Chapter 3 Taking a Long-Term Approach
Fu'er covered her mouth and shook her head like a rattle drum, "I won't tell Daddy!"
Jiang Shiyao quickly changed the subject, "Your Highness, Fu'er is in a good mood today, could you let her play a little longer?"
Zhou Congxian refused, "No."
The three returned to Wangxing Pavilion. The fireworks display had ended, and there were fewer people around.
The driver stood helplessly beside the cart, looking around in confusion.
Upon closer inspection, they discovered that there were already people inside the carriage.
Zhou Wanqing was comforting Song Jiyun with her arm around him.
Looking up and seeing the woman behind her elder brother, Zhou Wanqing immediately scolded, "With so many people around, you still dare to run around like this! If Fu'er gets lost, you couldn't pay for it with ten worthless lives!"
Jiang Shiyao pursed her lips. Fu'er has grown up, and Zhou Wanqing has never once shown her any concern.
Song Jiyun, his face pale, said softly, "I'm alright, Fu'er's safety is the most important."
Zhou Wanqing said, "How can it not be serious? Your body is already weak, and you were frightened by the thief just now. You should go back to the manor as soon as possible. Your elder brother will not take you back, but insists on going to look for her."
Song Jiyun reached out and gently patted her hand, lowering her eyelashes. "Don't say that. Brother Congxian is just worried about the safety of Madam Jiang and her daughter."
Zhou Congxian looked at the two people who appeared in the carriage and asked, "Where is your carriage?"
Zhou Wanqing climbed out of the carriage. "Big brother, Sister Jiyun has been frightened. The Song residence is so far away in the south of the city, and it's so late. Can you see her off?"
As she spoke, she took Fu'er from his arms, turned around and put her into Jiang Shiyao's arms.
Jiang Shiyao said, "Third Miss, you and the young master should escort Miss Song back together. I'll take Fu'er back by myself."
Zhou Congxian turned around and glanced at the mother and daughter, "Wanqing, you take her..."
“Okay! I’ll take Fu’er back!” Zhou Wanqing interrupted him, afraid that he would tell her to take Song Jiyun back.
After a long pause, Zhou Congxian nodded in agreement, "Mm."
After the carriage left, Zhou Wanqing breathed a sigh of relief.
She turned her head and saw Jiang Shiyao and her daughter, her face turning cold. "Stop your little schemes. Sister Jiyun and my eldest brother grew up together as childhood sweethearts. She'll be coming into our family sooner or later."
Jiang Shiyao lowered her eyes and said meekly, "I know."
Zhou Wanqing snorted, "It's good that you know. Don't think that just because Fu'er is your child, you can be arrogant and spoiled."
“Fu’er is the eldest daughter of my elder brother, but not the legitimate daughter. If you really care about her, put away your thoughts. In the future, you and your mother will have to rely on Sister Jiyun for your livelihood.”
Jiang Shiyao held her daughter, her chin resting near her ear, half of her face obscured, making it impossible to see her expression.
Her voice was very soft, “Third Miss is right to reprimand me, I would never dare to harbor any improper thoughts.”
When they returned to the Duke's mansion, Fu'er was already asleep from exhaustion, the little girl nestled on Jiang Shiyao's shoulder.
She struggled to support the little girl's bottom, and when Mingyu tried to step forward to take over, she waved her hand to stop her.
She's still not strong enough; she couldn't lift her up after just a short while.
If she were to escape in the future, she couldn't be so weak that she couldn't even carry her child.
After returning to the room, Jiang Shiyao dismissed the maids and servants before lying down beside her daughter.
Looking at her soft, tender face, he bent down and kissed her.
Only then did her heart gradually calm down.
She has truly been reborn.
Leaving the Duke's mansion with my daughter requires careful planning. Taking Fu'er to inquire about black market travel permits today would be quite inconvenient.
Mingyu is unusable. In her previous life, the wet nurse resigned after Song Jiyun entered the family.
There was also a maidservant in the courtyard. She hadn't shown any unusual behavior in her previous life, but that didn't necessarily mean she was without problems.
Money was the foundation for the mother and daughter's livelihood.
Jiang Shiyao's thoughts were racing.
After an unknown amount of time, the sound of a door opening was heard, and the footsteps were slightly heavy.
Jiang Shiyao sat up. "Why is the young master coming over so late?"
