Do you miss me?
A legitimate child will always be a legitimate child, and a child born out of wedlock will always be a child born out of wedlock.
As the eldest son, Qin Xiuqi was destined to inherit his father's title, fiefdom, and property as long as he lived; Qin Xiuming would always be subordinate to him. Qin Xiuqi understood this from a young age, so he never considered his younger brother, Qin Xiuming, as a rival. One was the eldest son, the other a son born out of wedlock; their lives were destined to be different.
"There is an order of seniority. Do you want your future son to have two older brothers who will suppress him?"
Qin Xiuqi was speechless. "Then you can't use shady methods. What if the medicine goes wrong? What will happen to Miaosi and the baby in her belly?"
"Impossible! There can't be anything wrong with my medicine. This gender-changing medicine isn't just for women in the countryside; even noblewomen in the palace take it. Many people have taken it and successfully given birth to boys."
"Ridiculous!" Qin Xiuqi was utterly speechless. He retorted coldly, "Did you personally witness this gender-changing drug working? What if the child born after taking it is neither male nor female?"
Fu Zhiqiao's words that day cast a long shadow over Qin Xiuqi, and he recounted them to Madam Qin.
Upon hearing this, Madam Qin's face turned pale and then red, and her body trembled uncontrollably, as if she had suffered a tremendous blow. She staggered back, muttering, "Impossible, impossible!"
"Mother, think about it. If the potion for changing a baby's gender is really that magical, and everyone wants to have a boy, and everyone takes this medicine, will there still be girls in the world?"
What's done is done, there's no point in saying anything more. Qin Xiuqi sighed. Fortunately, Miaosi stopped taking the medicine after Miss Fu's reminder; otherwise, who knows what the consequences might have been if she had continued.
Qin Xiuqi did not think his mother was a bad person; he believed that Madam Qin was simply blinded by jealousy.
His mother and the second wife's concubine, Chen, had been at odds for quite some time. The second wife's concubine's surname was Chen, and her name was Yulian. Although she was not a stunning beauty, she was still a pretty and charming woman.
Since Chen Yulian entered the family, Qin Zhao has doted on her, thus neglecting his wife, Madam Qin.
Chen Yulian not only stole her husband's love, but also gave birth to Qin Xiuming, the only son of the family. Madam Qin harbored deep resentment towards Chen Yulian. Now, seeing that Qin Xiuming's wife had given birth to the eldest grandson of the Qin family and was pregnant with another child, she was anxious because the second branch of the family was thriving.
In the inner quarters, the only person with real power was the head mistress. Other concubines and mistresses either needed the husband's favor or their sons to gain status; otherwise, they would find it difficult to thrive. The head mistress, wanting to control the women in the inner quarters, needed some forceful methods. Since Concubine Chen had already established herself in the Qin household, and Madam Qin couldn't do anything about her, she had no choice but to turn her attention to her daughter-in-law, Zhou Miaosi.
Madam Qin would never harm her own daughter-in-law; she was just too eager to win. She couldn't stand being overshadowed by the second wife's family. Making things difficult for Zhou Miaosi was also a way of warning her not to say things she shouldn't in front of Qin Xiuqi.
Qin Xiuqi's eyes held a cold glint. He felt that his mother was too foolish, but she was his birth mother, so he couldn't say anything too harsh. He threatened her calmly, "If Mother continues to be so stubborn, I will have no choice but to report this to Father. Mother doesn't want Father to know about this, does she?"
It took Madam Qin a while to accept this fact. Feeling ashamed, she lowered her head and stopped talking.
Inside the Fu residence.
On a small round table made of sandalwood, there were two plates of peaches. One plate contained peeled, crisp peaches with juicy flesh, arranged beautifully in the slices. The other plate held several large, red peaches, their fine fuzz washed away, revealing the pinkish-white flesh through the thin skin.
The whole room was filled with the sweet smell of peaches.
Fu Zhiqiao used a bamboo skewer to pick up a piece of peach flesh and put it in her mouth. The crisp peach flesh was delicate and firm, with a crisp but not hard texture. It left no residue in her mouth and tasted delicious.
