Chapter 62: Leniency and Severity Used in Combination

  Fu Yiyang raised his eyes and looked at Su Ying, shaking the pink silk fan in her hand: "Why are you using this in April?"

  "I don't know if it's just me, but the weather seems to be getting hotter and hotter. I couldn't bear the heat, and I was thinking of putting a bamboo mat on my bed, but I completely forgot." Su Ying fanned herself a few times and said: "Earlier, Elder Sister came and said that our house has good glass windows. I was going to ask you if your study also had them replaced, is it more convenient for handling official business?"

  Fu Yiyang casually pulled out a book from the kang table, nodding his head and saying, "It's better than usual." He flipped through a few pages, "Why are you reading these magazines?"

  Su Ying pursed the corners of her mouth: "Originally, it was among the dowry, but today I rummaged through the warehouse and found it, so let's take a look. There's also some interest inside."

  Fu Yiyang didn't think much of it, the Su family was a scholarly family, and it wasn't unreasonable for the young lady's family to look at this. She picked up her teacup and took a sip: "Tomorrow, I'll send someone to find some books to read, and see how they spend their time." Then she picked up the book again, enthusiastically staring at the thoughts written on it in passing, "Your handwriting has deteriorated."

  Su Ying's eyebrows slightly raised, and she seemed to unintentionally lean towards Fu Yeyang, "How do I put it?"

  Under the lamp, her eyes were like specks of ink, shining brightly when looking at people. Fu Yeyang felt comfortable staying with his wife and only after spending some time together did he realize that he had previously understood very little about her. Even if they couldn't do what they wanted to now, after that one time, wasn't it just finding the benefits of being husband and wife? Other women wouldn't dare to mess around with him like that.

  The usual tricks he had been using already made Fu Yeyang feel extraordinary, the usually self-proclaimed serious old man would not have so many tricks in bed, slowly and softly bringing out his instincts, the two people on the bed were getting more and more compatible.

  The atmosphere under the bed has gradually disappeared, and the original courtesy has become more intimate, let alone having children now, even just talking feels relaxed and comfortable.

  The excitement arrived, and Fu Yiyang immediately let Lu Hui take over the paper and pen, letting Su Ying write a few words to compare with before. He commented excitedly: "Although the brushwork is more elegant than before, it lacks a bit of spirit, but it's still very good."

  Su Ying raised her eyes and looked at Fu Yeyang with a smile that was not quite a smile. Fu Yeyang's hand rested on her shoulder: "Do you think my evaluation is not objective enough?"

  "Old man, are you comparing my words with someone else's?" Su Ying turned her body around, but instead of leaving Fu Ye's embrace, she buried her face in his shoulder. This was being overly sentimental, but it just so happened to be what Fu Ye liked. Originally, Su Ying had been lightly leaning against him, but now she was actively throwing herself into his arms.

  Fu Yiyang was taken aback, and pondered for a moment. Why did his words carry a hint of sourness? His hand casually slid down along the shoulder blade to the waist, where he pinched him. "How come I smell a sour taste? You must be a young punk who loves eating vinegar."

  Her mouth corners curled up slightly, and even though she was glaring at him, her eyes were shining brightly, without any intimidating power. He couldn't help but curve his own mouth upwards, lean in to gently peck her, and lightly rub the earlobe that had turned crimson with his fingertips, "I didn't know I'd married a little vinegar jar."

  Su Ying hummed a soft voice but was blocked by him.

  This time, Su Ying didn't need to explore carefully. The old man, who had experience before, automatically took her hand and went downstairs, sometimes heavily, sometimes lightly, with those soft hands searching around. The two of them couldn't let the people below discover that they were secretly communicating in this way, their hearts filled with a few unknown tensions and excitement, exchanging a glance, their lips automatically stuck together, blocking each other's voices.

  Su Ying said she couldn't stand the heat, and it was true. The two of them snuggled in the quilt for a while, and she was soon drenched in sweat, but not that sticky kind, just the kind that made her heart flutter. Fu Ye Yang got out of bed a bit clumsily and brought over a towel to wipe away her sweat, "Indeed, you can't stand the heat."

  Su Ying gave him a sideways glance, twisted his chest, and lay down to cover her face with the quilt, but she glared at him again while biting her lip, completely ignoring him, looking very spoiled.

