Chapter 83: He Mingzhu

Mama Wang sighed, “Last year, my daughter was given to a tenant family in Nancun Village by the Second Madam.” From her expression, it seemed like Wang Xiaojuan’s life was not going well.

When Lady He (Lu Man’s mother) was in the Lu family, Wang Dabo was the steward, and Mama Wang was Lu Man’s wet nurse. They lived a prosperous life as a family. However, after Mrs. Xiao Chen entered the family and conflicts arose, Old Lady Lu allowed Mrs. Xiao Chen to send Wang Dabo and his family to a village. Subsequently, Mama Wang was also sent away, separated from her husband and sons. Their family was torn apart, leading to a difficult and bitter existence.

Lu Man said, “Mother, once we resolve some matters, we’ll find a way to help Sister Juan. If her in-laws treat her well, we can provide her with some land as dowry. If they don’t, we’ll find a way for her to live separately or even seek a divorce.”

Mama Wang wiped her tears and said, “As Third Young Madam said, it was my fault for not taking care of you well, leading to our plight. If something were to happen to you, I couldn’t go on.” During her time at the village, she vaguely heard about Lu Man’s attempted suicide when she was married off to the Princess’s residence, a suicide that was unsuccessful.

Lu Man reassured her, “That was a foolish mistake I made in a moment of despair. I won’t do it again in the future.”

Little Dou, who had been playing in Qingfeng Courtyard, was brought back by a maid. Mama Wang hugged her grandson and started crying again.

Lu Man sadly informed her, “I’m sorry, Little Nuan has passed away.”

Tearfully, Mama Wang lamented, “The child was born with poor health, always sickly…”

Liu Ya arrived and cheerfully announced, “Dinner is ready.”

Lu Man, Mama Wang, and Little Dou then had their meal together.

Mama Wang insisted on not dining at the same table as Lu Man, so Lu Man ate on another table while they, along with Liu Ya, dined at a smaller table.

After dinner, Mama Wang bathed, changed into clean clothes, and whispered to Lu Man. The other maids tactfully left, taking Little Dou with them, leaving only the two of them in the bedroom.

They talked until bedtime, with Lu Man sleeping on the bed and Mama Wang on a makeshift bed on the floor, continuing their conversation.

Lu Man initially wanted Mama Wang to sleep on the bed with her, but Mama Wang declined, saying, “Even if the mistress is considerate of the old servant, there should still be a distinction between superior and inferior.”

As Mama Wang shared her story, Lu Man learned more about lady He and the situation with the Lu family.

Lady He, whose maiden name was He Mingzhu, was exceptionally beautiful, and Lu Man resembled her. He Huang only had this daughter in his middle age and cherished her, loving her dearly like a precious pearl.

He was reluctant to let her marry and hoped she would find a husband to inherit the family business and legacy. He also groomed several potential sons-in-law, including his apprentices, one of whom was the current Manager Li.

He Mingzhu was pure and gentle, living a carefree life as planned by her father. Despite numerous suitors, including high-ranking officials who admired her beauty, He Huang rejected all proposals.

When He Mingzhu turned fifteen, she was harassed by a villain while out, and she was rescued by Lu Fangrong. Lu Fangrong, tall and heroic with exceptional martial skills, captured He Mingzhu’s heart.

Likewise, Lu Fangrong fell for the beautiful and gentle girl at first sight. Not only did he introduce himself and claim to have recently won the martial arts championship, but he also inquired about He Mingzhu’s family background without any deception.

A few days later, Lu Fangrong personally brought a matchmaker to propose marriage.

He Huang refused even the proposals from high-ranking officials, let alone someone from a humble background. At that time, with Lu Fangrong’s recent success and appointment as a military officer, He Huang decided that if Lu Fangrong truly admired He Mingzhu, he could marry into the He family and inherit their legacy.

Naturally, Lu Fangrong couldn’t marry into the family, but he deeply admired He Mingzhu. He promised that his first son would bear the He surname, inheriting the family’s legacy.

Hearing Lu Fangrong’s promise from behind the screen, He Mingzhu was moved and ran out to tell He Huang that she would only marry Lu Fangrong. If He Huang disagreed, she would become a nun.

Unable to refuse, He Huang reluctantly agreed.

Although Mrs. Lu, Fangrong’s mother, was initially reluctant to have her grandson named after the He family, upon learning that He Huang was a court official at the Hospital of Imperial Physicians, a sixth-rank official just below the Hospital Chief, and highly skilled in medicine with connections to many high-ranking officials, even acquaintances in the palace, which would benefit her sons’ careers, especially the eldest, who might struggle without connections. Reluctantly, she agreed.

Due to the poverty of the Lu family and He family’s sole daughter, He Mingzhu took away about half of the He family’s assets the following year when she married. This included a house in the capital, 500 acres of land, a farmstead, and four thousand taels of silver.

To welcome He Mingzhu, the Lu family rented a courtyard in the capital. With two households and one old lady, along with the eight servants brought by lady He, the place was cramped.

After marrying into the Lu family, lady He took charge of all expenses. Unwilling to burden her mother-in-law with servants, she bought a maid for her and suggested that her family move to a mansion she owned in the capital. However, Mrs. Lu refused to live in a house bought with He’s dowry, fearing it would undermine her authority.

Uncomfortable in the small courtyard and grateful for her husband and mother-in-law’s willingness to have their first son bear the He surname, lady He used her own money to buy a three-section mansion, spending nearly a thousand taels on purchase and renovation, registered under Lu Fangrong’s name.

As it was a property of the Lu family, both the old lady and the first family happily moved in. Lady He also hired more servants for the old lady and the main family.

When Lu Fangming successfully passed the imperial examinations, He spent money to help him secure a position and even sought help from contacts in the government to secure an eighth-rank position. Lu Fangming, delighted, took two concubines.

Mama Wang cursed, “Those people are like blood-sucking bats in a cave, living luxuriously, taking concubines, all at the expense of the Second Madam.”

Lu Man was equally outraged, finding the Lu family shameless and He Mingzhu overly virtuous.

As a result, lady He only gave birth to a daughter, who was named Lu Man. They agreed that if the next child was a son, he would bear the He surname.

Before lady He could conceive again, tragedy struck. He Huang had an accident, and a few days later, He Mingzhu’s mother passed away.