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

The beautiful woman in plain clothes looked lonely. "Madam, you are too polite. I am now a widow living in Mei'an, Beijing. There is no such thing as a wife or not. I am grateful that you are willing to call me Madam."

Qin's lips curled slightly. Her husband's family was clearly in Gusu, but she came to the capital to be a widow. If it weren't for the late queen, she wouldn't have been able to call her Madam.

"Alas, you have a miserable life. You carefully selected such a husband-in-law, but your husband passed away so early, leaving you without any children." The old lady sympathized with her. "As a widow, you must have felt that you couldn't survive in your husband's family in Gusu, so you wanted to return to Kyoto to be closer to your parents' home."

As if touching upon her own sorrow, the official's wife's eyes dimmed. "Madam, you are seriously wrong. The Li family is well-known in the Suzhou area, but their life is hard and the rules are strict. They have to get up early every day to offer sacrifices and are not allowed to go out at will."

As early as the first time they met, Qin Shi had taken a close look at Guan Siwei's attire: the jewelry from Xiefang Pavilion, the clothes made of tribute satin, the skin on her hands as smooth and delicate as cream, and the fragrance of orchids floating around her as she walked, sat, or lay down. One sniff told her that the incense she used was of the highest quality.

Life is hard? Qin sneered inwardly, you must be kidding.

Back in the East Wing, Qin walked over to sit next to the eldest master. Ever since the Du Juan incident, the knot between the two had been completely untied, and their relationship gradually eased. The eldest master even tried to get closer to Qin, but Qin's inner disdain for him kept her lukewarm attitude.

"Tell me, what's the meaning of Guan Siwei coming to our house every few days?" Qin pulled Lu Lingping's arm.

The master was reading a book with his head down. He looked up after thinking for a moment and then said bluntly, "Guan Siwei? I seem to have heard this name somewhere."

"She is the sister of the late queen, the youngest daughter of Marquis Cheng'en, the one who married to Gusu." Qin added.

The eldest master's face flashed with realization. "So it was her. Mother had her eye on her and asked someone to act as a matchmaker." Catching a glimpse of his wife's dismay, the eldest master, realizing the inappropriateness of his words, hastily added, "She was acting as a matchmaker for Ling Cong. Unfortunately, her family didn't like him. At that time, my brother hadn't passed the imperial examination yet. Later, she waited until the palace examination results were announced and married Li Hong, the son of Li Xiang, the top scholar that year. She followed her husband out of the capital."

Qin also heard about what happened later. Hundreds of students wrote a letter to accuse Li Xiang of cheating in the imperial examination. The newly enthroned Emperor Longqing ordered a thorough investigation. It turned out that it was not Li Xiang who did it but the Chang family who was causing the rebellion. However, Li Xiang was implicated and was dismissed from office and returned home.

"Li Hong is such a brilliant and talented person." The eldest master sighed and said disapprovingly after a moment, "As a young widow, why did she come to the capital instead of staying at her husband's house in Gusu? Our mansion has no relationship with the Cheng'en Marquis's mansion."

"If she insists on coming, can I just kick her out with a stick? She's the prince's aunt after all," Qin asked her husband. Lu Lingping kept silent. "You're right," he said, putting down his book and heading to the front yard.

Ever since Ling Jie'er became the Third Prince's concubine, Aunt Sun had seemed content with having a daughter. The remaining Guo Shi couldn't possibly become a significant figure, but one thing was weighing heavily on Qin Shi's mind: Lu Zhen's marriage.

Lu Cheng, who had yet to pass any imperial examinations, married Chen Siwen, the daughter of Chen Siye, a member of the Imperial Academy, three years earlier. Upon their marriage, Qin Shi bought them a separate house for them to move into. When the old lady objected, Qin Shi pointed out that the third son of the Dingyuan Marquis's family had also moved out and, at a young age, had already risen to the rank of Dali Temple Chief Justice, a sixth-rank official. This demonstrates how children and grandchildren thrive without the protection of their parents.

