The cannon fodder character in the Dream of the Red Chamber's story of a substitute bride tries to rewrite her life 14...
After Jia Wei and Gu Qingyuan got married, their lives were unexpectedly harmonious. Because she was too lonely in her previous life, Jia Wei was particularly fond of acting spoiled, clingy, and controlling in this life.
Su Jingxing found her annoying, but Gu Qingyuan liked her. After marrying Song Shi, Gu Qingyuan was almost no different from when he was single. Song Shi had someone she loved and looked down on his poor background. She was unwilling to have a married life with him and always made him sleep in the study.
Gu Qingyuan was a lowly official and lacked confidence in front of Madam Song. He was also a taciturn person who tended to keep everything bottled up inside. Of course, he had no one to confide in, and he almost made himself sick from bottling it all up.
After marrying Jia Wei, no matter how late he came home, there was always a light on for him. If he didn't come home, Jia Wei would wait for him to come back so they could sleep together.
As soon as he stepped into the house, Jia Wei busied herself around, preparing a late-night snack for him in case he was hungry. She also busied herself making him nourishing soup to keep him warm. She urged him to wear more clothes when it was cold, and made clothes for him by hand all year round. With a wife who was so devoted to him, how could Gu Qingyuan not be moved?
He sees Jia Wei's occasional temper tantrums and jealousy as just the fun between husband and wife. Although he is not good with words, he is eager to learn and obedient, and he learns whatever Jia Wei teaches him.
Jia Wei felt that marrying Gu Qingyuan was a win for her. Although this man didn't talk much, he responded to everything she did.
Even when she threw a tantrum, he never got angry and patiently coaxed her. What pleased her most was Gu Qingyuan's chastity, good health, and harmonious marital life.
Seeing Jia Wei's happy expression, Jia Hui realized that a woman's happiness after marriage can truly be seen on her face.
When she goes out again, Jia Wei, who used to love dressing up, is no longer as flamboyant as before. It's not that she's fallen on hard times or anything, but rather that her attire is so befitting of a minor official's wife, a stark contrast to her previous style.
On the contrary, Jia Min, who used to be pure and elegant, now wore exceptionally luxurious clothes and makeup, which seemed somewhat deliberate.
She married her maternal cousin, Shi Nai, who inherited the title of Marquis of Baoling last year. Logically, her life should be more comfortable than Jia Wei's. But Jia Hui could see the weariness in her eyes.
With a difficult mother-in-law like Shi Shi above her, troublesome sisters-in-law below her, and beautiful concubines in the backyard, Shi Nai is rigid and lacks romantic understanding. Although the Shi family is a marquisate, their family tradition is strict and they advocate frugality, which is completely different from the luxurious life of the Jia family. Jia Min, who has been pampered since childhood, really can't adapt to it for a while.
She truly felt wronged and often went back to her parents' home to cry to Shi. Shi felt sorry for her daughter and would let her stay for a while each time, but after a while, even though her mother-in-law was her own aunt, it didn't work.
Mrs. Shi may not openly torment her niece when she's unhappy, but a mother-in-law has many ways to manipulate her daughter-in-law.
Shi Nai was caught in the middle and also in a dilemma. He loved his little cousin Jia Min, but he couldn't be unfilial to his mother. After much thought, he decided to take Jia Min and go away for a few years.
Firstly, it would allow his wife to relax, and secondly, it would separate her from her mother. Shi Nai didn't have a good impression of his aunt and mother-in-law, as evidenced by her inability to treat his two brothers-in-law and cousins equally; she was muddle-headed in her actions.
Deep down, Jia Min didn't want to go to the Northwest with Shi Nai, but if she didn't go, Shi Nai would have to take his concubine with him to his new post.
Several years will pass before she leaves. If that concubine becomes pregnant and gives birth to the eldest son before her, will she still have a place in this mansion in the future?
She had been married into the Marquis of Baoling's household for over a year but had not conceived. Because of this, her aunt, who had always doted on her, became distant and kept urging her to get pregnant.
When Jia Min returned to her parents' home, her second sister-in-law's words became sarcastic and unpleasant. After some hesitation, Jia Min decided to leave her two concubines in the capital and accompany Shi Nai to the Northwest.
