Fu'er covered her small mouth with her hands, shaking her head like a rattle drum. "Won't tell Father!"
Jiang Shiyao quickly changed the subject, "Young Lord, Fu'er is happy today. Could she play a little longer?"
Zhou Congxian refused, "No."
The three returned to the Stargazing Pavilion. The fireworks had ended, and the crowd had thinned.
The coachman stood anxiously by the carriage, looking around helplessly.
As they approached, they noticed someone was already in the carriage.
Zhou Wanqing was comforting Song Jiyun with an arm around her.
Looking up and seeing the woman behind her elder brother, Zhou Wanqing immediately scolded, "How dare you wander off with so many people around! If Fu'er had gotten lost, your worthless life wouldn't be enough to repay it even ten times over!"
Jiang Shiyao pressed her lips tightly together. Fu'er had grown this big, yet Zhou Wanqing had never shown a moment's concern.
Song Jiyun, pale-faced, said softly, "I'm fine. Fu'er's safety is what matters most."
Zhou Wanqing retorted, "How can you be fine? You've always been frail, and now you're frightened by those thieves. You should return to the estate immediately. Instead of escorting you back, Elder Brother insisted on searching for her."
Song Jiyun reached out and gently patted her hand, lowering her eyelashes. "Don't say that. Brother Congxian was also worried about Lady Jiang and her daughter."
Zhou Congxian looked at the two in the carriage. "Where is your carriage?"
Zhou Wanqing climbed out. "Elder Brother, Sister Jiyun is frightened, and the Song residence is so far in the southern part of the city. It's late—please escort her back."
As she spoke, she took Fu'er from his arms and turned to place her in Jiang Shiyao's embrace.
Jiang Shiyao said, "Third Young Lady, you and the Young Lord should escort Miss Song back. I can take Fu'er home myself."
Zhou Congxian glanced back at the mother and daughter. "Wanqing, you escort—"
"Fine! I'll make sure Fu'er gets back!" Zhou Wanqing cut him off, afraid he would ask her to accompany Song Jiyun.
After a long pause, Zhou Congxian nodded. "Mm."
Once the carriage departed, Zhou Wanqing breathed a sigh of relief.
She turned to Jiang Shiyao and her daughter, her expression cooling. "Keep your schemes to yourself. Sister Jiyun and my elder brother grew up together; she will join our family sooner or later."
Jiang Shiyao lowered her eyes meekly. "This humble one understands."
Zhou Wanqing snorted. "It's good that you know. Don't think that just because you gave birth to Fu'er, you can presume on favor and act arrogantly."
"Fu'er is Elder Brother's eldest daughter, but not the legitimate one. If you truly care for her, abandon your ambitions. In the future, your livelihood will depend on Sister Jiyun's grace."
Jiang Shiyao held her daughter, her chin resting against the child's ear, half her face obscured, making her expression unreadable.
Her voice was very soft. "Third Young Lady's admonishment is correct. This humble one would never dare harbor treacherous intentions."
By the time they returned to the Duke's estate, Fu'er was exhausted and asleep, the little one slumped over Jiang Shiyao's shoulder.
Struggling to support the child's bottom, Jiang Shiyao waved off Mingyu's attempt to take over.
Her strength was still insufficient—she couldn't carry the child for long.
If she were to escape in the future, she couldn't afford to be unable to hold her own child.
Back in her room, Jiang Shiyao dismissed the maids and attendants before lying down beside her daughter.
Gazing at the child's soft, tender face, she leaned down and kissed her.
Only then did her heart gradually calm.
She had truly been reborn.
Leaving the Duke's estate with her daughter required careful planning. Even today, taking Fu'er to inquire about a black market travel permit had been fraught with difficulty.
Mingyu cannot be used. In the previous life, the wet nurse resigned shortly after Song Jiyun entered the household.
There was also a rough-serving maid in the courtyard who showed no unusual behavior in the previous life, but that doesn't prove she was without issues.
Then there was money—this was truly the foundation for the mother and daughter's survival.
Jiang Shiyao's thoughts raced.
After an unknown length of time, the door suddenly opened with somewhat heavy footsteps.
Jiang Shiyao turned over and sat up. "Young Lord, why have you come so late?"
Zhou Congxian said, "Speak any louder and Fu'er will wake. Let's talk outside."
The night breeze whispered, and moonlight spread evenly across the ground.
