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

In the Yannian Hall of the Marquis of Ping'an's Mansion, an old lady with white hair and chicken skin sat at the top of the table surrounded by maids and servants. Everyone held their breath and waited attentively. At the bottom of the hall stood an incense burner with a gold-inlaid ring-footed animal head, and wisps of white smoke floated above it.

Although it was late autumn, the beaded curtains used in summer were still hanging. Suddenly, there were a few rustling sounds, and a large maid in a pea-green top walked in. She said with a look of surprise, "Madam, the second master has arrived at the dock. He will be there in about two quarters of an hour."

"Good, good, good," the old lady at the head of the table said three times in a row. She was helped to stand up by the maids and said to the middle-aged woman in gorgeous clothes and long face sitting in the armchair on the lower left with a rosy face, "In the blink of an eye, so much time has passed. Now that their family is back, I can finally feel at ease."

The long-faced woman smiled and said, "Mother is right. The Second Master has been in office for such a long time, and every year he would send some local food back to greet us. Although Qingzhou is also a wealthy place, it is still better to see it in person."

The old lady nodded and said, "You are right. I feel relieved to see you." The maidservant beside her, Du Juan, smiled and said, "Last time, the old lady said that our old lady is a very blessed person. The eldest master inherited the title, and the second master is also an official."

The old lady smiled at her and said, "You only know about the official, but you don't know that there are differences between officials. Some fourth-rank officials are not as good as fifth-rank officials."

Mrs. Qin picked up the teacup, took a sip and changed the subject, "Old lady, is the second master coming back to Beijing to report on his work?" The old lady didn't look at her and just smiled, "Anyway, he's back." Qin curled the corners of her mouth. The old lady was always good at this.

Sitting below Qin were three young ladies in gorgeous skirts. The eldest, Lu Ling, and the third, Lu Zhen, were both born to concubines, and only the second, Lu Qin, was her biological daughter. Qin had only given birth to this one precious daughter in all the years she had been married to the Marquis of Ping'an. The other son registered under her name was born to a concubine.

At this moment, Lu Qin was rubbing her silk handkerchief in frustration. It was just her second uncle's return to the capital, but why had the old lady mobilized so many troops and left the entire mansion waiting? Qingzhou Prefecture, no matter how prosperous it was, was nothing but a rural village compared to the capital. Oh, and two wild girls from the countryside! Lu Qin curled her lips and touched her pearl hairpin. Her mother had specifically instructed her to wear the pearl headpiece she'd worn for Dragon Boat Festival.

Lu Ling and Lu Zhen only had a few gold hairpins and pearl flowers on their heads, and they both kept their heads slightly lowered in tacit understanding.

Every time she saw these two illegitimate daughters, Qin-shi would inexplicably get angry. They were exactly like their vixen-like mother. She glanced at them coldly from the corner of her eye before returning her gaze to the door.

Suddenly, a sound of footsteps was heard coming from afar. The old lady stood up and led a group of maids to the door, muttering "My son, my son is back." Qin followed behind not far away.

"Mother, I'm sorry for being unfilial and causing you so much worry." Second Master Lu Lingcong was the first to kneel down and kowtow to the old lady. The old lady's face was already tear-stained. She reached out and pounded her youngest son's shoulder. "You finally decided to come back. It's so good that you came back, but you put on this show for me." After that, the mother and son hugged each other and cried bitterly.

After a few attempts of persuasion, everyone finally sat down in the hall. The elder master, Lu Lingping, walked in from outside, accompanied by a faint fragrance. His large eye bags and unsteady steps all indicated that this elder master—

Qin's face was already very ugly. She moved the corners of her mouth but ultimately said nothing.

The two brothers had not seen each other for many years and were filled with regret. The old lady sat at the head of the table, smiling and watching them talk. The sisters-in-law, Qin and Zhang, exchanged greetings and asked the younger generation to kowtow.

