Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Borrowing Money from Uncle
It sounds like a dream, but Jiang Shu finally married Lu Changyi, the prince of Xinyang Marquis Mansion, and rose to fame overnight, becoming a noble lady that everyone envied.
When Lu Lin, Marquis of Xinyang, was young, he served as the prefect of Liangzhou. On his way to take up his post, he was assassinated by his enemies. Jiang Wenhuan, the head of Liangzhou at the time, led his troops to help and saved the Marquis of Xinyang's life.
The Lu family is a prominent family with unparalleled wealth. The Jiang family has been farming and studying for generations, and all their friends are commoners. To put it bluntly, Jiang Wenhuan is not even qualified to carry Lu Lin's shoes.
No one expected that in order to thank Jiang Wenhuan for saving his life, Lu Lin would give up the prince's marriage and arrange a marriage between the three-year-old prince Lu Changyi and the one-year-old Jiang family's eldest daughter Jiang Shu.
More than ten years passed in a flash, and Jiang Wenhuan was promoted from Liangzhou to Bian Jing. During these ten years, the Lu and Jiang families had no contact with each other. Jiang Wenhuan thought that the Marquis of Xinyang looked down on the Jiang family's status and wanted to break off the engagement.
Jiang Wenhuan felt a little uncomfortable, but he didn't dare to go to the house to ask. After Jiang Shu came of age, he arranged a marriage for Jiang Shu to Ye Qian, a scholar next door. But when he wanted to get Jiang Shu married, the housekeeper of Xinyang Marquis's Mansion suddenly came with a betrothal gift.
A huge pie fell on the Jiang family's head, leaving them dizzy. Jiang Wenhuan and Mrs. Jiang Yang discussed it and decided to return all the betrothal gifts from the Ye family and let Jiang Shu marry Lu Changyi.
Jiang Shu and Ye Qian were childhood sweethearts, and their relationship was very close. When they heard that her parents wanted to marry her off to the Xinyang Marquisate, they threw a tantrum. Even with the rope around her neck, they still couldn't get what they wanted.
Jiang Shu is not the kind of person who clings to others. She is a bold person who can let go of things as they please. She has tried her best, and since she and Ye Qian are not destined to be together, she has to let go of this relationship.
The Marquis of Xinyang was not wrong, nor was the Crown Prince. The one who was wrong was Jiang Wenhuan's weakness in his determination and he promised her to two families.
Since she married Lu Changyi, she had to fulfill her duties as a wife and treat him well.
Lu Changyi was handsome, a rare sight. Unfortunately, he resembled a paper lantern hanging from a high eaves—beautiful but fragile. Even a touch of wind, let alone rain, would leave him ill for days.
This is the seventh month since Jiang Shu married into the Xinyang Marquis Mansion, and Lu Changyi has been ill for more than thirty times.
Now he has a high fever. The servants in the courtyard are used to it. Some call for the doctor, some boil water, and everything is in order.
Jiang Shu stayed beside Lu Changyi, throwing a handkerchief into the cold water and wiping Lu Changyi's body. While taking care of Lu Changyi, she comforted him softly, "Sir, bear with it a little longer. The doctor will be here soon."
Lu Changyi opened his eyelids and looked at Jiang Shu. Jiang Shu was already pretty, and under the candlelight, she looked even more delicate and graceful.
Her skin is as delicate as mutton fat, her complexion is white with a rosy glow, and she is more beautiful and dazzling than the crabapple blossoms in spring.
His wife was as beautiful as a fairy. She was wiping his body gently with a towel. Wherever her soft hands touched, it was like a raging fire. The heat in Lu Changyi's body became more and more vigorous.
He raised his arm, held Jiang Shu's hand, let her cover the soft spot, and whispered: "Shu'er, please hurt me!"
Normally, Lu Changyi was running a high fever, so Jiang Shu should have advised him to take care of himself. However, looking at Lu Changyi's wet and eager eyes, she couldn't say no. He was so weak that he couldn't even leave the house, so what fun could there be in it? If he missed this incident, his health might not improve.
Jiang Shu glanced at the outside secretly and saw that the maids were busy. Then she held that place, slowly closed her fingers, and moved gently.
Unfortunately, the most important place is a silent dry well, which is dry all year round. Even if it is hot enough to burn, it cannot produce any spring water.
Jiang Shu's biological mother, Lin, was Jiang Wenhuan's concubine. The word "concubine" refers to beauty. A concubine may not be well-educated or know how to manage household affairs, but she is proficient in the art of sex.
