Chapter 33: Ginger is spicy when it is old
"Oh, you know a lot, don't you?"
Yuan slammed the table and yelled, "Why don't you get out of here right now? Are you waiting for a reward?"
The servant was so frightened that he forgot to kowtow and turned around and ran away.
Yuan turned around and scolded the maidservants: "They are like vixens. They fawn over you when you see the Second Master, but they stop when he's not around, right?"
The maids could only listen in silence.
After cursing, Yuan Shi sat down and started crying: "What sin did I commit in my previous life? Marrying a prodigal husband is like being a widow."
In fact, it was not unfair for Yuanshi to be a widow.
Although she knew that Lu Zhao was not a promising person, she was willing to marry him.
Because her father was the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple, a position that was neither small nor big, as a legitimate daughter, she had to consider the future of the family.
Although Lu Zhao is not good, his brother Lu Yu has been fighting on the battlefield for many years and has a bright future.
Even if you die in battle, you will be known as a martyr for your country.
If she marries into the family of a meritorious official, it will be of great benefit to her father and the family.
However, ideals are perfect but reality is harsh. It is really uncomfortable to live with a prodigal son!
Yuan was weeping alone when her maid came in and said, "The old lady over there sent a nanny to bring you some auspicious fruit."
It was Yuan's mother who was being talked about, but Yuan was surprised: "Could it be that my sister is pregnant?"
According to the custom in Beijing, when a woman is pregnant, she should inform her relatives and send them fresh snacks and fruits, which are called wedding fruits.
When the old nanny was brought in and asked, it turned out that my sister was pregnant.
Yuan's half-sister married Gao De, a fifth-rank official in the Privy Council. Yuan was originally against it because the fifth rank was too low.
Gao De's family was poor, but the official matchmaker spoke sweet words to him, saying that Gao De had good character and that he had vowed not to take a concubine.
Yuan's sister happily agreed, and after she got married, she and her husband lived in harmony, and the relationship between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law was also harmonious.
Now I am pregnant, and if I give birth to a big fat boy, my life will be complete.
On the other hand, Yuanshi was bullied by her mother-in-law and ostracized by her sister-in-law, and her husband's dissolute behavior was known to everyone in Kyoto.
She wanted a child, but her husband was busy with other affairs.
So, after much deliberation, Yuan decided to ask for the right to be the head of the Marquis' Mansion.
She always has to hold on to something to give herself the courage to live.
Although Madam Hou said that she would be the head of the household, she actually only let her do hard labor. She was not allowed to actually handle money or show up in public.
Isn't this just a puppet? Yuan Shi didn't want to be insulted any further.
After hearing that Madam Hou had finished her dinner and was drinking tea, she hurried over.
Madam Hou saw that Yuan Shi was not in a good mood and asked: "Why are you here now? You should rest."
Yuan Shi smiled and said, "Tomorrow is the old lady of the Jinbo Marquis's family's birthday. I thought it would be a hot day and my mother-in-law wouldn't have to travel by boat, so I asked me to bring the gifts."
Madam Hou was stunned, then guessed what she was thinking: "Your filial piety is good, but when it comes to things like going out to give gifts, the eldest daughter-in-law should be the one to do it. So I'll just go with Mrs. Pei. Besides, Mrs. Pei has three children, so I'll have face if people ask me about it."
The implication is that Yuanshi has no children and is afraid of bringing a child out to be embarrassing.
Yuan suppressed her temper and said, "The doctor took my pulse the other day and said that I have sufficient Qi and blood and a healthy body. It's probably because my husband is not home so often."
Madam Hou took the opportunity to attack: "Zhao'er was a good child before he got married, but he became unreliable after marriage. What man in the world doesn't like to go home? If he doesn't want to go back, there must be a reason."
When Yuan saw her mother-in-law lose her temper, she quickly stood up and bowed to listen to her lecture.
The old lady of the Hou family was angry and said, "Also, the accountant came to complain, saying that Zhao'er has been taking advances on silver this month, and the total amount is 1,000 taels. How can you not know anything about your own husband's affairs and manage others?"
Yuan was completely speechless and her face turned red.
Madam Hou drank a sip of tea in anger, then put it down and criticized again: "Zhao'er's two concubines are still unable to conceive. It's true. They eat and drink poorly all day long and are always trembling with fear. It would be strange if they could get pregnant."
This statement is blaming Yuanshi for being bad to Lu Zhao's two concubines, which is indeed true.
Because of Yuanshi, no one in the mansion dared to pay attention to these two concubines, and they were almost nowhere to be found.
Mrs. Hou had enough of the criticism and shouted, "Go back. If you can't have children yourself, give the chance to those two concubines. Zhao'er can't be without an heir, right?"
Yuanshi suppressed her anger and walked out, returning to her room where she first lost her temper and then burst into tears.
In the end, she decided to focus on having children first, so she asked people to find a good doctor and search for folk remedies for pregnancy.
On the other side, Fu Danjun was drinking medicine.
The conditioning prescription Qiao Yishan prescribed for her last time asked her to keep drinking it.
Lan Fang brought the plum soup over and was spotted by Xu Yu who happened to come in. She said, "This plum soup is a bit sweet. Why not steam some fresh hawthorns and make them into candied fruit? That would be even better."
Lan Fang suddenly realized: "Yes, the sweet and sour taste of hawthorn can really overcome the bitterness."
Fu Danjun burst out laughing: "You are quite experienced in drinking medicinal soups."
Xu Yu sneered: "For people like us, how can we avoid drinking contraceptive soup? Oh, and you won't get sick from contraception, so why do you keep drinking soup? The whole yard is filled with the smell of medicine every day."
Lan Fang said quickly, "We are conditioning the body to help with pregnancy."
After saying that, he immediately covered his mouth with regret, picked up the bowl of medicine and ran away.
Fu Danjun couldn't do anything about her and just laughed it off.
Xu Yu was surprised and asked: "Are you trying to conceive a dragon?"
Fu Danjun quickly denied: "How could that be possible? Don't listen to Lan Fang's nonsense. It's just an ordinary tonic medicine."
Xu Yu trusted Lan Fang even more and solemnly warned her, "Don't count on that tyrant. If he were kind and righteous, would I have rejected him so desperately? Don't be fooled by his outward appearance. He's actually a murderer and the most vicious and cruel person in the world."
This was not the first time that Fu Danjun had dealt with Xie Changsheng, so he naturally knew what kind of person he was and had no intention of having a child with him.
"Yeah, I know."
Fu Danjun said with a smile as he offered tea. Xu Yu took a sip of the tea and put it down. "Killing him is fine. I don't know how many women he toyed with and then discarded like a piece of trash. He's quite pitiful, after all. Born into a ruthless imperial family, that's what shaped his temperament."
Fu Danjun suddenly thought of Xu Yu's identity as a courtesan. Generally, women from wealthy families would become courtesans after their homes were raided.
Xie Changsheng or his ancestors might have raided her house, causing Xu Yu to say nothing good about it.
As Xu Yu drank his tea, he recounted Xie Changsheng's misdeeds in detail: "I heard there was a concubine named Yang in the harem who was once very favored. The tyrant would send her ready-made clothes and jewelry every day for her to wear. But Yang didn't like a jade pendant and refused to wear it. The tyrant got angry and ordered her to eat it. Poor thing, she couldn't poop after eating it, and she suffocated to death."
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