Chapter 26
After hearing what Granny Yu said, Ning Shiyu's mind went blank for a moment.
He couldn't believe that Fu'er didn't want his child.
When he left the mansion today, Granny Yu asked him how to take care of Fu'er in the future.
He did not answer.
Yesterday's events happened so suddenly that he hadn't thought much about it.
Because of that domineering effect, acting on his own conscience, he unknowingly took Fu'er.
In this world, how important is a woman's chastity?
How could he not know?
Fu'er still wanted him to keep their affair a secret.
After the effects of the medicine wore off yesterday, he already regretted how he had treated Fu'er.
Even knowing his true identity and knowing he could never marry Fu'er, he didn't want to keep her by his side in such a clandestine way.
Deep down, she still hoped to give her the status she deserved and to have her own child with Fu'er.
But the path of revenge he chose was destined to be difficult.
If everything goes well, Fu'er can also follow him and live a life of luxury.
Even if there is a lot of help.
He will also find a way to solve it.
However, nothing is certain now, and if the final outcome is dangerous, it will only drag him down.
This is also why he has always suppressed his feelings for Fu'er.
Unexpectedly, while he was hesitating, Fu'er made a decision faster.
He was furious, blaming Fu'er for making such a decisive move without even saying a word to him, without a trace of regret.
Feeling annoyed, he didn't reply to Granny Yu and strode away.
Suddenly, the image of the large bruise on her lower back popped into her mind again.
She stopped again, and asked with concern, "Does Granny know how she got the injury to her lower back?"
When Granny Yu was suddenly asked about this by her master, her face turned pale.
But she dared not hide it, saying, "Your Majesty, it is all my fault."
Granny Yu then told Ning Shiyu about the day Fu'er went to Songtao Garden to get spices for her and encountered villains on the way.
Ning Shiyu, who was just angry with Fu'er, looked terrified after hearing about what had happened to her.
With a flick of his sleeve, he turned around and glared at Granny Yu with eyes as sharp as knives.
Granny Yu had never seen Ning Shiyu be so strict with her before, and she was so frightened that she knelt down on one knee.
"It's all my fault for failing to live up to your instructions, young master, and for not taking good care of you, young lady."
"Please punish me, young master."
Ning Shiyu did not soften his stance despite Granny Yu's sincere apology. His tone was icy. "Granny, you have been by my side for many years and know what Fu'er means to me."
"She has always been honest and kind to people, and I don't want it to happen again."
Granny Yu was filled with fear. "I am ashamed. I will definitely remember the young master's instructions."
At this moment, Ning Shiyu told her to get up.
Thinking back to how Fu'er couldn't even open her eyes when he left that morning, she couldn't help but feel a little worried.
Unable to resist asking, "How...how is she feeling today?"
Granny Yu had been outside all night, so of course she knew how long her mistress had tormented Fu'er on the bed.
They had no choice but to tell the truth: "Fu'er hasn't stayed at the Wenxuan Pavilion since she returned."
"Even diet doesn't help."
As soon as Granny Yu finished speaking, Ning Shiyu strode towards Fu'er's room.
Pushing open the door, I saw that Fu'er hadn't gotten up; she was lying on her side on the couch.
The food on the tea table was not touched at all.
The anger in my heart vanished completely, leaving only worry.
He took off his brocade cloak and moved to sit down on the couch.
Holding Fu'er's exposed hand tightly, he said, "Fu'er, I'm back."
Fu'er was a light sleeper, and immediately opened her eyes.
He was somewhat surprised to see that it was Ning Shiyu.
He sat up. "Young master, you're back. This servant..."
"We agreed last night that when it's just the two of us, we don't need to call each other 'servant' anymore. How could you forget again?"
His tone was gentle, without a trace of blame.
Seeing Fu'er's haggard appearance, Ning Shiyu felt deeply guilty.
He reached out and pulled her into his arms, his warm breath brushing against Fu'er's ear.
"I haven't had any meals, but I'm still in pain."
After taking a bath last night, Ning Shiyu applied ointment to Fu'er.
Perhaps people are bolder at night.
At this moment, in broad daylight, Ning Shiyu was heard mentioning the events of yesterday.
Fu'er's cheeks were flushed, and she shook her head, saying, "It doesn't hurt anymore, but my body is just sore and weak."
Ning Shiyu knew that he had been too ruthless yesterday.
It was Fu'er's first time too, and her body couldn't handle it.
Feeling pity for him, she pulled the person, along with the blankets, onto her lap.
