Huo Yuan knelt before the Luohan bed, bowed his hands and said, "My respects to you, mother!"
Lady Huo said sternly, "What respect to show? Because of that Mu Family girl, the Virtuous Consort is still under house arrest, you also went to prison, and offended the elders of our group. If I haven’t worried myself to death already, it’s because of my luck, how could I ’rest easy’?"
Hearing these words, Huo Yuan laughed and said, "I’ve already said that I have nothing to do with the Mu family matters, please stop blaming them, mother. Besides, I’m already out of trouble, aren’t I? I’ve been paying attention to the Consort’s situation too, I figure the ban will be lifted soon, mother need not worry; As for offending the elders, well, I’m now responsible as the house master. Those in the clan who refuse to obey out of seniority always want to cause some trouble to whet my appetite. If I don’t suppress them appropriately, then I shouldn’t act as the house master and just let them trample me into the mud."
Having said this, he got up straight and walked to Lady Huo’s Luohan bed edge, flipped his robe and sat down on the edge of the bed. Aunt Bi quickly approached and poured his favourite ’Snow-capped Jade’ tea.
As Huo Yuan was just about to sip his tea, Lady Huo scoffed and said, "You don’t have to sweet-talk me, thinking that I don’t know anything because I’m deep in seclusion. I just want to ask you, what is your relationship with that Mu Family girl?"
Huo Yuan gently blew on the tea leaves in his cup, took a sip, set down the cup, looked at his mother with clear eyes, and smiled, "I’ve said it before, there’s nothing between us. Why won’t you believe me, mother?"
Lady Huo, infuriated, smacked the table, "Do you think I’m senile now? Stop trying to deceive me. I’ve looked it up myself. For that girl from the Mu family, you even invited the palace maid who embroiders the empress’s phoenix robe to teach her embroidery. You also invested heavily, opening a ’Mu’s Shen Record Shop’. Since the shop bears the ’Mu’ name, you must be planning to please the Mu family girl, right?"
His mother’s words made Huo Yuan’s smile fade. He asked with a slightly chilled expression, "You’ve been investigating me, mother?"
Lady Huo said, "It’s not me investigating you but that the news about you and the Mu family girl has spread throughout the entire city. If I don’t do something now, our Huo family’s good reputation, as well as your honor, may all be ruined!"
Huo Yuan responded with an ’oh,’ his voice growing colder: "Since it’s such a furor, why haven’t I heard anything about it? Moreover, how does mother plan to deal with this situation?"
Lady Huo said, "Since you fancy her so much, it’s not a big deal, I will decide for you. You should marry her as a concubine, so there will be no need for secrecy. It will save you from ruining your reputation for no reason."
Aunt Bi, who had been standing by, heard that the Mu Family Miss was going to be brought in as a concubine, her heart suddenly shrank, with tears almost welling up. She looked at Huo Yuan anxiously, fearing that he would say "ok" or "good".
The other concubines also squeezed their handkerchiefs nervously, casting covert glances at Huo Yuan, fearing that he would agree to the old lady’s request.
At the moment, although they were all out of favour, they were content, knowing everyone else was in the same boat. But if their young master brought back a woman he truly loved and they had to watch their young master being affectionate and inseparable to her, how would they bear this?
Luckily, the young master’s answer satisfied them all.
"Mother, I will not marry the Mu Family Miss as a concubine, you don’t need to worry about this!"
One sentence made all the concubines beam with joy, only Aunt Bi sensed the hidden meaning.
His affection for the Mu Family Miss was as clear as the day, yet he said he wouldn’t make the Mu Family Miss his concubine, which meant he intended to make her his official wife.