Confiscating property? A stunningly beautiful substitute bride empties the national treasury and is

"Your second brother was beaten like this, don't you have anything to say?"

Song Qingqian raised an eyebrow at him, extremely curious. Judging from their relationship, they seemed to have a good relationship. Shouldn't she intervene, both morally and logically?

Lu Jingchuan's eyes held a hint of melancholy. He glanced at Lu Yunqi before looking away, seemingly unsurprised, and said:

"My second brother and cousin's relationship was consensual, and Mother didn't say anything. How can I interfere?"

Song Qingqian found it unbelievable. She lowered her voice and warned, "Even if you're willing, you can't get married. They're close relatives. If they have children, they're very likely to have deformities or intellectual disabilities. It'll harm both of them..."

"Why?"

Lu Jingchuan stared at her, speechless, his eyes filled with curiosity and confusion.

"We've already said we're close relatives, why are you still asking why?"

Song Qingqian was speechless and offered no explanation.

Lu Jingchuan was about to retort when he suddenly thought of his colleague Zhang Xiangqian's two children, who were married to his cousin.

In an instant, it was as if I had been awakened; perhaps there really is such a saying. Every time I saw him, he always looked worried and distressed.

Lu Jingchuan immediately decided he didn't want Lu Yunqi to remain so stubborn. After all, a short, sharp pain is worse than a long, drawn-out one, and cutting one's losses in time is the best course of action.

After a long pause, he pressed on again, "So they really can't get married, right?"

"It's not that you can't get married, it's that you can't have children. If you can accept that Lu Yunqi will have no heirs in the future, that's fine too."

Lu Jingchuan fell silent, and the old lady who was coaxing the two children to sleep not far away also fell silent; she had never liked this niece.

It wasn't just because she was an illegitimate daughter; her words and actions lacked the decorum expected of a woman from a noble family, and most importantly, she was completely uneducated.

Lu Yunqi was useless, but she thought that finding a well-read woman to match him would be acceptable.

As for why Song Weilan, the eldest daughter of the Song family, was chosen, it was because one of her poems had won first place among the noble ladies.

That's why the Imperial Concubine noticed her. Besides, the Song family didn't have much power, so she could be easily controlled after she married into the family. That's why she agreed to the marriage. Little did she expect...

Lu Yunqi limped back, looking utterly disheveled. He glanced at the floor mat with some surprise, but he had no time to care. He quietly approached the Japanese officer and spoke:

"Mom, is there anything to eat? I'm so hungry!"

The old lady thought about the remaining half chicken, but kept quiet. After all, it belonged to her third son's wife, and she was too ashamed to deal with it. Helpless, she could only shake her head.

"Grandmother, didn't we just leave some for Second Uncle? Look how pitiful he is!"

Little Yu'er looked at the old lady with curious eyes, not understanding why her second uncle wasn't being given any food...

"My dear Yu'er, your second uncle has not spoiled you for nothing!"

Lu Yunqi patted Xiao Yu'er's head and praised her, then urged the old lady:

"Mother, where is the food? I'm starving!"

The old lady said coldly, "It all belongs to the third son's wife. If you're hungry, go ask her. I have nothing."

Lu Yunqi glanced at Song Qingqian, then reluctantly walked over and awkwardly began to speak:

"Where's the food? Bring it out now!"

"That's for tomorrow morning, not tonight!"

Song Qingqian directly rejected him, coldly saying, "Lu Yunqi, have you forgotten what I told you before I came back? Weren't you quite tough back then? Why didn't you go find Yu Ke'er when you were hungry? What are you doing back here?"

"Ke'er didn't!"

Lu Yunqi explained in a low voice that he couldn't even get close to the Yu family, let alone get food.

"What a coincidence. Looks like you'll have to go hungry. Why don't you just endure it overnight and eat with everyone tomorrow morning? Anyway, you're tough and won't starve."

"Song Qingqian, I've carried the third brother for so long, I deserve credit for my hard work even if I haven't done anything great, how can you be so heartless?"

Lu Yunqi retorted angrily, "If I wanted to walk, it wouldn't have been so difficult."

"Then go find the third brother, why are you yelling at me? You didn't even lift me up!"

As she spoke, Song Qingqian called Xiao Yu'er over, hugged her, and went to sleep with her back to the others.

"Song Qingqian!"

Lu Yunqi gritted his teeth in anger, while Lu Jingchuan glanced at him and closed his eyes indifferently.

He turned to look at his mother, but the old lady's Zhan'er turned to the other side. Lu Lanyue ignored her, and only Lu Xieyue gave him a sympathetic look.

As for his sister-in-law, he dared not. If she got angry and fell ill, his mother would surely beat him to death.

With nowhere to vent his anger, Lu Yunqi kicked his foot in frustration, and immediately grimaced and cried out in pain.

Seeing that no one cared about him, Lu Yunqi could only lie down resentfully beside Lu Jingchuan.

Xiao Yu'er felt a little sorry for him and asked softly, "Third Aunt, why don't you give some to Second Uncle? We still have some left."

"His aunt reminded him that it was his own choice not to eat it, and that a person should keep their word; a person who goes back on their word is not a good person!"

"That's right, people should keep their word. That's what Father always tells us."

"Let's go to sleep and ignore him!"

"But what if Second Uncle doesn't eat? He won't be able to carry Third Uncle tomorrow. Will we get whipped again?"

Xiao Yu'er's big eyes blinked, filled with worry. She still remembered the whip marks on her second uncle's back; they looked so painful.

Song Qingqian comforted her, "It's alright, we won't be whipped, Third Aunt will find a way."

"Oh well!"

Xiao Yu'er sighed and closed her eyes in Song Qingqian's arms. Her aunt smelled so good, so fragrant. Then she smelled the coarse cloth on her body and a stinky smell hit her.

She couldn't understand why her aunt's clothes were different even though they were both made of coarse cloth.

Lu Jingchuan opened his eyes and turned to look at Song Qingqian, who had her eyes closed, his eyes full of inquiry.

What kind of woman was she? Why was she so different from other women in every way? Her fortitude even surpassed that of many men…

After closing her eyes, Song Qingqian leisurely channeled her divine sense into the space. The items she had collected yesterday were automatically sorted and neatly stacked to one side.

Because she had taken over the entire moat of the palace, Song Qingqian's space suddenly became bright and spacious. In just one day, the river water became crystal clear, and all kinds of fish swam happily in it.

There were enormous koi carp, as well as schools of grass carp, common carp, silver carp, and many others—many of which she couldn't even name.

The meadow features artificial hills, various famous flowers, and many towering ancient trees.

Overall, it's essentially an enlarged version of the imperial palace complex. Aside from lacking buildings, it surpasses the imperial palace in every other way; after all, it's a combination of the imperial palace and the residences of numerous prominent families in the capital.

Looking at the countless golden tiles, Song Qingqian had a sudden inspiration and opened the Perler system.

Building a house... building a house...

Wow, there really is one! Song Qingqian then spent a long time negotiating with the ghost messenger customer service, and finally settled on a deal for five thousand taels of silver.

I want a huge bathtub, a soft mattress, and a sofa with automatic massage function…

Song Qingqian was having a blast taking pictures; she was already fantasizing about lying in a house with golden tiles and enjoying life to the fullest…