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  There were not many servants waiting in the Chengsong Garden. At this time, a servant with his head bowed like a cold cicada was standing in the courtyard.

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  Ding Rou followed closely behind Madame, and before she lifted the curtain, she heard movements coming from inside, "Mother, please calm down, your son knows he's wrong, he knows he's wrong."

  It was Second Master Ding, and Eldest Mistress mentioned that her heart had been put at ease by half. Ding Ruo lowered her eyelids, why wasn't it Eldest Master Ding? As they entered the room, Second Mistress led in Ding Yu and Ding Yun, who had arrived early. Second Mistress's eyes were brimming with tears as she curtsied and softly said: "Eldest Sister-in-law."

  Ding Rou and Ding Xuan exchanged a glance, then stood behind the screen with Madame Wang. On the heated kang sat Old Mistress Tian, while the two brothers of the Ding family, Ding Tong and Ding Liang, knelt honestly on the floor. Through the screen, they vaguely saw that the two old masters were not as composed as usual. When Old Mistress Tian got angry, no matter how high their official positions were, they had to listen to her obediently. The filial piety that had been passed down for thousands of years would be criticized by the imperial censor for being unfilial, and their official careers would come to an end.

  Ding Erlang repeatedly kowtowed and admitted his mistake, but Madame Tian coldly snorted, "Is there still something wrong?"

  "The son knows his fault."

  "Hum, the Ding family's face has been completely lost."

  "Mother."

  Ding Er Lao Ye has always been elegant and carefree, with a style similar to that of Jiangnan literati. He enjoys romantic and artistic pursuits, and was once a champion in the imperial examination. With his elder brother supporting the family business, he himself is uninterested in officialdom, holding only a nominal position, either composing poetry and painting at home, or socializing with friends outside. In the capital city, he is also considered a renowned literary figure.

  Because Taizu Emperor dreaded the powerful clans and large families dominating court politics, there was an unwritten rule in official circles that brothers and fathers and sons with the same surname could not simultaneously hold important positions.

  The rule stipulates that one cannot concurrently hold cabinet positions or serve as ministers of all six boards. The two brothers from the Ding family do not even meet this standard.

  At this time, the door curtain was lifted again, and Ding Min, who had been ill since sending her mother to the grave, walked in with a weak and charming appearance. Her eyes were filled with sadness, and she gently said, "Mother, Second Aunt."

  The second lady was worried about the commotion inside, and didn't have time to care about Ding Min. The first lady said calmly: "What's all the fuss about? If you're sick, just rest in your room."

  Ding Min covered her mouth with a silk handkerchief and coughed lightly twice, saying softly: "I heard that Father and Second Uncle were punished, how can I stay here?"

  Ding Min looked at Ding Rou, with a few more points of kindness in her watery eyes, "Sixth sister."

  Ding Rou's back stiffened, Ding Min was more thorny than before, and Wanwan kneeled: "Third sister."

  Ding Min stood beside Ding Rou and said in a low voice, "Wait until I get better, I will apologize to He and Liu Niang, don't blame Niang."

  As she spoke, Ding Min's tears fell like pearls, and she wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. Ding Rou looked at Ding Min with cold eyes, and saw that she had changed her ways. Ding Rou shifted her gaze, and was even more curious about how the second master had offended Madame Tai.

  Ding Min pursed her lips, and her eyelids drooped down submissively. A hint of hatred flashed by, only to disappear immediately. It seemed that Second Uncle was preparing to take in a noble concubine. Rumor had it that she was the younger sister of Chu Ling Wang's consort. In her previous life, Lady Ding had fallen ill from anger over this matter and had told her that the Ding family would never have a noble concubine...

  "Your Excellency, how could you think of this? The Ding family has been renowned for their literary achievements and official positions for generations. How could they possibly take in a concubine?... This unfilial son, all the poetry, books, propriety, and music he's read have gone to waste! How did I raise such an ungrateful child?"

  Old Lady Tai pounded her chest and said: "Someone, bring me the rattan stick! I...I want to teach this unfilial son a lesson. He's forgotten his ancestors and brought shame to our family name. What kind of behavior is this? Associating with those merchant families?"

