Chapter 5.2

Unable to help but look down at her flat stomach, Yuhu laughed to herself. Perhaps there was already a little baby inside! She hadn’t had her period since marrying into the Qi family, and she had a hunch. Moreover, Tianlei seemed intent on getting her pregnant, seizing every possible opportunity. It wouldn’t be surprising if she was already expecting.

As she crossed the Nine-turn Bridge to enter the New Garden, she unexpectedly saw a pale, timid figure near the side room—Qi Yansheng, the daughter of the second wife whom she had only met twice. Yansheng stood there silently, as if she wanted to speak but couldn’t. Among all the female members of the Qi family, Yuhu found this mother and daughter the most pleasing, as they were unambitious and kept to themselves. Sadly, because the second wife didn’t have any sons, they had been completely forgotten for over ten years! Despite being the only legitimate daughter of the Qi family, Yansheng wasn’t respected by the servants, who instead flattered the two maidservant-born Fang sisters. This led the Fang sisters to think of themselves as the young ladies, becoming quite arrogant.

Yuhu felt both pity and empathy for the weak and helpless girl. She waved and said, “Yansheng, come over here! Let’s sit in the New Garden.”

Yansheng’s pretty face brightened instantly, her cheeks blushing as she lifted her skirt and ran over, bowing respectfully, “Sister-in-law.”

“Come! Have a seat.” Yuhu held her hand and led her into the “Jichang New Garden,” instructing the maid standing by to set out various cakes and snacks in the small flower hall. Yuhu loved eating these, and she figured the fifteen- or sixteen-year-old Yansheng would also be quite tempted.

Since Yuhu never entertained any female guests in the garden, let alone inside the house, this action drew curious glances from the servants, who stood by trying to eavesdrop for news to report to others. Suddenly, the previously neglected Qi Yansheng being entertained by the third young mistress suggested the second house might be rising in status.

Yuhu waved her hand impatiently. “Leave the garden! Unless I call for you, don’t come in.” She didn’t give the servants any chance to gossip. The rule in the New Garden was that servants were not allowed to linger inside; they could only stay at the gate. This was not only to prevent them from seeing Qi Tianlei coming and going freely but also to avoid their conversations being spread. The Qi family had many factions, and the servants were experts at peddling rumors, almost all of them being spies for the Ke family! For now, Yuhu’s only solution was to keep them out. Once the ambitious troublemakers were dealt with, if she were to stay in the Qi family, she would definitely re-educate the servants. They had no sense of propriety!

After the servants left, Yuhu invited Yansheng to eat some sweets and asked, “Is there something troubling you? You can tell me.”

Qi Yansheng whispered, “I don’t want to trouble you, Sister-in-law. My third brother and I aren’t close.”

“It doesn’t matter if he’s not close to you. As long as I am. Since you call me Sister-in-law, I must help you.”

“Sister-in-law,” Qi Yansheng’s eyes turned red, “could you ask Grandmother not to marry me off to the Zhang family in the neighboring county?”

“Grandmother has already arranged your marriage? The Zhang family?”

“My cousin mentioned it to Grandmother. He said at least I could be of some use to the Qi family. The Zhang family owns over half of the mountains in the neighboring county, and most of our timber comes from them. To get a better price, they want me to marry into the family. The son of the Zhang family is an idiot. If I marry him, they will give three mountains as my dowry.” Qi Yansheng had tears falling down her cheeks.

“That scoundrel! Why not marry his sister to the Zhang family if it’s such a good deal? How dare he say you’re useless! What about them living here for free and eating for nothing? Don’t cry. I’ll handle this.”

“But Grandmother listens to him! Sister-in-law, it wouldn’t be good for you to oppose my cousin…”

“This is a small matter. It’s not a big deal. Who Grandmother will favor in the future is uncertain. After all, I’m still part of the Qi family. Grandmother won’t be foolish.” Yuhu patted Yansheng’s shoulder, noticing her simple clothing without any valuable items. She wondered what kind of life this mother and daughter led. Being a concubine’s family with no status or position, once the husband dies, they are nothing. Given the strange structure of this family, it was even harder for those who were unambitious. Perhaps the servants thought Tianlei was dying soon, and she would end up like this powerless mother and daughter, which is why they treated her so indifferently and disrespectfully. She truly hated this place!

Warm, large hands gently rested on her shoulders. She turned to see her husband’s understanding eyes and smiled.

“I thought you weren’t here.”

“I just got back.” He sat beside her and looked at his only sister, smiling gently, “You’ve grown up, Yansheng.”

