Chapter 4: After All, A Mother’s Love for Her Son Prevails

The maids and matrons in the reception hall were all blushing to the roots of their ears.

What sort of scandalous, wild words was the Young Master speaking?

Fortunately, Yan Shiyue was adept at managing her staff, and the servants of the Nine-Tune Pavilion were all tight-lipped.

"I intend to marry her properly, with an eight-bearer sedan chair to welcome her through our gates. I must go to propose marriage in ten days, so you all had best hurry up."

Lu Lan wanted to give Gu Xingwan the status of a legitimate wife, not that of a concubine.

"Ten days?"

Lu Yanbei and Yan Shiyue shared a dark premonition.

Such urgency—could it be that she was already…

In their minds, they could already picture a chubby grandson calling out for his grandfather and grandmother.

Yan Shiyue, naturally, had no objections. She beamed, unable to hide her joy, and agreed repeatedly.

"Very well, Mother will grant your every wish. Whatever you say, we shall do. For your wedding, my son, even if I have to empty out my dowry chests, I will make sure it is a grand and magnificent affair."

Yan Shiyue was not from an ordinary background. Lu Lan’s maternal grandfather was Yan Que, the Minister of Revenue. As the daughter of a Minister, she was a perfect match for the Duke of Yu’s mansion.

When she was wed years ago, her dowry was so vast it caused a sensation in the capital, and the spectacle of her bridal procession stretching for miles had become a legendary tale.

After her eldest, second, and third sons sacrificed their lives for the country, half of Yan Shiyue’s own life had withered away in grief. Now, with only this one precious son left, she naturally doted on him to the heavens.

Beside her, however, Lu Yanbei’s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot. He cursed silently, thinking this rascal was certainly quick with his hands; clearly, the tuition he had paid at brothels over the years had not gone to waste—he truly took after his father.

However, the son of his concubine, Qi Xuefu—the fifth son, Lu Zhongwang—was already negotiating a marriage with the family of Zhao, the Minister of the Court of Ceremonial.

At the time, they hadn't expected Lu Lan to marry as well. That rebellious son had always been so unreliable that they assumed he wouldn't even think of marriage for several more years. Under the influence of Qi Xuefu’s pillow talk, he had already promised to host a grand wedding for Lu Zhongwang.

The Duke of Yu’s coffers had been squandered by Lu Lan to the point of emptiness. To say nothing of two sons marrying at once, it was no exaggeration to say that if a thief were to break in, they would have to leave behind two bags of rice.

The only person in the house with money was Yan Shiyue.

Originally, she had promised to dip into her private treasury to help with Lu Zhongwang’s wedding, but now that Lu Lan was also getting married, she surely wouldn't agree to assist the concubine’s son.

Noticing Lu Yanbei’s dilemma, Lu Lan said in a soft, gentle tone, "Father, is there some difficulty?"

Lu Yanbei scratched his neck, then his head, and spoke with great difficulty.

"Fourth Son, would ten days be too rushed? Perhaps we could wait until next spring to go to the Gu family to propose?"

Lu Yanbei wasn't saying he couldn't marry Gu Xingwan, only if the timing could be pushed back. If they lived frugally for the next few months and scraped together funds from here and there, the money for Lu Lan’s wedding would be secured.

"Next spring?"

"Father, you surely wouldn't want me to have my bride emerge from the sedan chair with a belly as round as a ball on our wedding day, would you?"

Lu Lan could wait, but Gu Xingwan’s belly could not. If her pregnancy became visible by then, Gu Xingwan’s reputation would be ruined nonetheless.

Therefore, the wedding had to be pushed through with all possible speed.

"You rebellious brat, I!" Lu Yanbei’s liver ached with rage; that image was simply too vivid and unbearable to behold.

Lu Lan then thought of his younger half-brother, Lu Zhongwang’s, wedding.

"Is this because of Fifth Brother’s wedding?"

Lu Yanbei looked as if he had swallowed a rotten maggot.

"Father, it is my lack of consideration. This matter is indeed too rushed."

Lu Yanbei felt a warmth in his heart. Even if this rascal was notoriously mischievous, he was sensible at critical moments and knew how to be considerate of his father's hardships.

"Then, could it be..."

Lu Lan changed the subject: "But my wedding must still be held quickly, and it must be grand."

Lu Yanbei: "..."

Lu Lan felt nothing but disgust for that mother and son. Although Lu Zhongwang was young, he was deeply calculating, like a rat lurking in a sewer, watching Lu Lan from the shadows. And his mother, Qi Xuefu, was even more detestable; she had conspired with relatives outside the manor to hollow out the Duke of Yu’s estate. Lu Lan was well aware of all the dirty, rotten things she had done in secret.

Lu Yanbei felt a headache coming on.

Yan Shiyue lightly scraped her teacup, the corners of her mouth curling up.

