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

The old lady sighed and nodded gently. "Because of what happened to you, I thought our family would end up ruined and destroyed."

"Unexpectedly, in the end, our family only lost the military power passed down from generation to generation. Your father's position was not changed, our family's title is still there, and our family's wealth and status have not changed at all."

"I thought this matter would just end like this." After saying that, the old lady stared intently at Marquis He.

Lord He was overwhelmed by his mother's gaze. "I only had this idea to save the Shui family from danger because I saw that the current emperor had spared the women of the Shui family."

"Sigh." The old lady sighed, "I watched Shui grow up. I can't bear to see her go to live in that swamp." After all, she was the daughter-in-law she had chosen from the beginning. Both families knew this. They were just waiting to go through the final procedures.

"At the time, I thought that matter was over and done with. Who knew that when Madam Shui came to the mansion, she would be involved in some rare book case."

"It's too late to dwell on this now. I'm practically on my deathbed myself. I only hope you can preserve the little bit of wealth and resources left by your ancestors and live a good life."

"Mother, your son is unfilial." He still wanted to pull off a big heist with Shui Shi.

The old lady closed her eyes and waved her hand, saying, "Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. I'm old and can't worry about that anymore."

Seeing that his mother was not in good spirits, Lord He had no choice but to take his leave.

He stepped out and into the courtyard, when he suddenly remembered why his father had arranged the engagement with the Meng family. Even if the rare book contained a secret, in the past ten or twenty years, the court officials had changed many times. No matter how much leverage he had, he probably wouldn't be able to exert even a tenth of its power.

But looking back at the location of Fushou Hall, well, the marriage is already arranged, and this matter cannot be changed.

Lord He went to Lady Shui's room, dismissed everyone, and then asked in detail, "In recent years, has Consort Bing used the ministers' weaknesses to recruit talents for the Fourth Prince?"

As you know, because of what happened before, and because my father risked his life to protect the Marquis's family, I dare not do anything openly outside.

He had just lied to his mother. He knew his father's death was suspicious, but what could he do? If his father didn't die, he would.

He was still young, and his father still loved him and gave him the chance to live.

Aunt Shui pulled Lord He to a seat and poured him his favorite tea. "Don't worry, sir," she said, "my sister is very clever."

In the past, she would have looked down on a mistress.

But since the family suffered misfortune, only these women have survived, supporting each other.

She longed for the day when the fourth prince would ascend the throne and bring back her nephew, who had been exiled to a harsh and cold land, so that her maternal family could regain its former glory.

Lord He nodded slightly, "The girls raised by your Shui family are all extraordinary." The one in front of him, being born into the royal family, is naturally no less remarkable.

However, Bingpin, a concubine's daughter, was able to seize the opportunity when her father's family fell apart, get rid of her original identity, and enter the palace.

On the surface, she was a helpless palace maid, but in secret, she held the abundant resources left by the Shui family, which gradually elevated her to the rank of concubine. She also gave birth to a healthy fourth prince. Although the mother and son were not the most favored by the emperor, they still had some face.

In the treacherous world of the imperial harem, this was the safest position.

Shui smiled slightly. What she liked most about Marquis He was that he wasn't afraid of his women being capable and ambitious.

If it weren't for this, she wouldn't have been able to drag Lord He onto the Fourth Prince's path of vying for the throne.

"Your Excellency said that the girls raised by my family are all extraordinary. I take it as a compliment from Your Excellency." Shui Shi chuckled, covering her face with her handkerchief. "However, if you ask me, the most remarkable one is still Your Excellency."

"Even though I'm the legitimate daughter, I still ended up serving under Your Highness, bearing you children. Even my sister, who became a concubine, finally gave birth to a prince, who is now Your Highness's prospective son-in-law."

Lord He laughed heartily. This was why he had risked everything to keep Lady Shui alive back then; she was a very sensible and considerate person.

Aunt Shui's eyes were slightly narrowed, and she exuded a maternal glow that made people feel happy just looking at her.

With her large pregnant belly, she served him gently and attentively, whispering in Lord He's ear, "You are the Fourth Prince's maternal uncle. Although our family has lost its real power, the influence left by our ancestors still exists."

Lord He felt pleased to hear these words. In the past ten years, he had become accustomed to flattering the powerful and fawning over the weak, and he couldn't wait to become the emperor's brother-in-law so that he could hold his head high both inside and outside the capital.

He then patted Shui's hand kindly and said, "You must take good care of Sixth Sister and teach her well, so that Shen doesn't delay her."

It wasn't that he disliked Madam Shen, but he thought that the seventh daughter, who was born of the main wife, was too innocent and naive to marry into a higher social class.

"Okay, I understand. Don't worry, sir."

"There's only one thing. The Fourth Prince is getting older every day, and we need to trouble you, his future father-in-law, to pick up the old connections of the Marquis's Mansion and make more private connections, so as to pave the way for our Fourth Prince."

My family's resources have almost entirely been invested in civil officials and nobles. The support of the military generals still depends on Your Majesty."

When Lord He recalled supporting the eldest prince in the past, he was still convinced that the lack of support from the old marquis was the reason why their plans failed.

"Don't worry, I won't make the same mistake twice. This time we'll definitely get what we want."

"Thank you for your hard work, my lord. My concubine and the children are all counting on you." After saying that, she puffed out her belly. "By the way, Consort Zhao sent word that the little princess is looking for playmates and wants Sixth Sister to go to the palace to accompany the emperor."

"This is good news. I'll have the steward secretly send you some silver notes later. You can use them to prepare some clothes and jewelry for Sixth Sister. Besides, she can't be short of money when she goes to the palace."

"With her aunt and maternal aunt in the palace, there's no fear that she won't have enough to eat or wear. And with her cousin and younger cousin looking after her, there's no fear that Sixth Sister will suffer any losses."

Shui chuckled, "However, I still want to thank Sixth Girl's father on her behalf. With you taking care of her, I, as her mother, seem to have no use for anything."

Lord He felt gratified thinking of Consort Bing and Consort He in the palace.

At this moment, Aunt Shui looked hesitant again, "However, regarding the matter of Sixth Sister entering the palace, I still need to trouble the Marquis to explain to the Madam. After all, this task should rightfully fall to Seventh Sister."

Lord He was in high spirits and readily agreed to go to Shen's place to provide cover.

Because he needed something from Madam Shen, Madam Shui didn't keep Lord He and sent him directly to the main courtyard.