Chapter 30 Childish Puppy: This afternoon, Shen Wanqing dragged me through a whole accounting session, almost emptying my savings, and I still have to…
In the afternoon, Shen Wanqing dragged me through a long accounting session, almost emptying my private savings. I had to keep praising her and saying nice things. It was all thanks to the wisdom and competence of the eldest mistress. If it weren't for her thoughtfulness, I would have offended people if I hadn't said anything.
Yu Lang, who had meticulously compiled a list of those to receive gifts and had been hiding in his study until just before dinner, would be a fool if he still couldn't see through Shen Wanqing's preemptive strike.
Although he couldn't understand how a woman in the inner quarters could be so cunning, for some reason, Yu Lang didn't dislike or get angry at this wife who had become cunning after being stingy. He just felt that this woman was really interesting and made him want to keep thinking about her.
“Grandma has settled all the accounts she needed to settle, and I have made all the offerings I was supposed to make. Isn’t it time for me to ask Grandma the same questions?”
"Sir, please ask whatever you want to ask quickly, it will be past midnight in another hour. After midnight comes the Mid-Autumn Festival on the fifteenth of August. On this auspicious day, you can't hold me accountable for what I did or said."
After dinner, the two had their own things to do. Shen Wanqing didn't get her rights back as housekeeper, but she couldn't avoid taking care of the matters in the East Courtyard.
When it comes to holidays, besides the personal ritual, the most important thing is the social interaction. Back when she was at work, Shen Wanqing dreaded this the most, especially during the Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and Chinese New Year.
Before holidays, people who want to give gifts and ask for money come to block the door. Not only do I have to deal with them, but I also have to deliver the gifts I prepared in advance to the right places. When others block me and ask for money, I still have to chase after them and ask for money.
So now that she's in a different environment, even though she can't go out to play, she can still enjoy the holiday in peace and quiet, which makes Shen Wanqing feel really good. Even though she went through another round of gift-giving in the afternoon and spent a lot of money, it felt like a game to her, and she finished it off easily.
Yu Lang didn't understand why it was already the Lantern Festival after midnight, and how could it be the next day before dawn? He also didn't understand why he couldn't be serious about the Lantern Festival. But not understanding didn't stop Yu Lang from nodding in a daze: "Okay, I won't be serious. What's the matter?"
"What do you mean, 'I'm going to say it'? Didn't you want to ask? How am I supposed to know what I'm going to say if you don't even ask me? Are you kidding me this late at night?"
Shen Wanqing didn't show it on her face, but she was somewhat nervous inside. The current situation wasn't in her favor; she had married into the family, but she was also the most unfamiliar outsider in this household.
Who knows if Yulang, while resenting the West Courtyard for interfering in his affairs, still secretly felt that they were the real family and that she, an outsider, was causing trouble as soon as she married in? After all, people's hearts are unpredictable.
"Alright, then I'll ask." Let me ask! Looking at Shen Wanqing's calm and collected demeanor, with a slight glint in her eyes as if she had seen through the ways of the world, Yu Lang felt a surge of anger rising within him for no reason.
"Why are you in such a hurry to take the East Courtyard account from Second Aunt? Before I left, I told you to wait until after the Mid-Autumn Festival to talk about this."
"Separating the accounts is indeed something we'll discuss after the Mid-Autumn Festival. I've been going over there these past few days to learn from my second aunt. This East Courtyard is so big, with so many people, dealing with food, clothing, daily necessities, and social obligations. I might even have to manage things for my mother and aunt later. If I don't learn in advance, am I supposed to wait until I have the knowledge to start scrambling?"
Shen Wanqing's words made sense, but Yu Lang still couldn't help feeling irritated. His mind was a mess at the moment, a jumble of inexplicable emotions.
He wanted to be tactful, after all, his wife had only been married a short time, and it wouldn't be good to say something too harsh. But the woman in front of him looked too resilient, so resilient that Yu Lang couldn't help but be a little unreasonable: "You didn't wait for me to be home to do these things, do you not trust me?"