Although conditions in the Northwest were harsher than in the capital, at least no one was constantly pressuring her to have a child.
Jia Wei accompanied Jia Min to invite Jia Hui, but it was just a formality. She knew that Jia Hui was in no condition to leave the house.
When Jia Hui said she couldn't go back, she didn't say anything, but changed the subject and started talking about other things.
Jia Min was restless. To be honest, she didn't want to come today at all. But she couldn't resist her mother, Shi,'s repeated and earnest persuasion, saying that circumstances were beyond her control and that Jia Hui's husband's family was on the rise, so it was better to be on good terms with them than to be on bad terms with them.
She understood the principle that those who are pragmatic are wise, and she knew that her mother was saying all this for her own good, but she just couldn't get over that hurdle in her heart.
Before, when they were young, she was the legitimate daughter, while her third sister was an illegitimate daughter. Only her third sister had the duty to fawn over her. Back then, when her third sister married the wrong person, she even sighed for her unfortunate fate.
Who would have thought that my third sister would stumble upon the right man by sheer luck? In just a few years, her husband's family went from being an insignificant general's mansion to a prince's mansion, and my third sister rose from humble beginnings to become a princess.
Although she is now the Lady of Baoling, she still has to be humble and courteous to her third sister, who is a princess.
Her mother probably knew that she couldn't bring herself to smile and be polite to her third sister, so she had her second sister accompany her to the Prince Rui's mansion.
It was, after all, a prince's mansion, magnificent and beautiful in every way. Although she had been rich since childhood, the Rongguo Mansion was, after all, only a duke's mansion, and it couldn't compare to a prince's mansion.
At this moment, Jia Min truly envied her second sister Jia Wei's flexible and adaptable personality, her ability to speak to people in a way that suits them.
On their way there, she asked her second sister, Jia Wei, "Second sister, you and third sister had such a falling out back then, won't you feel awkward when you see her later?"
Jia Wei smiled and said, "My silly little sister, what's there to be embarrassed about? Times have changed. You don't know your third sister. She's a real actress."
Just you wait and see. Even if she really dislikes us, she'll still put on a smiling face on the surface. But you should also be prepared that she most likely won't be able to attend this farewell banquet.
She was carrying the precious darling of the Rui Prince's mansion. The Rui Prince's family had been ruled by only one son for generations, and the prince's health wasn't exactly top-notch. The child in her womb might very well be the only heir of the Rui Prince's family, so it was certainly something to be extremely valued.
Jia Min nodded: "I know, it was Mother's idea to invite Third Sister. I think it doesn't matter whether Third Sister comes or not, let's just treat today as a visit to Third Sister."
Seeing Jia Hui slowly walk in with her big pregnant belly, Jia Min knew in her heart that there was no way she could go out in this condition.
Upon learning that Jia Hui was pregnant with quadruplets, Jia Min felt incredibly envious. She had such a difficult time even carrying one child, while her third sister was carrying four. It was truly infuriating to compare oneself to others.
Jia Wei was also envious, and openly so: "I used to hear people say you were a lucky wife and mother, but I didn't believe it. Now I really do. That sickly Prince Rui is so fortunate to have married you!"
The three sisters didn't chat for long. They were genuinely worried about tiring Jia Hui out, so they got up to leave after sitting for a while.
After leaving the Prince's mansion, Jia Min and Jia Wei each departed in their own carriages. Jia Wei led her maid to go shopping. Before leaving, Jia Daishan had given her most of his private savings, leaving her and Gu Qingyuan as the only two masters in the household.
Although Gu Qingyuan's salary was low, his expenses were also small. The Gu family had strict rules, and they all lived in their old home in the countryside. Since she didn't have to serve her in-laws and had two dowries to herself, Jia Wei could spend them however she wanted.
Lady Jia Min, despite having a more substantial dowry than her, lived a much more miserable life.
Halfway there, the carriage accidentally collided with an oncoming carriage. Jia Min and the young lady in the oncoming carriage were both startled.
Jia Min lifted the carriage curtain and saw a woman with a gentle face and a six-month pregnancy descending from the opposite side. She quickly helped her maid down from the carriage.
