Chapter 144: Knocking

The old Marquis was still undergoing rehabilitation training, with Sweet Pea happily darting between various exercise equipment. Its loud meows and comical antics often made the old Marquis burst into hearty laughter. Sweet Pea’s antics were truly praiseworthy, evident from the old Marquis’s loud laughter – a clear sign of the cat’s success, making Princess Changting quite fond of it now.

After sharing a few laughs with the old Marquis, Lu Man led Jiang Jiu to the east wing.

She discussed her plan with Princess Changting to have Zhankui and Jiu move to Orchid Pavilion, “…Eighth Young Master will be moving to the outer courtyard next year, and Jiang Jiu is still young, feeling too lonely in the Qingfeng Courtyard alone.”

Jiang Jiu chimed in, “Yes, Jiu isn’t used to living alone.”

Upon hearing Lu Man’s proposal, Princess Changting nodded and said, “That sounds appropriate. With you taking care of Jiu, both I and Zhanwei can rest assured.” She added, “Zhanwei will soon be heading to the border for battle. Ah, war is unpredictable. Before he leaves, it would be best if you could have a child. Look at Xie Yu’s family, his wife bore him a son, bringing joy to the entire household. You and Zhanwei are destined – six years ago, he saved you, and six years later, you married him. It’s fate.”

On hearing this… Lu Man chuckled a few times, unsure how to respond. However, it seemed that the Princess didn’t consider Mrs. Xiao Chen as Lu Man’s elder, otherwise she wouldn’t have mentioned pregnancy at this time, nor criticized Lu Man’s improper attire.

In ancient times, when an elder passed away, the younger generation not only wore mourning clothes but also refrained from eating meat and engaging in “entertainment” activities for a certain period.

Feeling grateful, Lu Man realized the elderly lady was truly kind, or perhaps her efforts over the past few days had genuinely endeared her to the Princess. This subtly indicated that her actions were not considered inappropriate, even by Princess Changting, who didn’t view Mrs. Xiao Chen, the one who wanted to harm her stepdaughter, as Lu Man’s elder.

Thinking about her plans to leave her and this household, Lu Man felt a slight pang of guilt.

Jiang Jiu jumped in excitement, exclaiming, “Oh, it would be great if Brother and Sister-in-law have a child!”

Princess Changting smiled and said, “When your brother returns, remind him. This is important, remember it well, don’t forget.”

Jiang Jiu solemnly promised, “I will remember, I won’t forget.”

The eldest daughter-in-law, the third daughter-in-law, and the eldest granddaughter-in-law each arrived with their children.

Madam Hong glanced at Lu Man’s attire, furrowed her brow, and with a heartfelt tone, said, “Zhanwei’s wife, I heard your stepmother passed away just last night, and today you aren’t wearing mourning attire. This isn’t appropriate, even if you aren’t biologically related, she is your elder, and that’s an indisputable fact. Just make an effort, it shouldn’t be like this. Go and wear mourning attire when you return.”

A kind demeanor from an elder.

Lu Man blushed, remained silent with her head bowed, stubbornly refusing to go back and wear mourning attire.

Princess Changting glanced at Madam Hong and remarked, “Eldest Daughter-in-law is unaware. That stepmother committed many evil deeds, even attempting to harm Zhanwei’s wife fatally. Even the heavens couldn’t overlook her actions and claimed her life. Such a person, without blood ties and now married into our family, why should mourning attire be worn for her? It goes against reason.”

Madam Hong seemed to realize, hastily adding, “Oh, there are things Daughter-in-law doesn’t know about, it was my oversight.” She then turned to Lu Man, “I meant well, fearing you might not understand due to your youth, I just wanted to advise you a bit. Zhanwei’s wife, please don’t be offended.”

Lu Man smiled warmly, “Aunt-in-law, you’re too kind.”

Princess Changting then instructed Madam Hong, “Prepare some fine items from the storage room to send over for Jiang Jiu and Jiang Zhankui as they move to Orchid Pavilion. Our young masters and misses, even if they are illegitimate, are precious. We don’t need to adorn them with gold or jade, but it should be decent, maintaining our family’s dignity and not inviting ridicule.”

Usually, such minor matters were discussed with Young Madam Han. Although Madam Hong managed the household supplies, Young Madam Han was there to assist her. Alternatively, informing the Second Madam would suffice, as she was the “mother” of the twins. However, today, Princess Changting chose to address these trivial matters with Madam Hong, not in the most polite tone, expressing some dissatisfaction.

Madam Hong blushed and quickly responded, “Yes, I’ll have someone take care of it.” She then turned to Young Madam Hong and said, “Make sure to select some fine items for Zhankui and Jiu, let’s not disappoint them.”

Princess Changting then pointed to Jiang Zhanyan, Deyu, He, Dewen, and a few other children, saying, “Also, pick a few things for them while you’re at it.”

Young Madam Han smiled, “I’ll personally go to the storage room and fetch some items that Eighth brother, Ninth brother, Jiu, and the children will like.”

Lu Man stood up and said, “We’ll go with you to take a look.”

Madam Hong was embarrassed and didn’t want to linger, so she hurriedly led Jiang Jiu to follow along.

The main storage area of the mansion was located to the east outside the second gate, comprising a large six-courtyard compound. They rode in a cart to the storage area, specifically to the second courtyard where the furniture was kept.

The steward opened several storage rooms, and Lu Man and the others toured around. The rooms were well-stocked with beds, cabinets, tables, and various exquisite wooden furniture pieces.

In the third courtyard, there were decorative items crafted from jade, jadeite, and agate, as well as screens and partitions. The assortment was dazzling and overwhelming.

Moving on to the fourth courtyard, there were various porcelain items, including tall vases, large incense burners, and smaller dishes and cups. The fifth courtyard housed fabrics for clothing, window curtains, and screens.

Young Madam Han asked Jiang Jiu to choose, but Jiu hesitated, so she helped by pointing out a few items. Lu Man noticed that these were all high-quality goods, which felt too extravagant for the children, especially considering their status as illegitimate offspring.

Politely declining, Lu Man selected a few medium-grade furniture items – a carved nanmu canopy bed, an embroidered screen featuring magpies on branches, a green jade ornament depicting scholarly accomplishments, and a carved chicken-wing wood desk. The first two were for Jiang Jiu, and the latter two for Jiang Zhankui. Additionally, she chose a set of blue-and-white porcelain tea set for each of the siblings, along with two pieces of window curtains.

Young Madam Han chuckled and remarked, “Grandmother asked you to choose the best, but you picked these.”

Lu Man exaggeratedly responded, “Heavens, aren’t these items good enough? Truly, being born into wealth, one is unaware of the hardships of the common people.”

Young Madam Han chuckled and then selected one item for each of Jiang Zhanyan and her three children. Although only one item each, the selections were more exquisite and luxurious.

Lu Man noted that their beliefs were deeply ingrained, favoring legitimate children over illegitimate ones, even in the quality of items used.

However, among the three siblings, besides Jiang Jiu who accepted the reality, the two brothers were resistant, showing their discontent…