Both mistresses of Yunxianglou and Yunguilou are pregnant, and the kitchen staff and everyone else are working hard to take care of them.
Chu Yue had just arrived today and was already receiving special favor tonight.
The liveliness in the Jade Pavilion continued until midnight. After all, the concubines and maids all lived there. When the general went there today, they would definitely do their best. Ruan and Mu could vaguely hear the laughter and merriment coming from there. Zi Ling was indeed tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
Zi Ling got up and stood by the window. She went to check on Ruan Yu Mu in the main room and saw that she wasn't asleep either. Thinking that Ruan Yu Mu was in a bad mood, she quickly poured her some water.
"Girl, don't be sad, go to sleep early."
Zi Ling really didn't know how to comfort her; at this moment, any words seemed pale and inadequate.
Why are you comforting me? I'm fine.
"That newcomer, Chu Yue, is beautiful, kind-hearted, and a lady of the eldest princess. From now on, the general will probably devote himself entirely to her and his wife in this mansion!"
“Ziling, what’s wrong with this? Consort Liu and I are pregnant, so it’s good to have more people to serve us. I didn’t understand why there were so many women in the mansion before, until I saw how few people there were in our Qi family. That’s why I favored her back then… um, it’s nothing.”
Ruan and Mu realized that their status had changed, and that they could no longer say certain things.
“Young lady, you will always hold a place in the general’s heart. As long as the child is born safely, he will be the general’s eldest son, and he will always remember you for the sake of his eldest son,” Zi Ling advised.
No matter how Zi Ling tried to comfort him, Ruan Yu Mu remained unmoved, because he felt that it was perfectly appropriate for the general to dote on his wives and concubines.
The north courtyard was deserted. "Yuqing, this is the first time since you entered the manor that the general has not stayed here."
"Madam, it's cold, you should go to bed early!"
Jiang Meng sighed.
Beautiful faces will eventually grow old. She was alone in this mansion, and her health was not good. She couldn't rely on her face forever to see if Chu Yue could bring her any good news.
She turned around and lay down on the bed, forcing herself to fall asleep.
The next morning, the old lady asked everyone to serve tea.
Jiang Meng dressed up in her finest clothes, her eyes filled with sadness, but she maintained a polite smile on her face.
Lady Ruan remained calm and composed, while the concubines appeared quiet and gentle.
Currently, there are only two concubines, and the maids can only stand outside the door. However, Chu Yue, being the eldest princess's illegitimate daughter, was called in to serve, while the others were not even allowed to enter.
Before long, the old lady arrived in the main hall, and everyone respectfully began to pay their respects.
This is clearly a very formal ceremony.
The old lady felt very relieved to see how sensible her children were.
"Get up, everyone."
She looked around at the people in the room, her eyes scanning the room before finally settling on Ruan Yumu.
"Now that you are pregnant, you understand many things. You must be careful and cautious in your dealings with others."
"Yes, Mother."
After a while, she finally had Granny Yun bring in tea.
"Please serve tea, Madam." The old woman said, and Jiang Mengyi made no unnecessary movements. She picked up the teacup that was prepared next to her, stepped forward respectfully, and waited for the old lady to drink it.
"Good, reward me!"
When Lady Liu served tea, she spoke auspicious words, which was very endearing.
"Women from Jiangnan are indeed delightful. Get up quickly; you are pregnant and shouldn't be kneeling. Granny Yun, reward me!"
When she got to Ruan Yumu's cup, she immediately sensed something was wrong. Even though the cup was ceramic, it was unbearably hot to the touch.
"Madam Ruan? What are you daydreaming about? It's your turn."
Ruan Yumu had no choice but to bite the bullet and pick it up, her hands trembling uncontrollably. "Mother, please have some tea."
The old lady did not accept the tea, but instead started chatting about everyday things.
"Madam Ruan isn't a newcomer to the manor, yet you serve tea so slowly; it's truly ill-mannered. Although you were the former madam, you've now been demoted to the position of general's concubine. You should be aware of your place. In all matters, you should treat your sisters..."
As the old lady was speaking, Ruan Yumu couldn't stand the heat of the teacup and knocked it to the ground.
"What's wrong with you? Granny Yun, pour me a fresh cup!"
Granny Yun was holding a teacup filled with boiling water, and Ruan Yumu was holding a teacup. They poured the water into the cup, and soon it was full, with the boiling water overflowing and splashing onto their hands. "Mother, it's full!"
"Whether I'm satisfied or not is up to me. I just made you realize your place, what's wrong with you?"
Ruan Yumu gritted her teeth, her hands already red from the burn, it was difficult, but she still endured it.
Seeing that Granny Yun showed no sign of stopping, "Mother!"
Ruan Yumu could no longer tolerate this treatment. Why was she the only one being targeted? She immediately threw away the teacup in her hand.
"Outrageous! Granny Yun, drag her out to the snow and make her kneel down! How dare she disobey me!"
"Yes, Madam."
Jiang Meng was also confused by this scene. Considering that Ruan Yu Mu was pregnant, she pretended to plead, "Mother, the concubine is pregnant and cannot kneel on the snow!"
"They're not that delicate. Kneeling for half an hour is no problem."
"Is this the eldest princess's illegitimate daughter? She's truly exquisite and charming!"
"Greetings, Madam."
"Oh, not bad! Granny Yun, reward me!"
The group was having a private conversation in the room when, not long after, Ruan Yumu fainted in the snow and started bleeding.
"Madam, the concubine has fainted! She's bleeding!"
"He fainted after only a quarter of an hour?" The old lady didn't respond to the last part. That wretched woman's son shouldn't have been born in the first place. She still hoped that the first eldest son of the Qi family would come from a powerful lady of her maternal clan. Seeing that so much time had passed and no one had made a move, they were truly useless. So she had no choice but to take matters into her own hands.
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