Li's eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands and said, "Great idea! This way, we not only have an extra arm, but also..." Her voice trailed off very softly, and no one could hear her.
An excited Li was having a wonderful dream. She dreamed that she would replace Niohuru, the historical figure, as the most blessed empress dowager. Her son would replace Hongli, befriend Geng's Hongzhou, and eventually become the emperor.
Meanwhile, the conversation at Hesheli's place was similar to that at Li's place. Later, while Hesheli was talking with her confidante, a certain thought suddenly arose in her mind.
Why not win over Lady Geng? Besides, Lady Geng has a son. Then, her son will be her follower, just like Lady Li, and they will all dream of becoming Niohuru and the Empress Dowager.
However, the thought that the Fourth Prince would simply cover himself with a blanket and sleep whenever he came to her place made Hesheli feel disheartened.
A woman cannot have children on her own, but the man is unwilling. What can she do?
Drugging?
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he shook his head inwardly. This wouldn't do. If the master found out later, he would probably despise him even more.
She wanted to have children because it would benefit her, but having children made her even more despised.
The selfish Hesheli said, "Then let's forget about it!"
There is another way to get the child: abandon the mother and keep the child. Those who have children and status generally don't want to raise other people's children, so as a concubine, one is the most qualified to raise the child.
Whose child will we raise?
Ideally, it should be someone close to one's own camp, making it easier to communicate and take action. Hesheli thought of Suochoruo, who had been frequently showing him goodwill recently.
What a pity!
When Suochuoluo entered the manor, her body was already damaged, and she could no longer conceive.
Or, after winning over Madam Geng, once she has a child, then...
Hesheli squinted, pondered for a while, and then felt that raising Geng's son was not good enough, because her son could not ascend the throne; he was a notoriously dissolute prince. Therefore, she had to find another target...
The three people who were just a moment ago wary of Jiaming were now having different ideas.
Just as the three were plotting something with their confidants, Geng Shi in Taoyuan was surprised by Jiaming's firm answer.
"No need, I don't need you to do anything for me."
They actually refused!
Unexpectedly, Geng Shi, who was originally somewhat concerned about becoming a vassal, was now feeling resentful at not being able to rely on such a tall and powerful tree for shade, and all her concerns disappeared.
After calming herself down, she said, "Even if I don't need to do anything for you, I can still help with things that you're not comfortable asking about..."
Geng was about to elaborate on the role he could play as her right-hand man, but Jiaming didn't need to.
She glanced at Xiao Hezi and said: Xiao Hezi is good enough, we don't need any more.
So he interrupted directly, saying, "No, it's not necessary."
Geng was stunned!
Coming to her senses, she opened her mouth to say something, but Jiaming didn't give her the chance.
After figuring out why Madam Geng had come, and realizing that she herself had no interest in it, Jiaming spoke first, saying, "If Sister Geng has only come for this matter, then there's no need to say anything more."
Then, he raised his teacup and offered tea to Mr. Geng.
Clearly, having already offered tea and shown her away, and having been rejected without any leniency, Madam Geng no longer wanted to stay.
With a displeased expression, Madam Geng left Peach Courtyard.
Those who had been gathering information at the entrance of Peach Garden left some behind to keep an eye on the situation after Geng Shi walked away, while others returned to their masters to report back.
In the outer hall of Peach Blossom Courtyard, Green Willow asked Jiaming, puzzled, "Why won't Master agree?"
"Why should we agree?" Jiaming asked Lvliu first, then said in a tone of disappointment, "Besides, didn't we just say that we don't need any of it!"
Green Willow thought about it carefully. Her master had handled all the things they had experienced before, so Geng Gege was of no use at all. On the contrary, her master would be more feared because of forming cliques.
Why didn't I think of that just now? I immediately cursed myself for being so slow-witted.
"Have you figured it out?" Jiaming asked calmly.
Green Willow nodded. "I understand."
"Alright then," Jiaming patted her belly, reassuring it to wait a little longer and continue satisfying it after finishing her business, while instructing Green Willow, "If there's anything I need you to do, just tell me."
"What are your orders, Master?"
Jiaming slightly raised her chin toward the gift that Geng had brought, "If I had agreed to Geng's request, I would have been at ease accepting this gift. But since I have refused Geng, I cannot accept this gift for nothing."
Looking at the items, Green Willow immediately understood, "This servant understands. Return the favor to Lady Geng with items of equal value that are not easily tampered with."
"Okay!" Jiaming nodded to Green Willow with satisfaction. "Go!"
"Then this servant will go now." With that, Green Willow took her leave.
"Wait!" Jiaming suddenly remembered something and hurriedly called out to Lvliu.
Green Willow asked, "Does Master have any further instructions?"
Jiaming squinted and said, "When you leave Peach Garden with those things, don't cover them up completely. If you can avoid covering them, then don't."
"Yes, ma'am!"
After Green Willow left, Jiaming turned her gaze to Little Hezi, saying, "Whatever the Geng family sent, others will know if they want to know."
Xiao Hezi understood and turned to leave to take care of his business.
Outside the Peach Garden, those who were left behind soon discovered that two more people were walking out of the Peach Garden.
One of them, who looked exactly like the personal maid of the concubine in the Peach Courtyard, was carrying something in her hand.
Because there was nothing obstructing the view, it was very clear what it was.
After the news first reached the ears of the women in the backyard, they began to speculate.
Geng left Peach Courtyard with a sour expression, presumably because the talks had failed. Or perhaps, although Geng outwardly sided with the Guarjia clan, she was still unwilling inwardly, and thus made no attempt to conceal it once she left Peach Courtyard.
What was the story behind the Guarjia clan returning the gift to the Geng clan?
Soon, after Xiao Hezi intentionally or unintentionally let others know what gift Geng had given to her mistress, all the women in the backyard breathed a sigh of relief.
Since the gifts were of equal value, it meant that Geng's gift was not sent out, which also meant that her allegiance was not accepted by Guarjia.
The three women, Fujin, Li, and Hesheli, breathed a sigh of relief and began to gloat, feeling that Guarjia had missed a great opportunity to replace Niohuru and befriend Geng.
"Could it be that they're just putting on an act?"
This suspicion gradually crept into the minds of most of the women in the backyard.
So he tensed up a bit and signaled his men to continue secretly observing Tao Yuan and Geng Shi. If the two were really in secret contact, they had to be found out and not be deceived.
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