care of Luo Qingyan.

Eat whatever you're told.

With the little medical skills she had learned, some of which she had learned by observing doctors in clinics, and some of which she had only a superficial understanding of medicine from when she was a ghost, Luo Qingyan tried to make various medicinal dishes for Pei Shiyuan.

She couldn't cure her illness; she only thought about what to eat to be good for her health, because only a healthy body could fight off disease.

"Your Highness, you look much better."

After Pei Shiyuan and Luo Qingyan paid their respects to the old lady and sat down, a woman's voice came from inside, sounding somewhat old.

"Mr. Qian, a rare guest."

The old lady frowned.

Madam Qian, from the second branch of the Duke's mansion, had a smile plastered on her face, but glanced at Luo Qingyan out of the corner of her eye almost imperceptibly.

Luo Qingyan remained expressionless; she had learned a little about the second branch of the family over the past few days.

Although Madam Qian was over forty, she was well-maintained, with fair and radiant skin, a full face, and a slightly plump and prosperous figure. In contrast, the old lady appeared thin and frail, and her complexion was sallow due to her worry about Pei Shiyuan's illness.

She had one son and one daughter. Her son, Pei Xu, had many wives and concubines, and had three sons and two daughters.

With many children, Madam Qian acted with impunity in the household.

"Sister, have you been angry that I haven't come to see you for so long?" Madam Qian's eyes were mocking.

"You can't blame me. Madam Xu gave birth again, and it's another boy. I have to take care of my grandson. Unlike my sister, who is lucky and can relax. Oh dear! My old back is about to break. Heng-ge always wants me to hold him. He doesn't want anyone else, not even his own mother."

Ms. Qian sat down, supporting her lower back.

Xu was Pei Xu's legal wife, and they had two sons. Hengge was the eldest son, who was five years old; the other son had just been born.

"Mrs. Qian, you are so lucky to have another grandson."

The old lady's gaze was indifferent; she didn't look at Madam Qian.

"Sister, you still look unhappy? Why don't you bring Heng-ge over to keep you company?" Madam Qian flashed her white teeth, her red lips opening and closing as if they were poison needles flying out and piercing her in the old lady's eyes.

Madam Qian was trying to spite Yuan'er because he had no children.

"Second Madam, the Old Madam is always serious and strict in managing her subordinates. She is not angry, and we all respect her." Luo Qingyan disliked Qian Shi's face: "If she is always smiling and joking, I'm afraid some people will take advantage of the situation and not abide by the rules of the Duke's Mansion."

Upon hearing this, the old lady's gloomy expression softened slightly, and she glanced at Luo Qingyan.

"How dare you speak to me like that? What right do you, a mere concubine, have to say anything here?" Madam Qian stood up abruptly.

Luo Qingyan raised her eyes slightly. "Does your back not hurt?"

"She has the right to speak," the old lady said coldly.

"Sister, you must be confused. She's just there to carry on the family line; it's not even certain she can conceive. For the sake of the Duke's mansion's future, sister, you should adopt Heng-ge'er as soon as possible."

These past few days I've been busy with Xu's delivery and didn't realize that Pei Shiyuan had left a woman in the room. I chased one away, but this one stayed.

She's here today to see what makes this woman so special.

"Second Madam, I truly don't know if I can conceive. You hope for the well-being of the Duke's mansion, and you must also hope that I can conceive and continue the bloodline of the eldest son's family. Don't worry!"

The second wife's ambition to seize the first wife's inheritance has become quite open.

"Why should I be in such a hurry? Shut up."