"Madam, are you alright?"
Zhang Lingwan shook her head: "It's nothing, I was just frightened. Is Madam alright?"
In that short time, Jia Min had learned from the maid that the fault lay with her coachman. She quickly apologized, invited him to sit in the teahouse next door, and asked the maid to fetch a doctor to examine her pulse.
Jia Min rarely met a woman who shared her love of reading, and the two hit it off immediately. Just as they were enjoying their conversation, a handsome man rushed in: "Wanwan... are you alright?"
Jia Min jumped to her feet, staring blankly at Lin Ruhai. Lin Ruhai, however, didn't recognize Jia Min; his mind was entirely on his pregnant wife. He had just heard from a servant that his wife's carriage had been in a minor collision, which had terrified him.
Once he was sure Zhang Lingwan was safe and sound, Lin Ruhai noticed Jia Min standing to the side. He glanced at her briefly before quickly looking away and bowing apologetically, "I was worried about my wife and was rude just now. I hope you will forgive me, Madam."
Jia Min replied calmly, "It's alright, farewell!"
As she walked out of the teahouse with the help of her maid, Jia Min, who had just sat in the repaired carriage, felt a lump in her throat and tears streamed down her face.
When her father chose Lin Ruhai as her husband, she had a dream in which she married Lin Ruhai, the stunningly handsome scholar who had once caught her eye.
The couple were loving and had a son and a daughter after marriage. But when they woke up, they heard that Lin Ruhai was already engaged to the daughter of the prime minister Zhang Ying.
She could only keep her feelings hidden in her heart, thinking that the two of them would never cross paths again, but she never expected to see an old friend today.
Seeing Lin Ruhai, whose heart and eyes were filled with his wife, she couldn't help but think of the scholar in her dream who drew her eyebrows every day.
Lin Ruhai never expected to see Jia Min again. But he felt no emotion whatsoever; to him, it was nothing more than a warning dream.
Now, with a beautiful wife by his side, a bright son, and a daughter about to be born, he has long since chosen a path completely opposite to that of his dreams.
Zhang Lingwan leaned against Lin Ruhai's chest, smiling as she told him that she and Jia Min hit it off immediately and talked a lot about poetry. She also expressed her regret that Jia Min was about to be sent to the Northwest with her husband, as she had finally found a friend she could talk to.
Lin Ruhai listened patiently, occasionally adding a few words of agreement, and the young couple returned home with smiles on their faces.
As soon as he entered the house, a chubby-cheeked little boy rushed over and hugged Lin Ruhai's leg: "Dad, Mom, why did you take so long to come back? Yu'er missed you so much."
Lin Ruhai picked up his son Chengyu and asked, "Then tell me, how much do you want to?"
Lin Chengyu gestured a large circle: "I've thought about so many things..."
Lin Ruhai kissed him: "You little rascal, why are you being so sweet-talking today? Did you do something wrong?"
Lin Chengyu hugged his neck coquettishly: "No...no! Yu'er just missed you and Mother."
Lin Ruhai smiled, put one arm around him, and put the other arm around Zhang Lingwan as they walked toward the main courtyard.
Lin Chengyu chattered on and on about what she had been doing at home…
Even in later generations, quadruplets are usually born prematurely. Jia Hui didn't give birth until nine months later because she took a pregnancy-preserving pill.
After taking the birth control pills, she felt that she hadn't been in much pain, and all four children were born smoothly and unbelievably.
Jia Hui couldn't help but admire the master once again. "Mastery of both alchemy and talisman" sounds incredibly difficult.
Who would have thought that a great alchemist's favorite thing was to refine and improve ordinary pills?
Jia Hui could actually understand this master of both alchemy and talisman-making quite well. For mission takers like them, which small world they were transported to was entirely random.
Having finally made it to the cultivation world, shouldn't we stock up on some goods? Buying with spirit stones is nothing compared to making our own food and clothing.
Otherwise, only a member of a major clan would be crazy enough to try to improve ordinary pills.
As for Jia Hui and the system, even a hair from the big boss is thicker than their waists, so they can get things for free and don't necessarily have to spend points to buy them.
