As soon as these words came out, Fang Ling was startled, her lips moved, and she wanted to say something, but she finally endured it.
Cui Wenxi stood up and walked to the window lattice to look at the greenery outside. He had already made plans in his heart, but his expression was gentle and harmless. Her temperament has always been like this, showing no emotion or anger. No matter what happens, she always has a cheerful attitude.
Now she was clearly in a cold war with Prince Qing, almost to the point of incompatibility, but she had never lost her temper, let alone cried hysterically.
These weaknesses will only make her look down on her. She will not be like Pingyang who cannot get out after losing her husband. It will only make her live a more dignified life. After all, she still has dozens of years left in her life.
The next day, Mrs. Liu from the other courtyard came to Prince Qing's Mansion on the pretext of purchasing. At that time, Cui Wenxi was checking the account details of the other courtyard. Fangling came to report and said, "Madam, Mrs. Liu is here."
Cui Wenxi said "Yes" and said, "Invite her in."
After a while, Madam Liu came into the room respectfully, saluted Cui Wenxi, and said, "Old slave Liu Yi has seen my lady."
Cui Wenxi looked up at her and asked with a smile: "Are you used to serving Liu in the other courtyard these days?"
Mrs. Liu replied: "Thanks to my wife, I don't think the old slave is too old. I am willing to give him a place to live in peace. I don't dare to complain."
Cui Wenxi asked again: "Has Madam Yan ever embarrassed you?"
Mrs. Liu: "Ms. Yan doesn't have a good temper, but she does things carefully."
Cui Wenxi lowered his head and looked at the accounts in his hand, "You can see that he is a smart person."
Mrs. Liu knew that she would have to say something pleasant today, so she thought carefully about it and said, "I don't know whether to say something or not."
"Just say it."
"Old Nuruo said, please don't be upset, madam."
"I won't embarrass you."
Mrs. Liu pondered for a while, then lowered her voice and said, "I feel that Madam Yan is very skillful. She often makes the husband happy, and often rewards her with many things when she is happy."
After saying that, he took out a cloth bag from his sleeve pocket and presented it, "The old slave works as an errand in another courtyard. Although he does some rough work, Madam Yan is a good person and will reward the old slave with some items. Madam, please take a look. look."
Cui Wenxi took the cloth bag curiously and poured out the items inside. There were two ingots of broken silver, two jade pendants, and a jade bead, all of which were of very good quality.
She wasn't angry at all, she pursed her lips and smiled and said, "This is a good thing."
Mrs. Liu said sternly: "The old slave doesn't know the goods and dare not use it for private use, so he gave it to the lady and let her do with her as she pleases."
Cui Wenxi put all the things back and gave them back to her, saying: "Since Lady Yan rewarded you, just keep them."
"this… "
"I know your loyalty to Prince Qing's Mansion." He added, "Now that Yanlan is pregnant, it is reasonable for Shiro to love her so much. How is her pregnancy now?"
"Go back to my wife, Doctor Qin said the fetus is very good and it should be stable."
Cui Wenxi nodded, "Do you know when the delivery will be?"
Mrs. Liu: "Doctor Qin said that Mo will give birth in late autumn and early winter."
Cui Wenxi silently calculated in his heart.
Mrs. Liu carefully watched her expression and hesitated to speak: "I have something in my heart, I don't know whether I should say it or not."
Cui Wenxi came back to his senses and asked, "What are you talking about?"
Mrs. Liu: "Last time, Madam Yan got very angry after she returned from Prince Qing's Mansion. She was very angry with Xiao Tao. The old slave made some innuendoes and learned that Madam Yan must have heard the gossip from the slaves in the mansion."
Cui Wenxi didn't speak, just looked at her.
Mrs. Liu continued: "At that time, Mrs. Yan was in a panic all day long. She often cried and quarreled with her husband, begging him not to send her away.
"One time, the old slave overheard the husband saying that he wanted her to wait for her childbirth in peace and that he would not send her away in the future. I don't know if that is true."
Cui Wenxi gently rubbed the corner of the ledger, "Sirang really said that?"
Mrs. Liu said sternly: "What I heard with my own ears, I can't fake it."
Cui Wenxi looked calm and did not see any clues.
Mrs. Liu's mind moved, and she deliberately tried to test: "Although Mrs. Yan is a country girl, she is very capable of using tricks. She cried non-stop after returning from Prince Qing's Mansion last time. Lang Jun asked her if she was in the mansion. When she was wronged, she would pretend to be good, saying that the lady treated her very well, and even rewarded her with a gem hairpin. She kept praising the lady in front of her husband for her big belly, and being considerate of his difficulties, which actually made him think that she was considerate. , I know how to behave better than a lady."
