Kill the chicken to scare the monkey

  The twin babies' nicknames were rejected by Fu Yeyang, and their father gave them auspicious names like Fuer and Luer. Su Ying widened her horizons and didn't dare to refute him, who knows what other astonishing things the old master can do?

  Maybe he just got angry out of embarrassment? Su Ying felt a chill and didn't think about it anymore.

  The next day, Mrs. Chen and the third aunt came together to see Su Ying. Mrs. Chen's face was full of envy: "Sister-in-law has finally achieved her wish this time, with these two nephews, she won't be inferior to those people." She said, adjusting her waist, "I came over just to bask in the joy, thinking that this pair of brothers can bring a younger brother too."

  Third Madame's body stiffened upon hearing this, although because of the childbirth Chen Madame had seen fit to invite Dai Madame and let some of the sisters' estrangement dissipate, Third Madame still felt a bit awkward in her heart, but she didn't rush to add fuel to Chen Madame's fire either, and pursed her lips without responding.

  Madam Chen continued to say, "It's said that Lanruo Temple is efficacious. I didn't believe it before, but now seeing Eldest Sister having a pair of twin boys, I do believe in it somewhat."

  Su Ying smiled and listened, what kind of medicine was Mrs. Chen selling in this gourd? "What do you mean, sister-in-law?"

  "Ah, the Guanyin for sending off children," said Madame Chen, and before anyone else could say anything, she herself felt a little guilty, so she dryly laughed twice. "Isn't there a statue of Guanyin that was consecrated at Yunruo Temple in your small Buddhist shrine, Elder Sister? I'm thick-skinned enough to ask you for it, just wanting to share some of your good fortune - you won't be stingy about it, will you?"

  It's rare to see someone with such a thick skin, Su Ying asked in confusion: "But I heard that you've already invited the Guanyin statue back for worship? What if there's a conflict, wouldn't that affect our good fortune?"

  Su Ying didn't want to overestimate Chen Furen's intentions, but who knew what would happen in the future. Otherwise, she might end up getting into trouble for nothing.

  As soon as she thought of something, Su Ying's eyes sparkled and she smiled slightly at the third wife: "If we're talking about good fortune, then my younger sister isn't the one with the most say in this matter. Old Lady Jin said that my younger sister is a lucky person, so why should she give up what's close to her?"

  Mrs. Chen muttered, "If she had good fortune, she wouldn't have given birth to a daughter." Her voice was low, but still audible to Third Lady sitting next to her. Third Lady's smile froze for a moment as she tried to think of something to save face. Lü Hu hurried in with a flustered expression: "The old lady has fainted."

  Got it, Mrs. Chen and the third wife only fought upstairs, even if they had many dissatisfaction with Fu Mu in their private hearts, but thinking that they would still have to live under Fu Mu's hands in the future, the superficial work still had to be done.

  Su Ying lay in bed and couldn't get out of bed, ordered someone to invite the imperial physician, and asked: "Why would a fine old lady like that faint?"

  Lü Huì's face turned sour: "Second Master went to pay his respects to the old lady. After Second Master left, the old lady fainted." Although this didn't explicitly state that the old lady's fainting was related to Fù Xuèyáng, the implication was clear enough.

  Su Ying frowned: "You go upstairs and take a look, bring the letter back to me." Who knows if Fu Mu is really sick or pretending this time, the number of times she cried "wolf" was too many. Fu Mu's credibility had already been depleted.

  Mrs. Chen and Third Lady rushed upstairs and were startled by the chaotic scene in the room. What on earth had happened?

  Taking advantage of the fact that Taiyi had not arrived yet, Madame Chen called Baiyu over and asked: "What happened?"

  The white egret's gaze fell on Madame Chen's bulging belly, and her eyes flickered as she lowered her head: "Second Master came to find Old Madam. The slaves were guarding the door, Second Master was furious, and after he left, Old Madam fainted."

  This statement made it clearer, but Mrs. Chen was not very convinced. In the past, Old Lady's partiality to Fu Xueyang was obvious to everyone. Fu Xueyang treated Old Lady like a Bodhisattva, how could he dare to lose his temper with her and smash all the decorations in her room?

