The legitimate daughter returns, and everyone in the Marquis's mansion regrets and begs for for

Qu Qingwan was secretly pleased.

Seeing Qu Muya's humiliated expression, Qu Qingwan felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction, yet her face remained calm. A faint mockery lingered in her eyes, as if she were laughing at Qu Muya's pathetic state.

Qu Qingwan's gaze had been fixed on Qu Muya, and seeing her haughty demeanor, a surge of jealousy rose within her. Why could Qu Muya possess such beauty, while she was relegated to being an illegitimate child? Her heart was filled with resentment, yet she dared not show it.

Qu Qingwan felt a secret thrill as she watched Qu Muya cry, but she remained outwardly calm.

"Madam, I'd like to hear my eldest sister's explanation of this matter."

The old lady's gaze swept over Qu Muya's pale face, and she sighed inwardly. Although she doted on her granddaughter, she would not tolerate the slightest bias in this matter. She said in a deep voice, "Since you are all here, I might as well make everything clear."

"As you all know, there is an unwritten rule in our Qu family: a competition among the direct descendants. Whoever wins can choose a man as their partner, and that man will be a child born to each of your wives," the old lady said calmly.

Her tone was slow, as if she were afraid of frightening a child. However, Qu Qingwan and the others were all shrewd and could easily see what the old lady was up to. They couldn't help but sneer inwardly, thinking, "This eldest sister is truly a fool!"

"What do you think, sir?" The old lady turned to look at Qu Qingyang.

Qu Qingyang narrowed his eyes slightly, his face devoid of any smile. "Naturally, this matter is for Madam to decide."

"Since that's the case, let's leave it at that." The old lady slowly stood up. "Since you're all here, let's all go outside the ancestral hall and kneel to reflect on our mistakes."

Everyone in the ancestral hall looked at each other, but dared not say a word. They simply responded in unison and stood up. Qu Qingwan lowered her head, her eyes flickering, as if she were calculating something.

Qu Muya didn't dare hesitate and immediately got up, following the others out of the ancestral hall. As soon as her figure disappeared from everyone's sight, another figure appeared outside the ancestral hall.

Qu Qingwan's eyes widened suddenly; she hadn't expected this person to be—

Qu Qingwan clenched her fingers into a fist, her nails digging deep into her flesh, but she was completely unaware.

"Young master, please wait." The old lady's gaze fell on that tall and slender figure, her eyes filled with surprise.

However, the visitor completely ignored her and headed straight for the ancestral hall, not even glancing at her.

The old lady's face turned somewhat pale. Looking at the figure, an absurd thought suddenly popped into her head: Could he be Qu Muya's fiancé?

Seeing the old lady's ever-changing expression, Qu Qingwan felt a surge of secret pleasure. This time, she was determined not to lose to Qu Muya again! A malicious glint appeared in her eyes.

"You will all kneel outside the ancestral hall as punishment. No one is allowed to leave without my permission!" the old lady said sternly, her mood somewhat agitated. She looked at the tall, upright figure, a flicker of doubt in her eyes. She remembered that none of Qu Qingyang's wives and concubines had any legitimate children. Could this young man be his illegitimate son?

Thinking of this, the old lady couldn't help but frown. Could it be that she was really getting senile?

Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged bewildered glances before rising and heading out of the ancestral hall. The old lady's gaze fell upon Qu Muya, and seeing her calm expression, seemingly unaffected, she was startled. Could this girl really know something?

"Madam." Qu Qingwan's gaze met the old lady's sharp eyes, her voice tinged with trepidation, "I, I..."

"Alright, you don't need to say any more." The old lady waved her hand impatiently, signaling her to shut up. Her mind raced, unsure whether to believe Qu Qingwan's words. After all, this matter was truly very strange.

Qu Qingwan felt uneasy looking at the old lady's cold gaze. She bit her lip, lowered her head, and concealed the cunning glint in her eyes.

"Madam, I..." Qu Qingwan's voice was filled with deep grievance. Seeing her like this, the old lady became even more furious. She glared coldly at Qu Qingwan, "No need to say anything more, go and kneel outside the ancestral hall."

After the old lady finished speaking, she turned and left.

A smug look flashed across Qu Muya's eyes, and a triumphant expression appeared on her face before she turned and left.

As Qu Muya reached the door, she saw Qu Qingwan stop, turn back, smile sweetly at the old lady, and then turn and leave.

"Hmph!" After Qu Qingwan left, the old lady couldn't help but snort coldly.

"You lot, come with me." The old lady turned and headed towards her room.

Qu Qingwan and the others followed, their gazes all turning to Qu Muya, a flash of hatred in their eyes before returning to normal.

Qu Muya paused slightly, then slowly turned around, looking at the old lady's retreating figure, a hint of mockery flashing deep in her eyes. Old lady, don't blame me for being impolite!

The old lady called everyone into the house, had tea and snacks served, and then explained her thoughts, telling everyone that it was all Qu Qingwan's instigation that had occurred, and that she had not done anything out of line, but only wanted to secure benefits for the eldest son's family.

Upon hearing the old lady's words, Qu Qingwan's face flushed and paled in turns. The old lady actually suspected her, suspected her of wanting to harm the descendants of the eldest son's family. This was utterly absurd; how could she possibly have such thoughts?

"Madam, I..." Qu Qingwan felt extremely wronged, and her eyes welled up with tears.

She had been pampered since childhood and had never suffered such hardship. Tears streamed down her face.

"Alright, you don't need to explain yourself." The old lady waved her hand, looking like she couldn't be bothered to ask any more questions. "This matter is entrusted to you." Qu Qingwan gritted her teeth and could only reply, "Yes."

She was filled with resentment. Her parents doted on her immensely, and even her grandmother was protective of her; her status had long surpassed that of other concubine's daughters. But today, in their eyes, she felt so embarrassed and so pathetic.

The old lady gave her a satisfied look, then waved her hand to dismiss the crowd.

She looked at the empty house and couldn't help but sigh.

Because of her excessive favoritism, the relationships between these children have deteriorated, and now she is being asked to bear all the responsibility. She is really unwilling to do so.

She wanted to make amends and only hoped that her eldest granddaughter would behave herself.

"Grandmother, don't be sad. My sister didn't do it on purpose. She certainly didn't mean it that way," Qu Qingwan quickly comforted her upon seeing the situation. She was intelligent and knew that the old lady was angry because of them.