Aunt Jiang's left sleeve slipped down a little as she drank tea, revealing clear bruises on her wrist. The blue and purple bruises looked shocking against her fair skin.
When Juan'er saw it, she blurted out worriedly: "Auntie, your hand..."
Aunt Jiang put down the teacup and pulled down her sleeves to cover the bruises on her wrists. "I'm fine. When the doctor was treating the Marquis's injured leg, the Marquis was in great pain, so he grabbed me..."
She had been having a very hard time in the past two days. She had never experienced such a hard and painful life in her life...
Juan'er sighed in her heart and said softly, "Aunt, when the Marquis gets better, he will definitely remember your kindness."
At this time, a little maid came in and reported that the hot water was ready.
Juan'er said, "Auntie, can I help you wash up?"
Aunt Jiang hadn't bathed for two days. She took a long hot bath and didn't come out of the bathroom until her skin was slightly red.
Juan'er squatted on the ground and personally wiped Aunt Jiang's jade-like feet with a white towel.
Juan'er rubbed it twice more on Aunt Jiang's left foot, and said in surprise, "Aunt, the Shiquan ointment that the Marquis gave you is really effective. The burn scar on your foot is almost invisible. I think it will be completely healed after applying it for another two days."
Aunt Jiang's pair of jade feet are petite and slender, like jade carvings, flawless.
Aunt Jiang has always been very careful about her skin. She always uses the best facial creams, rouge, scented soap, etc. She is also proud of her flawless skin. Although she has given birth to two children, her abdomen is still flat without a trace of wrinkles.
Aunt Jiang looked at her left foot and raised the corner of her lips, "This Ten Perfect Ointment is indeed worthy of its reputation."
"I also think it's amazing," Juan'er agreed, and gently applied some ointment to the burned part of Aunt Jiang's left foot, spreading it evenly.
"Didn't Second Madam's Qingyu injure her face last month? The doctor said her face would be disfigured. After she used the Ten-Heart Ointment, the scar on her face has completely healed and is invisible even when you look closely."
"You are so lucky, Auntie. The Marquis loves you and got you a bottle of Shiquan ointment."
"I heard that the Second Madam is regretting her decision to death now. The Third Miss is even making a scene in front of the Second Madam, saying that she should have snatched the Ten-Heart Cream away from her at the beginning." Juan'er said what Aunt Jiang would like to hear.
When she heard about Liu and Chu Qianling, Aunt Jiang curled her lips slightly in disdain and said casually, "Really?"
Juan'er was afraid that she would not believe it, so she continued, "What I said is true. Yesterday, when I went to the kitchen to bring you medicinal food, I happened to meet Qingyu. Several young ladies gathered around Qingyu and praised her for her better skin."
"I also went over to take a look. There is really no scar on Qingyu's face now. Not only that, even the two freckles she originally had are gone. The skin in that area is especially delicate."
After Juan'er applied the ointment to Aunt Jiang, she stood up and put away the small porcelain bottle.
Aunt Jiang's eyes lit up when she heard this, and she couldn't help asking, "Juan'er, has the skin on Qingyu's face really gotten better?" She couldn't help but raise her hand and touch her cheek.
After all, she is almost thirty years old and no longer in her twenties. Because she often frowns, there are faint fine lines on her forehead, and she needs to rely on makeup to cover up the blemishes on her face.
Aunt Jiang's eyes fell on the small porcelain bottle in Juan'er's hand. The wound on her foot was not big, so she didn't use much ointment each time, and there was still half a bottle left.
The burn scar on my left foot is no longer noticeable. After applying it three or four more times, it should be completely healed.
There's still some left, so why waste it? You might as well use it to apply on your face, it won't do any harm anyway.
"Give me the Shiquan ointment." Aunt Jiang said eagerly.
Juan'er handed the small porcelain bottle to Aunt Jiang and helped her adjust the diamond-shaped mirror on the dressing table.
Aunt Jiang carefully applied the Shiquan ointment on her forehead and looked at herself in the bronze mirror again and again, wondering whether she would be able to see any effect when she woke up tomorrow.
She was really tired and yawned lazily.
Juan'er hurriedly said, "Auntie, please go to bed early."
Aunt Jiang quickly lay down on the couch.
She wanted to sleep as much as possible now, for she was afraid that Chu Lingxiao would ask her to attend to his illness later.
"If there is any movement from the Marquis, remember to call me." Aunt Jiang gave Juan'er an additional reminder.
Juan'er agreed obediently, thinking that Aunt Jiang was concerned about the Marquis, and she was deeply moved by Aunt Jiang's deep affection for the Marquis.