The night before Jiang Shu got married, Lin went to her room to give her some instructions. Because Lu Changyi was weak and not easy to work hard, Lin also taught her some tricks that the bride next to Jiang Shu didn't know.
On the wedding night, Jiang Shu prostrated herself on Lu Changyi and split herself in half, consummating the marriage with Lu Changyi as a sacrifice.
As if in a hurry to complete a task, she only remembered that she was in great pain, but she was not as shy as she had imagined. Lu Changyi treated her very well. Afterwards, he personally washed her body, held her gently, and slept with her in the same bed.
Later, Jiang Shu learned that Lu Changyi had taken the tiger and wolf medicine in advance that night, and only then was he able to complete the Zhougong ceremony with her.
In the following six months, the couple did try, but unfortunately, whenever they reached a critical moment, Lu Changyi would give up.
The restlessness in his body was swallowed up bit by bit by the loss. Lu Changyi quietly put his legs together, closed his eyes dejectedly, and whispered to Jiang Shu: "I delayed you. Go get a set of pen and ink. I will write a letter of divorce and let you go. You are still young and have such a beautiful appearance. You can't let me..."
He was stopped by Jiang Shu halfway through his words. Jiang Shu reached out and covered Lu Changyi's lips, saying angrily, "What nonsense are you talking about, my lord? Don't mention the word divorce again.
I come from a humble background. Before I married you, I spent every day in my room sewing, working until my eyes were nearly blind, yet I couldn't even afford a single piece of soft silk gown."
"Look at me now. I wear a golden robe on my head, a brocade jacket on my body, and I eat delicacies from land and sea.
Not only have you provided me with fine clothes and delicious food, but you have also protected me like the apple of your eye. No one has ever treated me better than you. If I were to turn my back on you over such a small matter, I would not be worthy of living in this world."
Lu Changyi's health was not good, but he treated Jiang Shu very well. With his sincerity towards her, Jiang Shu would have no complaints even if he could not achieve anything in the future.
When the two got married, Lu Changyi gave his private property to Jiang Shu to manage and gave Jiang Shu endless gold and silver.
When Jiang Shu was waiting to be married, she never had much money. Not to mention fashionable clothes, she barely had a bite of delicious food.
She had suffered enough from being penniless and knew best the benefits of money.
Lu Changyi gave Jiang Shu wealth and glory, and also gave her enough respect and care. In return, she should treat him well.
Jiang Shu took off her embroidered shoes while talking. She lay on her side behind Lu Changyi, sticking to him like a spoon, and put her arms around his waist. She said softly, "Your Highness is weak. Once he recovers, everything will be fine.
We are a married couple. As long as our hearts are together, there will be no barriers. No matter what happens, I will always treat the prince the same way."
As soon as Jiang Shu got close to Lu Changyi, Lu Changyi felt the warmness. She was in good health and her body was warm all year round.
Being with her makes him feel that there is hope in life.
Lu Changyi turned over, hugged Jiang Shu back, put his face against her neck, and whispered, "I'll take good care of myself, and I should feel better."
The couple snuggled together and hugged each other tenderly for a while. Only when they heard a knock on the door did Jiang Shu get up from the couch.
Doctor Wen took Lu Changyi's pulse and prescribed medicine as usual. The prescription was slightly modified but remained basically the same. Lu Changyi had a weak constitution, so he didn't dare to use strong medicine and could only keep him alive with gentle medication.
After Jiang Shu helped Lu Changyi finish his medicine, it was time to pay his respects. Madam Zhao looked down on Jiang Shu's background, and Jiang Shu suffered a lot of trouble when she first came in. Fortunately, Lu Changyi protected Jiang Shu like the apple of his eye. Whenever Zhao treated Jiang Shu harshly, he would make a big fuss.
There is no mother in the world who can be more stubborn than her child. Lu Changyi's body was as weak as paper. Zhao was afraid that he would get angry and hurt himself, so she restrained herself a little. Although she still refused to give Jiang Shu a good face, she did not dare to torture her anymore.
Jiang Shu was a strong-willed person and would not shrink back because of Zhao's disgust. She walked into Yanxi Hall leisurely and saw Third Madam Hu Lingshuang sitting on the chaise longue as soon as she entered.
Hu Lingshuang is not the delicate beauty that is sought after nowadays. She has a unique beauty, with full lips and slightly upturned eyes. When she looks at you, she looks quite seductive.
