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The young woman standing by the bed turned around abruptly, and upon seeing who it was, hurriedly stood up to greet them, "Big sister."
Wang Zhiyan raised her hand to stop the woman on the bed from getting up, "Aunt Wen, please take good care of yourself, there's no need for formalities."
He turned to the young woman beside him and asked, "Fourth Sister, have you asked Father? Have you asked a doctor to come and examine you?"
The fourth young lady gave a bitter smile. "I went, but Father was too busy and didn't have time to see me at all. A month ago, I went to ask Madam for help, and Madam, being kind-hearted, sent someone to invite a doctor, who said that things weren't very good."
"It took my aunt more than a month of taking medicine to make it to this day."
At first glance, the woman on the sickbed was skin and bones, her face ashen, tormented by illness, and she looked like a living dead person on the verge of death.
She had overheard her father mention that although Aunt Wen wasn't particularly beautiful, she was gentle and considerate, and her knowledge of poetry and literature gave her a unique charm. Aunt Wen had once been quite favored by her father, but that favor was nothing more than a fleeting illusion, easily shattered.
The laughter of the new is heard, but the tears of the old are nowhere to be seen; this is not a situation reserved only for royalty and nobility. In the backyards of these high-ranking officials and nobles, there is only discontent everywhere, and countless wronged souls have been buried there.
The fourth young lady saw her off. Before she left, Wang Zhiyan handed her a jade pendant and a bag of silver: "Take this jade pendant and go find the steward to ask your aunt to see a doctor again."
With trembling hands, she took it, and the Fourth Miss's voice was a little hoarse, perhaps because she hadn't spoken for too long: "A month ago, Madam invited two doctors, both of whom said that her health had been damaged in the past, and now she was suffering from heartache and heartache. At that time, they told us to prepare for her funeral. It's not easy for you, Aunt, to have forced yourself to hold on until now."
She knew perfectly well that her aunt only wanted to see her father one more time. She had pleaded with her, but she couldn't even get a meeting with him.
"I must accept the silver, and I will definitely find a way to return it to my eldest sister in the future." The fourth young lady pushed the jade pendant back, her tone somewhat sorrowful: "I don't plan to find another doctor for my aunt. It's pointless except to keep her on her deathbed and let her suffer day after day."
Am I very unfilial?
Wang Zhiyan looked at her silently, then sighed after a long while and gently pulled her younger sister into her arms. Her father had many daughters, and naturally, there was no shortage of intrigue and rivalry among them.
Of her eight or nine sisters, she was only close to her fourth and seventh sisters. Her seventh sister's birth mother was of low status and passed away not long after giving birth, leaving behind a little baby who suffered all kinds of bullying in the mansion. Her father ignored her, and only her mother would occasionally take care of her.
The fourth sister, who spends her days caring for her ailing aunt, is not much better off than the seventh sister. She is only fifteen years old and is now crying like a child in her mother's arms.
That's true, how could one not feel sorry for their own mother?
...
Wang Zhiyan stood outside the door for a long time, her heart still unsettled. Was this truly the fate of a woman?
"Young Miss, I've been looking for you everywhere. Master is looking for you."
Isn't that the butler?
Wang Zhiyan took out a few gold leaves and handed them to him, saying, "I'd like to trouble you to find a doctor for Aunt Wen. This is a small token of my appreciation for your hard work, after deducting the consultation fee."
The butler smiled so much that the corners of his eyes crinkled together. "Miss is kind-hearted. This old servant will certainly take care of this matter for you."
Wang Zhiyan knocked on the study door, but there was no response. She gently pushed the door open and went in, where she saw Governor Wang reading a book.
"Father, you wanted to see me."
"Sit down," Governor Wang said without giving her a second glance, but his tone carried a hint of displeasure: "I heard from the servants that you went to the north courtyard?"
The North Courtyard was the secluded little courtyard where Aunt Wen and her daughter lived.
