Chapter 256 FCADW? IRTBTMOTMM

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 Favoring Concubines and Destroying Wives? I Refuse to be the Mistress of this Marquis' Mansion

 Chapter 256: 

Chaos 

"Did Lu Chang Gong say anything to you?" Lin Yunwan was very curious.

Qi Lingheng smiled mysteriously, "What do you think Lu Chang Gong is like?"

Lin Yunwan's impression of Lu Chang Gong still remained from several years ago. She smiled and said, "He's a diligent, shy, kind, and filial person."

"I have never seen such a good child. All the good descriptions apply to him."

She held Lu Chang Gong in high regard.

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Qi Lingheng smiled and said softly, "Then it's better for you not to know."

"Why?" Lin Yunwan furrowed her brows slightly.

Qi Lingheng paused and said, "…I don't think he would want you to know either. Just wait and see. See what he will do for you, for himself."

Lin Yunwan raised her eyebrows, wondering what else Lu Chang Gong could do.

~

The mansion of Marquis Wu Ding had descended into chaos.

"If it weren't for the young master holding things down, the mansion would be completely chaotic!" lamented the servants at the door.

"Who says otherwise! Luckily, our former Madam picked such a good young master for the Lu family. Otherwise, what would the mansion be like now?"

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They were all servants born into the residence, so they could still guard the door. 

With the recent departures and sales of those who were bought or sent by Madam Chen, the population of Marquis Wu Ding's mansion had suddenly dwindled.

Qiao Da, carrying an axe on his back, passed by the gate, looking at the dilapidated mansion. With a disdainful snort, he walked away with his head held high.

The gatekeeper looked on with envy. "He's someone who knows how to pick a master. Following the young master, he'll have a bright future."

"But does he really have a bright future? Qiao Da hasn't had an easy time these past few years. I wonder why the young master takes such good care of him."

...............

Inside the inner courtyard, Lu Zhengliu went from being anxious and agitated to feeling utterly despondent, finding solace nowhere, even after discussing matters with Lu Chang Gong.

"Chang Gong, if I... in the future, the family will rely on you," he said.

"If the family business fails, so be it. We can't sell the ancestral house and ancestral land. As long as the house stands, so does the ancestral shrine. As long as our ancestors are with us, the Lu family will have a chance to rise again," Lu Chang Gong reassured him.

"It's your father who has wronged you. You're about to take the imperial examination after the New Year, yet he burdens you with worries like this. Don't worry about other matters. Focus all your efforts on studying. As long as you achieve success, the Lu family won't fall," Lu Zhengliu advised, rambling on.

Taking a deep breath, he placed his hand on Lu Chang Gong's shoulder and said earnestly, "Thank goodness we still have you in the Lu family. Even if I die, I'll have the dignity to face our ancestors in the afterlife."

He knew there was no escaping his fate.

Seeing the Lu family's decline day by day, he was grateful for having an outstanding eldest son.

With a calm expression, Lu Chang Gong replied, "Why are you talking so pessimistically? It's just that the Xingguo Duke's residence took their belongings. Our family is still fine."

Lu Zhengliu shook his head, feeling desolate in his heart. "You're still young, you don't understand."

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Lu Chang Gong looked puzzled. "What doesn't your son understand?"

Filled with bitterness, Lu Zhengliu couldn't utter a word. He smiled bitterly and said, "You'll understand when you grow up a little more. You're still a child... you're only fifteen..."

That's why Lu Chang Gong didn't recognize Lin Yunwan. He didn't blame his eldest son. 

How could a child dare to publicly accuse the Princess Huan? How could he understand the significance of recognizing Lin Yunwan?

"Master, master, something big has happened!" A servant shouted from outside.

Lu Zhengliu felt irritated upon hearing this, but he had grown accustomed to such news in recent days. He impatiently furrowed his brow and solemnly said, "Chang Gong, study hard." With that, he walked away with a lifeless expression.

"I will definitely study hard."

Lu Chang Gong nodded in assurance.

As Lu Zhengliu had just left, a servant rushed in anxiously and said, "Master, people from the clan are clamoring to come and divide the ancestral land..."

"Divide the ancestral land?" Lu Zhengliu's heart sank.