She stood up and bowed to Jiang Shu, calling her "Second sister-in-law" reluctantly. Without waiting for Jiang Shu to answer, she sat back on the chaise longue.
Her behavior was somewhat rude, but Jiang Shu was not one to quibble. She simply pretended not to notice Hu Lingshuang's disrespect, bent down and saluted Zhao, and said gently, "Your daughter-in-law greets you, mother. May you be blessed with good health."
Zhao replied indifferently, then turned to look at Hu Lingshuang and said indifferently, "You are not feeling well. You don't need to come and serve me anymore. Go back to Bichun Tower and recuperate."
Hu Lingshuang curled the corners of her lips in satisfaction, gently stroked her still flat belly, and said softly, "Filial piety is the most important virtue. It is said that a daughter-in-law should be at her mother's knees and enjoy her happiness.
"But my body is not doing well. The baby in my belly is making a fuss every night. My daughter-in-law can't sleep at night and has no energy during the day. I really can't take care of my mother anymore."
After she finished speaking, she glanced at Jiang Shu vaguely, her eyes full of pride, and then she walked out of the flower hall with her slender waist twisted.
There is no way a fetus that is less than a month old would have any fetal movement. Hu Lingshuang said this just to show off that she is pregnant and take advantage of the situation.
As soon as she walked out of the door, Zhao's expression changed. She stared at Jiang Shu with her narrow, long, almond-shaped eyes and said in a deep voice, "You've been married for more than half a year, why haven't you made any progress yet? You should hurry up and not let the Hu aunt and nephew get ahead of you in everything."
Xinyang Marquis Lu Lin had one wife and two concubines, namely his principal wife Zhao Yunzhang, his concubine Yun, and his concubine Hu Yi Niang.
Zhao had been married for many years but had no children, so the former marquis' wife gave her maid Yun to Lu Lin. Yun was very fertile and soon became pregnant. Unfortunately, she was unlucky and passed away after giving birth to her eldest son Lu Changji.
Zhao took Lu Changji to her room to raise him. When Lu Changji was six years old, she became pregnant with her own son Lu Changyi. Later, she gave birth to a daughter Lu Changying, and then she sent Lu Changji to the outer courtyard.
Lu Lin was used to eating meat and couldn't stand being vegetarian for even half a day. During Zhao's pregnancy, he went on a boat trip to Bisha Lake and fell in love with Hu Lan, the daughter of the Hu family, at first sight. He then brought her into the Xinyang Marquis Mansion.
Hu Lan's father was a fifth-rank prefect. She canceled her arranged marriage for Lu Lin and became a concubine.
Lu Lin already felt guilty towards Aunt Hu, and with Hu Lan's gentleness, thoughtfulness, and deliberate flattery, he soon focused most of his attention on Aunt Hu.
After Aunt Hu gave birth to Lu Changfeng, her status rose to a higher level, and she seemed to be on par with the Zhao family.
Zhao and Aunt Hu had been competing for more than ten years and were determined not to lose in terms of offspring.
Jiang Shu knew that Zhao was a competitive person, but Lu Changyi was weak and could not have sex except on their wedding night, so how could she get pregnant?
Every man wants to show off his strength in sex. Lu Changyi is already weak, and if he gets the reputation of being impotent, how can he survive?
Jiang Shu felt as if she had swallowed a mouthful of bitter herbs, unable to express her bitterness. She whispered to Zhao, "The prince is not in good health, so let's put off getting pregnant..."
"What are you saying?" Jiang Shu was interrupted by Zhao before she could finish her words. Zhao's eyebrows shot up and she shouted sternly, "With your status, marrying into the Marquis's Mansion is a great fortune. If you can't even have children, how can you have the nerve to accept the position of the Crown Prince's wife?"
"I'll give you three months. If you don't get pregnant within three months, I'll write you a letter of divorce and send you back to your parents' home. You won't have to see anyone again."
Go back to your parents' home?
Jiang Shu's eyes went dark and her body began to tremble. If Zhu'er hadn't supported her in time, she would have fallen to the ground.
Lu Lin values trust and tries his best to marry Jiang Shu. Zhao wants to marry Lu Changyi to a noble lady. The two argue for a long time and Zhao loses. However, she makes a request that Lu Changyi and Jiang Shu are not allowed to go to the Ministry of Households to get the marriage certificate.
