The Concubine's Daughter Travels Through Time and Space and Takes the Road of Confrontation

Lu Ling, already unsettled, suddenly heard a male voice from outside. She was startled and clenched her hands tightly, staring nervously at the figure reflected on the curtain. Xiang Xing also looked wary, leaning to the side to block half of her mistress's view.

The maid had never expected the young master to appear in Qinghui Garden at this time. She hurriedly turned back to comfort the two of them, her voice slightly apologetic, "This is my young master. I believe he has something to ask Madam. Please wait here for a moment, Miss. I will be back soon."

After saying this, he lifted the curtain and walked out. The brief gap in the curtain revealed a section of the hem of his royal blue robe. Lu Ling withdrew her gaze and stirred the brocade handkerchief in her hand nervously.

Not long after, the maid returned, leading the two out of Qinghui Garden and toward the garden. Shortly after they left, a young man in a royal blue robe emerged from the west wing. He stood there for a moment, his slender figure, before turning and heading toward the outer courtyard.

Mrs. Ma saw the newcomer and smiled as she walked over to pull the person in front of her mother-in-law and introduced her, "This is the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Ping'an, who was raised by the old lady. Her maiden name is Ling."

Mrs. Wan took a closer look and sighed, "She's so pretty! If you had such a wonderful granddaughter, why didn't you introduce her to me earlier? Instead, you kept her hidden."

"You don't want to look at your two precious granddaughters, but you are interested in my granddaughter. Is it possible that only your family is allowed to have beauties in the world and my family is not allowed to have them?" The old lady pretended to scold Lady Wan.

Mrs. Ma smiled and pushed Lu Ling next to the sisters Qingbo and Qinglu. She gave her a few more instructions before turning around and going back to serve her mother-in-law.

Zhao Qingbo lived up to his name, with eyes like two clear springs under the moon, charming and captivating. His younger sister, Zhao Qinglu, also had a beautiful face and bright eyes, and was staring at Lu Ling's hair with curiosity.

Zhao Qingbo coughed lightly and said in a gentle voice, "Hello, Miss Lu." Zhao Qinglu followed her sister and nodded to Lu Ling with a smile.

Lu Ling nodded and said, "Meet the two sisters from the Zhao family."

As she was about to finish her words, Zhao Qinglu suddenly raised her hand, pointed at the hairpin in her hair and said, "Sister's hairpin is similar to my mother's."

Zhao Qingbo frowned slightly and tugged at his sister's sleeve imperceptibly.

Lu Ling blushed and told the two what had happened before. Zhao Qingbo nodded slightly and said, "So that's how it is. It was our family that was rude to others." His attitude was impartial.

A trace of disdain flashed across Zhao Qinglu's face. "My cousin is still young, so we have to bear more responsibilities for him. I don't know how long we have to bear the responsibilities." The last word was already a complaint.

As if recalling something, Zhao Qingbo also showed a helpless look on his face. "Cousin is our half-brother, he has always been spoiled. Even Qingyu has to give him some respect."

Lu Ling's mind moved, and she suddenly remembered the piece of blue robe she had just seen in Qinghui Garden, but she didn't say anything.

Zhao Qingbo knew he had said too much, so he changed the subject and looked at the Lu Rong sisters beside him, raising a mischievous smile and saying, "Your little sister is so chubby and cute." Lu Yun, who was eating snacks, raised her chubby face when she heard it, and looked at the sisters in front of her with grape-like eyes in confusion.

Zhao Qinglu was so fond of her that she stretched out her fingers, trimmed into a semicircle, and gently pinched Lu Yun's plump chin. She looked at Lu Rong with a smile and said, "Sister Rong, can you lend me your sister to play with for a few days?"

Hearing this, Lu Rong reached out and hugged her sister's bulging belly as if facing a great enemy, with rejection written all over her face.

Zhao Qingbo felt both amused and angry. He reached out and pinched his sister's cheek lightly. "You're talking nonsense again."

