Misfortune turns into blessing

  Mint had been following Su Ying for a long time, and she didn't have many scruples when speaking. This time, Liu Yiniang served Fu Mu with all her heart, and everyone saw it in their eyes. In their hearts, they didn't think that Liu Yiniang was doing it for show, but rather to curry favor with the old lady. They didn't know that the old lady and the madam had never gotten along, and seeing that she hadn't gained any benefits from this, but instead fell ill, Mint and the others were almost clapping their hands in celebration.

  Mint's words are not bad, Fu Mu is ill, and the younger generation says that going to serve her illness is just a formality. This old lady can't lack people serving her, of course, it's also possible that Fu Mu deliberately grinds against her daughter-in-law on the grounds of being ill - last time she borrowed illness didn't she take the opportunity to scold Su Ying in front of Chen Furen and the maids?

  Fu Mu was really ill this time, and it wasn't until after more than ten days of on-and-off illness that she finally recovered. Liu Yiniang had been serving her medicine by her bedside every day, and as a result, she herself looked haggard.

  Liu Yiniang's little thoughts were clear to Su Ying, who also skipped their greetings. Since they couldn't take other routes and didn't see Fu Yeyang, they made an effort to visit elsewhere. While still in the upper house, they could use Fu Yeyang as an excuse to pay respects and leave a good impression on Master.

  Su Ying had figured out Fu Yeyang's thoughts, and when Fu Yeyang came over, she rounded up the conversation. It wasn't that she, as the legitimate wife, was taking advantage of the concubine, but rather that the other party was too kind-hearted. She did things from start to finish. Now that Madame Fu's illness had improved, Lady Liu had fallen ill instead.

  All done by myself.

  Lying in bed is better than getting out of bed, Su Ying didn't need to ask Liu Niang to complain about her hardships. "Send a branch of the ginseng that was brought last time to Liu Niang," Bo He heard and wasn't very happy, Lu Hui pulled her, and then heard Su Ying say: "It's already the end of the month, she's ill, so let her take good care of herself, don't let her worry about work anymore, just trouble you to take care of it first."

  Since she was able to delegate power in the past, taking back her rights is also a matter of course. Now that she has the upper hand, controlling the inner chamber is also just a matter of course. No one can find fault with her, and if they speak out, they will have to say that she is generous and broad-minded.

  The old lady smiled and agreed.

  Bai Ji handed over the package containing small clothes to Su Ying for inspection, "Sun Auntie has already checked it, and Liyue's needlework skills are naturally good."

  "Old slave thinks that the little girl who followed Linyue has some unusual eyes."

  Bai Zhi thought for a moment and said: "It seems like she's been following Madame Liu around."

  Su Ying's hands were still touching the small clothes that Li Yue had brought, which was indeed Li Yue's needlework. Compared to Chen Wanqiu's unique embroidery skills, this needlework was really fine. She didn't know how to describe Li Yue, who seemed to be trying to curry favor with her as the mistress by bringing her needlework. It seemed like she wanted to make herself look good in front of Su Ying, thinking that since no new concubine had entered the mansion, someone should be promoted to share the favors. As someone from the main courtyard, she was better than others. It looked like she wanted to flatter Su Ying and let her have an easy time sewing so that she could also get some benefits.

  It's not unreasonable to say that. After all, Liyue is from the Zhengyuan Institute. The problem is that Liyue is trying to curry favor with the Zhengyuan Institute on one hand and wants to join forces with Liu Niang on the other, trying to have it both ways. Either way, it makes Su Ying feel disgusted. Without being a diamond, she still wants to have her cake and eat it too, what a beautiful dream.

  "Put it away, and pick out two more pieces of silk for her. It's just a few days after the end of the month, and then it will be Dragon Boat Festival. The nanny also mentioned something to her, but taking care of the current task is the priority."

  Mint turned around and took over the task, following Gui's nanny to the courtyard on the other side to give orders.

  There was a medicinal smell in Liu Niang's house, and Liu Niang's face turned yellow. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief and coughed silently. After hearing the message conveyed by Gui Niangniang, she felt even more bitter, as if the original medicine had been mixed with a large amount of Huanglian, and a bitter taste emerged from her heart.

