Now, the Yǒngchāng Bó府, although its current lord is mediocre and not as illustrious as before, still holds real power as a noble house.

The incident where Grandma Qi encountered bandits on her way to offer incense and ended up severely injured is no small matter.

Upon hearing the news, families from the capital rushed to send gifts and inquire about her health. However, while the Bó府 accepted the gifts and entertained the visitors, they used the excuse that the old lady was too frail to receive guests, thus preventing anyone from entering the house to visit her.

The doctor treating her injuries was one of the house’s own physicians, who had been sworn to secrecy. For the time being, outsiders couldn’t find out the specifics of the situation, clearly indicating that there was something fishy about the old lady’s injury!

The Bó府 was aware that suppressing the news would surely pique people’s curiosity. But they had to cover up the old lady’s injuries because who would believe that a bandit would go to such lengths as to not just kill but also maim someone and cut out their tongue?

This injury clearly looked like a deliberate act of revenge. If the news got out, wouldn’t people speculate about what kind of dirty deeds the Bó府 had done to deserve such a brutal retaliation, and how they had been exploited by someone with ulterior motives?

You see, the Bó府 was already under scrutiny because the second son was about to marry the crown prince as a concubine, and many were envious.

Regardless of whether outsiders were suspicious or not, they had to keep the news under wraps until the marriage with the crown prince was secured.

But.

Could Wáng Chéng’ān let the Yǒngchāng Bó府 easily weather this storm?

So, the day after Grandma Qi was injured, news spread throughout the capital that someone had had their limbs severed and tongue cut out.

Everyone was shocked.

“What? Limbs severed and tongue cut out?”

“This isn’t just a bandit encounter; it clearly looks like revenge!”

“I heard the old lady of the Yǒngchāng Bó府 is kind and gentle, never getting into disputes. How could she have provoked such a ruthless enemy?”

“Moreover, the old lady was gentle as water in her youth, able to get along with anyone. Otherwise, how could she have been married off to the old Yǒngchāng Bó despite having no talent, looks, or family background?”

“Gentle as water, kind and gentle? Heh, only you men are blind. In this world, knowing a person’s face but not their heart is common.”

“Exactly! Given the old lady’s conditions back then, how could she marry the old Yǒngchāng Bó without some means?”

“Now that she’s being so brutally retaliated against, who knows what kind of terrible deeds she has done…”

Compared to the men’s disbelief, the old ladies and gentlemen from various families were quite gloating.

The old Yǒngchāng Bó had been the dream lover of all the young ladies and gentlemen in the capital!

Originally, everyone could accept that he married someone else, but the premise was that the new partner had to be worthy of their idol, like a royal princess with top-notch looks and status.

But what was Grandma Qi’s situation back then?

She came from a small family, and on top of that, she had no talent or looks. How could everyone accept that?

The most disgusting part was that Grandma Qi had stepped on everyone else’s reputation!

When her relationship with her husband fell apart and the old Yǒngchāng Bó started taking concubines, she not only didn’t stop him but actively helped him find beautiful young concubines, creating the image of a virtuous wife.

This made the wives and husbands of the capital who didn’t want their husbands to take concubines look like jealous spouses, leading to many arguments.

So now, seeing Grandma Qi suffer, how could everyone not feel pleased?

…

Outside, rumors were flying.

The atmosphere in the Bó府 was naturally not good.

“Who the hell leaked the news? Who is targeting our Bó府!”

The Yǒngchāng Bó slammed the table in anger, hating the troublemaker behind it all.

But no matter how angry he was, there was nothing he could do.

Just like Wáng Chéng’ān could never have imagined that Grandma Qi, who had nothing to do with him, would target him, the Bó府 also couldn’t fathom that the person behind their troubles would be Wáng Chéng’ān, with whom they had no connection.

Grandma Qi had her own suspicions.

But now, she was completely incapacitated and couldn’t say a word, only lying in bed, anxious…

However.

Compared to the Yǒngchāng Bó’s fury, the Bó furen was much calmer.

“Alright, my husband, what’s the use of being angry now? The urgent matter is to find a way to stabilize the marriage between our second son and the crown prince, and to figure out who is targeting us.”

“I don’t know what kind of unspeakable things your mother has done to deserve such revenge, dragging our Bó府’s reputation down with her. While she lies comfortably, we are the ones worrying…”

The Bó furen didn’t hide her schadenfreude and sowing discord.

She had long been looking forward to that old hag’s death.

If it weren’t for her help in covering things up, how could her husband’s mistress have given birth?

Over the years, she had supplemented the public funds with her dowry, yet the power of the steward was still in the old lady’s hands, which was truly frustrating!

“Enough! I’m already tired of this; can’t you say a few less sarcastic remarks?”

“The news outside is spreading like wildfire; it could very well be your steward’s negligence, and the servants in the house are loose-lipped. You’re still gloating; you really don’t know your place or the gravity of the situation…”

“I’m going out for a while; you take good care of my mother and don’t let our Bó府 get a reputation for being unfilial!”

The Yǒngchāng Bó was very impatient with his wife, randomly blaming her before sweeping out.

He left all the mess for his wife to worry about.

