Chapter 5: The Cunning Hare of Mount One

  Before he knew it, they arrived at Madame Fu's residence.

  In the upper house, Mrs. Fu sat alone on her bed, wearing only a red silk jacket and a large golden flower embroidered on the back of her green satin dress, with Bai Lu, the maid, attending to her in the room, carefully massaging her legs. Under the bed, on the right-hand side, sat a young woman of sixteen or seventeen years old, dressed in a long gown with a five-color peony and phoenix pattern, made of foreign silk and gold thread - this was Second Mistress Chen.

  Mrs. Chen looked anxious, pinching her handkerchief: "Old lady, now that the eldest sister is better, what about the household chores..."

  Fu's mother leaned against the brocade embroidered with golden peony patterns on a large backrest, frequently sighing and complaining that her son was not filial. She said that he had no intention of taking care of his parents, and that he only knew how to indulge in pleasure-seeking activities.

  Madam Chen smiled and said: "It's still Auntie who loves me..." Just as she was about to say something else, a little maid outside shouted loudly: "The first wife has arrived."

  Madam Chen reluctantly closed her mouth, looked up and gazed outside. Three or four maidservants were hastening to roll up the curtains. Madam Chen couldn't help but feel a pang of envy as she took in the newcomer's attire: a snow-white, gold-embroidered, fur-trimmed long coat with rolling floral patterns, a lake-blue palace-style long skirt, a silver-inlaid chain pendant with a white pearl forehead ornament, and on either side, a pair of small silver phoenix hairpins adorned with chicken-heart-shaped pendants. The overall effect was one of high nobility and elegance, truly befitting the mistress of a grand household.

  Su Ying first greeted Fu Mu and asked about her well-being. Fu Mu smiled and said, "You're still ill, so let's dispense with the formalities." She took a glance at Su Ying and saw that her clothes were all loose and couldn't be buttoned up properly, and her pale face was accentuated by the white pendant around her neck. A maid stood beside her, supporting her without leaving her side. Fu Mu had an idea in mind.

  Madam Chen stood up and smiled, "It's great to finally see you, sister-in-law. Are you feeling better after your illness? The old lady was worried sick about you, and I, as the second daughter-in-law, couldn't help but feel anxious too."

  Fu's mother also said: "Alright, hurry up and let your sister-in-law sit down. You're always hovering around me every day, I'm getting annoyed even if you're not."

  Lü Huai supported Su Ying to sit down on the chair on the left, and after hearing Fu Mu's words, he forced a smile: "It's all my fault for being weak, I've been ill for so long and couldn't take care of Old Madam, I'm really to blame. Younger brother and sister have been taking good care of Old Madam every day, Old Madam must be pleased with you."

  Madam Chen couldn't quite tell whether Su Jing's words were praise or criticism, so she just smiled and said: "A daughter-in-law serving her mother-in-law is only doing what she should, it's not worthy of such lavish praise as 'big sister'."

  Fu's mother's smile at the corner of her mouth stiffened, and she silently cursed Chen's wife for not being worthy. She then turned to Su Ying and said: "Yesterday, Master returned from outside, I saw that he was dark and thin. This time when he comes home, someone must take good care of him, let him supplement his body well, if anything is lacking, just send someone to fetch it from me."

  Her tone was full of affection, as if Fu Yeyang was her beloved good son.

  Su Ying pretended not to understand the deeper meaning of Fu Mu's words, coughed and said with a hint of pride: "It's not just Old Lady who feels distressed, I also feel uncomfortable after seeing it. But thinking about it, Master is helping the Emperor share his worries and difficulties, and working for the welfare of the people. No matter how bitter or tired he is, it's worth it. We women don't understand external politics, all we can do is make sure our husbands come home comfortably." Now Fu Yeyang not only inherited the title of Yongwu Marquis but also worked in the Ministry of Revenue, deeply trusted by the Emperor. However, Fu Mu's beloved son, Fu Xiyang, didn't even have a Jinshi degree, so to save face, she wanted to buy him a nominal title of Tongzhi from the sixth rank. But he was too proud and wanted to earn his own merits, so Fu Mu had no choice but to follow his wishes.

