The clan chief's wife thought for a long time and said, "I remember now. That second brother was such a good man. When he came back to worship the ancestors with his wife after getting married, he was all smiles. He was also good-looking. All of us sisters-in-law said that this second brother was a good man and treated his wife well. Who knew that his whole family was unlucky?"

The old clan chief said, "I have to go to the capital to ask the Marquis about this matter and see what his plan is. Many people in the clan have come back to ask me about this. This is not just a matter for the Marquis's mansion, but a major event for our clan."

The old clan chief was over seventy years old and belonged to the same generation as the Marquis of Pingxi's father, making him the most senior member of the clan.

The old clan chief, along with several members of the clan, rode to the capital. When Marquis Pingxi saw the old clan chief arrive at this time, he was very surprised. After understanding what had happened, he was both shocked and furious. Adopting a child for the second branch of the family was no small matter. Before his death, the old Marquis Pingxi had explained the implications of this to him. At that time, it was only because Marquis Pingxi did not have any brothers that the old Marquis Pingxi had adopted a child for his younger brother. Why wait until now?

The adopted child from the second wife not only inherited the family line, but also the imperial edict enshrined in the ancestral hall, as well as half of the Marquis's mansion. The Marquis's mansion was not a place that anyone could enter at will; it was always the Marquis of Pingxi who made the decisions. How could the Marquis of Pingxi get along with an outsider who suddenly entered? Most importantly, why should his own family property be divided among others? Even though they were his own clansmen, in the Marquis of Pingxi's eyes, they were still outsiders.

Suddenly, he remembered what Madam Chen had told him some time ago. Madam Chen said that when she attended some kind of flower festival, she forgot which lady mentioned that the Emperor seemed to be taking back the titles and iron certificates of merit that no one had an heir. Marquis Pingxi thought that this must be the reason.

After calming down the old clan chief, Marquis Pingxi went to the backyard to discuss with Madam Chen. Marquis Pingxi remembered that after Madam Chen told him, she jokingly asked him if he were to adopt a son, would he adopt his sister's child or his own? Marquis Pingxi left with a cold face.

Marquis Pingxi dismissed all the servants from Madam Chen's room and asked her, "Is what you told me about hearing at some flower fair true?"

Madam Chen already knew the clan leader was coming, and naturally knew why. She knew that Marquis Pingxi would come to question her, so she had already thought of a way to deal with it.

Madam Chen looked surprised and said, "My lord, why are you asking me about this again? I was a bit presumptuous last time and made you unhappy. I've been feeling uneasy these past few days."

Marquis Pingxi waved his hand and said, "Marquis Pingxi's situation is a bit special. If Second Uncle really wants to adopt a child, then half of the houses in our mansion will have to be given to him. If that's really the case, we need to make plans as soon as possible."

Ms. Chen clutched her chest in surprise and said, "They want to divide the house in half? How could this be?"

Marquis Pingxi said, "These are all things from years ago, and they involve an imperial edict from the late emperor. I'm afraid that if the current emperor remembers them and really wants us to adopt a child for my second uncle to carry on the family line, we will be in a passive position."

Madam Chen said, "At the flower fair, some ladies made a joke about it. It seems that it was the wife of the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies who was talking to others. I didn't pay attention at the time and only heard a sentence or two. I really didn't know that we had a second uncle in our household."

Marquis Pingxi's expression softened slightly, and he said, "That all happened decades ago, so it's natural that you don't know. If that's really the case, we need to make plans as soon as possible."

Madam Chen's eyes immediately reddened, and she said, "My lord, why don't you adopt our Yun'er out? I know you want to pass the title of Marquis of Pingxi to Yuan'er, after all, he is my sister's legitimate son and the bloodline she left in this world."

After speaking, Madam Chen sat down in her chair with her head down, tears streaming down her face. When Marquis Pingxi saw this, he came over and pulled Madam Chen into his arms, saying, "Madam, don't be sad. Aren't we just discussing this?"

Madam Chen raised her pretty face, which was streaked with tears, and stared intently at Marquis Pingxi. Madam Chen was not yet thirty years old, which was the most charming time of a woman's life. She was able to control herself in front of Marquis Pingxi. When she was shy, her ears would turn red. When she was uninhibited, she would leave Marquis Pingxi with lingering feelings for two or three days. Otherwise, Marquis Pingxi would not have taken any concubines after Madam Chen entered the household.

When Marquis Pingxi saw that Madam Chen was trying so hard to smile through her tears, he sighed and said, "If you don't want to smile, then don't. I promised you back then that I would make you happy and carefree in the future. If you want to laugh, then laugh heartily; if you want to cry, then cry heartily."

Upon hearing this, Madam Chen sniffed and said with a touched expression, "My lord, you are so kind to me. I never expected that you would still remember what we said back then."

Marquis Pingxi sighed and said, "As you know, your sister passed away a long time ago. It wouldn't look good if I pushed Yuan'er out all at once. Not to mention anything else, there's your family. My mother-in-law is no pushover. I assure you, I will keep Yun'er in the title of Marquis Pingxi."

Upon hearing this, Madam Chen immediately stood up, hugged the Marquis of Pingxi's neck, and said sweetly, "My lord, thank you, thank you for thinking of us mother and children."

After saying that, he added with a worried look, "But this would put the Marquis in an unjust position."

Marquis Pingxi said, "It's alright. There's no smoke without fire. Since there's really such a rumor, then there's a sign of it. Let's take advantage of the time and make our move first."

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!