Springtime Affairs in a Noble Family

Caiyue went to Aunt He's place and said, "The eldest mistress said that Aunt He is not feeling well and should rest in her room. Since you are not seriously ill, I will take my leave now."

"Miss Caiyue, wait a moment!" He Pingping propped herself up on the bed. These past few days, the eldest mistress hadn't seen her, and she had no one to rely on in the Marquis's mansion, so she was really panicked. "These past few days, I've been wanting to thank the eldest mistress. Over the years, she's managed the household and she's worried a lot about me."

Caiyue wasn't as easy to talk to as Caixia. "Aunt He is wrong. It's Second Madam who worries about you the most."

Thinking of Aunt He's scheming against the Second Mistress, Caiyue looked down on her from the bottom of her heart. "If you really want to thank her, then stop hanging around the Second Mistress. It will be better for both of you."

After Caiyue left, He Pingping clutched the bedding, muttering, "She's just a maidservant who serves the eldest mistress; even she doesn't give me any face!"

The previous Bai Tao had been replaced by Bai Shao, who was much more silent than Bai Tao.

Seeing that Bai Shao didn't speak, He Pingping opened her mouth, but then swallowed it back.

Bai Shao was assigned to serve by the eldest madam, but who knows whose side Bai Shao is on?

He Pingping took a deep breath. She couldn't do anything to Jiang Shi today, but she would wait and see. After all, she was pregnant first.

Meanwhile, Caiyue was called over by her second grandmother.

Caiyue also disliked the Second Mistress, but since the Second Mistress was the proper mistress, she was much more respectful. "Replying to the Second Mistress, the First Mistress is now in charge of affairs. If Aunt He is not feeling well, someone always has to be sent to check on her. Otherwise, if anything happens to Aunt He, the Old Madam will say that the First Mistress is not managing the household well."

Jiang was quite pleased with herself lately, placing one hand on her lower abdomen. "My sister-in-law is always very considerate, but that bitch He is in excellent health. There's no need to waste the family's money."

As she spoke, the old woman beside her gave Caiyue two pieces of silver.

"Thank you for making this trip. He is one of my servants. Go back and tell your sister-in-law that I hate her, but I wouldn't kill her. So what if she really gave birth to a son?" Jiang was not afraid of giving birth to a daughter. As long as she could give birth, she would eventually have a son.

As for He Pingping's child, she would tell the old lady that she would raise him herself and sever their mother-son relationship.

This point was made by her dowry maid, Lin Mama.

Lin's mother said that He's pregnancy was too advanced, and if they really went to have sex, it could be fatal. Since she had finally gotten pregnant, they should still do good deeds for the child. Even if He gave birth to a son, it wouldn't matter; there were plenty of ways to raise a child badly.

Having experienced so much, Jiang has matured and taken Lin's mother's words to heart.

Therefore, even though He Pingping took the initiative to provoke her, she didn't take drastic measures; she simply made He Pingping kneel in the courtyard.

Upon learning that He Pingping had fainted, Jiang's first reaction was that it was an act, and as it turned out, she should have been more cautious.

Jiang took a deep breath. "Now that I'm pregnant, I'll listen to you and not interfere in the matter between my sister-in-law and Princess Rongjia. We'll talk about it after I give birth to the child safely."

"It's best if Second Madam thinks this way. Princess Rongjia is of noble status, but unfortunately she's not as clever as First Madam. Nobody knows who will win in the end. Rather than taking sides, it's better to stay out of it. Think about Third Madam; she and Third Master don't get involved in anything, and their lives are peaceful." Seeing that her mistress was listening to her, Mama Lin finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Jiang said, "I used to think that Princess Rongjia would definitely win, after all, she has that status. But after going through so much, I have to say, my sister-in-law is really amazing."

If she had gone through so many things, she would have died a thousand times over. How could she have survived to this day?

Lin's mother said, "Grandma is indeed very clever and insightful; most people can't match her wit."

Jiang got tired of talking, so she asked someone to keep an eye on He Pingping and went back to lie down.