  Fu's mother and Madame Chen both looked displeased to varying degrees, Madame Chen was not one to speak out of turn, but she couldn't help feeling a sense of injustice as she clenched her handkerchief: she was the eldest daughter of the family, and had thought that marrying into the Hou estate as the second son's wife would be a good match, but now she realized that the title of Marquis Yongwu belonged to the main house, and had nothing to do with the secondary house; if it weren't for her aunt's careful planning, their branch of the family would have been left in the dust. Looking at Su Ying's elegant and refined attire, she couldn't help but feel a little inferior.

  Fu's mother half-closed her eyes and said, "This is reasonable. I see that you are not in good health either, and taking care of you would be a burden. As it happens, I have a maid here who is skilled at making medicinal dishes. Let her go serve you both." Baoling, come over and pay your respects to the mistress.

  Got it, no use being gentle, just stuff it in directly then.

  Su Ying looked at Bai Ling, who was kneeling on the ground. The sound of her voice was as clear and crisp as a skylark's. She wore a light green jacket with a red crescent moon pattern, and her pants were a pale yellow color with a sprinkling of red flowers. Her eyebrows were thin and delicate, her eyes were small and bright, her waist was slender, and her figure was lithe and elegant, making her look quite lovely.

  Su Ying saw a flash of schadenfreude and sympathy in Madame Chen's eyes, making her feel uncomfortable: "Damn it, when did I become the one you sympathize with?" Her expression unchanged, "Indeed, Old Lady is fond of me, knowing that I'm three parts sick and seven parts pampered. She's willing to give me a maid who can make medicinal dishes like this water lily-like girl. But Old Lady can't be so biased, giving only me such favor, not even granting a clever maid to my younger sister-in-law, who is already resentful." Wei Shi was originally given by Madame Fu back then, and now she's been given another maid, this flower can't just bloom on one side alone.

  "Mrs. Chen grasped her handkerchief and forced a smile, saying: 'Elder sister is joking, I'm not envious of the old lady's favoritism towards you at all. Besides, I have enough maids by my side, no need to trouble the old lady.'"

  Fu's mother flicked her eyelid and said, "As for the second wife, I have my own plans, so there's no need for you to worry about it, Eldest Mistress. Now that you're better, this household matter is still yours to handle—"

  Su Ying thought it was funny, Fu Mu said half of the sentence and waited for her to continue, no more than hoping she would be humble and say "The daughter-in-law's body is not fully recovered, let the younger sister help with the management, there are still old lady you sitting in town, the daughter-in-law will also feel at ease". This kind of words can only be said by the original owner that fool.

  It's heartbreaking to mention, the original host had not been able to get pregnant for many years after marriage, so she felt inferior and hung her head in shame. Moreover, the old lady didn't treat her well, so she lowered her head even more. But this foolish woman didn't think that she was the wife of the Marquis of Yongwu, and all the glory of the old lady was given by her husband. The old lady was just taking advantage of her husband's power to be arrogant, what a greedy and poisonous woman!

  Su Ying smiled and said: "This is indeed my fault, originally I suddenly fell ill, there was no one in charge at home, so I had to trouble Old Madam. Old Madam let my younger brother's wife manage things for me, I'm extremely grateful. But it's not reasonable to always trouble my younger brother's wife, although my spirit is not good, there are also Wei Shi and Liu Shi who can help support me. Wei Shi has served Old Madam before, Liu Shi was given by our ancestors, they are all old people in the household, I can rest assured."