The four children are exactly two pairs of twins, a boy and a girl, and their weight is slightly less than that of normal children.
After examinations by both the imperial physicians and the palace physicians, it was determined that although the young prince and princess were slightly underweight, they were both in excellent health.
Jia Hui had no intention of challenging the rules, nor did she ever think about breastfeeding the child herself.
If it were just one child, she might still have this thought, but there are four.
The wet nurses were carefully selected by Mingrui from the Imperial Household Department, and after countless checks, Jia Hui gave them all loyalty charms after they moved into the Prince's Mansion.
You wouldn't know until you put it on; once you did, two deeply buried nails surfaced.
The Eighth Prince's wife used a secret agent left by the old Prince An to plant a wet nurse in Prince Rui's mansion, hoping to take advantage of Jia Hui's child.
Jia Hui never expected that the Eighth Prince's wife would be so heartless as to try to harm a newborn child. Fine, it would be impolite not to retaliate, so she first found a reason to send the two wet nurses back to the Imperial Household Department.
Their real family members are in the hands of the Eighth Prince's wife. Even with a loyalty token, Jia Hui wouldn't dare use such a person. When it comes to the children, you can never be too careful.
The Eighth Prince eagerly awaited the day when one of his concubines would conceive a child, so that his harem wouldn't be completely devoid of offspring.
The Eighth Prince's wife already knows that she can no longer conceive, and now all she values is her appearance and the Eighth Prince's love.
Hmm, let's start with a "eat well and be carefree" pill. Jia Hui couldn't help but admire herself; this was a case of repaying evil with good.
Fearing that the Eighth Prince's wife would lose her appetite if she knew that all the concubines in the backyard were pregnant, he sent her an appetite stimulant in advance.
When the quadruplets turned one month old, good news came from the Eighth Prince's residence: all five of his concubines in the backyard were pregnant.
Emperor Kangxi was quite pleased and directly selected two concubines from the previous year's imperial concubines to bestow upon the Eighth Prince, and restored the Eighth Prince's title of Beile.
The Eighth Prince's wife was very happy that the Eighth Prince's title could be restored, but the decree to restore the title was issued together with the decree to grant the marriage.
How could the Eighth Prince's wife bear this? No matter how much she cried and made a scene, she couldn't change the fact that a new woman was going to enter the Eighth Prince's residence.
Consort Hui summoned the Eighth Prince's wife to the palace once again and went straight to the point: "Eighth Prince's wife, the fact that the Eighth Prince's harem has not had a child all these years is inseparable from you, his primary wife."
You don't need to explain those useless things to me. The inner court is under your jurisdiction. If those concubines and princesses can't keep their children, it has nothing to do with you. Who do you think it has to do with? How do you, as the primary consort, manage the inner court?
I must remind you, if those concubines and princesses also lose their babies this time, your position as the primary wife may be coming to an end.
You must understand that in the Aisin Gioro family, there has never been a daughter-in-law who was divorced, but there can be daughters who die of illness.
If you die, the Emperor will surely bestow a second wife upon the Eighth Prince. I know you are a sensible person; you must understand that there is hope as long as you live.
The Eighth Prince's wife naturally knew that Kangxi was using Consort Hui to warn her. She was furious, but she also knew that what Consort Hui said was true.
After speaking, Consort Hui picked up her teacup and said, "Eighth Prince, go back and think carefully about what I said. Although he wasn't born from my womb, I raised him and I certainly wouldn't harm him."
Don't think I'm being harsh. If you can't have children, and you don't let the concubines and princesses in the backyard have children, do you want the Eighth Prince to have no descendants?
You need to understand that even if the Eighth Prince agrees, the Emperor will not. Once you anger the Emperor, neither the Prince An's residence nor the Eighth Prince can protect you.
I'm tired. Go back and think it over. Also, control your temper. What primary consort is like you, always shouting and threatening to kill?
Look at the Fourth Prince's wife. Everyone who sees her praises her gentleness and grace. It is said that a virtuous wife brings fewer troubles to her husband. Prince Rui is a prime example.
His wife deserves the most credit for his rise from a lowly Feng'en General to a Prince. He should learn from her and stop causing trouble for the Eighth Prince all the time.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