Suddenly, several gong sounds were heard, and several actors dressed in red and green appeared on the stage opposite the water pavilion and began to sing "Yiyayaya".

Several old ladies watched with great interest.

Mrs. Ma got up and left the pavilion with her maid under the pretext of changing clothes. Soon after, Zhang also disappeared into the pavilion.

In Qinghui Garden, Madam Ma looked at Madam Zhang Er, who was embarrassed and said, "I'm ashamed to say this, but I have an unreasonable request." She looked as if she was too embarrassed to speak. At this point, Zhang could only listen attentively.

Mrs. Ma sighed again, her tone difficult, "Sister, do you still remember the concubine your master brought home more than a month ago?"

Zhang's mind raced with thoughts, but she only looked puzzled. "Madam, are you talking about Yuan?"

Mrs. Ma nodded slowly with a gloomy expression. She no longer looked like a straightforward lady from the Bo Mansion. Her eyes were slightly red. "My master sent the person away, and now he's forcing me to come to you, my sister. Alas, you only care about the glory in front of others, but who knew you would have to deal with all these dirty things."

Zhang secretly thought that Zhao Tongyi was so shameless. She thought for a moment, looked at Mrs. Ma's face and said tentatively, "To be honest, Yuan..." Zhang paused, revealing a look of grief.

Mrs. Ma's expression changed slightly, and her tone was unclear, "But your appearance is damaged? Or -"

Zhang paused for a moment and nodded heavily, "A few days ago, it was snowing and the roads were slippery. Yuan was passing by the small garden when she slipped and hit her head, leaving behind a scar about an inch long. She was a pitiful person."

"Oh," Mrs. Ma snorted softly, looking at Zhang with a half-smile. "It's a blessing and a curse, but my master definitely won't believe what I say. I've heard he's been very close to your uncle, the Marquis of Ping'an, these past few days."

On the way back home, Zhang was still thinking about this matter. If she didn't handle it well, she might become enemies with the second branch of the Dingyuan Marquis's Mansion, not to mention that there was also a royal concubine in the palace.

Zhang sighed. Mrs. Ma really gave her a difficult problem.

It was already evening when she returned to the mansion. Word came from Yannianyuan that all greetings were cancelled, but Zhang still couldn't rest. She pressed her tired brows and asked Nanny Chang to call Yuan.

Yuan stood in the hall with great respect. Zhang carefully observed her, noting her rosy cheeks and bright eyes. She was truly a beauty. No wonder Zhao Fang was obsessed with her, forcing Madam Ma, the second wife of the Bo family, to act in a roundabout way.

"You - Mrs. Ma mentioned you to me today," Zhang said hesitantly.

Yuan Caohua was confused at first and then showed an expression of disbelief. "Madam, are you talking about the Dingyuan Earl's Mansion—"

Seeing the lady nod, Yuan Caohua felt a chill on her back. She trembled and asked, "Excuse me, madam, why did Madam Ma mention me to you?" Zhang did not care about her impoliteness and said concisely, "Mrs. Ma told me that her master wanted to take you back."

Yuan Caohua was struck by lightning when she heard this. She stared at her toes in a daze, and suddenly looked up at Zhang with a determined face, "I don't want to! I know my life is worthless. If you want to force me, I can only find a corner and bang my head against it to death!" As soon as these words came out, you could hear a pin drop in the house.

Zhang's expression softened, and she motioned her to come forward. She took out a handkerchief and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I know you don't want to, so I told Madam Ma that you accidentally fell a few days ago because the road was slippery due to snow, and you hit your head and it's disfigured." After a pause, she continued, "Mrs. Ma only said that her master might need someone else to testify before he would believe it."

After hearing this, Yuan suddenly smiled despite her tear-stained face, like a crabapple blossom in the rain. She wiped away her tears and said softly, "I understand, but please rest assured, madam." After saying this, she bowed slightly and retreated.

The next day, Yun'er, the maid from Hongfeng Garden, ran to the main courtyard crying and reported that her daughter had fallen down when she got up this morning and her forehead was bleeding profusely.