"Steward Du has returned from Hua'an Temple. Hurry up and go to the front yard to take a look." Concubine Yao could not help but roll her eyes again.
Although she wasn't that angry now, she was really disgusted by her.
Madam Liu let the opportunity slip away when it was clearly within her reach. If she wasn't stupid, then what was?
"What happened?" Liu asked as she finally realized that something was wrong from Concubine Yao's words.
Concubine Yao said, "I don't know what happened, but looking at Steward Du's expression, I feel that it's not a good thing." If she was able to know all matters concerning the Master easily, why would she need Madam Liu?
Madam Liu's heart skipped a beat. She stopped talking to Concubine Yao and hurriedly brought Lu Mingzhu to the front courtyard.
The old lady was at Hua'an Temple. It was impossible that Steward Du would visit the temple simply to burn incense and pray to Buddha.
That damned old woman. What was she up to now?
Concubine Yao looked in the direction that Madam Liu left and took a deep breath. She had a gloomy expression on her face.
"Don't worry, Concubine Yao. It's a good thing that Madam Liu is stupid." Nanny Zhou comforted her as she stood at her side. "It's not easy to control someone who's too smart."
Concubine Yao nodded. "I understand the logic, but I just can't reconcile with it."
Nanny Zhou understood Concubine Yao's unwillingness. In terms of status, talent, or schemes, Madam Liu was inferior to Concubine Yao in all ways. She was just street smart, but she received the Master's love when Concubine Yao couldn't.
"Even without Madam Liu, there would still be someone else. Rather than someone of a high status, it would be better to be her. At the very least, she is in the same boat as you. The Eldest Young Master's biological mother passed away early. Now that you are the only concubine in the residence who has a son, we can plan for the future slowly. We don't have to worry about not being able to make a name for ourselves."
After all, the Master was willing to elevate a mistress to the position of the legitimate wife, so there was still hope for Concubine Yao.
"Let's take a step back and say that even if Madam Liu can't become the matriarch of the family, with the Master's love for her, he won't marry another wife to rank above her."
Concubine Yao glanced at Nanny Zhou, and the gloom in her eyes slowly dissipated. "You're right. I was too anxious."
She desperately wanted Madam Liu to become the matriarch of the Lu Family so that she would feel that she had the position of Mrs. Lu in her grip. However, she was unwilling to let her become the matriarch for real. Recently, she had been struggling with such contradictions and became more and more anxious.
When Madam Liu arrived at the study room, Steward Du happened to come out of the room.
"Butler Du, does Old Madam have any instructions?" Liu asked.
Steward Du bowed and looked troubled. "This… I can't say."
"Mingzhu, wait for me outside." Madam Liu didn't expect to get anything out of Steward Du, so she turned around and entered the study room.
As Lu Youping's beloved woman, no one ever said that Madam Liu couldn't enter the study room. She casually knocked on the door and pushed it open without waiting for Lu Youping to grant her entry.
"Master…"
Lu Youping looked at the woman he loved and guilt flashed across his handsome face. "He'er, I've let you down."
When Madam Liu saw this, she knew that something was wrong.
"Master, what… what happened?"
Lu Youping stood up from behind the table and walked to her. He gently held her hand and said, "Mother asked someone to send a message back. If I insist on promoting you to become my legitimate wife, she won't return to the manor."
The old lady had not returned for so many days. This was something that had never happened before, so he asked Steward Du to bring her back. Unexpectedly, this was a trap his mother had dug for him long ago.
"Go back and tell that unfilial son of mine that if he continues to go against me, I won't have a son like him. Let him stay with his true love."
"He had lived a good life for too long. He must be tired of being a magistrate, so he wants to have a taste of being deposed. He's afraid that others won't be able to use this against him."
"He's courting death before he even enters the capital. I'll go back whenever he gives up on the idea of making Madam Liu his legitimate wife. Otherwise, I'll shave my head and become a nun at Hua'an Temple. Let him do whatever he wants."
"If he agrees, Madam Liu will be a concubine of the Lu family, and Lu Mingzhu will be the fourth daughter of the Lu family. Otherwise, hmph… Without my approval, the mother and daughter can forget about entering the Lu family's genealogy for the rest of their lives."
These were the old madam's exact words. Lu Youping was furious after hearing them.
If he really did not care about his mother, not only would he not be able to get over it himself, but everyone would probably know about this in a few days.
The idea of the magistrate of a prefecture forcing his own mother to become a nun. What a b*stard would he be?
How could such a person with such a bad character, be worthy of being an official?
Lu Youping could almost visualize the content of the memorial submitted to the Emperor. After being provoked by the Old Madam, he finally realized that the consequences of his actions were a little serious.
Although he loved Madam Liu deeply, it was impossible for him to abandon his future for a woman, right?
Moreover, he was due to report back at the capital. It was only a matter of time before he would be promoted to a nobleman. There was no way he would give up his wealth and career at this point in time.
When Madam Liu heard Lu Youping's compromise, she was so angry that she felt suffocated. She almost blurted out, "If Old Madam doesn't return, then don't." She gritted her teeth fiercely to suppress her anger.
What the Master liked about her was that she was gentle, sensible, strong, and unyielding. She could not become the matriarch of the Lu family, but she also could not do anything that the Master would hate.
"As long as I can stay by the Master's side, I'll be satisfied. Master, please don't argue with Old Madam for me. If I hurt your relationship as mother and son, I'd rather leave the Lu Manor."
This damned old woman…
Madam Liu's eyes were red with hatred. Even breathing felt like knives slicing through her.
However, in Lu Youping's eyes, she looked aggrieved and pretended to be strong. Her beauty made his heart ache.
Lu Youping's heart ached terribly. His guilt towards Liu was like a flood that was about to drown him. "It's my fault for letting you and our daughter down. Old Madam is my biological mother, so I can't ignore her. Don't worry, even if you are not my legitimate wife, you'll still be in charge of this family."
Old Madam's move was ruthless.
However, he had already given in in terms of status. As such, if he were to suggest to the Old Madam that Madam Liu take over the daily management of the family, no matter how unwilling she was, she would agree.
"I understand. With the Master's love, I won't feel aggrieved." Madam Liu leaned against Lu Youping's chest. Her voice was mellow and seductive, but her eyes were vicious and sinister.
So what if she did not agree? It was not easy for her to enter the Lu family. She would not leave.
Although being a mistress gave her lots of freedom, she was still lowly in status. Moreover, she could not let her daughter marry into a noble family if she retained the status of a mistress.
The Lu Family did not have a matriarch with Madam Bai's death. Without the status of Mrs. Lu, she now had to firmly control the daily operations of the family.
He Hall
As soon as Lu Mingzhu entered the house, she sent all the servants far away. She threw a great tantrum, smashing everything she could.
"The old woman did it on purpose. She actually refused to return to the manor to force Father. She just doesn't want us to have an easy time."
"And Lu Xiang. She's useless. She doesn't even know how to stop the old woman. I wasted so much effort trying to please her."
"I could have become the daughter of the legitimate wife, but now I can only be the daughter of a concubine. Why? Why?"
Lu Mingzhu cursed as she threw things around. Madam Liu sat at the side and sulked, but she didn't stop her from throwing things.