He lowered his head and kissed the top of her head, saying softly, "I was confused last night. Tonight I won't touch you; I'll just hold you quietly."
Without even thinking, Fu'er quickly refused, "No, I can't go to Wenxuan Pavilion tonight."
"They'll all know by then."
Ning Shiyu said in a deep voice, "Being my woman makes things so difficult for you?"
“When I asked you last night, I didn’t see you hesitate for a second.”
Fu'er sensed his anger and explained, "Why would I hesitate? I've always wanted to be your woman."
"I want your home..."
Seeing her suddenly pause, she felt guilty and dared not look at him.
Ning Shiyu asked again, "What do you want from me?"
Fu'er chuckled and replied perfunctorily, "It was almost over last night."
Hearing Fu'er say she was willing, Ning Shiyu was naturally happy, and it dispelled his doubts.
He assumed she was referring to their intimate relationship, and his ears burned with desire, so he didn't press the matter further.
"Once the people in the household find out, it won't be long before my mother finds out too."
"Then she won't let me come to the Ning residence."
When Ning Shiyu heard about Fu'er's mother, Madam Wen, he could understand why Fu'er had to be so secretive.
He remembered that when Fu'er was thirteen, Madam Wen took the initiative to mention to Granny Yu that Fu'er should be exchanged for someone else from Wenxuan Pavilion.
Fortunately, Ning Shiyu persisted.
Later, due to illness, Wen was unable to work at the Ning residence. Before leaving, she met with Ning Shiyu.
He subtly expressed his unwillingness to let Fu'er become his concubine.
All I want is for her to live a peaceful and ordinary life as a wife.
Ms. Wen was aware of the difference in their social standing and never entertained any idea of marrying above her station.
Seeing that Ning Shiyu and Fu'er were both innocent, he was finally relieved.
Despite her best efforts, she couldn't prevent it, and the two of them failed to hold onto their last line of defense.
"So, you asked the nanny for contraceptive soup because you were afraid your mother would find out about this?"
Fu'er was taken aback. She wanted the contraceptive soup because she didn't want to have a child with Ning Shiyu.
Her plan only included the house.
No children.
The two were not on the same path. After Ning Shiyu returned to Chang'an, he would surely forget her quickly. He left with a carefree attitude.
In the future, I can also live the life she wants.
But Ning Shiyu must not know her true thoughts.
I almost let it slip, so I just nodded haphazardly.
That evening, Granny Yu brought the medicine that Fu'er had requested.
After drinking it, Fu'er thought it tasted good, and it was somewhat different from the contraceptive soup she had heard about.
He asked Granny Yu for another bowl, but Granny Yu looked at him like he was a fool.
"You can't drink too much of this soup, it's bad for your health."
Since that night, Ning Shiyu has indeed not touched her again.
He still has a lot to do.
They won't be preoccupied with personal relationships with their children all day long.
If it was still early when he returned to the manor, he would let Fu'er stay overnight.
Thinking back to the first time, Fu'er stayed in bed all day, but she became much more well-behaved and would only hold her as she fell asleep.
A few days later, the marks on Fu'er's body faded considerably.
Only then did she dare to go home.
She took a lot of pastries that Ning Shiyu had brought back from Chang'an.
The Chang brothers love these pastries the most.
As soon as Fu'er put it on the table, the two brothers sniffed it and started fighting over it.
Although Le Ge'er can't eat pastries, he knows how to smile and has grown quite a bit. He's also much softer and more cuddly than before.
The only thing that Fu'er was unhappy about was that her sister resembled her less and her scumbag brother-in-law more.
After listening to her mother's nagging for a while, she went to the Wan residence to find her cousin.
When they arrived at the mansion, they overheard the maid Huan'er complaining about Master Wan's new concubine.
Yu Cuicui was pregnant and could no longer serve Master Wan.
She then took a fancy to one of the maids in the mansion, and You Cuicui readily agreed to let the maid have her way.
"That brat is so arrogant because she's pretty that she doesn't even care about her aunt anymore."
Yu Cuicui was drinking ginseng soup to nourish her body and didn't take it seriously at all.
After listening to Huan'er's words, he said calmly, "Don't worry, she can't cause any big trouble. She's just a bunch of small fry."
"There's nothing to argue about."
"Go to the kitchen and see if the Jade Cake I ordered is ready."
"Yes, Madam, I'll go right away."
After sending Huan'er away, You Cuicui pulled Fu'er to her side and whispered, "Have you thought it through and are you willing to open a shop with me?"
