Chapter 74

  Stolen leisure in a fleeting life

  No matter whether it was the Marquis's residence or the King's residence, they all had a few quiet days. After Chen Shi was nursed back to health with the prescription given by Yin Ruofei, she became pregnant again six months later, and that Yin Jintang who coughed up blood as if he was going to die also made a miraculous recovery within Yin Ruofei's expectations.

  Mr. Chen was well taken care of by his loyal servants, who were divided into more than a dozen groups to take good care of the weak young master. Yin Haicheng was extremely pleased and grateful for Mr. Chen's thoughtful consideration.

  The Kobayashi mother and son seemed to have understood something or were afraid of something. In short, they lived quietly and peacefully, no different from others, silently passing their days.

  For the past six months, Yin Ruofei seemed to be overworked. In the morning, he had to practice sword fighting, during the day, he had to read books, in the afternoon, he had to ride and shoot, at night, he had to study medicine, and even when he occasionally got a half-day break, he still had to cook and make soup for Rong Jingze... It was simply exhausting.

  But the hard work has not been in vain, and the suffering has not been for nothing. Not only has his internal strength gained a certain foundation, but other aspects have also made significant progress. Even Lian Rong couldn't help but praise him repeatedly, this young master is indeed a talented seed who is willing to work hard.

  It's just that in other areas there has been progress, but this aspect is not growing much. Seeing Rong Jingze rapidly rising, Yin Ruofei feels stifled in her heart.

  They were originally just a head apart, but now he's not even up to her shoulder.

  Watching Yin Ruofei being really depressed, Rong Jingze kindly gave him a half-day off, letting him go home and relax, or maybe go out and have some fun with the young master of the Xiling House. Mainly because he's been busy lately and didn't have time to watch over him.

  Yin Ruofei was naturally very happy. First, she went home to see her grandmother and sister, and then saw Chen Shi, who subtly took her pulse without leaving any marks, and only when she saw that no one was secretly manipulating things did she put her mind at ease.

  To be honest, although Chen's appearance is not stunningly beautiful, she is passable. But what she has is a strong wrist and a ruthless heart, which makes her very suitable to be the mistress of the house. With Chen in charge at the Hou Mansion, being close to him and his second sister, it would bring great benefits to this branch of the family.

  If something happens to Chen, and another person is replaced, it will be even more unbearable. If a stupid person or a woman as gentle and kind-hearted as his mother's grandmother, who has never known what schemes are, is put in charge, it will be fatal.

  Second sister Rui Qi didn't change much, still as straightforward and clear-cut as ever. These days, Chen Shi was entrusted by Yin Ruofei to teach her some of the palace's rules from shallow to deep.

  Originally, Rui Qi was very carefree and didn't mind these things. Moreover, she had been doted on by Yin Hai Cheng before, so no one dared to bully her. This time's incident made her extremely angry and also deeply fearful. At this moment, Chen Shi explained the situation to her in a gentle and soft tone, and she gradually understood what was going on.

  A woman, especially the mistress of a family, may not be beautiful and may not be favored, but this position must be firmly grasped. The maternal clan is the strongest backing for women.

  There is a Marquis of Jiang's mansion, on that day, it was Rui Qi's reliance, with Yin Ruofei this legitimate younger brother in, this reliance will not fall, this is beyond doubt.

  As the main wife, she also needs to have a certain level of skill and at least understand what's going on, and keep those concubines in check.

  I am a concubine, and although it's not necessary to have a falling out with the master over a servant, some means of intimidation are essential. The Town River Marquis manor is somewhat special; Xia Lin, despite being a concubine, is a noble one, having entered together with my elder sister.

  In addition, Kobayashi is relatively gentle and willing to yield, using all sorts of methods and skills to please the lord. On the other hand, ōbayashi may be good at managing the household, but she naively trusts her younger sister and indulges in all this, which is why the situation in the Hou Mansion's inner courtyard has become so irregular.

  Ke Chen was not Lin, she did not indulge in leisurely pursuits with him, let alone the fact that Little Lin was no longer as favored as before. Now pregnant, and because she had previously dismissed Chen's nurse, Ke personally selected two women of good family background to be presented to Yin Haicheng as concubines.

  Xia Lin was furious when she found out, smashing things in the house to vent her anger, as if she had been slapped twice.

  But what made her even angrier was that after the house was smashed, Da Yutou's newly cultivated Caodie went to the steward's place to pick up new ones and was rejected by the steward with a sarcastic smile.

  "According to the rules for concubines in the mansion, it's unlikely that we'll get any this year. However, if it's really necessary, I can ask Guan Cai to help buy some outside, but the money will probably have to come out of Madame's own pocket."

  At this time, unlike usual, Cai Die didn't dare to refute and honestly went back to report to Xiaolin Shi. She was so angry that she wanted to go out and reason with her. Cai Die stopped her firmly before persuading her to calm down.

  Kobayashi was resentfully thinking, when the Marquis arrives, she must make a good report to let him know how his new wife is, with her honeyed words and heart of gall, and how she bullied this noble concubine in every possible way.

  Yin Hai City didn't come when she waited on the left, nor did he come when she waited on the right. She even sent someone to invite him personally, but all she got in return was a sentence saying he would arrive in a few days, and then there was no further news. All this let her know what it means by "the world is cold".

  Finally, the Lin lady became honest and knew who was in charge. Every day, she obediently went to pay respects to the old madam and Chen lady, hoping to coincidentally meet with Master Hou. Unfortunately, Chen lady had long been on guard and wouldn't let her get away easily.

