Rongguo Mansion, Fengjie’s Courtyard.

In the afternoon, the hottest time of the day, the bluestone slabs on the ground in the yard reflected dazzling light, and it seemed a little hot even if you stepped on them with shoes.

The sycamore tree at the foot of the west wall of the yard, although with deep roots and lush leaves, could not withstand the raging sunlight, and every leaf on the branches and tips drooped weakly.

Compared to the scorching heat outside, Wang Xifeng’s main room seemed like another world, with a pleasant coolness flowing everywhere.

Wang Xifeng was leaning on the Luohan bed, her complexion was rosy, her blood was abundant, and her face was delicate. Although it was a lot fuller, her lively and gorgeous appearance was not diminished at all.

Now that she is close to giving birth, her body is bloated and she cannot sit for long periods of time. Everyday she either gets up and walks slowly, but mostly lies down to rest and kill time.

The maid Feng’er tied a soft silk bag around her neck and held a red lacquer tray high up to her towering breasts. On the tray was a bowl of steamed bird’s nest with snow lotus sugar.

This is to make it easier for Wang Xifeng to hold the spoon and eat without having to bend over.

Next to Luohan’s bed was a large square copper ice jar filled with crystal clear crushed ice, emitting white cold air.

In the past, although the Rongguo Mansion was a noble and aristocratic family, they could not afford to enjoy such a luxurious bronze jar of broken ice in the middle of summer.

This kind of scene is only often seen in the imperial palace or the prince’s mansion. Even ordinary wealthy families usually cannot do this.

But two years ago, in order to attract more business for the embroidery shop in the midsummer, Jia Cong figured out a way to make ice based on his memories from his previous life.

Today, the Xiu Niang Incense Shop on Xinchun Street is still a good place for the city’s ladies to go in the hot summer, because they can enjoy the coolness of free iced incense.

In the East Palace, the rooms of sisters such as Daiyu, Yingchun, and Tanchun all had such copper ice mirrors. It was common for them to replace the crushed ice regularly to keep cool.

Since the beginning of summer, Wang Xifeng has been lazy due to her pregnancy and is more afraid of heat than before.

Wu’er then had someone deliver freshly made crushed ice from the East Palace every day so that pregnant Wang Xifeng could cool down during the summer heat.

Wang Xifeng had just finished half a bowl of bird’s nest when the door curtain was lifted and Wu’er and Ping’er followed her into the house.

It was not known whether the two of them were walking in a hurry or it was too hot outside, but their two pretty faces were flushed and sweat was oozing from their fair foreheads.

Wang Xifeng said with a smile: “It’s such a hot day today, and you two are still going out to mess around. Just let the maids do the work, and you can come back when the time comes.

If you are lazy for a day or two, you won’t get anything done. Be careful of getting a heat stroke under the scorching sun. That’s no joke.”

In the past month, Wang Xifeng had already handed over all the household chores to Wu’er and Ping’er as she was approaching her due date.

Moreover, she let them make the decisions on all matters and she no longer listened to trivial matters, thus saving her effort.

She was only focused on taking care of the fetus. Giving birth was a matter of life and death for women, and she was a widow at the moment, so giving birth to the child safely was especially important to her.

……

Ping Erh said, “We didn’t dare walk around in the scorching sun. We just went to the west attic to check things. It was very hot and stuffy in there. It made us sweat.”

Wang Xifeng asked Feng’er to bring two stools and place them next to the ice jar so that the two of them could sit down and cool off.

Wu Er looked at Wang Xifeng’s bulging belly and said with a smile, “By this time next month, there will be a young master in the house. I wonder how lively it will be.”

Wang Xifeng touched her belly and said with a smile, “It’s hard to say for sure. It might be a maid. Who knows.”

She looked up at Wu’er and said with a smile, “Why do you look so envious? Instead of feeling envious, why don’t you hurry up and raise one yourself?

At your age, you are so tender that you can squeeze water out of your flesh. This is not an easy thing to do.”

Wu Er was teased by Wang Xifeng, and her pretty face turned red. She said with a slight frown, “Grandma is teasing me again. I don’t know how to take care of it.”

After hearing what the two said, Ping’er’s face turned red and she just smiled secretly.

