The entire Marquis's mansion regrets it? Too late, their little one has become the darling of t

At this moment, Duke Zhao Zhengyue of England was apologizing to his wife, Madam Yang.

"Hanzhen, I'm sorry. But Ying'er is my only child with her. I've already wronged her, I can't wrong the child too."

“It’s alright, she’s gone now, I won’t hold it against her. But this child has her own mother, she can’t be registered under my name. That would be unfair to Shuang’er and Ye’er, and unfair to her and her mother.” Madam Yang’s tone was very gentle.

With her being so generous and virtuous, Zhao Zhengyue felt embarrassed to bring up the matter of registering Liu Ying'er under her name.

"Okay. I understand. I'll follow Madam's arrangements."

"She's just a concubine's daughter in name only. I'll prepare her treatment in the same way as Shuang'er's. What do you think, my husband?" Madam Yang asked gently.

The gentler she was, the more guilty Zhao Zheng felt about her, and the more embarrassed he became to make any other requests.

"Alright, I'll do whatever you say, Madam." Zhao Zhengyue nodded sheepishly.

“Ying’er just got back, she’s probably not used to it yet, I’ll go check on her.”

"Go ahead, and if you need anything, just tell me, and I'll arrange for someone to take care of it. Don't worry, you won't have to worry about these matters in the inner quarters." Madam Yang smiled as she saw him out of her courtyard.

"Mother! Father brought back someone from outside and said she's my sister! What's going on?!" Zhao Qingshuang stormed in angrily.

"Walk slowly. Didn't your mother teach you that a proper young lady shouldn't be so easily startled?" Madam Yang took her daughter's hand and led her inside.

“But this is too much. Father brought her back like this, did he even consider your feelings?” Zhao Qingshuang couldn’t help but speak up for her mother.

"Your father is currently filled with remorse for her deceased mother, so why should I be the villain? Besides, she was able to give birth to a married man's child, so she's probably not a peaceful person. Don't get into any conflicts with her; the best thing to do is to send her away as soon as possible," Madam Yang instructed her daughter.

"She's just a concubine's daughter; she can never surpass you. Don't pay her too much attention, understand?"

"I've got it," Zhao Qingshuang replied reluctantly.

……

Duke Zhao Zhengyue of England went to Liu Ying'er's courtyard.

Her face had been treated with medicine, and it looked rather frightening with its bluish-purple bruises.

Zhao Zhengyue looked at her, his eyes filled with heartache.

"Father, is this my home from now on?" Liu Ying'er asked cautiously.

"Yes. Don't worry, as long as your father is here, this will always be your home. I will change your name, add you to our family genealogy, and your mother will be elevated to the rank of concubine. You will no longer be a homeless child," Zhao Zhengyue comforted him.

Upon hearing that her mother had become a concubine, Liu Ying'er was furious.

She cried and cursed, "Mother was your lawfully wedded wife, why did you demote her to a concubine, turning me from a legitimate daughter into an illegitimate one? How could you do this to my mother? She waited for you for over ten years."

“I’m sorry to your mother, but…” Zhao Zhengyue didn’t finish his sentence.

Even if she had brought her mother back then, they wouldn't have been a suitable match, and the elders in her family wouldn't have approved. Her mother couldn't have been the legal wife.

He sighed and changed the subject: "Alas, in short, I am sorry for you and your daughter. Don't worry, even though you are a concubine's daughter, you will be treated the same as Shuang'er. I will also make sure that Marquis Jing'an gives you an explanation."

Liu Ying'er knew when to stop.

She couldn't get the title of legitimate daughter, but receiving the treatment of a legitimate daughter was not bad either.

"What kind of explanation does Father want?" she asked tentatively.

"I will try my best to get them to elevate you to the rank of equal wife. If that's not possible, you must at least be a noble concubine. You can't be a lowly concubine who can be sold off at will." Zhao Zhengyue said this without much confidence.

