Chapter 69 Each with their own thoughts
No one spoke, and the few ignorant children couldn't help but break free from the adults' restraints and started chasing each other and playing together in the main hall.
In their haste, both Madam Wei and Madam Ma signaled to the servants beside them to take the children out to play, and the main hall became quiet again.
The second master coughed and said, "We should ask the Earl of Nanping. As parents, we only hope that our children will be well. Perhaps the Earl of Nanping is even more anxious than we are about the matter of establishing an heir."
Yu Qingci glanced at Pei Mama beside her, and Pei Mama immediately took out a piece of letter paper from her bosom and handed it to the Second Master.
The second master took it with a puzzled look, glanced at it twice, and quickly fell silent with a sullen face.
This is the reply that Nanpingbo wrote to Yu Qingci. In the letter, he mentioned that adoption is a major event and must be carefully selected. It is not a problem to select someone for three to five years.
The fourth master and the others couldn't wait to take the letter from the second master and looked down at it. After a moment, they looked up and stared at each other.
Fourth Master said unwillingly, "Could it be that my sister-in-law and niece-in-law really want to listen to the Earl of Nanping and wait three to five years before discussing this matter?"
Wei/Ma: "Absolutely not!"
Yu Qingci looked over: "Could it be that Second Aunt and Fourth Aunt are planning to bypass my family and my mother-in-law and make decisions for our eldest branch?"
Wei/Ma: ...
Although I really want to take charge, I absolutely cannot say those words.
A group of people arrived with their families at the crack of dawn, arguing for a long time without getting anything out of it, and they were all filled with resentment.
Madam Ma, unable to sit still, shouted at the servants serving her, "It's already noon, why hasn't lunch been served yet? You're all slacking off and not doing anything unless the masters give the order. You have no sense of propriety at all, what use are you!"
But not a single servant moved.
Ma was so angry she wanted to jump up and down, but Wei chuckled and said, "Why don't we eat first? Everyone must be starving by now. We can discuss this after we've eaten."
Granny Wang took a step forward: "Madams, your lunches have already been delivered to your respective courtyards. We usually eat separately, but you didn't mention sending your portions here today. I'm really sorry."
Granny Wang looked apologetic, which only fueled the anger of the others. The Second Master stood up first, flicked his sleeves, and left, leaving the others to follow reluctantly.
Soon, only Madam Ning, Yu Qingci, and Yun Chu remained in the main hall.
Madam Ning rubbed her temples and let out a long sigh of relief. She slowly said, "It seems that they won't give up until the matter of adopting a son is settled. Qingci, if you ask me, since we have to adopt one sooner or later, it's better to make a decision on this matter as soon as possible."
"You should spend more time with those kids these days, pick one that catches your eye. I trust your judgment; any one you choose will do. The sooner you settle things, the more those others will behave."
Yu Qingci looked at Old Madam Ning, her almond-shaped eyes, clear and bright, calm and composed: "Does Mother have someone she likes? I wonder which one Mother prefers?"
After a moment of contemplation, Madam Ning said, "In terms of age, Wei-ge'er seems the most suitable. But to be honest, regardless of what kind of child Wei-ge'er will grow up to be, given the character of the second couple, I don't want to adopt their grandson."
Yu Qingci nodded and listened quietly.
Madam Ning changed the subject: "Actually, besides the second and fourth branches, there are several other members of our Lu clan who are of suitable age. I was thinking of selecting a few more from the clan."
However, if we choose another child from within the clan, bypassing the second and fourth branches, your second and fourth uncles will definitely still object, and there will probably be another uproar.
Sigh, I don't want to go through all that trouble anymore, and I'm completely at a loss. You should decide this.
It's obvious that the General's Mansion is no longer what it used to be, but even a broken boat has three pounds of iron. The court, out of compassion for the two generals who sacrificed their lives for the country, did not take back the plaque of the General's Mansion after the eldest son's line died out. Instead, they bestowed a large amount of gold and silver as a reward to show the Emperor's boundless grace.
The second and fourth wives were already extremely envious, how could they possibly let other families in the clan get this opportunity?
In their eyes, whichever family's child is adopted will inherit the eldest son's immense wealth and status, so of course they will fight tooth and nail for them.
Madam Ning: "And your third aunt will certainly not let this go either."
Yu Qingci comforted her, saying, "Mother, there's no need to worry about your aunt. After all, her grandson's surname is Yang, not Lu. If your third aunt wants a share, there will be people standing in front of us to argue with her."
Furthermore, as I just stated, there's plenty of time, and we won't make a decision anytime soon. Even if they're anxious, they can't make the decision for us.
Madam Ning nodded slowly. Since her daughter-in-law had her own ideas, she would trust her.
In the courtyard of the second house, as soon as they returned to the house, Madam Wei dismissed the servants and left only her family to sit down and discuss the matter.
When Wei saw her second daughter-in-law, Ye, sitting there silently with her head down, holding Wei-ge'er, she was furious. She stepped forward and slapped Ye across the face, muttering curses under her breath:
"You blind fool! Just now at Songbai Hall, I mentioned that I wanted to adopt Wei Ge'er. Judging from your expression, anyone who didn't know better would think your own father had died. Who am I doing this for? Wei Ge'er is your and Yun Bo's own son. If you adopt him, you'll enjoy endless wealth and honor in the future. I'm doing this for your own good."
When Ye was slapped, she almost dropped Wei Ge'er from her arms. Wei Ge'er burst into tears. Ye quickly hugged the child tightly, glanced at her mother-in-law with a wronged expression, and dared not speak. She only turned her gaze to her husband, Lu Yunbo.
But Lu Yunbo sat down in his chair and sipped his tea, not glancing in her direction at all, as if he couldn't hear anything happening to him.
Lu Yunzhang, standing to the side, frowned and said, "Mother, have you changed your mind and really want to give Wei-ge'er away for adoption? What about what we discussed before?"
Only then did Madam Wei turn to her eldest son and say, "What are you talking about? We've already discussed the adoption, so naturally you'll be in charge."
However, your aunt just made a very direct statement, and then, in the heat of the moment, she brought up the matter of choosing an heir for Yunqi's wife. I was afraid we'd end up losing out on both sides, so I quickly brought up Wei-ge'er."
The second master also spoke up, saying, "Your aunt is just being stubborn for a moment. The eldest branch of the family has no adult male to support the household, and everything is difficult. What use would it be to give your niece-in-law a child in the present situation?"
"It will be many years before that child grows up and establishes his own household. It's not as secure as having him directly adopted. This is also for the sake of our entire General's Mansion."
Wei: "That's right. Besides, even if we adopt Wei Ge'er, he's still a child. If he's raised by someone else for a long time, he might forget about us, his own father and grandmother. It would take a lot of effort to coax him back, wouldn't it?"
But now that your aunt has made her position clear, what are we going to do?
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