After all, he knew that his wife had deep feelings for him and would definitely manage the household well.

The Bó furen was furious!

But she was only angry for a moment…

She didn’t dare to be angry with her husband, so she vented her frustration elsewhere, calling over the concubines and children to have them take care of Grandma Qi.

After all, she would absolutely never serve that old hag herself.

Of course, she also called for Qi Yùjǐng, as the Bó furen had become accustomed to making things difficult for her younger son.

Unfortunately, Qi Yùjǐng was now Niǔgǔlù·Qi Yùjǐng!

She wouldn’t continue to listen to her mother’s orders, staying in her own courtyard, motionless, treating the matron who came to give her instructions like air.

Now was a crucial time for the Bó府’s marriage alliance, and Qi Yùjǐng wasn’t afraid of being labeled unfilial.

She almost gave the Bó furen a heart attack.

Meanwhile.

The Yǒngchāng Bó wasn’t just wandering around; with the unfavorable rumors about the Bó府 spreading, the crown prince would definitely be unhappy.

If he didn’t find a way to stabilize the crown prince, the position of the second son as a concubine would be in jeopardy!

As for how to stabilize things?

The method was simple: money.

His political abilities were mediocre, and the only reason he could get close to the crown prince was that he promised to provide substantial financial support.

On the surface, the Yǒngchāng Bó府’s assets were ordinary, but because their ancestors had gained wealth through military merit, they had secretly intercepted a lot of war spoils, so they had a huge treasure hidden away, enough to support the crown prince’s rise to power.

Otherwise, with the Yǒngchāng Bó府’s influence, their son wouldn’t be able to sit in the position of the crown prince’s concubine.

The Yǒngchāng Bó found the crown prince and explained everything in a friendly manner, promising to increase his financial support by twenty percent on top of the original agreement, which finally stabilized the marriage alliance.

However.

The Yǒngchāng Bó’s smile didn’t last long.

When he brought people to the treasure cave left by his ancestors to move things, he found the place was… empty!

“Where are the things? Where did all my stuff go?”

The Yǒngchāng Bó looked at the empty space, his eyes bulging with rage and panic as he screamed.

Without the wealth left by his ancestors, relying solely on the Bó府’s surface assets, which were barely enough to maintain their luxurious expenses with his wife’s dowry, how could he remain calm?

Now, not to mention getting close to the crown prince to gain merit, whether he could continue his current wealthy lifestyle was a question!

“Bang—”

Unable to accept reality, the Yǒngchāng Bó directly closed his eyes and fainted on the ground.

“Master, Master…”

The servants were also in a panic, quickly carrying him back home quietly.

Although it was done quietly, it was still discovered by Qi Yùjǐng, who had been waiting to watch the show.

Seeing this fake father so furious, the treasure in the mountains had most likely been moved away by his father. Without such a large fortune, the Yǒngchāng Bó府 would just be an empty shell.

He was looking forward to seeing how his second brother, without the substantial dowry from his past life and without this stepping stone, would fare in the crown prince’s residence!

Zhīqín and Zhīshū saw the commotion in the main courtyard and were also quite pleased.

Zhīshū happily said, “Young master, it seems that heaven is watching! With how the master and mistress treated you, they must be facing divine retribution! Otherwise, how could there be so many incidents in the main courtyard?”

Zhīqín also laughed, “Exactly! Young master, are you hungry? Let me prepare a feast to celebrate!”

The servants in the Bó府 were sycophantic, and since their young master wasn’t favored, the kitchen was slow to send dishes, and the food was poor.

So most of the time in their courtyard, they would take their own rice and oil to cook in the small kitchen.

Having the chance to vent their frustrations, Qi Yùjǐng was in a good mood.

“Then let’s prepare a feast, but keep it vegetarian. My mood has been good lately, and my appetite has increased. If I keep eating like this, my clothes won’t fit well, and it might ruin our plans at the poetry gathering!”

“Rest assured, young master, I will be frugal. You really don’t have to be too harsh on yourself; you are already stunningly beautiful, a sight to behold. As long as you reveal your true self, which young man wouldn’t be captivated? Your health is what matters.”

Zhīqín and Zhīshū were full of concern.

But Qi Yùjǐng shook his head, “No, if my face is exposed before marriage, my father and mother definitely won’t let me choose my husband myself. It’s better to be cautious; one can never be too careful.”

“If I want to find a good marriage based on my current looks, I must work hard on my figure and talents.”

“Don’t worry, I have it all figured out. Once I get married and have children, securing my position as the main wife, everything will be fine. At that time, my husband will still want me to please him? Dream on!”

He just wanted a stable place; all that husbandly affection could go to hell.

Having seen enough of the pain of love from his mother, he didn’t care for it at all.

Zhīqín: …

Zhīshū: …

But still, why did they feel like their young master was trying to trick someone into marriage?

The author has something to say:
Today’s Qi Shòu: What is an old attack? Go away, don’t disturb my life!
Today’s Xiè Gōng: What is a husband? Get lost, don’t disturb my career!
Tomorrow’s Qi Shòu: … Actually, having an old attack isn’t so bad.
Tomorrow’s Xiè Gōng: … Actually, sleeping with a husband is quite nice.