As the eldest sister, Lu Rong knelt down with a group of sisters and kowtowed to the old lady. The old lady looked at this one and that one and finally ordered someone to bring Lu Yun and Lu Hui to her.

Zhang smiled and said, "Mother, this is the eldest daughter born to Yao, named Lu Yun." After hearing this, the old lady caressed the little chubby hand in her hand, carefully examining her little granddaughter for a long while and said, "She looks obedient and sensible. You have raised her very well."

Zhang declined modestly, "I'm unworthy of being your daughter-in-law." Then she added, "Wang'er is young and got sick on the boat. Yao took Wang'er on the land route, which is slower." The old lady nodded and asked if Wang'er had started to learn.

Zhang replied, "The master has taken him to school a few times, but he hasn't really started learning yet. He can only write a few big characters."

The old lady thought for a moment and said, "That's fine. His father is a Jinshi after all. But now that we're in Kyoto, we can't delay any longer."

Zhang nodded and smiled, "Yes, my daughter-in-law had already sent a letter to father before returning to Beijing. Rong'er, Yun'er and her brother have already found husbands."

The old lady smiled when she heard this and said, "You are still the same as before, very well-behaved."

Suddenly a voice interrupted, "Sister Yun, are you going to class with me?" It was my second cousin Lu Qin. She seemed to have heard something strange. She covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief, with a look of contempt on her face.

Qin coughed lightly and said, "Your sister Yun has been raised by your aunt since she was young. She is very close to your sister Rong. It is understandable that the customs in Qingzhou and Beijing are different."

Zhang smiled and said, "Sister Rong and Sister Yun are both my daughters. Why should we distinguish between you and me? Besides, in a family like ours, we all share the same fate, and daughters are even more precious guests." Her words were both emotional and reasonable, and everyone in the hall nodded.

Qin chuckled and said, "That being said, there is still a difference between legitimate and illegitimate children."

The old lady neither nodded nor shook her head, but just looked at her children and grandchildren in the hall with a cheerful smile. "Alright, alright, you must be tired. The west wing has been cleaned up a long time ago. After you have been running around, you can come and have dinner with me after you have finished cleaning up."

Seeing that everyone from the second house had left, Qin's face suddenly darkened and she said to the eldest master, Lu Lingping, "Master, where did you come from and where are you going?"

Lu Lingping didn't care. "I just had some wine with the guests, so I'm late." Qin's tears fell after hearing this. She turned and looked at the old lady. "Look, the second master is back, but the eldest master is still busy eating and drinking."

The eldest master's face also turned cold. "Ling Cong and I are brothers whose legs are connected by tendons. There is no need to pay attention to these empty formalities." Qin was furious.

The old lady still smiled as she pulled Qin to her side and said, "You have worked hard over the years. You know that the boss has a straightforward temper. I remember your kindness in everything in the yard."

Qin forced a smile and said, "I know the old lady loves me."

Returning to the west wing, Zhang took a quick look and thought it was okay. The main courtyard was still in good condition, but the small wing at the back was a little run-down, but still habitable. She caught sight of her husband frowning, and said, "The courtyard hasn't been lived in for a long time, so even if it's been renovated, it's bound to look a bit desolate. The side courtyard only looks run-down from the outside, but it has everything inside. Finding someone to clean it up will only take three days."

Since they returned to Kyoto, the servants all started calling Lu Lingcong "Second Master".

Nanny Chang brought a pot of tea and said with a smile, "I think home is more comfortable and secure."

The second master's brow finally relaxed as he tiredly undressed his outer garments. Zhang then helped him into the bathroom to bathe and change his clothes.

In the west wing, Lu Rong took her younger sister and brother to change clothes. She instructed Caihe to get the pink butterfly top for the second lady, and then asked Xiaohong to find the koi jacket in the box.

Jin He was sent by the Madam to help. While the others were busy, she took the maids to put the things in order, and then said, "Okay, my dear young lady, the Madam and the Master are ready, and are waiting for you."