Chapter 4: Each with their own thoughts
When the news reached the old lady, Minglan and her sisters had already accompanied the old lady for dinner and were sitting together chatting and joking. The old lady was also shocked when she heard the servants' report, but it was not a bad thing in the end. Lin Qinshuang had always been the only one favored in the back house. Someone could share her favor and rub her temper, which could also calm the custom of favoring concubines over wives in the mansion. However, due to Minglan's presence, the old lady thought a lot in her heart but didn't say anything, just said that she knew. After this interruption, the atmosphere in the house was no longer tense. Everyone had their own thoughts, so the old lady let the sisters disperse and ordered the servants to send them back to their own courtyards.
After the sisters left, Old Madam Sheng said to Madam Fang, "Why did Wei Shuyi suddenly change her personality?" "A few
days ago, Aunt Wei's personal maid named Xiaodie was driven out. That was the work of the West Courtyard. Aunt Wei has always been law-abiding, kind to the servants, and has a deep relationship with the maids around her. It's not surprising that she wants to do something to turn the situation around after suffering such a big loss." Seeing that the old lady seemed a little worried, Madam Fang analyzed the situation with her.
"I also think that this change should not be a bad thing. Lin Qinshuang has been in this mansion for many years. It was only when Mrs. Wei first came that she was well-behaved for a while. Later, Mrs. Wei was not as affectionate to my son as she was. She was used to pretending, so she started to stir up trouble again. There have been wives and concubines in this mansion for many years. If Mrs. Wei really had the ability to capture my son's heart, with Mrs. Wei's temperament, she would not be as evil as Lin Qinshuang."
"Mrs. Wei is a kind person." The old lady nodded in agreement, picked up the teacup, took a sip, and said no more.
The room was quiet for a while, and the old lady suddenly spoke again, "I saw that the sixth girl was more lively today than before, as if she had figured something out. She dared to laugh and play with her sisters, and they were no longer restrained."
After listening to the old lady's words, Madam Fang recalled, "The sixth girl talked more today than before, and she seemed more friendly than before when she greeted me."
The old lady thought of Minglan's cleverness, and couldn't help laughing, "It's good for the sixth girl to be more lively at this age. Her sisters are talking and laughing with me, and it's lively, and it makes our courtyard seem lively and lively!" Seeing that
the old lady was smiling, Madam Fang also agreed, "That's right." In the
main courtyard, the eldest lady's room, bursts of hearty laughter came from one after another.
"That bitch Lin Qinshuang must be throwing things all over the house right now. She relies on the master's favor to bully her all day long in the mansion, and she dares to ride on my head and embarrass me. Today I have finally let out my anger, but the master is not only thinking about her. I heard that the master personally sent Wei Shuyi back to her room, and he carefully protected her waist along the way to prevent her from bumping into things. When Lin Qinshuang, that bitch, was pregnant, the master also I didn't protect her like that. I was thinking about Hualan at that time... Alas, it was all because of that little maid that made me separate from the master."
Wang Ruofu was originally happy that Wei Shuyi could be favored. She felt happy when she thought of Lin Qinshuang's angry look, but she felt a little sad to know that her husband was so protective of a concubine. She sighed when she thought of the harmonious and sweet times with her husband. When she was pregnant, Sheng Hong loved her so much that he held her in his hands for fear of dropping her and held her in his mouth for fear of melting her. After Hualan came, he wanted to give all the good things to his eldest daughter. Later, somehow, the relationship faded, and then Lin Qinshuang appeared. The eldest lady firmly believed that the appearance of Lin Qinshuang was the beginning of Wang Ruofu's suffering. Lin Qinshuang was her enemy. As long as she, Lin Qinshuang, was unhappy, Wang Ruofu would be happy!
Mother Liu had served Wang Ruofu since she was a child. She knew that she was a straightforward person and also knew her sufferings over the years. She was obviously the eldest lady in the family, but she was suppressed by a concubine and couldn't raise her head. She made one mistake after another over the years. She only hated that Lin Qinshuang was getting more and more powerful. "Madam, don't think about the past. People always look back to the past. Have a cup of tea to calm down."
Madam Liu poured a cup of tea for Wang Ruofu and handed it to her. "At the beginning, you and the old man had a rift. I was afraid that you would be stubborn and become a left-winger, so I suggested that you take the initiative to take a concubine for the old man to curb the arrogance of the surname Lin. I found someone who was beautiful and gentle. That's how this concubine Wei came into the mansion. At first, She was also very popular in the mansion for a while, but I don't know why she died down later. Before, people said she was useless, but I didn't expect her to be popular again. Let me tell you, Madam, you don't have to worry about anything and don't have to think about anything. Just sit there and watch. You have raised two sisters and a son for the old man. Our son is making progress and the master praises him as a promising person. No one can change your status as the legitimate madam."
"That's right. You have a good eye for people. In the years since Wei came into the family, that bastard named Lin has been much quieter. Now she has made enemies with Wei, so how can Wei let her off easily? Even if she can't win in the end, it's good enough to at least cause trouble for that little bastard." Wang Ruofu picked up the tea and drank it in one gulp. Mother Liu felt relieved when she saw this.
As for Lin Qinshuang, she was usually the first to get news about anything happening in the mansion. However, she was the last to know about the fact that Aunt Wei spent an hour with the master in the study today. Firstly, Zhu Lou and Lu Luo, who she had stationed in Aunt Wei's yard, had not had the time to contact his people before. After Wei Shuyi left with Zhu Li and the parrot, the news they brought was that Aunt Wei went to pay her respects to the mistress and talked for a long time in the room.
