Chapter 63 Making Her the Legitimate Wife? Dream On

"Yue'er, help me down." The Dowager Zhao spoke slowly in the carriage. Pan Yueqing looked back at her grandmother. The Dowager Zhao's somewhat withered hand emerged from the beaded curtain of the carriage. Pan Yueqing quickly stepped forward to support the Dowager Zhao and softly said, "Be careful." The dowager stood steadily in front of the carriage, with a dignified and proper expression. Leaning on her walking stick, she stood in front of the Old Madam Pan, with a faint smile that didn't reach her eyes. "My In-laws."

The Old Madam Pan looked a bit embarrassed. Over the years, the noble air of the Dowager Zhao still overwhelmed her a great deal. Moreover, since Su Lan's passing, the Dowager Zhao hadn't interacted much with them. During festivals, it was Pan Haiyun, as the son-in-law, who visited the Marquis Dingyuan's residence.

"Madam." Liu Yingwei slightly turned sideways and saluted the Dowager Zhao. Now she no longer had the arrogance she used to have when she was in charge of the household affairs as the "concubine" in the Pan Mansion. She looked delicate and weak, and with Pan Miaoqian's support, she seemed even more frail.

"Mother-in-law?" Pan Haiyun's carriage slowly stopped at the gate of the mansion. Dressed in a purple first-rank official robe, Pan Haiyun, with his handsome face, looked even more composed. He had just finished handling affairs in the official office and was returning home. From a distance, he saw that the gate of the mansion was very lively. He thought some relative had come to the capital to ask him for help. He originally wanted to ask the servant to turn away the visitor, but fortunately, he saw the Dowager Zhao getting off the carriage.

"Prime Minister Pan." The Dowager Zhao still had a calm expression on her face as she looked at Pan Haiyun, who was bowing slightly towards her from afar. "Aren't you going to invite me in for some tea?"

"Why didn't you send someone to inform me in advance that you were coming, Mother-in-law? Fortunately, I left the official office earlier today. Otherwise, I would have missed you." Pan Haiyun quickly stepped forward and smiled at the Dowager Zhao. "Please come in." Then he raised his eyes and looked at the Old Madam Pan. "Mother, please come to the flower hall as well."

"You're still so cautious. No wonder the Empress has been praising you recently!" The Dowager Zhao saw that Pan Haiyun was really polite in terms of etiquette. Her expression softened a bit. She turned to the Old Madam Pan and smiled. "Your son, my In-laws, is a favorite of the Emperor now. Even the Empress Dowager has praised him frequently. According to Su Jing, the tax collection of the salt administration in Jiangnan was also done very well some time ago. You're really lucky, my In-laws."

Although the Old Madam Pan didn't like the Dowager Zhao, she was still willing to hear the praise of Pan Haiyun. She nodded slightly and turned sideways. "My亲家, why did you come with the Second Miss today? I remember that the Second Miss has been living in the Princess of Anbei's mansion, right?"

On the day of the princess's birthday, I wasn't feeling well, so I didn't go in person. Today, I'm much better, so I came to pay a visit. I'm quite familiar with her. It wouldn't be right if I didn't come." The Dowager Zhao chatted like an ordinary old person. Supported by Pan Yueqing, she walked side by side with the Old Madam Pan.

The Old Madam Pan repeatedly said it was appropriate. The maids in the flower hall saw the group led by the Old Madam Pan from a distance and immediately got busy. After the Dowager Zhao took the main seat, the maid carefully stepped forward and served the newly brewed tea. Pan Yueqing took the tea cup and naturally placed it in front of her grandmother, with a smile on her face. "It's the Laojunmei tea you like."

The Dowager Zhao raised her eyes and looked at Pan Haiyun. She took the tea cup with satisfaction, stirred the tea, blew on it, took a sip, and then smiled at Pan Haiyun. "It's not easy that you still remember the taste I like after all these years."