  Fu Yiyang was getting more and more fond of her, the more she ignored him, the more he wanted to get close to her. Su Ying struggled a couple of times: "It's hot."

  The next day, Fu Yiyang had a set of ivory pillows and mats sent over, saying that these were better than bamboo ones. Gu Yini was delighted and immediately instructed Lu Hui and the others to replace them.

  Su Ying took the silk fan with the lotus flower pattern from Fu Rong and covered her face, while Gui's mother and others thought that Fu Yao valued her and the child in her belly, but they didn't know what was really going on... That person was indeed a stubborn and unreasonable one.

  Minty burst in: "That pomegranate has turned into a green skin!" After finishing, she laughed and flapped her arms, Aloe gave her a white eye, "What's making you so happy?"

  "What else can I do, isn't it just to see the old master off? The old master scolded me severely." Mint said with a smile, and willow mother-in-law was so embarrassed that she didn't dare to come out.

  "Let the aunt who taught her discipline take her back and re-teach her, she must be taught well before coming back to serve." Liu Niang was after all a nominal aunt with a title, and Su Ying didn't dare move her, but that didn't mean others couldn't.

  Since Su Ying became pregnant, she should have been resting and taking care of her body, but instead, she was frequently called to the main room by Madam Fu. What kind of idea did Madam Fu come up with that Su Ying couldn't understand? In the previous few instances, Madam Fu hadn't found an opportunity, and Su Ying had gone to lay traps for Madam Chen and Third Lady. This time, when she was called over, she saw Madam Fu sitting upright in the main seat, while Madam Chen and Third Lady had already arrived. Those who didn't know would have thought it was a trial of some sort.

  Looking at Su Ying being supported by the maid and sitting on a chair, her face was rosy and radiant, not showing any signs of pregnancy. Fu Mu raised an eyebrow, "Now that you're pregnant, you should take good care of yourself and focus on nourishing the fetus. Don't be like those shallow women who only care about competing for men's attention and neglect important matters, or you'll have regrets later."

  It's not necessary to be so obvious with veiled criticism.

  Su Ying raised the corner of her mouth and exchanged a few words with Fu Mu, "Even if Old Lady didn't remind me, I still care about this long-awaited child. Not to mention anything else, just the medicinal dishes that Medicine Mother painstakingly prepared for pregnant women, which I eat every day, and the Guanyin statue that Master brought back from Yunruo Temple, which I worship daily, all in hopes of the child's safe and smooth arrival."

  Fu's mother saw Su Ying clearly playing Tai Chi with her, and she started to get angry. But when Su Ying mentioned the medicine, Fu's mother's heart skipped a beat. She immediately lost her temper: "You're pregnant and can't serve your husband's family, you mustn't inconvenience the old master. I think Wei Shi's confinement should be lifted too. Although she has a bit of a temper, she serves your husband well, and he favors her more than you do. After all, she is also an older servant who has served your husband for a long time, and she is also the aunt of the eldest daughter. She must be more to the old master's liking than newcomers. Let her help you, it will save you a lot of effort."

  Isn't it strange that Madam Fu seems to have forgiven Wei's wife for her offense? Su Ying got the wrong point.

  Fu's mother's words sounded like concern, but every sentence was actually piercing her heart. Pregnant women are most afraid of emotional ups and downs, let alone when she is still in the early stages of pregnancy. If these words were spoken to someone else, they might even be stimulated into having a miscarriage.

  Su Ying was unmoved by the eight winds, and if she didn't follow Fu Mu's words to interpret them, it would be a waste of Fu Mu's thoughts.

  "The old lady wasn't clear about the reason for Wei's house arrest. Originally, this was a family scandal that shouldn't be spread outside. Moreover, you were busy with arranging a marriage for the second master, so there was no need to bother you with such a troublesome matter."

  The third wife's face turned bright red, and Madame Chen deliberately looked for a laugh. Without waiting for Fu Mu to ask the reason, she quickly said: "How did Wei Shi offend you so much that you found an excuse to suppress her?"