  She still had to prop herself up and force a smile: "Thank you, madam, for your concern." She also forced herself to make eye contact with the maid, Cui Ping, who was attending her, until Cui Ping escorted Gui Yatou out. Then, Liu Niang leaned back on her pillow, her palms still throbbing from being pinched by fingernails that had broken the skin.

  The pregnant mistress still clings to her husband and won't let go, no family has such rules! If it were in the past when Wei Niang was favored, she could see Master a few times a month. Now that Wei is under house arrest and the eldest daughter has been moved to the main courtyard to be raised, Master treats her as if she doesn't exist. The mistress isn't even giving her a way out!

  On the way back from sending off Old Lady Gui's Cui Ping, she saw Liu Niang's dispirited appearance and advised: "Niang, you should focus on recovering your health first."

  "Where did she go?"

  Cui Ping said with some resentment: "Miss Liyue had previously made several small dresses and sent them to the madam, who asked Baohe sister to send over a few pieces of silk fabric for her to make new clothes. I said she was unreliable, looking at how Mistress originally promoted her, but she herself climbed high and abandoned Mistress."

  "She really thought the lady would lift her up." Madam Liu also knew in her heart that this time she had offended the lady by serving the old lady in the upper house, and it was not impossible for the lady to take advantage of her illness to thoroughly suppress her. But she had a way out, she was getting older and couldn't compare with the young and tender-skinned girls, if she didn't take the opportunity to show her face more often in front of the old master, her days would become even harder.

  But that doesn't mean she can let others step on her to climb up, after all, she is a titled lady-in-waiting and can still control a concubine.

  On the other side, Bao He went to Li Yue's house. In this courtyard, Liu Yiniang lived in the main house, and Li Yue had a side house, which was also very spacious. When Li Yue saw Bao He smiling and entering, she felt uncertain and hurriedly invited Bao He in.

  "I won't go in, the mistress is still waiting for me to chat with her." Luyu also didn't dare to put a silver filigree bangle into Baohe's hand, Baohe pushed it away twice but couldn't push it back so she took it and hid it in her sleeve, laughing and saying "The mistress said let you follow Feixing to do needlework, don't bother doing these things anymore, you don't have to compete with us for these jobs."

  She then took out two pieces of light blue satin, "This is newly obtained, Madam specially brought out two pieces for you to make summer clothes, it's light and suitable." Lihua was a plump type, wearing such light-colored silk would make people think she's even more stout. But Su Ying had said so, Lihua couldn't just leave these two pieces of satin unused, she still had to have them tailored into clothes.

  Lingyue's heart was not visible to Bohe, but Bohe felt that she had even more problems, pretending to be so good. Lingyue pursed her lips, with a face full of obedience: "This is what I should do, it's not worth the mistress rewarding me like this."

  Bao He smiled and said in a crisp tone, "How could it not be so? The mistress has praised your needlework. She also said," Bao He deliberately paused, seeing Li Yue staring over with a handkerchief, she sneered inwardly, "Lately, there have been many things to attend to, the mistress is afraid of making mistakes in handling matters, so she asked Gui Niang to remind you one or two things."

  Mint walked away with a swagger, and when she bumped into Gui, she deliberately took out the silver filigree bangle that Liyue had given her to show off. Although this ornament was not as good as the one Su Ying gave her before, it was almost the same. The key is that it doesn't look bad on her. It's worth savoring that Liyue, a concubine who didn't get favored, could have such an ornament.

  Gu Yan stretched out her finger and gently tapped on Bao He's forehead. "You little girl, is this for saving up your dowry?"

  Mint's face turned red like a tomato, and when she returned to the main courtyard, her face was still flushed. Su Ying found it strange and asked about it. The maids in the room burst out laughing, "This girl is actually shy, truly a rare sight."

  Lü Huai still couldn't resist teasing and making fun of him, while Bō Hé stomped her foot and hid behind the screen.

  She laughed even harder, Su Ying had enough and pinched a strawberry into her mouth. If nothing else, Chen Wanqiu's greenhouse allowed her to eat fresh vegetables and fruits, and Su Ying was grateful for that in her heart.