  Third Madame's eyelid twitched: "What exactly made Second Master lose his temper?"

  The white egret lowered its eyes: "The slave is guarding outside the house and didn't hear clearly." Not hearing clearly doesn't mean not hearing anything at all, let alone when Fu Xueyang was yelling loudly enough to almost flip the house over. It's better not to say those words.

  The imperial physician arrived and took Fu Mu's pulse, stroking his beard as he wrote out a prescription. He said that the old lady had fainted due to qi and blood rushing up, which was caused by being enraged.

  The old lady was fainted by the second master, which is a rare thing. Mrs. Chen and the third madam didn't want to get involved, they were secretly happy about it. Mrs. Chen supported her waist and said she had been out for too long and felt tired, afraid of affecting the child in her belly, so she used this as an excuse to return to her own courtyard; The third madam also left with the reason that she needed to go back and take care of her elder sister.

  Lü Huì sent off Madame Chen and the Third Lady, took a step forward and said to Du Juan: "The mistress is still worried about Old Madame's situation, I'll let the little maid go back and report, wait here until Old Madame wakes up before going back. I'll help Sister Du Juan together to decoct medicine for Old Madame."

  Du Juan nodded, and when the old lady woke up, only Du Juan and Bai Yu were waiting in front of her. Fu Mu asked with a sullen face: "Where is the second master?"

  The white egret replied cautiously: "I've already sent someone to find the second master, this anger hurts the liver. Even if you and the second master have a dispute, shouldn't you take good care of your own body? Why get so angry? You fainted, and we servants are worried, just like losing our backbone."

  The white heron's words were not just a matter of which pot to open, but directly poked Fu Mu's trachea. Fu Mu's face turned gloomy. At this time, a little maid covered her face and returned. The second master was in the front outer study room. Before she could finish speaking, she was slapped by the second master.

  Bai Lian stepped forward and said sternly, "Nonsense! Second Master has always been filial, how could he not come to pay his respects when he knew the old lady was ill? Is it that you, this little maid, were too lazy and didn't even see Second Master bring this message?"

  That little girl "thud" knelt on the ground, and a thin layer of dust was stirred up on the thick carpet. "Old lady Mingjian, I don't dare to lie." As she said that, she took her hands away from her face, and everyone gasped. Half of her face was swollen high, with bloodstains at the corner of her mouth, looking very frightening.

  "This..." Bai Yu hesitated for a moment, then comforted Fu Mu, who had a gloomy face: "Perhaps the second master is still in a bad mood and didn't hear clearly what the little girl said. Otherwise, I'll send someone to call the second master over again?"

  Fu's mother was panting heavily, and Bai Yu hastily came forward to help her catch her breath. He also tried to comfort her, saying: "There's no such thing as a grudge between mother and son that can't be resolved overnight. You've always been so loving towards Second Master, and even if he's angry with you now, he'll come around soon."

  Bai Lian's words were like adding fuel to the fire for Fu Mu, and she was still not satisfied with the intensity of Fu Mu's anger. At this time, Du Juan brought over the brewed medicine and whispered: "The imperial physician said you are fine. Drinking three doses of medicine will calm your mind."

  Bai Lian took over the medicine bowl and before she could feed Fu Mu, Fu Mu waved her hand and slapped Bai Lian's wrist.

  Her hand slipped and the medicine bowl fell to the ground, with some of the scalding medicine spilling onto the floor and some splashing onto Bai Yue's body. Fortunately, it was winter and she was wearing thick clothes. Even so, Bai Yue's arm turned red in one area.

  The white egret also couldn't bear the pain, kneeling on the ground and bitterly advising: "It's all because the slaves were not careful and didn't hold it steady. The slave will let someone refill a bowl for you again. Even if you are angry, you shouldn't hurt your own body. Otherwise, the master would blame the slaves for not serving you wholeheartedly."

  The cuckoo silently cleaned up the broken medicine bowl, heard the egret's words and raised her head to glance at her before lowering it again. After serving the old lady for so long, how could she not understand the old lady's temperament? Why did the egret have to suffer unnecessarily?