Fu'er said firmly, "I'm willing."
“These past few days, I’ve done some calculations in private, taking into account the shop rent and the cost of hiring helpers.”
"We can still make a profit."
On the day of the Shangsi Festival, You Cuicui secretly told Fu'er.
She wanted to open a shop with Fu'er.
The spices made by Fu'er were given to people around her by You Cuicui, and they all said they were very effective.
She also asked You Cuicui to ask Fu'er for it.
You Cuicui is quite cunning, unlike Fu'er who is simple and honest. She doesn't mind if you give her something for free once or twice.
But giving it away for free every time is obviously not going to work.
They then arranged for Fu'er to open a shop with her.
The shop also stocked some commonly used spices, mainly the ones made by Fu'er herself.
Fu'er had always planned to open a spice shop, but that was after Ning Shiyu returned to Chang'an.
You Cuicui then said that she was stubborn, and that it would be easy to keep Ning Shiyu in the dark.
Together with her, we opened a small shop.
Even if Ning Shiyu realized that You Cuicui was the shopkeeper's wife, there was nothing he could do.
Yesterday, someone sent a message to Fu'er, asking her what she had thought about it.
Fu'er has answered today.
"Weren't you reluctant to take out the silver you had in the past?"
Fu'er chuckled and said, "Young Master brought me many things when he returned from Chang'an."
"Selling two items would be enough for us to open a shop together."
Upon hearing this, You Cuicui patted Fu'er's tender, tofu-like cheeks and laughed, "You still say your young master doesn't love you? He always brings you expensive things when he comes back."
"No wonder, several fortune tellers have said that you will be extremely wealthy and powerful in the future."
Fu'er clearly didn't believe these things and stopped her, asking, "Have you found a good place?"
"I've found it. Come on, I'll take you there."
The carriage brought the two of them to Qingyu Street.
This street is mostly lined with shops selling jade and jewelry. Women who can afford jewelry would naturally use incense in their homes.
The key is that the shop is on the street, which can attract customers.
Fu'er was quite satisfied.
This shop used to be a jade shop, but I heard that after the previous owner moved to a neighboring county, no one has rented it since.
The only reason they didn't want this shop was because it was a bit small.
In the end, You Cuicui rented it for five taels of silver per month.
Upon entering, one could see that the backyard could be partitioned off to create a space for her to make incense.
It's also close to Ningfu, which is convenient whether Fu'er delivers spices in the future or they are made here.
We can find a reliable helper later, so we won't have to let them cook it themselves.
As the two left, they passed by Xu's fabric shop and found the door tightly closed, which puzzled Fu'er.
This is the perfect time to do business, so why is his shop closed?
Fu'er is plotting revenge for what happened last time.
If open methods don't work, then we'll deal with Xu Yuan covertly.
I was really puzzled, so I asked the shop assistant next door.
Why is the Xu family shop closed today?
The shopkeeper said, "Let's not talk about his shop."
"I heard the Xu residence is locked up, and nobody knows where the family went?"
"It vanished from Lingyang City overnight, as if haunted."
“He offended someone that Lingyang couldn’t afford to mess with at some point.”
Fu'er, of course, did not believe it. She asked Huan'er to take You Cuicui back first, and then went to the Xu residence herself.
Sure enough, the main gate of the mansion was locked, and even the side gates were tightly shut.
Fu'er murmured, "Could it be that Old Madam Ouyang knows he's done too many bad things and doesn't like him anymore?"
Thinking about it carefully, the Ouyang family is quite good at dealing with government officials.
However, it's unlikely that they have the ability to make Xu Yuan's business difficult.
If I can't figure it out, I'll just stop thinking about it.
With Xu Yuan gone, their family had far fewer troubles.
She exclaimed excitedly, "That's great! My sister and Brother Le are both safe now."
On her way back to the Ning residence, she realized that she had forgotten to tell her cousin about successfully climbing into bed with her.
Back at her residence, she intended to go to Wenxuan Pavilion first to take out the clothes she had changed into the night before and wash them, but she was stopped by Zhuang Xing as soon as she reached the courtyard gate.
"The master has ordered that he wants to see an important guest, and no one is allowed to enter."
"Aunt Yun didn't go in just now, let's go back to your courtyard first."
"Come again when the young master agrees."
Fu'er asked curiously, "Young Master is always very open and generous when meeting people, so why is he being so mysterious this time? Who exactly is he?"
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