  At lunchtime, Gui's aunt taught Su Ying the words that Fu Yeyang had ordered in the morning. Su Ying didn't pretend to be polite and smiled and accepted them. She naturally felt that now Fu Yeyang valued the child in her belly more. For the sake of the child, these were what he should do as a father.

  In this regard, Su Ying is still relatively satisfied.

  Su Ying's belly has already started to show, and the joy is coming in a mighty rush. Su Ying had never even gotten married before, let alone become pregnant and have children. The big girl was no longer a baby waiting for milk, with wet nurses taking care of her, and in the main courtyard, there were no servants who dared to be lazy, and normally, Su Ying didn't need to worry too much. But when this kind of thing happened to herself, Su Ying felt that having children wasn't as simple as she thought.

  Su Ying didn't feel it was hard work, the child in her belly was her root. No wonder people used to say that a woman without children in the backyard is like a floating duckweed without roots. Even if Su Ying felt miserable, she endured it.

  When Fu Yiyang came over, Su Ying had just vomited a mess. Lu Hui brought warm water for her to rinse her mouth. Her face was pale, and when she looked up and saw Fu Yiyang coming over, she felt a bit embarrassed: "Why did you come?" She also asked someone to bring water for him to wipe his face.

  Fu Yiyang's face turned stern: "How serious is it? Please call a doctor over to take a look."

  Su Ying said it was a normal pregnancy reaction, but Fu Yiyang insisted on inviting the doctor over. The doctor also said it was very normal and even said that the pulse was steady, which is rare. Later, he even said irresponsible words like "this kind of pulse looks like a boy".

  Su Ying herself understood this aspect of knowledge, naturally knowing that it's only two months now, the fetus hasn't even settled down yet and can already diagnose whether it's a boy or girl. This is really impressive, isn't she here to swindle money for diagnosis?

  It really is, Fu Yiyang was delighted to hear the doctor's ambiguous words and gave him a generous diagnosis fee. The old man stroked his beard and asked Fu Yiyang to write down the taboos for pregnant women, which he did with great willingness.

  Fu Yiyang was in high spirits, and Su Ying wouldn't go pour cold water on him, so she asked him how he came over. Fu Yiyang coughed awkwardly, looking a bit uncomfortable. When it was time to eat, he paid extra attention to her situation. Su Ying raised an eyebrow - this guy didn't come just to have dinner with her, did he?

  As it turned out, Fu Yeyang chatted with Su Ying for a while after dinner, and the two of them were affectionate for a moment. Then Fu Yeyang said he had official business to attend to and went to his study, looking quite carefree from behind.

  Su Ying called over Gui to interrogate her, and Gui repeated what she had said in front of Fu Ye Yang that morning. Su Ying pursed her lips and smiled slightly, then said: "What the doctor said before can't be taken as true, don't spread it around, lest it's not true later and people will laugh at us."

  Madam Gui was delighted in her heart, thinking that the doctor's words made sense, but hearing Su Ying say so also made sense. "We all understand what you mean, madam, but don't blame me for speaking out of turn. Looking at Master's excitement just now, this child is a boy, which would be the best. No matter what happens in the future, your position will be more stable than ever."

  Although Madam Gui's words were not pleasant to hear, Su Ying naturally understood the meaning behind them. In the past, the Su family had been squeezed by Wei Niang so much that they had crawled on top of her head, and although there was a reason for Fu Ye Yang's favoritism towards Wei Niang, on the other hand, it was also because the Su family did not have a solid foundation due to their lack of children. If they had even just one child, even if it were a girl, they would not have allowed Wei Niang to be so arrogant.

  Although they hold the respectable name, their lives are not as carefree as those of a concubine. This has left a deep impression on the minds of Gui and others. Between husband and son, of course, the son is more important. Su Ying did not experience the hardships that the original Su family went through, but she still remembers them. She also thinks about how Wei, who was once so arrogant and favored, was suppressed in a short period after her arrival, although she was secretly manipulating things, the final decision was made by Fu Yao Yang.

