Hearing that her beloved grandson had returned home, Old Madam Liu, who was constantly bothered by the gossipy aunts and grandmothers of the Zhou clan, finally felt a little relieved.

But not being able to hold her in my arms and cherish her as usual makes me feel terribly uncomfortable.

When will these unrelated people finally leave?

What this family didn't expect was that the New Year was just a few days away after the death anniversary. They couldn't very well let these clan elders spend the New Year on their way back from their long journey, could they? So it was only natural for Song Xia to keep them here.

This time, Song Xia held an extremely solemn memorial service. As a concubine, Madam Liu not only had to wear plain clothes, but also had to abstain from meat and eat vegetarian food, and recite scriptures and chant Buddhist prayers for Madam Zhou every day.

Moreover, she couldn't be lazy. Every day, Zhou's aunts would keep an eye on her and scold her if she did anything wrong.

For many years, ever since her son inherited the Zhou family, she had lived a life of luxury. So after all this turmoil, she lost several pounds and was completely exhausted.

Like her, Liu Fangniang was also subjected to similar torment.

Every day, Liu Fangniang had to get up early to serve Song Xia. She had to get up before Song Xia got up, and she could only go back to her own courtyard after Song Xia had fallen asleep.

As the matriarch of the household, Song Xia set a perfect example, and no one could find any fault with her.

But Liu Fangniang would rather Song Xia slack off, because if Song Xia didn't slack off, she wouldn't have a moment to rest either.

The seven-day mourning period resulted in Liu Fangniang losing even more weight, and her complexion appeared sallow.

Having not been close to his beloved for many days, and not knowing how much more suffering Liu Fangniang would have to endure in the future, Zhou Yongli had his opinions, but he could not say them outright, so he asked Old Madam Liu to bring them up.

The day of the death anniversary had passed, and all the elders of the Zhou family were present. Taking advantage of this, Old Madam Liu acted arrogantly and domineeringly.

"Song Xia, do you know your mistake?"

Song Xia was somewhat taken aback. She hadn't expected that the old lady would still have the energy to cause her trouble at this time. However, she had been personally taking charge during this period, so what fault could the old lady possibly find?

"Why do you say that, Aunt?"

Previously, Song Xia also called her "Mother," but ever since the Zhou family members arrived, Song Xia has only called her "Auntie."

Old Madam Liu's face darkened considerably, and her tone rose: "You still don't know your mistake? Although you are the county princess, Yongli is the head of this household after all. You spend all day busy with Fangniang, and Fangniang has fallen ill, leaving no one to take care of Yongli. Isn't this your fault? As a wife, the first thing you should do is take good care of the master of this household."

Song Xia suddenly realized, so that's what it was all about! They wanted her to use this as an excuse to let Liu Fangniang go?

Zhou Shuqing and Zhou Ying both lowered their eyes. This time, Auntie should be able to get some rest, right?

Song Xia nodded and said, "Auntie is right."

Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Liu looked smugly at the Zhou family aunts around her, whose brows were furrowed, thinking to herself, "Aren't you the most rule-abiding? I'm using the rules to demand things of Song Xia now, how can you protect her?" She herself had admitted it.

"Actually, I had thought of this matter before."

"What?" A bad feeling gradually arose in the hearts of the group.

Song Xia continued, "Although the young master has two sons, Yu Ge'er and Shu Ge'er, compared to other families, his offspring are still somewhat few. And since I and Liu Fangniang have been childless for so many years, I am afraid that we will face difficulties in the future. So two months ago, I sent people to find two good families. However, due to my mother's death anniversary, they have been raised on the estate. Now that the death anniversary has passed, I believe that they have been taught the proper manners. What you said, Aunt, has reminded me that we can bring them into the manor."

Old Mrs. Liu was struck dumb, clearly not expecting that Song Xia would take the initiative to arrange a concubine for Zhou Yongli.

Zhou Shuqing and Zhou Ying were even more anxious. If two more concubines came to the mansion, wouldn't their status as concubines be lowered?

Originally, there was only one mistress in the mansion, plus their concubine. Their concubine gave birth to them and was favored by their father, so she was already practically half a mistress in the mansion. Now that there are two more concubines, the situation is completely different, because in the eyes of outsiders, it means that the concubine and these two are now of equal status.

When others mention it, they only say that their father had three concubines, instead of specifically mentioning Aunt Liu, who gave birth to them.

"The county princess is truly virtuous. It's rare to find someone as magnanimous as her."

"Yes, it's kind of the county princess to think about the Zhou family's descendants. It's truly an honor for the Zhou family to have a county princess."

"Madam Liu, are you relieved now? You've taken two young and beautiful concubines at once, so you don't have to worry about Yongli having no one to serve him anymore."

"Liu Fangniang is indeed a bit frail and unwell, so she can't take care of people. In the future, we should give more opportunities to newcomers."

These words from the clansmen brought about the very thing that Zhou Yuqing and the others were most worried about: Song Xia not only gained a reputation for being virtuous, but their aunt would also have fewer opportunities to spend time with their father in the future.

Song Xia nodded in agreement: "This county princess will certainly make proper arrangements to ensure that the two newlyweds give birth to a child for their husband as soon as possible."

These words soon reached Liu Fangniang's ears, who was feigning illness. She simply couldn't believe that Song Xia would be so generous!

She was faking illness, but after learning that Song Xia had taken two new concubines for Zhou Yongli, and that Zhou Yongli would have to favor them in order to have offspring, she actually fell ill.

She hated Song Xia to death, cursing him for being incredibly foolish to injure himself so much as to punish her.

But in reality, Song Xia didn't care at all. The Zhou family was rich, and supporting two concubines was a piece of cake. Even if they had children in the future, she was willing to spend the money to support them.

Compared to angering Liu Fangniang and the others, spending this money is more worthwhile.

Don't say she ruined the lives of two young girls; without her, they might have been sold off somewhere.

Being chosen as a concubine by the Vice Minister of Rites in the capital was something they couldn't ask for. As long as they were loyal to Song Xia, at least their lives would be secure.

If she is fortunate enough to have another son or daughter in the future, it would be an incredible blessing, and she might even be taken out of the mansion to live as a wealthy old lady.

The courtyard in the mansion was already there, and Song Xia even deliberately arranged for it to be next to Liu Fangniang's.

Zhou Yongli personally selected Liu Fangniang's courtyard. It was not only spacious but also close to the front yard. Now, the two new concubines will be even closer to the front yard.

After ordering the cleaning to be done, Song Xia arranged for two sedan chairs to bring the two concubines into the house the next day.

They were all women from Jiangnan, who thought they would be sold to some low-class place. They were rescued by Song Xia and were naturally grateful and obedient. Asking them to seduce the master of the mansion was easy enough, wasn't it? They had even specially learned how to do it beforehand.

Dealing with another concubine in the household? Easy.

So what if you have children? So what if you have childhood sweethearts? My former teacher's mother once said that men are the most fickle people, and there are very few men in this world who don't cheat or change their hearts.

Moreover, they are young and beautiful, while Aunt Liu is already old and faded. Even if she didn't come today, could she still resist eating?