A Missed Chance

"Yun Wan, you are the mistress of the house, tell me, what do you want to do?"

Lin Yunwan hadn't expected that the Old Madam would actually ask her for her opinion.

She thought that even for Qing's sake, the Old Madam wouldn't want Ge Bao'er to die.

Lin Yunwan said calmly, "Does the Old Madam still need to ask me how to deal with adultery? -- It's no pity if they die!"

Wei Shi chimed in, "Exactly. If she dies alone, everyone will have peace and quiet!"

The Old Madam lay in bed, silent.

She didn't even blink, as if she was seriously considering her daughter-in-law and granddaughter-in-law's opinions.

In the end, she didn't say anything, but instead said, "I'm tired, you guys go back first."

Wei Shi hurriedly stood up and said, "Old Madam, you haven't said how you intend to handle this..."

Nanny Yan came out to send her away. "Madam, the Old Madam is tired, and you are tired too. You should go back now."

Wei Shi had no choice but to take his leave.

He had just lifted the curtain and gone out, muttering impatiently, "Whatever!"

According to her, it would be best to strangle him and burn him to ashes, scattering the ashes far away.

Anyway, there's hardly anyone in Ge Bao'er's family. She really doesn't understand the Old Madam. What is there to hesitate about?

Lin Yunwan was about to follow when Old Madam Lu called out to her, "Yun Wan."

"Old Madam."

Old Madam Lu sat up, looked at her, and said, "You are the mistress of the house, the Principal Wife. You must not be as petty as those women from humble families. Don't worry about this matter, and don't hold it in your heart."

"You and Zhengliu have a long road ahead of you."

"... Bao'er, it's none of your business."

As he spoke, a murderous intent crept into his eyes.

Lin Yunwan gave a faint reply and returned to the Drooping Silk Hall.

Old Madam Lu suddenly coughed, and Nanny Yan went over to serve Old Madam, asking, "Are you really going to do something to your Cousin Miss?"

"Are there any other options?"

Old Madam Lu said, "She's a menace. I think Zhengliu for her are fading, so we might as well take this opportunity to be ruthless..."

"Great grandmother..."

Qing appeared outside at some point, standing by the door, looking at them with a terrified expression, clearly having overheard their conversation.

Nanny Yan was so frightened her heart almost jumped out of her chest.

She put down the bowl of medicine in her hand and asked in a panic, "Young Master Qing, why are you here?"

He then berated the maids outside. "Are they all blind! They didn't even announce the arrival of the young master!"

A maidservant ran over nervously and said, "Madam and Young Madam are talking inside. We dared not go near them. Young Master Qing arrived in the blink of an eye. We didn't see him."

Qing was terrified.

Helpless, Nanny Yan dismissed the maid and led Qing into the room.

Old Madam Lu quickly hugged Qing and said, "You can't bear to see your great-grandmother drive your mother away?"

Qing opened his eyes wide, pursed his lips, and dared not speak.

Old Madam Lu coaxed him, saying, "Your mother made a mistake this time, and Nanny Yan and I discussed sending her away. Did that scare you?"

Qing finally calmed down and burst into tears.

"Great-grandmother, I... I thought..."

He'd heard yesterday that the mansion was going to strangle his mother, but he thought it was fake. When he arrived and heard the Old Madam say the same thing, his hands and feet turned cold.

"My silly child, please stop crying. How could your great-grandmother bear to see you so sad?"

"Oh dear, your hands are so cold! Let me warm them up for you."

Qing placed his hand in Old Madam Lu's palm, took a deep breath, and said, "Great-Grandmother, you're sick. Let me warm you up. Lie down, and I'll take care of you."

Old Madam Lu smiled.

"Qing is so Filial Piety; your great-grandmother's love for you was well-deserved."

Qing wasn't stupid; he knew who his backer was. Although his father loved him, he wouldn't see him for days at a time.

His only reliable person was his great-grandmother.

"When will you get better, Great-Grandma? I couldn't sleep all night because I was worried. Can I sleep with you tonight? I want to stay by your side and watch you get better."