  Lü Huì heard some inside information from Du Juan, turned around and returned to the main courtyard to tell Sū Yǐng. Sū Yǐng raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, it turned out that Fù Mǔ had taken action to deal with Fù Xīyáng's concubine, but somehow Fù Xīyáng found out, and in a fit of rage, he clashed with Fù Mǔ for the sake of his concubine, leaving her stunned.

  What wonderful news!

  But it's been over a month since Fu Mu found out that Fu Xueyang had a mistress outside, and according to her temperament, she should have taken action early on. Otherwise, she wouldn't have waited until now, and even let Fu Xueyang find out, which is really not right?

  Fu Mu fell ill, and such a thing was not hidden from Fu Ye Yang. When he returned to the mansion, he didn't need Su Ying to mention it to him; he already knew. As soon as he heard, he furrowed his brow first, and on his way to the main courtyard, he turned around and headed towards the upper house instead. Since Fu Mu was not pleased to see him, she had Du Juan come out to respond, saying that she feared passing her illness to him.

  Fu Yiyang's eyebrows furrowed, and he stood up straight: "Mother, take care of yourself, I'll be leaving first." As soon as he walked out the door, he saw a servant whispering in Yongping's ear, and frowned at him sideways: "What are you whispering about?"

  That little fellow's head shrank, and he turned down his eyes and replied: "The second master sent someone to buy a good nanmu coffin, and rode his horse straight out of the house."

  Fu Xueyang had infuriated his mother, and Fu Yeyang was also aware of it. Before he could even process what happened, Fu Xueyang did something outrageous - he bought a coffin! It wasn't long before he connected the dots between Fu Xueyang's actions and the reason why their mother fainted. Fu Yeyang furrowed his brow, forming a "川" shape, and strode towards the study in front of him. His footsteps rustled the Buddhist prayer beads on his cloak, and his voice carried a chill: "Have someone follow him."

  Let's see what kind of nonsense he can come up with this time!

  Fu Yiyang had nothing but disdain for his younger brother Fu Xiyang, and with their mother's obvious favoritism, she even wanted to give Fu Xiyang the title that should have gone to him as the eldest son. How could Fu Yiyang not have any resentment? He looked down on Fu Xiyang in his heart, but after all, they were still brothers. Even if Fu Yiyang was dissatisfied, when something happened to Fu Xiyang, he would still be the one to clean up the mess.

  Fu Yiyang was implicated, but he didn't complain much. Instead, in the eyes of Fu Mu and Fu Xueyang, he seemed to be making an effort for nothing, being a good person in vain.

  Fu Yiyang was originally in a good mood because of the birth of his twin sons, but when he learned about Fu Xiyang's misdeeds, his anger reached its peak. Without saying another word, he kicked over his chair and squeezed out a sentence from between his teeth: "Scoundrel!"

  At this time, he could still maintain a few points of rationality, suppressing the anger in his chest and getting up from the desk to go out. This matter had to be settled, and Yongping quickly wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead and chased after him.

  Fu Xueyang was tied up and brought back by Fu Yeyang, and the white clothes on Fu Xueyang's body were used to blindfold Fu Yeyang. Seeing that Fu Xueyang still looked unrepentant, Fu Yeyang was furious but laughed instead: "You're really great, keeping a mistress, making a big show of holding a memorial service for her, and the classics you've read for over a decade have all been wasted!"

  Fu Xiyang's face turned red with rage, his self-esteem always inflated when he was with Fu Yiyang. "Can't compare to big brother's abilities, everyone in the mansion listens to you, even a servant dares to bully me, and still won't let me go!"

  The slaves below shrank their heads, they didn't want to be the fish in the pond who suffered, let alone the master of the house was originally the big master, so Fu Xueyang shouted loudly and no one dared to go up and untie him.

  Fu Yiyang pursed his lips. Without saying a word, the majestic and unmatched aura made Fu Xiyang feel extremely uncomfortable, his face flushing red as he let out a loud cry: "I'm like this now, isn't it just what big brother wanted? After more than ten years of studying the classics, I still can't take part in the imperial examination. This is completely useless! In the future, I won't be in big brother's way anymore! We're both sons of Father, why did you inherit the title and become a marquis while I got nothing? Don't you think you're the eldest son?"