Seeing Wu’er’s shy look, Wang Xifeng felt even more proud and couldn’t help wanting to tease her.

Now she is like a widow, feeling quite dull and bored inside. Besides, she is about to give birth, so why should she hesitate to talk about dirty things.

He smiled and said, “Look at your blushing face. What is there to be ashamed of? You have already offered tea to the old lady and accepted the family gift. It is only natural.

We women have to have this experience in our lifetime. You are very lucky to have found someone like Third Brother. Don’t waste your good time while you are still young.”

Wu’er was provoked by Wang Xifeng’s words and became more and more embarrassed. She wanted to leave but was worried about losing face for Wang Xifeng.

After all, Wang Xifeng is an experienced person, and she is somewhat curious about Wu’er’s different identity now.

After a long while, he finally said, “The old ladies in the mansion gossip that the Third Master is only fifteen years old, and that he should not do too many things, as they will hurt his health…”

Wang Xifeng became more amused after hearing this, and said with a sweet smile: “Those old ladies in the mansion are the ones who love to say dirty words the most.

These people are always talking nonsense when they have nothing to do. They just worry about nothing and say all these brainless nonsense to fool you little girls.

All the men in our house, starting from the old grandfather and other older generations, the eldest and second masters all had their own wives when they turned 15.

They all have many children and grandchildren, and as long as they don’t have too many, there’s nothing bad about it.

This is like a poor person who cannot get enough food to eat but always worries about the rich eating too much steamed bread and getting sick. It is also ridiculous.

Wu’er’s face was red, and her eyes were full of curiosity. Ping’er beside her had bright eyes and was also listening with great concern…

After listening to Wu’er’s words, Wang Xifeng suddenly understood something. Her phoenix eyes sparkled and she seemed very interested.

Curiously, he asked, “Wu’er, it’s been quite some time since you offered tea to the old lady in Rongqing Hall. Has Third Brother ever loved you?”

……

Although Wu’er and Ping’er are still inexperienced, they have heard a lot of stories and allusions in the mansion every day, so they are not completely ignorant.

At this moment, the three women were performing a drama behind closed doors. Why should Wang Xifeng be so cautious when speaking, especially since her tone was ambiguous and mysterious.

They both naturally understood what it meant to ask whether Jia Cong had ever loved Wu’er…

Ping’er had already heard it and laughed out loud, but her beautiful eyes were moist and full of anticipation, waiting for Wu’er to speak.

Wu Er was so ashamed that she wanted to find a hole to hide in. She blurted out, “Second Madam, don’t talk nonsense. It’s not true.”

Wang Xifeng was also stunned when she heard this, and seemed a little disappointed. She said, “It’s been so long, and Third Brother has never loved you. Is it the same for him and Zhishao?”

After all, Wu’er is still a little immature when it comes to matters concerning the inner chambers. She is nowhere near as thick-skinned and experienced as Wang Xifeng, who can talk freely and calmly without changing her expression.

She was only concerned about her own shyness and was confused by Wang Xifeng’s words. She did not have the delicate intelligence to handle daily affairs at all.

After hearing Wang Xifeng’s question, he said casually, “They two, they two seem to be… getting along very well recently.”

Wang Xifeng became more and more excited after hearing this, and could not help patting her knees with her jade hands, saying, “You are such a silly girl, how could you be so careless at this moment.

Zhishao had a solid foundation to begin with. She entered the mansion at the age of six to serve her third brother. They grew up sleeping in the same bed and had received gifts from the palace. Now she had taken the lead.

You are such a silly child. Don’t talk about sisterly love. You should be more vigilant to avoid suffering in the future.

I know the truth. Third brother has doted on you since you were young. During the years when Zhishao was away, you were the one who served him inside and outside.

You don’t have to be so honest. It’s a legitimate thing. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Other girls want to get close to him, but they don’t have this status yet.

I’ll teach you a trick. When it’s your turn to be on duty, just act like a spoiled brat with Third Brother, and the two of you will do anything good…”

Wang Xifeng became more and more excited as she spoke, her smile as sweet as a flower, and her words became more and more indifferent.

