The next morning, Gou'er went with Lu Baichuan to help Prince Jing. Jiang Jiuniang woke up naturally, and while she was washing up and eating, the prefect's wife, Madam Hou, arrived.
The maids around Jiang Jiuniang were all sent by Hou Shi, so it's normal that they knew about her situation. Jiang Jiuniang didn't want to make a fuss about it.
"Madam Ji, you've arrived very early. Is there something you need?"
She kept her head down and ate without even glancing at Hou Shi, let alone asking her to sit down and eat together. In short, she made it clear on her face that she disliked Hou Shi.
Although Madam Hou was also dissatisfied, she still smiled and said, "The weather is nice today. Since it's your first time here, Madam, how about I accompany you for a stroll?"
Jiang Jiuniang had planned this last night. When women get together, the best way to strengthen their bond is to go shopping and have tea. Jiang Jiuniang enjoys shopping, and she can also learn about the lives of ordinary people while doing so.
"Okay, wait until I finish eating."
Jiang Jiuniang spoke softly, but not to Hou Shi. She had just woken up and was in a good mood. Getting angry would not be good for the baby in her womb, and she didn't need to actually harm her body while acting.
"Alright, then I'll wait outside for you, Madam?"
"Um."
Jiang Jiuniang nodded, without much reaction.
Hou gritted her teeth, her face cracking. She was, after all, the wife of a fourth-rank official. How could Jiang Jiuniang give her such a hard time?
Besides, I didn't do anything wrong!
She turned around with a smile, then immediately frowned. She had to mention it to the master that night; if there was a way, she should also deal with Lu Baichuan and his wife. They were so annoying to look at!
Jiang Jiuniang was not unaware of her displeasure, but she deliberately treated her this way, even going so far as to do things slowly, making Hou Shi wait for her.
She wanted to see how long the Hou family could endure it.
When Jiang Jiuniang came out, it was already half an hour later.
Hou thought she was tidying herself up, but she was surprised to find that she was still wearing the same simple and elegant dress as before, with no makeup on her face, yet she was still stunningly beautiful.
But Madam Hou had no mood to appreciate her beauty. She was so angry that she gritted her teeth. If Jiang Jiuniang wasn't dressing up, what had she been doing for the past half hour?
Just keep her hanging on?
Just because she's the wife of a second-rank general, does she think she can be so arrogant?
What are you still doing here?
Jiang Jiuniang lazily lifted her eyelids, seemingly quite surprised.
Lady Hou didn't react immediately and asked in confusion, "Then where should I go?"
"Didn't you invite me shopping? Why don't you go and arrange the place first? I'm pregnant, aren't you going to make preparations beforehand?"
Jiang Jiuniang acted as if it were perfectly natural, and Hou Shi almost couldn't keep up her smile.
"Madam Lu, rest assured, I have brought enough servants to ensure your safety. There is no need to worry."
Hou's patience had reached a certain limit; her smile was stiff, and she even spoke through gritted teeth.
If Ji Ziqiu hadn't insisted that she accompany Jiang Jiuniang out for a walk and try to get information out of her, she wouldn't have bothered to pay any attention to her!
Jiang Jiuniang, seemingly oblivious, said with obvious disdain, "Fine then. I'm not trying to be mean, but your hospitality is truly appalling. No wonder your subordinates are so unreliable; they almost got Prince Jing killed. Would your whole family have survived then?"
Hou was initially very angry, but upon hearing Jiang Jiuniang's words, she instantly smiled.
In Jiang Jiuniang's view, this was entirely the fault of her subordinates. They had failed to manage their subordinates properly, which led to this incident. That was why Jiang Jiuniang disliked her no matter what.
As long as the blame isn't shifted onto Ji Ziqiu, it's fine. If Jiang Jiuniang thinks this way, it means Lu Baichuan thinks the same way. The two of them have a good relationship, so they'll definitely talk about it.
Hou suddenly felt that today wasn't too bad, at least she had received useful information before even leaving the house, and going out for a walk might allow her to extract more information.
Her attitude improved considerably in an instant, and she smiled and said, "Madam is right. I will pay attention in the future and learn more from you."
Seeing that her attitude had improved considerably, Jiang Jiuniang smiled with satisfaction: "Then let's go."
When Hou saw her smile, she knew that Jiang Jiuniang was in a good mood, probably because she listened to her. She instantly formed an opinion of Jiang Jiuniang: she had a bad temper and liked to act like a high-ranking official's wife, but she wasn't very bright. As long as she was coaxed, she would be fine.
This is not difficult, and the Hou family can accept it completely.
"What would you like to look at first, Madam? Jewelry or new clothes?"
"Whatever, you can arrange it."
Jiang Jiuniang looked indifferent and didn't seem very interested, but Hou Shi knew that was just her nature and didn't take it to heart. She immediately had someone arrange a carriage to prepare for departure.
Looking at the carriage in front of her, Jiang Jiuniang frowned in disdain: "I don't want to share a carriage with anyone else."
Hou knew she was referring to herself and was very embarrassed. She immediately ordered someone to prepare another carriage.
She wanted to take the opportunity to establish a relationship with Jiang Jiuniang, since Ji Ziqiu really wanted to know why they arrived early and whether there was any shortcut involved. They needed to take precautions in advance, otherwise, if this happened a few more times, they would be scared to death.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Jiuniang was so disrespectful, making people lose face.
Seeing that she was dressed simply and without any jewelry, Hou decided to go to a jewelry shop first.
Her plan was that Jiang Jiuniang probably didn't like these things, so she could just pick one or two items at random, saving money and trouble.
"Please choose whatever you like, Madam. I will give it to you as a gift!"
Hou looked confident; she had brought enough money and was determined to appease Jiang Jiuniang today.
"Madam Ji is very straightforward, then I won't stand on ceremony."
Jiang Jiuniang nodded, entered the jewelry shop, and then her eyes lit up as she looked at all the items on display. They were all new styles, and she liked them all very much.
Yes, take them all.
"Wrap them all up."
This time, not only did the shop assistant not realize what was happening, but even Madam Hou thought she had misheard.
"Does Madam mean to wrap them all up?"
The waiter's eyes shone brightly, his face full of anticipation, afraid that she might change her mind.
"Um."
Jiang Jiuniang nodded and turned to look at other things.
Madam Hou quickly stepped in front of her, smiling awkwardly, "Madam, are you going to buy it without even trying it on?"
"Hmm, they all look nice, no need to try them on. What's wrong? Didn't Mrs. Ji say she was going to give me a gift? Did I choose too many?"
Jiang Jiuniang's expression was somewhat innocent and confused, as if she was wondering why Hou Shi was asking her this question, since it had only just begun.
Hou forced a smile that looked more like a grimace: "No, no, I was just asking casually. I brought you out today to pick out a gift, Madam. Please choose whatever you like!"
Just then, a person walked in through the door, waving a handkerchief and saying, "Oh, what a coincidence!"
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