Zhao had her own plans. If Lu Changyi had a noble lady he liked in the future, she could arrange for Lu Changyi and the noble lady to receive the marriage certificate. At that time, giving Jiang Shu the status of a noble concubine would be considered an honor for Jiang Shu.
Jiang Shu was not unaware of Zhao's plan, but one has to bow down under the eaves. Moreover, the Xinyang Marquis' Mansion had also given her the honor of Young Madam, so she could only take things one step at a time.
With the title of Young Madam, Jiang Shu could live a worry-free life. She couldn't even imagine what would happen to her if she was divorced and sent home...
Although the current dynasty was more open than the previous one, it still did not tolerate divorced women. Divorced women would not only affect the marriage of young ladies in the family, but also the official positions of their fathers and brothers. If a family had a divorced woman, the official positions of their fathers and brothers would be demoted by two levels.
In the more than 300 years since the founding of the United Kingdom, there have been only three women who were divorced. Among those three women, one committed suicide, one was forced to drink crane's beak poison by her sister-in-law, and the other was divorced and returned home. She was so depressed that she died of illness in bed within five days.
Thinking of this, Jiang Shu felt a chill all over her body. Her father, Jiang Wenhuan, was the most selfish and cold-hearted person. If she was divorced and sent home, she would have no other way out except death.
Jiang Shu pursed her lips, her usually rosy cheeks were now as white as a piece of paper. She had just enjoyed six months of good life, and she couldn't let it be ruined. Even if it meant doing something immoral, she had to protect herself.
Jiang Shu returned to Xinchunyuan in a daze. Lu Changyi was sensitive, and she was afraid of being discovered, so she went into the small kitchen under the pretext of making soup.
The small kitchen is divided into two rooms, the inner room for cooking and the outer room for making soup. The old women were preparing lunch in the inner room, picking vegetables and chatting, and did not notice that someone had entered the outer room.
Jiang Shu had just hung the soup pot on the stove when she heard Mrs. Liu from the inner room ask Old Wang's wife, "Have you heard about the incident at the Zhang family in Shuangyu Lane?"
The Wang family just said no. People of their age like to talk about family matters the most, and they are busy asking what happened in Liu Pozi and Zhang's family.
Mrs. Liu pursed her lips and smiled, tucking the strand of hair that had fallen to her temples behind her ear. She said in a secretive tone, "Two years ago, Zhang Erlang married the beautiful Jiang. I don't know what happened, but they've been married for more than two years and still haven't had any children."
"Zhang's wife had a bad temper. She would often use Jiang as an excuse, saying all sorts of nasty things to her. She treated Jiang badly for two whole years. At the beginning of the spring, Zhang Erlang suddenly fell ill and passed away. Zhang's wife treated Jiang even less like a human being. Not only did she not feel sorry for Jiang's widowhood, she even didn't let her have enough food."
"Normally, if a person is starving, they should become thinner, but Jiang is getting fatter and fatter. The Zhang family's wife thought it was strange and called a doctor to examine Jiang. The doctor was shocked to find that Jiang was over three months pregnant."
"Zhang Erlang has been gone for half a year, and Jiang's baby is only three months old. Needless to say, Jiang must have been having an affair."
"Mrs. Zhang was so furious that she immediately wanted to have Jiang drowned in a pond? Guess what happened?"
Having said that, Mrs. Liu paused slightly and turned to look at Old Wang's family.
If the matter made sense, there would be no need to bring it up separately. Old Wang pondered for a moment and then said, "Could it be that the doctor diagnosed the wrong birth month? Is the child really Mrs. Zhang's grandson?"
Granny Liu burst out laughing, covering her lips and saying, "That child is Granny Zhang's grandson, yes, but he's not Erlang Zhang's, but Dalang Zhang's."
Women of Liu Pozi's age are the most outspoken. She continued, "Jiang is also confused. If Zhang Erlang doesn't work out, why not borrow a seed from Zhang Dalang? After all, he is the blood of the Zhang family, and it won't be a disservice to the ancestors of the Zhang family.
This foolish woman had to hook up with Zhang Dalang after Zhang Erlang's death. Now, although the Zhang family's mother-in-law can't punish her because of the baby in her belly, her reputation has been ruined. Even if the child is born safely, people will still point fingers at her in the future."
The old women were just chatting, but Jiang Shu couldn't help but put herself in their shoes. Her situation was exactly the same as Jiang's.
Jiang could borrow seeds from her uncle, so could she...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
