Chapter 31 Strategy
After experiencing what happened to Old Lady Zheng, she deeply realized the rules of survival in this large mansion - if you are not ruthless, you will not be able to gain a stable foothold.
Qingyue hurried forward and tried to comfort her: "Auntie, you should focus on healing first and ignore her."
Jiang Yingying's voice was low and hoarse: "It's fine that Old Madam Zheng bullied me, but how dare a lowly concubine use Su Wanyu to humiliate me? What qualifications does she have?!"
Qingyue stood there in a daze, at a loss: "Aunt, you..."
Jiang Yingying endured the pain and slowly stood up, her voice full of resentment: "She is also an eyesore in the mansion."
Afterwards, Jiang Yingying whispered in Qingyue's ear and revealed a plan.
Qingyue was shocked when she heard this: "Auntie, is this appropriate?"
Jiang Yingying patted her shoulder gently and said firmly: "Go ahead and do it. Everything will be according to my arrangement."
Although Qingyue was not completely devoted to Madam Zhang, she had to obey her orders because she had the leverage over her.
"Yes, aunt." Qingyue agreed hurriedly.
Jiang Yingying supported her aching waist and slowly sat down, looking out the window at the gradually dimming sunset with empty eyes. The scene of Old Lady Zheng forcing her to drink the hot soup kept replaying in her mind.
The scalding soup, the tightly locked hands, and the cold and merciless ridicule of Old Lady Zheng made her tremble all over and her teeth chatter.
Once upon a time, she wanted to climb to a higher position, but now, she only wanted to trample all those who stood in her way under her feet one by one, no matter whether it was the high and mighty Old Madam Zheng or the concubines surrounding Zheng Chengyan, she would make them pay the price for their actions.
The night was as dark as ink, and the mansion was immersed in silent darkness.
In Jiaoyang Courtyard, Su Wanyu once again carefully checked the size data she brought back from the Princess's Mansion today, thinking about her next plan in her mind.
The figure of the Regent appeared in her mind again. She clenched the pen in her hand and wrote down the date that foreshadowed the turning point in the Regent's fate again and again.
A month later, the Regent will lead a team to Jiangzhou for disaster relief, but on the way they will encounter a sudden rainstorm in the West Mountain, causing a landslide, and the group will be swallowed up by the ruthless mudslide.
Whether for her future safety or to repay a past favor, she must find a way to save the Regent from this disaster before then.
"Miss." Siqi walked into the room quietly, interrupting her thoughts.
Su Wanyu put away her writing brush and raised her head to ask, "What's the situation? How is the maid now?"
Siqi reported: "Just as Miss expected, Madam murdered her after sending her out of the house."
Guo had no place to vent the anger that had accumulated in her heart today, so she took the opportunity to deal with the maid who was punished by Marquis Zheng. This not only pleased Marquis Zheng, but also allowed her to vent her anger.
Su Wanyu nodded slightly, with a hint of coldness in her eyes: "Where is she now?"
Siqi replied, "She has been rescued as the young lady instructed, and has been safely placed in the manor in the western suburbs."
Su Wanyu stood up and said firmly, "Very good, leave her there for now, maybe she will be useful in the future."
"Yes, Miss." Siqi agreed softly, and then added: "In addition, early this morning, the servants of Yaxuan Courtyard came to report that Aunt Tao went to Aunt Jiang's residence."
Su Wanyu frowned slightly, with a hint of inquiry in her eyes, "Did they mention anything in their conversation?"
Siqi thought for a moment, shook her head, and replied, "They were talking too far away, so I couldn't hear the specific words."
Su Wanyu was silent for a moment, as if she was weighing something, and finally ordered: "Continue to pay attention to their movements, and inform me of any disturbance in a timely manner."
"Yes, Miss." Siqi bowed respectfully.
At this moment, a gentle call came from outside the door. It was Ping's mother's familiar voice: "Miss, it's time to have soup."
Su Wanyu hurried to the door, opened it herself, and invited the elderly Mother Ping into the house with a gentle smile.
The wet nurse followed closely behind, holding an exquisite porcelain bowl in her hand. The bowl was steaming and exuding an enticing aroma.
During this period of time, she personally managed the kitchen every day, carefully preparing various nourishing soups just to nourish the young lady's health.
"Nurse, you can just leave these trivial matters to Yun Yi and the others. Why do you have to do it yourself?"
Su Wanyu took the bowl of soup, placed it gently on the table, and then helped Ping's mother to sit down slowly.
Mother Ping held her hand, her eyes full of love and determination: "I have to take care of your diet myself, so that I can feel at ease. This time when I returned to my hometown in Chuanzhou, I found an excellent tonic recipe that will definitely help you take care of your body."
Su Wanyu knew very well that Ping's mother's move was actually because she hoped that she could have children for the Zheng family as soon as possible.
Ping's mother often said that only by giving birth to a child could she gain a firm foothold in the Zheng family.
However, Su Wanyu was very clear-headed in her heart that even if she had a child, the Zheng family would not look upon her with high regard, and instead she might become a bargaining chip in the hands of others.
The best proof of this is that Zheng Chengyan became more attentive to her after she gave up her power as housekeeper.
She did not discuss the matter further with Ping's mother, but simply accepted the bowl of nourishing soup with gratitude: "Thank you for your concern, wet nurse."
After saying that, she obediently picked up the bowl and drank it all.
Seeing this, Ping's mother said earnestly, "Pregnancy is not something you can control alone. If your mother-in-law forces you with this in the future, you might as well ask the doctor to check on Mr. Zheng."
Su Wanyu heard this and gently put down the bowl, with a hint of doubt in her eyes, "Why did the nurse say that?"
Mother Ping gently stroked her hair, with a sigh in her tone: "Look, although Master Zheng has many concubines in the backyard, none of them has been pregnant for many years."
Su Wanyu fell into deep thought after hearing this.
Whether it was the memories of the previous life or what he saw with his own eyes in this life, only Jiang Yingying gave birth to Zheng Chengyan's bloodline.
Mother Ping added, “As far as I know, Old Lady Zheng and Madam did not prevent those concubines from getting pregnant.”
Su Wanyu nodded thoughtfully, "Don't worry, nurse, I will pay attention to this matter."
Mother Ping's hand was still gently stroking her long hair, and her distress was evident in her words: "If I had known this would happen, I should have begged the master to never let you enter the Zheng family's gate no matter what."
Su Wanyu showed a helpless bitter smile on her face, "It is difficult to disobey the emperor's order, and my father has no choice."
Mother Ping sighed and held her hand tightly, her eyes full of regret, "If your mother were still alive, if the incident in the palace had not happened, perhaps we could still seek help from Mr. Song."
"Mr. Song?" Su Wanyu became suspicious and couldn't help asking.
Mother Ping said slowly, "Ms. Song was originally a female official in the Princess's mansion, and later became the Regent's teacher. She admired your mother's craftsmanship very much and was very kind to her."