Chapter 452 Xia Zhu is Strange
In the afternoon, Gu Jingxi returned from his shift.
There were two maids sweeping in the courtyard. When they saw him return, they quickly stopped what they were doing, curtsied, and then continued sweeping.
After entering the house, Gu Jingxi did not see that familiar figure. The house was still quiet. At this time, A Yao should not be taking a nap. Just as he was about to go out, he saw a maid coming towards him.
Xia Zhu entered carrying a tray with a freshly brewed pot of hot tea. She curtsied gracefully, placed the tray on the table, and said respectfully, "My lord, this is freshly brewed hot tea, the Junshan Silver Needle tea you usually drink."
Gu Jingxi ignored these unimportant matters and instead asked, "Where is Madam? Why haven't I seen her?"
Xia Zhu replied respectfully, "Madam left the courtyard about half an hour ago. I don't know whether she's with the First Madam or the Second Madam right now."
Gu Jingxi nodded and said, "When Madam returns later, if she asks where I went, just say I was in the study."
"Yes," Xia Zhu replied, glancing at the tray on the table, and added, "Then this servant will take the tea to your study."
Gu Jingxi said, "No need, I'm not thirsty." After saying that, he stepped out of the house and went to his study.
Since her mistress didn't drink tea, Xia Zhu had no choice but to serve it and prepare to leave the room. But before she could even take a step, Chun Liu walked in.
Chunliu glanced at Xia Zhu indifferently. Xia Zhu was a gentle and beautiful woman with a mild temperament. She usually didn't talk much and seemed to be a well-behaved person. But recently, she had changed. She had secretly put effort into her appearance and appeared in front of the Marquis when the Madam couldn't see her. She had never seen Xia Zhu behave like this before.
Xia Zhu noticed something was off about Chunliu's gaze, as if she could see right through him, and her heart skipped a beat. She asked, "Chunliu, why are you looking at me like that?"
Chunliu moved to her side and whispered, "Xiazhu, we entered the manor together and have a close relationship. That's why I'm reminding you, don't covet what doesn't belong to you, or you won't have a good ending."
Upon hearing this, Xia Zhu's expression changed slightly, and then she looked at her blankly: "Chunliu, I don't understand what you're saying?"
Seeing that she was still pretending to be stupid, Chunliu's face darkened: "Do you really want me to spell it out? Ever since the Marquis returned from Hangzhou, you've become different from before. Before, you wouldn't create opportunities to get close to the Marquis. Now that the Marquis has recovered, but the Madam is pregnant and inconvenient, do you think this gives you an opportunity?"
Caught off guard, Xia Zhu lost face and decided to stop pretending, asking Chunliu, "Chunliu, haven't you ever thought about it? Marrying an ordinary person or a steward in the manor is nothing compared to being a Marquis's concubine. As a Marquis's concubine, you can live a wealthy life with maids serving you. If you give birth to a child, you will be the mother of a Marquis's daughter or son. If the child is successful, you will also enjoy the glory."
Chunliu remained silent after hearing this, quietly observing Xia Zhu for a long while. It seemed that only at this moment did she truly understand Xia Zhu. In the past, Xia Zhu had been dutiful, probably because the Marquis's hidden illness had not yet healed. She gently shook her head: "Xia Zhu, I can understand your thoughts, but our pursuits are different. I want to be a dignified legal wife, not a concubine who cannot be brought to the table. A concubine is a concubine for life. No matter how much she is favored, she can never be made a legal wife, and the children she bears cannot call her mother."
After speaking, Chunliu thought for a moment and added, "Look at the eldest son's side. The master does dote on those few beautiful concubines, but they are nothing more than playthings. With the first wife keeping them in check, they can only be bed warmers. After warming the bed, they are given a bowl of contraceptive soup. Do you see any concubines who have given birth to children besides the first wife? As for our lady, although she is not old, she is not someone to be trifled with. She severely punished two gossipy maids when she first married in, and no servant in the Marquis's mansion dares to be presumptuous in front of her anymore."
Xia Zhu's expression changed upon hearing this.
Chunliu continued, "Let's not talk about the long term for now, let's just talk about the present. The Marquis loves his wife so much, he cherishes her and pampers her. No one else can catch his eye. No matter how hard you try, it's just like throwing a flirtatious glance at a blind man. I advise you to waste your time. That's all I have to say. You'd better take care of yourself."
After Chunliu left, Xiazhu was the only one left in the house. She slowly clenched her hands, which were holding the tray, and after a few deep breaths, her face returned to normal before she stepped out of the house.
-
As evening approached, Meng Jinyao had not yet returned for dinner.
Gu Jingxi was puzzled, so he asked Chunliu to go to the first or second branch of the family and bring Meng Jinyao back.
However, Chunliu was immediately stunned and replied, "My lord, when Madam went out, she said that she would not be coming back for dinner tonight, but would have dinner at the old lady's place."
Gu Jingxi frowned: "Didn't you say you went to the first or second branch of the family?"
Chunliu replied, "When Madam went out, she said she was going to the Old Madam's place to have dinner with her. Perhaps the other maids remembered it wrong. Recently, Madam has been spending a lot of time with the First Madam and the Second Madam. This noon, Madam even had lunch with the Second Madam."
Gu Jingxi nodded and said, "No need for formalities, I'll go have dinner with the old lady."
Chunliu replied, "Yes, Your Excellency."
After Gu Jingxi left, Chunliu felt a chill for Xia Zhu. Just now, the Marquis said that the Madam was going to the First Madam or the Second Madam's place. It must have been Xia Zhu who said that, since the Marquis had only spoken to Xia Zhu after returning.
She never expected Xia Zhu to be so bold as to lie about the whereabouts of the madam. She guessed that the Marquis thought that if he knew that the madam had gone to the first or second madam's place and the madam hadn't returned by mealtime, then the Marquis would not go to the first or second madam's place to look for the madam.
With the lady absent, Xia Zhu could find opportunities to perform well and try to win the Marquis's favor. Even if the Marquis later learned that the lady had gone to the old lady's place, Xia Zhu could still argue that she had misremembered.
Chunliu immediately went to find Xiazhu, dragged her into the room where the two of them were staying, and warned her: "Xiazhu, for the sake of our past relationship, I will cover for you today, but this is the only time. There will be no next time. If there is a next time, I will not cover for you, and you can fend for yourself."
Xia Zhu didn't react immediately: "What is it?"
Chunliu said bluntly, "Madam clearly went to the Old Madam's place and had dinner there, but you lied and said it was the First Madam or the Second Madam. You know in your heart what your true intentions are."
Upon hearing this, Xia Zhu's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly asked, "What was the Marquis's reaction?"
Chunliu earnestly advised, "I only said that Madam has been getting close to the First Madam and the Second Madam recently. Perhaps the other maids remembered it wrong. The Marquis didn't say anything, but you shouldn't do such a foolish thing again. You might get away with it the first time, but you might not be so lucky the second time. Put away your inappropriate thoughts. If you want to get married, just ask Madam for permission. Madam will also arrange the marriage for you."
After hearing this, Xia Zhu lowered her head slightly, her expression unreadable.
Chunliu wasn't her, and she didn't know if Chunliu had listened to her. She looked at her quietly for a moment, then turned and left without saying anything more.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com