Chapter 42: The Eldest Brother Has a Concubine‑Born Son Before Marriage

Deng Mama: "This… the old servant still hasn't finished investigating, more time is needed."

"But everyone who knows says Meixue is a bright and considerate girl, and they also said she was supposed to fulfill her contract and leave the household in a year. Suddenly she became the young master's attendant."

Pei Lao Furen no longer wants to speak.

Living contract!

It turns out Meixue is still a living‑contract girl.

The living‑contract maid died in her employer's house, and the entire Li household managed to keep it completely hidden!

I haven't even heard any rumors myself.

In such a great family, having a concubine‑born son before marriage is bound to invite ridicule.

Moreover, having a concubine‑born son before marriage makes it hard to arrange a good marriage.

Therefore, in such cases they usually give a bowl of Luozi soup, and the child who shouldn't have come first is gone.

But a result as vile as one corpse causing two lives is indeed rare in the world!

If this spreads, who would dare to form a marriage alliance with such a family?

Li Kechuan is already twenty this year; a year ago a decent marriage proposal was mentioned, if I recall correctly, it was with the Cui family of Fujian.

Moreover, the two families set the wedding for early next spring.

The Cui clan is a century‑old noble lineage; although it has shown some decline lately, many of its members still hold official posts in the court.

The Li family are the new rich, while the Cui are the old aristocracy.

The Li family naturally aspired to such a clan.

So if the Cui family learns of Li Kechuan's past indiscretion, his marriage is sure to be jeopardized!

And if the Cui break off the marriage, what good match can he claim thereafter?

His reputation would be ruined, making his official career difficult.

Could this be Luo'er's revenge?

Pei Lao Furen laughed, "Haha."

"It seems Luo'er intends to kill with a blunt knife."

"However, a blunt knife cuts slowly, which is truly the most painful. She also knows how to strike a snake at the seven‑inch point…"

"Let her go then, you do your best to help her."

Deng Mama: "Yes. The old servant will do everything to help the young lady."

Li Qingluo, after nursing her injury for half a month, was almost fully recovered.

During this period, each day she not only applied scar‑removing ointment, but also took Snow Skin pills and Frost Skin ointment continuously morning and night.

Gradually, her complexion, visible to the naked eye, became increasingly bright.

Even those rough hands have lately become somewhat tender.

After Li Qingluo recovered, Pei Lao Furen originally planned to arrange some urgent needlework and guqin lessons for her, but Li Qingluo instead begged her, saying she wanted to learn self‑defense techniques.

Pei Lao Furen, having wielded knives and spears all her life, could not dissuade Li Qingluo from learning such rough skills.

Though she complained outwardly, inside she was actually delighted.

Sure enough, she is Pei Xiuzhen's own granddaughter; she truly resembles her!

However, the only people around Pei Lao Furen suitable to teach Li Qingluo were old women, so she simply found a highly skilled female martial‑arts master from outside and brought her back for Li Qingluo.

Thus, Li Qingluo became extremely busy every day.

Besides practicing calligraphy and studying, she also had to train in the eighteen martial arts.

Fortunately, she is indeed of Pei Lao Furen's bloodline, and has some innate talent for martial arts.

Li Qingluo learned quickly; within a month she made progress, even able to spar with Que'er.

Pei Lao Furen, upon hearing this, was very pleased and personally came to Hongfenguan to see her.

"How about it? If you now wish to continue learning guqin, painting, chess, flower arranging, or poetry, it's still in time."

Li Qingluo, seeing her grandmother arrive, happily dropped the sword in her hand and rushed forward to embrace her.

"Grandmother! Please don't force me to study those things that give your granddaughter a headache. I fall asleep at the sight of sheet music; I can sit calmly to play chess, but spare me flower arranging and poetry!"

Pei Lao Furen, hearing this, laughed "Haha" and couldn't help poking Li Qingluo's forehead affectionately, "You! Fine, if you can first write your messy caterpillar‑like characters properly, I'll be content."

Que'er immediately went to the room, wrote the characters Li Qingluo had been practicing, and handed them to Pei Lao Furen.

Pei Lao Furen looked them over and nodded repeatedly.

Her gaze toward Li Qingluo now held a few more bits of satisfaction and praise.

"Luo'er, regarding what you intend to do, it seems you have put your heart into it."

Li Qingluo, receiving her grandmother's words, did not dare to be proud.

Supporting Pei Lao Furen, she sat down, poured tea herself, and served it to her grandmother.

"Grandmother, it is only because you gave Luo'er the copybook that I can practice my characters properly. Yet I am still far from you, so I ask you to continue supervising me."

Pei Lao Furen patted her hand, "Good child. Starting next month, I'll hire a female tutor for you; you really should pick up the studies you missed before."

Li Qingluo was surprised that her grandmother still wanted to hire a tutor for her.

"Grandmother, doesn't this world advocate that a woman without talent is virtuous? Luo'er thought that mastering calligraphy was already the greatest tolerance the world shows toward women's learning."

It's no wonder Li Qingluo thought so.

Indeed, her upbringing was limited; there was not a single woman around who had ever studied.

Even Li Qingzhu, as Li Qingluo learned, besides writing well, had never formally attended a girls' school.

Pei Lao Furen, feeling tender, hugged Li Qingluo tightly: "Luo'er, this sentence has another meaning, do you know?"

"Even if a woman lacks talent, she must have good virtue."

"But that doesn't mean we women should truly stop studying."

"In Jinling City, those truly noble ladies of high families— which one does not have poetry and literature in her belly? Grandmother wants you to study, but does not expect you to become a talented woman or achieve any official rank."

"Grandmother wants you to understand right and wrong from books, to discern good and evil, and to clearly know where this worldly Dao comes from and where it should go!"

"Don't be a muddled fool."

"It's just that you've been very hard‑worked lately; if you add studying, Grandmother fears you won't be able to bear it. What do you think—are you willing to study?"

Li Qingluo heard Pei Lao Furen's words, was deeply shaken, and felt her mind opened considerably.

"I am willing, Grandmother!"

"Also, Grandmother, I don't find it hard! Grandmother doesn't know how satisfied and fulfilled I am each day now. I don't have to climb the mountain for wild vegetables, nor gather firewood, nor work the fields, and the household chores no longer concern me."

"Now I can finally do what I want, enrich myself, become the person I truly wish to be, so how could I feel it is hard?"

"Grandmother doesn't know, I am truly happy to receive your support and cultivation; I will never disappoint you!"

Saying that, Li Qingluo knelt on one knee again, pressing her head against Pei Lao Furen's belly.

Pei Lao Furen kept nodding, and gently patted Li Qingluo's shoulder: "Good, good child. The days of the past are over. Our hardships have turned to sweetness; from now on we have plenty of time left in our lives, so take it slowly."

"By the way, I heard your sword and bow are both practiced well?"

Li Qingluo responded cheerfully.

Although still only at a three‑legged cat level, she still demonstrated a bit to Pei Lao Furen.

Pei Lao Furen, after watching, was very satisfied.

Reaching this level already made her overjoyed.

After returning to Jingci Tang, looking at the notices at hand, Pei Lao Furen had Zhang Mama reject them all.

Zhang Mama asked puzzled: "Old Lady, this morning didn't you say you would pick a couple of families to visit, then slowly bring the young lady into the view of these Jinling City aristocratic families?"

"Why, after just seeing the young lady once, did you change your mind?"