Chapter 219
After a moment of silence, Murong Huai Shi said again, "I intend to have Hui'er adopted into your family."
Upon hearing this, Lu Shuqing's pupils trembled, and a look of surprise appeared on her face. She pursed her lips, hesitated, and carefully asked, "Why did the Prince suddenly bring this up?"
"Did Hui'er also bring this up with you?"
He frowned. "What? So Hui'er already told you about this? In that case, what do you think?"
Her expression changed slightly, and she took a breath before saying softly, "Isn't this... a bit inappropriate? After all, her birth mother is still alive. How can someone be adopted into the mistress's name when their birth mother is still alive?"
"This is illogical, and I'm afraid Aunt Li won't agree to it."
"What right does a concubine have to agree or disagree? I will make the decision. We will choose an auspicious day to formally adopt her into your family. I will carefully consider her marriage."
His words were final and left no room for argument. He said he was asking for her opinion, but he already had a plan in mind. He was just saying it to make it look good.
Lu Shuqing could only nod helplessly: "Yes, Your Highness."
"Alright, you can go now." He waved his hand, picked up the book, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, did Yan'er write you a letter?"
A hint of doubt flickered in her eyes as she shook her head and said, "Not yet. The last letter was on the day Yan'er went to war. At that time, I was still in Yingzhou, and the Prince knew about it."
Upon hearing this, Murong Huai Shi frowned, his face displeased. He thought to himself, "What's wrong with this brat? He only knows how to send letters to his adopted sister, but he doesn't know how to let his parents know he's safe."
Could it be that Tao Tao is more important than her parents?
He grew increasingly angry, his face darkening, which made Lu Shuqing feel uneasy.
Suddenly he noticed her gaze and said calmly, "Let's go back. I have some matters to attend to."
"Yes, Your Highness." She curtsied and then withdrew.
Back in the courtyard, Lu Shuqing specifically called Murong Jia Hui over to see what was going on. She had said she would consider it, but she didn't expect Hui'er to be so anxious, mentioning it to the Prince right away.
The young woman walked in slowly, bowing her head and respectfully greeting the woman in the high position.
"Hui'er greets her mother."
With a sullen face, she coldly stared at the seemingly obedient Murong Jia Hui, who had actually gone to see the Prince in secret. After raising her by his side for so many years, he still didn't care about her, his mother.
Although she wasn't her biological mother, she was just as cunning and shrewd as her birth mother.
"Did you go to your father to discuss the matter of adoption?"
Hearing the voice above her, Murong Jia Hui looked up in confusion. Seeing her mother's pale face, she was startled and said in a panic, "Mother, Hui'er didn't."
"Hui'er has never mentioned this matter to anyone other than you, including Father."
She didn't know why Lu Shuqing suddenly thought this way, or if her father had said something to her that led her to question her like this.
Murong Jia Hui knelt down with a thud, her face ashen. "Mother, Hui'er really didn't lie. I'm sorry, Hui'er was ignorant and made things difficult for you."
"Hui'er's affection for her mother is evident in her words. She longs to be by your side and be your true daughter. It is not because she values the status of the legitimate daughter. If you distance yourself from me because of this, it is my fault. I have failed your teachings."
"Please punish Hui'er, Mother. Hui'er will have no complaints, because you are my mother."
As she spoke, tears streamed down her face. Her expression was sincere, her words were earnest, and her eyes were filled with respect and love for Lu Shuqing.
Lu Shuqing's gaze swept across her face as she quietly observed her, scrutinizing how much of her words were true and how much was false.
Seeing her so distraught, with tears streaming down her face, was truly pitiful, and there was no sign of her faking it.
After raising them for so many years, people's hearts are made of flesh and blood; how could they not have feelings?
Looking at her like this, Lu Shuqing sighed, but her heart softened, and she raised her hand to let her stand up and speak.
"Alright, get up first. It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that the Prince mentioned this matter to me just now. Originally, I was thinking of talking to the Prince about the adoption."
"I just didn't expect that the Prince would bring this up to me first. Mother was naturally happy to see it happen and was also relieved that your father was finally paying attention to you."
Murong Jia Hui slowly stood up, tears still clinging to her eyelashes, too afraid to wipe them away. She hunched her shoulders, quietly awaiting her fate.
"Once the steward selects an auspicious day, the adoption will be formally carried out and the child will be added to the Murong family genealogy."
"Hui'er kowtows to thank her mother and father." With that, she knelt down again and kowtowed heavily.
Lu Shuqing stood up and said in a condescending tone, "Get up and come with me to the garden for a stroll to clear your head."
Murong Jia Hui quickly stepped forward and helped her up by the arm. "Yes, Mother."
Everything, including marriage, depended on this matriarch. She dared not and could not offend her. At home, she obeyed her father; after marriage, she obeyed her husband. There was nothing she could do about it.
She often couldn't make her own decisions, so she longed to marry into a high-ranking family and become a respected and incomparable matriarch like Lu Shuqing, controlling other people's lives.
She enjoyed boundless glory both in public and in private, and no one dared to look down on her anymore.
Now all I can do is hide my true feelings and try my best to please her, hoping she will find me a good marriage.
Upon seeing and hearing that the items in the front hall were gifts from the Crown Prince to Princess Huaimin, she knew that she had little hope of marrying into the Eastern Palace, even as a concubine.
She was no match for Princess Huaimin. The princess could go against her mother because her marriage was not her mother's business. If she were in the same situation as her, she probably wouldn't dare to be so arrogant.
She couldn't help but fantasize about how wonderful it would be if she were Princess Huaimin.
But there was one thing that puzzled her: Lu Shuqing said she had never mentioned adoption to her father, which proved that the word "consider" she mentioned last time was just a perfunctory response.
But how did her father come up with the idea of adopting her under Lu Shuqing's name? This was not just an adoption; it was giving her the rightful status of a legitimate daughter.
Murong Jia Hui suddenly remembered the smiling Princess Huai Min who had given her advice before, and wondered if it was Princess Huai Min who had helped her.
She couldn't think of anyone else besides the county princess, but if she really was the county princess, why would she help her?
This puzzled her.
"I'll go to the palace tomorrow to sound out the Empress and see what she plans to do about the Crown Prince's marriage. The Crown Prince can't possibly marry only one woman. As the legitimate daughter of the Prince's mansion, you'll eventually be qualified to enter the Eastern Palace."
Lu Shuqing patted the back of her hand and spoke slowly.
"Thank you, Mother, for thinking of Hui'er."
“From now on, we are really mother and daughter, so there’s no need to be so reserved.”
"Yes, Mother."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com