Aunt Jiang waved her hand and asked Juan'er to go out. Her willow-leaf eyes were surprisingly bright.
She had her own little thoughts. Although it was hard to take care of Chu Lingxiao, it was also an opportunity.
As long as Chu Lingxiao and the lady dowager are tired of the Shen family, her son will have a chance to become the crown prince.
Although the legitimate son has always had the priority to inherit the title, it is not absolute. If the legitimate son is incompetent, the Madam will try to get Concubine Chu and the Second Prince to ask the Emperor for mercy...
Therefore, she must take this opportunity to make Chu Lingxiao feel more sorry for her and pity her, and let Chu Lingxiao know that she is the one who loves him the most.
Aunt Jiang curled the corners of her lips and then closed her eyes.
She was really tired, and she slept very deeply... until a hot feeling woke her up.
She felt her forehead was a little hot, and her left foot was also hot and burning, as if it was about to burn.
Aunt Jiang suddenly opened her eyes and woke up in shock.
After waking up, she felt her forehead hurt even more, as if someone was burning it with a candle.
"Someone come!" Aunt Jiang sat up from the couch and shouted, "Quickly bring the bronze mirror!"
It was already completely dark outside, and there was only one lantern lit in the room, with the light being slightly dim.
Juan'er and another little maid hurried into the inner room, and Juan'er brought the bronze mirror to the side of the couch.
Looking at Aunt Jiang up close, Juan'er and the little maid were both shocked to find a red spot on her forehead, as if she had a rash.
Aunt Jiang also saw herself in the bronze mirror and her face turned pale.
She was frightened and said quickly, "Quick, go get some water, my face is so hot."
The little maid hurried out and fetched a basin of water.
Juan'er was just about to wet the handkerchief for Aunt Jiang to wipe her face when she saw Aunt Jiang snatch the handkerchief away and use it to wash her forehead.
When the cold water first touched her skin, she felt the hot sensation on her forehead eased a little, but then she felt her forehead seemed to be even hotter.
Aunt Jiang looked at the bronze mirror in the maid's hand again and was horrified to find that the rash on her forehead had become even redder.
"My face!" Aunt Jiang turned pale, she was shocked, panicked, and even more afraid, fearing that she would be disfigured. "Quick, go get someone to call a doctor!"
She was so panicked that she didn't even care about the burning pain in her feet.
Of course, her face is more important than her feet.
After a while, the Qinghui Courtyard was brightly lit and candles were lit one by one.
The yard was in chaos.
There was noise in Qinghui Courtyard for most of the night, but Chu Qianchen slept well that night. Even the crowing of roosters did not wake her up, and she slept until she woke up naturally.
While Hubei was helping her wash up, she said, "Young lady, there was a commotion in Aunt Jiang's yard for most of the night."
"Madam Jiang said she wanted a doctor in the middle of the night, so she sent someone to see the Madam. It was already four o'clock in the morning, and the Madam had already gone to bed. The servants thought it was not a serious illness that could affect anyone's life, so they did not bother the Madam..."
"The Madam just woke up, and she has sent someone to get a doctor for Aunt Jiang."
The Marquis's Mansion has its own rules. Not everyone can invite a doctor to the mansion. Those concubines and maids are just half-slaves. If they want to invite a doctor, they must first get the consent of the wife of the main house.
Chu Qianchen said nothing, and there was no joy or sadness on her beautiful face.
Amber looked at her, hesitant to speak, and wanted to ask her if she wanted to go see Aunt Jiang.
At this time, a maid's voice sounded outside the curtain: "Miss, breakfast is here, do you want to set the table?"
"Serve the meal." Chu Qianchen responded, casually stroked the forbidden belt on his waist, and walked out of the inner room.
Amber stared at her slender figure in a daze, and quickly followed her.
The little maid was very efficient and in no time she had prepared a sumptuous breakfast on the table.
Amber personally served Chu Qianchen breakfast and brought a bowl of fragrant egg and millet porridge to her.
Chu Qianchen ate his porridge slowly, with no sign of emotion on his face.
She had no plan to go to Qinghuiyuan to see Aunt Jiang.
Chu Lingxiao secretly replaced Chu Yunmu's ointment in order to prevent Aunt Jiang from having scars on her feet. He has always been very considerate to Aunt Jiang and told her everything he knows. Aunt Jiang must have known where the ointment she used came from.
Chu Qianchen's eyelashes trembled slightly, and the image of Chu Yunmu's right face cut by the bowstring appeared in front of him again.