These words amused Cui Wenxi, and there was a smile in a pair of almond-shaped eyes that could see people's hearts.
This Mrs. Liu is really interesting. Yan Lan probably asked her to test these words. Otherwise, how could this kind of boudoir language be known to a rough lady like her
She didn't expose it, she just echoed: "You are indeed a good person."
Seeing that she had no reaction, Mrs. Liu frowned slightly and deliberately reminded her: "Madam, please don't blame me for talking too much. This woman is very scheming. Madam, it's better to be on guard as soon as possible."
Cui Wenxi said "Yeah", "I know, just keep an eye on her in the future. If there is anything abnormal in the other courtyard, please report it at any time."
Mrs. Liu responded yes.
Cui Wenxi: "Let's go back."
Mrs. Liu bowed and left.
When Fang Ling saw her coming out, she took out a small ingot of grain silver from her sleeve pocket and put it into her hand. She warned, "Don't be a rip-off. Your wife will be indispensable in the future."
Mrs. Liu quickly apologized and said, "My wife is the mistress of the house, and I know it in my heart."
Fang Ling made a gesture to dismiss.
Mrs. Liu got the money and left happily.
On the way back to the other courtyard, she secretly weighed the silver pattern, feeling really happy in her heart. She wished that the two girls in the courtyard and outside the courtyard would fight with each other, because in this way she could benefit from both sides.
No, after asking for a favor from Prince Qing's Mansion, she went to the wine shop to buy a pot of wine, and bought a piece of fat pork to reward her old man.
The streets and alleys in the market are not as good as those of wealthy families, and are very shabby and dirty. Their family is very poor, renting a shabby house in a courtyard, and the eight people are crowded together, and their life is difficult.
After all, this is the capital city, where every inch of land is at a premium, and most of the people who can afford good land and houses are merchants and rich farmers. Ordinary people like them should be like this for the rest of their lives, and don't think about anything.
Mrs. Liu has three sons, but none of them have much potential. Although they are married, they have not separated their families. The whole family is crowded in a shabby courtyard, and they are all supported by Mrs. Liu.
Mr. Wang is lame and can't help much.
Mrs. Liu likes to have some wine on weekdays. When she saw her carrying a piece of fat pork, her eldest daughter-in-law, Mrs. Cao, rushed to the door and called out affectionately: "Why are you back here free?"
Mrs. Liu handed her the pork and said, "Let's stew it for lunch. I have to go on an errand after dinner."
Mrs. Cao hurriedly responded and happily took down the pork and stewed it.
Mrs. Liu entered the wing and heard Wang Laoer's voice, "Sanniang is back?"
Mrs. Liu responded and secretly hid the coins exchanged under the bed.
When Mr. Wang saw her behavior, he smiled and joked: "What are you doing? It's sneaky."
Mrs. Liu made a gesture of silence, "I'm lucky today. I got some money from my mistress."
Mr. Wang was very happy and admired his mother-in-law very much. He said: "You have two boats, but be careful. Don't overturn the boat and end up inside and outside."
Mrs. Liu didn't like to hear this, she frowned and said, "The crow's mouth is full of unlucky words." Then she added, "I just hope to earn some money from inside and outside the courtyard, so that I can keep some dignity for myself."
Mr. Wang hesitated for a long time, then hesitantly said: "I have something to discuss with you."
Mrs. Liu: "???"
Wang Laoer: "The third child wants to separate the family and make a living by selling tofu. He wants to get some copper coins from you to help the family. I would like to ask you if you agree."
Mrs. Liu became anxious after hearing this, and said in annoyance: "You want to coax my mother's coffin book again?"
Mr. Wang kept silent.
Their family was entirely supported by Mrs. Liu's job as an errand in Prince Qing's Mansion. He was lame and was like a disabled person. He had no right to speak at all. Mrs. Liu made the final decision on all matters in the family. After all, she had to rely on her to support him.
Mrs. Liu pointed to the door of the room, and Mr. Wang used crutches to close it. She sat on the edge of the bed and asked, "When did the third child tell you to separate the house?"
Mr. Wang: "The day before yesterday." He added, "I was thinking, if he wants to separate the family, let him go out. Why don't you give some coins to the couple? What if they can be self-reliant?"
Mrs. Liu was unhappy and said, "Do you think the copper I got fell from the sky?"
