The Legend of the Concubine in the Harem

At the Marquis of Anguo's mansion, Madam Dong Er still didn't know about Ruan Xiang'e's engagement with the He family. She only saw that Marquis of Anguo got angry at Ruan He, and then opened the storehouse - she sent someone to ask the servants who were moving things what they were doing, only to find out that it was an apology to Zeng Suqiu.

Mrs. Dong's heart skipped a beat: "Why do we have to give an apology gift to my cousin for no reason?"

She curled her lips and said, "The prince and she were just young people who loved to play around. How did it come to the point where they had to apologize in such a high-profile manner?"

The servant who answered bowed his body: "Madam, I only know that it was the Marquis who said... that the prince, as a younger brother, made the elder sister unhappy, and he is not allowed to do so in the future. This apology gift must be kept as a dowry for the cousin in the future. I think that the Marquis may have known about the cousin's miscarriage, so..."

This is to make Ruan He and Zeng Suqiu sever their ties.

Mrs. Dong Er couldn't help but frown.

The reason why Ruan He, the son of Marquis Anguo, grew up to have such a personality today was not only because his father did not educate him well, but also because the servants in the Marquis's Mansion all flattered him under the explicit and implicit instructions of Madam Dong Er. Even Madam Dong Er herself wanted to act like a good aunt. It was a pity that although Ruan He was a waste, she was very unhappy with her, the person who replaced her mother in exercising the rights of the mistress of the Marquis's Mansion.

She couldn't personally praise and kill him, but it just happened to allow Mrs. Dong Er to stay in the dark on most matters related to Ruan He.

"How can we just give up the friendship between these two children who grew up together?" Madam Dong shook her head with pretended regret, and said, "Besides, everyone knows that the eldest princess is virtuous and filial. Because of the care given by the virtuous concubine when she was alive, she doesn't want to easily ruin the marriage she arranged. My cousin is in such a state now. Where else can she go except to stay in our house?"

After saying this, he asked the servant in detail what exactly Marquis Anguo had taken out of his warehouse.

The servant could not see the gift list, so he only described the few things he saw in his memory. After he mentioned two or three things, Mrs. Dong gasped: "She is a junior! Even if a girl is saving for a dowry, she shouldn't go to this extent!"

If not... if Zeng Suqiu's body had not been ruined and she was a relative of the first wife, Mrs. Dong would have wanted to ask for her son's hand in marriage for the sake of these treasures... She changed her mind and thought that these things originally belonged to the Anguo Marquis Mansion, and the Anguo Marquis Mansion would soon fall into the hands of her second wife, so these treasures should be hers!

The more Mrs. Dong thought about it, the angrier she became. She couldn't help but complain to Marquis Anguo: "What is this uncle thinking? How could he be so willing to do this?!"

"Oh no, I have to go see for myself!"

She stood up and took two steps outside, then she remembered that besides her biological son, she also had two illegitimate sons. If Zeng Suqiu really couldn't become Ruan He's concubine, then it wouldn't be impossible for one of her two illegitimate sons to marry her...

Mrs. Dong Er pretended that she was just passing by and walked around the servants who were moving the boxes. She couldn't see what was inside the boxes, but she knew that there were a lot of boxes being moved out, and they were very heavy.

In her opinion, the Marquis of Anguo's move was clearly a waste of money from his own purse. Her heart ached so much that it was about to bleed. She turned back to her courtyard and asked someone to quickly inform Madam Zeng: "Tell her that our Marquis wants to give her stepdaughter a huge compensation, and tell her to handle it herself!"

Madam Dong Er and Madam Zeng had a very harmonious relationship on the surface, and they kept in touch frequently in private. Madam Dong Er quickly sent someone to write to Madam Zeng, asking her to intercept the apology gift from the Marquis of Anguo's Mansion to Zeng Suqiu. Only then did she feel relieved.

In the Zeng Mansion, Madam Zeng, who did not realize that Zeng Suqiu was missing until the banquet was over, was very anxious for a while. It was not that she was worried about Zeng Suqiu's safety, but she was afraid that Doctor Zeng would suddenly rebel if he knew about it. She also suspected that her daughter, who was protected by her deceased mother, had lost her whereabouts and might cause trouble and take her anger out on her.

Just as she was about to go to Doctor Zeng to explain the matter, she was stopped by someone sent by Madam Dong Er, who told her about the apology that Marquis Anguo had given to Zeng Suqiu and emphasized the value of the apology.

Mrs. Zeng was no longer anxious. Instead, she was filled with surprise and calculated how much money she could make from it. Of course, she did not hide it from Doctor Zeng. Instead, she told the matter to her husband with great joy and confidence. After Doctor Zeng was also surprised, she slowly told him that Zeng Suqiu's whereabouts were unknown.

On the carriage back home.

Doctor Zeng came back to his senses from his sudden wealth. He pinched his beard and said, "Isn't it because of her status as a young lady of the Zeng family that the rebellious girl was able to establish a relationship with the Marquis of Anguo Mansion?"

"It's just right that she doesn't show up and doesn't go home. When the people from the Marquis of Anguo's mansion send the apology, we will say that the rebellious girl was not disciplined and did something wrong, but the Marquis was magnanimous and didn't blame her. He also gave her such a good dowry, so that she will be ashamed and remorseful, and die of illness. How do you think?"

Madam Zeng touched her belly, which was not yet pregnant, and looked at Doctor Zeng with admiration: "My cousin is really thoughtful."

"Once the eldest daughter of our Zeng family dies, even if she wants to make trouble again, she will be unable to do anything as long as we refuse to acknowledge her identity!" Doctor Zeng clapped his hands suddenly, feeling that his plan was really brilliant.

Mrs. Zeng flattered him with all her might. As she spoke, she recalled Zeng Fu's attempt to find out about his background. She held her belly and said aggrievedly, "...I have raised him for more than ten years, but I never thought that he would listen to nonsense told by someone and disown me as his mother..."

Doctor Zeng quickly comforted him, "It has always been the case that parents don't recognize their children. How can a child not recognize his parents? Isn't that unfilial?"

"Don't worry, cousin. You are my only wife, and you are my only mother to my child."

The two of them became sticky.

He had no idea that Zeng Fu had bribed the coachman. He sat outside their carriage and listened to every word of their conversation.

After hearing this, Zeng Fu thought with a gloomy face that he was indeed not Mrs. Zeng's biological son. If that was the case, then don't blame him for making plans for him... But although he was not Mrs. Zeng's biological son, outsiders did not know that. They only knew that Zeng Fu was the eldest son of Minister Zeng, the eldest son who would inherit the family property in the future.

No.

Zeng Fu secretly thought that he could not lose this identity. Although his biological mother was pitiful, now was not the right time to recognize her. He had to...get rid of the hidden danger in Madam Zeng's belly and the one under Doctor Zeng's crotch first.