Volume 1 Chapter 66 Night Arrival

  "What good news?" Zhen Shi Niang joked, bringing Li Qi's wife to the opposite house. "Is it that my medicine was all snatched away and you've come to offer me silver?" She invited them to sit down while turning her head to instruct Qiu Ju, "Serve tea."

  "Give up on that idea!" Li Qizhen's wife spat, "That medicine of yours, people take one look at the price and shake their heads. It's been half a year and you've only sold less than ten pills. Yesterday, your husband was still asking me to persuade you to just take it back." Li Qizhen's wife looked at Zhen Shimai with a half-joking, half-serious expression, "It's a big business opportunity that's come knocking on the door. They said they've been married for five years and there's been no movement, so they're asking you to make a diagnosis. As long as she can get pregnant, they don't care how much silver it costs." Looking at Zhen Shimai, "Isn't this like having a pie fall from the sky?"

  "Really?" The tea was brought in, and Qiuju heard this and said, "Where are they?" And then, "You also saw Xi Que's aunt, our young lady is the best at treating this kind of illness."

  Savoring the flavor, she thought of Xiao Yuancheng sending over the New Year's goods in a horse-drawn carriage. Autumn Chrysanthemum's eyes lit up. In these wealthy households in the city, what they lacked least was silver. If they were cured of their illness, just giving them a little would be enough for them to eat for half a year.

  Zhen Shiniang was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

  This chrysanthemum is really treated as a child-delivering goddess.

  "Who says it's not." Li Qizhen's wife nodded in agreement, "Otherwise, they specifically asked for you to come and diagnose the illness." She looked around and lowered her voice again, "Looking at their demeanor, they should be a wealthy family from the capital city. Just to see a doctor, they brought three or four horse carriages, and a little girl who looks like a celestial being came down from above. Judging by her clothes and accessories, you'd think she's the young mistress of some family, but it turns out she's just a maid." She clicked her tongue, "Think about it, if maids wear silk and satin, how wealthy must their masters be?" Looking at Zhen Shiniang, "For families like this, who have so much silver that they can't spend it all, what they care most about is having children. This must be the concubine of some official's family from the capital city, who hasn't had a child after several years of marriage and is afraid of losing her position, so she secretly comes to see a doctor. If you diagnose her well... let her get pregnant, and the silver will definitely not be lacking..." She said mysteriously, "These are things that can't be seen in public, but if utilized properly, wealth will flow in continuously." She pulled Zhen Shiniang up hard, "Come on, they're waiting for you."

  "Slave, go get Miss's clothes!" Qiuju happily ran out.

  Zhen Shi Niang stepped out of the door and suddenly stopped. "Did Li Shuo say that she has been married for five years?"

  "Uh, we've never had kids." Li Qi's wife nodded.

  "How many carriages do they have?"

  "Three cars."

  "What is that little servant girl wearing?"

  "Green silk embroidered with flowers, narrow sleeves..." Li Qizhen's wife thought carefully.

  Is it her?

  Qiu Ju suddenly remembered that Chu Xinyi's maid, Chun Hong, had worn a pale green silk jacket with embroidered flowers, and she widened her eyes in surprise, turning to look at Zhen Shi Niang in confusion.

  Zhen Shi Nang couldn't help but smile as she recalled that Chu Xinyi had once gone to the Shangshu Fu to look for her.

  So she wanted to cure this disease after all.

  After sending off Li Qizhen's wife, the magpie turned back and started complaining. "The young lady is really something, her face was beaten into a pig's head. She must not dare to face you directly, so you disguised yourself and went to show it to her, and scolded her severely."

  Things have already come to a head, and this money is not going to be made easily or otherwise.

  "It depends on who the general's future wife is." Zhen Shi Niang pulled a pillow and leaned lazily against it, gazing at the window frame that was covered with a layer of bright snow, saying casually, "If she hasn't been made the official wife. I can actually help her give birth to a son and compete with the general's future mistress..."

  ……

  Awakened by a loud knock on the door, Zhen Shiniang sat up with a start. She reached out to light the fire, but hesitated and put it back down again.

  "Miss, it seems like the general has arrived!" Qiuju rushed in, putting on her clothes.

  "Is Grandma sleeping? The general has arrived!" Rong Sheng's voice accompanied by a flurry of urgent knocking sounds once again.

  Nonsense, who isn't sleeping at this late hour?

  Recognizing the sound of promotion, Zhen Shining cursed in her heart and saw Jian Wu and Jian Wen sleeping soundly by the moonlight in front of the window. She suddenly became excited and said, "It's General, hurry up, take Brother Wen and Brother Wu to the other house..."

  Qiu Ju also came back to her senses and immediately went forward to hug Jian Wu. Zhen Shi Niang followed, picking up Jian Wen.

  Settle the child, hearing the knocking sound getting more urgent, Zhen Shiniang ordered Qiuju, "Take away all the child's bedding and clothes." Grabbing a cotton-padded jacket, she put it on while rushing out, "Coming, coming..."

  "General, are you well......" Zhen Shi Niang opened the door with a gasp, "I slept too soundly and kept the general waiting for a long time."

  “...the real ink mark!” As soon as the words came out, Shen Zhongge saw that Zhen Shiniang was busy tying her buttons, with half of her cotton-padded jacket open, and her thin body trembling in the cold north wind. He immediately thought of her light weight, like a willow catkin, and frowned, "How could you come out when your body is not well? Where's the maid?" Thinking to himself, he unconsciously stretched out his hand, then quickly withdrew it, his face darkening as he strode into the courtyard.

  "Alright, Granny." Rong Sheng gave Zhen Shi Niang a salute and quickly followed Shen Zhongjie.

  What a big temper!