Despite the assistance from the Duke of Xingguo's Mansion in recent years, the Lu family still had no title, and while he had no future, his eldest son did.

The people of the Lu family had not completely severed ties with them yet.

Now, were they going to cut off all relations with them?

Then the Lu clan would truly fall apart!

"They are foolish!" Lu Zhengliu hurried over to meet his relatives.

With the family falling apart in front of him, he had no more thoughts about Princess Huan.

Lu Chang Gong watched his father's figure go, holding a jade pendant in his hand. Upon closer inspection, it was a jade pendant carved with the image of a swan. 

As Qianru came over to serve tea, she remarked, "Young Master, you've polished this jade pendant so well from handling it."

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Lu Chang Gong put away the jade pendant with a faint smile.

It was a gift from his mother, cherished and carefully cared for over the years, often played with.

"How's it going over there?" Lu Chang Gong sat down for tea and inquired about the affairs in the Lu clan's courtyard.

Qianru smiled, "Second Young Master has been spending all his time with Xiaoxuan these days and doesn't want to go out. Xiaoxuan, on the other hand... still loves going out! She sneaks out whenever she can."

With lax supervision in the mansion, maidservants could come and go as they pleased.

Zhuqing was stationed at the side gate. Lu Chang Gong allowed her to turn a blind eye and indulge Xiaoxuan's outings.

As a result, Xiaoxuan started going out more frequently.

Lu Chang Gong replied coldly, "She's someone with great prospects."

Qianru smiled, "Young Master is right. Every time she returns, I notice something different about her, either more or less of something. The high branches of the marquis's mansion aren't enough for her to climb; who knows what other connections she's made outside."

Lu Chang Gong fell silent.

Qianru knew her master didn't like discussing such matters. Nonetheless, there were some things she had to mention, overtly or covertly. She continued, "After all, she's several years older than Second Young Master. Second Young Master is still so young, like a child, unlike you. Xiaoxuan probably doesn't see him in that way."

Lu Chang Gong was well aware of this.

Xiaoxuan was quite bold; she almost tried to seduce Lu Zhengliu. She had tried her luck with respectable men in the mansion, but she hadn't succeeded with him.

"As for Xiaoxuan's actions, you should have Auntie Zhuqing find a way to inform Mistress Ge," he instructed.

Qianru nodded. "Got it."

She delivered the message, and Zhuqing suddenly became spirited. She threw her handkerchief onto the table and exclaimed, "I've been waiting for this day for so long!"

Muer blinked and asked, "Mom, people outside are saying that our family is going to be raided. Is it true?"

Seeing her mother's demeanor, it didn't seem like anything bad was going to happen at home.

Zhuqing cupped her daughter's cheek and said with a smile, "You're a lucky, girl. You haven't even called me 'mother' yet, but you've already received the grace of your original stepmother. Even if they raid homes, they won't come after us."

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Muer, still bewildered, received instructions from Zhuqing to let Ge Bao'er inadvertently discover Xiaoxuan's affairs.

On the other end, Ge Bao'er, hearing from her "own people," learned about Xiaoxuan's frequent visits out of the marquis's mansion and suspected her of being involved in something unsavory.

"I knew it... I knew it! Qing'er still protects her, not knowing she's such a lowly person!" Ge Bao'er was initially anxious about her own fate.

Now she was consumed with anger.

"I'm finished. That Wangfei won't let me off. But my Qing'er..." 

Ge Bao'er closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't end like this! All the glory and wealth, everything was gone, and her son still hated her so much.

What had she gained in this lifetime?

The maid asked anxiously, "Madam, should I go and tell the Second Young Master now?"

Ge Bao'er remained unusually calm. "Do you think Qing'er will still believe what I say?"

The maid hesitated for a moment and shook her head, "Xiaoxuan is now the second young master's favorite." 

The relationship between the second young master and his maid is very close, so unless he catches her red-handed in adultery, how could the second young master believe what his birth mother says?

Ge Bao'er was heartbroken.

Suddenly, she remembered Qing'er sitting at the entrance of the Chui Si Tang, holding a piece of bamboo and thinking about Lin Yunwan's appearance, which made her heart ache even more.

"No... Qing'er is my son!"

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