Household Registration

"Madam, shall I go and inquire at the Hall of Longevity again? There are so many people in the Old Madam's Courtyard; surely there are one or two who aren't discreet."

Zhu Qing was eager to go and find out what was going on at the Hall of Longevity right now.

Lin Yunwan shook her head. "This is a matter of great importance. The Old Madam will be on guard. You won't find out anything."

She instructed Zhu Qing, "You could go and see how the Old Madam ultimately deals with her. If her status is decided today, she might have to move in with you, and you'll be living in the same Courtyard from now on."

Zhu Qing laughed, "That would be wonderful! From now on, when I come to pay my respects to Madam morning and evening, I'll have someone to keep me company."

Lin Yunwan smiled faintly, "Go."

Zhu Qing nodded.

Instead of going directly to the Hall of Longevity, she first went to the Kitchen and asked for a bowl of calming herbal soup.

The personal maidservant, carrying the medicine, asked curiously, "Concubine, you're not sick, why do you need this medicine?"

Zhu Qing glanced at her and said, "Use your brain and think about what we're going to do right now. If we get caught, we'll have an explanation."

The master and servant went together to the Hall of Longevity.

"You slut!"

After recovering from her semi-conscious state, Old Madam Lu got out of bed without saying a word and slapped Ge Bao'er across the face.

"Ah..."

Ge Bao'er collapsed to the ground, Chief Eunuch on her face swelled up to half an inch high.

Nanny Yan, disregarding her own feelings, rushed over to support Old Madam Lu, pleading, "Old Madam, please don't get angry."

Lu Zhengliu also came over to help him up.

He pressed his lips together, not daring to say a word. After a long while, he finally whispered, "Grandmother, please sit down."

How could she possibly sit still!

Old Madam Lu grabbed Lu Zhengliu by the collar and asked excitedly, "Tell me, did you know she was Criminal's Bondservant? Did she lie to you, or did you already know and hide it from me with her?"

Lu Zhengliu, unable to speak.

Nanny Yan urged, "Heir Apparent, things have come to this, please stop protecting her! Just say what you have to say!"

Lu Zhengliu, "Grandmother, I know, but..."

But he didn't mean to deceive his grandmother; it was just that so much time had passed that he hadn't taken it to heart.

When the matter resurfaced, he realized he shouldn't have forgotten.

Old Madam Lu was too tired to scold them anymore, and didn't want to listen any longer.

She waved her hand. "Go, all of you, go!"

"Since you want to take her as a concubine, so be it. She's just a lowly concubine; the Lu family can afford to support her."

"From now on, whether you want to destroy the Lu family or wipe them out, it's up to you."

Lu Zhengliu knelt down and kowtowed on the ground.

When Nanny Yan saw that his head was red from kowtowing on the ground, she exclaimed in surprise and tugged at Old Madam Lu's sleeve, "Old Madam, the Heir Apparent must know he was wrong. Please don't be angry."

Old Madam Lu said sadly, "He dares to hide anything from me! If Yun Wan hadn't mentioned it, I would never have imagined that he would be so bold as to harbor Bondservant of a Criminal's Family!"

"How did the Lu family manage to weather the storm seven years ago? How dare he do something like this!"

Nanny Yan was speechless and could no longer persuade them. If it were someone else's family, it would be one thing, but the Lu family really couldn't withstand this kind of torment.

It was clear that the Old Madam needed to rest.

She walked up to Lu Zhengliu and said, "Your Heir Apparent, the engagement of our Cousin Miss has been called off, and her status has been settled. You and she should go ahead. This old servant will take care of things here. Don't worry."

Thank you, Nanny Yan.

Lu Zhengliu stood up. He had intended to leave, but instead walked up to Ge Bao'er, his gaze sharp as a knife. "You're already Concubine, aren't you leaving?"

His tone was cold and icy, colder than a knife.

When Ge Bao'er looked up, she felt like she didn't even recognize him!

By the time she slowly followed him out, Lu Zhengliu had already disappeared.

After closing the door, Nanny Yan helped Old Madam Lu take her medicine. Only after she calmed down did she dare to continue talking about Ge Bao'er.

"Since Cousin Miss was freed from slavery before that family was exiled, she is considered a free person."