Mu Ge'er got his face hurt, so we have to let them put themselves in his shoes and understand how he feels. Do not do to others what you do not want others to do to you.
Some people don't feel pain as long as it doesn't happen to them.
Chu Qianchen had breakfast according to the rules, with a bowl of porridge, three steamed dumplings, a piece of millet cake and some appetizers. Even Amber couldn't help but sigh in her heart: The girl has a really good appetite.
After Chu Qianchen finished his breakfast, he went to Rongfu Hall to pay his respects to the lady.
She arrived a little late. In the left side room, there were already quite a few people sitting there, including people from the second, third and fourth rooms.
The lady at the top looked much more haggard and thinner.
The old lord who was once vigorous now looked like an ordinary old woman, exhausted.
The atmosphere was a little stiff.
After Chu Qianchen bowed to the Madam and Shen, he sat down in his seat, seemingly unaware of the overly quiet atmosphere in the room.
Liu pretended to drink a sip of tea, then asked casually, "Sister Chen, I heard that your aunt was sick last night?"
As she spoke, Liu glanced at Shen meaningfully, gloating in her heart: The eldest branch of the family has been plagued by misfortunes recently, and they deserve it!
This is called retribution!
Who made the eldest son so selfish and independent, hiding the good things for himself, without any regard for the relationship between relatives, causing his daughter to cry all day long.
She finally understood that before there were no conflicts of interest, the two houses could get along just fine, but once interests were involved, the eldest house's true colors were revealed!
Shen and Chu Qianchen were unwilling to give the Perfect Cream because they were afraid that once their daughter Chu Qianling’s face got better, she would be able to become the Second Prince’s concubine?
There is no good person in the eldest branch of the family. They can’t stand seeing the second branch doing well!
And my mother-in-law is also partial and always supports the eldest son's wife.
Chu Qianchen pretended not to hear. Liu curled her lips and was about to say something else when she heard the maid's greeting from outside: "My Lord."
Outside the door curtain, the sound of a wheelchair rolling was getting closer and closer.
Everyone knew that Chu Lingxiao had come, and they looked at each other in surprise.
Liu curled the corners of her lips and shot malicious glances at Shen from time to time.
She had heard that Chu Lingxiao was most likely to become crippled this time. Although a cripple would not be stripped of his title, he would not be able to find a good job in the future.
Chu Lingxiao's second half of life is ruined and he can only guard an empty title. Shen pretends not to care on the surface, but she must be very worried in her heart.
However, Shen didn't even look at Liu from beginning to end, and just drank her tea by herself, as if Chu Lingxiao's arrival had no effect on her at all.
The Xiangfei curtain was lifted up by the maid, and then a burly old woman came in pushing a wheelchair. The person sitting on the wheelchair was Chu Lingxiao. Under his brocade robe, his left leg wrapped in a splint and bandages was clearly visible.
Chu Lingxiao's face was gloomy, and he looked even more haggard than the lady, with a scruffy beard on his chin, which made his temperament even more sinister.
Chu Lingxiao didn't even look at the lady or the others. He looked at Shen with a resentful gaze and said angrily, "Shen Zhi, you vicious woman!"
His voice became increasingly high-pitched. "You're the one who deliberately harmed Shan'er, right? What on earth did you put in the Shiquan ointment?"
Chu Lingxiao received a report from the maid early in the morning, saying that Aunt Jiang was not feeling well and could not come to take care of him.
He was worried about Aunt Jiang, so he had someone carry him to the wheelchair and went to Qinghui Courtyard to see Aunt Jiang. Only then did he know that she had a strange red rash on her forehead, which was hot and burning. The reason was that she applied Shiquan ointment on her forehead. In the middle of the night, Aunt Jiang wanted to call a doctor, but Shen didn't let her call.
Chu Lingxiao immediately recalled Shen's sarcasm towards him after he broke his leg, and he was furious. He believed that Shen had done it on purpose, and ran to Rongfu Hall to question her.
The lady's forehead ached at Chu Lingxiao's sharp voice.
She had heard a few words from Nanny Wang, and only knew that Aunt Jiang made a fuss in the middle of the night to call a doctor, and Shen had someone call one early in the morning. As for what specifically was wrong with Aunt Jiang, she had no idea.
"Ah Xiao, what are you talking about?" Madam Tai asked patiently, "What happened?"
Chu Lingxiao angrily told the whole story of how Aunt Jiang got the rash.
Liu no longer had the heart to pretend to drink tea. She listened with great interest, just waiting to see the good show of the eldest house. Haha, it would be best if the eldest house would fight each other. Then, this show would be more interesting.