After holding back his words for most of the day, Yu Lang felt a huge sense of relief. He turned around and looked at Shen Wanqing with a confident yet somewhat naive and determined expression, even his handsome eyebrows were slightly raised. For some reason, he had gained the upper hand in front of Shen Wanqing, which seemed to be something that Yu Lang was particularly happy about.
"Yulang, I am your wife, we've consummated our marriage, no one can say no to that, right?"
Pfft! Yu Lang, who was feeling smug about having the upper hand and casually picked up his teacup to drink some water, was startled by Shen Wanqing's words. He choked on the tea and coughed violently. Qing Shuang, who was on night duty, heard the noise and came over, but he waved her away.
"Who, who says no? I'll kill him." Yu Lang finally recovered from his coughing fit and stared at Shen Wanqing with a hoarse voice. He subconsciously thought that someone had said something nasty while he was not at home and it had reached her ears.
"Nobody says anything. I'm the troublemaker in the family now, and nobody dares to say anything bad about me. They're all afraid that once they get entangled with me, they won't be able to get away."
Shen Wanqing casually handed a handkerchief to Yulang as a reward for his reaction. This wolf cub wasn't exactly the smartest, but thankfully he had the advantage of being protective of his food and belongings.
"What I mean is, now that I've become your wife and the head mistress of the East Courtyard, I can't just be a head mistress who has no say in anything. If you, as a second-class guard of Yuqing Palace, were really only allowed to be a guard and watch over the Crown Prince's courtyard, would you be happy?"
Just like the concubines entering the palace, the Noble Lady always longs to become the head of a palace, the Concubine wants to become a Consort, and the Consort hopes to become a Noble Consort. Life is never just about having enough to eat and drink.
"I can't stand living a life of having to ask for help from above. I'm determined to be the housekeeper's grandmother."
You have your job, and I have my plans. Besides, I can't live a life of tightening my belt, and I don't want to wrong myself either. Do you think I can live a good life just by relying on the few taels of silver that the government pays me every month?
So I don't think everything has to wait until you're home. I can't wait for you to come back for everything. Do you think what I said makes sense, sir?
That makes perfect sense, absolutely perfect sense. Yu Lang was so stunned by the logic that he stood there dumbfounded, mouth agape. Other people's newlywed wives, no matter how much they wanted to be in charge, would always verbally decline a few times. But he had never seen anyone like his own mistress, so openly displaying her ambitions.
Shen Wanqing, however, refused to budge an inch. After all, being inexplicably trapped in the inner quarters was already frustrating enough, and no one could stop her from taking control of the finances.
There are still more than ten years until the dethronement of the crown prince. As long as he can get his hands on the Hesheli family's money, he is confident that he can prepare his escape route in advance. At that time, let alone being exiled to Ningguta, even if he is exiled to the shores of Lake Baikal in Siberia, he can find a way to survive.
If you're even less lucky and get implicated and lose your head, then that's just your fate. Maybe when your head falls, your soul can go back to being a corporate slave; it's not so bad.
But no matter the outcome, Shen Wanqing simply couldn't wait for that day to arrive. Therefore, one needs power and money to accomplish more.
Whether it was because of the uncertainty about the future or Yu Lang's question, which was neither entirely sour nor entirely bitter, that made Shen Wanqing feel a little nervous, she was just complaining in her heart that this person was difficult to deal with and gave her a headache, but unexpectedly her body actually reacted. After a bout of tinnitus, a headache came on without warning.
"What's wrong?"
"fine."
The migraine came on suddenly, and Shen Wanqing's face turned pale instantly. She had never had a headache before, no matter how tired she was, so this sudden onset was really hard to bear.
Seeing someone who was just moments ago full of fighting spirit, like a little lion, eager to lay out their reasoning and explain things clearly to you, suddenly slump down and lean against the pillow without saying a word, it would be strange if nothing was wrong.
