Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress

Chapter 100: Chapter 99: Sense of Propriety_1

Thinking that his son would become the Duke of Zhen in the future, Bai Qiyun felt ecstatic and couldn’t contain his excitement. His mind was filled with images of his son as the Duke of Zhen! The honor of the dukedom was beyond words, and the mansion of the Duke had accumulated much wealth from years of military campaigns. All this would belong to their family in the future. It was a tremendous fortune.

Because of this, Bai Qiyun was so happy that he couldn’t sleep all night.

Who knew that as soon as he departed from Shuoyang, he heard along the way that the second lord of the mansion had an illegitimate son outside. Just after the bastard was brought back to the manor, he was severely beaten on the main street by Bai Qingyan, the legitimate eldest daughter, for treating the common people with contempt. Everyone said that the dukedom was likely to fall into the hands of this child and sighed at the pity of it.

Hearing this, Bai Qiyun became so angry that he fell ill on the road, harboring a great deal of resentment in his heart. Why hadn’t the servants from the manor mentioned the second lord’s illegitimate child when they returned to Shuoyang to report the funeral?

Initially, Bai Qiyun was ready to turn back, but was stopped by Steward Wu. Steward Wu said that since they had set out, they might as well go and offer incense to the Duke. There might be some turning point in the matter; if they didn’t go, there would be no chance at all.

Reluctant, Bai Qiyun agreed. Steward Wu then sent someone ahead to the manor to inquire about the situation with the illegitimate son.

This afternoon, when Bai Qiyun and Steward Wu arrived in Dadu City, it was the very moment when the Eldest Princess was forcing King Xin to his death at Wude Gate with her granddaughters.

Upon hearing this news, Bai Qiyun shuddered, fearing that the Bai family would anger the Emperor and bring disaster upon them. He immediately ordered his two illegitimate cousins to leave at once.

Who knew that just as the man sent to convey the order had left, the person sent by Steward Wu to gather information in Dadu returned, saying that the illegitimate son of the second lord had already packed his things and was ready to flee at any moment.

Steward Wu, thinking quickly, came up with another idea.

Steward Wu said that since the Bai family had forced the emperor’s legitimate son to his death, they were sure to face a bad end in the future. But for now, the Duke’s mansion had the support of the common people and should be temporarily safe. Now that the bastard son had sensed danger and was preparing to flee, their Shuoyang Bai family certainly couldn’t be foolish enough to get themselves involved with the Duke’s mansion.

However, if this illegitimate child left and the manor had no male heirs, the clan would have to adopt a son for the manor’s sake or risk having the female members return to Shuoyang to rely on the clan.

Whether the manor ended up returning home or seeking the clan to adopt a son, either way, they would be pleading with the clan. They could take this opportunity to demand land, renovate the ancestral hall, temples, and graves, establish a school, and invite scholars to teach, all in the name of supporting the clan.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Ɲονǥο.ᴄο

Mrs. Dong, the mistress of the manor, was a clever woman. If she knew she would need the clan’s protection in the future, she wouldn’t dare refuse.

Before Bai Qiyun came to the manor, Steward Wu specifically reminded him to maintain a high demeanor when speaking, as the female members of the manor might need to rely on the clan in the future. The clan needed to show its strength while they were still in Dadu City so that it would be easier to demand benefits from Mrs. Dong when they returned to Shuoyang.

Bai Qiyun thought Steward Wu made sense. Coupled with his anger, his words inevitably became arrogant.

Standing under the porch, Bai Qingyan lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment before softly turning her head to Chun Tao and said, “Go to the front and call the third and fourth young ladies over. Don’t let the second young lady know…”

Chun Tao nodded and was about to leave when Bai Qingyan held her back, whispering in her ear, “Also, ask your cousin to quickly ride to the Xiao Mansion and meet Xiao Rongyan. Tell Xiao Rongyan that I need to use his title of the first merchant for a deal. It won’t cause him any harm. If he can help me, I, Bai Qingyan, will be eternally grateful.”

“All right!” Chun Tao responded and hurried to the mourning hall in front.

The reason for sending Chen Qingsheng to find Xiao Rongyan was that Chen Qingsheng was the one who initially delivered the message to Xiao Rongyan. Bai Qingyan hoped that Xiao Rongyan would let her use his title in favor of the past message delivery.

Nanny Tong, being exceptionally shrewd, immediately understood Bai Qingyan’s intention when she said not to call the second young lady. She worriedly frowned and said, “Whatever the eldest young lady needs, just leave it to this old servant. You and the third and fourth young ladies are still young and should not be involved in such matters…”

“I’ve already plotted to kill King Xin. What more could I worry about concerning my reputation?” Bai Qingyan smiled at Nanny Tong and whispered, “Nanny, don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”

In the hall, Bai Qiyun slapped the table and angrily exclaimed, “The Eldest Princess is in the rear garden of the Duke’s manor. You…you won’t even let the servants take me to her. How can I possibly meet the Eldest Princess?!”

Mrs. Dong slammed the teacup heavily on the table. Her sharp eyes bore into Bai Qiyun as she sneered, “So, you do know that this is the Duke’s manor! And that I am the mistress of the manor! Today, I’ll make this clear. If the Shuoyang Bai family is here to mourn and pay respects, the Duke’s Manor welcomes you. If you’re here for silver, wait until the major events of the Bai family are over, and we can discuss it. If you can’t wait, you can leave for Shuoyang now or stand at the gates of the manor and let the public judge! Let the world see what vile and heartless intentions the Shuoyang clan harbors during our family’s critical time.”

“You!” Bai Qiyun turned red with rage, standing up and pointing at Mrs. Dong.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall was extremely tense.

Standing beside Mrs. Dong, Nanny Qin slightly raised her chin, smiling benevolently as she spoke, “Sir, I advise you to lower that finger. Our princely heir’s wife is a first-rank lady of the court. Showing disrespect to the lady can land you in prison! Furthermore, our manor has generations of generals. Our servants have a fiery temper, and if you keep pointing at the mistress, you might lose that finger in a fit of rage.”

Intimidated by Nanny Qin, Bai Qiyun’s finger, which had been pointing straight at Mrs. Dong, slightly bent. He then flung his sleeve behind his back and looked down at Mrs. Dong with arrogance, saying, “Mrs. Dong, you must think clearly. The illegitimate son of the second lord has packed his things and is ready to flee at any moment. With no male heir, won’t you have to seek the clan’s shelter in Shuoyang? By delaying matters with the clan now, you are cutting off your own retreat!”

Bai Jintong and Bai Jinzhi slipped out of the mourning hall upon hearing Chun Tao’s message. Before they could speak to Bai Qingyan, they heard Bai Qiyun’s overbearing voice from inside.

Bai Jinzhi instantly felt a rush of anger and was about to barge in but stopped after a few steps, gritting her teeth and turning around to control her temper.

Seeing her eldest and third sisters watching her, she realized she almost lost her composure and caused trouble again. Blushing, she walked back and asked, “Eldest Young Lady, what do you need me and Third Young Lady to do?”