Stuffing concubines into the rooms of sons and nephews... Do the evil mother - in - laws from wealthy families all study under the same master? Why do they all like this trick?
When the eldest sister married into the Chen family, Mrs. Chen used this very trick. Now that she's married into the prince's mansion, Mrs. Kang is using it too.
"You may not know..." Mrs. Kang couldn't hide the smugness in her eyes, and her voice trembled softly. "Zifu has served Jingnan since childhood. Their bond is different from that with others."
"My eldest sister - in - law originally planned to promote Zifu to a concubine and let her be his woman in the house after Jingnan got married. Now that you're already in the family, take Zifu back with you today. In the future, you sisters should get along harmoniously and give birth to heirs for the Xiao family as soon as possible. This way, my elder brother and sister - in - law can rest assured."
What she said was really interesting!
She only mentioned that Zifu was the candidate for a concubine chosen by the Princess of Ning and that promoting her was the order of the princess. With just a few words, she absolved herself of all responsibility and dumped all the problems on Li Wanming.
If Li Wanming objected, she would not only seem jealous but also gain a reputation of disobeying her mother - in - law.
If she didn't object, she would have to humble herself and swallow a fly alive!
Moreover, if Zifu was allowed to enter Shiyongzhai, it would be like Mrs. Kang inserting an informant there. From then on, Mrs. Kang might know about any minor incident earlier than she did!
"Zifu, hurry up and offer tea to the princess of the heir apparent." Mrs. Kang urged with a beaming smile.
Zifu shyly picked up a cup of tea and knelt down gracefully. "Sister, please have some..."
"I don't quite understand what you're saying, auntie!" Li Wanming put down the teacup and suddenly let out a soft laugh.
Her gaze swept up and down Zifu until Zifu felt a bit uncomfortable.
"Although promoting a concubine is an internal matter in the inner courtyard," Li Wanming said slowly, "as his wife, I still have to respect my husband's opinion. Since the heir apparent is not here, I dare not make a decision on my own and randomly promote someone into the house for him. I'm afraid my husband will blame me for acting without authorization when he comes back."
Mrs. Kang covered her lips with a handkerchief and pretended to be surprised. "Oh, what do you mean by that? Zifu is not an outsider. Not to mention the bond of serving him since childhood, this concubine was recognized by my sister - in - law. Jingnan won't object to his mother either..."
Li Wanming sneered inwardly.
Oh, she was trying to use the authority of the Princess of Ning to suppress her.
She endured, she endured...
Endure my foot!
If she endured this, there would be no peace in Shiyongzhai in the future!
"Auntie, you don't understand this."
Li Wanming gently lifted her sleeve, revealing the Xuanshan jade bracelet on her left wrist. The calm luster on it shattered the undercurrent surging under the pavilion.
"Precisely because Miss Zifu has served him since childhood, we can't be negligent."
Her slender fingertips brushed across the jade bracelet on her wrist, and then she suddenly showed an extremely sweet smile.
"Auntie may not know that I heard my mother - in - law mention Miss Zifu before, but she didn't say anything about promoting her to a concubine. Instead, Jingnan told me that he and Zifu have had a special bond since childhood, so..."
Here, Li Wanming deliberately paused for a moment and fixed her gaze on Zifu.
Under this meaningful gaze, Zifu couldn't help but tremble with fear all over.
"So..." Li Wanming was satisfied and then said slowly, "he has always wanted to recognize Zifu as his younger sister."
"What?!"
Mrs. Kang suddenly pressed her hand on the table. The carved pine and crane patterns on the white marble table hurt her palm.
"Yes." Li Wanming leisurely picked up the tea. The cloud - patterned hairpin in the shape of blue - and - white porcelain by her temple swayed gently, making her skin look like snow.
"Since she served him since childhood, their bond is naturally special."
"Jingnan said he wanted to recognize Zifu as his adopted sister. Naturally, I couldn't object. He also said that in the future, he would find a good family for Zifu and marry her off in a grand manner. This would also fulfill this master - servant bond."
"Madam Kang..."
The gilded blue - and - white teacup in Zifu's hand suddenly shook, and the tea spilled on her purple skirt like the afterglow of sunset.
She looked at Mrs. Kang anxiously, seeking help.
What?
Marry off?
She didn't want to!
The so - called adopted sister of the Heir Apparent of Ning might sound nice, but in the future, at most, she would get a few more dowries and marry into a farming and studying family. How could it compare to the good life of being pampered in the Prince of Ning's mansion, with clothes to wear and food served?
She didn't want to be a sister, and she didn't want to get married!
Mrs. Kang was so angry that her face turned pale.
That little bitch Li Wanming dared to use the excuse of recognizing Zifu as an adopted sister to block her!
"This... this is not quite right, is it?"
Mrs. Kang quickly thought of a way and forced a smile. "Zifu is a servant by birth. How can she be the adopted sister of the heir apparent? If this gets out, people will laugh at us and say that there are no rules in the Prince of Ning's mansion!"
"It's not difficult!" Li Wanming waved her hand. "Caiwei and Qinglan have both been freed. We might as well free Zifu too. Auntie, don't worry. I've been to the Ministry of Revenue. I'm very familiar with the process of freeing a servant. I guarantee it can be done in less than half a day."
Mrs. Kang wrung the handkerchief in her hand even tighter, but still smiled on the surface. "But... Zifu's indenture is in my sister - in - law's hands. Whether to free her or not is up to her. How dare I make the decision?"
"Oh? So you can't make the decision, auntie?" Li Wanming raised her eyebrows and pretended to be surprised. "Auntie came up and wanted to take a concubine for my husband. I thought you had the final say in everything in the Prince of Ning's mansion! It turns out you can't make the decision?"
"This... this... what do you mean..."
Mrs. Kang almost gritted her silver teeth. She kneaded the silk handkerchief in her hand to pieces, but still had to maintain her dignified and virtuous demeanor. "It's... the princess once told me that since Zifu had served Jingnan, we mustn't treat her badly..."
"Oh!" Li Wanming clapped her hands and laughed, as if suddenly enlightened. "So it's because you're afraid of treating Miss Zifu badly... No problem!"
"If Miss Zifu thinks the title of the adopted sister of the Heir Apparent of Ning is not prestigious enough, then I'll ask my husband to adopt you as his daughter!"
"How about it? The daughter of the Heir Apparent of Ning. This status should not be considered a humiliation, right?"
She leaned forward again and said very considerately, "Although you'll be a daughter, you don't have to worry about such nonsense as legitimate or illegitimate. I'm not so intolerant. Naturally, I'll register you under my name... After the heir apparent inherits the title, you'll be the only legitimate eldest miss in our Prince of Ning's mansion!"
After these words, the pavilion fell into complete silence.
Only the young lotus buds in the lotus pond beside were just emerging. The crystal dewdrops on them were gently flicked by the tail of a red carp swimming by and fell into the pool with a soft sound, creating a circle of ripples.
"This... this... this is not possible..."
Mrs. Kang was so shocked that her tongue got tied, and she couldn't even speak clearly.
Li Wanming calmly picked up the Longjing tea on the table. "Why not? Is the status of the heir apparent or mine not qualified enough to be Miss Zifu's adoptive parents?"