Chapter 12 The Wedding is Moved Ahead
In the open space of the small courtyard, Shuangjiang was accompanying Fu'er as she fed Xiaogutou.
Little Bone is the little yellow dog we bought from Baima Temple.
The day it returned, Mrs. He brought it some leftovers from the kitchen, and the little dog picked up a bone and gnawed on it.
So they simply called him Little Bone.
Jiang Shiyao looked away. "How's the grain harvest going?"
Mother He said, "As you instructed, the goods were collected in batches, but since there's only the head of the household involved, the collection is slow, and we haven't finished yet."
"In order to avoid attracting attention, the boss even collected them separately from different shops in other districts."
Jiang Shiyao nodded. "Have him resign from his job at the Duke's mansion in the next two days."
Mother He looked up, "My lady, this..."
The work was done by the Duke's mansion, and he was a gardener, so the wages were naturally quite high, and many people were eyeing the job.
Last time, Chang Shun brought He Dayou to Zhao's side because he was jealous that the gardener could make money off him.
Jiang Shiyao's fingers flew across the paper, and the outline of the auspicious beast was already visible.
Without looking up, she replied, "If Chang Shun can arrest He Dayou once, he can arrest him a second time."
"If he finds out, do you think he might do something else that could be fatal?"
Mrs. He shut her mouth.
Of course, life is more important. Besides, if I make a fortune and go out to live a life of luxury, I'll have to quit this job sooner or later.
"My lady, I've noticed that Shuangjiang has been sneaking back to her room these past two days. She was sent over from the old lady's side. Could it be that she..."
Jiang Shiyao took a moment to glance at the frost in the courtyard.
"Shuangjiang's mind isn't on our little courtyard right now."
As she spoke, she gestured towards the silk thread rack next to her.
"This is the thread she bought the day before yesterday, and it's almost gone again."
Mrs. He's eyes widened, "Shuangjiang, she..."
Jiang Shiyao smiled nonchalantly, "If I can find a good husband, it would be much better than staying in this mansion."
Mrs. He pursed her lips but did not speak.
If she had a daughter, a concubine from a wealthy family would certainly be better than a wife from a poor family.
Look at Madam Jiang, her clothing, food, housing, and transportation are all a thousand times better than those of ordinary families!
Jiang Shiyao no longer cares what He's mother thinks; they are now in the same trench of interests.
All she needs to do is ensure that the people around her don't betray her before she escapes.
"Everyone should sweep the snow from their own doorstep and not worry about the frost on someone else's roof."
Madam He came to her senses and said, "Yes, I understand."
"Woof woof woof—"
Suddenly, the sound of a dog barking rang out in the courtyard.
"Ouch!! Where did this little beast come from?!"
Zhao's mother was terrified, and Little Bone wagged its tail and circled around her.
Shuangjiang immediately picked up the little bone and put it in the cage, stuffing a bone into its mouth before it stopped barking.
Jiang Shiyao got up to greet her at the door. "It's Xiang Mama. This dog is adorable, don't be afraid."
She patted her mother's pounding heart and said, "I heard that the young master bought a dog for you, Miss. I thought it was kept in the outer courtyard or the kitchen."
"Why are you keeping it in this yard? Aren't you afraid it will run out and scare people!"
Jiang Shiyao pulled Xiang's mother into the house, then turned to He's mother and instructed, "Brew a pot of the newly delivered tea for Xiang's mother."
After sitting down, she watched as Fu'er squatted in front of the cage outside, happily playing with Little Bone.
"Please bear with me, Fu'er likes it very much, and the young master agreed to let her be raised."
“They’re always tied with a rope, and Shuangjiang and Aunt He are watching over them, so they won’t run away.”
Madam Xiang didn't say anything more. She took out a few silver notes from her sleeve pocket. "This is what Madam asked me to personally deliver to you, so you must not neglect it."
"This money should have been delivered the day before yesterday, but the wedding between the young master and Miss Song has been brought forward. Now the manor is preparing for the young master's wedding and there are many things to do. I've been so busy that I forgot about it."
Jiang Shiyao carefully put away the silver notes and then slipped the prepared silver into her mother's hand.
"With everyone so busy at home right now, it's really kind of you to make such a special trip for Mother."
"If I may ask, when has the Crown Prince's wedding been moved up?"
As he held the silver coins in his mother's hand, his smile widened. This trip hadn't been in vain.
"It's alright to tell my wife. The Lesser Heat has arrived earlier than expected, so the date is getting closer."
She thought Jiang Shiyao was worried about the new mistress entering the house, so she comforted her.
“My lady has a good nature, so there’s no need to worry. The young master has already allowed the young lady to keep a dog, so you two definitely have a place in his heart.”
"If we have another son in the future, my wife will have no worries for the rest of her life."
“Mom is right.”
Jiang Shiyao's expression froze for a moment, then she regained her composure and changed the subject, "I'm going out of the manor to buy silk thread later, should I bring anything back for Mother?"
Xiang Mama stood up. "Thank you for your concern, Madam. This old servant doesn't need anything else. Please don't forget Madam's instructions."
Jiang Shiyao replied, "I won't forget. In a few days, Madam will be able to see the initial form."
After walking towards her mother, she slowly sat down.
Nothing happened at Baima Temple, but the wedding was still moved up.
If this is the predetermined fate.
She refused to believe it couldn't be torn to shreds!
She calmly touched the silver notes in her sleeve.
That's not enough.
She wanted to give Fu'er a carefree life!
*
As she went out, Shuangjiang kept glancing at Jiang Niangzi beside her.
Jiang Shiyao couldn't be ignored even if she wanted to.