Jiang Shiyao leaned against the railing beneath the corridor.
It had been a long time since she had gazed at the moonlight like this.
Only during her pregnancy with Fu'er, when she sometimes couldn't sleep, would she sit here for a while.
Zhou Congxian looked at her glowing profile in the moonlight. "Don't worry. Grandmother says Miss Song is kind-hearted. After she enters the household, she won't mistreat you and Fu'er."
"Kind-hearted?" Jiang Shiyao turned her head to look at him. "If Miss Song weren't kind-hearted, would you still marry her?"
Zhou Congxian frowned slightly. "Are you asking me to refrain from taking a proper wife for your sake?"
Jiang Shiyao opened her mouth but made no sound.
Zhou Congxian would eventually marry—if not Song Jiyun, then Li Jiyun or Wang Jiyun.
She had no way of determining who could truly accept a child not their own.
Even now, with the Duke having numerous concubines and three or four illegitimate children, who knew how many lives had been lost to the Duchess's schemes?
Rather than surviving on others' charity, why couldn't she carve out her own path!
She couldn't repeat the mistakes made in her previous life.
Zhou Congxian's brow furrowed deeply. "Jiang Shiyao, Miss Song is virtuous and particularly fond of Fu'er. Hasn't she brought gifts for Fu'er every time she visited the Duke's residence?"
Jiang Shiyao smiled silently, slowly stood up, and faced him with a curtsy.
Her voice was soft. "This concubine has spoken out of turn. I beg the Young Lord's punishment."
Zhou Congxian's lips twitched as he gazed at the pear blossom silver hairpin in her hair. After a long moment, he finally spoke gently.
"Shi Yao, one year after the official wife enters the household, regardless of whether she has children or not, I will stop your contraceptive decoction and give you another child."
"Yes, this concubine thanks the Young Lord for his compassion."
Jiang Shiyao kept her head bowed without moving. No one saw the mockery at the corners of her lips.
A reward?
How laughable.
"Mother!"
When Jiang Shiyao woke, Fu'er was covering her face with wet, warm kisses.
She didn't know when the child had come over.
"Mother, why did you come here again? Did Fu'er kick you in her sleep?"
Fu'er asked in her milky voice while covering her with kisses.
The little girl's hair bun had come loose, her fine, soft hair hanging beside her chubby cheeks, occasionally flying into her face with her movements.
She would skillfully wipe it aside with her small hands.
Jiang Shiyao smiled and hugged her tightly.
"No, no, our Fu'er sleeps very well."
Mother and daughter laughed together on the bed.
Mingyu entered carrying new clothes and a small wooden box. "Madam, the Young Lord sent these over."
Jiang Shiyao's voice cooled. "Leave them there."
Only after Mingyu left did she immediately get up and open the box.
There were actually two hundred taels inside!
She had entered the residence at fourteen and was now twenty-one.
In seven full years, she hadn't managed to save even fifty taels!
From yesterday to today, Zhou Congxian and that gullible fool together had tossed nearly five hundred taels at her!!
Jiang Shiyao's gloom vanished completely as she stuffed all the silver notes into Fu'er's little tiger-shaped pillow.
Silver ingots were too cumbersome—she'd need to find time to exchange them all for silver notes!
Fu'er crawled over. "Does Mama like silver?"
Jiang Shiyao kissed her daughter's chubby little face. "Of course I do!"
Little Fu'er blinked. "I'll take Mama to dig for silver."
Dig for silver?
Jiang Shiyao followed Fu'er to a particular spot in the bamboo grove and fell silent when they actually unearthed silver.
There really was silver here…
"Fu'er, how did you know there was silver here?"
Fu'er picked up a bitter bamboo twig and poked at the soil. "Nanny took me to dig for bamboo shoots and we found it."
Nanny was Fu'er's wet nurse.
Jiang Shiyao asked, "Nanny didn't take the silver?"
Fu'er shook her head. "Nanny said we couldn't take it."
In her previous life, the wet nurse had resigned—could it be related to this silver?
Jiang Shiyao restored the soil to its original state. Looking at their dirt-stained appearances, she pulled up two bamboo shoots to carry back.
"Fu'er, remember—Mama only took you to gather bamboo shoots."
Fu'er nodded vaguely in understanding.
When they returned to the courtyard, Mingyu and the wet nurse He Mama were startled by their disheveled state.
Mingyu couldn't help commenting, "Niangzi, how could you let the young miss indulge in such mischief?"
