Tianliangyuan

Chapter 111 Why did she willingly become a concubine?

It turns out that the brother and sister's father died during the mining operation.

It wasn't caused by a mine collapse; it was because everyone was outdoors when the mine was being mined. Unexpectedly, their father was bitten by a snake. Because they were on a mountain and the army doctor wasn't there, the time was delayed, and ultimately the woman couldn't be saved.

Xu Junan felt pity for him when he saw that only his two children remained in his home.

“Originally, I was thinking of taking a few strings of cash to them so that they would have someone to rely on in the future. But I didn’t expect that there were only two uncles left in his family. The mourning hall was not even finished yet, and they had already started to scheme for the brother and sister’s house and land. I happened to be there at the time, and I couldn’t stand it, so I naturally had to stand up for the brother and sister.”

Zhang nodded, knowing that the two orphaned siblings would certainly not be able to defeat the elders in the clan.

“I know those fields and houses are hard to protect. Even if their clan agreed to it, as soon as I leave, they will have plenty of ways to scheme against the brother and sister again. So I came up with a plan to simply exchange them all for money and keep the brother and sister away from their two vicious uncles.”

Zhang sighed, "These two children are pitiful too."

"It's also my fault for causing you trouble. I originally intended to keep them as good citizens and bring them back, only thinking of allocating some land to them so they could start their own households. But I didn't expect you to be making such a move, and our son can't wait any longer."

Madam Zhang chuckled and said, "This boy will definitely be lazy when he grows up. If you count the days, he should have been born half a month ago."

"Haha! It stayed in its mother's belly for half a month, but it grew well and became strong."

Xu Jun'an is the heir of a marquis's family. His family owes a debt to the marquis for his outstanding military achievements more than a decade ago, most importantly, for saving the emperor twice. Therefore, the marquis's title should have been demoted after three generations, but the emperor, grateful to Xu Han, decreed that it be changed to be hereditary.

In other words, as long as the Xu family does not rebel or betray the country, the title of Marquis of Anxin is basically secure, and each generation will be a marquis, with no possibility of being demoted.

This is also why Zhang was worried because there had been no news of a child for six months after she married into the family.

Now that the eldest son has been born, the Marquis's family business can be passed down.

With that pressure gone, Zhang's mindset was noticeably more relaxed.

During Zhang's postpartum period, Xu Zhaozhao would visit every few days to play with her little nephew. Xu Junting also wanted to go, but as the younger brother-in-law, he naturally couldn't barge into his sister-in-law's room. So he could only wait outside the courtyard for Xu Zhaozhao to come out and tell him about the baby's features.

That day, Xu Zhaozhao brought two pots of rare peonies over again, hoping to cheer up Zhang, who could only lie in the house, and brighten her eyes.

"These peonies are blooming beautifully."

"Really? I think so too. There are lots of good things on the estate. After my sister-in-law finishes her confinement, we'll take our little nephew there to catch butterflies and rabbits. It'll be fun and delicious."

After arranging everything, Xu Zhaozhao turned around and asked, "Where's my little nephew?"

Madam Zhang chuckled softly without saying a word, but the head maidservant beside her said with a smile, "Reporting to Miss, Madam and Second Madam are talking with the children in the main hall."

Zhang is currently living in the East Warm Pavilion. After the two ladies visited, they simply moved to the main hall to talk and took the child with them.

The houses here are all connected, so Wang Ruolan doesn't need to go outside; she can walk directly from inside the house to the main hall, so there's no need to worry about the child catching a cold.

"Sister-in-law, I'll go check on my nephew first. You take good care of him. If you want to see any more flowers, just send someone to tell me. My orchard may not be suitable, but it's definitely good for growing flowers and plants."

"Oh, by the way, I specially asked someone to bring some fruit over. I asked the doctor, and he said that if you steam these fruits, your sister-in-law can eat them once or twice a day; it will be good for her health."

Xu Zhaozhao didn't explain it very clearly, but Zhang understood.

"Thank you Zhaozhao."

"Sister-in-law, you don't need to be so polite."

After she left, Zhang sighed, "I'm lucky to have married into such a good family. My parents-in-law are fair and just, and my mother-in-law doesn't nag her daughter-in-law. My sister-in-law is also a lovely and kind-hearted girl. So, the elders' judgment is indeed commendable."

The reason Zhang said this was simply because she was thinking about some people and things from her maternal family.

The nanny quickly advised, "Young mistress should focus on recuperating now. It would be better to wait a year or two before giving the young master a younger brother or sister."

Zhang blushed. Since she became pregnant, her husband had never taken a concubine, and there wasn't even a maidservant in the room. This made her feel indebted to him.

But since her husband himself doesn't want it, why should she go out of her way to get it?

Besides, ever since my husband took this mining job last year, he's only been able to come home for five or six nights a month at most. I wonder if he has a lover outside.

Zhang, all alone, began to have wild thoughts.

After Xu Zhaozhao moved to the main hall, the two ladies were talking softly, and in the small cradle not far away, the baby was sleeping soundly.

"Mother, I think my little nephew looks much fairer than when he was born."

"Yes, children grow quickly. Their faces get fuller and their skin gets firmer, so they naturally look much fairer."

Wang Ruolan, recalling some information she had previously gathered, asked Xu Zhaozhao, "Do you know what Jiang Wanwan's current situation is in the Duke of Su's mansion?"

Xu Zhaozhao didn't expect to be asked this question. She tilted her head and thought for a moment: "I'm not too sure. But around the New Year, I heard Jiang Yuan say that the heir of the Duke of Su was not a good person. During the New Year, he actually brought back another beautiful concubine. I heard that Jiang Fu had a big fight with the heir because of this. In the end, it was the Duke who intervened and didn't let that concubine enter the house."

"Why is this?"

“Mother, Jiang Yuan said that the woman’s background is illegitimate. It seems that the young master Liu redeemed her from such a filthy place. The Duchess of Su has always been intolerant of any injustice. How could she allow such a person to enter the manor?”

Li's heart pounded in her chest. What kind of situation was this?!

"Zhaozhao, is everything you said true?"

Xu Zhaozhao glanced at the doorway and moved two steps closer to them: "Mother, Aunt, I heard that although that Prince Liu failed to bring the young lady into the family, he directly rented a house outside to keep her. When I met a young lady from the Duke of Su's mansion earlier, she mentioned that Prince Liu often didn't come home, which angered the Duke so much that he cursed and wanted to strip him of his title as prince!"

Wang Ruolan was completely bewildered. Who were these people?!

They even dared to keep a mistress!

Wang Ruolan gestured for Xu Zhaozhao to go with the wet nurse to return the baby, while she remained in her original spot to talk to Li.

“Sister-in-law, if you don’t believe me, you can have someone investigate further. But this Liu Shizi’s reputation is already terrible. You’ve only been back in the capital for a short time and don’t know, but the Li family in Chang’an County should know nothing about it! Why would Li Biyao willingly become his concubine? Has she gone mad?”