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

Aunt Sun was still slumped on the ground, silently weeping, looking like she had given up. Sister Ling was crying too, but she didn't dare to reach out.

The old lady stopped smiling and said nothing more, nor did she move her chopsticks.

Zhang stood up and took the chopsticks from Du Juan's hand, saying softly, "My daughter-in-law has been away for many years and rarely comes back. Let me serve the old lady for once."

The old lady smiled again and patted her hand, her words hinting at something. "Our family here is much more lively than outside." Zhang smiled and said, "Yes, usually outside, my daughter-in-law only has Rongjie and a few others to care for her. Yunjie is a considerate girl and never makes my daughter-in-law worry. When she was still in her infancy, she only cried a few times when she was hungry or wet."

"Oh," the old lady said, looking at Yunjie'er with a hint of surprise. "It's amazing that Aunt Yao could give birth to such a clever girl. I just saw Rongjie'er like a little adult, constantly taking out a handkerchief to wipe Yunjie's mouth and touch her face." Then she laughed, "Yunjie was also very obedient, stretching her face to let Rongjie do what she wanted, not dodging or avoiding. Unlike your Second Master when he was a child, the maids had to run two miles to wipe his face."

Zhang covered her mouth and chuckled softly. "It's because they have a good relationship. To be honest, old lady, I follow the second master to serve as an official outside, and my daughter-in-law usually interacts with the wives of officials. Speaking of which, there is a family that is particularly peculiar."

The old lady, having lived in the inner chamber for so long, loved hearing these things. She couldn't help but be intrigued. "Oh, how is it so strange?" The only sound in the hall was the occasional crackling of a burning candle. The second wife spoke slowly, "This family was originally a small family, but in just one or two years they have suddenly become prosperous. Do you know why, old lady?" The old lady laughed and scolded, "You think you are Wang Po, always asking questions."

Zhang also laughed, "It's just that the mistress of this family is kind-hearted and treats her concubine's daughters as her own. She carefully selected several sons-in-law to marry her daughters. When the sons-in-law become successful, they will naturally remember the kindness of their mother-in-law and return to repay her kindness."

The old lady nodded and began to tell a story. "I've had a few more years of eating than you. Now that you mention that, it reminds me of something. I wonder if you still remember there was a Cao family in Kyoto?"

Zhang handed over the ladder. "I vaguely heard about it. Mother was talking about the Cao family, which was once powerful thirty years ago but was later confiscated for corruption."

The old lady nodded. "It's his family. Outsiders only know one aspect of it, but not the reason. If you look closely at all the noble families in the capital, which one hasn't done some bad things? It's the Cao family that suffered the most. At first, it was just the Cao family's concubine who contradicted the young princess, and the young princess complained to the eldest princess, which brought out the mud—" The old lady paused for a moment before continuing, "Speaking of which, this concubine of the Cao family is Master Jingxuan of Meiguan. She asked to become a nun before the Cao family suffered the disaster and avoided it. And the mistress of the Cao family, Wang, has always had a reputation for being harsh towards concubines."

After hearing these words, Qin's face turned very ugly. She said with difficulty, "If it were my daughter-in-law, it would be this concubine's daughter who really doesn't know what's good for her."

The old lady glanced at her and said, "Even a concubine's daughter will get married sooner or later." Qin kept silent. The old lady knew that she was used to being the king of the mountain at home, and she could change it temporarily but not forever. The words of her younger daughter-in-law reminded her, so she said, "I think the eldest girl is not bad, why not lend her to me for two days." Qin agreed reluctantly.

After two days of service, the old lady and all her belongings were moved to Yannianyuan, and she was placed in the side courtyard of the courtyard where the Marquis of Ping'an had lived before his death.

When Nanny Chang spoke of this to Zhang, Rong Jie'er was present. Zhang stroked her daughter's face and said, "Our Rong Jie'er is so kind." Lu Rong nodded, "Mother, Rong Jie'er will treat me well." Zhang nodded with satisfaction. Qin, a daughter of a wealthy family, acting so completely for her own pleasure, disregarding the lives of others, was no different from making an enemy.

Sister Yun walked forward with her short legs, holding a piece of plum cake in her fat hands. "Eat it, sister, eat it."

Zhang was delighted and said to Caihe, "Look at your young lady. She's almost as fat as a pig."

Cai He was also worried. "Sister Yun kept crying out for food. I've tried everything, but nothing worked." Nanny Chang testified, "The kitchens in the courtyard all knew that the Second Miss liked to eat cakes, so they sent her more than the Eldest Miss and the Second Young Master."

