Once a woman’s reputation was damaged, she faced the possibility of being divorced and abandoned by her husband’s family. If the lady in question was not married, it might even affect the marriage prospects of the other ladies in the family.
Senior Servant Liu abruptly came back to her senses. She took a careful peek at the matriarch’s expression. When she saw a grim expression on the matriarch, she knew that things were going to turn bad.
She pondered over the matter and decided to help mediate a little.
“Matriarch, this is a situation that we didn’t experience personally. There are probably things we don’t know about this matter. Third Young Master and Third Young Madam are so loving with each other. It’s clear that nothing could have possibly happened to Third Young Madam! Please don’t overthink things.”
While Matriarch He still had an awful expression on her face, she kept her rationality. She turned a disapproving look on Senior Servant Liu, “Xiangyun, you need to remember who your master is.”
Senior Servant Liu trembled and her face instantly paled. She kept her head lowered and remained silent at the side.
She stood there with uncertainty and anxiety for a long moment before she heard the matriarch speak again.
“Alright, I was too harsh with my words earlier. Don’t let any hint of this news leak out. We don’t know the actual details of what happened at the northern border. However, in the meantime, send someone to monitor the third branch over the next few days. Also, I don’t want to hear any more regarding the matter of letting Sanlang’s wife manage the household affairs.”
Senior Servant Liu was shaken to her core. She would never have thought that Third Young Madam’s trip to the northern border would cause the relationship between the matriarch and Third Young Madam to break apart…
What were they to do now? Judging by how things were going, House Jing’an would still need to rely on the third branch to keep their prestige in the future!
Even if she didn’t want to admit, Senior Servant Liu understood in her heart that the matriarch was getting old…
She asked worriedly, “Then the household affairs…”
Matriarch He coughed a few times, her old age now showing in her demeanour.
“I’ll manage the household affairs for now. If I can’t bear it, since Miss Ying is back now, she can help out with the management.”
Senior Servant Liu completely hadn’t expected that the matriarch had made such a decision in her heart…
She couldn’t believe her ears. Letting Eldest Madam manage the household? Considering Eldest Madam’s misconduct when she was younger, this didn’t seem like a reliable solution.
The worry in Senior Servant Liu’s heart only deepened.
Chu Lian was peacefully spending her days in Songtao Court, unaware that Leader Mo had told Matriarch He what happened at the northern border in secret.
After mulling it over for some time, Chu Lian still decided to make some ‘candied hawthorns’ and send them over to Countess Jing’an.
Although He Changdi disagreed, she couldn’t really offend her mother-in-law by refusing.
Of course, Chu Lian wasn’t stupid. She sent someone over to Great Doctor Miao to make an inquiry before instructing the maidservants to prepare the ingredients.
She made them with her own hands this time, without any help from her maidservants.
The candied hawthorns were ready just before dinner. She personally sent them over to Countess Jing’an’s room after placing them in a food container.
Chu Lian had made more than enough, so she prepared another box to bring over to Prince Wei’s Estate for the following day.
Royal Princess Duanjia was a glutton. If she didn’t bring some food over, the princess would probably complain.
That night, He Changdi was rather well-behaved when they slept.
He had finally gotten his first taste of pleasure and it was even harder for him to restrain himself now. However, when he thought of how Chu Lian’s body hadn’t recovered from their first night, all he did was to help her apply some medicine before kissing and caressing her to temporarily satisfy his desires.
In the end, he left to go take a bath in the bathroom.
Chu Lian slept soundly all the way till morning. The furnace next to her was already gone, so she knew that He Changdi had gone to the martial arts arena again.
She stayed snug and warm in bed until He Changdi returned.
The couple ate breakfast in their own room before heading to Qingxi Hall for the usual morning greeting.
Today, He Ying and her daughter were also present when they arrived.
The tall and slender He Changdi was wearing a long black robe embroidered with auspicious clouds on the hem today. A simple jade ornament hung at his waist while his hair was tied up into a high bun, exposing his forehead. His handsome and cold face was like the first ice formed on the surface of a lake during winter and he was emitting an imposing aura from his body. After training in the military, He Sanlang had lost some of his gloominess, in exchange for a more mature and steady composure that would seem more dependable to a woman.
Despite his stern temperament, his actions were thoughtful and caring as he reached out and supported his wife as she lifted her feet to cross the doorstep.
He Ying didn’t know if it was just her imagination, but she felt that there was something different about her nephew’s wife today. She seemed even more beautiful as compared to the past couple of days. She was like a graceful rose that was beginning to bloom, exuding a light and attractive scent.
Miss Pan was seated next to He Ying and staring dazedly at He Sanlang.
The couple bobbed in greeting towards Matriarch He.
The matriarch’s expression wasn’t very good and she simply waved her hand in acceptance.
For some reason, Chu Lian felt that Matriarch He’s attitude towards her seemed to be colder than before.
He Sanlang had sensed it as well, so his gaze lingered a few seconds longer on his grandmother’s face.
