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

The old lady was holding the lost item note that He Zhihuan had written earlier.

The valuables are one thing, but the personal belongings, and even the love poems written by hand, are another. If these things were in Meng Silang's hands, it would be fine, but I'm afraid Xiangcao might secretly take them away.

If they were to have several more lovers, the reputation of all the women in the household would be completely ruined.

"Grandmother, please rest assured. The notes I wrote to Meng Silang were all unsigned, and there were no hidden meanings in their contents. The handwriting was not the small regular script that I usually use, but the official script used by men in the imperial examinations."

Hearing this, the old lady calmed down a bit, but she still frowned. "Second girl, what are you doing..." It seems she had taken precautions from the beginning. Why was she so cautious?

After all, Meng Silang was her fiancé.

He Zhihuan looked bitter. “Grandmother knows my childhood worry. Although I have been studying all these years and have gained some fame, Meng Silang is still both talented and handsome. I am always worried about him.”

"To be honest, Grandmother, I've long suspected that Xiangcao has feelings for Meng Silang. If she remains loyal to me, it wouldn't be a bad idea to make her a concubine after I give birth to a legitimate son."

“Men are naturally attracted to women, and I know my own limitations. I don’t expect to have Meng Silang all to myself. Since he will take other women sooner or later, why not promote the people around me? They are on my side and have been friends since childhood.”

“But Grandmother, I was blind. I didn’t realize Xiangcao’s ambition was so great. Before I even got a chance, she had already secretly gotten involved with Meng Silang.”

At the gatehouse, they said that Xiangcao had left the mansion under my name. I guessed she was probably going to see Meng Silang again. But usually, it's Xiangcao who runs errands, so I don't know the exact location of their agreed meeting place.

"I'm really surprised that Xiangcao didn't come back before dark this time." After all, the Meng family is known for its tradition of poetry, literature, and etiquette, and its members shouldn't behave so recklessly.

"Did Meng Silang ask you about that rare book?" The old lady asked casually, thinking about the recent turmoil in the mansion caused by this matter.

"Yes. Grandmother, could you see the list I memorized before? It contains excerpts from rare books that I occasionally hand to Meng Silang."

After saying that, He Zhihuan remembered Xiangcao mentioning the rare book in his ear and couldn't help but start to think, "Meng Silang must value this rare book quite a bit."

The old lady's hand holding the list tightened involuntarily. "Oh? How did you figure that out?"

He Zhihuan truthfully told his shrewd grandmother about Xiangcao's recent words and actions.

"That girl Xiangcao really can't be kept around." The old lady really hated Aunt Shui to death at this moment. "Second girl, go back to your own courtyard. We elders will handle things with the Meng family. You haven't married into the Meng family yet, so you can't be considered a member of the Meng family." The old lady looked at He Zhihuan meaningfully.

He Zhihuan was puzzled, but dared not ask any further questions, and simply took his leave.

After seeing He Zhihuan off, the old lady sent someone to invite Lord He to come.

Lord He assumed it was still about the rare copy from before, and upon entering, he said he had already taken care of it.

However, the old lady told him about the Meng family's unrest in private, which was like a bucket of cold water being poured on him.

"Mother..." Lord He knew he was in the wrong. This matter was caused by his insistence on taking Concubine Shui into the mansion, but he only found out about it later. It really couldn't be entirely his fault.

The old lady felt as if she had aged ten years in an instant. She waved her hand, beckoning Marquis He to get up and sit down beside her. "Do you know that back then, Madam Shui secretly approached your father?"

Lord He looked up, initially surprised, but after a moment, he lowered his head and admitted, "I know, Father told his son later."

"Do you know what they said that time?"

"I don't know, but if Mother wants to know, I'll call Shui Shi to ask."

"Didn't you ask Madam Shui about this in private?" the old lady asked, exasperated.

Lord He was so ashamed he wanted to disappear. "I asked her, and Lady Shui only said that it would be of great benefit to our manor."

The old lady was so angry that she smashed the cup. "You good-for-nothing! Were all your previous shrewdness just an act for your old man?!"

One by one, they're all being led by the nose by this woman. I bet you'll be happily fawning over her as you watch the entire Marquis's mansion being given away.

"Mother! Has something happened?" Seeing that his mother spoke of the seriousness of the matter, Lord He couldn't help but become concerned.

At the prime of his life, he was resented by those in power, so he could only use wine and women to seduce them, and he even forgot that what he once hated most was being a playboy.

But if his plans were to implicate the Marquis's family, he was unwilling to do so.

“Mother, I’ll send someone to summon Shui Shi right away. Even if it’s for the sake of the children she’s borne, she won’t dare not tell us the truth.”

The old lady was speechless after hearing this.

When the biological father uses the child to threaten the birth mother, she's so embarrassed that she no longer wants to acknowledge her biological son.

However, many things from back then were cleaned up by the old Marquis, and she, as his wife, didn't actually know much. "Let's invite Aunt Shui over, but keep a low profile and don't disturb others."

"Yes."

The mother and son waited for a quarter of an hour before Aunt Shui was led in by Chanjuan.

The old lady's eyelids twitched as she looked at her enormous belly. She immediately excused her from the formalities and offered her a seat.

Shui looked extremely apprehensive. She was taking a walk in the courtyard when she was suddenly summoned by someone from the old lady's courtyard. They didn't even give her time to change her clothes before she went out.

She only wanted to walk in secluded places along the way. If it weren't for the two old women supporting her, she would have worried that she would give birth on the road.

"Greetings to the old lady and the marquis. May I ask what business the old lady and the marquis have with me?" Aunt Shui spoke gently, her breath coming in short gasps, indicating that she had arrived in a hurry.

The old lady carefully observed Shui Shi. Back when the Shui family was one of the most prominent families in the capital, she often saw Shui Shi. She was a very nice girl and more than a match for her son.

But ever since the Shui family was purged by the emperor, Shui Shi fell into misfortune and later became her son's concubine. She never saw her again.

Seeing them again now, there was a sense of things being different and people not being the same anymore, and the old lady couldn't help but sigh.

She glanced at her son, gesturing for him to ask the question himself.

Lord He: ...

He was also confused and didn't know what had happened.

He pondered for a moment, then asked Madam Shui, "I remember sixteen years ago, when you first brought me into the Marquis's mansion, you met with my father in private. Is that true?"

Shui naturally answered yes.

"Recount the conversation again," Lord He ordered.