Chapter 31 Taking a Concubine

This was the first time Yuan Ziyu saw Yuan Qilei after returning.

Yuan Ziyu's face remained calm, but hatred could not help surging in her heart. If it were not for her experience in the previous life, she would never have imagined that such a refined and handsome man could actually frame his own eldest brother with his own hands, and be so cruel as to not care about the life and death of his elderly mother.

"Lei'er, who is this?" It was the elder lady who broke the silence first.

The elder lady frowned slightly and looked at the young woman with an uneasy expression.

Yuan Qilei then smiled and said, "Mom, this is Chen Yan!"

As he spoke, Yuan Qilei said to the young woman, "Chen Yan, why don't you come and meet the old lady?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yan smiled and stepped forward to bow down: "Chen Yan greets the old lady."

Madam Yuan Lao's face was slightly gloomy. She ignored Chen Yan and only looked at Yuan Qi Lei: "Lei'er, I just want to ask you, in what capacity does this woman worship me?"

Yuan Qilei smiled awkwardly upon hearing this: "Mother, this is my new concubine!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Ning's face turned pale. When Yuan Qi Lei brought Chen Yan in before, she had a bad premonition in her heart, but she still had some hope. However, this hope was shattered by Yuan Qi Lei!

Just as the elder lady was about to speak, Liu said hurriedly, "Mother, I'll take You'er to see if there's anything missing for the banquet!"

The elder lady naturally understood what Liu meant, so she nodded and said, "Take Tong girl with you and teach them as well!"

Liu responded.

Ning suppressed the grievance in her heart and said to Liu, "Thank you for your hard work, sister-in-law."

Liu nodded to Ning, and took Yuan Ziyu and Yuan Zitong to the porch at the back.

"Mother!" Before the elder lady could say anything else, Yuan Qilei knelt in front of her and said, "My son really likes Chen Yan. Please agree to my request, mother!"

After hearing what Yuan Qilei said, Ning couldn't help but feel a little shaky. Rendong hurriedly helped Ning sit on the embroidered cushion beside her.

Madam Yuan pursed her lips, took a deep breath, and asked, "Lei'er, do you know the ancestral precepts of our Yuan family?"

"Son knows!" Yuan Qilei lowered his head and said, "The Yuan family's ancestral precepts state that women cannot be concubines. Men can only take concubines if they are over forty and childless."

The elder lady slammed the table and said, "Now that you know, what are you doing today?"

"Old lady, don't get angry and make yourself sick!" Nanny Bai hurried forward to comfort the old lady, while Shaoyao hurried to help the old lady calm down.

"Mother!" Yuan Qilei looked up at Madam Yuan Lao: "I really like Chen Yan. Besides, I am already 38 years old. Since I had Tong Er, the Ning family has not been happy for more than ten years. I don't want to have no descendants, mother!"

As he said that, Yuan Qilei kowtowed repeatedly to Madam Yuan Lao!

Madam Yuan was so angry that she threw the teacup in front of Yuan Qilei: "Can't you even wait for two years?"

Although the elder lady was somewhat displeased with Ning, she had to admit that as a wife and mother, Ning did a very good job.

"Mother!" Yuan Qilei hurriedly protected Chen Yan behind him. This action made Ning's already pale face even paler.

Yuan Qilei looked at Madam Yuan and said, "I know that my actions today are not in line with our ancestral teachings, but I hope you can understand me. Seeing that my elder brother has both sons and daughters, while I only have Tong'er as a daughter, I don't ask for a legitimate son. Even if I can have a concubine's son, I will be happy, mother!"

After hearing Yuan Qilei's words, Ning couldn't help but shed tears: "Master, are you blaming me? Blaming me for not being able to give you a son?"

When Ning first married into the Yuan family, she knew the family's ancestral precepts. At that time, she was secretly happy, thinking that she would never have to deal with those annoying concubines in her life.

But who would have known that she had never been pregnant since she gave birth to Yuan Zitong. At the beginning, she was not anxious, thinking that she was still young and could always have a son.

But as she grew older, she felt more and more uneasy. Over the past ten years, she had long been accustomed to the monogamous life with Yuan Qilei. If he had a concubine, she didn't know how she would react.

She originally thought that when Yuan Qilei was over forty, if he still had no son, she would marry the maid in her room to Yuan Qilei as a concubine. Even if he had a bastard son, she would be able to hold him in her hands, and it would not dilute Yuan Qilei's favor.

But who knows, man proposes, God disposes!

Without any warning, Yuan Qi Lei gave her a blow on the head!

Seeing how Yuan Qilei took such good care of Chen Yan, Ning felt as if her heart was broken and the pain was piercing!

"Yuehua, I have treated you well over the years. Please don't be so cruel. Do you want me to have no descendants?" Yuan Qilei frowned and said to Ning!

Ning covered her chest with her hands: "Master, is this how you miss me?"

Yuan Qilei snorted, "Am I wrong? I only have one daughter, Tong'er, now. Do you know how my colleagues laugh at me? Isn't it because you're useless?"

Ning was so angry at Yuan Qilei that her chest heaved. She struggled to slide down the embroidered cushion and knelt on the ground: "Mother, mother, please make the decision for me!"

After saying that, he burst into tears!

Yuan Qilei angrily said, "I just took a concubine, and you're here making a fuss and bothering mother."

Ning said angrily, "I am your legal wife. Even if you want to take a concubine, I should be the one to take care of it. You found this vixen from who knows where and you want to keep her in the house. You don't even know if she smells good or not."

"If you really wanted to, you should have taken the initiative to persuade mother to take a concubine for me a long time ago. Why did you wait until now? You left me with an empty child." Yuan Qilei said resentfully.

"You...you..." Ning was so angry that she fell backwards. Unable to contain her anger, she wanted to come up and tear Yuan Qilei apart.

"Enough!" The elder lady shouted angrily and slammed the table. With a crisp sound, the elder lady's jade ring broke into two pieces.

Suddenly, the room became quiet, with only Ning still sobbing softly.

Madam Yuan Lao looked at Chen Yan behind Yuan Qilei with disgust, and then said to Yuan Qilei, "Lei'er, the Yuan family's ancestral precepts cannot be changed. By doing this, are you worthy of your deceased father and your ancestors?"

"I hope my mother will help me!" Yuan Qilei knelt forward and took two steps to pray.

"You..." Just as the old lady was about to scold, Chen Yan knelt a few steps from behind Yuan Qilei and knelt in front of the old lady with Yuan Qilei. "Old lady, Chen Yan truly admires the master and does not seek a formal status. If I cannot be the master's concubine, Chen Yan is willing to serve the master as a slave. I hope the old lady will grant my wish!"

After saying this, Chen Yan fell to the ground and kowtowed, unable to get up.

Thanks to Forget-Me-Not, Silly Good Friend is Wang Xiaoguai, What Name Can I Use to Attract Your Attention, Mua, and Hua Fei Hua Luo for their recommendation votes (/≧▽≦/)

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(End of this chapter)