  "Take the rattan stick."

  The mother of the girl has gone into hiding, and the house is full of masters. No one dares to move recklessly. The second wife weeps silently, her belly full of grievances. For the sake of the second master, she calculates left and right, painstakingly managing household chores, serving her husband attentively.

  Although he was a bit cold to the concubines, he also tried his best to arrange their marriages. The second wife had no legitimate son, so she didn't have enough confidence in herself. Whatever lady-in-waiting Old Master Two liked, Second Wife would follow his wishes, but taking a noble concubine was a slap in the face of the first wife. Once the noble concubine gave birth to a son, although she was also called mother, she was still different from ordinary concubines.

  As a woman, Mrs. Big always had an undercurrent of rivalry with Second Mistress, but after all these years as sisters-in-law, she couldn't bring herself to gloat over her misfortune. She grasped Second Mistress's hand and patted her arm, "Second sister-in-law, let Mother handle everything."

  "Sixth Son, bring over the rattan stick placed in front of the Buddha."

  "Ding Rou," she was called out, her body stiffening, "Ding Rou."

  The old lady's tone was even more severe, and Ding Yu silently went to the Buddhist hall, and when she came back, she held a rattan stick used as a teaching tool in her hand, walked around the screen, lowered her eyebrows, and walked to the old lady with a humble attitude. "Grandmother."

  At this time, Ding Ruo finally saw clearly that Lao Er Ye had lost his former celebrity style and was staring foolishly at Tai Fu Ren. As for Ding Da Lao Ye, Ding Ruo's father, he knelt on the ground with his hands clasped together and his head bowed, unable to discern what he was thinking.

  Is it that serious? Ting Ruo doesn't have experience in this aspect, and when watching modern dramas, they all talk about how great the concubine is, as if it's very common. Ting Ruo also looked up historical records and knows that a concubine is still just a concubine, unable to threaten the position of the legitimate wife.

  Old Lady Tai picked up the rattan stick and whipped it down fiercely, "Crack", "crack", "crack", striking Ding Liang three times in a row. Ding Liang crawled forward on his knees for two steps, "Second Brother was momentarily confused, Mother, he was momentarily confused."

  Ding Rou also took advantage of the situation and persuaded her grandmother: "Grandmother, calm down."

  Since she took the rattan stick, although in her heart she wanted to let the elegant second uncle suffer a few more blows, but right before her eyes, she couldn't say that grandmother was right. Ding Dong knelt down, and as his daughter, she also had to kneel. Ting Ruo's knee softened, and she knelt beside him. Ding Dong glanced at Ting Ruo, who was lowering her head, and continued to plead: "Second brother was instigated by friends, not intentionally provoking mother."

  "Hmph, noble concubine... I really don't know when this title came to be. If you're willing to be a concubine, what dignity do you want? You should humble yourself and follow the rules of being a concubine, I thought she had some integrity. But now she doesn't even care about her own face, yet still wants dignity? Does she want to ruin the reputation of the Ding family? Pfft, so what if she's the younger sister of Princess Chu Ling Wang? The Ding family doesn't need her trying to curry favor with the Chu Ling Wang estate."

  The old lady was not satisfied and slapped Ding Liang twice. Ding Rou, who was standing beside her, secretly encouraged the old lady, saying that she had said something great. Since she became a concubine, why did she still pretend to be noble? A noble concubine is even higher than a second wife, and it's rare for a family of high social status to have a second wife. Even Liu Yiniang, who was favored by the emperor, didn't dare to call herself a second wife.

  "Mother, son was wrong."

  The two old men didn't dare to dodge, "Son is drunk... Mother..."

  Things got awkward here, and the big wife behind the screen pushed the second wife, hinting that it was time to plead with the second master. This was a good opportunity, how could she miss it? The second wife was a sensible person, although she was momentarily stunned, feeling that the big wife was right, but soon came to her senses, and with a grateful glance at the big wife, she rushed past the screen to Ding Liang, "Mother, Master is temporarily confused."

