The cousin's family is extremely wealthy; she deserves to be a concubine.

The old lady, who had just been somewhat annoyed, suddenly deflated. She was lost in memories of the past, hesitating to speak several times before finally letting out a sigh.

She solemnly instructed Madam Shen, "Alright, I will not pursue the matter from before. However, if you value the book that the old man left for Er Yatou, you can keep a copy in the mansion for people to read, but the original copy must be taken to the Meng mansion as agreed."

Madam Shen was puzzled. She had devoted herself to the Marquis's mansion all these years, and she really did not expect that the old lady would hide a secret from her.

"Mother, is there no room for discussion on this?" She took a deep breath, trying to keep her tone calm.

The old lady shook her head. "This matter is not open to discussion."

Shen stood up, bowed, and took her leave, without saying whether she would comply or not.

After everyone left, the old lady called out to Granny Xie, "Look at her! I've been giving in to her in the inner quarters, but it's only made her more and more unruly."

Granny Xie quickly massaged the old master's temples, "Why are you so angry? Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. How much longer can you live? Do you really think you are a reincarnated demon who can live for hundreds of years?"

As long as you are alive and this manor is in good condition, you will have the face to meet the ancestors of the He family.

The old lady's mood brightened. "You, you, you always know how to say nice things. If I don't keep them in check, and they really cause a big disaster in the future, I won't be able to die in peace."

Before, when my sons were useless, at least I, the old man, kept them in check and cleaned up their messes. But once I, this old woman, die, they'll probably really become lawless.

Granny Xie put away her frivolous expression. "So many years have passed since that incident. What, is it still not over yet?"

The old lady shook her head. "I don't know. Better safe than sorry. Although our family is large and prosperous, we have suffered two major calamities, which have taken a toll on us."

If it were to happen again, I'm afraid it would ruin the family business, so it's best to be even more cautious.

"Then this matter is probably the First Madam's idea. The Marquis has been through this before, so he must know the importance of things. If the Marquis is kept in the dark, then... in this old servant's opinion, you should still call the Marquis here and ask him."

"Yes, you're right. Go and call Chanjuan to find your master. I can't wait to ask him anything."

Granny Xie personally gave instructions, telling Chanjuan to go to the front yard to see if the master had gone out today.

Since the master now holds a sinecure, he doesn't need to report for duty every day thanks to the influence of the Marquis's mansion.

The master was soon invited to Fushou Hall, and Madam Shen also received the news, so much so that she broke a set of her favorite tea set.

"Greetings to Mother. Is there something you need from Mother?" Although Lord He was filial to his mother, he didn't come to Fushou Hall every day. After all, his wife knew how to serve him, so he was happy to be a hands-off manager.

Granny Xie recounted what she knew about the Second Miss's rare book, leaving Lord He with a puzzled expression.

“Mother, I didn’t hear Madam Shen mention this. Father found the book, saying it was for the family’s best-read granddaughter. I certainly can’t accept it.” Besides, the book is full of hidden secrets; how could he possibly keep it?

If they could stay, there would be no need for Er Yatou.

“You still need to go to Yimei Garden once or twice a month. Look at you, such a big thing, and you, the head of the family, didn’t even know! If it weren’t for the few of them coming to pay their respects to me today, and things getting out of hand, we’d still be kept in the dark when a huge problem arose.”

“Mother’s reprimand is correct. I will go and hold Shen accountable later. If she can’t manage the inner quarters, there are plenty of others who can.” Lord He looked dissatisfied with Shen.

With a 'thud,' the teacup shattered, and the old lady's good mood was completely ruined.

"Your Majesty!"

Lord He knelt tremblingly before the old lady, not understanding why his mother's expression had changed.

"Mother, calm down."

The old lady took a deep breath. "After your father passed away, you were given this sinecure. You only changed positions, but how come you've changed your brain along with it all these years?"

"Mother..." Lord He's expression showed disapproval.

The old lady was probably really angry. She stood up from the main seat, walked around Marquis He twice, pointed at him and shouted, "Look at yourself! You used to be so handsome and dashing, but now you've become a pot-bellied, rich, and idle man. Where is the dignity of the head of the Marquis's mansion?"

Lord He wanted to explain that it's normal for most wealthy and powerful men to gain weight in middle age, but seeing his mother's unfriendly expression, he chose to shut up.

"You may not have been known for your literary and military talents, but you were at least skilled in writing and martial arts, and you were in no way inferior to your peers in either area."

In my heart, even Zhang'er in the manor can't compare to you. But listen to what you just said! Is that something a far-sighted head of the household should say?

"Over the years, although you have doted on Shui, you have still taken care of the proper respect you should give to your legal wife, Shen."

I assumed you knew what was going on, and I only felt sorry for you because things weren't going well for you outside, and that you might have acted a bit recklessly in matters of women, so I let you be.

To appease Madam Shen, I completely relinquished control over matters concerning the inner quarters, solely to put her mind at ease.

"But now I regret it. Because of that incident, although our family is far away from the center of power, we should not lose the sensitivity that the head of the Marquis's mansion should have."

Are we really going to wait until disaster strikes before we, mother and son, come together and weep?"

“Mother, that’s too serious. That incident happened more than ten or twenty years ago. Our family paid a huge price back then, and the higher-ups have already given us a break.”

You shouldn't scare yourself like that; it only makes your son look unfilial. Once Er Yatou marries into the Meng family and gets rid of that hot potato, our Marquis's mansion will be completely secure.

"Then I'll find a way to get Zhang-ge a position, and later we'll gradually find good jobs for the other children in the family. That's how our Muqing Marquis's mansion will slowly rise to prominence."

"Thump, thump," the old lady pounded the ground with her cane. "I think you've been hanging out with women for too long, how come you can't even see the situation clearly?"

They dare to disregard even life and death?

"Better safe than sorry; how many great families have perished because of carelessness?"

The old lady shook her head helplessly, extremely disappointed. "Over the years, although our family has been far away from the center of power, we still live a life of extravagance and debauchery."

Back then, to ensure the stability of the Marquis's mansion, I managed the household in a low-key manner. Compared to its former glory, our food, clothing, and daily necessities were far less luxurious.

Later, your wife came into the family and took over the management of the household. For the first year, she did a good job managing everything.

Seeing that I no longer needed to micromanage the household, I settled down to practice Buddhism. Unexpectedly, life in the mansion improved day by day, and I began to attract attention in the capital.