Chapter 1060 - 451: The Real Culprit
The funeral of Maternal Aunt Liu, Marquis Weiyuan wanted to hold it grandly. Unfortunately, even though Maternal Aunt Liu was included in the genealogical records as the second branch, she was still a concubine, and no matter how grand a concubine’s funeral is, it cannot surpass the norms. For this matter, An Zhiren invited the Clan Leader of the An Family.
Marquis Weiyuan had long been unable to do anything about his son, thus he could only compromise. Marquis Weiyuan had no choice but to compromise, as not only was his son unwilling, but the family clan also resisted. After the obituary was issued, only stewards or Steward Ladies came; not a single guest showed up at the door.
Maternal Aunt Liu’s spirit pivot was kept for seven days and three days of rituals were conducted. Then, Marquis Weiyuan did not allow Maternal Aunt Liu to be buried in the ancestral tomb but instead chose a picturesque location for burial. This left many puzzled, but Marquis Weiyuan didn’t explain the reason to anyone.
The funeral was kept simple, but the burial required someone to carry the spirit and smash the pot, which couldn’t be simplified. On this day, they faced another dilemma. Marquis Weiyuan’s Mansion had three offspring. The Princely Heir was certainly not going to uphold a concubine’s spirit, An Zhixiao also was unwilling, and as for Maternal Aunt Liu’s biological son An Zhichen, he had been adopted out. Even if An Zhichen was willing, there was nothing others could say, but let alone have An Zhichen carry the spirit, after being invited by the Heir of the Marquis Weiyuan to the Marquis’ household, An Zhichen didn’t appear for several days.
Marquis Weiyuan couldn’t pressure An Zhichen, but he could pressure An Zhixiao. An Zhixiao eventually couldn’t resist Marquis Weiyuan and reluctantly accepted the task.
Lady of Marquis Weiyuan, Lady Fang, was not poisoned by Marquis Weiyuan as Xiang Wei guessed. Back then, Lady Fang was angrily scolded by Marquis Weiyuan, and in rage, she fainted and remained unconscious for two days and nights. As she got older, her health wasn’t great. Recently she had been very weak, and upon hearing her son was carrying the spirit and smashing the pot for Madam Liu, she fainted from anger. When she awoke later, Lady Fang couldn’t get out of bed. The physician stated that she had suffered a stroke and required careful nursing.
The affairs at Marquis Weiyuan’s Mansion were a tumultuous uproar, by this time Yueyao had already finished her confinement period. To avoid the outside controversies, Yueyao canceled all social engagements and shut her doors to live her little life. Of course, seeking peace was quite challenging.
Yueyao saw Mingzhu arriving with three unruly boys: "Mingzhu, in the future, could you not bring the three boys when you come over?" Xiao Kexin was very well-behaved, sleeping after eating, and even when awake, she would giggle when teased, making everyone fond of her. But Mingzhu’s three boys were different; they were fine when not making a fuss, but once they cried, their loud voices almost lifted the roof. Last time, Yueyao ended up with a headache from it.
Mingzhu casually replied: "I need the children to develop bonds from an early age, so my future daughter-in-law won’t be stolen away."
Yueyao rubbed her forehead. Yueyao now regretted befriending such a trouble-making confidant. If this keeps up, her head will ache from the commotion.
Mingzhu cheerfully said: "Don’t be like this. I’m helping you learn ahead! Boys tend to be mischievous, and your future son will certainly be no exception, I’m just giving you a preview!" Mingzhu brought three children over, claiming to nurture affection was a pretense. The main point was Little Bun especially liked Xiao Kexin, he was overjoyed whenever he saw her.
Little Bun’s formal name was Ying Rui, with the wisdom "Rui," and the two below were Ying Yao and Ying Yao. The two boys couldn’t walk yet, only crawl, moving around on the bed. Since last time the two boys almost treated Xiao Kexin as a toy, Yueyao was determined not to let the two boys approach her daughter this time. However, Little Bun, now three years old in nominal age, could walk on his own and speak fluently, so Yueyao didn’t stop him from approaching her treasured daughter.
Mingzhu watched Little Bun sitting beside Xiao Kexin, making her laugh joyfully, and said: "Yueyao, I feel like my Rui and Kexin are really well-matched, why not set it now!"
Yueyao certainly wouldn’t agree, this concerned her daughter’s lifelong happiness. Of course, she didn’t flatly refuse but said: "The children don’t know better now, if he still likes Kexin when they grow up, I will agree." Yueyao had no intention of letting her daughter choose among the brothers, given their close ages, if anything happened, it would be her daughter who suffers.
Mingzhu was overjoyed when Yueyao finally relaxed her stance, hugged Little Bun, and patted his little bottom, saying: "Son, later you must be very filial to your mother! See how I’ve worn myself out trying to win a bride for you. If you’re not filial in the future, I’ll give you a good spanking."