  "Now that you've become the Marquis, what's the big deal? Mother will still be even more displeased with you!" Fu Xueyang noticed Fu Yeyang's face turning cold and felt a surge of delight in his heart. He spoke without thinking, "If it weren't for your good fortune in having a son, who knows which branch this title would have fallen to later on? Just wait and see how far your arrogance will take you!"

  "You scoundrel! What are you talking about!" Fu Mu, supported by Du Juan, hastily opened her mouth to reprimand Fu Xueyang, lest he say something even more outrageous. But little did she know that Fu Xueyang was no longer the obedient and clever young son he once was. Seeing the anger on his mother's face, his eyes suddenly turned red.

  "I'm a scoundrel. But I never thought that my mother would be so ruthless as to harm Yinniang, taking two lives with one blow! The doctor said she was two months pregnant, and that's your own grandson, all gone for nothing. Now I can't even give her a decent funeral. I'm just a scoundrel!"

  Fu Xueyang's heart was deeply grieved, and he saw that his mother was so angry that she couldn't speak. He thought she was just being stubborn, which made him even more uncomfortable. With a belly full of pent-up anger, he blurted out: "They say a tiger doesn't eat its own son, but it seems like you're trying to drive your own son to death! If that's the case, why bother with all this? Just say so directly and I'll hang myself with a hemp rope!"

  "Big brother, you'd better take good care of your son, or else one day he'll be gone and you won't even have a place to cry!"

  Fu Mu's whole body was shaking with rage, and she cursed: "You ungrateful thing, you're getting more and more rebellious!" Although Fu Mu was scolding Fu Xueyang, she also paid attention to Fu Yeyang's expression, seeing his face becoming increasingly cold and stern. Her heart racing, she leaned back against the headboard, and her blood rushing up, she fainted again.

  Under the sudden attack, Du Juan pulled Fu Mu's arm but couldn't move her. Fortunately, Bai Yu was quick to support her from below, otherwise, Fu Mu would have fallen to the ground and hit a hole in her head. However, she still couldn't avoid bumping her forehead, breaking the skin, and bleeding.

  For a time, it was chaotic with soldiers and horses running wildly everywhere.

  Something big happened in the mansion, but when the news got back to Su Ying, it was only said that Second Master had fainted again after being angered by Mrs. Fu, and nothing else was clear.

  After things were settled, the sky had already darkened. Fu Yeyang came out of the upper house with a gloomy and unclear expression. He felt heavy-hearted and suppressed. Yongping followed behind him, carrying a lantern and asked: "Master, where are you going?"

  "Let's take a walk in the garden." Fu Yeyang took a deep breath and walked towards the garden, Yongping had thought that Master was going to the main courtyard, but he didn't dare say anything, just followed behind. Along the way, the garden was quiet and still, the cold wind whistled, blowing against something, making a rustling sound, which was eerie.

  Fu Yiyang stayed in the garden for half a time, pulled his Buddhist robe, raised his hand to rub his eyebrows, and let out a sigh: "Go to the main courtyard."

  Fu Yiyang entered the main courtyard with a heart full of fatigue, and saw that the lights in the main house were still on. For some reason, he felt a warmth in his heart. Just as he took two steps forward, someone suddenly rushed out, and it was a lively little maid. Yongping's heart skipped a beat, and the glass lamp in his hand didn't shine in that direction anymore. He scolded loudly, but unexpectedly, the person blocking his way seemed to be intentionally moving towards the light.

  Yongping took a closer look, and isn't this the maid who tried to get close to Master during Madame's childbirth? She still looks like she just got dressed up, but it's freezing cold outside and she's wearing thin clothes. Her waist is as slender as a willow branch, and the wind blowing by carries the scent of her perfume, so strong that it's suffocating. Yongping restrained himself from letting out a sneeze.

  Yongping was confused, he had already hinted to Luyi that this girl was not easy to mess with, how could she still come out and cause trouble? Before he could figure it out, Fu Yeyang's voice, which could freeze three feet of ice, came over: "Despicable thing!"

  That girl heard her shoulders shaking, tears seemed to flow in her eyes, the lanterns were particularly moving, looking at Fu Yeyang with a pleading expression: "The slave is just on duty, seeing the lights and wanting to avoid them." Yongping was contemptuous, opening his eyes to speak nonsense, really shameless, daring to use such tricks, still in the main courtyard, isn't this slapping Madam's face? Master now values Madam and the two young masters the most!

