“If the Marquis has no other matters, perhaps you should attend to the estate’s accounts first.”
Wu Xiong stared at her intently.
Jiang Xiu, however, had already lowered her gaze, refusing to meet his eyes.
Her posture appeared submissive, yet it felt like an invisible barrier, shutting him out completely.
That sense of unease rose again in Wu Xiong’s heart.
He suddenly realized that Jiang Xiu seemed truly different now.
In the past, whenever he darkened his expression, she would panic.
Whenever he spoke harshly, she would yield.
Whenever he gave her the slightest glance, she would swallow all her grievances and continue to hold up the entire marquis’ estate for him.
But now, she no longer responded to his tactics.
Wu Xiong’s face remained cold, but in the end, he could say nothing more.
He turned and stormed out in a huff.
Old Mrs. Wu and Wu Jiaojiao, too preoccupied to continue troubling Jiang Xiu, hurriedly followed him out.
Lin Shuang, holding the still-trembling Wu Ling in her arms, cast a deep glance at Jiang Xiu before leaving.
That look held a trace of newfound wariness.
Jiang Xiu simply pretended not to notice.
Only after everyone had left and the room fell quiet again did Wu Zhan seem to finally relax, leaning weakly into Jiang Xiu’s embrace.
Jiang Xiu held Fu Fu with one arm and wrapped the other around Wu Zhan.
Wu Che slowly shuffled over and nestled against her other side.
All three children were now in her arms.
In that moment, Jiang Xiu suddenly felt as if she had come back to life.
…
Outside the window, the sky gradually darkened.
After leaving the side courtyard, Wu Ling in her arms finally stopped crying.
She rested her head on Lin Shuang’s shoulder, her face pale, but a trace of malice slowly surfaced in her eyes.
Something was wrong.
This baby girl was absolutely wrong!
In her previous life, she hadn’t existed.
In this life, however, she had survived and caused Jiang Xiu, Wu Zhan, and Wu Che to change completely.
Wu Ling clenched her tiny fists tightly.
It didn’t matter.
In a few days, it would be Wu Xiong’s birthday banquet.
In her previous life, it was at that banquet that she had accurately predicted the great victory at the border, catching the attention of the capital’s nobility.
This time, she could do it again.
As long as she regained her status as the Auspicious Omen in everyone’s eyes, Jiang Xiu and this freak would eventually be trampled beneath her feet.
At this thought, the fear in Wu Ling’s eyes gradually faded.
In its place emerged a stubborn, almost ruthless determination.
She was the true child of destiny!
…
While the front courtyard was in chaos, the side courtyard remained unusually quiet.
Wu Zhan leaned against her knee, occasionally looking up at Jiang Xiu.
As if afraid that in the blink of an eye, his mother would revert to the silent, yielding person she had been before.
Sensing his unease, Jiang Xiu reached out and gently patted his head.
“Zhan’er, don’t be afraid.”
Wu Zhan’s lips moved slightly, his voice still soft and hoarse.
“Mother… not… afraid.”
He spoke slowly.
Each word seemed to require immense effort.
Jiang Xiu’s eyes grew warm again.
“Mother isn’t afraid,” she whispered. “From now on, Mother won’t be afraid anymore.”
Wu Che sat nearby, not fully understanding, but seeing Jiang Xiu smile, he grinned along.
He pushed the wooden block in his hand toward Fu Fu, presenting it like a treasure, mumbling, “Sis… ter… play…”
Fu Fu, nestled in her swaddling clothes, stared at the saliva-stained wooden block, her little face stiffening.
[…]
[Elder brother, you have a kind heart.]
[However, playing with such a shabby little piece of wood seems somewhat beneath this venerable one’s status.]
[Ah well, seeing how pitifully foolish you look, I’ll give you some face.]
She reluctantly stretched out a tiny hand.
Unfortunately, the newborn’s little arm was soft and weak, losing strength halfway through its reach and only managing to rest limply on the edge of the swaddling cloth.
Yet Wu Che seemed to have received some grand response, his eyes lighting up with joy.
“Sister… likes…”
Fu Fu: “…”
[Not that much, actually.]
Jiang Xiu couldn’t help but lower her head and smile when she heard this.
It was the first time in so many years that she had laughed so lightly and freely by her child’s side.
However, this peace did not last long.
