Chapter 262: Contraceptive Soup
After hearing Ling Qiu's anger, the people below no longer dared to continue to speak ill of Yanran, but that did not stop them from still looking at Yanran with contempt, their tone neither positive nor negative.
"Young Madam is truly so virtuous and kind-hearted. Some people must have earned such good fortune from their ancestors."
"That's right! If it were someone else, with such a seductive and despicable concubine at home, they would have been sent away with a bowl of Crane's Beak Red!"
Yanran's fingers tightened.
She looked confused, and her heart felt like it was being pricked by needles, with a sharp and intense pain.
She clearly didn't do anything.
She was even the one who suffered.
Why does everyone say that she is a vixen?
Ling Qiu was indeed a good person. At least he had suppressed a lot of rumors for her. At least when Ling Qiu was around, she would not allow others to say that she was a vixen in front of Ling Qiu.
Yanran couldn't figure out what was wrong.
Because it seems the world has always been like this.
If she were a bystander and saw an ordinary embroiderer and a rich young man from a wealthy family getting together, she would probably think that the embroiderer was deliberately seducing him.
For thousands of years, everyone has thought so.
Men think so, and women think so too.
Yanran felt vaguely that this shouldn't be the case.
But I can't explain clearly what it should be like.
"Sister Yanran, now that you and I are sisters and a family, I have to tell you about the rules of the mansion."
Ling Qiu's posture was elegant and noble, and her face was calm and composed, her grace was made of gold and jade. Sandalwood was burning beside her and there was a cup of hot tea at hand.
The hot steam from the tea blurred her cheeks.
Yanran couldn't quite see Ling Qiu's face, but she could only hear him say, "You should know a thing or two about the rules of our mansion. All the women in this mansion have to do some needlework to supplement the family income."
"This is also commonly known as increasing revenue and reducing expenditure."
"Our Zheng family doesn't lack this money, but the men are the masters of the family, and we women can't show our faces in public. We should do what we can."
"You're idle anyway, why not do some needlework? You're skillful, and the things you embroider are beautiful. Embroider some more over there. Over time, someone will eventually realize your true nature and stop misunderstanding you."
Ling Qiu looked gentle, as if he was planning something for Yanran.
She wasn't actually lying.
The women in the Zheng family did indeed have to do some needlework.
Occasionally, it would be given to her for her to review.
If there is anything wrong, she can guide you on how to improve it.
But in the past, she was respected, and if she was willing to embroider one more handkerchief, her masters would be very happy and reward her with a few gold leaves.
Now, doing these things has become her job.
In addition, she had to do one more thing that she didn't want to do but had to do.
Serve Zheng Xiu.
Zheng Xiu was attracted by Yanran's beauty, so he took advantage of the fact that everyone else was busy and had no time to pay attention to the embroidery room. He drank two mouthfuls of horse urine and broke in to take possession of Yanran's body.
Now that Yanran has become his concubine, how could he let go of such a beautiful woman.
Every time Yanran served him, he could see the pain and reluctance in her eyes.
But to him, he was the high and mighty master, and Yanran was just a servant, at best a servant who helped him sleep.
How could the master care whether the servant is in pain or unwilling?
In fact, he had been frequenting brothels for many years and had seen many women who fawned on him. He found it even more interesting to see Yanran, who was clearly unwilling but had to endure the pain and serve him because it was her duty.
He always keeps people busy until dawn.
"You serve me well. If one day you are pregnant and give birth to a boy or a girl for me, you will definitely get the benefits."
Zheng Xiu always said this when he got out of her bed.
Yanran was confused and in pain. She felt that Zheng Xiu was extremely disgusting. How could she have ended up with such a person?
On the other hand, she felt that this was her fate.
In this world where a woman could lose her life if she made the slightest mistake, she was very lucky to be able to keep her life.
She should be grateful.
There's no point in being reluctant.
She should accept her fate.
Accept your fate, fulfill your duties as a concubine, serve the young master and the young mistress well, and let's see what happens in the future step by step.
That's what she should have done.
Yanran kept comforting herself in her heart and numbing herself.
Until Cui Liu brought her a bowl of medicine.
Even from a distance, Yanran could smell the bitter smell that was so strong that it made people feel uneasy.
Cui Liu placed the bowl of medicine on the small table next to her.
"Auntie, you should take your medicine."
"This medicine is a gift from the young lady."
When Yanran smelled the bitter taste, her heart trembled violently for some unknown reason.
Her fingers subconsciously gripped the quilt, and she raised her eyes tiredly to look at Cui Liu, "What kind of medicine is this?"
Cui Liu did not hide it, and had no intention of hiding it from her.
"To answer Auntie, this is contraceptive soup."
Yanran's face turned pale.
She knew that contraceptive soup was extremely harmful if consumed.
If you drink a few more doses, you may never have your own children in this life.
Yanran's face was stiff and pale. "This... is this something I have to drink?"
Cui Liu raised her eyebrows, feeling a little amused. Although she didn't say anything, her contemptuous look betrayed her current mood.
She exhaled slowly and said slowly, "Auntie, this contraceptive soup is something that every concubine in the mansion must drink."
"If a concubine's son or daughter is born before the young lady gives birth to a legitimate son, I'm afraid the entire Zheng family will become a laughing stock in the entire capital."
"Auntie, if not for yourself, even for the entire Zheng family, you must drink this contraceptive soup."
"Auntie, please drink quickly and don't embarrass me."
Yanran lowered her eyes.
It seems that this is the rule among wealthy families.
When she was employed in someone else's house, she had seen maids carrying black medicine in and out of the courtyards.
Yanran closed her eyes in pain.
"I understand. I'll drink it now."
She took the bowl of contraceptive soup with trembling hands and drank the smelly and unpalatable medicine in one gulp.
The bitterness made her bones tremble, she coughed violently, and she choked so much that she had to drink several bowls of water to dilute the bitter taste in her mouth.
But not long after she drank it, she felt a dull pain in her lower abdomen.
Yanran looked in the mirror and found that her face had become extremely pale, and her eyes were beginning to turn dark blue.
The maid beside her glanced at her.
"Don't look in the mirror, Auntie. Today's embroidery is not finished yet."
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