Marrying a royal playboy and becoming a glamorous matriarch

Willows sway gently by the pond, and a light breeze blows.

Qin Ping'an stood upright like a pine tree, unlike his usual carefree demeanor; his silence carried a cold and murderous aura.

Wei Qingrou didn't want this person to die in her courtyard. She would stay there whenever she came back for holidays, and the thought of it gave her the creeps.

She quickly stepped forward, "Husband, please don't let this lead to someone's death."

Qin Ping'an turned around with a roguish smile, shook the folding fan in his hand, and once again showed his usual dashing and unrestrained demeanor.

It seemed that the person who had been coldly observing just moments before wasn't him. Wei Qingrou couldn't help but sigh, "That scoundrel of a man changes his tune so quickly."

He smiled and casually glanced at the servant beside him, "Didn't you hear what the young mistress said?"

"Yes, Master."

Two servants heard the commotion and quickly rescued the person.

They were just used to being clumsy and rough, and they pulled people out like they were fish. With one scoop and a throw, the beautiful white mermaid was left on the shore without any pity.

Wei Qingrou gave her a wink, and Chunxi quickly stepped forward and draped the cloak over her shoulders.

As if grasping at a straw, Fuya clung tightly to the cloak, trembling all over, her teeth chattering, whether from the cold or fear, she lay on the ground sobbing and begging for mercy.

"Young master, spare me! Third young lady, spare me! Please spare me! I will never dare to do it again."

The commotion alerted Madam Wei, who arrived with a group of maids and servants. She saw Fuya lying on the ground, barely clothed, and her forehead throbbed with embarrassment.

The lady of the inner quarters immediately understood what was going on with Fuya's barely-clothed appearance.

Madam Wei was even more furious. Not only did she disobey orders and abandon her post, but she also dared to climb into the bed of her new son-in-law, causing her to lose face as well, especially in front of a royal relative like Qin Ping'an. It was truly disgraceful.

Hearing Fuya still wailing and begging for mercy, even Madam Wei, who was always kind to her subordinates, turned grim.

Seeing that her mistress's face was not good, the burly old woman next to her immediately stepped forward and grabbed Fuya's hair. She could not curse in front of the young lady and her husband, so she gritted her teeth and slapped Fuya hard across the face several times. This shattered Fuya's ambition to marry into the family and made her dare not cry out anymore.

Her earlier crying and pleas for mercy were perhaps a deliberate attempt to play the victim on Qin Ping'an's behalf. Seeing that he remained unresponsive, she could only curse his cold heart, but dared not feign compassion any longer.

Seeing that she had calmed down and stopped causing trouble, Madam Wei suppressed her anger and asked in a gentle voice, "Fuya, why aren't you on duty at Cui Shu Yuan? What are you doing here? And how did you fall into the water?"

Fu Ya lay prostrate on the ground, no longer daring to play any tricks. "Madam, spare my life! My falling into the water has nothing to do with anyone else. Please, Madam, spare my life."

Madam Wei's expression softened slightly; at least she hadn't revealed the seduction, otherwise she would have completely disgraced the Wei family.

"You've abandoned your post without permission. You'll be fined a year's salary and will be a lowly maid from now on."

Fu Ya was heartbroken. The difference between being a first-class maid and a lowly servant was like heaven and earth, but at least she was spared.

"Yes, thank you ma'am."

After tidying up Fuya, Madam Wei looked at Qin Ping'an and his wife, and said gently with a smile, "Good children, go and rest for a while longer?"

Wei Qingrou looked at Qin Ping'an, but he waved his hand and said, "No, I'm busy with matters at the Prince's residence and it's inconvenient for me to stay."

"Alright, in that case, you should go back as soon as possible."

Madam Wei took Wei Qingrou's hand and saw her to the door, looking as reluctant as a mother, and instructed Wei Qingrou to be filial to her parents-in-law in the Qin family and to be a virtuous and sensible daughter-in-law.

She lowered her voice and assured her, "Mother will not mistreat Aunt Xue and Baode, so you can rest assured."

Wei Qingrou also put on a great performance, affectionately linking arms with Madam Wei and quietly thanking her: "I am naturally at ease with Mother's actions. There are many things to do at home, so please take good care of yourself. I will come back to see you whenever I have time."

These words touched Madam Wei's heart, and she felt that Wei Qingrou was extremely considerate, just like having a warm and caring daughter.

After seeing off the Qin family's carriage, Madam Wei turned her head and saw Wei Lianxin with her delicate features and her tall, clumsy son-in-law standing next to her. She immediately felt displeased.

"Mother, Third Sister is gone?"

Madam Wei ignored her, gave a faint "hmm," and then said, "It's getting late, you should go back too."

Wei Lianxin originally planned not to go back today, but to stay at the Wei family for another day and enjoy the good life. After all, the Jiang family is now really down on its luck, with no servants and it would be an exaggeration to say that they are destitute.

Her mother-in-law loved to work hard and subtly tried to get her to do chores, saying she wanted her to embroider more handkerchiefs to sell and supplement the family income. Not a single word of hers was something she wanted to hear.

But Jiang Yuan was a martial artist who needed to eat three large bowls of rice every meal and couldn't live without meat, otherwise he would lose his strength and how could he practice martial arts. Helpless, she had to use her dowry to supplement her income, giving her family one tael of silver a day to buy meat, vegetables, rice and other food.

Before returning to her parents' home, Wei Lianxin had already decided that she should stay an extra day to show that she was close to her family.

She knew that the rules of the Prince's Mansion were strict, and Wei Qingrou would definitely not stay. She could take this opportunity to repair her relationship with Madam Wei, and at the very least, get her mother to give her more gifts for her return visit.

But now, being suddenly chased away by Madam Wei, he felt extremely uncomfortable.

But she was always aloof to people, and now her expression was even colder as she asked with a stern face, "Then what should I bring when I go back to my parents' home?"

Madam Wei was speechless at the illegitimate daughter she had raised, but the rules ingrained in her bones prevented her from immediately lashing out. She simply said coldly, "Don't worry, everything is ready. You won't be shortchanged."

After saying that, he turned and left, not wanting to look at the concubine's daughter again.

However, the maidservant beside Madam Wei quickly brought over several boxes of things. "Second Miss, where should we put these things?"

When Wei Lianxin saw that there were only these few boxes, her expression immediately changed.

"My third sister's homecoming gift was so big that it couldn't fit the entire carriage, but this is all I get? How come she has it all, but I don't?"

The old woman gave a light snort, "Rou'er is the legitimate daughter, naturally different from you. It's getting dark, Second Miss, you should go back quickly."

Wei Lianxin's expression grew even colder, and she didn't even bother to accept the gift box.

Jiang Yuan was completely unaware, a simple smile on his face. He took the gift box, weighed it in his hand, and found it quite heavy, which made him even more satisfied.

Although Wei Lianxin was an unfavored concubine's daughter, even a fallen camel is bigger than a horse, and he was still pleased with this marriage.

It will make him look good and he'll also get some benefits; he'll have both face and substance.

"Okay, then we'll head back."

He left happily, carrying the homecoming gifts in one hand and holding Wei Lianxin's hand in the other, completely unaware of the resentment in Wei Lianxin's eyes.

The old woman embellished the story and told it to Madam Wei as a joke.

Madam Wei harbored even greater resentment towards this illegitimate daughter. In the past, she was willing to flatter her and give her face, because she did not want to be known for mistreating her illegitimate daughter. Unfortunately, she had raised a ungrateful child.