  Madam Chen grew anxious, having only just experienced the glory of being the mistress of the house for two short months. She was reluctant to give up this right, which had not yet warmed her hands, and hastily said: "This is probably not in line with the rules." After speaking, she realized her mistake and knew that it was inappropriate for her to manage the household. She made excuses, saying: "I meant to say that Wei Shi and Liu Shi have never managed the household before. How can we let two concubines help manage such a large family? How can people feel at ease?"

  Su Ying looked at Mrs. Chen in surprise, saying "Didn't you hear me clearly? I said let them help with the arrangements, not that they should really be in charge."

  Fu's mother glared at Mrs. Chen, who reluctantly closed her mouth. Fu's mother knew that she wouldn't be able to get any benefits from Su Ying today, and her face also fell: "In that case, let the first wife continue to manage things, I'm tired, you all go rest."

  Su Ying clearly felt Fu Mu's complex emotions after Chen Furen finished speaking, anger mixed with a hint of helplessness, the frustration of being unable to lift a rotten mud wall, and malice towards Su Shi.

  Oh no, I'm so scared. [As expected, it's an old woman who becomes warped and twisted when she can't get what she wants, how terrifying.]

  "Clang! - The malicious old woman who can't get any nourishment from the ginseng rooster has her experience points deducted."

  Although this experience is a bit unjust, Su Ying felt that it was just this once and wouldn't happen again. She turned to Chen Furen, who was about to leave, and said: "Sister-in-law, let Lu Hui follow him and run an errand to get the card, so you won't have to send someone specially."

  Madam Chen was still a young woman of sixteen or seventeen years old, and her ninja skills were not yet fully developed. When she heard these words, her face almost froze in shock.

  Su Ying didn't care, covering her mouth with a handkerchief and coughing twice. Thin mint hurriedly patted her back, while Madame Chen changed to an expression of concern: "Elder sister's illness has been going on for some time now, I know that losing the child was heartbreaking, but you can't exhaust yourself like this, or those sly women will take advantage of it and get what they want. Look at me, my clumsy words won't comfort you, but my intentions are clear to you."

  Su Ying's expression on her face didn't change from start to finish, and when she raised her head, the double silver hairpins with chicken heart-shaped pendants on her bun pierced Chen Furen's eyes. She said in a low voice: "I understand, I'm clear, who says it's not? To be honest," she glanced at Bai Ling, who was following behind Bo He, "while Old Lady is still around...it's better if you get pregnant earlier, don't be like me." Chen Furen had been married into the Fu family for over a year now. Su Ying's mouth curled up with cold intent, wanting to have the eldest grandson, but not letting her have her way.

  Madam Chen instantly understood Su Ying's implication, her daughter-in-law was ill, and the old lady couldn't wait to push someone into her son's room. Thinking of those two foxy women in the house, Madam Chen felt a surge of jealousy, her face unable to conceal it, revealing some sinister envy, plotting in her heart to get pregnant as soon as possible.

  Mint handed the warm hand warmer to Su Ying, carefully observing her expression. Su Ying gently rubbed the green lotus pattern on the small ceramic hand warmer with her slender fingers, which were as white as jade. She smiled at Mint: "It's okay, let's go back."

  The women of the Chen family are indeed a bunch of foxes and dogs. I suddenly thought of a pretty interesting idea - since ancient times, it's been difficult for ugly men to pass through the beautiful woman barrier.

  You want to lay hands on Fu Xueyang? You're a woman with no integrity! Your dignity is shattered all over the floor, aren't you? I, representing the moon, despise you.

  I thought we at least had some tacit understanding, but I guess I overestimated your IQ and bottom line.

  Young master is a highly intelligent system, you can despise my lower limit, but absolutely cannot despise my IQ! The system suddenly got furious, then came the familiar "ding", Discrimination against highly intelligent systems, deducting two experience points!

  Su Ying returned to the main room and sat in the warm pavilion, leaning against a new green velvet backrest cushion. Thin lotus came over with furrowed brows to ask for instructions: "Madam, what should be done about Bai Ling?"

  Highly recommended: