Chapter 53 Adoption Disputes

Lu Yunzhang: "That's good. Ever since my uncle and cousin Yunqi left, my aunt has been so listless that she has no time to take care of anything else. The huge general's mansion needs people to be there for her. I had no choice but to step up and put on a good show. But things in the mansion are really messy, so there are bound to be some things I haven't been able to take care of properly."

If you need anything in the future, just send someone to tell me, or call your cousin's wife. In short, as long as you give the order, my husband and I will definitely take care of it properly.

By the way, it's almost deep winter now. The manor purchased charcoal a few days ago. Did you get any silver frost charcoal, sister-in-law?

Granny Pei answered quickly: "We've been given out! The steward of the outer courtyard specially sent over silver frost charcoal, as well as regular charcoal for the servants. Steward Lu also said that if we run out, we should let him know, and he will never shortchange our young mistress's needs."

Lu Yunzhang seemed relieved: "That's good. This year is expected to be a harsh winter, and the price of silver frost charcoal has risen considerably compared to previous years. Things haven't been going well in the manor this year, and we haven't been able to make ends meet, so we've bought less silver frost charcoal. However, I've instructed the steward that no matter whether the other branches of the household are short or not, the silver frost charcoal here must not be cut off."

Yu Qingci smiled faintly: "Thank you for your concern, elder brother, but Songbai Hall is the most important place. Mother is getting old and can't stand the cold anymore."

Lu Yunzhang realized he had misspoke and quickly added, "Yes, yes, I also instructed Songbai Hall that there would be no shortage of silver frost charcoal, sister-in-law. Don't worry! Alas! I am very worried about Auntie, who is depressed and unable to cheer up. If you have time, please spend more time with Auntie."

Yu Qingci: "That's natural."

After a moment of silence, Lu Yunzhang, having nothing more to say, offered a few more words about taking care of his health before taking his leave with a gentle and honest smile.

The smile on his face vanished the moment he stepped out of Guanlan Courtyard.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief after he left.

Tong'er couldn't help but whisper, "Our master really doesn't know how to avoid suspicion. Why did he just come over like that?"

Indeed, what kind of elder brother-in-law would voluntarily come to his widowed sister-in-law's courtyard to offer his concern? Even Tong'er could tell something was amiss.

Granny Pei frowned and said, "This gentleman is indeed too unscrupulous. I wonder what he's up to?"

Lian Qiao hesitated to speak. She had only been serving at Guanlan Courtyard for a few days and knew that she was no match for Pei Mama and Tong'er in front of her master, so she always had to think carefully before she spoke or acted.

Yu Qingci, who was standing to the side, was moved: "Lian Qiao, now that you are serving by my side, you should have become familiar with my character in the next few days. As long as you are loyal, I am easy to get along with. Pei Mama, Tong'er and I are new here and do not know many people and things. You may speak your mind. Even if you are wrong, I will not blame you."

Lianqiao had served Madam Ning for several years, so she naturally knew more about the General's Mansion than the others.

When she was choosing her personal maid, she chose Lian Qiao because she looked composed and had the demeanor of a senior maid. After observing her secretly these past few days, she found that the girl was indeed good at dealing with people and knew how to behave appropriately.

Upon hearing this, Lian Qiao bit her lip and said, "This servant thinks that the master is trying to win over the young mistress by taking the initiative to express his loyalty to her, because he also wants to be the heir."

What? This old man wants to be the adopted son?

Yu Qingci and Granny Pei both looked over in surprise. Tong'er said anxiously, "How is this possible? The master is much older than our young mistress. How can he be the young mistress's adopted son?"

Lian Qiao quickly shook her head and explained, "No, what I meant was that Master wants to be the Old Madam's adopted son."

Yu Qingci and the others then realized what was happening.

Granny Pei exclaimed in surprise, "Is that so?"

Lian Qiao looked at everyone and nodded affirmatively.

Granny Pei: "Then it's not surprising. The old lady only has one son, the young general. Now that the young general is gone, if the young master can be registered under the old lady's name, wouldn't he be the one calling the shots in the entire eldest son's household? Lianqiao, since you know something, you should tell us quickly."

Lian Qiao recounted the whole story: "With the sudden accident involving the two generals, the most heartbroken person in the mansion was none other than the old lady. For a period of time, the old lady was bedridden, and people from the second and fourth branches of the family would visit her from time to time."

First, the second and fourth wives repeatedly asked the old lady to take over the management of the household, but it was only because the seventh young lady helped the old lady that they were not able to succeed.

However, Seventh Miss was, after all, a young lady confined to her quarters. She could manage the affairs of the mansion for the old lady, but she couldn't get involved in many things outside. At this time, the eldest master took over the social interactions between the mansion and the outside world.

Later, the second master and second mistress took the eldest son to see the old lady several times. At that time, I was just a second-class maidservant by the old lady's side, but the second family came over frequently and spoke loudly, so I understood that they wanted to adopt the eldest son under the old lady's name so that the eldest son's lineage would have a successor.

Actually, everyone in Songbai Hall knew about this, but Granny Wang instructed us not to spread it, so others in the mansion might not know.

Yu Qingci and the others then realized, "So that's how it is."

Lian Qiao: "Not only the eldest son, but also the fourth branch of the family wants to have the fourth son adopted by the old lady. The two branches have argued about this several times with the old lady."

Fourth Master Lu Yunqing is the eldest son of the fourth wife and her husband. He is four years younger than Lu Yunqi, who is the third son. He is nineteen years old this year, but he is already married with children.

"But the old lady refused to agree from the beginning, saying that she only had one son, the young general, and would never recognize anyone else. So they compromised and urged the old lady to go to the Nanping Earl's Mansion to discuss the marriage, saying that after the young lady married into the family, they would adopt a son for the young general."

After Lian Qiao finished speaking, Yu Qingci vaguely understood why Lu Yunzhang was behaving this way today. He was still determined to win her over and pave the way for his successful adoption.

But this is blatant. Before outsiders have even done anything, the brothers are already planning to eat up the family's wealth.

It's not surprising that the second and fourth wives had this idea. The two generals sacrificed their lives for the country, and the court would definitely have to take measures to appease them. If the old lady had any sons, then the court's appeasement would likely fall on those sons, such as letting them inherit the title of General Ningyuan.

Even if he only had the title of Grand General without any real power, he still enjoyed a high-ranking official position and generous salary, and he was guaranteed a lifetime of wealth and honor.

Not to mention that the imperial court also bestowed many gold and silver treasures upon them. The general and his son had fought for many years, and the rewards they received must have been more than just this once. The wealth of the eldest son's family was also an important place for them to covet.

Currently, the eldest branch of the family only has one daughter, Lu Yun Chu. When Lu Yun Chu gets married in the future, the old lady will definitely leave most of the family property to this daughter.