Ping’er, who had previously kept out of the matter and was happy to listen to nice words, was too embarrassed to even laugh secretly. Thinking that she would do good things just by acting coquettishly, she felt so embarrassed that even her ears turned red.

Wu Er was so embarrassed that she stood up and said with a red face, “Grandma, what you said is so boring. I won’t talk to you anymore.”

Seeing that she had teased the two maids like steamed crabs, Wang Xifeng felt even more proud and amused, and did not care at all about Wu’er’s embarrassment.

She smiled and said, “Ping’er, make her sit down. We are all women, there is nothing we cannot say. She is embarrassed by these few words.

You are such a young girl, you don’t know anything. You will realize how reasonable and useful my words are in the future.”

……

Rongguo Mansion, west corner gate.

The four carriages, following each other, drove all the way to the corner gate of Rongguo Mansion and stopped one by one on the roadside.

Because it was a hot afternoon, there were not many pedestrians on the road, so not many people saw this scene.

But the servant guarding the west corner gate had noticed it, because the mansion often had outsiders visiting, and their carriages would stop by.

The fact that these carriages were parked opposite the corner gate meant that they were naturally visiting the Jia Mansion, and there were four carriages at once, which was quite a scene.

At this time, a man who looked like a manager came down from the leading carriage, holding a visiting card in his hand, and walked to the west corner gate of the mansion.

He said to the gatekeeper, “I am the steward of the main house of the Zhen family in Jinling. My eldest wife has sent Aunt Liu, the dowry, to visit Second Madam Lian. Please inform her.”

The gatekeeper took the visiting card, but he was illiterate and naturally did not dare to speak carelessly. However, the Zhen family knew about it and were old friends of the mansion in Jinling.

The steward of the Zhen family saw that the admission ticket had been submitted, but the gatekeeper did not allow the carriage or horses to enter the mansion. He just took the admission ticket and asked them to wait outside the door.

He just thought that Rongguo Mansion was a wealthy family with strict rules, so he didn’t take it seriously and just waited patiently at the door. But he didn’t know the reason. These gatekeepers had been ordered by Lin Zhixiao that if someone from Jinling Zhen’s family came to visit, they could not let anyone into the mansion at will.

We have to wait until we get back to the inner courtyard and hear what the second wife says before we can do anything about it.

……

Rongguo Mansion, Fengjie’s Courtyard.

Wang Xifeng was joking with Wu’er and Ping’er, and was just holding back Wu’er who was about to run away out of embarrassment.

Suddenly, Lin Zhixiao’s wife called back and said that a message had been sent from the outer courtyard that someone from the main branch of the Zhen family in Jinling was coming to visit the Second Mistress.

Wang Xifeng’s face changed slightly when she heard this. She knew that the letter from her own wife in Jinling to lobby her had finally come to pass.

Ping’er knew the contents of the letter from Jinling and was very clear about the root cause of the matter. She looked at Wang Xifeng worriedly, wondering how her grandmother would handle the matter.

Although Wu’er didn’t know about the letter from Jinling, when Wang Xifeng asked Aunt Xue about the Zhen family that day, her words and expression were quite strange.

She had doubts in her heart for a long time and had told her Third Master about it. His Third Master said at the time that there must be a reason why the Second Madam behaved like this.

Therefore, when Wu’er heard that someone from the Zhen family in Nanjing was coming, she naturally paid extra attention. She had long forgotten the thought of running away out of shyness caused by Wang Xifeng’s dirty talk.

Moreover, this matter sounds a bit strange. According to common sense, the Third Master is the head of the two mansions. The noble families visit each other, so it makes sense that the Zhen family should also visit the Third Master.

Why would he only visit the Second Mistress, and the person he visited was from the eldest wife of the Zhen family?

Wu’er had heard about the Zhen family’s affairs a long time ago. The eldest branch of the Zhen family was about to be punished by the court for being involved in the private manufacture of firearms.

Now, at this critical moment, someone from their eldest house has come all the way to visit the Jia Mansion. It doesn’t sound like a good thing…

……

Wang Xifeng glanced at Wu’er and saw that after listening to Lin Zhixiao’s words, her bright watery eyes revealed a hint of understanding.