“Third Brother…” Qi Yansheng stood up awkwardly. Throughout her life, she had never had the chance to be alone with her brothers, let alone sit as equals. She was always considered unworthy.

“Sit down and let your third brother take a good look at you,” Qi Tianlei said gently. His refined and handsome face had a calming effect, and Qi Yansheng sat down again.

“How is Second Mother?” he asked casually.

“Mother is well! She has always wanted to visit you, but Aunt says you are too weak to see visitors, so we didn’t dare come.”

“That’s nonsense. You can come anytime you like. The door is always open for you. Your third brother can still live a few more years; I’m not going to die just yet, so don’t worry!”

Yuhu suggested, “If you’re interested, you can walk around the garden. There are many rare birds and animals in the backyard. I’m not interested in them, but if you are, you can have a look.”

Qi Yansheng’s face brightened, her cheeks blushing with joy, and she couldn’t speak. Yuhu let her explore the garden alone, as she needed to discuss Yansheng’s situation with Tianlei.

“Is there a better way to stop this than opposing Grandmother directly?”

Qi Tianlei pondered, “Besides having ‘Hongtu’ take over Zhang family’s supply source, we could find another county to collaborate with.

Ke Shizhao chose the Zhang family because Zhang Wanguan is old and not very shrewd, and his only heir is a fool. Ke Shizhao plans to swallow them up! Otherwise, the Yi family in Chailin County would be a better partner. The Yi family has two capable sons. Yansheng would be happier marrying one of them. Unfortunately, Ke Shizhao doesn’t plan to do business properly.”

“Does Grandmother listen to him entirely? Using Yansheng as a pawn is too cruel! Tianlei, I really don’t like the atmosphere in this house.”

Qi Tianlei thought for a moment. “Just bear with it a bit longer. Ke Shizhao’s actions over the years will eventually cause problems. As for Yansheng, I’ll convince Grandmother that bringing a son-in-law into the family is better than marrying her off. Do you really think Grandmother would hand over the Qi family’s assets to outsiders? After all, Ke Shizhao is just her grandson.”

“A good family fighting like this is disgraceful! Also, Mother hinted that I should persuade you to take a concubine. You deal with that. This afternoon I have to inspect the businesses. Look at these sheepskin scrolls.” She pointed at the documents on the table and sighed. Being a daughter-in-law in the Qi family was truly a hardship.

Qi Tianlei laughed and pulled her onto his lap, rubbing her delicate face with his stubbled chin.

“Don’t worry. No one expects you to perform miracles right away, especially if Ke Shizhao sees you as a threat. He wants to take advantage of you, not have you outshine him. Yuhu, don’t take on too much; it’ll wear you out!”

“I always feel uneasy.”

“What are you afraid of?”

“I’m not the person Grandmother and the others expect me to be!”

He smiled. “So what? As long as you are the person I’ve been waiting for, that’s enough. Yuhu, you’re already carrying my child, and that’s your biggest trump card.”

She was startled, staring at him in shock.

“How can you be so sure I’m pregnant? You won’t die, so why plan for me to have a baby?”

“Don’t forget that Brother Liu is a skilled physician. I know enough to be aware of certain signs. If you conceive quickly, we can ‘use the Emperor’s authority to command the feudal lords.’ Who would dare to criticize you then? Even if you are an imposter, who could do anything to you?” Both of them were well aware of the situation, and it was better to be upfront and share the burden. Sometimes, Yuhu found it difficult to understand things, and keeping them bottled up could lead to illness. What Qi Tianlei still didn’t understand was the reason behind the mix-up of the bridal sedan chairs. On that drunken night, Yuhu kept insisting that the sedan chair was carried to the wrong house, and the wrong person got married. She had angrily told him to die quickly as she wanted to go back home…

Yuhu had always known her husband was not a simple man. In the half-month since their marriage, she discovered something new about him every day. Today, she once again realized how deep his scheming mind was. It seemed that every action he took was well thought out and served a purpose, even making her pregnant had its reasoning! Fortunately, he was kind-hearted and only liked to tease her. Otherwise, his methods would be far more devious than Ke Shizhao’s! How did the cunning old matriarch compare to Tianlei?

“How much did I say that night?”

“Not much, but you said everything that needed to be said!”

“And you still took advantage of me! I’m not even your real wife! You will regret this when you finally meet Bingyan and realize what you’ve done by consummating with me!” She crossed her arms defiantly, indicating that “once sold, goods cannot be returned,” and if he regretted it, he would face her wrath!