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

Recalling the past days, mother and daughter wiped away a few tears facing each other, and Xiang Xing consoled them, saying, "After so much suffering, happiness finally comes to us."

Aunt Sun smiled and said, "Yes, my son. Aunt is very happy from the bottom of my heart. Follow the old lady for a few years, and people will look up to you in the future." Sister Ling twisted the handkerchief in her hand and said, "What nonsense are you talking about, Aunt?" Her cheeks were slightly hot.

Aunt Sun gently lifted her daughter's face, gazing tenderly into her shy eyes. "My child, I have been planning for you for so long, isn't it so that you can find a good family in the future and become their wife? You don't have to be like me, being twisted and shoved around like a lowly servant."

Lu Ling thought of the suffering she had endured over the years and gradually became more determined. "Aunt, please speak. I am listening."

Aunt Sun smiled with relief. "Aunt knows you're a good person, but your stepmother isn't kind. Besides you, who else can I help you? Our Ping'an Marquis's Mansion is considered a mid-level noble family in Kyoto. Above them are dukes and kings of other surnames. The most prestigious of these are the Zhao and Zhou families. The Zhao family is the Dingyuan Earl's Mansion, a title that has been passed down for three generations. The Dingyuan Earl's wife has two sons. If you can find one of them as a good son-in-law, my son, you will have endless blessings and happiness in your life."

Lu Ling frowned slightly. "Auntie, the prince of Dingyuan has already been married, and he is much older than me. How can I do this?"

After dismissing Xiang Xing and seeing that no one was in the room, Aunt Sun slowly said, "Although the Crown Prince of Dingyuan married early, his wife has been unable to have children due to a congenital condition. Rumor has it that his wife has long been dissatisfied with her. If it weren't for the pressure from the Empress Dowager, she would have urged the Crown Prince to divorce her long ago." Aunt Sun lowered her voice and said, "I heard that the Crown Prince's wife has been getting worse in recent years."

"So what Auntie means is - to have a concubine as a second wife?" Lu Ling was silent.

Aunt Sun raised her eyebrows slightly, and tapped her daughter's forehead with her scallion-like hand. "Marry a man to have clothes and food. What's the use of those young boys with only good looks? Besides, the prince is only ten years older and in his prime."

"But—" Lu Ling still found it hard to accept. "But what but? They chose you, not you. And to be honest, the most favored imperial concubine in the harem is over ten years younger than the emperor." Aunt Sun, frustrated with her daughter's failure, said, "Think about it carefully." Then she left her daughter's courtyard.

After lights out, Lu Ling lay in bed, her mind brooding over her aunt's words. The more she thought about it, the more upset she became, and she turned her head away. Xiang Xing, who was on night watch outside, heard the noise, so she covered herself with clothes, tiptoed over with an oil lamp, and lifted the curtain. "Miss, are you hiding something?"

Xiang Xing was a maid that Lu Ling's aunt had bought and had grown up with. Lu Ling and Xiang Xing were like sisters. She patted the quilt and said, "Xiang Xing, come up and keep me company. I can't sleep."

Xiang Xing said nothing, lying quietly listening to the young lady's soliloquy. The young lady said she was too short to reach the stars, but her aunt insisted, saying the stars she wanted to reach were not good. Finally, she said she was tired, her voice growing fainter and fainter until it finally faded. Xiang Xing slowly stood up, tucked in the corner of the quilt for the young lady, got out of bed, sat on the footstool, and fell asleep.

Perhaps feeling her daughter was disobedient, Aunt Sun hadn't appeared for a month. Lu Ling had also changed from her autumn cotton-padded jacket to a winter one; after a few days of snow, she'd have to wear woolen clothes. Taking advantage of the good weather, Xiang Xing and the maids dug out the sweaters from the bottom of the box, inspected them, mended them, and hung them out to dry.

Qin brought several maids to pay their respects to the old lady. They asked her several questions about how she ate and slept, and Dujuan answered them one by one. The old lady smiled at her eldest granddaughter and said, "Your mother is here. Why don't you go and pay your respects to her so that she can give you some good leather to make clothes this winter?"

Lu Ling obediently stepped forward to greet them, then handed a cup of tea to Nanny Qin. Nanny Qin smiled and said, "You're the old lady who knows how to teach people, unlike me who doesn't." She took a sip and put down the teacup.

Lu Ling retreated behind the old lady, who held her hand. "I don't know what happened this year, but a few days ago, Dujuan dug out my sweaters from last year and found several of them were bitten by insects. It was because she was so attentive that she quickly sent someone to the back to ask around, and only then did she find out that Lingjie's clothes had been damaged quite a bit as well."

Qin secretly wondered how many treasures the old lady had stored in her boxes and crates. Even a small leak between her fingers would be enough for her granddaughter to use for several winters. "What the old lady said is true. Not only Yannian Hall, but also the west wing has been damaged. I heard that more than a few have been bitten. My daughter-in-law has already hired a carpenter, so don't worry, old lady."

The old lady nodded. "That's right. What brings you here today?"

Qin forced a smile and said, "The weather is getting colder, so my daughter-in-law wants to buy some new fabrics to make clothes."

The old lady smiled and clapped her hands. "Look at what I said. Yesterday you said your clothes were torn, and today your mother came to make clothes for you."

The old lady asked someone to bring the material over and took a look. "I haven't done this work for many years, so I'm a little rusty." After saying that, she pointed to a few of the skins and said, "These are too expensive and not suitable for little girls. I think these mink skins are good. They are light and warm, just right for a little girl like Lingjie." Dujuan naturally stepped forward and took the skins that the old lady had chosen.

Seeing that it was just a few mink furs, Qin was relieved and her smile became more sincere. "The old lady has always loved her granddaughters. I think these mink furs are good too. I also want to leave them for the maids to make cloaks."

They talked a little more about the cloak styles that were popular in Beijing. Seeing that Qin was still not leaving, the old lady knew that she had something else to talk to her about.

After seeing the situation clearly, Lu Ling took her leave first. Qin waved her hand to let the maids leave, then explained her purpose. "Old lady, I have something to tell you, but I don't know how to tell you." The old lady's heart sank. "What is it? Tell me."

Qin pulled an envelope from her sleeve. The old lady took it and glanced at it. Anger was evident on her face, and her hand, holding the envelope, was trembling slightly. Du Juan anxiously tried to calm the old lady down.

"Evil creature, this evil creature, he poops on the bed whenever he sees someone, whether it's sweet or smelly—"

Qin was happy in her heart but pretended to be sad on the surface. "This is a serious matter. Your daughter-in-law really doesn't know what to do. That's why I came to you, old lady, to ask you to make the decision." She covered her face and sobbed softly.

The old lady stood up tremblingly, and whispered to bring the master and Miss Feng, and patted Qin's shoulder, "I know your heart." Qin's shoulders trembled slightly, and she started crying again.

The eldest master led his men in and bowed respectfully to his mother. Qin stared coldly at the little bitch in the hall. She was indeed born in a brothel, and her every move was like that of a prostitute.