Jiang Shiyao glanced at Mingyu with a faint smile. "Mischief? Even the Young Lord doesn't restrain me, yet you dare to scold your mistress first?"
"This servant… this servant was only worried Niangzi might be punished by the Madam!"
Mingyu gritted her teeth secretly. As a house-born servant specifically assigned by the Duchess to serve in the Young Lord's courtyard, she had thought she could rise to great heights, never expecting Jiang Shiyao would be the one to soar instead.
And she had been assigned by the Young Lord to serve this woman!
Jiang Shiyao smiled lightly. "I'll take Fu'er to clean up. If anyone comes, just call for me."
Though she was nominally Mingyu's mistress now, she lacked the authority to punish her. To deal with her, she'd have to use indirect means.
He Mama glanced at the two conversing women, then picked up little Fu'er and asked softly, "Young miss, did Niangzi take you to gather bamboo shoots?"
Remembering her mother's instructions, Fu'er replied, "Mm!"
Afraid Fu'er might recall the silver incident, He Mama didn't dare ask more. These days, she hadn't even been leaving the courtyard.
Whoever buried that silver, getting involved would bring nothing but trouble.
As He Mama contemplated further subtle inquiries, Jiang Shiyao handed her the bamboo shoots and asked her to make soup in the kitchen.
"Nanny makes the best fresh bamboo shoot soup, doesn't she, Fu'er?"
"Yes!"
Seeing the mother and daughter's cheerful faces, He Mama took the shoots to the kitchen with a heart full of worries.
After Jiang Shiyao finished cleaning up with Fu'er, Gao Mama from the old madam's household had already been waiting for some time.
As the old madam's longtime attendant, Gao Mama held the highest standing among the household staff—even the Duke showed her some respect.
Yet today she had been slighted by a mere concubine of the Young Lord, remaining unmoved despite the maid's repeated urgings?!
Seeing Gao Mama's expression, Jiang Shiyao knew Mingyu had been gossiping about her.
In her previous life, the mother and daughter hadn't gone digging for bamboo shoots, nor had they kept Gao Mama waiting this long.
Gao Mama snorted coldly. "Niangzi Jiang is quite impressive!"
"No wonder you're the only favorite in the Young Lord's chamber—this old woman has drunk three cups of tea before you finally appeared."
Jiang Shiyao raised the corners of her lips calmly.
"Gao Mama, have some tea."
This made Gao Mama even angrier. "More tea? Do you take me for a tea bucket?!"
"Niangzi Jiang is too noble, this old servant cannot afford to invite you…"
"Father!" Fu'er's crisp voice rang out.
Gao Mama instantly fell silent, startled into standing up.
Jiang Shiyao pulled Gao Mama to sit back down. "The young miss is talking in her dreams. She stayed up too late playing with the Young Lord yesterday."
She took the opportunity to slip off her bracelet and press it into the mama's hand. "Please don't blame me, Mama. Though I am the Young Lord's concubine, how could I compare to even half of Mama's prestige?"
"Speaking frankly, I'm not afraid of Mama laughing at me – in this small courtyard, aside from Fu'er, I'm afraid no one would listen to me. Mama Gao has been here for quite some time, yet not a single maid came to announce your arrival. Delaying Mama's time is this concubine's fault."
Gao Mama, holding the bracelet, softened considerably.
"Please don't take offense, Madam. This old woman has other duties to attend to and was somewhat impatient."
Just moments ago, in her anger, she had nearly made a mistake.
The Old Madam doesn't interfere with the people in the Young Lord's residence, so how could it be her place as an old servant to meddle?
Gao Mama glanced at the blue shadow behind the door, her eyes darkening momentarily.
Now she understood everything – the Young Lord only has one concubine, and someone was trying to leap through the dragon gate!
That little hussy, actually scheming to use her!
Jiang Shiyao smiled. "Has Mama come regarding the birthday gift for Her Majesty the Empress Dowager?"
Her embroidery had inherited the true skills of Mama Chang, who had retired from the palace and was invited by the Duke of Yingguo to teach needlework to the young ladies of the mansion, also helping them embroider their wedding dresses.
However, Mama Chang had passed away due to illness four years ago.
In her previous life, the congratulatory gift presented by the Duke's mansion had been her own work – an auspicious beast offering peaches.
Gao Mama was astonished. She hadn't said anything yet?