"I understand."

"As long as you remember. And another thing—that woman in your manor. If you like her, then marry her properly. If you don’t, then don’t let her go around calling herself the General’s wife. It’s a great breach of etiquette to call herself ’madam’ when she isn’t properly married or recorded in the clan registry," the Clan Leader admonished.

Xiang Minghou’s expression shifted. The situation with the Liu woman was... complicated.

"Did you hear me? You can’t be careless with the affairs of such a large manor."

"Yes, yes, I understand."

"Hmph. And don’t you act like you don’t want to hear it. It doesn’t matter that you’re the Great General. Even if your rank were higher, if you handle things improperly, this old man can still give you a talking-to." The Clan Leader had, after all, watched him grow up.

"I’m happy to listen. How could I dare not? Your teachings are right, old sir."

"Good, as long as you take it to heart. There’s nothing else, then. We’ll be heading back to the village first thing tomorrow morning."

"Then I’ll have someone escort you tomorrow," said Xiang Minghou.

"There’s no need for an escort. You get some rest. I won’t disturb you any longer." The Clan Leader stood up.

Xiang Minghou started to rise.

"Don’t get up," the Clan Leader stopped him.

Ye Qianning hopped off the bed. "I’ll walk Great-Grandpa out."

The Clan Leader looked down, his face breaking into a wide, happy grin. He was extremely fond of the chubby little girl. "There isn’t a single child in the village who can compare to this little one. So very beautiful."

"Then Pangtuan will come visit Great-Grandpa often!"

"Good, good."

Ye Qianning took the Clan Leader’s hand and slowly walked him out the door.

Xiang Minghou leaned against the bed, replaying the Clan Leader’s words in his mind. He truly hadn’t known that the Liu woman wasn’t in the clan registry. When he had first woken up, his guards had told him about the marriage to ward off ill fortune, and he had simply dismissed it as nonsense.

He had never liked being attended to by women, so he had barely seen her after she moved into the manor. As soon as his injuries were even slightly better, he had immediately returned to the army barracks.

If she wasn’t in the registry, she was a free woman. She could marry someone else.

When Ye Qianning returned, she saw her dad lost in thought. It didn’t take a genius to guess what he was thinking about.

"The Clan Leader left," Xiang Minghou said, snapping out of his reverie as she entered.

"Mhm." Ye Qianning sat down. "Have you decided what to do about Aunt Liu?"

Xiang Minghou shook his head. "I’ve had very little contact with the Liu woman over the years. The marriage was just to ward off ill fortune at the time. Afterward, the matter of adding her to the clan registry never even crossed my mind."

"What about my eight aunts?"

"I rescued them three years ago." The mention of his concubines made Xiang Minghou’s head throb.

"So how did they become your concubines?"

"Sigh... Three years ago, I was summoned back to the Capital City. On the road, I came across a group of bandits trying to kill them, so I intervened and saved them. As it happened, they were also heading to the Capital City. Fearing more trouble along the way, they followed my escort. I assumed they would go their own way once we reached the city, but I never expected them to insist on repaying me by offering themselves in marriage. I told them plainly that I already had a wife, but all eight of them insisted they would rather be my concubines... Ai, my return to the capital was rushed, and I had no time to deal with their situation, so I could only arrange for them to stay at the manor temporarily. The very next day, the Emperor issued an edict sending me on a military campaign... I only just returned to the Capital City a few days ago." Xiang Minghou sounded utterly helpless.

It took half a year to quell the rebellion. He had even written a letter back, offering them Silver Coins so they could leave and make their own way, but they refused to go, even threatening to kill themselves.

Later, he had someone investigate their backgrounds. They were all from the Jiangnan region.

They’d been sold to a troupe of songstresses as children and had escaped their miserable lives. That’s why he didn’t press the matter too forcefully.

’I get along well with my aunts,’ Ye Qianning thought. ’There’s absolutely nothing wrong with their character. The matter of the eight aunts is simpler; whether they stay or go can be their own decision.’

’The main issue is Aunt Liu. Her character is fine, but she can’t handle pressure. If she finds out she isn’t in the family registry, she’ll probably raise hell.’