After finishing the crisp peach, she reached for the thick, juicy nectarine.
First, gently knead the peach. A ripe peach is soft and juicy, and the juice will seep out after squeezing. Then, tear a small opening at the top of the peach and insert a reed stalk to enjoy the sweet peach juice.
Zhou Miaosi watched her method and asked, "What kind of strange way is this? Can you even eat a peach after squeezing it to pieces?"
Fu Zhiqiao didn't say anything. She took another large peach, shaped it, stuck a reed on it, and handed it to Zhou Miaosi.
Zhou Miaosi took it with some skepticism, took a sip, and the rich peach aroma instantly filled her mouth. Her eyes sparkled, "Delicious!"
Fu Zhi Qiao smiled smugly, and the two of them each held a large peach and sucked on the peach juice.
As she drank peach juice, Zhou Miaosi started talking, telling Fu Zhiqiao about her recent situation.
"That solves it?"
“Yes!” Zhou Miaosi nodded. “My husband told my mother-in-law that the abortion-changing medicine is harmful to the body. Not only will it prevent me from having a boy, but it may also result in a child who is neither male nor female. She was so frightened that she stopped asking me to take the medicine.”
Fu Zhiqiao still felt that Zhou Miaosi had been wronged, and asked, "Didn't she apologize to you?"
Should an elder apologize to a younger person?
Zhou Miaosi didn't even dare to think about it. She shook her head and said, "However, my mother-in-law gave me a set of jewelry." Ever since Qin Xiuqi and Madam Qin had their falling out, Madam Qin's attitude towards Zhou Miaosi had softened considerably, and she even gave her a set of red gold pearl jewelry.
After this incident, Fu Zhi Qiao had become Zhou Miao Si's most reliable friend, and she brought over the entire set of jewelry that Madam Qin had given her.
Huang Li gently opened the box, revealing dozens of pieces of jewelry, including a full crown, hairpins, hair ornaments, hair ornaments with dangling ornaments, earrings, and bracelets. The entire headdress was made of pure gold, shimmering and dazzling, with the most breathtaking piece being a full crown inlaid with filigree and beads.
The crown is woven with gold thread into a floral pattern, and a large pearl is set on top. The pearl is full and round, about the size of a pigeon egg, and its lustrous light exudes nobility and luxury.
Fu Zhi Qiao guessed that Madam Qin was too embarrassed to apologize to her daughter-in-law, so she gave her a set of jewelry as compensation. In her opinion, the quality of the pearls would be auction-quality in modern times. She silently estimated their value in her mind, and Madam Qin had indeed gone to great lengths.
Putting away the jewelry, Zhou Miaosi had a faint smile on her lips. Her mother-in-law felt guilty towards her, and she had been living quite comfortably these past few days. So, she told her mother-in-law that she wanted to go out of the mansion to relax, and her mother-in-law not only did not stop her, but also specially sent a coachman and servants to escort her all the way to the Fu mansion.
"Zhi Qiao, we really owe you a lot this time." Zhou Miaosi was deeply moved. Fu Zhi Qiao had given her advice and scolded Qin Xiuqi to wake him up. If it weren't for her, who knows what would have happened to her and the baby in her belly.
"After the baby is born, I'll have him recognize you as his godmother."
"OK!"
*
After seeing Zhou Miaosi off, Fu Zhiqiao stood under the corridor, lost in thought for a long time.
Zhou Miaosi, a young lady from an official family, married her beloved cousin as his legal wife, but she was still completely controlled by her mother-in-law, which shows how terrifying things can be in the inner courtyard of a mansion.
Fu Zhi Qiao couldn't help but put herself in that situation. A daughter-in-law from a merchant family and a high-ranking princess mother-in-law—it was obvious that these two would have many conflicts.
Perhaps at first she fantasized about marrying Xie Zhuo, but after arriving in the capital and seeing Zuo Murui and Yu Yadan, she suddenly realized the reality.
Noble families are very concerned about their family background and social standing.