"Although the loss of her indenture doesn't prove she was ever redeemed, everyone in the village knows her adoptive parents did. Actually, someone can confirm it, and more than ten years have passed, so it doesn't really matter."

Old Madam Lu sighed and said, "In the end, it's not a big deal. I'm just angry that he kept it from me."

So when she heard Nanny Yan's son say that Ge Bao'er was kidnapped by beggars and taken to Liyang when she was a child, and that she had worked as a maid in the household of an official, and that family was later exiled for committing a crime, Ge Bao'er almost became Bondservant of a Criminal's Family.

She fainted from fright.

Nanny Yan said, "The Heir Apparent didn't mean to hide it from you. If she hadn't been freed from her slave status, Heir Apparent wouldn't have dared not tell you."

Old Madam Lu closed her eyes.

Nanny Yan continued, "Speaking of which, she was capable from a young age. There were many maids in the household, but her adoptive parents went to great lengths to redeem her."

He raised her with great care and love, treating her like his own daughter.

"She met our Heir Apparent again in Liyang; I don't know where she got such good fortune."

Old Madam Lu sneered, "She's been a vixen since she was a child! Who knows what tricks she used to bewitch that old couple!"

Nanny Yan smiled.

She disagreed with the Old Madam's view. It wasn't a bad thing that Ge Bao'er, at such a young age, was able to find a way to escape slavery.

If people weren't forced by life's circumstances, who would want to be a slave or servant?

If it weren't for her son and grandson's future, she wouldn't be willing to be a servant now.

Old Madam Lu sighed, "It's truly a blessing for Zhengliu to have married Yun Wan. From now on, we should listen to Yun Wan in all matters, big and small."

"This old servant also thinks that Madam is very farsighted. You can rest assured that you can entrust all the affairs of the household to Madam."

Old Madam Lu nodded and said, "Ge Bao'er's indenture is missing. We must be wary of anyone using this to their advantage in the future. The Lu family will never take on this trouble for her."

"She signed a new indenture and was made a concubine, and she had no complaints. From now on, she can be beaten, scolded, disposed of, expelled, or sold at will, entirely at the master's whim."

Nanny Yan said, "From now on, her life and death are in Madam's hands. She won't be able to cause any more trouble. You can rest assured now."

Old Madam Lu was exhausted. She nodded and didn't want to say anything more.

She pushed the medicine bowl away and said, "I don't want to drink this medicine anymore, take it away."

"This old servant will take it to the Kitchen to heat it up. You should drink it whenever you want. Listening to the Physician will help you recover faster."

After all the commotion, Old Madam Lu was exhausted and wanted to go inside to rest.

But before going to bed, she didn't forget to tell Nanny Yan, "Have Qing come over after class. If it weren't for Qing, she wouldn't have caused this trouble. It's all her fault for instigating Qing; I can't be soft-hearted anymore!"

"Yes."

Nanny Yan thought to herself, "The Old Madam really got it right this time. Qing is the root of Ge Bao'er's audacity!"

She carried the medicine bowl to the corridor, intending to find a maid to serve the Old Madam. She immediately spotted Zhu Qing outside, followed by a maid.

"What are you doing standing outside, Concubine! Did the Old Madam summon you?"

Nanny Yan scolded Zhu Qing very sternly.

Zhu Qing smiled good-naturedly and said, "I heard that the Old Madam hasn't been sleeping well lately, so after discussing it with my wife, I asked the Kitchen to brew Old Madam a calming herbal soup."

She gestured for the maid to bring the medicine over.

The girl was terrified and kept her head down, not daring to look at Nanny Yan.

Zhu Qing smiled broadly, showing no sign of guilt.

Nanny Yan heard that it was Lin Yunwan's idea, she was half worried and half happy. Her expression softened, and she said, "The Old Madam isn't taking her medicine now and is resting. Concubine, please take it back."

"Good."

Zhu Qing curtsied and said, "This concubine takes her leave."

Nanny Yan warned her, "No matter what you hear, watch your mouth! If your Concubine says anything she shouldn't, watch your tongue."

Zhu Qing looked bewildered. "What are you saying Nanny Yan? What did I just hear?"

Nanny Yan left with a cold expression.

Zhu Qing hurried to the Drooping Silk Hall.