My wife wants a divorce; if she ruins my life, I'll leave.

The next day, Meng Ruohua wrote a letter to her mother, conveying Madam Zhuang's words, and also included a letter for Uncle Yang.

Before you know it, it will be Yu Ge's full moon celebration. On that day, Meng's mother arrived early with Fang Ling and Meng Sixiu.

Meng Ruohua greeted her at the door, "Mother, don't you like to go out? Why are you here today?"

Although she wanted to see her mother, she was worried that if her mother saw Yu Ge, she would be reminded that she didn't have children, and she would inevitably start nagging again.

Mencius' mother slapped her angrily, "I'm here to back you up!"

Three years after her daughter married into the family, she had already given birth to two sons born to concubines, but not a single son born to her legitimate husband. She was afraid that her daughter would be mistreated by her husband's family.

Fang Ling nodded in agreement. Her aunt was like that; if she wanted to be good to someone, she would be good to them from the bottom of her heart, and she wouldn't hold a grudge even if she suffered injustice.

Meng Sixiu clenched his little fist and gestured, "I'll beat up anyone who bullies Auntie!"

Fang Ling hurriedly covered his mouth, saying, "My little darling, even though that's what we think, we can't say it out loud in someone else's house!"

Meng Sixiu struggled free, staring at Fang Ling with his big eyes accusing her.

Fang Ling chuckled softly and whispered in his ear, "Silly boy, can't you learn from your father's cleverness? It's not good to say things out loud; it's better to beat people up secretly with a sack over your head."

Meng Sixiu immediately understood, reached out and tugged at Meng Ruohua's dress, his bright eyes gesturing for her to come closer, "Auntie, if anyone bullies you, I'll find someone to put a sack over your head and beat them up!"

"Great!" Meng Ruohua beamed and immediately gave him a thumbs up.

Not bad, kid! You have your aunt's flair. When you grow up a bit more, you'll definitely make the Meng family a lively and exciting place!

After settling Meng's mother and sister-in-law in, Meng Ruohua busied herself at the second gate to greet them.

Most of those who came today were members of the Song family clan, as well as a few close family friends. And because Brother Yu was only a son born out of wedlock, most of those who came were young wives, with only three or five elders present.

All the visitors were led to Rongxi Courtyard and accompanied by the Second Madam. Meng Ruohua was busy making arrangements without a moment's rest.

A fifth aunt from the same clan complimented, "Second sister-in-law is so lucky. She had two children in three years. In another four or five years, she'll have seven or eight big, fat grandsons calling her 'Grandma.'"

The second wife smiled broadly, saying modestly, "Who can have so many children? Three or five would be enough."

"Brother Chen is handsome, so his children must be exquisitely beautiful."

"That's right, they can pass the imperial examination early when they grow up."

"I think Chen-ge's intelligence is just like his grandfather's; he'll definitely be able to get into the cabinet someday!"

"Xuan-ge is the same, he looks smart at first glance."

The family has declined in recent years. Only one of my uncles from a neighboring branch of the family is doing well; he is currently a fourth-rank official in the Hanlin Academy. None of the others have risen above the fifth rank.

Although the second master, Song Chang, is only a fifth-rank official, the eldest master of the Song family, Song Yin, is a third-rank councilor in Yunzhou. If he can be transferred back to the capital next year, even if it's a lateral transfer, he will still be a third-rank official.

The second wife smiled, her fine lines around her eyes appearing as she waved her hand, "What can a child possibly know? As long as he doesn't become naughty when he grows up, that's fine."

"Why hasn't Brother Chen's wife made a move yet?" Aunt Wu asked.

Another person, who hadn't even noticed Meng's mother, said bluntly, "If it doesn't work, just register Xuan-ge and Yu-ge under her name and raise them as legitimate sons. It'll sound better when people talk about it later."

Those around her quickly gave her meaningful looks, signaling her to shut up.

But Meng's mother heard what she said and immediately became angry. Fang Ling immediately chimed in, "Look at what you're saying. My sister is not even twenty years old yet. Why are you in such a hurry to adopt a son born out of wedlock? Besides, which family doesn't have three or five sons born out of wedlock? Are they all supposed to be registered under the name of the legal wife?"