Since Chu Lingxiao himself is shameless, Shen Shi will not hide it for him.
She said calmly without giving him any face: "Chu Lingxiao, don't you know what you stole from Mu Ge'er?"
"You still want to throw dirty water on me!"
Her tone was sharp and her eyes were clear, like a mirror that reflected Chu Lingxiao's thoughts without any concealment.
"You...you vicious woman!"
Chu Lingxiao glared at Shen angrily, and the anger that had accumulated for several days erupted like a volcano at this moment.
He was so angry that he lost his mind and forgot that his leg was injured, and rushed towards Shen.
However, as soon as he stood up, he lost his balance and fell to the ground in a mess.
When he fell, his injured left foot was inevitably hit.
This time, it really hurts.
Chu Lingxiao felt the pain of broken bones again and let out a heart-wrenching scream.
The lady was heartbroken. She said quickly, "Hurry up, help the Marquis up."
The woman pushing the wheelchair couldn't lift a grown man like Chu Lingxiao by herself, so she went to call another woman.
Chu Lingxiao's pain did not make Shen Shi feel any softness in her heart. She was thinking about the sin her son had suffered.
Shen didn't even raise her eyebrows, and said casually: "My Lord, your leg, if you keep doing this, be careful of amputation."
"Although the Marquis has already received the title, if his limbs are amputated, the Emperor might want to take away his title."
She seemed to be trying to persuade him, but in fact every word she said hurt Chu Lingxiao's heart.
A disabled person cannot inherit a title. If Chu Lingxiao was injured by the enemy on the battlefield and was missing limbs, the emperor would not only not deprive him of his title, but would also reward him. However, this "accident" that happened to Chu Lingxiao was a bit ugly.
If the emperor is angered, he can always punish Chu Lingxiao for his misconduct.
Liu had an idea. If the emperor took away Chu Lingxiao's title, and the Yongding Marquisate didn't have a crown prince yet, would he give the title to their second branch?
Chu Lingxiao finally sat back in the wheelchair with the help of two maids.
His forehead was covered with sweat, and he tightly grasped the armrest of the wheelchair with one hand. He stared at Shen and gritted his teeth and said, "Shen Zhi, you actually cursed me!!"
Chu Qianhuang was a little restless, so she wiped Chu Lingxiao's sweat and comforted him, "Father, calm down and don't be angry with mother."
Chu Lingxiao became even angrier, "Didn't you see what your mother just said?!"
Seeing sparks flying in the air, the people from other rooms were all silent.
“Bang!”
Suddenly there was a loud banging sound in the room.
The fruit bowl on the coffee table shook, and the lychees fell off the bowl and scattered on the ground, rolling all over the floor.
"Have you had enough?" The lady's face turned blue with anger, and she said angrily, "Both of you should stop talking!"
The lady said "you" as if she was scolding both Chu Lingxiao and Shen at the same time. In fact, she felt sorry for her son and thought Shen was really going too far.
No matter what conflicts and misunderstandings there were between the couple, shouldn't Shen, as a wife, respect her husband and give him some leeway? She even mentioned amputation. Was she cursing Chu Lingxiao? !
The lady was afraid that Chu Lingxiao's leg would not be healed properly, so she took her anger out on Aunt Jiang and said to Nanny Wang, "Nanny Wang, go to Qinghui Courtyard to see Aunt Jiang and see if she is disfigured or has her face rotten... She is already so old, but she doesn't know the severity of the situation!"
"Since you are sick, you might as well not leave the yard!"
The lady directly issued a house arrest order to Aunt Jiang. In her opinion, Aunt Jiang just had a rash on her face, which was not as important as Chu Lingxiao's leg!
She felt that Aunt Jiang was a little petty. She alarmed Chu Lingxiao over such a small matter. Did she think his leg injury was not serious enough?
Nanny Wang took the order and left.
The lady also wanted to scold Shen, but she held back.
Of course, she endured it for the sake of her son.
Now even the imperial physician of the Imperial Hospital said that Chu Lingxiao's leg injury was hopeless and that he would definitely become lame. His only hope now was the miracle doctor at Jishidiang, but the people of the Marquis' Mansion went there several times but the miracle doctor was not there. Moreover, the family had offended Jishidiang before, so Jishidiang was probably unwilling to help the Marquis' Mansion to make connections.
So, the lady thought of Shen’s sister, Princess Shen Wan, Prince of Jing.