  Su Ying smiled magnanimously, "Younger brother and sister, this is really interesting. Wei Shi is just a concubine born of a servant girl. Originally, I only promoted her to be a maternal aunt because she had given birth to children with merit. As the legitimate wife of the first-rank marquis, I shouldn't be on an equal footing with her. If it were truly like you think, wouldn't that be too humiliating? It would also make all the other wives laugh at me."

  Now it's Su Ying's turn to poke Fu Mu's lung tube. Originally, what made Fu Mu most self-satisfied was that her imperial edict rank was first-class, and what she least wanted people to mention was that her imperial edict had been downgraded. Now, in this marquis' residence, the imperial edict rank has become the highest for her daughter-in-law, whom she always looked down on.

  Su Ying said. Fu Mu was furious in her heart, this eldest daughter-in-law is a dead fish eye, daring to come and block her heart in front of her proper mother-in-law, it seems that she needs to be taught what respect for elders is, what are the three obediences and four virtues! "Since Wei Shi can't be used anymore. I think there are too few people serving in front of the old master, as the legitimate wife should take the initiative to introduce new people."

  Mrs. Chen was particularly pleased with the misfortune, and she pressed her handkerchief against the corner of her mouth: "Sister-in-law must not get angry, the child in her belly is important, I think the old lady is also for your own good, allowing you to take the initiative to accept a new person, unlike me..."

  Su Ying really admired Chen's wife's indiscriminate attack, Third Aunt was about to cry, and indeed Third Aunt fainted.

  A commotion broke out upstairs with chickens flying and dogs jumping, Su Ying rolled her eyes, but had no idea how much longer she could keep the news of Third Madam's pregnancy a secret.

  Su Ying didn't take Fu Mu's words to heart from the very beginning. Instead, there was a second-class maid in her courtyard who was eager to move and thought of an opportunity to show up in front of Fu Yiyang. However, Su Ying's several senior maids were not vegetarians, and with one hand and one foot, they could knock down that emerging beam, so it didn't need Su Ying to worry about it at all.

  "Someone from the Chen family came to pay their respects, this is a congratulatory gift for the madam." Lu Hui's voice couldn't hide his displeasure, it had been many days since then, and only now were they sending a gift.

  "Since they've sent it over, there's no reason to return it." Su Ying accepted it without hesitation and casually asked, "Who are the people who came?"

  "Chen family's second aunt and Chen family's second daughter."

  What a novel combination, isn't Chen Jia's second daughter that same fellow villager Chen Wanqiu? She came to the Hou Mansion, could it be that she wants to find out the transmigrated woman who was left in the second house and then act out a scene of "fellow villagers meet, eyes brimming with tears"?

  Looking back at the time in Yunruo Temple, Chen Wanqiu and that new concubine of Zhongrui Wangye didn't seem so affectionate either, they looked like they couldn't stand each other. Afterwards, Chen Wanqiu even disguised herself as a man to show off her presence in front of Zhongrui Wangye and the Emperor, she was quite busy.

  As for Chen Wanqiu, she wandered around the second house and didn't notice anything unusual. But that poem was clearly not from this world. Originally, she thought it was written by Fu Xueyang's wife or concubine, but now she wasn't sure anymore.

  Thinking of Qing Wan, Chen Wanqiu disdainfully curled her lips. She hated women like Qing Wan who pretended to be weak and pitiful, but were actually black-hearted. She had lost out because of this before, and if she didn't think Qing Wan still had some use value, she wouldn't bother to put on a false front with her.

  "Let's go and pay our respects to Eldest Sister-in-law." Chen Wanqiu had understood that this lady was not to be underestimated since she learned that Fu Mu had been demoted in rank by an edict from the Empress Dowager. She had been harboring the intention of getting along with her. The Yongwu Marquis's household was much more powerful than the Chen household, and the Yongwu Marquis held real power and was a trusted minister of the Emperor, so winning him over would be a great help to her.

  That's right, Chen Wanqiu's goal is to enter the palace through next year's selection, and she has been planning since she crossed over. Chen Wanning is just a stumbling block for her. Even if Chen Wanning hadn't been designed by Fu Yuexiang in the Fu Mansion and had to marry Fu Yuexiang, Chen Wanqiu would still have a way to make her unable to participate in the selection.

  Now Chen Wanqiu has slowly gained the favor of Chen's father and is getting more and more attention from him, but these advantages are not enough for Chen Wanqiu. Although she thinks herself to be exceptionally excellent, who would refuse extra help?