Zhou Congxian said, "If you speak louder, Fu'er will wake up. Go outside and talk."
A gentle night breeze blew, and the moonlight was evenly scattered across the ground.
Jiang Shiyao leaned against the railing under the eaves.
She hadn't looked at the moonlight like this in a long time.
She only sat here for a while when she was pregnant with Fu'er and sometimes couldn't sleep.
Zhou Congxian looked at her radiant profile in the moonlight and said, "Don't worry, Grandmother said that Miss Song is kind and will not mistreat you and Fu'er after she enters the family."
“Kindness?” Jiang Shiyao turned her head to look at him. “If Miss Song weren’t kind, would you still marry her?”
Zhou Congxian frowned slightly. "You want me to forgo marrying my legal wife for your sake?"
Jiang Shiyao opened her mouth, but didn't say anything.
Zhou Congxian will get married sooner or later. If not Song Jiyun, then Li Jiyun, or Wang Jiyun.
She couldn't tell who could truly accept a child who wasn't their own.
Even though the current Duke has many wives and concubines, and three or four children born out of wedlock, who knows how many lives have been taken by the Duchess's subordinates?
Instead of relying on others' charity to live, why not create your own success?
She couldn't repeat the mistakes she had made in her previous life.
Zhou Congxian frowned. "Jiang Shiyao, Miss Song is virtuous and likes Fu'er very much. She has come to the Duke's mansion several times but has not brought anything for Fu'er?"
Jiang Shiyao smiled silently, slowly stood up, and curtsied to him.
Her voice was low, "I misspoke, Your Highness, please punish me."
Zhou Congxian's lips twitched as he looked at the pear blossom silver hairpin on the top of her head. After a long while, he spoke slowly.
“Shi Yao, a year after the mistress of the house marries into the family, regardless of whether she has children or not, I will stop your contraceptive soup and give you another child.”
"Yes, Your Highness, thank you for your kindness."
Jiang Shiyao kept her head down and didn't move, so no one saw the sneer on her lips.
A gift?
That's hilarious.
*
"Mother!"
When Jiang Shiyao woke up, Fu'er's wet and warm little mouth was kissing her face all over.
I don't know when she arrived.
"Mother, why are you here again? Did Fu'er kick you again?"
While kissing her, Fu'er asked her in a childish voice.
The little girl's hair had come undone, and her soft, fine hair hung down beside her chubby cheeks, occasionally flying across her face with her movements.
She would skillfully stretch out her little hands and wipe them to both sides.
Jiang Shiyao smiled and pulled her into her arms.
"No, no, our Fu'er sleeps very well."
The mother and daughter were laughing together on the bed.
Mingyu came in carrying new clothes and a small wooden box. "My lady, the young master sent these over."
Jiang Shiyao's voice faded, "Just put it there."
After Mingyu left, she immediately got up and opened the box.
There were a whopping two hundred taels!
She entered the household at the age of fourteen and is now twenty-one.
For seven whole years, he couldn't save up fifty taels!
Yesterday and today, Zhou Congxian and that sucker together have thrown nearly five hundred taels at her!
Jiang Shiyao shook off her gloom and stuffed all the silver notes into Fu'er's little tiger pillow.
Silver is too bulky; I need to find time to exchange it all for banknotes!
Fu'er crawled over and asked, "Mother, do you like silver?"
Jiang Shiyao cupped her daughter's chubby little face and kissed her, "Of course I like her!"
Little Fu'er blinked her eyes, "I'll take Mother to dig for silver."
Digging for silver?
Jiang Shiyao followed Fu'er to a certain spot in the small bamboo grove, and fell silent when she actually dug out the silver.
There really is money...
"Fu'er, how did you know there was silver here?"
Fu'er picked up a piece of bitter bamboo and poked the soil on the ground. "It was found when Amu took Fu'er to dig for bamboo shoots."
Am was Fu'er's wet nurse.
Jiang Shiyao: "Didn't Mother take the money?"
Fu'er shook her head. "Amu said we can't take it."
In my previous life, the wet nurse resigned. Was it related to this money?
Jiang Shiyao restored the soil to its original state. Looking at the two of them, who were covered in dirt, she pulled up two more bamboo shoots and hugged them.
"Fu'er, remember, your mother brought you here to pick bamboo shoots."
Fu'er nodded blankly.
