Chapter 3 The Song Family Has No Lack of Money
There was a crisp cracking sound from the room.
Song Qingyuan's scalp tingled, and she ran into the house to see her beloved son, Shen Jingyu, giggling foolishly at the blue and white porcelain fragments on the ground, holding half of the bottle neck in his hand.
Looking at the familiar blue and white glaze, Song Qingyuan felt so heartbroken that his eyes went dark.
She took a deep breath and was just about to give the brat some loving education when she saw her maid Zi Su take out another identical blue and white porcelain vase from the storeroom with an expressionless face and put it steadily in its original place.
Another maid named Wenling, holding a dustpan and a broom, silently gathered the debris on the ground. Her movements were skillful, as if she had done it thousands of times.
Song Qingyuan was stunned.
She could not see a trace of heartache on the faces of the two maids, nor any fear of punishment from their master.
Such a valuable thing... just broke like that?
Her eyes began to dart around the room uncontrollably.
Are the candlesticks in the corners gleaming with night pearls? Are the curtains made of a shimmering brocade of precious gold? Are the tassels on the curtains actually plump, round pearls?
Song Qingyuan's eyes were dull.
She thought about how complacent she was about getting three night pearls, and how she looked like a fool who had never seen the world.
There are no less than ten of them used for lighting in this room alone!
She ignored the two children behind her who were stretching out their little hands for a hug, and walked into the inner room with light steps.
Her palm touched the golden nanmu step-out bed, and her fingertips ran across the various gems inlaid on it. The cool and warm touch made her shudder.
Poverty limited her imagination.
No, it was poverty that limited her vision!
"For this overwhelming wealth," Song Qingyuan clenched his fists, a blazing fire burning in his eyes, "I must live well and live a long life. I must not let that heroine get away with it!"
"Mom, hold me."
Behind her, a child's voice was heard with a hint of urgency, and the little hands had already grabbed the hem of her skirt.
Song Qingyuan turned around, squatted down, and just happened to embrace the two little meat balls that rushed towards him from the left and right.
"My Yubao and Jiaojiao, do you miss your mother?" She held the two children tightly in each hand, and the tip of her nose was filled with the unique milk fragrance of the two children.
Shen Mingzhu buried her head in her mother's neck and rubbed it hard, "I miss you! Zhuzhu misses you every day!"
Not willing to be outdone, Shen Jingyu loudly announced on the other side: "I miss mom more than my sister! I miss her so much that my heart hurts!"
Song Qingyuan was amused and chuckled. The gloom in his heart caused by what happened in the morning was instantly dispelled by these two little guys.
She pinched the children's chubby cheeks, turned to look at the two wet nurses standing by with their backs bent, and the smile on her face faded a little.
"He's already three years old, not a kid anymore. From today on, stop feeding him milk. You don't have to feed him anymore."
The two wet nurses were stunned when the words fell, and they looked at each other. Before leaving this morning, hadn't the aunt told them to find a few more healthy young wet nurses? How could she change her mind in just half a day?
But since their master had spoken, they didn't dare to ask any more questions and could only bow their heads and respond, "Yes."
Song Qingyuan said nothing more and carried the two children into the house.
The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the window panes, stretching the figures of the three people into long lines.
Outside the courtyard gate, a dark figure stood quietly.
Shen Yanzhi's gaze passed through the flowers and trees and fell on the warm light and shadow on the window, his eyes a little dazed.
Once upon a time, he and his sister were like this, held in their mother's arms, listening to her gentle humming of ballads. But ever since his sister's death, his mother, Concubine Xue Guifei's arms, had never been opened to him again.
That warmth seems like something from a previous life.
His throat moved slightly, but he didn't step in after all. The door seemed to separate two worlds.
"Go in and give her the deed of Zuixianlou." Shen Yanzhi's voice was very soft, revealing a hint of fatigue. "I'll go back to the study."
"Your Highness..." Shunan wanted to say something, but he saw that his master had turned around with a resolute back.
He could only sigh, take the deed, and walk into Furong Garden with gritted teeth.
As soon as he stepped into the garden, Shunan was shocked by the scene before him and gasped.
This is not a concubine's yard!
The ground was paved with jade bricks that looked as blue as the sky after rain, and the courtyard was planted with exotic flowers and plants brought from southern Xinjiang. Even the pillars under the corridor were covered with a thin layer of gold foil.
Although the palace has no explicit regulations on the expenses of concubines, this... this is too much!
I'm afraid even the Imperial Concubine's Huayang Palace may not be as rich and luxurious as this.
Zi Su came out of the house and saw Shun An. There was no extra expression on her face: "Guard Shun An, what are your orders, Your Majesty?"
Shunan came back to his senses and took out the paper from his pocket, "The prince ordered me to deliver the deed of Zuixianlou."
He secretly complained that the prince had not set foot in Furong Garden for almost three years, but this concubine Song was not affected at all. She lived a more decent life than the princess just by relying on her own money.
Zi Su's gaze lingered on the contract for a moment, then she looked up at him: "Will the prince come tonight?"
Shunan shook his head: "The prince said he was busy with official business and rested in the study."
"Understood." Zi Su reached out to take the deed and said goodbye to the guest in a calm tone, "Guard Shun'an, take care."
After seeing Shunan off, Zisu returned to the house with the thin piece of paper.
Song Qingyuan had already coaxed the two children to bed and was covering them with a thin blanket. The two little guys had been playing all day and were now sleeping soundly with their legs spread out and drool hanging from the corners of their mouths.
"Miss." Zi Su handed over the contract.
[Ding Dong has completed the mission and was rewarded with a Spiritual Herb Space, a Spiritual Spring, three bottles of Skin Nourishing Pills, and 1000 points.]
[Total points: 1100, 8900 points left to activate the system.]
[Host, please regain the favor of the heroine before she enters the mansion. Countdown 10 days]
Song Qingyuan took it, glanced at it and put it on the table, as if it was not a restaurant that made a fortune every day, but a useless piece of waste paper.
Zi Su looked at her young lady's calm profile and felt a pang of sadness in her heart.
The bright girl who once watched the stars on the roof and said she wanted to travel around the world eventually died under the high walls of the palace.
For the sake of her children, she suppressed all her edge, learned to please the mistress, and learned to be servile.
But what did this bring?
A husband who has not been seen for three years, and a cold contract.
What's this? Is this just sending away beggars? The Song family doesn't need this little money.
Just when Zi Su was feeling indignant, he saw Song Qingyuan pick up the deed, move it close to the night pearl, and read it carefully again.
The corners of her mouth slowly curved up.
It was not joy, nor satisfaction, but a kind of... sneer of a hunter who sees his prey and is determined to get it.
"Zi Su," Song Qingyuan said, his voice soft but full of unquestionable power, "Go and count those boxes of rare books from the previous dynasty in the warehouse, and take out my pieces of brocade."
Zi Su was stunned, "Miss, what are you going to do?"
Song Qingyuan folded the contract and put it in his arms, his eyes flashing with a light he had never seen before.
"do what?"
"Zuixianlou is the best restaurant in the capital, and all the guests are dignitaries and high-ranking officials."
"It's such a waste to use such a nice place only for eating."
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