  "Miss, isn't this a bit...?" Her maid hesitated.

  Chen Wanqiu gave her a slanted glance. If it weren't for the fact that this maid had been loyal and diligent, serving by Chen Sangu's side since childhood, she would have replaced her long ago. She had wanted to change to a more clever maid for a long time.

  But on the surface, Chen Wanqiu still had a gentle and considerate expression. She explained in a soft voice: "No matter what, Eldest Sister-in-law is the mistress of the Hou estate, the legitimate hostess, it's reasonable for us to go pay our respects, this way we'll also be fulfilling the proprieties. Besides, Eldest Sister-in-law is pregnant, going to congratulate her in person will show our sincerity."

  Chen Wanqiu came over when Su Ying was telling Lu Wei that she wanted to go to the pavilion by the water to enjoy the view. The pavilion had also been fitted with glass, half of which was built on top of the emerald lake, surrounded by lush vegetation. It wasn't a good idea to stay cooped up in the house all the time.

  As soon as Chen Wanqiu came over, Su Ying raised an eyebrow, what's going on now?

  As soon as Chen Wanqiu entered the house, she felt cooler than outside. The first thing she noticed was not anything else, but the wooden carved window frames with pieces of glass inlaid on them. She naturally knew that they were products from her own store, and the price was naturally not cheap. It seemed that even Fu Mu's house didn't have such decorations. Looking at this, it was likely that this lady had benefited greatly from the previous incident and had truly become the mistress of the house.

  Su Ying sat on the ivory cushion, her summer clothes had already been changed, Zi Su adjusted the flower honey sauce and brought it up, Su Ying held the carved silver spoon and took a sip, even if it was hot, she couldn't use ice directly, only using iced water to bring out the refreshing sweetness.

  Chen Wanqiu was led in, and Su Ying took a glance at her and felt that she was different from the weak appearance she had shown when she came to Fu Mansion before. She wore a white-based dress with red jade orchid buds embroidered on it, and a long red skirt with black jade orchid clusters embroidered on it, the fabric soft as smoke.

  Her transparent skin seemed to be glowing in the sunlight, and if she wasn't mistaken, Chen Wanqiu had also drawn eyeliner and applied some kind of eye shadow that made her look different from others.

  Don't you think it's changed too much?

  Su Ying was looking at Chen Wanqiu, and Chen Wanqiu was also looking at Su Ying, from the jade hairpin on her head to the emerald cuff on her wrist, as well as the luxurious ivory pillow on the couch. The bright red lychee color she wore made her look particularly radiant, not showing any signs of pregnancy at all. At first glance, it seemed like she was being pampered by her husband. However, thinking that even pregnant wives here had to take the initiative to let their husbands take concubines, Chen Wanqiu's admiration turned into sympathy.

  Also seeing pity, Su Ying scooped up another mouthful and sent it into her mouth, slightly lowering her eyelids to cover the fleeting chill in her eyes. Chen Wanqiu originally had little connection with her, and they were all about not interfering with each other's business. However, Chen Wanqiu repeatedly showed her a pitying attitude, self-righteously making Su Ying feel stifled.

  Last time Chen Wanqiu had a good idea, wanting to borrow this knife to kill someone, and then she could get out of it herself. This point has offended Su Ying's taboo, and now she is actively delivering it to the door, I don't know what idea she has come up with again.

  She really thinks she's the only smart person and everyone else is stupid, just like when she disguised herself as a man. Anyone with discerning eyes can tell that she's actually a girl, but she's still smugly thinking that she hasn't been exposed? And what about her business dealings? With so many people watching, it would be easy to investigate and expose her. There's no need for anyone to take matters into their own hands to deal with someone like her.

  Su Ying's thoughts turned around and she leaned her head towards Chen Wanqiu, nodding slightly with a faint smile: "Sit down, no need to be so formal."

  He also said: "This sweet and sour soup is also given to the second lady in a bowl."