  Ding Ruo's eyes glanced at Tai Fu Ren, and she raised the rattan stick again, landing on Er Tai Tai's arm as she protected her husband. The sound was loud, but judging from where it landed, it wasn't as heavy as before. Such a mother-in-law is indeed rare. It further proved that Tai Fu Ren's oft-repeated phrase "A harmonious family prospers in all things" was true.

  "Madam."

  Ding Liang's literary and refined nature was deeply moved by the sight of his wife sacrificing herself to protect him. The second lady's eyes were brimming with tears as she smiled lightly: "Old Master."

  Old Lady snorted: "What a pity, I had set my heart on that good daughter-in-law, taking in Guizhi as a concubine. It's not just a slap in the face for the Ding family, but also a loss of face for our son and his wife. How can I meet with relatives now?"

  Ding Liangdao said: "The son was wrong, wrong."

  Old Lady T'ai put down her rattan cane, and Ting Hua saw her throat move as she handed over the tea cup, "Grandmother."

  Madam Ta's gaze at Ding Ruo was a few points more loving, she took a sip of tea before saying: "Is it that Jia Wu who instigated you?"

  "Yes."

  "I knew it was him. He thought that since he got the last spot on the imperial examination, and his father was a scholar too, they were a family of scholars? If in five generations there isn't someone who has passed the imperial examination, who dares to call themselves a scholarly family?"

  Ding Ruo suddenly realized, "It turns out that the scholarly family has such high requirements. Five generations must be literati, three generations are not enough, and they will still be looked down upon." The old lady poured tea leaves, "Although the Ding family did not produce a great literary master who shocked heaven and earth, the Ding family's genealogy can be traced back to the prosperous Tang Dynasty. In the previous dynasty of Yuan, our ancestors would rather guard their poverty, eating coarse grains and vegetables every day, than accept official positions from the Yuan Dynasty. Their integrity, dignity, and character are what made the emperor's teacher, Taizu Huang, appreciate our old master."

  Ding Rou's eyes drooped, and it was fortunate that Great Grandfather didn't starve to death. Not accepting the official position of Da Yuan was a matter of integrity, but eating bran and swallowing vegetables... Ding Rou pursed her lips, with hands and feet, how could he live so poorly? Besides reading books, what else would Great Grandfather be good at?

  "Afterwards, I seldom came into contact with him."

  "Yes."

  Ding Liang honestly responded, and his wife, who was kneeling beside him, felt even more guilty in her heart. He was still a minor official, not comparable to his older brother, who had already reached the third rank. In the future, most of the Ding family's property would be left to his older brother, the eldest son. His wife's father and brothers were officials in Guangzhou, and she was the daughter of an official family. Among his peers, he only had the reputation of being a former Exploratory Officer, and he had also hurt his wife's face, making it difficult for her to hold her head up high in her hometown.

  Ding Liang felt even more guilty, and Jia Wu was never seen again.

  The old lady had just caught her breath and was about to get the two sons to rise, when a maid outside said: "Old lady, there is a woman outside who says she has a message for the second aunt."

  Second Aunt? Ding Ruo's eyebrows furrowed, was she talking about Second Sister? The eldest daughter of the second branch, Ding Hui, had a somewhat vague memory of her. She had only heard that she was married off to Guangxi, and it was Second Master who personally arranged the marriage. For many years, she would only send New Year's gifts back to the manor during Chinese New Year, mostly local specialties from Guangxi.

  "Are you clear about it?"

  "She was holding Second Aunt's lock of hair."

  The old lady frowned, and every time a grandson or granddaughter was born, she would personally hang the lock with the birth date on their neck, "Let her in."

  Not long after, a woman with tattered clothes and a face weathered from the wind and frost slipped in, shrinking back and trembling: "The little woman has seen Madame."

  Ding Min clenched her fists, in her past life... At this time, her second sister Ding Hui had already died. Could it be that there was another unexpected event? A look of shock flashed across Ding Min's eyes. She had been relying on her pre-knowledge, but she hadn't made any changes, so why did everything turn out to be different from her past life?

  Is?

  "The second lady of the mansion saved my son's life, so I rushed from Guangxi to deliver a message to the Ding Mansion. She was almost driven to death by Qin family's noble concubine."

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