Chapter 161 Yao Qingling got pregnant so soon after her divorce?
Ma glanced at her: "A marriage of convenience to ward off bad luck?"
Who would hold a wedding to ward off bad luck in order to avoid being robbed?
She rolled her eyes and said that Ma Peizhen was being unreasonable.
Yao Qingqi already disliked her, and slammed her hand on the armrest, angrily saying, "How can my marriage be held for the sake of bringing good luck!"
If a woman marries into a man's family to bring him good luck, she will be gossiped about and looked down upon in the future.
Although she is marrying up, this makes it seem like she is eager to get married, so what status will she have in the princess's mansion in the future?
This Ma Peizhen is vicious. Since she can't get married herself, she wants to ruin her marriage like Yao Qingling's.
She angrily retorted, "I think you just can't stand to see me doing well!"
Ma Peizhen said aggrievedly, "Sister, we're family. Of course I want you to have the best marriage. How could I want to harm you? What happened last time was also for your own good. I wanted you to be successful and respected wherever you went. But who would have thought that Sister Qingling would treat us like that—"
"Stop bringing up that old, sordid thing." Yao Qingqi said impatiently, flicking her handkerchief, not wanting to listen. Just thinking about it made her feel ashamed.
Ma Peizhen pursed her lips, lowered her eyelids, and said in a low voice, "Sister Qingqi, no matter what, the premise is that you have to marry into the Princess's Mansion. A good marriage is also something you have to work for yourself."
“The Princess’s mansion has suffered heavy losses and urgently needs to make up for them. Our Marquis’s mansion is not short of money now. If you bring your dowry and marry into the family, the Princess will remember your kindness and help the Princess’s mansion through this difficult time.”
"So how can this marriage to bring good luck be a bad thing?"
Ma's eyes darted around.
When she married off her daughter, her first requirement was that the groom's family be from a prestigious and influential clan. Princess Jinyang was a relative of the emperor, and by marrying into the imperial family, the Marquis's household would also be elevated in status.
This will provide further support for the future careers of the men in the family.
Her daughter's good marriage can make up for the negative impact of the divorce from Yao Qingling, and her family can't say that she is incompetent.
"You just said... a generous dowry?" Although Madam Ma was tempted, the amount of the dowry couldn't be determined simply by writing an empty dowry slip on paper.
These days, she hasn't been fighting with Yao Qingling for control of the shop because she's found a more convenient way to make money.
The Marquis was serving in the Shanglin Garden, where local people presented him with rare and exotic animals, as well as other precious items.
In the past, nobody took him seriously and gave him little money as a tribute, but recently, I don't know if those local officials have finally seen the light, but gold and silver treasures have been delivered to his door.
Some officials' wives also told her privately that they liked the white peacocks of Linxian County.
When Lady Ma mentioned to Marquis Zhongyong that the local area had sent a few extra peacocks as tribute, she gave the white peacock to the lady and received a generous reward in return.
Ma thought to himself, "No wonder those powerful and wealthy people look down on merchants."
Women would argue heatedly over trivial matters, and some would even sit at the table and drink with the men, displaying their most unsightly behavior.
She looked down on Yao Qingling's shops.
But when it came to using those gold, silver, jewelry, and valuable antiques and paintings as her daughter's dowry, Madam Ma felt a pang of heartache.
The Marquis's family was truly terrified of poverty.
The Marquis's household expenses were high, and in the previous years they had barely managed to make ends meet.
When Yao Qingling got married, she was inexperienced. For the sake of face and to climb up to the Duke's mansion, she gritted her teeth and gave a large sum of money. However, after giving away the dowry, the Marquis's mansion did not receive any great benefits.
Yao Qingling refused to return her dowry after the divorce.
Having learned from that experience, Madam Ma was very hesitant about marrying off her daughter.
She wasn't worried about her daughter, but about the Princess's residence.
Yao Qingqi had been protected by her since childhood; she didn't have the same methods as Yao Qingling.
Having only enjoyed a few days of comfort, Ma was reluctant to give away the meat that was already in her mouth.
She said, "The Marquis's mansion has no money. Besides, Princess Jinyang has seen the world; how much dowry would it take to catch her eye?"
Ma Peizhen knew her aunt well and knew that she was reluctant to spend money.
She smiled and said, "Aunt, there's something I forgot to mention."
"What?" Madam Ma was taking a sip of water from her teacup, worrying about Yao Qingqi's dowry.
"Sister Qingling is pregnant."
"Pfft—" Madam Ma spat out a mouthful of tea, wiped the water stains with her hand, and glared at them, "What did you say?"
Yao Qingqi's eyes widened in surprise.
Yao Qingling got pregnant so soon after her divorce?
Is the news true?
Ma Peizhen nodded: "Meiping said so. She smelled a medicinal scent on Qingling, so she secretly followed the head maid of Mulan Courtyard to the pharmacy. They brewed medicine there and then sent it back to the mansion. No wonder the courtyard gate was always closed, and the people from Mulan Courtyard were always acting suspiciously."
“Meiping had just discovered it when he came to tell me and asked me to pass it on to my aunt.”
Mrs. Ma took a deep breath and clenched her fists tightly.
The news came so suddenly that she couldn't accept it for a while.
Yao Qingqi asked, "Whose child is it? Which wild man's?"
Yao Qingling and Zhan Xingzhuo had been married for three years without having any children, otherwise she wouldn't have been so completely dominated by Zhou Zhining. As a wife, she lived like a housekeeper, treating someone else's son as her own.
Yao Qingqi also heard some gossip, saying that Yao Qingling was infertile and that the Duke's mansion was just using her as a cover-up, and that Zhou Zhining's child was actually Zhan Xingzhuo's.
Yao Qingqi felt that Yao Qingling's pregnancy at this time was a slap in the face to the Duke's Mansion and Zhan Xingzhuo, proving that she was capable of giving birth.
Ms. Ma subconsciously felt that Yao Qingling was using her body as capital in order to do business.
The powerful and wealthy did not handle business themselves, but instead employed servants to do business, including many beautiful women and men.
It's nominally a business, but in reality, it's about using women to manage the wealth of the powerful and wealthy, and making all sorts of transactions.
But Yao Qingling is, after all, the daughter of a marquis, not a courtesan. How could she do such a thing!
She was competitive and ambitious, but she trampled on the dignity of the Marquis's mansion.
Something occurred to Ma, and she panicked again.
"She's always showing her face in public, doesn't everyone know about it? Where does that leave the Marquis's mansion's reputation!"
With the Marquis's reputation damaged, how can Yao Qingqi ever get married again!
She shouldn't have canceled the morning and evening greetings. If she had seen Yao Qingling every day, she would have discovered it long ago and given her the abortion medicine in time.
She suddenly stood up: "Yes, give her an abortifacient. We absolutely cannot let her give birth to the child!"
She called her nanny to prepare the medicine.
He then said sternly, "Where is Yao Qingling? Bring her to me!"
After the chaos of the battle subsided, Ma Peizhen said, "Sister Qingling's carriage just entered the manor; she should be back."
“But Aunt, please let me finish. There’s no need to give her the abortion medicine; just let her give birth to the child.”
"Give birth to the child?" Madam Ma roared. "How can we let her give birth to this child? She's done something so shameful; the Marquis's mansion has lost all face!"
Ma Peizhen helped Madam Ma up and invited her to sit down.
She poured another cup of tea and handed it to Madam Ma, saying unhurriedly, "Aunt, our Marquis's mansion now has other sources of income, so we don't necessarily have to rely on her to make money anymore, don't you think?"
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