Chapter 131 Wicked Stepmother, Poor Child 24

As a result, although Zhou Jingxuan deliberately isolated the main courtyard and treated it harshly in terms of expenses, the servants in the courtyard became more loyal and lived a better life than before, thanks to Shen Ci's generosity.

Dan Gui would occasionally get angry and complain to Chen Ci.

"Madam, you have no idea how many new clothes and jewelry Aunt Zhou has bought for herself since she took over the household."

Shuyuxuan is constantly adding new items every few days, and all the decorations have been replaced!

With such extravagant spending, the meager funds in the household accounts probably won't last much longer!

Shen Ci leisurely sipped this year's new tea. She had long anticipated this. Zhou Jingxuan only saw the superficial glory of the Gu family, but did not know who was supporting this glory.

She thought it would be better for Zhou Jingxuan to become her concubine, since everything in the Gu family was given to her by her, and she would get nothing by becoming Gu Hongjian's concubine.

Now that she has extricated herself from the mess that is the Gu family and cut off her supplies, Gu Hongjian's meager salary and the family's savings simply cannot withstand Zhou Jingxuan's extravagance.

Let her be.

The more she struggled, the sooner the hard times came.

Shen Ci laughed as she spoke. How could Gu Hongjian, who was used to a good life, adapt to the hardship after Zhou Jingxuan had squandered so much money?

All she needs to do is take care of the two children and protect the people around her?

Zhou Jingxuan sent porridge and side dishes to the main courtyard for a month. Shen Ci was not angry at all. Instead, she ordered Dan Gui to carefully record the types and quantities of food sent every day and compile them into a book.

Each and every one of these details will serve as evidence of Zhou Jingxuan's future mistreatment of her legitimate sons and daughters.

Zhou Jingxuan was arrogant for a month, but seeing that Shen Ci made no move and was rarely seen, except for the day she took over the game, Zhou Jingxuan simply used the excuse of being busy with housekeeping affairs to completely exempt herself from the daily greetings.

It would be better to kill her than to make her bow her head to Chen Ci every day.

Zhou Jingxuan was still basking in the smugness of being in charge, completely unaware of what kind of life the people inside the main courtyard lived when the doors were closed.

Shen Ci has been quite busy this past month. She took her two children, who were not going to school for the time being, and toured almost the entire capital. She also sent gifts to the teacher who had been dismissed to apologize.

Today we go to Xishan to admire the autumn leaves, tomorrow we go to a painted boat to listen to music, and most of the time, we take them to inspect our shops.

In the silk shop, you learn about fine silk fabrics; in the grain shop, you learn about the price difference between rice and wheat; and in the carriage shop, you see what goods are transported between the north and south.

With ample funds to pave the way, the food and lodging were of the highest quality, and there were many servants to take care of everything. Even the children didn't need to be carried. Such study tours were easy and broadened one's horizons, making them a pleasure for both adults and children.

Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles. You'll have plenty of time to read later. Now, see more of the world. Very young children don't even know what studying is; they just mechanically learn and imitate.

The two children have long been used to their mother's current behavior. Their little faces have become rounder, and they smile more often. Their mother is so good to them now!

That day, Shen Ci needed to go to a distant farm in the outskirts of the capital to check the accounts. The journey was bumpy and tiring, so she didn't bring her child. She only instructed Dan Gui and the servants in the courtyard to take good care of the child. She thought that the main courtyard was now a solid unit and nothing should go wrong.

The main mode of transport is horse-drawn carriages, which can be uncomfortable to ride on even slightly uneven roads. While there are main roads in the city, there may not be in the countryside.

However, shortly after Shen Ci led his men out, Zhou Jingxuan received the news.

She sneered inwardly, feeling that her chance had come. She immediately led several burly old women straight to the main courtyard, looking aggressive and like a dog relying on its master's power.

Upon entering the courtyard, Zhou Jingxuan was surprised to see Gu Mingzhang and Gu Mingzhu sitting at the stone table, enjoying their snacks!

The pastries were exquisitely made, with lotus flower pastries, auspicious cakes, and crystal buns displayed on the table in a dazzling array, and a conspicuous Tianxianglou food box placed next to them!

Zhou Jingxuan was instantly enraged!

During her time managing the household, she had long since taken everything in the Gu family mansion as her own. Especially after considering the child in her womb, she regarded the two children born to the first wife as thorns in her side.

If it weren't for the fact that they were the eldest daughter of the legitimate wife, her child would be the rightful heir to the Gu family in the future!

"Well done, you two little starving devils, you've been reincarnated!"

"Such precious things, are you even worthy of eating them? Can you even tell the difference? What a waste!"

Zhou Jingxuan screamed in alarm. She herself had only recently realized how expensive firewood and rice were, and hadn't even dared to step into Tianxiang Restaurant more than a few times. Now that she saw these two stumbling blocks eating so comfortably, how could she not be angry?

What they are eating now is the future inheritance of her child! Every extra bite they take means one less bite for the child in her womb!

"Someone! Throw all this stuff away! Don't even feed it to the dogs!" she ordered the old woman behind her sternly.

"Aunt Zhou! This is for the young master and young lady, Madam. You can't..."

A maid from the main courtyard hurriedly stepped forward to stop them.

"Smack!"

Zhou Jingxuan raised her hand and delivered a hard slap, causing the maid to stagger several steps.

"How dare you! I am now the steward, and it is not up to a lowly servant like you to tell me what to do! Anyone who dares to stop me will be beaten to death on the spot!"

Although the servants in the main courtyard were loyal, they were intimidated by Zhou Jingxuan's fierce aura and the threat of being beaten to death. They dared not resist and could only try their best to take the harm for their young masters.

Gu Mingzhang and Gu Mingzhu were so frightened that their faces turned pale, and they huddled together tightly.

Gu Mingzhu looked at the pastries that the old woman had overturned to the ground and trampled to pieces with a pain in her heart. Her big eyes filled with tears, and her small body trembled slightly. These were pastries that her mother had worked so hard to earn to buy.

Although Gu Mingzhang tried to remain calm, he looked tense. He shielded his sister behind him, his lips tightly pressed together, his eyes filled with fear. He was scared too. They didn't understand why this wicked woman always bullied them, not even allowing them to eat a snack.

These snacks weren't bought by her, they were all bought by his mother! He was indignant; he couldn't beat her, but he hated this woman!

Looking at the two children who resembled Shen Ci, especially their dazzlingly beautiful little faces, and then at her own slightly protruding belly, a thought took root in her mind.

With Shen Ci absent, this is the perfect opportunity to ruin their appearances.

A boy disfigured will find it difficult to pass the imperial examinations and enter officialdom, and will never have the chance to become an official again. A girl disfigured will have no hope of marrying well! Let's see how they can compete with her child!

Now that she has her own child, she has to think about paving the way for her biological child in everything she does; everyone else is a stumbling block.

Driven by malice, her eyes hardened, and she yanked a sharp hairpin from her hair, lunging at Gu Mingzhu's face, who was standing nearby! No one noticed how swift she was! So catching everyone completely off guard.