She glanced sideways at the Second Madam and said, "Your side consists of learned and noble people, who naturally know more about etiquette than us vulgar military officers. You certainly wouldn't promote a concubine after only two months of the main wife's marriage, nor would you force a son born out of wedlock to be registered under the main wife's name, would you? A son born out of wedlock is a son born out of wedlock. Does registering his name mean the world won't know who his birth mother is?"

Back then, my in-laws took a new concubine just two months after my sister's marriage. My mother-in-law was secretly angry for a month or two, but my sister repeatedly said that she didn't care. The Meng family didn't make a fuss about it, but not making a fuss doesn't mean letting others bully you.

Fang Ling is a junior, and with her mother-in-law looking after her, it's not her place to cause trouble. But since she's here today, she won't let anyone humiliate her younger sister in front of her.

Upon hearing this, the second wife's face instantly flushed red; this was a veiled criticism of her!

“Sister-in-law, that’s not how it works. Although our Song family doesn’t have a fortune, Chen is the eldest son of the main branch, and we need a son to support the family.”

Mencius' mother glanced at her sideways and said, "What my mother-in-law says is true. We don't have a fortune to manage."

How can you be so sure your daughter can't have children when she's not even twenty?

I'll go back and ask the imperial physicians to give my daughter a good treatment!

The second wife choked. The Meng family members were all the same; they spoke without any regard for their own family and dared to say anything recklessly.

Who doesn't have a fortune? I was just being modest, but she took it seriously!

Everyone present either drank their tea or were lost in thought, with no one wanting to join the conversation. Even the woman who had initially started the topic shrank back.

The Song family gradually declined. Apart from the eldest son, most of the clan members had no chance of entering officialdom and made a living by running farms and shops at home. They dared not challenge the Meng family at all. Although General Meng rarely returned to the capital, his status was undeniable. As the second-ranking general of Lanzhou, he commanded 200,000 troops in the Northwest. With a single order, he could suppress them completely.

Furthermore, although the Song family is said to be a family of scholars and farmers for a hundred years, there are always three or five people in the family who prefer martial arts to literature, and they are counting on General Meng to give them a hand!

The room fell silent for a moment. The second wife wanted to retort, but how could she respond?

It was the third aunt from the next room who stepped in to smooth things over. "What my mother-in-law said is true. Our Song family only knows how to study and not how to manage a business. Of course, we are not as wealthy as your family." She then turned to the second wife and said, "Second sister-in-law, don't be anxious. I think my second niece-in-law is healthy. She is still young, so why rush? Sooner or later she will give you three or four big, fat grandsons."

This third aunt, who usually looked down on the second wife's stupidity, only spoke up today because she saw the awkward atmosphere in the room.

Since it was a joyous occasion, everyone chimed in with their own comment and the matter was dropped.

Only Mencius' mother took his words to heart and decided to inquire about a skilled gynecologist as soon as she returned home, determined to improve her daughter's health.

Their conversation wasn't particularly enjoyable, but the atmosphere in Lianxiao Courtyard was quite lighthearted.

Lu Ningshuang dressed her two sons in a noble and festive manner, wearing matching bright red robes with rich and auspicious patterns and bright red silk trousers.

"The wet nurse should keep a close eye on Xuan-ge and tell him he's making a fuss about wanting to find his father," Lü Ningshuang instructed Xuan-ge's wet nurse, from the San Gui family.

She looked at her child with pride; the child was exquisitely beautiful and intelligent, and anyone who saw her would love her.

So what if he's a son of a concubine? Xuan-ge is the eldest grandson of the second wife!

Second Master will definitely come over tonight. After a loving night together, he'll remember Xuan-ge as the legitimate son, and the second branch's family business will be hers from now on!

Her son occupied the position of the eldest legitimate son. Even if Meng Ruohua could give birth, she would only be the second legitimate son, and the 30% of the family property she could receive would not count!

Perhaps, I can't have children?