She had worked so hard to get to this position. How could she allow someone to snatch what she had obtained with so much effort and hardship?
"I'm full." Chu Jincheng suddenly stood up and left abruptly without paying attention to Bai Huiniang's question.
After he put down his chopsticks, no one else could eat anymore. Seeing that Han Qingyue and others had put down their chopsticks, Jiang Mingzhi had no choice but to put down his chopsticks as well and took out a handkerchief to wipe the corners of his lips.
But she had eaten a lot at lunch and was almost full now.
"Miss Jiang, is your lunch good?" Bai Hui Niang forced a smile, but her eyes were red.
Jiang Mingzhi raised her eyes and met those eyes that were smiling yet full of hatred. She suddenly smiled brightly, revealing her eight pearly white teeth. "Thank you for your hospitality, Your Majesty. The lunch... is excellent."
"That's good." Bai Huiniang smiled and stood up. Her eyes stayed on Jiang Mingzhi for two seconds before moving away. "I'm a little tired. Please ask Miss Han to entertain Miss Jiang on my behalf."
She was afraid that if she stayed any longer, she would lose her composure. Bai Hui Niang stood up and her clever little maid came forward to help her. Han Qingyue responded and said yes.
But just as Bai Hui Niang went out, she met Chu Ce's wet nurse, "Madam, the young master refused to eat at noon, and no one can persuade him. Please go and see him. The young master is already weak..."
"If he doesn't want to eat, then let him starve."
When Bai Hui Niang's cold voice came, Jiang Mingzhi's heart ached. It was just that she was no longer qualified to take care of this child. He had his own mother. As for cause and effect, that was all personal fate.
After understanding this truth, Jiang Mingzhi regained his composure.
Han Qingyue turned her head and looked at her, "Miss Jiang, you're the only one who enjoyed this lunch so well. You're so tactless. Didn't you see that we barely ate a bite? Why do you look like you haven't eaten at all?"
When she said this, Jiang Mingzhi had already stood up. She had no intention of dealing with Han Qingyue. Instead of wasting time, she would rather go back home and take a nap. She was also a little tired.
Hearing Han Qingyue's words, Jiang Mingzhi paused and looked at Han Qingyue in confusion: "Why, are you terminally ill? Lunch is so delicious, why can't you eat it?"
After saying that, she stretched out her white fingers and counted, "I have to eat three meals a day. Oh no, sometimes I have to add a midnight snack. Miss Han, don't worry about it."
After saying that, he yawned and waved his hand lazily, "I'm sleepy. There's no need to trouble Miss Han to entertain me. I'll go back first."
Han Qingyue was furious. Looking at Jiang Mingzhi's back, she couldn't help but stamp her feet. How could there be such a woman? "How shameless!"
On the carriage back home, Qingtang took out a blanket from the wooden box in the corner and covered Jiang Mingzhi, who was dozing off on the carriage.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he touched the corner of his young lady's clothes, Jiang Mingzhi opened his eyes.
"Miss, if you feel sleepy, take a rest. We still have half an incense stick of time to get there."
Jiang Mingzhi nodded slightly, glanced at the gifts piled next to him, and suddenly laughed.
Qingtang also looked over, "Miss, these things should have been given away, why are you..."
"It's impossible to make further connections, so why waste things? Just a token of your appreciation will do. Can the Marquis' Mansion send someone to check the gifts?"
Jiang Mingzhi had only given away one-tenth of the gifts he brought today, and most of them were still in the carriage. After thinking about it, he felt that taking them back would attract attention. These things were something the Marquis' Mansion could show off.
"Tell the driver to turn around and go to Wang's house."
When the car was halfway there, Jiang Mingzhi suddenly gave an order.
Qingtang heard the voice and knew what his young lady was going to do.
Thinking that these things would not end up in my own yard if I took them back, if I sent them to the Wang family, they would be put to good use.
However, he did not expect that when he arrived at the Wang family, he learned that his uncle and aunt were not at home. Since the elders were not there, Jiang Mingzhi did not want to disturb them rashly, so he simply left the gifts and went back home first.
In the marquis's mansion, flowers and birds are in harmony, which is a beautiful scene.
But Feng was wearing a headband and leaning against the head of the bed in a sickly manner. When she heard the words of the steward outside the screen, she became even more annoyed.
"When did our family get to the point where we couldn't even afford to eat?"
Steward Zhou sensed the Marquis's wife's anger and his knees buckled as he quickly knelt on the ground. "Madam, you don't know, our mansion has been running out of money for half a year. The cost of the eldest daughter's medical treatment and medicine, and the third daughter's rouge, jewelry, and clothes are all substantial expenses, not to mention all the other necessities. Now, we're really... struggling to make ends meet!"
Manager Zhou also knew that as a servant, saying such words would inevitably anger the master, but he hadn't said anything more unpleasant yet. The expenses of the mansion were already not small, and the salary and tribute from the marquis were not enough. In addition, the current wife was not good at business, and the profits of the shops under the name of the marquis were very meager.
How could Feng not know the situation in the mansion, but she always held on to a lucky mentality, thinking that the mansion was still the mansion after all, and a lean camel was bigger than a horse, so it would never have reached this situation. She had a headache early this morning and asked the steward to call for a doctor. The doctor did not come for a long time, so she called the steward Zhou to question him, and who knew that he heard these remarks.
"Madam, originally the mansion could barely hold on for a few days, but this morning the eldest daughter left the house with apology gifts for Prince Jin's concubine and the Marquis of Changyuan's mansion, and the account book is completely empty!"
As soon as the words fell, a cough was heard from behind the screen, and Duan's mother's voice said, "Madam, don't worry. There is always a way to solve this problem."
A solution? Feng looked up and sneered, "What solution? Are you asking me to use my own dowry to cover the expenses of my family?"
Feng knew very well the consequences of doing so. If a woman did not have a dowry, she would not be able to help her children with their marriages in the future, and her children would then be dragged down by her.
Thinking that she was seriously ill and had to deal with this matter, Feng felt exhausted.
Madam Duan said, "Madam, why don't we go and invite the Marquis back and let him make the decision?"
Upon hearing this, Feng's coughing became even more intense. "What's the point of asking him to come back?"
Jiang Rongqing has always been a hands-off boss who doesn't care about anything. Even if he comes back, what use will it be?
Mother Duan thought about it and felt that her suggestion was stupid. Now the Madam is the head of the family, and all matters big and small in the family have to go through the Madam's hands. If the Marquis knew about it, he would only blame the Madam for not being a good housekeeper, which led to the current situation.
"Madam, if the Third Miss had married into the Duke of Song's Mansion earlier, the Duke of Song would have given a generous betrothal gift. Then Madam would have been able to..."
Feng couldn't help but frown when she heard this. Zhen'er's reputation was not good now, and the Duke of Song's Mansion had always been reluctant about this marriage, so how could they agree to it so easily? But as she listened, her eyes lit up.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