From then on, the old lady's mouth was shut. In recent years, she spoke and acted incoherently. The doctor said that she had dementia and there was no cure.

At the beginning of the evening hour, a carriage was driving down Chang Street toward the Ping'an Marquis's residence. It was stopped at an alleyway. The driver was about to reprimand the person who had stopped him when he heard him shout, "Is that the person sitting in the carriage, Second Master Lu of the Ping'an Marquis's residence?"

Lu Lingcong leaned out of the window and looked at the person who came. He asked in a tired voice, "What do you want from me?"

The little maid blocking the road showed surprise on her face, and trotted forward to plead, "Greetings, Lord Lu. My wife's surname is Guan. She was planning to leave the capital and return to the nunnery. However, when she passed by here, the axle of her cart was broken by the bricks on the ground, making it difficult for her to go. Please help, Lord Lu."

An official's wife? Lu Lingcong had heard his wife mention it a few times, and he thought of his wife, whose life and death were uncertain, and sighed, "I know. Where is your wife's carriage?"

The little maid raised her hand and pointed into the alley, where a corner of the carriage could be vaguely seen.

Lu Lingcong had the driver drive the carriage closer to the alley entrance and then got out. "It's only half an hour's walk from here to the Marquis' Mansion. Let your wife take my carriage. I'll send someone to have your wife's carriage repaired later and pick it up tomorrow afternoon."

After saying this, he didn't look any further and was about to leave with the coachman.

"Lu Lang." Suddenly, a woman's voice came from behind him. Lu Ling paused and looked back. He saw a beautiful woman with towering hair and a jade-colored lotus flower in her hairpin emerging from the carriage behind him. Her watery eyes looked straight at him.

Lu Lingcong frowned slightly, wondering why this lady would act like this in broad daylight. However, this person did look somewhat familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere.

"Lu Lang, I'm Siwei." The beautiful woman added softly again, her voice seemed filled with infinite sorrow.

Miss Guan Er? Lu Lingcong remembered. He had seen her at a spring outing at Xiama Lake about twenty years ago. He had seen her from a distance through the crowd several times. Young and frivolous at the time, he had asked his mother to propose marriage, but was politely declined.

Lu Lingcong was very polite. "Don't worry, Madam. The broken axle is just a small matter and can be fixed tomorrow." After saying that, he raised his foot to leave again.

Guan Siwei looked at the man in front of her with a gaunt face, white face and short beard, but still an upright figure. She reluctantly spoke again to persuade him to stay, "Lu Lang, I haven't seen you for many years, but you are still as charming as ever. It's still a long way to the Marquis' Mansion. Why don't you ride in the same car with me to save some effort?"

Lu Lingcong shook his head firmly and said, "Madam Guan, you and I are already married. It is really inappropriate to address you as Lu Lang. I'll take my leave now." Back then, he strictly abided by the etiquette and never overstepped the boundaries. He never spoke a word to her. Twenty years later, she was suddenly so passionate. Lu Lingcong felt that his already exhausted body was even more exhausted. It would be best for him to go back and have a good rest.

Guan Siwei could only give up and sit back in the carriage with a restrained expression. The wrinkled silk handkerchief in her hand betrayed her master's current mood. The little maid knelt on the side with her head bowed, not daring to breathe.

Guan Siwei raised her hand and threw the handkerchief in her hand to the maid. The handkerchief fluttered down to her feet. The little maid carefully picked it up and presented it with both hands, "Madam, your handkerchief."

"Madam, what madam? Where is the madam?" Guan Siwei looked at the little maid gloomily. She suddenly raised her hand and grabbed the maid's ear. Her nails, carefully trimmed into a crescent shape, all dug into the tender flesh of the ear. Her face twisted slightly. "Where is the madam? There is no madam here!"

The maid was in so much pain that tears welled up in her eyes. She bit her lower lip hard to prevent herself from screaming out and so as to avoid being punished more severely.