After transmigrating, I became a stepmother.

"Hehe!" Lin Hao was certain that his brain must have been filled with water. No wonder Wang wanted to go back to her parents' home!

"Sister-in-law, what do you mean by this?" Gu Jingnian didn't understand what Lin Hao meant by just giving him a "hehe".

"Didn't you think about what it would mean for you and Wang Shi to have a courtesan as a secondary wife?" Lin Hao asked.

“I know this isn’t good for Wang Shi, I will make it up to her. Besides, Miss Yin Xue is different from ordinary courtesans. If it weren’t for the trouble her family committed, she would be of noble birth!” Gu Jingnian tried his best to explain, attempting to persuade Lin Hao to stand on his side.

"Regardless of her previous identity, I'm only asking, what exactly did Wang do wrong that made you so willing to disregard her dignity and marry a concubine?" Lin Hao ignored his words.

“But, Yin Xue…” Gu Jingnian was about to say something more when Lin Hao interrupted him.

"Don't talk about others, just talk about the Wang family themselves, whether they are at fault or not!"

"No, nothing." Gu Jingnian's voice weakened.

“That’s it. Since ancient times, it’s only the uncouth merchant families who have taken wives as concubines that do this. Our Gu family is a family of scholars, after all. Do you think that you, Yi-ge’er, and even your descendants will no longer take the path of the imperial examinations?” Lin Hao didn’t believe that Gu Jingnian, who was proud and loved to compare himself to others, would give up this path.

As expected, Gu Jingnian fell silent after Lin Hao finished speaking.

"Then shall we take her as a concubine?" Gu Jingnian probed, as he really didn't want to wrong Miss Yinxue.

Lin Hao almost choked to death by him.

"Are you really determined to take a concubine?" Lin Hao was still unwilling to give up.

"Yes." Gu Jingnian nodded in confirmation, his expression firm.

"Have you asked that Miss Yinxue what she thinks?"

Gu Jingnian was taken aback by her question. He was already willing to ruin his reputation to take her in, so what else could she possibly object to?

His expression was so obvious that Lin Hao's impression of him worsened. What kind of ordinary guy was he? Just because you're willing to marry her doesn't mean the girl will be willing to marry you. Even if she's a prostitute, she can choose not to marry her!

Having made up her mind, Lin Hao asked, "So how do you plan to persuade Wang Shi?" Unless Wang Shi is out of her mind, she would never keep a woman who has already captured her husband's heart by her side.

"It's just taking a concubine. If she doesn't agree, then she's just jealous!" Gu Jingnian said without a care.

Lin Hao didn't want to talk to this love-struck person anymore; she was exhausted!

She said, "Then you can think of a solution slowly! I'll go check on Wang Shi."

Wang's wet nurse was listening to the conversation between the two and was extremely anxious, but she could not speak because of her status. When she heard that Lin Hao was leaving, she hurriedly followed.

"Sister-in-law, how is it?" As soon as Wang saw Lin Hao, she came up to her anxiously.

"Sit down first, let's talk slowly," Lin Hao said, pulling her hand to comfort her.

Wang glanced at the old woman behind her, and the two exchanged a look. Wang was disappointed, but she still patiently waited for Lin Hao to speak.

“I just asked my second brother, and he said he absolutely has to take a concubine.”

Wang immediately widened her eyes: "He's dreaming! With me here, it's impossible."

Lin Hao quickly reassured her, "Sister-in-law, if you trust me, don't argue with her yet. Give me a day. I think even if he wants to take a concubine, one day won't make a difference. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Shi, though still angry, calmed down somewhat and considered Lin Hao's words.

After a long silence, she asked in confusion, "Why did you help me?" She knew in her heart that Lin Hao had no obligation to help her, and she didn't owe her anything. On the contrary, she had treated her somewhat improperly.

"Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"

"How do you tell a lie, and how do you tell the truth?" Wang wondered.

"The lie is that as the eldest sister-in-law, I should protect the Gu family's reputation and not let anyone ruin it."

Wang nodded in agreement upon hearing this. After all, they had already separated their households, so taking a concubine wouldn't have much of an impact on them.

"The truth is, as a woman myself, I also find Gu Jingnian's behavior unacceptable. If you were morally flawed, or had difficulty conceiving, I could understand his desire to take a concubine. But you are clearly not wrong; what he is doing is trampling on your dignity as a wife!"

This was Lin Hao's honest opinion. In later generations, keeping a mistress would be condemned, and she was no exception.

Upon hearing this, Wang's eyes immediately reddened and her nose stung with tears. Lin Hao's words were exactly what she felt in her heart! She had clearly done nothing wrong!

Regardless of whether she can help with this matter, she will be grateful for her kindness!

“Okay, sister-in-law, I believe you, I'll give you one day!” she said solemnly.

"Okay, I'll be leaving in a bit. It'll be tough, but you have to hold back and not get into a fight with him. Yi-ge'er is still here, so you two shouldn't let things get too tense. I'll give you some news tomorrow!"

Lin Hao, still worried, gave a final warning, lest Wang Shi let things fall apart while she was busy taking care of everything.

"Okay, I will definitely hold back," Wang promised, her eyes red.

After calming Lin down, Lin Hao rushed out the door.

"Go to the cloth shop under our name," Lin Hao instructed.

A moment later, a handsome young man emerged from inside, followed by Zhu Jing.

"Master, is this alright?" Zhu Jing asked uncertainly.

"Whether it succeeds or not, you'll only know after you try," Lin Hao, dressed as a handsome young man, comforted him.

The two boarded a carriage and arrived at the entrance of Lanfang Residence.

"Master, I, I'm nervous."

"Just treat me like your master, what's there to be nervous about! I'll take responsibility for anything that happens, we'll see how things go later," Lin Hao glanced at him and instructed.

As soon as the two entered, someone immediately came up to them: "Oh, where did this young man come from? He's so handsome!"

Lin Hao slightly turned to the side, avoiding the woman's delicate body. His nose twitched, somewhat unaccustomed to such a heavy scent of perfume.

She glanced at Zhu Jing, who immediately understood and said to the woman, "Our young master has heard that Miss Yin Xue is incredibly beautiful, so he has come to see for himself!"

The woman giggled and said, "Why must you see Yinxue? Does the young master not find me attractive?" As she spoke, she gave Lin Hao a flirtatious wink.

Lin Hao frowned, and Zhu Jing immediately chimed in, "Stop talking nonsense. Our young master came here specifically for Miss Yin Xue. Otherwise, why would he come to a small place like yours!"

Seeing the two's posture, the woman had no choice but to reluctantly step aside: "Then please come inside! Someone will take you to see her."

With that, she swayed her lithe waist and went to find the next customer!

Sure enough, after taking a few steps inside, someone came up to greet us with a big smile: "Honored guest, do you wish to see Miss Yinxue?"

"That's right," Zhu Jing answered on his behalf.

"Since you want to see Miss Yinxue, you should make it clear in advance that our young lady charges one tael of silver per hour, and you need to pay in advance." This woman seemed to be in charge, and she spoke with a certain air of authority.

Lin Hao slightly raised her chin, and Zhu Jing immediately handed over the silver. The woman's face immediately lit up with a smile: "Honored guest, please follow me!"

Lin Hao was quite excited to finally meet this Miss Yin Xue.