Pei Jingnian swallowed the food in his mouth before looking up.
“Madam, you should eat too.”
With just those few words, the bitterness in Su Wanrou’s heart melted into sweetness once again.
Pei Jingnian had always been a man of few words. In the beginning, she had envied her younger sisters, whose husbands showered them with sweet talk. But her own husband excelled in every other way. No one could have everything, and she had long since grown accustomed to his reserved nature. So even this brief sentence was enough for her to sense his concern.
To Su Wanrou, it meant that they had reconciled.
Nanny Zhou, watching from the side, felt deeply relieved as well.
The more relaxed and cheerful Su Wanrou became, the less guarded she was. Halfway through the meal, she suddenly brought up the matter of the orchid again.
The smile on Nanny Zhou’s face froze instantly. She couldn’t understand why Su Wanrou was bringing it up again after promising not to.
Naturally, Su Wanrou had her own calculations.
Nanny Zhou had told her not to voice her dissatisfaction with her mother-in-law, so she wouldn’t. But Shen Yunshuang’s actions were another matter entirely. She had to plant a seed of doubt in her husband’s mind and let him know what an inconsiderate person his cousin really was.
With a sigh, she said,
“If Cousin liked the orchid, she could have simply asked me for it. Why go about it in such a roundabout way? Husband, please don’t think I’m being petty. Whether the orchid was valuable or not isn’t the point. It was, after all, a token of my filial devotion to Mother.”
Listening to the sudden complaint, Pei Jingnian unexpectedly thought of the cousin he had only met once.
Somehow, the elegant and refined young woman he remembered didn’t seem like someone who would ask for an orchid.
“She asked mother for the orchid?”
Lost in the story she had woven herself, Su Wanrou failed to notice the subtle change in Pei Jingnian’s expression when Shen Yunshuang’s name was mentioned.
Hearing his doubt, irritation flared in her heart. Without much thought, she answered,
“Yes. Everyone in the manor saw it. She personally had the orchid carried out of Fuxi Hall, and she looked quite pleased with herself.”
Pei Jingnian frowned but said nothing further.
Knowing when to stop, Su Wanrou wisely dropped the subject.
After dinner, Pei Jingnian stayed overnight at Jinlan Courtyard.
The next day, Su Wanrou completely cast off the gloom she’d been carrying for days. Even her posture seemed straighter.
Meanwhile, Madam Wang was anxious.
She no longer cared how her son and daughter-in-law were getting along.
What she cared about now was one thing—
When would she finally have a grandson?
Under her urging, Rouge was soon brought into the manor.
As she had originally been a maidservant and was entering as a concubine, there was no need for a grand ceremony.
She arrived in a small sedan chair through the side gate, paid her respects to Madam Wang and the Marchioness, then served tea to the legal wife. With that, the formalities were complete.
Along with Rouge, Linglan and Ruichu were also officially promoted from bedchamber maids to concubines.
Ignoring Su Wanrou’s feelings, Madam Wang had a banquet prepared anyway, perhaps wanting to liven things up a little.
Shen Yunshuang naturally attended.
She recognized everyone present except Rouge.
Rouge hadn’t existed in her previous life, so Shen Yunshuang couldn’t help studying her a little longer.
The young woman had a round face and bright almond-shaped eyes.
Her looks were pleasant but not extraordinary. Rather than stunning beauty, she possessed an appearance that radiated good fortune.
Most notably, her figure was full and curvaceous.
No doubt that was exactly why Su Wanrou had chosen her—she looked like a woman who would bear children easily.
Lowering her lashes, Shen Yunshuang smiled faintly.
In her previous life, she herself had been selected for much the same reason.
She vividly remembered that after returning to the manor, Su Wanrou had even brought a gynecologist to examine each of the candidate maids one by one.
This time, Rouge had undoubtedly gone through the same process and had been carefully chosen for her fertility.
As for the two newly promoted concubines, Linglan and Ruichu, they remained exceptionally quiet throughout the banquet, practically fading into the background.
For them, becoming concubines was technically a joyous occasion.
Yet there was little to celebrate.
Their bodies had already been ruined, and all that awaited them was a lifetime of quietly enduring their days within the manor.
Ruichu had always been meek and obedient.
Linglan, on the other hand, had once been proud and spirited. But now her health had deteriorated badly. She looked pale and weak, clearly suffering from depleted vitality.
Moreover, it had been Linglan who exposed the matter of the contraceptive medicine, thoroughly offending the legal wife.
Her illness had dragged on until now.
How much of that was Su Wanrou’s doing, no one knew.
In Shen Yunshuang’s memory, Linglan would not live much longer before dying from illness.
She sighed inwardly, uncertain whether she should save her.
After all, she had no intention of revealing her medical expertise to the world.
Nor had she returned in this life to become everyone’s savior.
She had plans of her own.
The day after the banquet—Rouge’s second day in the manor—Pei Jingnian went to spend the night in her courtyard.
Unfortunately, less than an hour later, he stormed out with a dark expression.
Everyone assumed Rouge had failed to serve him properly.
The truth, however, was even worse.
On the very first night she was supposed to share his bed…
Rouge unexpectedly started her monthly period.
It was easy to imagine just how displeased Pei Jingnian was.
To him, it was nothing short of disrespect toward the heir of the marquisate.
In truth, Rouge was terribly wronged.
Her cycle had always been regular.
But perhaps due to the nervousness of entering the manor—or for some other reason—it had come unexpectedly early this month.
Yet compared to offending Pei Jingnian, she feared Su Wanrou’s anger far more.
After all, her own mother’s life was still in Su Wanrou’s hands.
So Rouge hardly rested at all before hurrying to Jinlan Courtyard to beg forgiveness.
Su Wanrou was furious.
Rouge had been personally chosen by her.
If she proved so incompetent, wouldn’t it make it seem as though Su Wanrou hadn’t taken the heir’s needs seriously?
As punishment, she ordered Rouge to kneel outside the courtyard for the entire night.
Rouge had only just begun her monthly cycle and was already feeling weak.
By the following morning, she had collapsed unconscious at the entrance to Jinlan Courtyard.
When Madam Wang heard about the incident, she smashed a teacup in anger.
She didn’t believe a mere concubine had intentionally refused to serve her son.
She saw it as nothing more than unfortunate coincidence.
But Su Wanrou’s conduct was utterly unworthy of a proper mistress of the household.
Making the girl kneel for an entire night…
Who treated people like that?
Was she trying to destroy this concubine’s health as well?
Madam Wang was so furious that her chest ached.
How had she ever believed Su Wanrou to be virtuous?
Being capable of managing a household was merely competence.
But whenever Pei Jingnian’s concubines were involved, the legal wife’s actions were enough to chill anyone’s heart.
Madam Wang personally ordered nourishing medicinal soup to be sent to Rouge and instructed her to rest and recover properly.
Su Wanrou couldn’t understand why her mother-in-law seemed determined to oppose her at every turn.
Why would she embarrass her over a mere concubine?
She had only just finished disciplining Rouge, and immediately afterward Madam Wang sent restorative medicine to comfort the girl.
Wasn’t that the same as trampling all over her authority and dignity?