"Back then, when I was down and out in the capital, it was you, Mother-in-law, who took me in at the marquis's mansion. During the six years of my hard study, I also received the help of you and my two brothers-in-law. I dare not forget the great kindness you showed me even a bit." Pan Haiyun sat in the lower seat. Although he heard the Dowager Zhao's praise, he didn't show the slightest bit of pride, and his reply was even more fluent and appropriate.

"Yes, the Marquis Dingyuan's residence has a great kindness to our Pan family!" The Old Madam Pan glanced at the expression of the Dowager Zhao. As soon as she heard that Liu Yingwei was pregnant, she immediately brought her back. She was just about to tell Pan Haiyun that if Liu Yingwei gave birth to a son this time, Pan Haiyun should make Liu Yingwei his legitimate wife. Taking the opportunity of the Dowager Zhao's presence, she turned sideways and said eagerly, "But now, Su Lan has been gone for many years, and there can't be no mistress in this mansion. Now that Liu is pregnant and is likely to give birth to Haiyun's first son, my In-laws, what do you think of making Liu his legitimate wife on an auspicious day?"

The Dowager Zhao looked at the Old Madam Pan with a sincere expression, and her eyes showed no sign of joy or anger. She just met Pan Haiyun's gaze. "Making a concubine the legitimate wife... In the prestigious families in the capital, there hasn't been such a practice for hundreds of years. You... Do you also think so?"

"Although making a concubine the legitimate wife may give people something to gossip about, we can't let the son of a prime minister of the dynasty be born as a commoner son, can we?" The Old Madam Pan looked at Pan Haiyun, who lowered his eyebrows and didn't dare to say much, and secretly cursed him for being useless. Then she raised her eyes and smiled at the Dowager Zhao. "You know, according to the laws of our dynasty, a commoner son can't inherit the title..."

"Mother!" Pan Haiyun's face changed when he heard the word "title". He put down the tea cup and raised his eyes to look at the Old Madam Pan. "What are you talking about? I don't have any title. Don't talk nonsense. I've only had Su Lan as my wife. Let's not talk about this anymore." He was currently in the favor of the Emperor just because he was a commoner who had risen to the court step by step, and in the Emperor's eyes, he was easy to control. If the word "title" reached the Emperor's ears, who knew what the Emperor would think.

"Yes, yes, yes. My In-laws, look, my silly son is still deeply in love with Su Lan. But there can't be no one to manage the household affairs in this large Pan Mansion either!" The Old Madam Pan avoided Pan Haiyun's gaze. She wholeheartedly hoped that her niece could become her son's wife. It had been enough for her to lose face in the Liu family that her niece had been a concubine for so many years.

"My In-laws is right. There really should be someone to manage the Pan family," The Dowager Zhao suddenly spoke. She reached out and took Pan Yueqing's hand, patted it gently. "You're not young anymore. You've learned the skill of checking accounts for so many years. Why are you so lazy? You're almost a girl of marriageable age. Why don't you volunteer to the Old Madam and try to manage the household affairs?"

Pan Yueqing raised her eyes and met the Dowager Zhao's gaze. She knew exactly what her grandmother meant. But since Liu Yingwei had come back, if she took over the power of managing the household at this time, she would make herself a target of the Old Madam Pan, Liu Yingwei, and the others. She curtsied slightly towards the Dowager Zhao. "Grandmother, please allow me to explain. I'm still young after all. Now, Concubine Li is in charge of the household, and there haven't been any problems so far. It would be more appropriate for me to learn from her first and then take over."

"So, it's Concubine Li who is managing the household now?" The Dowager Zhao smiled foolishly and nodded. After getting Pan Haiyun's affirmative answer, she picked up the tea cup again, took a sip to moisten her throat, and turned her head to smile at the Old Madam Pan. "My In-laws should also take care of your niece. Now that she's pregnant, she should really have a good rest. How can she still do the tiring work of managing the household?"