She sighed in her heart, feeling a little regretful. It was such a coincidence that the Zhen family came to her house at this time, and the situation could not be reversed.

With Wu’er present, there is no way to hide the matter. As soon as Cong Lao San arrives at the yamen, he will definitely know about it.

Wang Xifeng said to Lin Zhixiao’s wife, “Let their eldest wife Liu come in to talk. The rest of the carriages and horses are waiting outside the door and are not allowed to enter for the time being.”

Lin Zhixiao’s wife quickly agreed and went out of the inner courtyard to pass on the message to welcome the guests.

Not long after, footsteps were heard outside the door, and Lin Zhixiao’s wife came in with a woman, holding an exquisite camphorwood carved box in her hand.

The woman was about forty years old, her clothes were neat and exquisite, her manners were refreshing and capable, and she looked like a person from a wealthy family.

As soon as she entered Wang Xifeng’s main room and saw Wang Xifeng, who was pregnant and looked like a goddess or fairy, she knew that this was the real wife, Second Mistress Lian.

Because when she was in Jinling, she visited the Wang family twice with Mrs. Zhen, and Mrs. Wang said that her daughter was pregnant.

But she saw that besides Wang Xifeng, there were two pretty girls in the room. They were dressed quite well and did not look like ordinary maids.

She felt a little embarrassed. What she was going to do was somewhat shameful, so how could she say it in front of other people?

In fact, the people from the Jia family had just told her that except for her to come into the mansion to talk, all other people and carriages had to stay outside the mansion, and she felt that something was not right.

She was Madam Zhen’s maid who came with her as a dowry. She had been in the mansion for half her life and had seen a lot of scenes and expressions of the noble families.

The Jia family’s behavior clearly shows that they are on guard and don’t want to get involved in trouble easily.

She was already feeling a little uneasy and disappointed, and suddenly lost a lot of confidence.

But I was entrusted by the young lady to come all the way with the eldest wife’s wealth, so I had to do it anyway.

She smiled and bowed to Wang Xifeng, and then talked about some of the things that Mrs. Zhen and Mrs. Wang from the Jinling family had to say about the good relationship between the two families and their close friendship.

After saying some polite and flattering words, she was about to get down to business when she deliberately glanced at Wu’er and Ping’er who were present.

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, “These two are my personal maids. Aunt Liu, there is no need to be shy. Just talk about business.”

When Aunt Liu heard this, her face stiffened slightly. She felt that things were not going well and were becoming somewhat of a hindrance.

He said with a stiff upper lip: “Second Madam, you should have heard from your wife that things are not going well in Jinling right now, and the Zhen family is facing a time of trouble.

Our master and mistress are both very honest people, but we never expected that the third master in our family would be murdered. Not only did he lose his life, but he also got into trouble that he cannot explain.

Now that the Third Master is gone, he can’t defend himself to others. Whether it is good or bad, it is up to others to decide.

Our wife is also a respectable person. She said that no matter what, the Third Master was eventually involved in bad things, and we can only accept whatever the court decides to do with him.

But not only do we have elders to support at home, we also have a teenage boy who is innocent and doesn’t understand the ways of the world. He will have to navigate the world in the future, so we have to leave him a way out.

We dare not touch the property in the Zhen family’s treasury, and leave it to the court to deal with.

The eldest wife put away some of her daily savings, as well as the remaining dowry, and asked me to send them to my house for storage, so as to leave a way out for the elderly and brothers in the family.

I also ask Second Madam, considering the old friendship between the Zhen and Jia families, as well as the affection between the First Madam and your wife, to lend a helping hand and find a proper place to store our things.

The Zhen family will definitely remember the Second Grandma’s kindness for the rest of their lives. The fact that the elderly and children in the family can settle down and make a living is all thanks to the Second Grandma.”

As Aunt Liu spoke, she placed the small carved camphorwood box in her hand on the small table above the Luohan bed.

She opened the small box with a smile, and Wang Xifeng suddenly felt dazzled. The small box was filled with jewels, rings, and head ornaments, which looked extraordinary.

Aunt Liu said, “My wife knows that Second Mistress is pregnant and will have a little boy soon. My wife is far away in Jinling and it is not convenient for her to congratulate her in person.