  It was he who doted on his concubine and neglected his wife in the past, and now it is also him who ignores Wei Niang and treats her as if she didn't exist. Although Su Ying's heart wavered due to his care and consideration, some things always pop up at critical moments to remind her. Until now, Su Ying has not made a final decision.

  Su Ying had a moment of confusion. She thought she was more knowledgeable and experienced than the women in the backyard. Not being narrow-minded, stuck only in this small courtyard. Moreover, from the beginning, she had made it clear that her attitude was still playing a game, but reality kept making her see clearly where she was.

  The system may have seen more clearly than her earlier. It didn't come out until the crucial moment, almost making Su Ying forget that she had brought this golden finger with her when crossing over.

  Su Ying covered her own belly and felt much better.

  Perilla leaves were brought up with dried tangerine peel and sour plum tea, Su Ying took it over and drank slowly, Mint Black faced and called out to Gui Yatou, "The old master was blocked by the girl from going to Liu Niang's house."

  They were resentful in their hearts but didn't dare say more in front of Su Ying, fearing it would stimulate her and be bad for the fetus. Bao He spat towards that courtyard: "Look at how sick she's become, yet she still won't calm down?"

  Su Ying stroked the slippery rim of the cup. Lu Hui said, "Madam, do you want someone to go and ask? The maid in front of her actually dared to intercept Master going over to take a look, probably because Lady Liu is really seriously ill. Besides, Lady Liu has been cooped up for several days, looking haggard, so it's also considerate of Master to go over and see her after she took care of Old Madam for so many days."

  Lu Xiang was the most clever of Su Ying's four senior maids, and she quickly found a pretext to scold Liu Niang. She also comforted Su Ying, but whether Su Ying needed this comfort is another matter.

  Su Ying nodded towards Lu Xi.

  Fu Yiyang, Old Master Fu's side of the story is like this: he really intended to return to his study after coming out of the main courtyard, but halfway there a maid suddenly knelt down and said: "Our family's madam has been worrying about you and the old lady, her illness is very serious, please go take a look."

  When these words came out, Fu Yiyang was stunned for a moment. He pursed his lips and glanced at the open door. The old woman who guarded the door shivered with cold sweat in her heart, regretting that she shouldn't have opened the door for a silver bangle if she had known this girl would say such things.

  Kneeling down, the maid's forehead was sweating profusely as she gritted her teeth and said: "Please, Master, go take a look at our mistress. Our mistress may not have any merits, but she has suffered hardships. Please, Master, just take a glance, I beg of you!"

  Fu Yiyang's face sank, and he glanced at the kneeling maid: "You unruly maid!" He didn't stop and was about to move forward, but after taking two steps, he stopped and turned back. The little servant following him also hastily urged the still-kneeling maid: "What are you still kneeling for? Hurry up and lead the way ahead."

  That girl was also stunned, and she quickly got up and didn't dare to tidy up, still saying: "Our aunt has been looking forward to the old master coming every day, this time finally..." She was scared shut before she could finish speaking, and shrank her body.

  There was a young girl who had already informed the big girl, Cuiping, in Madame Liu's house. However, Cuiping was puzzled and thought to herself that it must be someone else, as Master Fu coming to visit her aunt would be a great joy. Madame Liu had taken some medicine and was now fast asleep due to its effects. Cuiping called out several times but couldn't wake her up, so she waited with a dejected face for Master Fu's arrival, intending to apologize: "My aunt fell asleep half an hour ago after taking medicine and cannot get up to greet you, sir. Please forgive us."

  The smell of medicine in the house was very strong, and Fu Yeyang's eyebrows furrowed. He went to take a look at his maid, who had already curled up into a ball, and scolded her in a low voice: "What an unruly maid, keeping you is useless." If it were according to Fu Yeyang's usual rules, he would have dragged the person out and beaten them. Earlier, when Shi Liu was peeking outside, she had been caught by Fu Yeyang and scolded, which also made Liu Niang lose face. Now that another maid had betrayed her master, Fu Yeyang coldly scolded her, but didn't have the mood to go inside and take a look at Liu Niang. He turned around and left.

