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

"I have no idea where you got the connections to send the Shui family's mistress into the palace, where she even gained His Majesty's favor and gave birth to the Fourth Prince."

Lord He looked astonished. How did his mother, who had never been involved in outside affairs for many years, know about their secret?

He abandoned his nonchalant attitude, quickly knelt down, and begged for forgiveness.

"Mother, please calm down. The Fourth Prince is intelligent and thirteen years old this year. His Majesty... His Majesty also likes him very much."

"Haven't you learned your lesson from back then? Didn't your father's death serve as a wake-up call? Are you really going to drag your entire family down with you for some damned 'meritorious service'?"

Wouldn't it be better to live a peaceful life, relying on one's descendants and steadily inheriting the family business?

"Mother, please calm down. Back then, I was young and acted without thinking. Now, I am more careful and will certainly not make the same mistake again."

Furthermore, the Fourth Prince and our Sixth Miss are about the same age, and Consort Bing wants to strengthen family ties through marriage. However, His Majesty is unaware of the relationship between our two families and only assumes that our younger sister is acting as matchmaker.

"What, you dragged your sister into this too?"

"Although my sister comes from a good family, her position in the palace is somewhat awkward. Those eunuchs and palace maids love to take advantage of people based on their status. She had difficulty having children, and when she finally had one, it was a princess."

Only by attaching oneself to a high-ranking concubine with children who lacks a powerful foundation can one have an easier time in the palace.

"Furthermore, Mother, my sister, and the young princess are all connected to the future crown prince, or even... so why worry about not having a good life in the future?"

"I'm still worried," the old lady said, her face showing hesitation as she felt sorry for her daughter.

Lord He simply used his trump card, squatting down in front of the old lady like he did when he was a child, and said in a coquettish tone, "Mother, please trust your son this once. Even if it doesn't work out, our family will definitely be able to get out unscathed. Your son will arrange everything and won't let you worry about it."

"You're almost old enough to hold your grandson, and you're still acting like such a scoundrel." The old lady laughed, annoyed, then said earnestly, "I don't have many days left in this life. There's just this one thing I really want to see resolved before I open my eyes. Otherwise, I won't be able to die in peace."

"Don't worry, Mother. Your son will not let you down. I will definitely earn back the glory our family once had."

"At the Shen family's place..."

"My son will go to Madam Shen's place later and tell her to stop coveting my niece's things." Lord He didn't think the matter was that complicated.

If this matter hadn't come to light, the consequences would have been unpredictable, but it was discovered in time.

"Go, go. Go and talk things out properly. Don't let this cause a huge fight between you two." The old lady still believed in her son. He had managed to do all that back then without his support, so there was no reason why he couldn't do it now despite all the scheming.

It's just a matter of keeping a low profile.

As for back then?

She secretly harbored some resentment towards the old Marquis. If he had been able to unite his resources and provide strong support back then, who knows who might be sitting on the throne now?

Her youngest daughter no longer has to walk on thin ice in the palace like she does now.

And she wouldn't need to be a vegetarian for so many years or worship Buddha for so many years.

Yimei Garden

Lord He no longer sets foot in Yimei Garden unless absolutely necessary.

When Lord He entered Yimei Garden, all the maids there were as happy as if it were New Year's Day.

Even though Madam Shen had long since stopped thinking about the Marquis's favor, she was still happy that her husband, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, had come to her courtyard.

After quickly tidying up, they finally saw the person outside the main hall.

“My lord.” Although Madam Shen spoke gently, Marquis He still frowned upon hearing her words.

Perhaps it's because you're not liked by men; even if you're an angel, he'll still find fault with you.

Mrs. Shen was so happy that she didn't notice this detail.

Wenqin and Wenhua noticed something amiss, but they dared not dampen their master's spirits on the matter.

"Shen, do you think our household lacks food or drink? How dare you, with your shameless old face, try to covet your niece's dowry!"

The shy joy that had just appeared on Shen's face vanished instantly. She clutched her handkerchief tightly, barely managing to maintain her composed expression.

She forced herself to wave away the people around her, keeping a distance of three steps from the Marquis.

"You haven't visited my courtyard in a long time. Now that you've come, it seems you've come specifically to interrogate me?" She put on a heartbroken look, but it didn't soften the Marquis's heart in the slightest.

She quickly composed herself, put on the airs of the mistress of the house, and sat down opposite the Marquis. "I wonder which law I have broken?"

"I'm coveting my niece's dowry? What dowry? Tell me, so I can know what kind of treasure it is."

"You wicked woman! You're utterly stubborn. The rare book in Er Yatou's hands was obtained when her father was alive. When the He and Meng families were to be united in marriage, both families had tacitly agreed to send that rare book as part of the dowry. It's just that for some reason, it couldn't be written on the gift list."

Madam Shen quickly wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. "Master, you've wronged me. What would I, a woman confined to the inner quarters, do by snatching that book?"

"You know me, sir. I'm not as talented as Concubine Shui. I'm busy managing the household every day; where would I find the time to read those lousy books?"

If Lord He hadn't been married to Madam Shen for so many years, he would have almost been fooled by her feigned innocence.

"Stop talking nonsense. Let's not waste time with empty words. If I didn't have something on you, I wouldn't have come here to confront you."

Seeing Shen's unconvinced look, Lord He got excited too, "How about I take that girl named Wen... Wenqin to the head steward for a walk, and I'm afraid I'll expose all your secrets."

"You..." Shameless scoundrel! They're not husband and wife, they're clearly enemies.

"Enough, sir, please don't criticize me for acting inappropriately as an elder. But that rare book was found by the old Marquis himself, and by any measure, it shouldn't have been left to a concubine's daughter."

This household has no shortage of legitimate sons and daughters, so why did they have to give it to a concubine's second daughter?

"Second daughter is good at studying." Lord He used the same excuse from before.

"Pshaw, you're making it sound like all the girls in our household, except for Er Yatou, are blind."

Even my niece, who comes from a merchant family, knows a few characters and is considered a talented woman in her hometown of Xishan.

"How come, in this Marquis's household where everyone has been learning poetry, literature, and etiquette since childhood, only the second daughter can be considered a model of a educated woman?"

"Besides, what's wrong with our Zhang-ge'er? Granny Xie often tells me that Zhang-ge'er has the same demeanor as the Marquis back then. How can Zhang-ge'er not be worthy?"

"Ignorant woman, utterly unreasonable." Lord He almost wanted to turn and leave. Aunt Shui was much better; she was of similar background, and even after her setback, she remained gentle and considerate.

Unlike this Shen woman, who appears gentle but is actually quite aggressive.

Having been his wife for so many years, how could Madam Shen not know what Lord He was thinking? She was filled with mixed feelings.