I specifically told you when I came here that these are old items from my family, and I will give them to my little brother as a birthday gift.”

Wang Xifeng was born into a wealthy family and had been a housekeeper for many years. She had seen a lot of the world and estimated that the items in this small box were worth about four or five thousand taels.

What she called a birthday gift for her brother was actually a gift from Mrs. Zhen’s hidden silver. She was really generous…

……

Earl’s Palace, West Corner Gate.

Jia Cong received a message from the housekeeper, and heard that Zhen Fangqing had sent him a message, and the messenger’s words were urgent.

He thought that Zhen Fangqing had already returned to Jinling and suddenly came all the way to send a message, so he was afraid that there was a big connection between them, so he hurried back to the mansion without delay.

He had just arrived at the West Corner Gate when he saw a unfamiliar-looking servant walking back and forth under the eaves of the West Corner Gate, looking quite anxious.

He didn’t recognize others, but Wang Hai recognized him. Seeing Jia Cong finally returned home, his face was lifted and he hurried forward to salute him.

He said, “I am Wang Hai, the errand boy of the Third Miss. I have come from Jiangnan to deliver an urgent letter to the Lord on the orders of the Third Miss.”

As he said this, without waiting to follow Jia Cong into the mansion, he took out Zhen Fangqing’s letter from his backpack and handed it to Jia Cong with both hands.

Seeing Wang Hai’s anxious expression, Jia Cong knew that the matter could not be delayed, so he opened the letter immediately.

Zhen Fangqing’s letter was concise and to the point, without any personal sentiments, making it easy to understand. After reading the meaning of the letter, Jia Cong’s face changed.

Originally, he heard Wu’er say that Wang Xifeng suddenly asked Aunt Xue about the Zhen family, and he felt something was strange.

Given Wang Xifeng’s shrewdness and competence, her words and actions would not be aimless. Moreover, the Zhen family is currently in a critical situation and is in a very sensitive period.

And in his original memory, Wang Xifeng had no connection with the Zhen family. Although he had some guesses in his mind, he had no clue for the time being.

Now that I have read Zhen Fangqing’s letter, I can immediately understand the cause and effect.

According to the original story, before the Jinling Zhen family’s property was confiscated, they had smuggled their wealth to the Jia family for collection.

Because Rongguo Mansion was headed by Lady Wang at the time, she eventually took over and hid the private property of the Zhen family, which also planted a disaster for the Jia family.

So afterwards, Wang Xifeng and Wang Shanbao, the housekeepers, searched every place in the Grand View Garden overnight because of the incident of the embroidered bag in the spring palace.

Tanchun was offended by Wang Shanbao’s family, so she said angrily: “Don’t worry, there will be a day for you to be raided! You didn’t talk about the Zhen family when you got up this morning, but you raided your own family well. I’m afraid you will be raided in the future.”

The reason why Tanchun said this is that she is the second concubine’s daughter, most likely knowing that her stepmother hid the private property of the Zhen family, and naturally also knew that the Zhen family was convicted and their property was confiscated.

Now, because of my appearance, Rongguo Mansion is no longer the same as before, and the second branch of the Jia family has become a side branch.

The mistress of Rongguo Mansion was no longer Mrs. Wang, but Wang Xifeng, who managed the household business on his behalf.

The matter of the Zhen family hiding private wealth also involved Wang Xifeng instead of Mrs. Wang.

Jia Cong thought about all this and felt a little sad. Some things are hard to erase. Although there have been great changes, the destiny is still hard to erase.

Wang Hai, who was standing by, did not wait for Jia Cong to put down the letter, and said hurriedly: “My Lord, the Third Miss has asked me to travel day and night, fearing that I will be late than the carriage of the eldest wife.

Although I traveled day and night and did not dare to be negligent at all, I still did not catch up with them.

Just now, I was waiting for the master to return home at the corner gate, and I saw several carriages heading towards the Rongguo Mansion.

There was a woman in the car I recognized. She was from my eldest wife’s maid Liu Baozheng’s family. She must be delivering the eldest wife’s box to visit Second Madam Lian in the mansion…” (End of this chapter)