  The two people pretended as if nothing had happened, Su Ying was particularly natural, Chen Wanqiu muttered in her heart, pretending to be so real, thinking in her heart but smiling shyly at Su Ying, "Big sister-in-law is being polite to me, just call me Wanqiu." Not very politely sitting on the stool, the honey-glazed lotus seeds brought by Lu Hui she elegantly ate a few mouthfuls and then stopped eating, "I came to congratulate big sister-in-law, it's my own heart's intention, don't dislike it, big sister-in-law."

  As she spoke, the maid behind her handed over a package. Luhui took it and handed it to Su Ying, who put down the covered bowl in her hand and opened it to reveal several small clothes, with a red belly band on top embroidered with a fairy sitting on a lotus leaf, which looked very festive at first glance.

  In the past, there was Lì Yuè who sent embroidered shoes, now there is Chén Wǎn Qiū who sent a belly warmer. However, this time the footwork is not as good as Lì Yuè's, and I always feel that this embroidery method has a familiar feeling. After taking it over and looking at it from front to back, I suddenly understood, haha, isn't this the common cross-stitch embroidery method of modern times?

  Thinking about it, Chen Wanqiu's time-traveling shouldn't be long, is it really good for such a girl to participate in next year's selection? Su Ying smiled and put down the bellyband, with a smile at the corner of her mouth. "It looks very festive, making you worry, I think this embroidery method is quite fresh, I've never seen it before."

  Chen Wanqiu didn't know what she was thinking, and when she spoke again, she had a somewhat superior tone, "It's something I came up with myself. I thought that the big sister-in-law of the pharmacy wouldn't lack anything, so I wanted to do something personally to show my sincerity. It's not worth much, as long as the big sister-in-law likes it."

  Su Ying covered the ridicule at the bottom of her eyes and said to Lü Hu: "I think it's very festive, so let's put it away properly." After all, it was someone else's intention, and it shouldn't be easy to embroider with ten-character embroidery. "I heard that the people below say that your second aunt has come, is there something important?"

  Chen Wanqiu pondered for a moment, thinking that Su Ying didn't know about Chen Wanqing's pregnancy. It seemed that Fu Mu had kept this matter tightly under wraps. She was indeed aware of the "eldest grandson theory", and this lady was truly pitiful, not knowing whether the child in her belly could be kept safe or not?

  She never expected that some small favors could win Su Ying over, but if she were to save the child in her womb at a critical moment? The Marquis of Yongwu must have been longing for his eldest son for a long time, and when the time comes, he will definitely be grateful to her, Chen Wanqiu thought so and felt complacent.

  The dissatisfaction in her heart about Su Ying's gift earlier also dissipated, and she casually brought it up: "Third sister is newly married, it's inevitable to miss home, and it seems like her body isn't feeling well either. When I went to visit her, she was vomiting a bit, I don't know if she ate something bad or caught a chill."

  She looked up to see Su Ying with a thoughtful face, pursed her lips and sighed: "Eldest sister-in-law, you also know that last time, Third Sister took out her anger on me, and until now she hasn't given me a good face. I don't want to stay in her room anymore, lest I provoke her bad mood again."

  As soon as she thought of Mrs. Dai's "I'm all for your own good" suggestion to her father, Chen, that she should stay at home and learn etiquette and participate in the selection next year, but secretly deducting her monthly allowance and making her do needlework with an ugly face, Chen Wanqiu felt a wave of nausea. She eagerly looked forward to seeing Mrs. Dai pay her respects when she became the mistress of the harem.

  As for Chen Wan Ning, she's having a child so early on and it's with her first cousin, isn't she afraid that the baby will be born deformed? She won't let anyone who dares to harm her off scot-free. For now, just let them enjoy their moment of triumph for a few more days.

  Su Ying saw Chen Wanqiu's expression change from anger to schadenfreude and then to complacency, but her smile remained unchanged. She pretended not to see the change in Chen Wanqiu's expression, saying "Big sister-in-law, you also know" was just a reminder that she had something on her, but this handle was mutual, let alone Chen Wanqiu didn't have any evidence.

  Su Ying lowered her eyelids, and when she raised them again, her tone was as soft as before. She smiled at Chen Wanqiu, her face almost stiff from the effort, "You came to see me, that little dress is also made by Mo Gongfu, I appreciate your kind intentions."

  Chen Wanqiu was first stunned by her words, and when she realized what they meant, she thought that this lady was quite straightforward.