May this scumbag husband, who favored his concubine over his wife, rest in peace.

Hearing the commotion inside, Chunhua paused for a moment, then said, "Miss, isn't Miss Xie the Marquis's cousin? This..."

Wen Yuanshu did not answer, but stepped into the hall. She took in Pei Zeyu and Xie Qianjiao's panic, but acted as if she did not see them. She bowed to the old lady and said, "Greetings, Mother-in-law."

"Hmm," the old lady said, her expression somewhat unnatural as she saw Wen Yuanshu enter. "Get up and sit down."

"Thank you, Grandma."

As soon as Wen Yuanshu sat down, the old lady spoke up: "Yuanshu, what have you thought about the matter of adopting a child?"

Before Wen Yuanshu could speak, the old lady continued, "Actually, this is for your own good. After all, you've been married for two years and there's still no sign of pregnancy. If this drags on any longer, who knows how nasty the gossip will get!"

"If this continues for a few more years, they'll all be committing the seven grounds for divorce, and the situation will be too ugly then!"

The old lady's seemingly genuine concern for her made Wen Yuanshu feel nauseous.

Wen Yuanshu took a light breath and said slowly, "Mother-in-law, after all, your daughter-in-law has only been married into the family for two years. If you are so eager to have a grandson, your daughter-in-law is capable of having one herself. Why go through the adoption so early?"

"If this gets out, people who don't know the situation will think that the Marquis has been having an affair and is trying to cover it up."

She perfectly mimicked the old lady's mannerisms, glancing at Pei Zeyu as she spoke.

Pei Zeyu met her gaze with a calm expression, but Xie Qianjiao, standing to the side, lost her composure and almost stood up.

“Besides, those children are probably quite young. Even if I treat them as my own, they are not their biological mother,” Wen Yuanshu said. “It would be better to send them all back to their biological parents to raise them.”

The old lady's face was grim.

Send it back?

How can it be!

“Yuan Shu,” the old lady coughed, “having a child to rely on, how could it possibly harm you? If you adopt this child, you can avoid the pain of childbirth and have a child yourself. This is a wonderful thing! You are so smart, you can’t possibly not understand such a simple principle, can you?”

"Childbirth is a life-or-death ordeal for women! I'm just worried about you."

Wen Yuanshu's eyebrows twitched slightly, and a cold smile spread across her eyes: "My mother-in-law really knows how to care for people."

The old lady said she was heartbroken that she wasn't even allowed to have a biological child...

It's unbelievable that the old lady could utter such nonsense.

"Sister-in-law, your aunt is truly kind to you," Xie Qianjiao said, her tone rather sarcastic.

Wen Yuanshu looked up at her and said with a smile, "Cousin, there's no need to be envious. I'll cherish you just as much in the future."

"You..." Xie Qianjiao choked up.

Who wants this kind of heartache?

Pei Zeyu coughed softly and said, "Yuan Shu, your mother has given you her whole heart, you must not let her down."

Wen Yuanshu sneered inwardly.

This family, talking back and forth, left her absolutely no way out.

“If I were to adopt a child after only two years of marriage, wouldn’t that be admitting that I can’t have children?” Wen Yuanshu sighed. “Mother-in-law, outsiders have no idea how much you care for your daughter-in-law. They’ll just say that your daughter-in-law is useless.”

The old lady couldn't help but scoff inwardly.

What do I care what outsiders say about Wen Yuanshu?

But at this moment, the old lady could only put on a concerned expression: "This..."

“I dare not disappoint my mother-in-law’s good intentions,” Wen Yuanshu sighed. “If my mother-in-law insists that I adopt the child, it’s the same as asking me to give up my reputation… Then let’s exchange it for the land deed of the Marquis’s mansion.”

Her hesitant words stunned everyone in the hall.

The old lady had long suspected that Wen Yuanshu wouldn't be so easily dealt with, but she never expected that Wen Yuanshu would dare to ask for the Marquis's land deed so readily!

The land deed of the Marquis's mansion—this is its very lifeline!

The entire Pei family lives in this mansion. If the land deed is given away, and Wen Yuanshu is unhappy, the whole Pei family might end up homeless!

Wen Yuanshu acted as if she hadn't seen the old lady's unpleasant expression: "Don't worry, Mother-in-law. Your daughter-in-law is also a member of the Marquis's family, so naturally she won't do anything with the land deed. She just... wants to put her mind at ease."

"Since the mother-in-law cares so much about her daughter-in-law, she probably wouldn't bear to see her daughter-in-law being talked about behind her back, would she?"

"Yes, a land deed is possible..."

How could she possibly entrust something so important to Wen Yuanshu?

“Mother-in-law, if I raise this child, people outside will gossip that I am infertile, and my reputation will be damaged. How will I be able to hold my head up?”

“If my mother-in-law is unwilling, I can give birth myself. Why should I raise someone else’s child? Mother-in-law should send the child away.”

The old lady still had her head; she didn't dare to refuse too bluntly, for fear of angering her and making the matter truly off-limits.

Seeing the old lady hesitate, Xie Qianjiao quickly gave Pei Zeyu a look.

What's a mere land deed compared to her son!

Pei Zeyu pursed his lips and made the decision directly: "Here you go."

She wanted to have her own child, which was a pipe dream. Not only did she not want to, but her body was already incapable of conceiving.

The old lady's eyes widened immediately.

She was trying her best to refuse such a big matter, and Pei Zeyu actually agreed?!

The old lady suddenly felt as if she had been stabbed in the back by one of her own people.

Unfortunately, the one who stabbed her was her own son. The old lady couldn't embarrass him in public, so she reluctantly called over Zhang Mama: "Go, bring the land deed, and—"

The old lady lowered her voice, and Zhang's mother's eyes lit up. She said "Yes" and turned to leave.

Wen Yuanshu wants the land deed? Fine, but she'll have to make Wen Yuanshu bleed out of her own pocket!

A smug glint flashed in the old lady's eyes.

Since there was nothing else to do but wait, the old lady had someone bring the children up.

The children were dressed neatly, each one more well-behaved than the last, and Wen Yuanshu's gaze slowly swept over them.

Her gaze fell on Pei Zhicheng, the adopted son she had strangled to death in her previous life.

The hatred in her heart almost burst forth, and she clenched her hands, about to look away.

"Yuan Shu also thinks this child is good?"

Seemingly noticing that she was staring at the child, a joyful voice suddenly rang out: "Oh my, you and Zeyu are really on the same wavelength! Zeyu has also taken a liking to this child!"

The old lady was overjoyed.

She had already prepared a whole bunch of things to say, but she didn't expect that Wen Yuanshu and this child would have such a good connection, and she took a liking to him at first sight!

Very good!

The old lady couldn't stop smiling, and Pei Zeyu and Xie Qianjiao, who were standing to the side, exchanged a glance and also breathed a sigh of relief.

Pei Zeyu coughed and said, "Yuan Shu, now that you've accepted Zhicheng, you must treat him well in the future."

The old lady quickly added, "Yes! This is the child you chose yourself, so you must treat him as your own and raise him properly!"

Several voices in succession pulled Wen Yuanshu out of her thoughts.

She couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

Before she could say anything, they had already pinned the child down on top of her.

If the child is not taught well, it is all her fault; if the child is taught well, they will reap the benefits without lifting a finger.

What a brilliant plan, a business with zero investment and huge profits.

But that’s fine.

In her past life, she could raise him to be successful, or she could ruin him.

Moreover... the destruction of her maternal family in her previous life was probably related to Pei Zeyu, and raising his son under her care might provide some clues.