Jiang's illness came on fiercely and went just as fast. She was much better the next day and could eat something, which made Shen Qing feel relieved.
After all, Jiang was the mother who had raised her and given her all her love. How could she remain indifferent?
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Shen Qing got the pregnancy - preserving pills she wanted.
Doctor Gu gave her detailed instructions, "Take one pill before the act. If you have abdominal pain on normal days, you can also take it for emergency. But miss, remember, too much is as bad as too little. Don't take an overdose."
Shen Qing nodded. "Thank you, Doctor Gu."
Fortunately, Ji Junye didn't see her very often. By the time her belly got big, Ji Junye would be busy with many things and might get tired of her. Then she would find a quiet place to give birth to the child quietly.
Shen Qing made a careful plan, put away the pregnancy - preserving pills, and placed them beside her bed.
Three days later, Xu Yanchi came to pick her up as promised. Different from Jiang's enthusiasm three days ago, today when Xu Yanchi heard that his mother - in - law was really ill and wanted to go in to visit, he only got a reply from Jiang, "I'm not in a condition to see guests in my sickly state."
This was exactly what Shen Qing had expected.
Jiang had been nice to Xu Yanchi before, hoping that he would treat Shen Qing better. But now that he had taken a mistress and favored his concubine over his wife, she couldn't openly show her dissatisfaction and drive him away. After all, her daughter still had to live under his roof. So she could only say that she wouldn't see him.
Shen Qing stood on the steps, looking down at Xu Yanchi standing in the yard. The faint smile on her lips was hard to tell whether it was polite or sarcastic.
"Mother needs to take her medicine. Your Lordship, please wait outside for a while. I'll go back with you after I serve mother the medicine."
Xu Yanchi said, "It's the right thing to do. I'll wait in the yard."
"As you like."
Leaving just this one sentence, Shen Qing turned around and entered the room.
Inside the room, Jiang was still lying on her side with her back to them.
Shen Qing said softly, "Mother, I'm going back today."
"You all take good care of my mother. If there's anything, come to the Marquis of Guangping's Mansion to report immediately."
All the maids quickly responded.
Jiang only said one sentence, "Take good care of yourself in everything."
She couldn't say anything more.
Shen Qing nodded. "I know."
After Shen Qing left, Jiang was in floods of tears.
After leaving the Duke's Mansion, Shen Qing was helped into the carriage by Yingxiu. Just as Xu Yanchi was about to follow her in, he was stopped by Zhuxing.
Xu Yanchi's face stiffened. Just then, Shen Qing lifted the carriage curtain and said innocently, "Didn't Your Lordship come in the Marquis's carriage? I don't have the habit of sharing a carriage with others."
Xu Yanchi looked annoyed. "We are husband and wife. If we don't share a carriage, won't it be a laughingstock?"
Unexpectedly, when Shen Qing heard this, she seemed to have heard a really funny joke. "Your Lordship isn't joking with me, is he? Since we are husband and wife, where did Your Lordship go after leaving the Duke's Mansion the other day? And where did you stay last night?"
Xu Yanchi was left speechless by her questions.
Was she not allowing him to be with her and also not allowing him to find others?
"Shen Qing, are you really that jealous?"
Jealous?
Shen Qing was too lazy to waste her breath on him. She snorted and said, "This is in front of the Duke's Mansion. There are many passers - by. If Your Lordship wants everyone in the capital to know where you stayed last night with your mistress tomorrow, feel free to keep talking nonsense here."
The smell of perfume on him was so strong that it almost made her faint from afar, and he still wanted to get in her carriage?
In his dreams!
Making it seem as if they had a good relationship.
Xu Yanchi was extremely angry, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw some passers - by approaching. So he had no choice but to get into the carriage of the Marquis's Mansion behind.
The carriage rumbled along. Shen Qing leaned against the carriage wall, closing her eyes to rest. She had guessed most of the reason why Xu Yanchi had come to find her. It must be something in the mansion that needed her to solve.
