Chapter 149 The Wicked Stepmother and the Poor Child 42

The scene shifts to the main courtyard.

The little maid Ju'er stood respectfully with her head bowed in front of Shen Ci, who was leisurely eating fruit. This fruit had been transported from the south and cost a lot of money; she showed no signs of being sick.

"After Aunt Zhou woke up, she asked about what happened that day, and I told her everything in detail."

Aunt Zhou was very angry and disappointed in the adults, even calling the old lady an old hag.

Ju'er recounted Zhou Jingxuan's situation in detail, without missing a single word, telling the truth completely.

After listening, Shen Ci's expression became clear.

She casually took out a plain silver hairpin from her makeup box and gave it to Ju'er.

"Well done. Go back and serve Aunt Zhou well, so she won't suspect anything."

In the future, if messages need to be delivered, let the subordinates relay them; that way, it won't be noticed by anyone.

Ju'er accepted the reward, weighed it in her hand, and estimated it to be about two ounces. Overjoyed, she thanked them profusely and withdrew. Now that the old lady was in charge of the household, the servants' monthly wages had been reduced, and they couldn't get any benefits or even a little bit of extra income.

The room returned to silence. Shen Ci calculated the days with her fingers. If Zhou Jingxuan could give birth at full term, it would be around the end of December.

But now that the fetus's foundation has been damaged and it has gone through this ordeal, it is still unknown whether it can safely survive until then. She closed her eyes and pondered for a moment before instructing Dan Gui.

"Dan Gui, remove the ingredients from the bird's nest soup at Shuyuxuan."

Dan Gui was somewhat surprised.

"Madam, this..."

With the amount produced over these past few days, the child hasn't died in the womb yet.

Shen Ci's gaze passed over the window and landed on the two children in the courtyard who were now diligently practicing martial arts with their master. Her gaze softened.

"I originally thought of giving her a taste of her own medicine and making her experience the pain of having children suffer."

But in the days since I woke up, looking at Mingzhu and Mingzhang day and night, it seems that this world ultimately believes in cause and effect and reincarnation.

I do not want to tarnish the virtue of my children for my own selfish reasons. As long as I am alive, no one can deceive my precious children in the slightest.

As for the child in Zhou Jingxuan's womb, whether it will survive depends on their own fate.

She paused for a moment, then began to analyze.

"Besides, she has been using that medicine for quite some time now, and this time she has seriously affected her pregnancy. It will be difficult for the child to be safe and sound."

It was both an act of good deeds and an expression of disdain. A child destined to be weak, or even possibly dying young, was no longer worth dirtying her hands with. Even if she let the child be born, she would still have ways to deal with it.

Could it be that Aunt Zhou is carrying a demon in her belly, and will be lawless from birth?

After Ju'er returned home, she diligently stayed by Aunt Zhou's side every day, nagging and complaining, saying she felt sorry for her aunt and speaking up for her aunt while scolding the old lady.

Zhou Jingxuan's resentment grew stronger every day; Ju'er was the one who truly cared for her!

As for Gu Hongjian, after that day, feeling guilty and embarrassed, he never came to Shuyuxuan again. The old lady also stopped asking people to call Zhou Jingxuan over to serve him. Of course, Zhou Jingxuan never took the initiative to go over as before.

She no longer wanted to humble herself and try to please people who were impossible to please. In her heart, the resentment towards Gu Hongjian's silence and the old lady's meanness had not subsided and was growing stronger day by day.

The old lady was happy to have some peace and quiet and would never bring it up on her own initiative.

A strange balance, a strange stalemate, had formed between these three people.

Having lost favor with the emperor, Zhou Jingxuan no longer wanted to please them and had also lost the old lady's affection. Apart from the expenses she was entitled to as a concubine, she received no further subsidies.

Her dowry was not much to begin with, and now that the weather is getting colder, she is struggling to even buy some warm clothes and charcoal. She recalled that when she was in the Zhou family, although she did not live a luxurious life, she was well-fed and clothed and no one ever bullied her.

Now look at her now. She thought she would get married, become the mistress of the house, and live a good life, but now she has not only become a concubine, but is also so lonely and has no love. She is living a miserable life.

She made a snap decision, disregarding all the rules of the household and even skipping the need to inform the old lady. She directly ordered someone to prepare a carriage and, with her already prominent pregnant belly, went straight back to the Zhou residence.

Hmph, she's not going to put up with this nonsense here! Let whoever wants to serve her do it!

Upon returning to the Zhou family, she knew that Madam Zhou, whose face was ashen, was still angry about her affair with Gu Hongjian—or, to put it bluntly, their illicit relationship.

Without saying a word, Zhou Jingxuan knelt down on the ground with a thud, tears streaming down her face as she cried, her face streaked with tears, and said repentantly.

"Aunt! Xuan'er knows she was wrong!"

Back then, Xuan'er was blinded by greed and didn't understand her aunt's good intentions. She insisted on marrying into the Gu family as a concubine. Now, she has ended up in this situation, which is all her own fault!

Now my niece is barely surviving in the Gu family. She's heavily pregnant but neglected, without even new clothes, and with winter approaching, she doesn't even have charcoal.

The old lady tormented her niece, imposing rules day and night, and even caused the niece to miscarry, while Gu Lang remained completely indifferent.

Although Madam Zhou valued etiquette and was very disappointed with Zhou Jingxuan's previous behavior, seeing her, an orphan with no parents, crying so miserably with her big belly, and considering that she was her niece whom she had raised for many years, her heart softened a bit.

After crying, Zhou Jingxuan kowtowed repeatedly, making a loud thud.

She sighed and helped Zhou Jingxuan up.

"That's enough, it's good that you know you were wrong."

You should stay here in the manor for now and focus on your pregnancy. We'll discuss everything when your uncle returns.

That evening, when Lord Zhou returned to his residence, he saw his niece waiting for him at the gate, looking haggard and aggrieved.

Upon hearing about Zhou Jingxuan's ordeal at the Gu family, especially hearing that Old Madam Gu had so disregarded decorum and insulted Zhou's daughter, yet Gu Hongjian remained indifferent, Zhou's face immediately darkened.

He calmly comforted the weeping Zhou Jingxuan.

"You should stay at your parents' home and take good care of yourself."

Tomorrow, I will go and ask Gu Hongjian myself!

Even if I'm very angry and disappointed in my niece, I still can't help but feel heartbroken when I see her current situation.

If her family doesn't support her, who will? Her niece lost her parents at a young age and was entrusted to them; they raised her themselves.

No matter how much you scold or educate her, it's not good to make things difficult for her when she comes home crying with her big belly.

The next day, after the Hanlin Academy finished its duties, Vice Minister Zhou took the opportunity to call Gu Hongjian aside. Although his tone was not stern, his words were full of admonition.

“Hongjian, Jingxuan is, after all, a daughter of the Zhou family. Now that she is carrying your child, if she encounters any inconvenience in the manor, you, as her husband, should be more considerate and take care of her.”

A harmonious family is the foundation for prosperity in all things.

Back then, you pursued her so earnestly, and I only agreed to the marriage because I saw how deeply you loved each other and how determined Jingxuan was to marry you. You mustn't let her down.