Zuo Murui and Yu Yadan looked down on her status as a merchant's daughter from the bottom of their hearts. Fu Zhiqiao did not feel inferior to others because of her status as a merchant, but that was only her own opinion. In Zuo Murui and Yu Yadan's eyes, her status as a merchant's daughter was not respectable and that she was inferior to them.
Not to mention, she offended Princess Zuo Murui on their very first meeting.
Even if Xie Zhuo eventually overcomes all difficulties to marry her, after the marriage she will still have to serve Zuo Murui every day and be a submissive wife... Just thinking about it gives Fu Zhi Qiao goosebumps.
A marriage that doesn't receive parental blessings is unlikely to last. Being caught between a wife and mother for too long will eventually wear down even the deepest love.
She had previously only considered that her status was not a good match for Xie Zhuo's, and thought that the biggest obstacle between them was the difference in status and class. Now, after seeing Zhou Miaosi's situation, she realized that life after marrying into the royal family would be the most difficult.
Fu Zhiqiao became increasingly horrified as she thought about it, and the thought of retreating resurfaced in her mind.
In truth, if she truly wanted to get along with someone, she could certainly make them happy, but that would be based on equality between the two. Zuo Murui clearly looked down on her status; offering her kindness only to be met with indifference was something she couldn't do, nor did she want to create trouble for herself.
When Xie Zhuo arrived, he saw Fu Zhi Qiao looking dazed, and couldn't help but tease her, "Why are you standing here? Were you waiting for me?"
Fu Zhi Qiao snapped out of her daze, frowned at him, and turned back into the house without saying a word.
Xie Zhuo followed her into the house.
The two hadn't seen each other for several days, and Xie Zhuo's eyes were constantly glued to her.
"Why is Qin's daughter-in-law looking for you?"
"Don't ask too many questions about women's affairs."
Xie Zhuo: "..."
Xie Zhuo didn't like the feeling that Fu Zhi Qiao was excluding him, but he really shouldn't pry into his daughter's affairs. So, he changed the subject and asked with a smile, "Haven't seen you for a few days, have you missed me?"
The subtext is: I miss you, do you miss me?
His voice was extremely gentle.
Meeting Xie Zhuo's expectant eyes, Fu Zhi Qiao felt a tightness in her chest; she hadn't yet recovered from the emotions she had just experienced.
The two were very close, and Xie Zhuo's clear eyes reflected her image.
Fu Zhiqiao stared blankly at Xie Zhuo. He was so handsome. His beautiful face was radiating a dazzling smile. His refined features were like an exquisite painting by the Creator, every stroke so perfect that it was impossible to look away.
Not hearing the answer he wanted for a long time, Xie Zhuo looked at him with a mournful expression: "Don't you ever miss me?"
Fu Zhi Qiao was just thinking about her miserable situation after marrying into the royal family when she heard Xie Zhuo's words and became somewhat absent-minded. "I miss you so much!"
That sounds like a perfunctory remark.
Xie Zhuo didn't mind. He stepped forward, put his arm around her, and tightened his grip.
Fu Zhi Qiao was held tightly in his arms, struggling uncomfortably for a few moments, and reached out to push against his chest.
"Don't move, let me hug you, I missed you so much." The almost whispered words rang in her ear.
With a soft, fragrant body in his arms, Xie Zhuo sighed contentedly, nuzzling her head with his chin, feeling that all the hard work he had put in these past few days was worth it.
Fu Zhi Qiao did not resist. She probably didn't have much time left with Xie Zhuo, so she let herself cherish this moment of warmth!
After a while, Xie Zhuo let go of her, and the two looked at each other. Just as Xie Zhuo was about to do something, Fu Zhi Qiao spoke up: "It's almost dinner time. Do you want to stay and have dinner with me?"
"Mmm!" Xie Zhuo's lips curled up, revealing two rows of white teeth.
"Ginkgo, serve the meal."
Yinxing went to the kitchen with light steps. The young master wanted to stay for a meal, so she had to serve him two extra bowls of rice.
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