The only thing that could make Xu Yanchi come to invite her several times must be related to money!
At the Marquis's Mansion.
At first, Jiang Chan was very happy to take over the affairs of the Marquis's Mansion, but soon, her happiness faded. In such a large mansion, what could be done without money?
A few days ago, the steward of the mansion came to her and said that it was time to pay the monthly allowances to the servants. This matter had always been managed by Shen Qing before, and now it was her turn, so they came to ask her.
Paying the monthly allowances was no small matter. Since ancient times, money could make the mare go. If you wanted the servants in the mansion to work to your satisfaction, you couldn't short - change them on their monthly allowances.
Jiang Chan asked someone to bring the ledger for verification. She was shocked to find that there was almost no money in the public account!
The Marquis's Mansion had high standards for food, clothing, and daily necessities. How could it be that there was no money when it came into her hands?
Her first reaction was that Shen Qing was setting obstacles for her. Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that she got sick and so readily handed over the management of the household to her!
Jiang Chan immediately went to find the old madam. The old madam was both shocked and angry. "How could the silver run out so soon?"
Jiang Chan had no choice but to say, "These days, summer has arrived. According to the rules of the mansion, each legitimate master should get four sets of summer clothes, and each concubine and illegitimate child should get two sets. I've given the people from the Jinxiu Workshop the deposit with the public silver."
"But it shouldn't be that we can't even pay the servants' monthly allowances!" The old madam looked at Jiang Chan unhappily. Shen Qing had managed the household for several years without any problems, but she had only been in charge for a few days, and the mansion couldn't even pay the monthly allowances?
Jiang Chan felt extremely wronged. How could she know that managing the household was such a thankless task? "It must be Shen Qing's doing on purpose. She just wants to see me make a fool of myself! Aunt, you must stand up for me!"
The old madam was also angry, so she asked Xu Yanchi to go and find Shen Qing.
But Xu Yanchi failed to bring her back. The monthly allowances were supposed to be paid at the beginning of the month, but it had been postponed for several days. If they didn't pay it soon, there would surely be dissatisfaction. Jiang Chan had no choice but to ask the old madam for some money and add her own savings to pay the monthly allowances.
But she couldn't pay the balance to the Jinxiu Workshop.
The Jinxiu Workshop was a well - known clothing store in the capital. The clothes there were in novel styles and had exquisite embroidery, but they were very expensive. Even so, many mansions still ordered clothes from the Jinxiu Workshop, and their Marquis of Guangping's Mansion was one of them.
The clothes had been delivered yesterday, but she couldn't pay the balance, so she blamed all this on Shen Qing.
It was already late when Shen Qing returned, but the Renshou Hall of the old madam was still full of people.
Seeing her come back, the old madam snorted heavily. "I heard you were sick, but you seem to be in good health. You didn't come back even after you recovered. You waited for someone to invite you, making all the elders in the room wait for you alone!"
Hearing this, Shen Qing wasn't angry. Instead, she sat down in her seat and looked at Xu Yanchi who entered the room behind her in surprise. "Your Lordship didn't even tell me that the elders in the mansion were waiting for us. If you had told me earlier, I would have asked the coachman to drive faster."
Seeing that she shifted the blame to Xu Yanchi with just a few words, the old madam couldn't make things difficult for her anymore. But in her heart, the alarm bells were ringing. Shen Qing was no longer the easy - to - handle Shen Qing.
"Let's not talk about that. I just want to ask you, why is there no money in the public account of the Marquis's Mansion?"
Shen Qing looked at the old madam in surprise. "Mother, why are you asking me? Isn't the management of the household in the hands of the side madam? If there's no money in the public account, you should go to the side madam. Why come to me?"
Jiang Chan, sitting below, said awkwardly, "When Madam handed over the management of the household to me, there wasn't much silver in the public account..."
Shen Qing hooked her lips imperceptibly.
"That's exactly right."