"Second Madam, don't be anxious. You are both beautiful and intelligent. Do you think you can't defeat Xia Wei?"
Sun Chan was both worried and anxious: "Hongxiu, what am I still fighting for? He has taken a concubine, and my status in the city lord's mansion has declined."
“Now, I am not as valued by the city lord and his wife as Gu Jiangli. The eldest young master treats me like a monster and avoids me like the plague. Now that the second young master has Xia Wei, he doesn’t even want to look at me. If this continues, how can I maintain my position in the city lord’s mansion?”
Hongxiu sighed, "Alas, if only you had a child, you wouldn't be being bullied by a concubine today."
"Hmph, if I really had a child, would I have ended up in this situation? The city lord and his wife would cherish me, and the second young master would pamper me to the extreme. Why would they take a concubine?"
Hongxiu frowned, biting her lip as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.
Sun Chan didn't hear her reply, so she turned her head and saw her expression: "What's wrong? Do you have something to say?"
Hongxiu stammered, "Second Madam, there's something I'm not sure if I should say?"
"explain."
"Ahem... A little girl from my childhood neighborhood said she saw the First Madam in Wangjia Village outside the city."
Sun Chan immediately perked up: "Gu Jiangli? What's she doing in the village outside the city?"
"She went to Wang Er's house and I heard she left some silver notes behind."
Sun Chan frowned, not quite understanding what Hongxiu meant by bringing this up.
But she is an impatient person.
“Hongxiu, just say what you want to say directly, don’t beat around the bush.”
"Yes. Actually, this servant doesn't know what the relationship is between the First Madam and the Wang family, but her actions have given this servant an idea. Wang Er's wife just became pregnant a couple of days ago. If the Second Madam wants to maintain her position in the City Lord's Mansion, the only way forward is to take a risk."
"If you are willing to spend some money, I will ask my sister to put in a good word for Wang Er so that his child can come to the city lord's mansion after birth. You can then raise this child as your own, and you will have someone to rely on in the future."
Sun Chan was completely bewildered. "Hongxiu, what are you talking about? Why would I raise a villager's child? Even if I were willing, would the city lord be willing? Would the second young master be willing?"
"Oh, Second Madam, you don't understand what I mean. You're pregnant now. Once Wang Er's wife is full-term and the child is born, bring him to the City Lord's Mansion, and then let the child come out of your belly. Wouldn't that be fine?"
Sun Chan's face was dazed, her eyes flickering, "You came out of my belly, were you...?"
She stopped abruptly before she could finish speaking.
Those suspicious eyes widened instantly, and she said incredulously, "You want me to fake a pregnancy? And then..."
"Yes, that's exactly what I mean. Second Madam, you've already fallen behind the First Madam in the City Lord's Mansion. If you can't find a way to solidify your position, the future will probably be just as you said, with every step you take feeling like walking on thin ice."
"This is too risky! If word gets out, I'll be dead!"
"Second Madam, don't worry. Just say the word and I will definitely take care of this matter for you."
Sun Chan was panting heavily, her eyes looking around nervously and helplessly.
"Second Madam, have you made up your mind?"
After some struggle, Sun Chan clenched her fist, her eyes filled with unwavering determination: "Hongxiu, go and do it. You are the only person I trust and rely on in the City Lord's Mansion."
Hongxiu readily accepted the praise, saying, "Second Madam, rest assured, I will ensure that nothing goes wrong with this matter."
————
The attic was so quiet late at night that the only sound was the chirping of insects outside.
When Gu Jiangli returned, she found Jiang Huaizhi reading a book by lamplight.
Upon seeing her appear, Jiang Huaizhi immediately put down the book in his hand: "You're back?"
"Hmm, did you come all this way just to wait for me?"
"Of course, my wife is still out running errands, how could I sleep alone?"
The joy in his eyes seemed genuine.
Gu Jiangli naturally leaned against his shoulder: "Huaizhi, you're not feeling well, you should rest earlier."
“Wangjia Village is so remote, it’s so dark at night you can’t even see the road, it’s very dangerous. And you’re pregnant, I won’t be at ease until you come back.”
Gu Jiangli's head snapped up, and a tension suddenly tightened in his heart.
How did Huaizhi know I went to Wangjia Village?
Jiang Huaizhi's face became dark and indistinct under the soft light of the candle.
He didn't speak, so Gu Jiangli frowned and asked again:
Did you send someone to follow me?
“It’s not stalking, it’s protection,” he explained, his smile still lingering. “You’re pregnant, and you only have Lotus as your maid. If something happens to you outside, she can’t protect you.”
"Even so... even so, that's no excuse for you to send people to follow me. You could have just told me openly that you were sending people to protect me, instead of doing this sneakily by having people follow me."
Seeing the change in her expression, Jiang Huaizhi immediately wiped the smile off his face.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... Jiang Li, you left too quickly back then, I really didn't have time to tell you that I would send someone to follow you. I'm sorry, it won't happen again, I will tell you, I will tell you everything."
Gu Jiangli's expression softened considerably.
Seeing that she was no longer pursuing the matter, Jiang Huaizhi gently brushed her stray hairs behind her ear and then softly asked:
"Jiang Li, why don't you want that child to be born? To be honest, three hundred taels is too expensive to buy the life of an unborn child. Actually, even if you only give one hundred taels, Wang Er would agree, given his personality."
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