"My Lord, do not fret. If you ask me, let each host their own. I shall manage the Fourth Son’s wedding. By the same token, you should tell the one in the Shenxin Pavilion to show some capability as well, instead of spending her days doing nothing but crying, making scenes, and threatening to hang herself."

She had no intention of accommodating Qi Xuefu. That woman was no simple soul; her talent for seducing men was immense.

Back in the day, Qi Xuefu had been the most inconspicuous little maid by Yan Shiyue’s side—delicate-skinned, quiet, and seemingly hardworking, showing no signs of any ulterior motives.

It was only when Yan Shiyue’s eldest son, Lu Guanying, died in battle and she was completely overwhelmed by grief that Qi Xuefu had found the opportunity to crawl into her husband’s bed.

Yan Shiyue could hold onto that grudge for a lifetime. *Oh, my son had just died, and you were crawling into my husband’s bed.*

What a shameless, cheap wench.

Later, Lu Yanbei gave Qi Xuefu the status of a low-ranking concubine, but she never ceased her antics. Every few days she would stir up trouble, challenging the status of the legal wife and demanding that her son, Lu Zhongwang, be sent to the Cangqi Academy, the foremost of the four great academies.

Over the years, she had snatched up quite a lot of resources. Other things might be ignored, as the resources of the entire Duke’s mansion were meant to serve the legal wife and the legitimate son, and occasionally showing mercy by letting a few scraps fall to a concubine and her son was one thing. But Qi Xuefu had set her sights on the position of Heir.

That was when Yan Shiyue decided it was time to make her life miserable.

"As a concubine, what savings could she possibly have? How could she organize a grand wedding?"

Lu Yanbei was caught in a dilemma. Lu Zhongwang’s wedding was already on the agenda, scheduled for next month.

Qi Xuefu had only one son, and Lu Zhongwang had been clever, sensible, and diligent since he was young. He was highly regarded by the great scholars of the Cangqi Academy; one could say that from his studies to his conduct as a son, this concubine’s son was flawless. He even had high hopes of contending for the title of Top Scholar in next year’s imperial examinations.

His conduct was as different from Lu Lan’s as heaven from earth.

If such a promising son were to have his wedding slighted, Qi Xuefu would surely seek to kill herself.

Lu Yanbei’s face felt as if he were constipated. Finally, he said to Lu Lan:

"Fourth Son, you are the elder brother. Could you not yield to your younger brother? Let the Fifth Son marry first, and by the coming spring, I shall see to it that your wedding is handled beautifully and properly."

As for Gu Xingwan’s belly, he would find some way to hide it.

Lu Lan’s mouth opened slightly, but before he could speak—

"Hmph!"

Yan Shiyue stood up, slamming the table with a cold face.

"Lu Yanbei, by what right do you ask my son to suffer? Do you wish to rewrite the family genealogy and make Lu Zhongwang the heir? I tell you, if you want to take my son's position as heir, you must first divorce me, your legal wife, and elevate that cheap wench Qi Xuefu in my place. Otherwise... not a chance!"

Lu Yanbei, who had been roaring like a lioness, shrank back, cowed by Yan Shiyue’s fierce retort.

"Oh, my lady, when did I ever say I wanted to change the genealogy!"

He wouldn't dare, even if he were given ten times the courage.

"Then very well. Destiny is fixed by Heaven. Since the Fourth Son has taken a fancy to the Gu family’s second daughter, we must strike while the iron is hot. That is a family of both talent and beauty—a match you couldn't find even if you searched with a lantern. If you delay the Fourth Son’s lifelong happiness, I will not let you hear the end of it."

Yan Shiyue had consulted a fortune teller, who said her son’s path to marriage would be treacherous, so he must not miss this good match.

Lu Lan gently turned the jade ring on his finger and said, as if it were of no consequence:

"Father, Mother, you need not worry about the betrothal gifts. I have my own ways!"

"My son, do you even know how much silver a wedding with the Three Letters and Six Rites requires?" Lu Yanbei frowned deeply.

"At least ten thousand taels of silver."

Lu Yanbei sighed heavily. *So you do know?*

Ten thousand taels was no small sum for the current Duke of Yu’s mansion. What would Lu Lan, a rich young master who had never lifted a finger in his life, know about such things?

He also complained internally: *If you had been sensible and thrifty with your spending earlier, would the household be fretting over ten thousand taels today?*

Yan Shiyue sat to the side, composed and silent. She had money—quite a lot of it. But she was prepared to let Lu Lan try to raise the money himself. Whether he borrowed it or sold things off, he needed to experience the cold reality of the world so he would understand that money is hard to earn and life is difficult.

If he truly couldn't scrape together enough for the wedding, she would then take money from her private treasury. He was her only son, and all her wealth was meant for him.

"Fourth Son, you go and find a way first. If it truly proves impossible, your mother will be here to back you up."