Lu Changxuan felt as though he hadn't been this bewildered in at least a decade.

  Ten years ago, when he first id eyes on Qin Feifei, he was instantly captivated by her and swore that he would marry her.

  At that time, he had yet to secure an official position, while Consort Lian had already given birth to the Sixth Prince. Qin Yongtao’s rank, though not high, still held real power—naturally, he wouldn’t agree to the match.

  To get closer to Qin Feifei, he married Qin Yaoyao.

  From that moment on, he never forgot his vow—he would marry Qin Feifei no matter what.

  He hadn’t failed in his ambition. He had climbed the ranks, until the Qin family finally saw him as a worthy match.

  By then, Qin Feifei’s husband had died, leaving her a widow.

  Now, Qin Yaoyao had become an obstacle.

  He couldn’t bear to let Qin Feifei suffer any grievances, so Qin Yaoyao had to be turned into a woman who had lost her virtue.

  As for Feng’er, he was his son. He never intended to take his life.

  But fate was unkind—he had been too busy during those crucial days and hadn’t been able to check on the child. By the time he returned, Feng’er was already gone.

  Bme it on Qin Yaoyao for not knowing her pce.

  Even in her wretched state, she still refused to die quietly—she had to drag Feng’er down with her.

  If it hadn’t been for her, would Feng’er have died?

  He had felt sorrow, but it quickly faded.

  After all, his pns to move to Hangzhou were taking shape, and Qin Feifei was already expecting his child.

  As for sons—there would always be more.

  But now… he was lost.

  "Who dares to cause such a commotion here? Do they not know whose residence this is? Go report to the authorities—have them arrested! Each one shall be given thirty strokes!"

  A furious voice snapped Lu Changxuan back to reality.

  It was Old Madam Lu, supported by Lu Changju.

  Hadn’t he specifically ordered the servants not to let her come out?!

  Ziteng lowered her gaze, curling her lips into a silent sneer.

  The Lu household’s servants were truly desperate.

  All she had done was whisper to one of the old servant women who had shoved her earlier—

  "Auntie, these people are running wild—how dare they insult the Old Madam’s virtue? Only she can suppress this mess. Back in the day, she was so formidable that no one in the neighborhood dared cross her..."

  Then, she discreetly handed over a single tael of silver.

  And just like that, the woman had rushed inside to deliver the message.

  As expected.

  These women had been bought cheaply—they cked proper manners and discipline.

  Old Madam Lu herself was uncouth, and Qin Feifei, wanting to appear virtuous and gracious before Lu Changxuan, never dared to discipline her.

  Thus, over time, all rules had disappeared.

  For just one tael of silver, the old servant had acted without a shred of awareness about the situation.

  The moment Old Madam Lu heard that people were calling her unchaste, she stormed outside.

  She had always prided herself on being a model of virtue. How could she endure such an insult?

  "Mother, why are you here? Please, go back inside and rest!"

  Lu Changxuan spoke with a pounding headache, trying to usher her away.

  But Old Madam Lu shoved him aside and stood her ground with all the dignity of a war drum.

  "Pah! Who are these people?! They don't even understand their own households, yet they come to meddle at my door? Get out of here!"

  Qin Shuying subtly raised a hand to her forehead, concealing a smirk behind her palm.

  How could this spectacle be complete without Old Madam Lu?

  Standing slightly behind her, Qin Shuying suddenly pointed at the jade hairpin in the old woman's bun and cried out, “Old Madam! That is my te mother’s keepsake—please return it to me!”

  "Pah!"

  Old Madam Lu spat at her, but Qin Shuying nimbly dodged.

  "Filthy wretch! You slipped away fast enough to escape a scolding!"

  The old woman sneered, her words venomous.

  "Look at yourself! Who do you think you are? This is the Lu residence! How dare you cause trouble here? You wretched little sttern! Shameless tramp!"

  Qin Shuying staggered back as if shaken, while Ziteng burst into tears.

  "Old Madam! My dy is still an unmarried girl—how could you snder her so cruelly? Master! Madam! Why did you leave my dy in this world to suffer such torment? Wuu wuu wuu!"

  Old Madam Lu, full of rage, pointed at Ziteng.

  "You little whore! A wretch who’s been ridden by thousands! Stop pretending to be innocent—I know exactly what you're thinking. All you want is a man!"

  Lu Changxuan couldn’t take it anymore.

  He turned to Lu Changju and the wet nurse, Nanny Yuan, and shouted furiously.

  "Get the Old Madam back inside—NOW!"

  The anger in his voice momentarily snapped Old Madam Lu back to her senses.

  She recalled his repeated warnings—this was not Jing’an Alley.

  She had to be careful with her words and actions.

  She hesitated, gncing around at the growing crowd.

  In their eyes, she saw contempt and murmuring judgment.

  She hesitated—about to retreat—

  But at that very moment, Ziteng wailed again.

  "Old Madam, it was Physician Lu himself who said it! He said… you were seen meeting men in secret… that you were unchaste… that you cked virtue… How can you bme this servant for repeating his words?"

  Her rage exploded.

  All her rationality vanished as she jumped up, screaming.

  "Pah! You wretched whore, ridden by a thousand men! Can’t even shut your mouth when stuffed with a man's thing?! One isn’t enough for you—is it two that you need?!"

  The words were so vulgar and obscene that even the roughest men in the crowd were shocked.

  Lu Changxuan acted instantly.

  He grabbed her, cmping a hand over her mouth.

  "Get her inside! NOW!"

  Nanny Yuan had been enjoying the spectacle.

  Lu Changxuan’s shout startled her into action.

  She quickly helped drag Old Madam Lu inside.

  But Old Madam Lu wasn’t willing to go.

  Lu Changxuan forcibly shoved her behind the gates, smmed the doors shut, and locked them.

  Seeing the humiliating retreat of the Lu family, the crowd erupted in even louder discussion.

  "So this is what the Lu family is like? Absolutely disgraceful!"

  "They should be thrown out of Chongde Alley!"

  "How can such people exist?!"

  A group of older women came forward, gently comforting Qin Shuying.

  "Young dy, don't be afraid. We all saw clearly what kind of family they are."

  "We believe you! If they would treat you like this in public, imagine what they’d do behind closed doors!"

  "What a shameful family!"

  "Unbelievable! The rumors were true—Old Madam Lu is a vulgar brute!"

  "And that Physician Lu! With just a few words, he tried to ruin a young dy’s reputation—that’s no different from a death sentence!"