"Changlu, quickly take my waist token and go out to fetch a doctor."
Don't go.
She had thought of everything before, but she never imagined that the original owner of this body had such a minor ailment. Enduring the throbbing pain in her temples, Shen Wanqing hurriedly reviewed the memories in her mind again before she could barely feel at ease.
“It’s an old problem; it easily flares up when I get anxious.” Shen Wanqing grabbed Yu Lang’s wrist, her damp palm pressed tightly against his skin. Unlike their previous intimate moments in bed, Yu Lang could only feel a nameless anxiety now.
"Why is it the same old problem again? What old problem? I've never heard you mention it before." Yu Lang grabbed Shen Wanqing's hand, his large palm enveloping her entire hand. He had already stepped over the kang table and was standing next to Shen Wanqing, but his whole body was turned back. His tone was tinged with anxiety: "Changlu! Where is she? Go find a doctor right away."
"Really, there's no need. I already saw a doctor. The medicine is with Ningxiang. Even if I had the doctor come, I would have just taken the same medicine. Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival, so let's not bother with anything."
Shen Wanqing had figured it out: the original owner was truly a quiet, unassuming person with a big temper. She seemed calm, easygoing, and easy to talk to, but when she got really angry, she could faint from anger.
It's hard to say whether she was too excited or too unwilling to get married when she was in the bridal sedan chair. In any case, it's very possible that she couldn't catch her breath and that's why she was seduced.
She didn't have the ability to make herself angry to death, but the aftereffects left on her body weren't so easy to dispel. Reason told her that this migraine was nothing compared to what the original owner had experienced, but Shen Wanqing's eyes still reddened with pain. She pushed Yulang haphazardly, urging him to go find Ningxiang to get the medicine.
"Okay, okay, I'm going right now."
Yu Lang had never seen anything like this before, and he turned pale with fright. Later, Ning Xiang told Shen Wanqing that when Yu Lang took the medicine from her that night, his eyes were red and his hands were trembling. The maids who were serving him were used to it, but Yu Lang's actions made them nervous as well.
After taking the medicine, Shen Wanqing gradually calmed down, with only the left side of her head still experiencing a persistent, albeit not very frequent, throbbing pain.
Taking a deep breath, she planned to finish what she hadn't said earlier: Yu Lang had to agree to her taking over power from the West Courtyard and had to be on her side unconditionally, otherwise the whole thing would be pointless.
"Stop talking. What matter is so important that you have to argue with me about it today?"
People who have slept in the same bed tend to have a certain unspoken understanding that others don't. Before Shen Wanqing could speak again, Yu Lang had already picked her up from the couch and carried her to the bed in the inner room. "It's past midnight. The eldest madam herself said that we shouldn't talk about this today because it's a festival."
The side room was already smaller than the side room, and with the curtains drawn down beside the bed, the canopy bed became an even more private little world, isolated from the rest of the world.
A faint, dim candlelight shone through the curtains at the foot of the bed. Shen Wanqing, lying beside him, gradually calmed her breathing. Yu Lang placed his palm on his wife's forehead and stroked it back and forth. He had decided not to speak, but he couldn't help but open his mouth again.
“I’m not biased towards the West Courtyard. I can tell right from wrong, so Jiyun doesn’t need to worry about this.” Yu Lang isn’t stupid; he can guess what Shen Wanqing is worried about. “I’m just a little angry that you didn’t wait for me to come back.”
“It’s specifically when Grandpa isn’t home.” Yu Lang’s palms were dry and warm, and the thin calluses on his fingertips felt nice as they brushed against her forehead. Shen Wanqing shifted her position to make it easier for her to turn her head and look at him.
“When you’re at home, everyone thinks you’re my protector. Even if I beat those servants at home, they don’t think I, the eldest mistress, am that powerful. But when you’re not home, I still dare to act like this. That’s when they’re truly afraid of me. At least they understand that the eldest mistress of our East Courtyard is a stubborn and unruly person. Don’t you think so?”
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