  Zhen Shining turned around to look at his tall and majestic back, under the moonlight, he looked like a malevolent deity, she couldn't help but curse in her heart, feeling a chill run down her spine, she quickly followed him.

  She had just lit the lamp and turned around when Shen Zhongge walked in with a dark face, his complexion pale. The aura that came with him was so strong that Qiu Ju was shocked and immediately knelt down, "It's the servant who was beaten, it has nothing to do with Miss! If the general wants to punish someone, punish the servant!" He must have come to take revenge for Chu Xinyi in the middle of the night.

  Also knowing she was a slave, she actually let her master go open the door in disheveled clothes and catch cold!

  He coldly swept his gaze over Qiu Ju, and Shen Zhongjie's face turned even darker.

  Chrysanthemum shivered all over.

  “…It's really a precious pearl that can't be moved, I just beat Chu Niang for a while.” Seeing Shen Zhongge couldn't get along with a ten-year-old child, Zhen Shimai sighed and pulled her up, “...You are the orphan I picked up, not the slave of Jiangjunfu, you don't need to kneel, go out.”

  "Miss!" Chuyu secretly glanced at Shen Zhongge's expression, not daring to leave.

  "Wen Ge Wu Ge is still in the opposite house." Zhen Shi Niang made a mouth shape towards her, and then said loudly again, "Qiu Ju, don't worry, the general is a great hero whose name will be known for thousands of years, he won't hit women."

  Who says heroes don't hit women!

  Look, the autumn chrysanthemum spirit cat flashed out, Shen Zhong's forehead blue veins jumped, originally wanted to make a move, but the violent mood was inexplicably alleviated by this cunning and obviously flattering tone.

  Taking advantage of his distraction, Zhen Shining quietly closed the door and blocked Autumn Chrysanthemum's figure from view.

  "Please sit down, General." She came forward and pulled out a chair for Shen Zhongjie, touched the teapot on the table, "The water is a bit cold, I'll go boil some hot water for you." She opened the door and was about to slip out.

  This guy's temper is too strong, let him calm down before coming in again.

  "No need, I'll leave soon." Upon hearing Shen Zhongjie's cold voice, Zhen Shiniang let out a sigh and turned back.

  "Get out of here." Rong Sheng took the pot and used the opportunity to walk out.

  "Why should we punish Chu Niang?" Seeing that she herself did not speak, Zhen Shi Niang sat quietly without a word. Shen Zhongge's anger rose again and he finally could not bear the silence.

  She hit a magpie.

  Zhen Shining's voice was faint and carried a tone of matter-of-factness.

  "Magpie is just a slave!" Shen Zhong's tone dropped even lower, and he sneered at Zhen Shiniang, "...can't she even punish a single slave?"

  Chu Xinyi is also a slave!

  Zhen Shining was furious, but she only thought about it in her heart and didn't dare to shout at him. Zhen Shining coughed, "I am the general's legitimate wife, can't I even punish a concubine?"

  "Shen Zhongjie's expression stiffened for a moment, despite his usual emphasis on propriety."

  It had been five years since he was abandoned, and he had almost forgotten that Zhen Shiniang was still the mistress of his backyard. He never thought that Zhen Shiniang would dare to interfere with his inner courtyard affairs as a legitimate wife. But thinking carefully, it is a fact that Zhen Shiniang is his legitimate wife, and her words are not wrong at all. Moreover, it is an internal affair for the legitimate wife to punish the concubine, and as the master of the house, he really has no right to speak, let alone take the side of the concubine.

  "Still..." He was lost in thought, but Zhen Shi Niang didn't give him a chance to think. She spoke word by word, "The general came here in the middle of the night and stirred up so much trouble just to favor his concubine and abandon his wife!" The last four words were particularly emphasized.

  Zhen Shining met Shen Zhong's piercing gaze and boldly stared back at him.

  Shen Zhong's eyes flashed to one side, and his heart felt a slight emptiness.

  Suddenly seeing Chu Xinyi being beaten like that, under his mother's anger and coercion, he didn't say a word and rushed over overnight. He wanted to take the opportunity to make a clean break with her. Now that she had said so, if he really forced her to divorce tonight because of this matter, it would be true to the saying "favoring concubines and abandoning wives". If she really made trouble and caused a disturbance at the government office, it would be difficult to handle.

  At least, to shut up Yu You's mouth, he can't help Chu Xinyi again.

  Recalling Zhen Shining's former arrogance, Shen Zhongge felt a slight chill in his heart, and his momentum weakened somewhat. "Anyway, she is still the hostess of the General's Manor."

  Seeing him soften, Zhen Shining saw the good and collected herself. She let out a soft sigh, "If I had hit someone else, I would have given her some face and not bothered to make a big deal about it." Her tone changed, "But Xi Que is different, she's a double-bodied person now. On this cold day, kneeling in the snow, one misstep and it's two lives lost. In the general's eyes, she's just a slave, her life as insignificant as an ant, death is just death. But to me, she's my savior. Four years ago, I was bedridden with a serious illness, hanging by a thread. If she hadn't taken care of me day and night without rest, I would have already become a resident of the underworld. This life of mine... belongs to her."

  As she recalled the bitter past, a layer of misty haze floated in Zhen Shining's calm and gentle eyes, making Shen Zhongjie's heart tremble with it.

  The air suddenly fell silent.

  After a long while, Shen Zhong shook his head, “...Yi Er is gentle and virtuous, how could she make Xi Que kneel in the snow?” Before coming, Chu Xinyi and Chun Hong had not said it this way.

  This means she lied!

  A surge of anger burst out, and Zhen Shining suddenly understood that between her and Chu Xinyi, he believed in Chu Xinyi. The words she was about to say were stuck on the tip of her tongue, and Zhen Shining pursed her lips.