Shen Wan's daughter has been seeking medical treatment at Jishidiang for about a month. Shen Wan must have some connections with the miracle doctor, so the Chu family may be able to invite the miracle doctor through this channel.
Originally, the lady was planning to bring it up with Shen today, but Chu Lingxiao made such a fuss that the atmosphere became awkward.
Obviously, now is not the right time.
The lady clenched the beads in her hand, and blamed her son for being impulsive. But even so, she still hoped that Shen would be moved by the pain and suffering her son suffered... Even if Shen was not moved, there were still Sister Huang and Brother Mu.
The lady calmed herself down and said softly, "You two are over fifty years old in total. If there is anything you can't talk about it in a nice way."
Although what Shen said last time was heartless, the lady thought it was just because the couple had a quarrel and Shen was just angry.
The lady looked at Chu Lingxiao and pretended to scold him, "Ah Xiao, you too, don't you know what kind of person Ah Zhi is? She has always been straightforward, how could she resort to such shady means!"
As she spoke, she winked at Chu Lingxiao. Chu Lingxiao wanted to refute the lady, but he restrained himself in the end.
Chu Lingxiao pursed his lips tightly, and squeezed the wheelchair armrest even harder, feeling dissatisfied:
Shen is straightforward?! She is clearly arrogant!
Chu Lingxiao had already determined in his heart that all this was Shen's conspiracy.
I'm afraid Shen had already guessed that he had set his eyes on the Shiquan Cream, so she tampered with the jar of Shiquan Cream and deliberately gave it to Chu Yunmu, using her son as bait to lure him into the trap.
He was careless and fell into Shen's trap.
He took away the jar of defective ointment and ended up harming his Shan'er!
This woman, Shen, is a vicious woman. She is so vicious that she even went to such great lengths to design such a scheme just because she is jealous of Shan'er and she cannot tolerate Shan'er!
The more Chu Lingxiao thought about it, the more he hated her. However, he also understood what the old lady meant. For the sake of his feet, he couldn't break off with Shen now.
He pursed his lips and said nothing, as if he agreed with what the lady said.
The lady smiled kindly and appealed to Shen's emotions, saying, "Azhi, look at how badly Axiao's leg is injured. He must have suffered a great crime this time. He was so depressed that he forgot himself for a moment..."
However, Shen didn't want to play the game of respecting each other with them, and said perfunctorily: "Mother, I still have to take care of the household chores, so I'll leave first."
The faces of the lady and Chu Lingxiao froze for a moment.
Chu Qianhuang opened her lips slightly, wanting to say something, but then she heard Shen call out, "Sister Huang, Sister Chen, you guys come too." She also called the twin concubine daughters, "Also, Sister Wu and Sister Ying."
Chu Qianhuang swallowed back the words she hadn't said, and left with Chu Qianchen and Shen's family.
Chu Qianwu and Chu Qianying were a little at a loss. They looked at the lady and Chu Lingxiao, then at Shen, and finally followed Shen.
After leaving Rongfu Hall, Shen stopped.
She could see the uneasiness in the twins' eyes, but her attitude was as gentle as ever. She smiled and said, "The summer clothes in the sewing room are almost ready. The weather is hot this year, so I thought I'd make two more sets of summer clothes. I'll ask the sewing room to bring the materials for you to choose from later."
There was a subtle sense of comfort in Shen's two sentences, meaning that even if she was not on good terms with their father, she was still their biological mother and would not treat them unfairly.
The twins looked at each other, relieved.
The stepmother had always been kind and impartial to the concubines. Compared with the other daughters, their lives were much better. They were just afraid that the gods would fight, the ghosts would suffer, and the stepmother would fight with her father and take her anger out on them.
The two sisters were finally relieved and planned to tell their aunt when they got back.
"Thank you, mother." The two sisters thanked Shen happily.
They were only ten years old, at the age when they loved beauty. Thinking of having new clothes, they were all smiling happily.
Shen said again: "Sister Huang, Sister Chen, you two are not young anymore. From today on, follow me and learn how to manage the household."
Upon hearing this, the twins couldn't help but show envy.
They are girls from the Chu family. On weekdays, they have their own academy where they can study and learn music, chess, calligraphy and painting. However, housekeeping is not something that can be learned in a academy.
When noble families marry their descendants, most of them choose to marry their legitimate daughters, because the mother will teach her daughter how to manage the household and run the family, and a concubine's daughter will never be as good as the legitimate daughter in this respect.
Therefore, those noble families usually would not let their outstanding sons marry concubines, for they were afraid that the concubines' daughters would be petty and would not be able to educate their children well in the future.
(End of this chapter)