Lin Qinshuang sneered when she received the news. She thought Wei Shuyi went to ask for help from the eldest lady, who she never took seriously. Recently, the eldest lady was busy with the eldest daughter's marriage and the master's promotion. She thought that she could not provide any help to Wei Shuyi. She did not ignore it and let someone continue to keep an eye on it. Secondly, Dong Rong, who was beside Sheng Hong, would always inform him in advance of any disturbance. Today, Aunt Wei suddenly came to visit the study and Dong Rong felt that she was so beautiful that he could not take his eyes off her. Dong Rong knew that the master was a lustful person and was pleased with Aunt Wei's appearance. He did not want to offend Aunt Wei for the time being, so he did not come to inform her. Third, everyone in the mansion was confused by Aunt Wei's drastic change in behavior, and by the time they reacted, everyone knew about it. After all these incidents, Lin Qinshuang became the last one to know.
It is said that the enemy knows you best. As expected by the eldest lady, Lin Qinshuang was so angry after hearing the news that she swept down all the tea sets, vases and other utensils in the room. She was still not satisfied and scolded Wei Shuyi for a long time in the room, saying that she was "a dog that bites but doesn't bark."
"In the past, I saw her pretending to be a nun, and she acted like she didn't care about worldly things. Even if many things were deducted from her, she would swallow it down and act like she didn't want to cause any trouble. I was really fooled by her! I really thought she was a hopeless person, but I never thought she would do this to me today. I underestimated her!"
Lin Qinshuang was so angry that she paced back and forth in the room, and the handkerchief in her hand was almost crushed to pieces. Zhou Xuenniang watched from the side and kept stomping her feet, worried that she would step on the broken porcelain pieces on the ground, "Little girl, be careful, there are pieces on the ground, don't hurt your feet."
Lin Qinshuang turned around and looked at her with a fierce look on her face, "Xuenniang, tell me, if I cut my foot, will Honglang care about me or her?"
Zhou Xuenniang was frightened, "Little girl, no! Who is that Wei? He is just acting on impulse. She is pregnant now, There is nothing I can do. I don't need to hurt myself for such a small matter. Besides, she was defeated by you before. Now your position is more stable. Can she turn the tables? I, a little impatience will lead to big plans! She is still pregnant!"
Zhou Xuenniang pulled Lin Qinshuang to sit on the chair and analyzed. At the end, she lowered her voice and looked straight at Lin Qinshuang, "I forgot the supplements we prepared."
Lin Qinshuang held the handkerchief and rubbed her chest, calming down. She had been living too smoothly in the past few years and had become a little too proud of herself. She was suddenly confused by Wei Shuyi's trick. Thinking carefully, why was she panicking? Even though Wei Shuyi had a good face, pregnant women were always bloated. Besides, how could a face without makeup compare to her elaborate makeup? The old man must have felt sorry for her, after all, she was pregnant with his child. She had indeed suffered some injustice in the past few days, so he gave up out of pity. Then she thought of her own plan. No matter what, she couldn't keep this person!
"Xue Niang, please prepare more nourishing medicines for pregnant women and send them over every day. I know that Sister Wei has been through a lot during her pregnancy and I definitely can't let her down. Let Zhu Lou and Lu Luo watch her finish the medicines. Don't waste them."
"Don't worry, my lady. I will give careful instructions and there will be no mistakes."
The two were planning when they heard footsteps and a crying child's voice, "Mother!"
Molan rushed into the house and saw broken porcelain pieces all over the floor. She choked and looked at her mother in surprise, "Why did you smash the whole house? Isn't that plain long-necked vase your favorite? Yesterday when you were arranging flowers, you said that this vase was the best for you. Why did you smash it today? Mother has really been spoiled by daddy. She should control her temper. If daddy finds out, he will be very angry."
Molan's complaining tone ignited Lin Qinshuang's anger again. "This is really outrageous. You are actually trying to bully me. I use real gold and silver, silk and satin to support you every day, but you haven't even opened your eyelids. Not to mention caring about your mother, you are staring at these vulgar things. In your heart, is your mother not as important as these things?"
Molan was frightened and cried by Lin Qinshuang's sudden questioning. She sobbed and said aggrievedly: "I heard from my grandmother that father personally sent Minglan's mother back today. They all said that mother Wei is going to be favored again, and that father will put her at the top of his heart in the future. Mother, I'm afraid that father will not come to see us in the future? Mother..." After that, she couldn't help crying.
Seeing her daughter crying, Lin Qinshuang felt heartbroken. She stepped over the broken porcelain pieces and walked to the door to hold Molan in her arms. Molan cried even more recklessly. Lin Qinshuang hurried to comfort her daughter, "I don't know which gossipmongers are saying nonsense in front of you. Your father loves you the most, so why wouldn't he come to see you? When Wei Xiaoniang was pregnant, your father felt sorry for her and sent her away. Now people have seen this and said that she is spoiled too much. Think about it, your daddy always comes to your mother whenever he has time, and brings you interesting things, who do you think is more favored? Think about what you eat and what you wear, how can the sixth girl compare to you? If your daddy favors them, can he not give them these good things? Okay, don't be afraid, your mother is here for everything." Lin Qinshuang gently patted Molan's back to comfort her while coaxing her softly.
"Really?" Molan asked her mother in a crying voice, Lin Qinshuang was helpless, Zhou Xueniang beside her said, "Of course it's true, the master has always given the girl what she wanted, and the girl is the master's most beloved daughter." Molan stopped crying and only sobbed softly.
But Lin Qinshuang's suppressed anger rose again. They just stayed in the study together for a while and then were sent back to the room. In the eyes of the people below, it was a signal of favor restoration. The people below were used to changing their attitude according to the situation. At this time, Lin Qinshuang remembered the news from Zhu Lou and Lu Luo. Wei Shuyi went to see Wang Ruofu, and Wang Ruofu gave her two maids. I'm afraid that this plan is not safe, and I have to think of some other ways.