Mr. Wang said cheekily: "Aren't you quite profitable these days?"
Mrs. Liu: "You know nothing!" After a pause, "My mistress asked me to go back for questioning today, but I can't figure out what she was thinking. It's quite confusing."
Wang Laoer asked in confusion: "What?"
Mrs. Liu immediately explained to him in detail the question she had asked in Prince Qing's Mansion.
Mr. Wang pondered for a moment and then said: "This situation is really confusing."
Mrs. Liu slapped her thigh and said, "No! The one in the outer courtyard who spends all his time doing evil tricks and trying to crawl into the house is reasonable. Who doesn't want to find a future for himself? But I don't understand the one inside. Yes, as usual, I can't tell what I'm thinking, and I'm making trouble, but there's no sound."
"Are you not sure whether she wants to leave?"
"Yes, that's the truth."
Although Mrs. Liu has two boats and benefits from both ends, if she wants to make long-term plans, she must cling to a true master.
Previously, she had been working as a rough servant in Prince Qing's Mansion, earning little money, so she finally got the job of Yan Lan. She originally disliked it, but she never expected that she could actually earn a lot of money, which really surprised her.
Now that the two masters were fighting in the ring, she keenly sensed the opportunity to climb up.
If the outer chamber is really capable of prying away the mistress of the main palace in the future, then she may depend on the outer chamber as soon as possible, and her worth may rise in the future.
Either the main palace in the palace continues to hold the power and does not give the outsiders the slightest chance to leave the mother and keep the child. In this way, she would have to attach herself to her rightful master early. In the future, she would have to work hard even if she did not have any merit, and she would still be remembered somewhat.
She made this little calculation, but the problem was that she didn't know whether the rightful owner of the house really wanted to reconcile.
Although I have indeed made a lot of money recently, this kind of spy-like job is really not easy to do.
The girls outside the hospital are as cunning as a honeycomb and as many thieves as the girls inside the hospital are as stable as a rock, weighed down by Mount Tai. The control is all in her hands, it's up to her to make her own choice.
A layperson like Mrs. Liu naturally feels that divorce is not worth it. How can she let go of such a huge family fortune? But she is a proud girl on the branch, so her thoughts are naturally different from those of mediocre people like them.
Therefore, she was not sure for a moment which boat to step on so that it would not capsize.
The couple discussed in private that they had no experience with the sinister kings and kings in these wealthy families, so they couldn't come up with any ideas. It was up to Mrs. Liu to cross the river by feeling the stones.
She also didn't want to lose her job at Prince Qing's Mansion. Firstly, she was used to doing it, and secondly, it was stable and she could get her monthly payment on time. After all, she had to support such a big family and she didn't dare to lose her job easily.
Later, Mr. Cao asked the old couple to eat outside. The fatty pork was simply cut into chunks and stewed with dried radish. It was a delicious dish with dipping sauce.
A large pot of stewed pork was placed on the dining table. Mrs. Liu had to go back to another hospital to work on errands, so she had lunch early.
Eight adults gathered around the table, and the two grandchildren sat on a small bench waiting for the adults to feed them.
The daughters-in-law were particularly good at fawning over her, and they frequently gave Mrs. Liu pieces of meat to tell her how hard she had worked.
The family's quality of life has improved in recent days, all thanks to the mother-in-law's ability. The three sons have no future and rely on odd jobs to make ends meet, relying on Mother-in-law Liu for subsidies and support for everything.
Mrs. Liu didn't refuse. She liked to have some wine, but she didn't dare to eat more for fear of causing trouble, so she only had two drinks with Mr. Wang.
After a quick lunch, Mrs. Liu returned to the other courtyard.
At that time, Yan Lan was about to take a lunch break. When he heard that she was back, he ordered Xiao Tao to call her.
Mrs. Liu entered the wing, her attitude was not as submissive as in Prince Qing's Mansion, but looked down upon others.
Yan Lan was already used to her behavior and was not annoyed. She just asked in a friendly manner, "I heard that Mrs. Liu went to Prince Qing's Mansion in the morning. Are you serious?"
Mrs. Liu didn't hide anything and replied: "I went there."
Yan Lan winked at Xiao Tao, and Xiao Tao took a silver leaf and stuffed it into Mrs. Liu's hand. As if it was hot, she said quickly: "I can't do it! I can't do it!"
Yan Lan said: "You serve me in my courtyard and work hard on weekdays. Just use this little thing to enjoy the wine."
