Chapter 11: The Hierarchy of Legitimate and Concubine-born

Chapter 11: The Hierarchy of Legitimate and Concubine Lines

Risking exposure, Luo Wanqing comforted Liu Fengying. After all, she was the mother of the original owner of this body; since she had no living relatives now, she would treat her as her own biological mother.

Fortunately, Liu Fengying’s illness caused her to drift between moments of clarity and confusion, so she didn't have the energy to investigate whether something was amiss or how she differed from before. She was solely consumed by worry regarding Wanqing’s situation and the difficulty of holding the position of Princess Consort. Like millions of other mothers, she could not bear to see her child suffer any grievances.

"Wanqing, is the Third Prince good to you?!"

"Is the Third Prince's temperament good?!"

"There are so many women in the Prince's Estate. Tell Mother the truth, does he favor the Side Consort?! Does the Side Consort bully you?!"

One question followed another, each more thorny than the last.

"Cough!..." Luo Wanqing gritted her teeth inwardly. That damn Third Prince couldn't do anything right. Just based on the fact that the real Luo Wanqing had jumped into a lake to commit suicide, one could tell he had done plenty of immoral things. The only good thing he had done was not touching this body; otherwise, it would be utterly revolting. He was clearly a scumbag! A piece of crap Third Prince!

"He's quite good. Don't listen to their nonsense, he treats me very well!" As she spoke, she felt like she would vomit blood from the dishonesty, but it seemed she had no other choice.

"Madam, the Eldest Miss has just returned. Madam should also rest so you don't overexert yourself." Xi'er quickly stepped in to smooth things over, fearing that Luo Wanqing might say something wrong. Liu Fengying nodded; after all, her child had only just returned, so she couldn't rush things. However, her heart as a mother had never rested for a single moment. She shed tears of sorrow for a while longer; how could she, as a mother, not know that her daughter was living poorly in the Prince's Estate?!

"Mother, please rest. I will come to see you again tomorrow." Luo Wanqing hurried to soothe her. Fearing she would become too heartbroken, she had no choice but to make an excuse to leave. As for the matter of being divorced, she would have to wait until her mother's health improved before telling her slowly; otherwise, the blow would be too great.

Once outside, Luo Wanqing said indignantly, "My mother is this sick, why doesn't my father care?! Why hasn't he found a good doctor to examine her properly? She's sick to this extent, and there isn't a trace of color in her face!"

"The Master doesn't care much for these matters. Although Miss's mother is the legal wife, she has been in poor health for years, and the household is managed by the Second Madam. Several good doctors have been invited to see her and some medicine has been prescribed, but she never seems to get better, so the Master stopped intervening. As for the other ladies, they care even less. If it weren't for Miss marrying into the Prince's Estate, Madam would have passed away long ago, tortured to death."

Despite having followed Luo Wanqing into the Prince's Estate, Xi'er was well aware of these matters. She had secretly provided much assistance to the Madam, including hiring doctors and buying medicine. It was no wonder Luo Wanqing was currently so destitute; her gold and silver jewelry had all been spent on medical treatments.

"This is too much! My mother is the legal wife!" Weren't the ancients all very clear about the hierarchy between legitimate and concubine lines? Why did what she saw seem so different?

"Miss, please don't speak recklessly. Madam's maternal family has lost its power, and these people are experts at exploiting that! If the Second Madam's daughters hadn't been so young back then, it wouldn't have been the Eldest Miss's turn to marry into the Prince's Estate!" Xi'er spoke cautiously, checking to ensure no one was around.

Luo Haiming had three daughters and no sons. Besides Luo Wanqing, there were Luo Qianqian and Luo Jiaojiao, born to the Second and Third Madams. They were all seventeen now, as beautiful as flowers. It was truly as Xi'er said—had they been older back then, how could they have allowed Luo Wanqing to marry into the Prince's Estate?! Even now, they still harbored resentment.

"Who cares! Whoever wants to marry that dead Prince can have him!" Luo Wanqing cursed through clenched teeth. Before she could finish her tirade, a sharp, acerbic voice suddenly rang out, giving her a fright.

"Oh my?! Isn't this our family's Princess Consort, the Eldest Miss? Why did you come back so sneakily?! If you're coming back, you should at least make a sound so we can all go out to welcome you. This is just wonderful—returning without a word. Aren't you intentionally making us look bad?! Saying we don't understand etiquette!"