  Cui Ping was also frightened, and when she looked at the little girl crying and begging for mercy, she realized that this was just a servant girl from their own household. She rushed over and slapped the servant girl twice, gritting her teeth to ask: "Where did you work?"

  Xiao Yatou didn't say a word, and Cui Ping was so angry that she wanted to skin her alive. When the people from Zhengyuan came over to ask questions, Cui Ping didn't hide anything at all and told them everything. Now that things have come to this point, they still had to beg Madam to take charge of their aunt's affairs.

  As soon as they entered the Zhengyuan, Baohe began to gloat, but because Gu Yehou had warned her not to go too far: "Master is in a great rage, and it seems that servant girl was not serving under Madame Liu." It was truly a false alarm, and from now on, regardless of whether that servant girl was really serving under Madame Liu or not, Master's impression of the people in that courtyard would be even worse. In the future, they wouldn't dare to stick their heads out of the courtyard again.

  "Look into that girl's situation, this kind of thing can't be tolerated." Su Ying put down the tea cup she was holding, which had already gone cold. She propped up her forehead and yawned, while Lu Hui helped her spread out her hair and smiled with pursed lips: "What do you think about this matter, madam?"

  "We must give Madam Liu an explanation." No matter who the maid was instructed by, her purpose was to tarnish Madam Liu's reputation in front of Fu Yeyang. Madam Liu, as Fu Yeyang's concubine with a legitimate status, couldn't be humiliated by a mere servant girl.

  Su Ying thought for a moment and said, "Let's wait until Madam Liu wakes up tomorrow and let her handle this matter herself." Earlier, the pomegranate that Madam Liu had been using was pinched by Su Ying in the wrong place, and she was scolded and chased out of the courtyard without being beaten. It wasn't easy for her to come back, just like cutting off one of Madam Liu's arms. However, Madam Liu was a native of the Hou Mansion and had been rooted there for many years. After becoming Fu Yeyang's concubine, although she didn't receive as much favor as Wei Niangniang, she still managed to become a niang without any achievements. If she didn't have some tricks up her sleeve, those little maids and their masters would be in for a tough time in the days to come.

  But it's also good this way, after all we have to find them something to do, otherwise they'll be idle every day.

  The next day, Liu Niang woke up with a heavy head, and after listening to Cui Ping's account of what had happened the night before, she was so angry that her liver trembled. She barely managed not to faint by propping herself up on her forehead. She knew something about Fu Yeyang's temper, and originally she could have used this incident to curry favor with him, but now that little girl had messed things up, and even if Master didn't blame her at the moment, he wouldn't be pleased with such a thing either.

  Madam Liu's eyes were filled with gloom, "What did the mistress say about this?" This kind of thing is probably not something that can be hidden from the mistress.

  "The lady said it's up to you, auntie, what does this mean?"

  Madam Liu pondered for a moment, then looked up to see the box of ginseng that Su Ying had sent over yesterday. Cui Ping had also shown it to Madam Liu before. The ginseng was naturally of high quality, with all its whiskers and tail intact. Even someone of Madam Liu's status wouldn't normally get such good ginseng.

  "Madam, this is a matter of face for me, tell me in detail what happened last night."

  That girl blocked Fu Yiyang on the road, and the gatekeeper was also guarding inside. The girl's words were vaguely heard, and Cuiping also taught the words to Liu Niangniang. If Liu Niangniang didn't understand that she had been calculated, then she would be really stupid. Fortunately, she slept soundly after taking medicine yesterday, otherwise it would have been impossible to explain even with two mouths.

  It's unclear whether it was a blessing in disguise or what, but Madame Liu was still bedridden yesterday, and today she can get out of bed and move around. By the second day, she went to the main courtyard with Cui Ping to report this matter to Su Ying.

  Su Ying looked at the lilac purple dress she was wearing, which couldn't bring out her original good complexion and figure. The dark circles under her eyes were unmistakable, a clear sign that she had truly paled. She seemed to have aged five or six years, making people want to move their chairs closer. "Since you're not feeling well, there's no need for you to come in person. Whatever it is, just let someone else convey the message."