Mrs. Liu was obviously very happy, but she pretended to be embarrassed, "Ms. Yan's move makes the old woman embarrassed."
Yan Lan gently shook her fan and said with a smile: "When I first came to Beijing, there were so many slaves in Prince Qing's Mansion, but you were the only one chosen to serve in the other courtyard. It shows that you and I are destined to be together. Since the superiors assigned you to I am here to serve as an errand, so I will not treat my own people badly."
After hearing this, Mrs. Liu's attitude was much more kind, "Thanks to Madam Yan's love, this old slave will meet a noble man."
Yan Lan stood up slowly and said: "I can't say that I am a noble person. After all, after I give birth to an heir, I might be sold out, and my future will be worrying."
Mrs. Liu's thoughts moved and she leaked the news: "Today, the mistress called the old slave to ask questions. The old slave looked at his attitude and couldn't explain why."
Yan Lan glanced at her sideways and asked, "What did she say to you?"
Mrs. Liu: "The mistress only asked about Lady Yan's delivery date and her physical condition."
"That's all you ask?"
"that's it."
"Have you ever told her about Prince Qing's situation here?"
"I mentioned it once, but the mistress didn't seem annoyed at all, as if she didn't take it to heart."
These words made Yan Lan frown, and slowly put her hand on her belly, not knowing what she was thinking.
Mrs. Liu comforted her and said: "My mistress's temperament has always been like this. Even if the sky fell, she would never express her joy or anger." She added, "It is said that when she and her husband were separated, she spoke softly. She never expressed her anger. I cried and struggled."
Yan Lan was dubious, "What's the current situation in the house?"
Mrs. Liu: "When I came into the house, I checked with my former acquaintances. The two of them always ignored each other. In addition, these days, my husband often stays in another courtyard, so the two of them have less chance to meet. "
Yanlan didn't say anything.
She played a huge role in getting the couple to where they are today.
But just fighting the cold war was not enough. It was already early summer, and she was giving birth in autumn and winter, so there was not much time left for her. She had to force King Qing to end her pregnancy before giving birth, otherwise she would lose two lives.
If you want to pick up a child for free, there is no way!
As a result, Yanlan had nightmares frequently for several days and was unable to eat or sleep well. Doctor Qin was also helpless.
Zhao Chengyan was afraid that something would go wrong with her, and he was worried every day.
Yanlan was still not satisfied, her eyes were worried, and she said sadly: "I dreamed last night that the child in my belly came to say goodbye, which frightened me." After saying that, he grabbed Zhao Chengyan's hand and said with tears, "Silang , this slave is so scared.”
Zhao Chengyan was so confused by her.
He hadn't slept well in the past two days, and his eyes were turning blue. He comforted her and said, "Mother Yan, don't think blindly. I'm right by your side. No one can take the child away."
Yanlan curled up in his arms aggrievedly and said quietly: "Silang coaxes the slave."
Zhao Chengyan patted her back gently, "Why should I coax you?"
Yan Lan didn't say anything, just cried silently.
A little warmth fell on the back of his hand, and he suddenly went crazy and asked anxiously: "Why are you crying?"
Yan Lan turned her back to him and said stubbornly: "No."
Zhao Chengyan hurriedly comforted him and said, "Don't cry anymore. Frequent crying while pregnant is not good for the fetus."
Yan Lan was dissatisfied and said: "Silang only has children in his eyes and cares about them. I will dig them out for you immediately so as not to owe you a debt."
The more she talked, the more excited she became, and she really wanted to get out of bed and get a knife to perform a caesarean section.
This move frightened Zhao Chengyan and he hugged her quickly.
Yanlan struggled desperately, crying and fussing. He was afraid of hurting her abdomen, so he didn't dare to use too much force, so he had to keep calming her irritable mood.
Fortunately, with the help of Xiaotao, Mrs. Liu and others, nothing went wrong.
After finally coaxing Yan Lan to sleep, Zhao Chengyan was exhausted.
Xiao Tao said worriedly: "Ms. Yan has been worrying about gains and losses these days. Doctor Qin said it is not okay to continue like this. Worrying too much may harm the fetus in her belly. Lang Jun must come up with a way."
Zhao Chengyan said angrily: "I'm not a magic pill, what can I come up with?"
Being hurt by him, Xiao Tao hung her head in fear and remained silent.
Zhao Chengyan looked at the naked girl angrily. Although he was bored, he couldn't let go of the child in her belly.
