Upon hearing the mention of mourning, Lady Lu let out a scoff with a sardonic smile.

"Who does she, Bai Shuilian, think she is, to have the honorable eldest daughter wear mourning for her? Who gave her the gall, was it you? Song Zhiqing, maybe you don’t care about face, but us mothers and sons do." Lady Lu spat on the ground, sneering, "Just a mere concubine, having the eldest daughter mourn for her, what nerve, why don’t you order the entire household to do the same?"

Before Song Zhiqing could speak, she continued, "Ah, I almost forgot, you really did have that thought, otherwise why would you think of bringing her coffin back to the manor for the funeral? Do you know, when I heard this news at Chunhui Hall, right in front of Mother and the two sisters-in-law, I almost wanted to dig a hole in the ground and crawl in, it was utterly humiliating."

"Your deep affection, your tender feelings, I beg you, use some sense, use your mind, don’t think with your toes, like a fool, only making jokes of yourself."

As she rattled off, her spittle even sprayed onto Song Zhiqing’s face.

Song Zhiqing’s face turned red and green; he wiped his face, what a shrew.

"Speaking of Wei’er’s attire, even if she doesn’t mourn for that cheap concubine, no one would say anything. What about her outfit is ostentatious? Is it bright red or bright green? Her clothes are light pink and white, and the flower she wears is a pearl flower, what’s not plain about that? What, does she have to wear pure white and hemp? Don’t just talk about her, do you dare dress like that? The ancestor at Chunhui Hall is still alive and well, who in this manor dares to wear those things? You’re just creating trouble out of nothing, using a trivial matter to lecture the eldest daughter? It’s simply unreasonable."

Song Zhiqing was gasping for breath.

"Indeed, women and petty people are hard to get along with, I won’t argue about Wei’er’s clothes, I just ask you, did you have Lian’er’s things cleaned out?"

Lady Lu cast him a sidelong glance: "Oh, is there something wrong with that? The person is gone, keeping her things around, is that for bad luck? Besides, now that she’s gone, if we don’t burn her things to send them over, what will she wear and use over there? She was your concubine; you can’t be so heartless as to leave her with nothing, can you? Ghosts are said to respect clothes first, and are rather stubborn."

Song Zhiqing: "..."

Are you telling ghost stories?

"It’s only been a short while since she passed, must you be so hasty to clear her belongings, or is this just your small-minded jealousy? By clearing everything out, there’s nothing left for Xiao Wu and the others to remember her by, how can you be so heartless."

Lady Lu felt a chill in her heart, glaring at him she said, "You accuse me of jealousy, how laughable, would I, Lu Ruxin, really compete with a dead person? In this world, when someone dies, don’t their clothes and belongings from their room get collected and thrown into the fire? As for memories, I haven’t touched her jewelry and such at all; they’re all locked in the cabinet with a seal, along with a ledger, so that when Xiao Wu and the others grow up, they can be given as wedding gifts and dowries."

She took a deep breath and mocked, "Whether you believe it or not, no matter how much I disliked her or loved money, I wouldn’t stoop to stealing her few things, I’d rather avoid the bad luck."

"You!"

Song Zhiqing’s face turned black.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but outside, Nurse Zhou relayed a message inside.

"Master, the Prime Minister’s page boy has sent word, inviting you to the small study."

Song Zhiqing’s body stiffened, a panic rising in his heart, the elder summoning him at this moment could not be anything good.