She stepped into the Dreamy Abode where Chen Chuliu lived. At this moment, Chen Chuliu was sulking in the room. Seeing Yuan Shi of the Chen family come in, she turned her face away.
"Mother, why did you let the Second Master go? This was such a rare chance for me to spend time with him."
Yuan Shi of the Chen family gave a look to the servants. Understanding her intention, the servants all withdrew, leaving the mother - daughter pair alone.
"What's the use of keeping a man's body if you can't keep his heart?"
Chen Chuliu got anxious. "It's good enough to keep his body. I..."
Seeing Chen Chuliu like this, Yuan Shi of the Chen family's eyes turned even colder.
"Chuliu, tell mother honestly. You're not still... a virgin, are you?"
Chen Chuliu nodded with tears in her eyes.
"You... this..." Yuan Shi of the Chen family was both angry and anxious. "Why are you so useless!"
"Mother, there's nothing I can do even if I'm in a hurry! Over the years, the Second Master has come to my Dreamy Abode only a handful of times, and he's never even stayed overnight. I can't help it even if I'm anxious," Chen Chuliu sobbed.
Yuan Shi of the Chen family lovingly pulled her daughter into her arms.
"It's my fault. I shouldn't have given you that stupid idea back then. I thought that Ji Shisu would treat you well at least for the sake of your grandfather. I never expected it would end up like this."
Chen Chuliu grabbed Yuan Shi of the Chen family's sleeve and sniffled. "Mother, what should I do now?"
"I've told you before. Men like gentle women. You should rein in your little temper, but you just wouldn't listen. You've been in the mansion for so many years, and Ji Shisu still doesn't want to touch you. Don't expect him to like you. Mother will think of a way for you. As long as you conceive Ji Shisu's child, you'll have something to rely on."
Mentioning the child, Chen Chuliu cried even louder.
"But mother, the Second Master said that only Zhao Luoning can give birth to his eldest son. It won't matter even if I conceive a child."
"Zhao Luoning? Is she the second young mistress of the Ji Mansion?"
"Yes."
Yuan Shi of the Chen family remembered the way Ji Shisu's eyes had lit up instantly when he heard the words "second young mistress".
This was going to be troublesome.
Ji Shisu not only didn't like her daughter but also had feelings for another woman.
Was her daughter doomed to be just a pawn?
"It seems that the top priority now is to make the Second Master give up on that second young mistress."
In this big mansion, there were so many women waiting for the man. How could the Second Master dote on only one?
Mentioning this, Chen Chuliu got up from Yuan Shi of the Chen family's arms and said, "Mother, I heard something in the Cihua Courtyard today. It turns out that the Second Master has someone he fancies."
"What happened?"
"Wasn't there a new fourth concubine named Lianxiang who entered the mansion the other day? She told the old matriarch about it. I was there and heard the gist. She said that the Second Master met a virgin in the Tianxiang Tower. After that night, he couldn't stop thinking about her. Later, the Second Master mistook Lianxiang for that virgin, so he redeemed her and even got her pregnant."
"Why would the fourth concubine tell this secret in front of you all?" Yuan Shi of the Chen family asked in confusion. Shouldn't the fourth concubine, who had taken someone else's place, want to hide this secret as deeply as possible?
"Because the Second Master found out that she was a fake, and he lost interest in her after that. Moreover, she's pregnant now. When the Second Master said that only the second young mistress could give birth to the eldest son, of course she was more anxious than us. I heard that the fourth concubine seems to know where that virgin is and is going to offer her to the old matriarch."
Hearing this, Yuan Shi of the Chen family rolled her eyes and came up with an idea.
She pulled Chen Chuliu up and said, "Come on, let's go see the old matriarch."
Chen Chuliu pouted.
"I just went there. I only want to stay with mother. I don't want to go."
"You useless girl. In this mansion, besides the Second Master, the most powerful person is the old matriarch. That new concubine knows that the Second Master can't be relied on and has gone to seek the old matriarch's support, while you're just sighing here."
As Yuan Shi of the Chen family said this, she didn't care whether Chen Chuliu was willing or not. She grabbed her hand and walked out.
On the other hand, Ji Shisu had just prepared generous gifts and boarded the carriage.
Yu Chi was driving in the front. As they headed towards the Zhao Mansion, the two chatted.
"My lord, several concubines came to ask me if the harsh words you said were true after they heard them."
Mentioning this, Ji Shisu also had a headache.
At first, he just wanted to protect Zhao Luoning and didn't think too much.
It wasn't that he regretted it, but now the matter had become well - known. Especially the concubines, they would surely deal with Zhao Luoning.
Ji Shisu felt for the first time that having too many women wasn't a good thing.
"My lord, in my opinion, among so many concubines, you go to Miss Luqu's room a bit more. If you don't like the others, you might as well let them out of the mansion."
Let them out?
How didn't Ji Shisu want to? But most of these concubines, including Luqu, were women he had to marry.
If he could have let them out, he wouldn't have let them into the mansion in the first place.
Yes, although he was the second young master of the Ji family and seemed to be extremely glorious.
But his marriage had long been priced. It was just a bargaining chip in a series of deals.
If it weren't for the childhood betrothal, he wouldn't have married Zhao Luoning. It would surely have been the daughter of a high - ranking official or a wealthy merchant in the capital to help, oh no, to help the Ji family rise to prominence.
Thinking of this, Ji Shisu felt scared.
Fortunately, he had the childhood betrothal.
Yes, he had to protect Luoning.
"You tell the people to keep an eye on the situation in the mansion. Don't let them cause any more trouble."
They were all his family members, and Ji Shisu didn't want to constantly monitor them.
But after the incident with Lianxiang, he was also scared.
It was really sad that he couldn't even trust his own family.
Ji Shisu went to the Zhao Mansion with generous gifts.
Naturally, Lord Zhao didn't welcome him. Letting him into the mansion was already giving the Ji family enough face.
After that, Lord Zhao always claimed to be unwell and didn't show up. Zhao Luochun was the same. When he heard that Ji Shisu had come, he rushed up and wanted to fight with him. Fortunately, Hua Ci stopped him.
Ji Shisu was cold - shouldered in the Zhao Mansion. He said self - deprecatingly, "I used to think you were cold to me. Now it seems that you're quite polite to me."
"I'm not that polite. After all, we're business partners, and we can't let our relationship get too tense."
Ji Shisu: "… You were so angry yesterday. Are you okay now?" Actually, when Zhao Luoning made a big scene in the Cihua Courtyard, although Ji Shisu found it a headache, there was also a faint sweetness in his heart.
Zhao Luoning still cared about him.
Zhao Luoning shattered his fantasy. "Is this kind of thing worth keeping in mind all the time? Isn't that just making trouble for myself?"
She wasn't going to do such a losing business.
Ji Shisu: "…"
Zhao Luoning seemed very busy. After she sent Ji Shisu to the side room, she went to do her own things.
Ji Shisu came back with Zhao Luoning this time with the intention of getting to know her better. So regardless of whether the Zhao family welcomed him or not, he started to stroll around the garden.
The Zhao family seemed to be preparing for something. The servants were bustling in and out.
Was the Zhao Mansion preparing a wedding banquet?
What could be worth such a grand preparation in the Zhao Mansion recently?
Could it be...