  Fu Yiyang's face was as cold as ice water, he took two steps and suddenly stopped, Yongping's heart skipped a beat, this is...

  Fu Yiyang turned around and swept his gaze over him, his voice cold and stern: "Dispose of him." After finishing speaking, he flung his sleeve and left. Shameless and despicable, daring to do such a vile and treacherous thing! Fu Yiyang's first thought was hatred, followed by consideration for Su Ying. The one serving under her actually had such a hidden traitor, when she found out, she would definitely be unhappy, so he took care of it for her, sparing her the trouble of being annoyed.

  After the commotion, all the people on duty in the main courtyard looked over this way. Seeing the thin and weak maid being gagged by the woman, they thought back to Fu Yiyang's scolding earlier and looked at the gagged maid with a strange expression.

  Yongping ordered the old woman to drag the girl out, covering her mouth. He couldn't help but think to himself, wondering if Madam had known all along that this girl would cause trouble and had deliberately let it happen in order to get Master to take action, using this as an opportunity to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys?

  If it's really like that, then Madam's move is truly brilliant.

  Fu Yiyang entered the delivery room, waved his hand to let Bai Zhi, who was keeping watch at night, go down, sat on the bedside and stroked Su Ying's cheek with the back of his hand. He then went to take a look at their two sons, who were full and sleeping soundly, held their small hands, and felt that soft touch which instantly warmed his heart. His sons would surely grow up safely.

  Fu Yiyang suddenly remembered that child who had nothing to do with him. Was heaven compensating the couple, sending them two sons in one pregnancy?

  Fu Yiyang pursed his lips tightly, his thin lips forming a straight line. The wet nurses stood guard on one side, trembling with fear, and only let out a slow breath after Fu Yiyang left.

  Fu Yiyang went to see Su Ying again, and Su Ying was drowsy with half-closed eyes. When she saw Fu Yiyang's face, she reflexively revealed a smile: "You're back?" She propped herself up with her hands and sat up straight. "Originally, I had Fu'er and Lu'er waiting for you to come back here, but since you didn't arrive after waiting left and right, I let the wet nurses take them back to sleep. What time is it now? Are you hungry? There's still warm porridge on the stove; do you want a bowl?"

  Fu Yiyang hadn't had time to speak when Su Ying threw out this string of words, and such caring words just soothed Fu Yiyang's heart that was chilled and frozen. His complexion finally eased a bit, and he sat down on the edge of the bed, holding her in his arms. "It was I who forgot to send someone to inform you, I've already seen Fuer and Luer."

  Su Ying leaned against Fu Yeyang's chest, thinking that she had been hit again. She opened her mouth to ask: "Has the old lady recovered? I only heard that she fainted." Immediately, she felt Fu Yeyang's body stiffen. She thought to herself, "As expected," and moved her body to assume a dependent posture, wrapping her arms around his waist.

  Fu Yiyang's heart wasn't particularly bitter, he just thought that maybe he had gotten used to it and was numb, so he rubbed Su Ying's head with his chin and said: "It's all right now, you just focus on taking care of your body, don't fall ill again."

  Su Ying changed to a more relaxed tone and said with a smile: "Fuwa and Lu'er opened their eyes today, big and bright, staring at me, my heart is melting."

  Fu Yiyang's nose turned sour as he held Su Ying's hand tightly, almost pressing her into his chest. Su Ying was taken aback, but still reached out to pat his back gently. After a while, Fu Yiyang finally spoke in a hoarse voice: "Our son will surely make something of himself in the future, I must give him a good name."

  Is there any direct connection between these two sentences? Su Ying muttered in her heart, but she also felt the sourness revealed by Fu Yiyang. He wouldn't have red eyes, would he? Su Ying pursed her lips and leaned closer to him, with a few playful words: "That's right, doesn't he see who gave birth to him?"

  Fu Yiyang felt a little relieved, his hand stroking her long hair: "I didn't do much here, huh?" He shouldn't be too greedy now that he had a healthy son who would surely grow up safely under their care.

  ps：

  Happy Dragon Boat Festival