This was the first time Song Yixin and Song Chengfeng had seen their mother so dejected.
His face looked as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
Song Yixin asked anxiously, "Mother, what's wrong with you?"
"Let's talk things out calmly; don't get yourself worked up."
Madam Song didn't have much energy to deal with the two children, but she still mustered up the courage to say a few words to them before making an excuse that she wasn't feeling well and needed to rest.
With no other option, the two siblings from the Song family had to leave the main house and return to Song Yixin's courtyard together.
As soon as she arrived at the courtyard, the maidservant came to report, and Song Yixin remembered the maidservant she had sent out earlier.
"Miss, I've found out that it's because Master is keeping a mistress outside."
When the lady found out, she asked the master to bring the woman into the mansion as a concubine.
But the master disagreed and wanted to relocate the person outside.
These few words left the Song siblings speechless.
It turned out that it wasn't the father who wanted to take a concubine, but the mother who wanted to arrange for the father to take a concubine.
"Sister, Mother agreed to let that woman into the family, so why doesn't Father agree?"
Why do you disagree?
Song Yixin was also puzzled by this question. Since her mother agreed to her father bringing someone into the family, why didn't her father agree?
Moreover, she didn't understand her mother's reasoning. Why did her mother insist on letting that woman into the family, even though her father had said she would keep her outside?
Song Yixin didn't understand her parents' actions at all.
She doesn't understand, but others certainly do.
Lady Chang Le told Qi Fei about what was happening in the Prime Minister's mansion's backyard as if it were a joke, her voice cold.
"Prime Minister Song felt that he should follow the example of the current emperor. If the emperor can keep mistresses, he should naturally follow suit."
Madam Song is a clever woman.
Knowing that mistresses are hard to control, he keeps them in the backyard, letting them mold them however they want.
Unfortunately, she couldn't fathom men's hearts. If Prime Minister Song truly wanted to bring her into his household, he wouldn't have kept a mistress outside in the first place.
Qi Fei smiled and slowly poured herself a cup of floral tea.
These are jasmine buds she posted online a while ago. The faint jasmine fragrance that wafts out can fill the entire room with this scent.
"Madam, please try it. If you like it, I will replace some of the tea in Xiuchun Pavilion after a while."
The light and delicate flavor made Madam Chang Le nod in approval, "Indeed, this tea is suitable for women to drink."
Then she looked at Qifei curiously, "With Xiuchun Pavilion doing so well, have you never thought about catering to male customers?"
"Madam, have you ever heard this saying?" Qi Fei explained with a smile, "The easiest money to make in this world is money from women and children."
"How so?" This was the first time Lady Chang Le had heard this explanation.
"Women, as you know, what woman doesn't love rouge, face powder, and fine fabrics?"
Children may not understand how to earn money, but there are plenty of adults willing to spend money on them.
As the two chatted and laughed, three little ones stumbled into the house.
Lady Chang Le, who was talking to Qi Fei, immediately abandoned Qi Fei and went to greet her, her face full of gentleness.
"Oh dear, I wonder which little rascals have returned?"
"Auntie, can you tell if I've turned into a big tabby cat?"
Lady Chang Le took a great liking to the triplets of the Qi Fei family the first time she met them.
They have the same small faces, and many people can't tell them apart, but she can easily tell them apart.
Don't underestimate these young children; they are always tolerant of good-looking people.
They all rushed to let Lady Chang Le hold them.
He even gave Lady Chang Le a big kiss on the cheek, making her smile from ear to ear.
From that day on, Madam Chang Le would often have Qi Fei bring the children to her residence to play.
Normally, it's not convenient for her to go out, but it doesn't matter to Qifei.
She was very frank with Qifei, explaining that their relationship was always open and aboveboard.
The emperor would have a thorough understanding of almost everyone she came into contact with.
Even Qifei's information was given to her by the Emperor.
The emperor had no objection to her accepting Qifei's shares.
He already felt guilty for not being able to give Chang Le a child, and because he genuinely loved her, he was very tolerant of what she did.
Moreover, he looked down on businesses run by women.
Furthermore, upon further investigation, he learned that Qifei was the wife of the third-ranked scholar, which put him even more at ease.
He naturally knew the background of the third-ranked scholar; he had no complicated family connections and was one of the people the emperor favored most.
The idea was to put people in the Hanlin Academy to hone their skills, and then gradually place them in the positions they wanted.
As an emperor, one must learn the art of weighing and balancing, even if one learns nothing else.
To suppress the powerful families, one must find a way to promote one's own people.
A lone official like the third-ranked scholar should be placed within the pool of those eligible for promotion.
The boys called out "Auntie" as soon as they saw Madam Chang Le.
Even though she couldn't speak yet, she could make some simple syllables, which Madam Chang Le thought were calling her.
She proudly boasted to Qifei, "Look, they called out to me first."
These kids really can't call their mothers yet.
Although Qifei thought those were just syllables made unconsciously by a child, she naturally let Madam Chang Le be happy.
Each time they returned from Lady Chang Le's residence, the three children would receive many gifts.
This made Qi Fei both amused and exasperated. "Madam's behavior makes me think these three boys have been mistreated by me."
“How can that be the same? This is my heartfelt wish, isn’t it?” Madam Chang Le winked at the children, making them imitate her winking.
Lady Chang Le was amused and laughed heartily. She felt that she had laughed much more often since meeting Qi Fei's three children.
Every time she took the child back, she was reluctant to leave.
"Madam, you should let them come occasionally. That way, you'll see how much better they are."
"I spend every day with them, and I find them incredibly mischievous."
The saying "what's near smells bad, what's far smells good" really holds some truth to it.
One child is noisy enough, but three children together are like a flock of ducklings.
Everyone was making noises, which gave her a headache.
Qifei returned with lots of bags and packages, carrying the child. Xiuluo couldn't help but shake his head when he saw her.
"You're not visiting people, you're moving house."
Shura had gotten used to Qifei always bringing back large bags of things from Madam Chang Le's place.
He truly hadn't expected that Qi Fei and Madam Chang Le would get along so well.
You should know that many people are very careful when they seek a powerful backer, and they carefully maintain the relationship with that backer.
As for Qifei, she also sought a powerful backer, but she found a truly exceptionally close one.
If he didn't know that they were both women and that their relationship was normal, he would have been jealous.
Qifei shook her hand and stuffed the youngest of the three brothers into Xiu Luo's arms.
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