Wang Zhiyan paused in her seat, then stood up and replied, "My daughter heard that things weren't going well over there, so she went to check it out."
"Why would you need to go see that? Your mother is so kind-hearted, how come you're so stupid?" Governor Wang threw the book on the table, then took out an envelope and slammed it on the table, his tone nonchalant and unreadable: "A letter has arrived from Luoyang, His Majesty is still unwell."
"Now that the Second Prince is in charge of the government, you should pack your things and go to the capital in a month."
Wang Zhiyan stepped forward, opened the letter, and glanced at it, her meaning unclear: "I think that with Father's position, he should at least be the principal wife."
"The principal wife?" Governor Wang smiled. "If you can defeat that Yun family and seize the position of principal wife, I will naturally have no objection."
"But right now, the most important thing is to secure your position as a concubine. You have to be wary of the prince's harem at all times."
Wang Zhiyan looked at him jokingly: "Father, you know that being a concubine is not easy, but you still want your daughter to go? You only have me as your legitimate daughter."
"Don't try to play tricks on me," Governor Wang said sternly. "The Second Prince has personally written his intention to take you as his concubine. This is an opportunity for my Wang family, and we are placing all our hopes on you."
"Having enjoyed the privileges brought by the family, you should know what you will have to pay for the family's honor and disgrace in the second half of your life." His tone suddenly changed at this point: "I can let go of your past little tricks, but you should cut off those messy things and focus on preparing for your marriage."
Wang Zhiyan: "But..."
"Alright, I'm tired, you can go now."
Wang Zhiyan hesitated for a moment, then finally withdrew, saying, "Yes."
She always acted cautiously, but she also intentionally or unintentionally revealed some insignificant details of her whereabouts to Governor Wang. His partial acquiescence led her to believe that she could thwart his original intentions.
The Second Prince's concubine is truly a hateful yet laughable marriage.
A sense of unease filled my heart, especially since I felt that the tail behind me had not been shaken off yet, and this anger suddenly flared up.
She stopped and turned around: "Come out!"
There was no movement.
I'll only say it once!
A man dressed entirely in black jumped down from under the tree somewhat awkwardly and bowed: "Miss."
Wang Zhiyan warned him unhappily, "I've already told you not to follow me anymore, are you deaf?"
The person opposite lowered his eyes and knelt down to plead guilty: "Your Excellency ordered me to protect Miss."
"Protection?" Wang Zhiyan sneered, "Protection is a pretense, surveillance is the real purpose, isn't it?"
The number of heads on the opposite side dropped even lower.
"Get lost, don't let me see you again." Wang Zhiyan tossed her clothes and strode away.
The person behind her naturally noticed the woman's displeasure, but after hesitating for a moment, he followed at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.
An unshakeable tail.
***
Three days later
Song Ling hung the small silver lock that she had someone make around Zhi Ning's neck, watching her suck her thumb with a hint of helplessness.
The maid beside her smiled and said, "Miss is still young. She'll be fine when she's older."
"Today is her birthday. She hasn't tasted anything yet, so she's already full." Yu Baizhou rolled up his sleeves and took the child from him. "Children really change every day. I'm afraid I won't even recognize her when I come back from the war."
"Come here, call me 'Father' and let me hear it."
But the little girl, as if on purpose, just giggled and kept calling out, "Sheep..."
"What sheep?" he asked, looking up in confusion. "Would you like some sheep's milk?"
"What sheep?" Qi Man rolled her eyes and explained to the two of them, "They clearly called her 'Mother,' okay?"
Yu Baizhou realized something and subconsciously glanced at the woman beside him, but couldn't see anything unusual.
Song Ling raised an eyebrow: "It would be nice if you could call me 'sir' someday."
"Then this little girl can begin her education."
Qi Man, standing next to her, shuddered. What a wicked thought the girl had! What a pitiful child, already being forced to start school before she could even speak properly.
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