Although Lady Cui, the current wife of the Marquis, is not a member of the imperial family, she is the daughter of a third-rank official and has given birth to three sons and one daughter for the Marquis's family.

It's absolutely impossible for her daughter to surpass her.

As a secondary wife, the other party would likely disagree.

But he didn't want to be a concubine.

Even if his daughter was an illegitimate child, she could still become the principal wife of some minor officials. Why would she choose to be a concubine who would be harassed by others?

"After all, you have a child from the Marquis's family, so perhaps there is still hope for you to become a concubine," Zhao Zhengyue tried his best to comfort his daughter.

Liu Ying'er's heart sank.

The Marquis's mansion has never taken a concubine before. Even if Madam Cui tolerates her becoming a concubine, she and her daughter will not have an easy time.

But if she has a daughter with her, where can she find a good husband?

Her heavy gaze fell on her sleeping daughter.

If I didn't have a daughter...

"I will do whatever Father arranges. Father will definitely not harm me." Liu Ying'er withdrew her gaze and did not cause any trouble.

The Duke of England had never raised her; all she felt now was a sliver of guilt towards him.

If she disobeys, that little bit of guilt will probably disappear quickly.

Sure enough, upon hearing her words filled with reverence, Zhao Zhengyue's face showed a hint of satisfaction.

"Don't worry, Dad's got everything covered."

……

When Cui Ruixin woke up from her coma and saw the children standing by her bedside, tears welled up in her eyes instantly.

"Mother, don't cry. You have us. We won't let outsiders bully you." Yu Ziche clenched his fists.

No wonder their mother asked them that day what it would be like if they had another younger brother or sister.

It turned out that the mother already knew about the father's romantic escapades.

“Yes, Mother, we only have one sister, Weiwei, and one mother, you. We won’t recognize anyone else who comes.”

"That's right!"

The other two younger ones echoed this sentiment.

"Good children, all of you are my good children." She hugged the children tightly and burst into tears.

“Yes, Madam, with the young master and young lady here, you can’t afford to fall ill.” Madam Li, standing to the side, couldn’t help but wipe away her tears as well.

"Yes, I can't give up." Cui Ruixin cheered herself up again.

"If she wants to learn, then let her try. I want to see just how good she is."

She ordered her maid to take the child away, and then sent someone to deliver a gold-inlaid jade Buddha pendant and a box of Hongsulou's signature rouge to Shen Jinzhu.

That rouge comes in a small box, costing fifty taels of silver, and only thirty boxes are sold per month.

She herself couldn't bear to use it.

But there's no way around it; you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub.

If Liu Ying'er unites with the three branches of the family after entering the household, then she really won't be able to continue being the mistress of the Marquis's mansion.

She needs to hurry up and repair her relationship with the third wife.

The maid Qiu Chan delivered the gift and said politely:

“Our lady said that we didn’t have time to make up for the missed first birthday gift for the second young lady, so she asked me to bring it to you.”

"And this rouge from Hongsulou, Madam said it complements your complexion, and she insisted that I bring it to you."

Shen Jinzhu never expected that things would escalate to this point between them and the first wife's family.

Suddenly, a warbler appeared, and surprisingly, the eldest son's wife was the first to bow her head.

Since they couldn't separate their households for the time being, Shen Jinzhu accepted her overtures.

"Then thank you, sister-in-law. Liuli, please give my pearl-inlaid silver bracelet to Qiuchan to take back and give to Weiwei. Also, please give that brand-new snail-shell hairpin to sister-in-law."

In return, she gave a gift.

"Thank you, Third Madam. Please visit my wife more often. Alas, she is in a very bad mood right now," Qiu Chan sighed.

"Okay. I will." Shen Jinzhu nodded in agreement.

Both sides understood each other perfectly and reached a temporary agreement.

“Oh, Madam, look, there’s something hidden under this gold-inlaid jade pendant.”

Just as she was about to put away the jade gift, she noticed something amiss.