Blissful Days After Widowhood - Chapter 484

 Lu Yuanqi returned to Duke Lu’s mansion in despair, and Chun Xing came to greet her.

The concubine was expected to greet the main wife in the morning and evening, a common practice in high-profile families. Previously, Lu Yuanqi had taken pleasure in Chun Xing’s service, interpreting it as a display of her own influence. However, since her arrival, Lu Yuanqi insisted on her adhering to the established rules.

In early May, Chun Xing fainted in her room. Upon examination, the in-house doctor declared that she had suffered a miscarriage. Given the short duration of her “pregnancy” — less than two months — there was not a significant amount of bleeding.

Mrs. Qin and Feng Yuan promptly blamed Lu Yuanqi for the miscarriage. Lu Yuanqi was left speechless. She had merely requested Chun Xing to follow the established norms and perform tasks like serving tea and pouring water. Who could have anticipated that such seemingly innocuous actions would lead to a miscarriage?

Despite Lu Yuanqi’s protestations, Mrs. Qin and Feng Yuan scolded her extensively. Chun Xing, tearfully struggling to rise from her bed, knelt on the ground and pleaded, “Madam is not at fault. This slave is just weak and unlucky! Madam has not given birth, so she might not be aware of the risk of miscarriage in the early stages of pregnancy.” 

Both parties refused to admit fault, engaging in a heated exchange of words, creating turmoil within the Feng family.

Later, Old Madam Lu stepped in to support Lu Yuanqi. Initially, the elderly Mrs. Lu maintained a polite demeanor, insisting that Lu Yuanqi was not ill-intentioned, and the incident was purely an accident.

However, Mrs. Qin’s attitude had taken a turn from the past. With the Lu family’s money already in their possession, she seemed to believe that the Lu family could not force them to give it back. Given the scarcity of children in the Feng family, especially in the third generation where only Feng Yu remained, Mrs. Qin had placed high hopes on Chun Xing’s child, seeing it as a potential helper for Concubine Feng.

Mrs. Qin immediately accused the Lu family of failing to raise their daughter properly and of murdering the offspring of the Feng family.

Old Madam Lu continued to maintain a composed tone, but she found Mrs. Qin’s attitude increasingly intolerable. Ugly words flowed incessantly, and eventually, Mrs. Qin even uttered the phrase, “A merchant is a merchant.”

Old Madam Lu, not one to back down, had her own limits. Mrs. Qin’s words clearly crossed a line, prompting Old Madam Lu to respond sternly, “When you were receiving money, the old Mrs. Qin was so soft-hearted. Why are you disgusted now? If our Lu family were not merchants, where would you have found 200,000 to 300,000 taels of silver for your use?”

Mrs. Qin, seeing that Old Madam Lu dared to retaliate, intensified her scolding. The two elderly women engaged in a verbal battle, exchanging insults for many rounds. In the end, due to their age and fatigue, the confrontation temporarily ceased.

The next day, Mrs. Qin remained in bed, and Old Madam Lu found herself in a similar condition. Lu Yuanqi, in light of the situation, returned to her mother’s house to attend to her health.

Both families understood that family matters should not be aired in public. Despite the fierce verbal exchanges and scolding that occurred, they refrained from making the matter public.

News of the incident reached Gu Ye through Feng Yu’s servant within Duke Lu’s Mansion. However, as Feng Yu had not yet assumed the title of Duke, his influence and access were limited. He could only catch glimpses of the situation, and the specifics of the scolding during the many rounds remained unknown.

That day, as Gu Ye returned to Kunning Palace for dinner, the corners of his mouth couldn’t stop rising. When Emperor Zhengyuan noticed, he inquired, “What good news has our Prince Lie received?”

Gu Ye didn’t conceal it and shared, “I heard Ah Yu discussing his family matters. It’s just a family dispute. If Your Majesty is willing to listen, I can elaborate.” The mention of Duke Lu’s family’s matters caught Emperor Zhengyuan’s attention, and he subconsciously glanced at Empress Zhou.

Empress Zhou, busy feeding Lu Zhao, responded, “If Your Majesty wants to listen, then listen. Why look at this concubine?”

Emperor Zhengyuan believed that with Gu Ye’s temperament, he likely wouldn’t say anything that would displease Empress Zhou, so he encouraged him to share the details.

Gu Ye explained the incident, recounting the miscarriage of the Feng family’s concubine in Duke Lu’s Mansion, followed by a heated quarrel between Mrs. Qin and Old Madam Lu.

Initially, Empress Zhou didn’t pay much attention, but as Gu Ye provided more details, she became more interested. She remarked, “I know the old lady of Duke Lu’s Mansion. She is usually impolite and arrogant. I haven’t heard much about this Lu family, but the fact that Old Madam Lu can stand up to her suggests she’s a ‘remarkable’ person. Given their similar temperaments, how did they become in-laws? In a lifelong relationship, getting along for a long time, won’t occasional fights like this be inevitable?”

Gu Ye disagreed, expressing regret, “It’s a shame that Ah Yu’s servant doesn’t know the specifics of what they said during the argument. To scold each other for so long, until the two elderly were exhausted and had to reluctantly call a truce, it truly makes one curious and eager to listen!” The mother and son chatted and laughed, not taking the matter too seriously.

Emperor Zhengyuan took the matter to heart as he heard about the incident involving the Feng family. His concern didn’t stem from the family dispute itself, but rather from the fact that the Lu family, being merchants, held such confidence.

Intrigued and seeking answers, he summoned someone to inquire further.