hotmtlnovel Chapter 77: 77 That evil girl will arrive in a moment
Chapter 77: 77 That evil girl will arrive in a moment
Chapter 77: Chapter 77 That evil girl will arrive in a moment
“Miss, although you are now the Princess Consort Ling, Marquis Mansion will always be your home, the bond of blood that you can’t cut off. Moreover, Lady Wang is ill; if you don’t visit, I’m afraid others will speak ill of you behind your back.”
Zhen Zhu kept on talking endlessly, as if Murong Jiu’s failure to visit Marquis Mansion was an act of great disloyalty.
Murong Jiu remained unmoved, sipping the warm fruit tea with a calm demeanor, her mouth filled with its refreshing taste.
Seeing that she had no reaction, Zhen Zhu frowned and whispered softly:
“Miss, the Prince is nice to you now because you and your master possess extraordinary medical skills. Once you are of no use, he will definitely discard you without hesitation. Don’t forget whose child you are carrying in your womb. The Prince is a normal man; how could he tolerate this indefinitely?”
“Only Marquis Mansion is your true support. Don’t get your priorities wrong. Lady Wang is ill; if you show some softness and visit, past disagreements will be forgotten. After all, you are their flesh and blood, there are no grudges that last overnight.”
...
Zhen Zhu looked as if she was giving advice out of pure concern.
Murong Jiu slowly put down her cup and said:
“Zhen Zhu, I want to visit my mother too, but as you know, I’m pregnant. If I catch her illness, it wouldn’t be good for me or the baby. This child is mine and His Highness the Second Prince’s. I value it greatly.”
Zhen Zhu’s face fell upon hearing the first part, but the last sentence lifted her spirits again.
So it seemed that Murong Jiu cared so much about the child because she believed it was hers and His Highness the Second Prince’s.
Zhen Zhu, who had been in a state of anxious uncertainty, fearing Murong Jiu might have discovered some truth, now felt completely relieved.
She quickly responded, “You’re right; I was too worried about you and failed to consider this. Perhaps you should visit after Lady Wang recovers?”
Murong Jiu nodded faintly, “Yes, it is time I paid them a visit.”
In her past life, Marquis Mansion had lived comfortably thanks to her support. Now, without her silver taels, they must be drowning in a mess of debts—probably not doing so well.
She was quite curious to see just how badly they were faring.
Because Consort Yun Pin had a miscarriage, the Emperor was not feeling well, so Jun Yuyan couldn’t take Murong Jiu to the manor to enjoy the hot springs.
With the Emperor needing to recuperate, he intentionally granted some authority to Prince Ling and the Second Prince, ostensibly for experience, so both were quite busy recently.
Murong Jiu stayed in the mansion, practicing the body-strengthening techniques her master taught her, taking medicinal concoctions to dispel toxins from the baby, occasionally spending time with Xiao Wen to read and write. Aside from frequent morning sickness, her days were quite comfortable.
After Murong Jiu had lunch and napped for a bit over an hour, she freshened up, changed her clothes, and boarded the carriage from Prince Mansion which leisurely headed toward Marquis Mansion. Halfway there, she took a detour to visit the grain shop and chatted with Manager Chai and Lou Zixi for a while.
Lou Zixi’s leg had mostly healed. When Manager Chai led Murong Jiu in, Lou Zixi was practicing simple walking movements while holding a book, learning from the notes of predecessors.
Upon seeing Murong Jiu, Lou Zixi’s eyes lit up. He hurried over to greet her with the salutations of a scholar.
Having recuperated for this period, his complexion was fairer, and he had put on a little weight. He no longer had the emaciated appearance he had when with Manager Chai in the refugee dwelling. His demeanor carried a touch of scholarly spirit, polite, gentle, and humble.
Murong Jiu thought to herself that, without the frustration of being deliberately thwarted by Jun Haoze in her previous life, and without the shadow of being crippled, in this lifetime, Lou Zixi would certainly achieve his ambitions on the Imperial Court, display his talents, and become a good government official, a parent to the people.
The gatekeeper at Marquis Mansion had long heard that the Ninth Sister was coming back. They had been waiting and waiting, their necks growing long with anticipation. Finally, when they saw the carriage from Prince Mansion, they hurried to instruct the servants below, “Ninth Sister has arrived, quickly go and report to the Marquis and the Madam!”
The servant dashed inside.
In the drawing room, the Marquis and Lady Wang had been waiting since the moment Murong Jiu departed from Prince Mansion. They didn’t expect to wait this long for her arrival.
Both of them had faces full of rage.
Murong Man entered, “Father, Mother, calm down. Today we are the ones asking for a favor from Ninth Sister. She probably knows it, and her being deliberately late is just to see us get angry, so she can refuse us again. Ninth Sister is no longer the same as before, perhaps Prince Ling is advising her from behind.”
“This scourge! Ever since we made her marry into Prince Ling’s Mansion in place of someone else, our Marquis Mansion hasn’t had a day of peace!”
The Marquis said angrily.
He blamed all the misfortunes of Marquis Mansion on Murong Jiu.
But he didn’t consider who it was that, in order not to let his biological daughter, Murong Man, enter a pit of fire, had knocked Murong Jiu unconscious and stuffed her into the bridal sedan.
He only thought of the advantages, as if good things could simply be obtained without any cost in this world.
Lady Wang tried to pacify him, “Let it go, my lord, let’s not talk about that now. That wretched girl will be here shortly.”
The Marquis let out a cold huff and sat down, full of arrogant posture. No matter what, he thought, today he had to make Murong Jiu kneel and give him a bow, to alleviate some of his pent-up anger.
“Marquis! Madam!”
The gatekeeper ran hurriedly over, shouting aloud.
All three swiftly got to their feet, but they saw only the gatekeeper, and not Murong Jiu following behind him, just the maid Zhen Zhu. Suddenly, they had a bad premonition.
The Marquis barked angrily, “What’s all the rush for? Where is Murong Jiu? Why didn’t you bring her in?”