Chapter 212 Zhou Zhining's Visit?
With the mansion quiet and peaceful, Yao Qingling recovered quickly from her illness.
The weather is getting colder, but as long as there is sunshine, it feels warm and cozy.
Yao Qingling would spend her days basking in the sun on the large kang (heated brick bed) by the window and reading books.
The son was in the yard, and his wet nurse was holding him and playing with him.
It is said that he would stare intently at the persimmons in the book.
Lou Yue went inside to keep Qing Ling company, talking to her while picking out the downy feathers from the bird's nest.
As Lou Yue described how cute and clever the child was, Yao Qingling couldn't stop talking.
“By the way, Miss…” Lou Yue remembered a question she had wanted to ask for a long time, “Why did you insist on returning to the Marquis’s mansion to give birth back then?”
She kept thinking that if she had given birth in Tongluo Lane, Lady Hou wouldn't have had the opportunity to take advantage of her.
And that's why those thrilling events that followed didn't happen.
Miss had been unwell, and everyone was on edge, so Lou Yue didn't dare to ask.
Qing Ling said calmly, "Even if I die, I can only return to the Marquis's mansion."
“I am a woman without a husband’s family. This child has already been subject to criticism. Even if the Grand Princess of Deyang acknowledges the child, as long as someone with ulterior motives speaks, the child’s identity will be questioned again.”
She smiled sarcastically, her eyes cold. "Everyone who has seen the child says he looks like Zhan Xingzhuo when he was young, because they want to curry favor with the Grand Princess of Deyang. But if you've seen other newborns, you'll know that newborns actually look pretty much the same."
Their skin was wrinkled from being soaked in amniotic fluid, and their whole bodies were red, like a hairless kitten.
Otherwise, there wouldn't be some families where the baby was switched at birth and they wouldn't even notice.
"If I give birth in Causeway Lane, and someone with ulterior motives says that the child doesn't look like me, then that's a whole different story."
“After that night at Yongning Temple, I didn’t return to Xinfu. Then I gave birth in Tongluo Lane. Just think, how will those people slander me?”
Lou Yue gasped, her eyes widening: "They'll say that Miss is still hung up on that wild man, and that she's going to give birth to her child there!"
Qingling nodded: "This is it."
"Even without those gossips, if I gave birth in Tongluo Lane, they would still speculate about why I would hide to give birth, whether I would give birth to a boy or a girl, and whether I would switch a girl with a boy for some benefit of the Duke's mansion."
Lou Yue sighed dejectedly, "Being a woman is so hard. Childbirth is so dangerous, and you still have to think about so many things."
Qingling smiled and rubbed Louyue's chubby little face: "Don't worry, when you get married, I will definitely find you a comfortable and ideal husband. I won't let you think about those things. I just want to provide you with food, drink and happiness."
"Miss!" Lou Yue glared at her playfully. "I'm not getting married. What's so good about getting married?"
As the two chatted, Xia Chan returned.
She told Qingling what she had found out in the past few days.
"The gifts that Lady Hou sent back to her parents' home for the festival were more numerous and expensive than in previous years. She has been in close contact with many ladies lately, but it is unclear what exactly she did or said. There is also Miss Qingqi, who often invites young ladies from other households to go out and have fun, and she always pays the bill. Everyone says she is very generous."
However, the Marquis's mansion could not afford such a constant stream of spending, relying solely on the Marquis's salary and the income from the shops.
Although there is Hui Bafang, all of Hui Bafang's income is firmly controlled by Qing Ling, and those people cannot access it.
"Where did their money come from, Miss? Don't you find that strange?"
Qing Ling frowned slightly, pondered for a long time, but couldn't figure out what income the Ma family had.
If she had managed the household well, the Marquis's mansion wouldn't have been in dire straits and declined so much in the past few years.
The ladies who associated with her were all opportunistic and snobbish; they wouldn't associate with her unless there was something in it for them. After Qingling returned from the Duke's mansion, those ladies immediately distanced themselves from Madam Ma.