Zhang disagreed and said, "Even if the child likes it, you can't spoil her like this. She's getting fatter and fatter." After saying that, she reached out and pinched Yunjie's apple-shaped round face, which felt really good.

Nanny Chang laughed out loud, "It's not the kitchen's fault. They used to serve the same amount, until I found out that Rongjie'er and Hui'er secretly saved the cakes for Yunjie'er. Rongjie'er was fine, but my God, Hui'er was only four years old at that time. He grabbed the cakes and put them into Yunjie'er's mouth seriously."

Zhang leaned against the large pillow and laughed out loud. After a moment, she took out a handkerchief and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. "No wonder. Never mind. Let's just leave it at that for now. Our sister Yun is still young and in the process of growing up. Our family is quite well-off, so she won't go broke."

As they were talking in the west wing, two green-covered carriages drove into the Marquis of Ping'an's Mansion from the corner gate.

Aunt Yao walked out of the carriage with disheveled hair and a dirty face, and took Wang'er from Cailian's arms. After a long and tiring journey, they finally arrived at the mansion safely. What was unusual was that there was an unfamiliar maid following behind them.

Nanny Chang came with her people to greet them. A strange smell wafted in the air, and the nearby maids couldn't help but cover their mouths and noses. Nanny Chang walked forward to greet them calmly. After asking about the boy for a few words, she said, "The kitchen has boiled hot water and food. Madam told Auntie that it wouldn't be too late to rest after you've been tired from traveling all the way."

Aunt Yao was exhausted, so she forced herself to ask Madam how she was before returning to the courtyard. Nanny Chang winked at Caiping, and the two of them found a quiet spot to talk.

Caiping told the story of what happened on the road in detail, and Nanny Chang frowned.

"An orphan girl sells herself to bury her father?" Zhang raised an eyebrow. "Yao is lucky." Nanny Chang stepped forward and said, "This orphan girl seems..." Zhang was shocked. "Really?" Nanny Chang said with certainty, "This orphan girl can't be wrong."

The little girl came in and said, "Auntie is here."

Zhang looked calm and asked Jinhe to bring a round stool. When the curtain was opened, Zhang saw the unfamiliar face following behind her.

Aunt Yao nervously sat down next to the round stool and said straight to the point, "This is a girl I picked up on the road. When I met her, she was selling herself to bury her father with a straw sign on her hair. I felt really sorry for her so I gave her two taels of silver. But Miss Xiaofeng insisted on selling herself to serve me or she would not take the money. I had no choice but to bring her back."

Miss Xiaofeng was tall and slender, and even wearing servant clothes, she couldn't hide her elegant demeanor. Aunt Yao almost made Zhang laugh. She rubbed her brows and asked, "Is this Miss Xiaofeng?"

Mao Feng stepped forward and saluted politely, but revealed his true intentions as soon as he opened his mouth: "I greet the Madam, and I beg for your mercy."

Zhang didn't point it out. "Miss Xiaofeng, you don't know. Aunt Yao is kind and filial. You don't have to sell yourself as a maid. If you insist, you can only follow the rules of the mansion." Nanny Chang came forward. Jinhe held a tray of writing brushes, inkstones, and paper. "Miss Xiaofeng, please take a look?"

Mao Feng said tearfully, "It is my blessing to be able to serve Auntie. However, I was originally in distress and fled here from a foreign land. I have no identity or travel permit. Otherwise, how could it have dragged on until now?"

Zhang smiled and said, "Don't worry, Miss Xiaofeng, things get done faster in the capital than elsewhere."

Mao Feng cried with joy, "As expected of you, you are the emperor's servant. I will get up right away." Then he tried to stand up, but he stumbled and fell forward. With a loud bang, the tray fell to the ground, and the papers fell all over the floor.

"Oh, Miss Xiaofeng, Miss Xiaofeng?" Aunt Yao hurriedly got up and looked at Mao Feng, who was lying unconscious on the ground, very anxiously.

Zhang was too lazy to look at it. "Jinhe, please ask the doctor we know to come. We should move all the old and young people in the house to the servants' quarters in the outer courtyard to avoid the disease. If there is nothing else, please ask the servant to go to the government office in the capital to register her and get a travel permit so that she can leave the capital."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Yao took a few steps back and kept saying, "Thank you, Madam, for your mercy."

Others came to fetch water to wash the ground, but that’s not mentioned.