He almost had a special obsession with his children, which Cui had been unable to give him in recent years, which made him feel uncomfortable. Now that I finally have a descendant who is related to me by blood, I feel that I am no longer so lonely.
After all, he still didn't regard himself as a member of the Zhao family.
Although he bears the national surname, he has no father or mother, and has never been able to get close to the orthodox Zhao family. He is rejected from the bottom of his heart.
Fearing that something might go wrong with Yanlan, Zhao Chengyan had no choice but to ask the court for a few days' leave.
No, when Dong Gong learned that he had taken leave to spend time with his wife, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
The old pedants in the Political Affairs Hall understand Prince Qing's mood quite well. After finally getting an heir, he has to protect him no matter what. If something goes wrong, it will be so embarrassing.
Zhao Yue took Prince Qing's leave letter and actually felt a little gloating about his misfortune.
A few days ago, Mrs. Cui asked him to change the transfer of the author Lang Fengzheng to the jurisdiction of Gyeonggi Province. He had already changed the transfer and simply sent someone to send the transfer documents to Prince Qing's Mansion.
The steward got the document and immediately sent it to Yaoguang Garden.
Cui Wenxi was taking a nap at that time. When she woke up, Fangling presented the document and said, "Madam, this is the transfer document sent from the palace. Please take a look at it."
Cui Wenxi was greatly surprised. He immediately sat up and said, "Let me have a look."
Fang Ling handed the document to her, and Cui Wenxi immediately opened it and read it, with a smile on her face. It clearly stated on it that Feng Zheng's transfer location was Song County, which was in the Gyeonggi area. If he rode a horse, the round trip would only take two or three days.
She was overjoyed and said excitedly: "Hurry up and wash up for me. I want to go to the Duke's Mansion, right away!"
Fang Ling was infected by her emotions and smiled: "Madam, don't panic, you have time today."
Cui Wenxi said happily: "This is the first thing that makes me happy after King Qing returned to Beijing."
Fang Ling curled her lips and reminded: "My wife was very happy at the spring banquet."
Cui Wenxi said "Oh" and said, stroking her hands: "Yes, I was quite happy that time."
Fang Ling helped her wash up, comb and tie her hair, and change her clothes, all in one go.
After she was properly dressed and there was nothing wrong with her, she took Zhang Yanqi back with her.
On the way to the Duke's Mansion, Cui Wenxi was in a high mood, feeling happy from the bottom of his heart. She originally had no hope of making this happen, but she never expected that it would happen. It really made her happy.
The carriage arrived at the Duke's Mansion, and the servant went to Ruyi Hall to report.
When he learned that his daughter was back, Mrs. Jin hurriedly went out of the yard to greet her. From afar, she saw Cui Wenxi calling: "Auntie, my daughter has come to announce the good news!"
Jin was infected by her cheerful mood and asked with a smile: "How happy are you?"
Cui Wenxi: "Second mother, you don't have to go far!"
Hearing this, Jin was surprised and immediately laughed from ear to ear, "Don't try to trick me!"
The mother and daughter stepped forward with the utmost courtesy.
Cui Wenxi took Jin's arm and said with a smile: "Sanlang's transfer document has been obtained. It is in Song County, Gyeonggi area. It only takes three or two days to go back and forth. You should be happy now."
After saying that, she waved to Fangling and she hurriedly presented the documents.
Jin took it, looked at it, and said with a smile in her eyes: "Yuan Niang actually managed this matter well, she is quite capable."
Cui Wenxi asked: "Where is dad? Is he in the house?"
Jin: "I just went out and won't be back until later." He added, "If he knew about it, I don't know how happy he would be."
Cui Wenxi: "You should breathe a sigh of relief now."
The mother and daughter were talking and laughing, waiting for the men in the family to come back to report the good news.
In the evening, Cui Wenjing came back from duty. As soon as he entered the mansion, he met his father. The servant came over to invite the two of them to Ruyi Hall, saying that Princess Qing was back.
Cui Wenjing's expression froze, and he looked a little embarrassed.
Cui Pingying noticed something strange about him and asked, "What's wrong with Dalang?"
Cui Wenjing hesitated for a while, then said awkwardly: "When I was on duty today, I heard that King Qing had taken a few days' leave."
Cui Pingying frowned and asked: "Why are you taking leave? But you are not feeling well?"
Cui Wenjing sighed heavily and said uncomfortably: "It is said that I took leave to accompany the foreigner to raise the baby."
Cui Pingying: "..."
Cui Wenjing guessed: "Now that Yuanniang is here, it's probably for this matter."