"Alright, stop looking. Just tell me what you want to do."
Shuangjiang opened and closed her mouth several times, finally letting out a barely audible whisper, "This servant is alright..."
"Since you're free, come with me to Yubaolou after we buy the silk thread."
Shuangjiang suddenly looked up, "Jade, Jade Treasure Pavilion."
Zhang Lang made a living by copying books at the Moshi Study, which was opposite the Yubaolou.
The first two times she went out to buy silk thread, she first went to Moshi Study to talk with Zhang Lang for a while before rushing off to buy the silk thread.
She rubbed the corner of her clothes, worried that if Lady Jiang found out she had deliberately used the pretext of buying silk thread to secretly meet with another man...
If this gets reported to the old lady, she…
"arrive."
Jiang Shiyao pretended not to notice Shuangjiang's helpless expression and got out of the car first.
She glanced at the Inkstone Study across the street, where three scholars were copying books.
"When it's Frost's Descent, go to the study and buy some Xuan paper. Ask the shopkeeper to cut it smaller; Fu'er is almost out of paper for practicing calligraphy."
"Huh? Ah! Yes."
Yu Bao Lou specializes in the jewelry business. It can be said that in the entire capital, if Yu Bao Lou is second, no other jewelry store dares to claim to be first.
"Shopkeeper, do you have any pearls?"
"Yes, yes!" The shopkeeper's wife immediately ordered someone to bring out several plates of high-quality pearls.
There are beads the size of a thumb, and beads the size of a soybean.
Only Yu Bao Lou could find so many of these, in such a complete range of sizes.
Moreover, only by buying here can Zhao's money be asked for more confidently!
No sooner had Zhou Congxian and Song Jiyun's wedding date been moved up than Zhao Shi came to urge them to get married.
It seems like it's just a compromise, but there's still a lot of resentment in their hearts.
"Jiang Niangzi".
Jiang Shiyao was holding a bead up to the light from the doorway when someone walked in.
She put down the beads, and Li Ruoshuang stood in front of her with a smile on her face.
"I would like to have a chat with Lady Jiang. Would you do me the honor?"
On the second floor of Yubaolou, there are small side rooms.
Li Ruoshuang cut to the chase, "Madam Jiang, after you left yesterday, Lord Liu asked me a few questions about you."
“He has never spoken so much to me on his own initiative before.”
Jiang Shiyao was taken aback. "Miss Li, I don't know him."
Li Ruoshuang smiled and said, "My wife has misunderstood. I didn't mean to make things difficult for you."
"Besides, you are Prince Zhou's concubine, so he can't possibly have designs on you."
“Then you…” Jiang Shiyao’s childhood memories were very vague. Even though Liu Minghan and her brother were good friends, she really didn’t remember them.
"This is the first time Lord Liu has told me about his affairs." Li Ruoshuang gave a bitter smile.
He said that his wife's brother was not only his best friend, but also his savior. He asked about his wife's recent situation on behalf of his friend.
"So, I'm looking for my wife because I want to..."
Jiang Shiyao lowered her eyes. "Thank you for your concern, Miss Li. I'm fine. Please also tell that official not to tell my brother that he encountered me in the capital."
Li Ruoshuang frowned. "Why?"
Jiang Shiyao stood up and changed the subject, "I can see that Miss Li is fond of Lord Liu, but I cannot act as a bridge between the two of you."
She will be able to leave Beijing in a little over two months.
She didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble.
Li Ruoshuang was taken aback at first, but finally chased after him to the door, "Is Madam Jiang afraid that your brother will come to beg for money?"
"Your elder brother thinks of you every day, but you only think about guarding against him!"
She paused, didn't respond, and went straight downstairs.
Li Ruoshuang stood at the top of the stairs, watching as she bought both trays of pearls. The shopkeeper's wife smiled broadly as she saw her off.
She angrily flung the handkerchief in her hand, "Who do you think you are! Just wait until Song Jiyun comes in, you'll be in for a world of trouble!"
Only after getting into the carriage did Jiang Shiyao manage to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes.
She did not tell her brother that she had become Zhou Congxian's concubine.
Her brother was waiting for her to come home, but she had already broken her promise, and she didn't know how to bring it up again.
After leaving Beijing, she wanted to go home and tell her brother the truth.
But not now.
It was not her situation that was told by an outsider.
"Wife, the Xuan paper has been purchased."
As Shuangjiang climbed into the carriage, he noticed her slightly red eyes. "What's wrong, my lady?"
Jiang Shiyao raised her hand and rubbed her eyes. "It's nothing, I just got some sand in my eyes."
After settling down on the Frost's Descent, I noticed four whole bags of pearls on the stool!
"My lady, why are you buying so many pearls!"
Moreover, pearls are expensive, so where would my wife get so much money to buy them?
"These pearls were bought to help my wife embroider a birthday gift."
Living under the same roof, Jiang Shiyao never intended to hide it from Shuangjiang.
"This, this..." Shuangjiang was speechless at this moment.
The lady also asked Madam Jiang to prepare a birthday gift; wasn't she trying to compete with the old lady?
If she reports this to the old lady, Madam Jiang will be in big trouble.
Jiang Shiyao glanced through the window at the scholar who was standing at the entrance of the study, looking around frequently.
"Frost's Descent, was it him you met?"
Shuangjiang's eyes became flustered.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell.” She patted the bags of pearls. “You won’t tell either.”
"We have no control over the people here in the mansion, whether it's the madam or the old lady."
All we can do is survive in the cracks.
Jiang Shiyao touched the pearl. "All this wealth and status is fleeting."
"If others give it to you, you'll have it; if they don't, you'll have nothing."
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