"Okay, okay. You'll stay with me tonight."

The grandmother and grandson were incredibly affectionate.

Nanny Yan felt uneasy. It was good that the Young Master Filial Piety his Old Madam, but what if he grew up and found out that his birth mother had been strangled to death by the Old Madam? Would he still remember her Old Madam?

After nightfall, once Qing was asleep, Nanny Yan asked Old Madam Lu, "Are you really going to let her go?"

Old Madam Lu gave a cold laugh; the loving expression from earlier in the day was nowhere to be seen on her face.

"Go and make the trip yourself, and see if the nuns in that nunnery are still alive."

Even without the Old Madam explaining, Nanny Yan knew which nunnery it was. She frowned and asked, "Decades have passed, what if that nun dies?"

Old Madam Lu, "Even if she dies, those methods and poisons won't be lost. Which family doesn't have some dirty business to deal with? It just depends on whether they can afford it."

"Go and find out if she has any apprentices."

Nanny Yan nodded and sighed, "Those were methods used to deal with the Old Master's Concubines decades ago. And you, at your age, still have to resort to such tactics against your grandson's Concubine. Sigh!"

The legal wife's entire life is forever haunted by the troubles of a lowly woman!

Old Madam Lu herself didn't feel anything was wrong, but she was reluctant to involve Qing.

Nanny Yan, however, worriedly said, "The medicine that nun developed before was indeed effective. Although its toxicity was slower, taking a year or two to kill, it looked like someone died of illness, attracting no attention at all. It was quite a clever method."

"I wonder if the nun's methods have been passed down. If they have, that would be wonderful! Our household will finally have peace and tranquility."

Old Madam Lu really wanted to kill Ge Bao'er as soon as possible, but when she thought of Qing, she said with heartache, "Look at how pitiful he was just begging me to let his mother live. If I wasn't afraid of hurting him, what else would I have to worry about! Now I can only slowly scheme like this."

Nanny Yan said, "Don't worry, this old servant will go tomorrow. You should go to sleep now."

The next day.

Nanny Yan went out early this morning.

Old Madam Lu summoned Lu Zhengliu and asked him what he thought.

"Neither your mother nor Yun Wan can tolerate her. Do you want to keep her in the manor, or simply send her away?"

Lu Zhengliu clenched his fists and asked, "What did Yun Wan say to you? She... is very angry with me?"

"Now you know you regret it? If only you and Yun Wan had been on good terms from the beginning, you wouldn't have to regret it now."

Old Madam Lu was furious at her son's lack of ambition. Yun Wan was the granddaughter-in-law that her grandfather had begged for back then, even at the cost of losing face!

Lu Zhengliu had nothing to argue with, but simply said, "Bao'er is Qing's mother after all. Sending her away will only hurt Qing. Let her stay in the manor."

He also promised the Old Madam, "Grandmother, I will never touch her again. I'll just treat her as someone to feed."

Old Madam Lu sighed, "You should tell Yun Wan these things yourself."

Lu Zhengliu remained silent.

There's plenty of time ahead; they have many more days as husband and wife. He'll make it up to them sooner or later.

After leaving Hall of Longevity, Lu Zhengliu his patrol that evening, took a bath, and went to see Lin Yunwan.

"My grandmother and I have discussed it, and we've decided to make my Bao'er younger female cousin concubine."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Qing stared intently at Lu Zhengliu, then shook her head in disappointment.

Lin Yunwan put down her book and asked, "Is this the Heir Apparent's idea, or the Old Madam's?"

Lu Zhengliu said, "... It was my idea."

Lin Yunwan nodded, "I understand." Her expression was extremely cold as she said, "I can't interfere in the Ge family's affairs. Once the Heir Apparent has dealt with it, I will arrange her status and a residence."

Knowing she was unhappy, Lu Zhengliu didn't rush to explain anything.

Before leaving, he said, "You'll understand later." You'll understand his helplessness.

He wouldn't have taken this concubine if he hadn't been forced to.

Zhu Qing sighed.

The Heir Apparent has missed a golden opportunity this time.