  When Madam Chen did these things lightly, Rui Qi was on the side learning to manage the household and do accounts while listening to Madam Chen's faint explanations. Seeing Xiao Lin, who had been in charge of the Hou Mansion for many years, end up in such a sorry state, Rui Qi couldn't help but feel admiration and remembered these essentials in her heart.

  After hearing about the affairs of the mansion, Yin Ruofei left with a satisfied heart. This Chen family is indeed not bad, he didn't misjudge them. Now he has both avenged himself and satisfied his curiosity. As for the matter of revenge, there's no hurry, it wouldn't be good to let them off easily without making them suffer for a few years.

  Riding the chestnut horse given by Ze Wang, Yin Ruofei moved forward slowly. Every day he was tense like a tight string, today he finally relaxed, but instead he felt somewhat at a loss.

  Although he is currently less than ten years old, he has been an adult in his bones for a long time. When playing with children of the same age, he can't let go. After thinking about it, he decided to find Xiling Hao, who has many ideas and tricks, and is considered one of the most playful people in the capital city.

  Xiling Hao is getting bigger day by day, and he's almost thirteen. Xiling Dao, his father, has been managing him more and more strictly. Not only does he have to study hard every day, but he also has to practice martial arts diligently. The Xiling family has a thin line of descendants, and from Xiling Dao's generation, it's just a single transmission. Now that it's Xiling Hao's turn, although he has sisters like Yin Ruofei, he's the only son. In order to carry on the Xiling family legacy, Xiling Dao also wants him to practice martial arts well and strengthen his physique.

  So these days, Xiling Hao also had a hard time speaking, his expression was listless and depressed. Yin Ruofei felt very sympathetic towards him, as if he saw the difficulties of his brothers. Now that he had escaped for half a day, he naturally wanted to loosen up his good brother.

  The leader of the group went to the government office in Yuzhou, accompanied by people from the Ze Wang Fu. With the Ze Wang's golden token, even if the strict Westling Taoist master were present, they would have to release him. Meanwhile, Yin Ruofei rode his horse leisurely towards the most bustling market street, planning to find a wine house to enjoy a good meal.

  From the back alley of Jixiangfang, it's just the rear entrance of the largest Tianxiang Building. Although it's a bit narrow, it can save a lot of time. He took a step ahead and waited for Xiling Hao to arrive, by which time the dishes should also be ready.

  Just as they were approaching the back door of the Tianxiang Building, several children suddenly darted out, each wearing tattered clothes and running at top speed. In an instant, several servants in uniform also burst out from the back door, chasing after them and shouting something.

  This group of people came out, and almost startled Yan Ruo Fei's horse. Fortunately, he had been practicing his horsemanship in recent days and was quite skilled, but unfortunately, this horse was not as good. When he practiced archery, he had another horse that was a battle-hardened warhorse with excellent quality, but it couldn't be brought to the streets to ride, so he had to settle for this one instead. At this moment, seeing this group of people rushing at his horse, the horse stood upright, almost throwing him off, and he felt a surge of anger in his heart.

  A few children didn't run far before being caught up, and these several big men who looked like helpers went up to beat them with fists and kicks. Yin Ruofei suddenly thought of his previous life, before meeting his master, he was also so miserable, being shouted at and kicked by people.

  Yin Ruofei didn't say anything, but the attendants following him were all from the Wang Mansion, and they were the most discerning. Outsiders didn't know, but these people from the Wang Mansion knew that this young master of the Yin family was considered half a master in the Ze Wang Mansion, and he usually ate and traveled with the king. His future prospects would be limitless.

  Today, when going out, the housekeeper even personally helped this horse handler, and they were careful to serve him, not allowing the young master to make a mistake. At this moment, seeing Yin Ruofei's expression unchanged, these people suddenly understood.

  "What the devil! You scoundrels have startled our master's horse, are you looking for trouble?" one of the attendants shouted loudly. "Stop at once!"

  Unexpectedly, these people didn't stop at all. Only one person who hadn't taken action looked at them a few times, sneering, "I'm not even aware of it, where are you guys from? There are many big shots in the capital, if your back isn't strong enough, don't get involved in this kind of thing."

  These attendants were momentarily stunned, then flew into a rage. They came from the Ze Wang Fu, and even the Prime Minister's family members were only seventh-grade officials, let alone them. Now someone had actually trampled on their dignity in front of everyone, how could they possibly comply?

  Yin Ruofei watched with a cold eye, and in her heart, she had some idea of what was going on.

  Always calm and composed, Ze walked out of the door, making a big show, afraid that people wouldn't know that the magnificent carriage was carrying the most favored prince in the world, Ze Wang. The entourage followed, each one holding their head high, looking down on others.

  And today, following him out, because of Yin Ruofei's low-key actions, they also changed into plain clothes. They look simple, but the fabric and style are actually very decent. It's just that these people have poor eyesight, and they probably think they're wearing ordinary cotton shirts, which is why they dare to talk like this.

  But the problem is that even if they look ordinary at first glance, they are still riding high-headed horses, accompanied by attendants on both sides. In the eyes of ordinary people, they are either rich young masters or officials' descendants. How can these tavern servants dare to mock them? This is too abnormal.

  In other words, it's likely that these people have someone backing them up, which is why they're being so arrogant.

  Yin Ruofei gave a glance, and the attendants beside him had already stepped forward to subdue the leader. A slap in the face, "You dare to be presumptuous in front of your superior!"