On her way back to Qiushuangzhai, Caiyue encountered Wang Hechun's family again, who gave her a packet of tea.

"I thought you'd be going back around this time. This is a gift from the county princess. She's incredibly generous; she's always willing to give us the best things." Wang Hechun's wife kept praising the county princess.

Caiyue accepted the tea leaves and said with a smile, "That's very generous of you, Madam. I also have a lot of good things in my room. I'll bring you some next time. I can't just take your things."

Wang Hechun thought to herself that Caiyue was indeed a bit dim-witted, not even understanding what she meant. But the more naive someone was, the easier they were to manipulate. She had no way to get to Caixia, for example.

There's plenty of time ahead. A head maid like Caiyue can't be bought off with just a packet of tea.

"Alright, I think you're a good match. See you later." Wang Hechun's wife left.

Caiyue weighed the tea leaves in her hand, then returned to Qiushuangzhai and went to find the eldest mistress. She placed the tea leaves on the table and said, "Hmph, she immediately tried to sow discord by bringing up Young Master Yu's matter. Do you think I'm that easily swayed? I like Young Master Yu, but he doesn't like me. That's not surprising. Using that as a pretext, does she really think I'm stupid?"

Autumn's mother asked, "Then what did you say?"

"I pretended not to understand her hint. She said Princess Rongjia was generous, so I said the eldest mistress was generous too. I accepted the tea and even said I'd give her a return gift later. In her eyes, I must be a simpleton, not very clever." As she spoke, Caiyue looked at her mistress with a beaming smile, "Eldest mistress, am I very clever? Maybe I can become a spy!"

Cui Lingrong laughed and said, "Yes, you're very clever."

Caiyue laughed heartily, "Of course, I learned it all from you."

After talking about Wang Hechun's family, Caiyue then brought up the matter of the second wife's family, saying, "That Aunt He is indeed cunning and even more annoying than the second mistress."

"Fortunately, it's someone from the second branch of the family." Madam Qiu sighed, then looked at her mistress, "Madam, this old servant heard that Princess Rongjia has hired a human trafficker, it seems she wants to buy someone."

Cui Lingrong thought for a moment, "He'll probably have to find a concubine for the Marquis. Hua Die isn't on her side, and Aunt Zhang is one of my people. Princess Rongjia can't have children herself, so she'll have to find someone who can."

When the topic of taking a concubine came up, Cui Lingrong merely frowned slightly, showing no intention of stopping it.

"I wonder if the Marquis will agree?" said Madam Qiu.

"He will accept it. I understand now that as long as a man is alive, he will not refuse a woman who comes to him." Cui Lingrong couldn't stop this. After all, it was arranged by Princess Rongjia, and both Old Madam Song and Song Shulan were willing, so she let them have their way.

After all, there is a long time between taking a concubine and having a child.

Two days later, the Rong Prince's Mansion sent two beautiful women, saying they were to serve Princess Rongjia. Chen De's wife took the two women to the steward and registered them.

Cui Lingrong glanced at them; one was Lanxin, bought from outside, and the other was Zhuqing, a servant born into the Rong Prince's household.

Cui Lingrong didn't see anyone, but Caiyue squatted down on the road and took a look. She went back to describe her to her master, "Lanxin is very delicate, her eyebrows and eyes are a bit like the county princess, but her temperament is completely different. Zhuqing is much more radiant, and her figure is particularly... especially plump."

When the word "plump" was mentioned, Caiyue was a little embarrassed.

When Qiu Mama went to see the eldest mistress, she saw that the eldest mistress looked normal. After Caiyue left, she whispered, "The people were arranged by the county princess, but once they enter the Marquis's residence, you will be in charge. If they have a child, the county princess will definitely take it to her."

If Cui Lingrong wanted to, she could still find a way to prevent the two from having children.

Cui Lingrong replied, "If they can't have children, the county princess will arrange for others, one after another. How can I stop so many people?"

She paused, then continued, "Unless..."

The master and servant's eyes met. Cui Lingrong didn't say anything, but Qiu Mama instantly understood what her master meant.

Only if the Marquis is infertile can the problem be completely and permanently eliminated.