Chapter 162: Returning to the Lu Family to Retrieve the Sale Deed

Chapter 162: Returning to the Lu Family to Retrieve the Sale Deed

After agreeing to Chunhe's marriage, Lu Lingyun immediately sought out Cheng Caimai's parents.

Cheng Caimai was a third-generation house-born servant of the Cheng family. His grandfather had been one of the earliest stable hands to follow the old Marquis and died in battle while protecting the old Marquis.

After his death, he left behind a widow and young children. The old Marquis, moved by his loyalty and bravery, took care of the widow and children, bringing them from the border to the capital.

When the Marquis's mansion was established, the family was given an important managerial position.

Cheng Caimai's parents were in charge of managing the Cheng Family's estates, overseeing several villages and the grain rents from the fields.

They were highly valued by the main family.

Like several other major stewards, they had purchased their own small house outside the mansion and were allowed to rest at their own home after finishing their duties at the mansion.

They had a substantial family fortune.

Upon meeting Cheng Caimai's parents, Lu Lingyun explained that she was arranging a marriage for their son, and that the bride was her dowry maid, the beautiful Chunhe. Upon seeing Chunhe, they were overjoyed and smiled broadly.

They promised to arrange an impressive wedding to welcome Chunhe into their family with great pomp.

Chunhe, standing nearby, blushed shyly in embarrassment.

After finalizing the marriage arrangements with Cheng Caimai's parents, there was another matter to attend to.

"Send a letter to the Lu Family, saying that I will visit my parents tomorrow."

"Yes."

Lu Lingyun had once promised her dowry maids that if they performed well, she would return their sale deeds to them when they married.

She had not forgotten this promise.

The next day, Lu Lingyun arrived at the Lu Family.

In Lady Liu's courtyard.

As soon as Lu Lingyun entered the courtyard, Lady Liu came forward with a group of people to welcome her.

"Lingyun, what brings you to us!" Lady Liu greeted her warmly.

Since Lu Hanyi accompanied Li Wenxun to take up a post elsewhere, Lady Liu's attitude toward Lu Lingyun had grown more affectionate.

Regardless of her true feelings, at least on the surface, she seemed more maternal than Lu Lingyun's own birth mother.

"Mother, I came to see you and Father during my free time," Lu Lingyun said with a faint smile. "How is Father?"

"Your father is fine! He's still at court and hasn't come back yet!" Lady Liu glanced around. "Why didn't the Crown Prince come with you?"

"Yunshuo recently received an appointment to serve in the Imperial Guards and has been busy at the palace."

Lady Liu was surprised. "The Crown Prince is in the Imperial Guards?"

"Yes."

"That's remarkable. Serving in the emperor's presence is extraordinary. The Crown Prince has a bright future!" Lady Liu exclaimed, full of praise.

"It's nothing. He's just an ordinary palace patrol guard. He's far from serving in the emperor's presence!" Lu Lingyun said modestly.

Even within the Imperial Guards, there are different ranks. The most basic level involves guarding the palace gates and patrolling. As one gets promoted, there are third-rank guards, second-rank guards, and then commanders and chief commanders. If favored by the emperor and selected as personal guards, they rise to the highest level of serving in the emperor's presence.

Reaching the level of serving in the emperor's presence means becoming a trusted confidant of the emperor, and all the officials in the court have to be polite to them.

If granted an external post with imperial favor, they start at the rank of general or even provincial governor.

Those who serve in the emperor's presence are truly extraordinary officials.

After listening, Madam Liu continued to flatter, "The prince is a dragon among men. The moment I saw him, I knew he would be extraordinary! Lingyun, you have good fortune! You married a good husband! Just wait for the good days to come!"

As she said this, her heart was filled with sour regret.

After all, she had once been told that Cheng Yunshuo was a good-for-nothing dandy.

That he would favor his concubine over his wife, causing the entire Marquis's Mansion to become chaotic, with scandals and conflicts everywhere. He might even elope with that lowly concubine, causing the Ningyang Marquis's Mansion to fall into decline!

But look at him now! He's doing well!

Where was the favoring of the concubine over the wife? Where was the elopement with the concubine?

Not only had he been a part of the Imperial Guards before, but now he had been promoted to the Imperial Guards in the palace.

Looking at his ambitious demeanor and with the background of the Ningyang Marquis's Mansion, he would definitely rise to serve in the emperor's presence!

How blind was her foolish daughter to say such nonsense! To insist on marrying Li Er, that wolf-hearted scoundrel!

See what kind of life she’s living now!

When Lu Lingyun met Madam Liu's eyes, she saw the regret and bitterness behind the fake flattery.

She didn't know if Lu Hanyi regretted it now, but her stepmother certainly did.

She must have been tossing and turning all night, wishing she could go back to the time when she and Lu Hanyi were discussing marriage prospects, and even break Lu Hanyi’s legs to force her to marry into the Marquis's Mansion.

With a faint smile on her face, Lu Lingyun asked seamlessly, "How is Hanyi doing?"

"Her? Don’t even get me started!" Madam Liu frowned, unable to manage a bitter smile. She turned her eyes and led Lu Lingyun into the house to sit down. "That Li Er is really not a good man. Not long after arriving at his post, a maid named Xiang Xue got pregnant and forced Hanyi to promote her to the position of senior concubine!"

"She's already pregnant? How long has it been?"

"Three months!" Madam Liu was furious as she spoke. "While Hanyi was giving birth to his child, he was engaging in adultery with that maid. What a shameless act!"

Lu Lingyun: "..."

She recalled that during her own pregnancy, this stepmother had urged her to send her dowry maid to Li Er's bed.

Under the pretense that men can’t control themselves, and the pregnancy being long, if she didn’t send her own maid, he might find other women to become concubines or secondary wives.

Later, when she suffered a difficult childbirth and Li Wenxun's official career started to rise, Madam Liu had often suggested sending a younger sister from our family to be a senior concubine and bear a child to secure his favor.

But when it came to her own daughter, Hanyi, it was all about infidelity and shamelessness.

As if others had committed some grave offense and wronged her daughter.

Lu Lingyun didn’t bother to expose her hypocrisy and simply went along with it. "How could Li Er be such a person? He used to seem so gentle and modest before."

"Who would disagree! Your sister is truly ill-fated, marrying a man like that. She even told me that Li Er wants to use her dowry money to subsidize household expenses. If she doesn’t give it to him, he’s going to hand over control of the household to that despicable servant girl, Xiang Xue!

This Li Er is really taking advantage of being away from the capital, with no one to support my daughter, treating her like this.

If he were still in the city, I’d claw his face!

What a shame that, with the emperor distant, Father Lu isn’t inclined to deal with such troublesome matters. Regarding Hanyi’s situation, after all, it’s merely trivial domestic matters. Father Lu finds it annoying to hear about it and only rebukes Hanyi for being incompetent. Due to the prior warning, he won’t get involved.

Therefore, Father Lu won’t write a letter to support her or warn Li Er off.

As she spoke, Madam Liu turned to Lu Lingyun, 'Yun'er, Hanyi is your sister. You can’t just let her endure such injustices without helping her! You must help her!'"