Song Xia sighed, "Let's go back to the manor. Aunt Meng only got pregnant this time after three years of marriage, and now she's gone. It's really pitiful."
She never expected Liu Fangniang to be so bold as to openly knock Aunt Meng down the steps.
"What happened to Zhou Yongli?"
"The master was furious and wanted to punish the family, but the old lady stopped him. Now he is locked up in Qinyaxuan and all the servants who serve him have been dismissed."
"You still have feelings for her!"
Song Xia sneered. The reason she moved to the manor was twofold: first, she didn't want to see that family to avoid getting annoyed; second, it was to provide a stage for Aunt Gao and Aunt Meng to perform their acts.
Aren't you two supposed to be lovers, destined to spend your lives together? Let's see if your love is really that deep.
As she had predicted, things have turned out that there are good men in the world, but Zhou Yongli is clearly not one of them.
If he truly had unwavering love for Liu Fangniang, he wouldn't even step into the courtyards of Aunt Gao and Aunt Meng. After all, if he himself didn't want to, could anyone force him, the head of the family, to go there?
After the first time, he became even more unrestrained. After all, how could a middle-aged woman compare to the tenderness of a newcomer? Moreover, Aunt Gao and Aunt Meng were specially chosen by Song Xia according to his preferences.
It's just a pity that Aunt Gao's daughter was born sickly, and now Aunt Meng has lost her baby because of Liu Fangniang.
Upon returning to the Zhou residence, Song Xia immediately went to see Aunt Meng. This pregnancy had been quite a blow to Aunt Meng, as she had been pregnant for several months.
"What did the doctor say?"
Zhou Yongli sat silently to one side, his face looking very grim.
"Madam, I can feel him moving inside my belly. He's so obedient, and he never hurts me..." Aunt Meng cried as she spoke.
Song Xia sighed, "If fate allows, the child will come again. The most important thing now is to recover."
She personally wiped away her tears, and then said to Furong, "Go and get the old ginseng from my box for Aunt Meng to nourish her body. Also, isn't there a pair of pure gold jewelry with cat's eye stones in the storeroom? Get them all for Aunt Meng."
Aunt Meng continued to weep silently, while Aunt Gao was less worried. Although she had lost her child, the madam had given her dignity. The child was her support, and so were these possessions. Moreover, after this incident, it would be difficult for the master to favor Liu Fangniang again.
"Give her some good advice and tell her not to get too upset and ruin her health."
Aunt Gao bowed and said, "Yes, Madam."
Song Xia gave up her seat and sat down opposite Zhou Yongli: "How does the master intend to handle this matter?"
"I have already ordered her to be locked up."
"After all, it's a human life. Are you planning to just lock him up for a while and that's it?"
Zhou Yongli remained silent for a long time before speaking in a hoarse voice: "After all, she gave birth to Shuge and Yingjie. Shuge is now a Xiucai and will be taking the provincial examination next year. Yingjie is also over fourteen and will be getting married soon. If we deal with her now, it will not be good for the two children."
Just as he was feeling uneasy, Song Xia unexpectedly nodded: "Master is right."
Zhou Yongli, however, opened his mouth in surprise. Was Song Xia not planning to investigate further? Would she let this opportunity pass so easily?
Song Xia certainly didn't intend to investigate further. The mother and her two children were full of hope, so what would be the point of dealing with Liu Fangniang now?
"Since Aunt Meng has lost her child, I would be grateful if you could spend more time with her these days, sir."
"That's only right."
Aunt Gao got up to see Song Xia out. Song Xia said calmly, "Try to persuade Aunt Meng not to take it too hard. We have to look forward to the future."
"Yes, she'll come to her senses after these two days. We never even got to hope for such a good life before."
Aunt Gao sighed sincerely. She had been here for more than three years and had inquired about many things in the capital. She knew that concubines like them were generally not treated like human beings by the nobles in the capital. It was only because they were lucky to have met the lady.
Moreover, the lady was not opposed to their having children at all. When Lin'er was in poor health, she even specially invited a royal physician to take care of her.
You should know that even ordinary sons of officials don't receive this kind of treatment, let alone Lin Jie'er, who is an illegitimate daughter.
"Is Sister Lin feeling any better lately?"
"After the last time Physician Zhang examined me, he didn't prescribe any more medicine. He just told me to pay attention to my diet and to keep an eye on me to avoid the wind since winter is here."
"Every medicine has some toxicity. Doctor Zhang is very good at recuperating the body. It seems that Lin-jie is fine. My Yuqing was cured by Doctor Zhang back then. Don't worry too much."
Aunt Gao smiled broadly: "That's what I thought too. I haven't thanked you yet for taking such good care of Lin'er."
"I brought you and Aunt Meng into the manor at my behest, so I can't just leave you like this. No need to see me off, come in."
"Yes, madam."
Aunt Gao watched Song Xia leave the courtyard before returning to comfort Aunt Meng.
The lady may seem cold and aloof, but she is actually very kind-hearted. Fortunately, she has never wavered in her decision to stand by the lady's side.
What can the master do? He's just teasing her and Sister Meng when he's in the mood. The one who holds the most important place in the master's heart is always Liu Fangniang, and the entire Zhou family is in charge of the madam.
She really couldn't understand how the master and Liu Fangniang, with such a powerful maternal family, could have ever thought of going against the madam.
I heard that Liu Fangniang used to have a better life than her and Meng Meimei. It's just a pity that she was too arrogant because of the master's favor, and she even offended the madam's only son, the eldest son.
Tsk, Madam only has one son, the eldest young master. If he has such wicked thoughts, who else should we teach a lesson to if not you?
The year is almost over, and the eldest young master should be back soon. The cloak is almost finished being embroidered. I don't know if the eldest young master will like it, but regardless of whether he likes it or not, it is my heartfelt wish. As long as my wife knows that I have no ulterior motives, that's enough.
We also need to advise Sister Meng that the loss of the child is irreversible, so we must look forward. For example, we could take this opportunity to get as much money as possible from the master.
Liu Fangniang never expected that the person she considered an enemy had never expected Zhou Yongli's love. When she heard that Song Xia had returned, she sneered and waited for punishment. She did not regret this. That bitch Meng had provoked her so much that she could not stand it.
I wonder if Song Xia will lash out at Shu Ge'er and Ying Jie'er again because of this.
Shu-ge'er shouldn't be able to. He's already a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examinations), and next year he'll take the provincial-level examination, which will make him a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations).
But what about Sister Ying? Is what Sister Ying said reliable? Have I caused trouble for Sister Ying again?
Thinking of her daughter, Liu Fangniang couldn't help but worry. Yingjie was already fourteen, the age for marriage. Although Yingjie and Shuge'er had a good plan, Yingjie couldn't leave the mansion. How could she meet a noble person?
What if Song Xia rashly arranges a bad marriage for Ying Jie at this time?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