How could I be so eager to associate with her?
As for Yao Qingqi, ever since she led a group of young ladies to Hui Ba Fang and lost face, those young ladies have been mocking her. Yao Qingqi is so concerned about her reputation, it's impossible for her to shamelessly try to flatter them.
Lou Yue gripped the tweezers tightly, squinted her eyes, and picked out a fine downy hair. She said slowly, "Is Miss Qingqi worried about her marriage? Hasn't she always been eager to marry into the Princess's mansion?"
“She spent money to entertain those young ladies, making it seem like she was very wealthy, so that the princess’s mansion would think she had a lot of dowry.”
"I heard the other day that the Prince Consort's hometown was robbed by bandits, and the entire mansion was emptied. Most of the Prince Consort's property is in his hometown, so the Princess's mansion must be heartbroken after such a robbery."
You must know that these powerful and wealthy families spend hundreds of taels of silver a day. How could a princess with such a grand entourage be short of money?
Qingling and Xiachan were both looking at her.
Lou Yue was taken aback: "None of you knew?"
Xia Chan asked, "Where did you hear that from?"
Lou Yue said, "One day I was buying meat at the market, and the people at the next stall were talking about this, so I overheard them."
These days, chaos reigns everywhere, and it's not uncommon to hear of wealthy families being robbed.
Yao Qingling was doing business with bandits and had taken in so many of them. Lou Yue felt guilty when she heard those gossips, so she bought some meat and went home.
At the time, she thought that the Jin Yang Princess's Mansion was Yao Qingqi's husband's family, and had nothing to do with her or her mistress.
Yao Qingqi longed to marry into a high-ranking family and wanted to be superior to the young lady. It would be funny if she found out that the princess's mansion was just an empty shell after her marriage.
Lou Yue was gloating at the time, but didn't take it seriously.
Qingling said thoughtfully, "That's possible."
But as I said before, where did she get so much money?
"Perhaps it's the Lady Hou's private savings?" Lou Yue boldly guessed. "The Lady Hou is determined to marry Miss Qingqi into a high-ranking family. In order for her daughter to marry well and have status and face, why would she want to help her out?"
“Miss, don’t forget, the Madam has been in charge of this Marquis’s mansion for over ten or twenty years. It wouldn’t be too easy for her to hide some money.”
"Perhaps half of the holiday gifts she sends to her family go into her private treasury as soon as they leave the Marquis's mansion."
Marquis Zhongyong never interfered in household affairs. To him, a man only needed to manage important matters, and he knew nothing about what his wife did.
Xia Chan laughed and said, "It's rare to see you so cunning; you even guessed this."
"However, with our Marquis's meager salary, even with the income from the shops, it's still limited. The Marquis's household needs a lot for daily expenses, and even if the Marquis's wife has some private money, I don't think she would be willing to let Miss Qingqi squander it like that."
Madam Ma was not a generous person; even her own daughter might not be willing to give her that much money.
As the group was speculating about where Ma's money came from, the gatekeeper came in to announce that Miss Zhou had come to see them.
Lou Yue and Xia Chan's expressions both changed, as if facing a formidable enemy: "What is she doing here?"
Qingling's expression was also not good.
Is Zhou Zhining visiting?
She was demoted to a government slave and hid for a long time, secretly opposing her. Now that she has shown herself to see her, it can't be that she's here to shake hands and make peace.
"Miss, I'll go deal with her." Xia Chan was worried that Zhou Zhining would cause trouble again and she couldn't let her hurt her mistress.
Yao Qingling shook her head: "No need, let her in."
She thought she probably knew why Zhou Zhining had come.
Qingling got up and asked Louyue to do her hair and makeup.
She put on the ruby rabbit fur headband that Lin Shiyuan had given her, looking elegant and wealthy, and then put on the green embroidered pomegranate flower dress that Fuyunlou had tailored for her.
Go out in a bright and clean state to meet people.
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