Seeing that the princess is now in charge of the household, after the general left, Green Spirit is very clever and goes to the North Courtyard to pay her respects every day at dawn.
Jiang Meng found it quite amusing to see the resentment in Lü Ling's eyes. "The general has already left, so why is he still here?"
The mansion had one wife, two concubines, four noble concubines, and countless maids and chambermaids.
"Really? Just because of this? Lin Shuang gave birth to a stillborn baby? This Ruan Yu Mu seems to be quite something." Jiang Meng listened as Lü Ling recounted some gossip from the manor.
Upon hearing this, Green Spirit lowered her head, seemingly unable to speak.
Yuqing stepped forward and said, "You can speak frankly with Madam."
"Madam, you must do justice for me! I was pregnant with the General's child, but I was of low rank. That vile woman spread rumors in the courtyard about my mother's death, and I was so shocked that I had a miscarriage. That was the General's first child."
"Oh? If she was already pregnant, why was she still a concubine before? Could it be that the former wife was really as jealous as rumored? But how could the old lady let this matter of offspring go unpunished?"
In reality, the old lady had musk added to Green Spirit's perfumes at her behest, which weakened the mother over time. She then went to Foshan to worship Buddha, hoping to shift the blame onto Ruan Yu Mu.
Jiang Meng felt a headache coming on whenever she heard about these things. The general had left, and she had to take care of all the affairs of the mansion herself.
"Green Spirit, get up quickly. It's not worth hurting yourself over such trivial matters." She pinched her brow, still patiently comforting her.
"I'm fine, but I'm feeling down. Now that everyone in the manor knows that Madam is in charge, things are much easier. The princess comes from the palace, so she's fair. From now on, please take good care of my sister."
"No, no!" Jiang Meng was overjoyed by Lü Ling's flattery. "Since you are a concubine and the prince is not in the manor, I can promote you to a higher rank. I hope you can soon have children for the Qi family."
"Thank you, Madam!"
"You may leave now; I need to rest."
"It is Madam."
After Green Spirit left, Yu Qing looked at Jiang Mengyi with a serious expression, "Don't let a few sweet words cloud your judgment. These are all your competitors. What will you do if they overshadow you one day?"
"Yuqing, why are you so serious? Look at this Green Spirit, she's already saying everything before I've even opened my mouth. She's obviously someone who can't keep a secret. Didn't you see her big butt when we went out just now? That's perfect for bearing children. If I had a few more children of my own, that wouldn't be a bad thing. Raising them under my mother's care is something many concubines would beg for. Then I can just find a reason to sell them off later."
“Madam, I didn’t expect you to be even more thorough than Yuqing. It was Yuqing who overlooked this.”
"Alright, alright! I'm going to rest for a bit."
"Yes, Madam!"
This morning, Madam Liu came to Yunxiang Tower again. She seemed to be wandering around aimlessly when she saw Ruan Yu Mu setting up a private kitchen in the courtyard. Seeing that no one was around, she quickly went to report to Madam Liu.
Soon, news of Ruan and Mu's private kitchen spread throughout the compound. Within the household, hierarchy was strictly observed; only the Madam and the Old Madam were allowed their own small kitchens, while everyone else was provided with a large kitchen and was forbidden from setting up their own.
The servants in the manor were all talking about how Ruan Yumu seemed not to be used to her status as a concubine, and still thought she was the wife. She acted like a wife all the time.
Everyone knows that Jiang Mengyi hates hearing these things the most right now. She immediately called Ruan Yumu over after she did such a thing.
As soon as she entered, Jiang Mengyi shouted loudly, without dismissing the maids. She also deliberately left the north gate wide open, just so everyone could see that this was the time for her to establish her authority.
As soon as she entered, Jiang Mengyi ordered her to kneel down. Ruan Yumu was startled and had no choice but to kneel down quickly. She had already witnessed Jiang Mengyi's perverted nature, so she naturally served her with care.
"How dare you set up a kitchen in secret! What are you trying to do?"
Ruan and Mu didn't want to explain, and there was nothing to explain.
"Since you can't eat the food in the kitchen, I'll punish you by making you cook for yourself. Let's see what you can make for everyone. Maybe the cook's food doesn't suit your taste."
“Not wanting to eat and being unable to eat are two different things,” Ruan Yumu said calmly. The meals that the kitchen sent to her room every day were all at the behest of the old lady, and they were really bland.
Jiang Meng laughed at this. "So you're saying it's not to your liking? In that case, do as I say."
Ruan Yu Mu couldn't cook, and Zi Ling would suffer in the end. For Zi Ling's sake, who had been taking care of her all this time, Ruan Yu Mu had no choice but to humble herself and say, "Madam, please investigate!"
"Go down." Jiang Mengyi's tone was very annoyed.
With that, he had Yuqing deliver it.
After that, the wood-fired pots and other cooking utensils in Yunxianglou were moved away.
Ruan Yumu stood at the doorway, watching the commotion in the courtyard, her expression complex. It was unclear what she was thinking.
Zi Ling hurriedly stepped forward, "Miss, it's alright. We'll do it together from now on, it's fine."
Ruan Yumu smiled wryly, "With so many people in this mansion, wouldn't we have to cook all day long?"
Looking at Ruan Yumu's calm demeanor, Zi Ling felt somewhat disheartened, but not overly distressed. It seemed the young lady had already grasped the situation.
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