Ge Mansion —
In the Begonia Garden, a man dressed in plain clothes stood under a begonia tree, a hint of melancholy in his eyes.
Ge Zhengqi was indeed heartbroken that his only daughter had died, but his second wife was pregnant with his child, which lessened his grief over his daughter's death.
"Second Master, the First Master has arrived and is waiting for you in the reception room."
The steward came to report with a tense expression, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.
Fortunately, he bowed and scraped, so the second master didn't see him.
"Okay, I got it. I'll go right away."
Ge Zhengqi nodded, pulling himself out of his thoughts.
The elder brother must have known that Jiaojiao had passed away, and came to pay his respects.
Sigh, it's all his fault for spoiling this child. He never taught her to suffer, and she throws tantrums like a spoiled princess all the time.
This time, for his mother Chunyu's funeral, in order to save face, he did not hold a grand ceremony, and even less did he want to help carry the coffin, which angered the child.
Who would have thought that this child, being so ignorant, would actually commit suicide by poisoning herself to follow her mother in death!
“Husband, my elder brother’s visit at this time must be ill-intentioned. You should carefully consider your answer and avoid creating any rift between you and him.”
A beautiful woman dressed in plain clothes and wearing a white silk flower in her hair took a few steps forward with the help of her maid. While gently comforting the man, she also thoughtfully tidied the man's clothes, which were covered with flower petals.
Virtuous and kind, gentle and charming.
Ge Zhengqi deeply regretted not resisting his stepmother back then and marrying that harlot Chunyu!
"Don't worry, my wife, I know how to deal with my elder brother."
"Yes, go early and come back early. We still need to discuss Jiaojiao's funeral arrangements later..."
With tears welling up in her eyes, Shangguan looked like a loving stepmother to anyone who saw her.
For example, Ge Zhengqi, looking at his wife who was wholeheartedly preparing for their daughter's funeral, felt a little less guilty towards his daughter and repeatedly comforted her:
"Thank you for your hard work, Madam. If Jiaojiao had understood your good intentions earlier, she wouldn't have become so willful and spoiled, and wouldn't have been so foolish..."
Shangguan wiped away her tears, stopped sobbing, and quickly said:
"Husband, please don't say that. Alright, your elder brother is still waiting for you. You should go and greet him first."
"Hongyu, take good care of Madam. If anything happens to her, do you know what the consequences will be!"
Seeing this, Ge Zhengqi said no more. Knowing that his wife was pregnant, he specifically instructed the maid who was serving her that there should be no mistakes at this critical juncture.
"Yes, ma'am!"
Hongyu turned pale for a moment after being called upon, but quickly curtsied and accepted the order.
After the second master left, she focused her attention intently on the unfathomable second mistress...
After watching her husband leave, Lady Shangguan looked away, stretched out her right hand, and placed her other hand on her still-flat abdomen, saying:
"Hongyu, help me back to my room for a nap."
Yes~
Hongyu quickly offered her hand and carefully helped the lady back to her room.
My heart was pounding like a drum; I hoped this master would behave himself and refrain from doing or saying anything more troublesome...
Lady Shangguan climbed onto the couch, slowly lay down, and asked a question seemingly casually:
"By the way, Hongyu, how old are you this year?"
"Replying to Madam, this servant is eighteen years old this year."
Hongyu answered cautiously, but before she knew it, her slender white wrist was firmly grasped in the lady's hand, causing her to burst into tears almost instantly from the pain.
"You're eighteen already, not a child anymore. I'll speak to the Second Master another day and see if you can be promoted to a concubine. If you serve him well, becoming a mistress wouldn't be a problem either."
Shangguan smiled gently, and her tone was incredibly soft, but the sharp killing intent in her eyes was unmistakable.
"This servant thanks Madam for her kindness, but... but this servant already has someone in her heart, my cousin. My cousin said he would redeem me from my servitude..."
Despite the pain, Hongyu answered tremblingly.
She was a slave girl bought by the Ge family, and her indenture was with the Ge family. She never thought of becoming a concubine or a maidservant!
"Oh, I see~"
Shangguan released the other person's hand with satisfaction, and said regretfully:
"Since that's the case, I won't try to persuade you any further. From now on, you must serve me well, otherwise—"
"This servant will certainly take good care of Madam and the little master in Madam's belly!"
Hongyu knelt down and immediately kowtowed.
After hearing the satisfactory answer, Lady Shangguan, high above, bestowed her favor:
"Fine, considering your loyalty, I will reward you with a wedding gift after your cousin redeems you."
"Thank you, Madam!"
Hongyu's back was soaked with sweat, and she only dared to get up when the madam told her to.
"Go down and keep watch outside."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Hongyu breathed a sigh of relief, lowered the gauze curtain, and quietly left the room.
"Squeak~"
After closing the door, she saw the light of day again and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
That's terrifying, absolutely terrifying!
This second wife is even more terrifying than the previous second wife!
In particular, she witnessed the conflict between the second wife and the eldest daughter!
Just now, the second madam was trying to test her, wasn't she?
If she readily agrees to become the second master's concubine, her fate will be...
"Sister Hongyu, why is your face so pale? Are you feeling unwell?"
The maidservant Huang Yu asked in a low voice, her concern undisguised.
"Shh, don't ask questions you shouldn't ask, and keep your mouth shut."
Hongyu is three years older than Huangyu, knows more than Huangyu, and genuinely treats Huangyu as a younger sister.
She was strict with Huang Yu because she was afraid that the other party would speak recklessly and end up in a bad situation!
"Oh~"
Clearly, Huang Yu didn't take it seriously, but out of politeness, he didn't dare to say anything more.
Hongyu glanced at the time and instructed Huangyu to guard the door and not to open it for anyone except the Second Master.
Huang Yu nodded and watched as her sister Hong Yu went to the small kitchen...
However, not long after, the Second Grandmother's shouts came from inside the house:
Who's outside?
"Reporting to Second Madam, it is this servant, Huang Yu."
"Come in."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Caught off guard, Huang Yu stepped into the house...
In the reception room, Ge Haoran drank two cups of tea. Although he didn't say anything, his expression was extremely stern.
Ge Zhengqi sat in the second seat, but dared not act presumptuously because of his elder brother's authority.
"How did Jiaojiao die? Have you found out the truth?"
"Reporting to my elder brother, Jiaojiao was depressed because of Chunyu's death, and coupled with her dissatisfaction with me as her father, she committed suicide by poisoning herself..."
Ge Zhengqi put down his teacup. Although he was dissatisfied, his long-standing habit made him subconsciously answer his brother's question.
"waste!"
Ge Haoran smashed the teacup and pointed at his second brother's nose, angrily rebuking him:
"I thought you were just obsessed with calligraphy and only knew how to read books by rote, but I never imagined you were such a fool. Your own daughter was murdered, and you actually thought she committed suicide by poisoning! You, you are unworthy of being a father!"
"What do you mean? Brother, it's one thing for you to insult me, but why do you say Jiaojiao was murdered? If you don't explain yourself clearly today, I—"
Before Ge Zhengqi could finish speaking, a confession was thrown at his face!
"See for yourself!"
......
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