Back in the courtyard, Mingyu and her wet nurse, Mama He, were startled by the sight of the two.
Mingyu couldn't help but speak up, "Wife, why are you making such a fuss with the girl?"
Jiang Shiyao glanced at Mingyu with a half-smile, "Nonsense? Even the Crown Prince hasn't restrained me, yet you're scolding your master first?"
"This servant...this servant was just worried that Madam would be punished by the mistress!"
Mingyu gritted her teeth inwardly. She was a servant born into a family and was specially assigned by the Duchess to serve the heir apparent.
She thought she could rise to the top, but little did she expect that it would be Jiang Shiyao who would rise to the top.
She was even assigned by the Crown Prince to serve her!
Jiang Shiyao smiled and said, "I'll take Fu'er to wash up. If anyone comes, just call me."
She is now nominally Mingyu's master, but she has no right to dispose of him.
The only way to deal with this is to use someone else's strength against them.
Mrs. He glanced at the two people who were talking, then picked up Xiao Fu'er and asked softly.
"Girl, did your wife take you to pick bamboo shoots?"
Fu'er remembered her mother's instructions, "Yes!"
Fearing that Fu'er would remember this, Madam He dared not ask any more questions, and these days she hasn't even left the courtyard.
Regardless of who buried it, it's not a good thing to get contaminated.
Mrs. He wanted to subtly hint at the matter, so Jiang Shiyao took some bamboo shoots and asked her to go to the kitchen to make soup.
"Amu's fresh bamboo shoot soup is the best, isn't it, Fu'er?"
"yes!"
Seeing the mother and daughter smiling happily, Mrs. He took the bamboo shoots to the kitchen with a heavy heart.
After Jiang Shiyao helped Fu'er finish washing up, Gao Mama, who was by the old lady's side, had been waiting for a long time.
Madam Gao was an old servant of the old lady and the most respected person in the mansion. Even the Duke had to give her face.
Today, she actually lost face at the young master's concubine's place, and even after the maidservant urged her three or four times, she wouldn't budge!
Jiang Shiyao could tell from Gao's mother's expression that Mingyu was making things up about her.
In their previous life, the mother and daughter did not go to dig bamboo shoots, nor did they leave Gao's mother out in the cold for so long.
Madam Gao snorted coldly, "Madam Jiang is something else!"
"As expected of the only lovable person in the young master's room, it took me three cups of tea to persuade her."
Jiang Shiyao calmly raised the corners of her lips.
"Mrs. Gao, have some tea."
Mrs. Gao got even angrier, "Still eating? Do you think I'm some kind of tea-scooping machine?!"
"Madam Jiang is too noble; this old servant cannot afford to invite her..."
“Father!” Fu’er’s voice rang out clearly.
Mrs. Gao immediately fell silent, startled, and stood up.
Jiang Shiyao pulled Gao's mother down to sit. "It's just that the young lady is having a dream. She played too late with the young master yesterday."
She took the opportunity to remove the bracelet and stuff it into her mother's hand, saying, "Mother, please don't be offended. Although I am the prince's concubine, I have no reputation whatsoever that you have."
"I'm not afraid to tell you, Mother, but in this little courtyard, apart from Fu'er, I'm afraid no one listens to me. Madam Gao has been here for a long time, and not a single maid has come to inform me. It's my fault for delaying Mother's time."
Mrs. Gao felt much better after holding the bracelet.
"Please don't be offended, my wife. I had other errands to run and was in a bit of a hurry."
She was just angry and that's when she misunderstood.
Even the old lady doesn't interfere with the people in the prince's house, so how could she, an old servant, possibly manage them?
Mrs. Gao glanced at the green shadows behind the door, her eyes darkening for a moment.
What else didn't she understand? The prince only had one concubine, and someone wanted to rise above others!
The little vixen, she actually dared to set her sights on her!
Jiang Shiyao smiled and said, "Mom came for the Empress Dowager's birthday gift."
Her embroidery skills were passed down from Granny Chang, who was invited by the Duke of Yingguo to teach needlework to the young ladies in the mansion after she retired from the palace and also helped them embroider wedding dresses.
However, Granny Chang passed away four years ago due to illness.
In her past life, the congratulatory gift presented by the Duke's mansion was made by her: a mythical beast offering peaches.
Mrs. Gao was shocked; she hadn't even said anything yet.
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