“No. Father, I won’t change what I said. Since Second Brother feels wronged, why not let him find another job?” Lanqin refused to budge. She wasn’t like Anjia, easily bullied. Her Qing Dynasty Hot Pot restaurant couldn’t be ruined by someone like Qiu Gui.

Seeing that Lanqin refused to budge, Lingzhu immediately roared at his illegitimate son, "Useless thing, hurry up and apologize to your third sister!" Perhaps he was getting old, or perhaps he saw that Lanqin's future prospects were the best among his children, which is why he was so desperate to give Qiugui to Lanqin. And this foolish son didn't understand his intentions at all, which was truly extremely stupid.

"Father!" Qiu Gui naturally did not understand Ling Zhu's intentions and still refused to beg Lan Qin for mercy.

"If you don't go now, don't ever step foot in my door again. Whether you live or die, don't come looking for me again!" Lingzhu was furious and blurted out these words.

Lanqin sneered inwardly: "Does he think he can just ask for something and I'll soften up? This cheapskate father is far too naive."

“Father, Mother is still waiting for me. Let this matter rest. I will not pursue the matter of the money my second brother embezzled out of brotherly affection. And please do not come again.” Lanqin stood up and said.

Lingzhu hadn't expected Lanqin to be so resolute. He had already said all he wanted, but she remained unmoved. However, he couldn't bring himself to ask her again, so he had no choice but to let Lanqin go.

"You bastard, you've really disappointed me. You don't even have half the brains of your brother!" Lingzhu said to Qiu Gui with disgust.

“Father, what’s so great about her? Why do you insist that I make a living under her nose? Can’t I manage our shop?” Qiu Gui said.

"Don't even think about it. If you were to squander those profits again, you might not even have pants to wear. Your third sister has a bright future ahead of her. If you work obediently under her, you can follow her to seek better jobs when she gains status," Lingzhu roared.

Qiu Gui looked at Ling Zhu in surprise, thought about his words, blinked and said, "Father means that Prince Yong has a deeper meaning?"

Lingzhu glared at him fiercely, nodded, and then said, "At least you're not too stupid. If he really ascends to the throne, your third sister will at least be a concubine, and maybe even go further. Just think about it, you'll have no shortage of work to do in the future! You've offended her now for a little bit of profit, and if you want to climb up in the future, you'll probably have even less face."

Qiu Gui was dumbfounded. He was indeed too short-sighted. He hadn't even worked for three months before he started eyeing those loose silver coins.

"Father, what do we do now?" Qiu Gui wasn't foolish enough to turn his own interests against him.

“Go and beg her. I just asked you to beg her, but you couldn’t bring yourself to do it. Go and beg her yourself, and I’ll discuss it with your stepmother later,” Lingzhu said helplessly.

Meanwhile, Lanqin went to Anjia's place and told her that she refused to seek favors from the noble family anymore. Anjia was naturally overjoyed that Lanqin could get rid of the son born to Yang.

"Mother, I have to go back. I'm afraid Father will come begging me again. I'd better go away," Lanqin said.

“Well, normally I would keep you here, but now, you should leave quickly. Don’t let that shameless bastard pester you,” said Madam Anjia.

As a result, by the time Qiu Gui wanted to plead with Lan Qin, she had already left. Left with no other option, Qiu Gui had to ask Ling Zhu to intercede with him again. Ling Zhu knew he was in the wrong, but for the sake of his illegitimate son, he had no choice but to swallow his pride and plead with An Jia Shi.

Inside the room, Lingzhu dismissed all the servants. Anjia looked at Lingzhu and knew that he had come to beg her, so she turned cold.

Since the family split up, Lingzhu rarely went to his concubine's room, but instead began to live a serious life with Anjia.

"Madam, regarding the matter you request..." Lingzhu remained silent for a moment before speaking to Anjia's indifferent face.

“Master, we have already separated the family. I am no longer responsible for the affairs of my illegitimate sons,” Anjia interrupted Lingzhu.

Lingzhu looked at Anjia with a slight surprise, feeling a little uneasy. He had never been so humble in front of this woman before, but now he had to shamelessly talk to her.

“Madam, they are all my children after all. And Qin’er’s future status may be extremely noble. She can’t be without anyone by her side. What could be more reliable than one’s own brothers?” Lingzhu said.

"I dare not speak for others, but don't you know what kind of temperament Qiu Gui has? By sending him to Qin'er's side, haven't you harmed her? The higher her status rises in the future, the less likely her people will make mistakes. If you still care about Qin'er, you shouldn't have spoken up," Anjia said angrily. Even now, Lingzhu's heart was still biased towards that wretched Yang Shi, which made Anjia feel that she could no longer tolerate it.

Lingzhu was rendered speechless by Anjia's words, and the old couple could only sit there silently facing each other.

“My lord, your eldest son is now a junior compiler in the Hanlin Academy, and your eldest daughter is now a concubine of Prince Yong. What’s wrong with you still caring so much about your illegitimate son? He’s not capable enough on his own, yet you insist on pushing him to Qin’er. What kind of logic is that!” said Anjia.

Lingzhu was speechless once again by her question. Every word Anjia had just said pierced his heart like needles.

"Master, I advise you not to worry about it anymore. You've worried so much about someone who can't be helped, but has he ever been grateful to you? He might even be saying that you're bad and that you haven't given them more! Qin'er, did you not give him a chance?" Anjia said.

Lingzhu felt increasingly bitter and ashamed. Over the years, he had indeed focused too much attention on his illegitimate children.

“My lord, Qin’er’s future is incredibly bright. We should be sending people who can help her to her side, not creating trouble for her. Have you forgotten how you were almost impeached before the Emperor? Is it really out of respect for the late Empress Dowager that someone wants to harm Qin’er? Such an old matter has been brought up again. If Qin’er doesn’t have the support of her maternal family in the future, I’m afraid she will suffer a lot,” said Anjia.

Hearing this, Lingzhu felt even more guilty for mistreating Lanqin. He realized that she truly needed strong family support to ensure a better future. He, on the other hand, had indeed been causing her trouble. If Qiu Gui, with her noble nature, were truly capable of taking on responsibilities, things would likely be very different today.

“My lord, what our Qin’er needs is a maternal clan that can support her. Now that you already have two sons who are officials, it’s fine if the remaining illegitimate sons cannot be of any help, but we must not add any more trouble,” said Madam Anjia.