Not long after, Xing’er hurried in from outside, her expression somewhat complicated.
“Madam.”
Jiang Xiu looked up. “How are things in the front courtyard?”
Xing’er hesitated, seeming to want to laugh but not quite daring to.
“The people from Huaxiang Tower are still blocking the entrance.”
“The old madam originally wanted the accounts office to advance some silver, but the accountant said there isn’t enough cash in the public funds.”
Jiang Xiu was not surprised.
In recent years, the Marquis’s household accounts had already been in poor shape, only barely maintaining a facade of prosperity because she had been using her dowry to fill the gaps.
Before Old Mrs. Wu took over, she had only thought managing the household was a lucrative position.
Now that she was truly in charge, she realized the Marquis’s household was already an empty shell.
Xing’er continued, “The kitchen is also causing trouble, saying the old madam only gave a few coins but demanded chicken, duck, fish, and meat, and that Concubine Lin is weak and needs additional nourishing soup.”
“The stables also came asking for fodder money.”
“The sewing room said the new clothes made for the young lady a few days ago haven’t been paid for yet.”
“And the managers from two shops outside also came, saying the silver the Marquis withdrew earlier has never been replenished in the accounts.”
Jiang Xiu’s hand, holding the teacup, paused.
“The shop managers also came?”
Xing’er nodded.
“Two came, both merchants from shops next to Madam’s dowry shops. They said they had only been willing to extend credit to the Marquis’s household in the past out of respect for Madam’s face. Now that they’ve heard Madam is no longer managing the household, they’ve all come to collect old debts.”
At this point, Xing’er finally couldn’t hold back, her tone carrying a hint of vindication.
“Madam, you didn’t see the old madam’s expression just now.”
“It turned green and white, she nearly fainted from anger.”
Upon hearing this, Fu Fu immediately perked up.
[Excellent, excellent, I love watching this.]
[That damned old woman should suffer a bit.]
Jiang Xiu gently tapped Fu Fu’s little face with her fingertip.
“You.”
Her voice was extremely soft, carrying a trace of indulgence she herself hadn’t noticed.
Fu Fu’s little face scrunched up.
[Why are you poking me again?]
[It’s strange, ever since I was born, Mother seems to have changed completely, nothing like her in the Mirror of the Mortal Realm.]
[Could it be that Mother can hear my thoughts?]
[Then how will I be able to speak those foul words so freely in the future?]
As soon as this thought emerged, Fu Fu shook her head.
[Not very likely, Mother is just an ordinary human.]
[Should I test it?]
She spent half an hour cursing the Wu family in her mind.
But Jiang Xiu showed no reaction at all.
Jiang Xiu was currently feigning composure, afraid that if her daughter knew she could hear her thoughts, she might become restrained and unable to speak freely.
[It seems my birth has only influenced some events.]
Seeing Jiang Xiu show no reaction, Fu Fu finally relaxed.
Xing’er stood to the side, feeling for some reason that her mistress had become much more lively these past few days.
It wasn’t that the mistress couldn’t smile before.
But those smiles always held weariness, as if they were a forced display of propriety.
Now it was different.
When she held the Third Young Miss, there was warmth in her eyes.
Xing’er felt both a pang of sorrow and a sense of relief. Just as she was about to speak, a young maid’s voice suddenly came from outside.
“Madam, Nanny Zhao from the old madam’s side is here.”
The smile on Jiang Xiu’s lips faded.
“Let her in.”
When Nanny Zhao entered, her face was all smiles, but a hint of impatience lurked in her eyes.
She was Old Mrs. Wu’s most favored servant and had always been accustomed to putting on airs in front of Jiang Xiu.
After all, no matter how noble a wife was, she still had to be filial to her mother-in-law.
But for some reason today, as soon as she stepped into this side courtyard, she felt the atmosphere was different from before.
Suppressing the odd feeling in her heart, Nanny Zhao smiled and said, “Madam, the old madam says that there are many matters to attend to today, and things are a bit tight for the moment. She would like to ask you to take out some silver first.”
Jiang Xiu slowly set down her teacup.
“How much?”
Hearing that there might be a chance, Nanny Zhao replied as if it were only natural:
“Not much, just five hundred taels for now.”
Xing’er was so angry she almost laughed out loud.
Not much?
An ordinary family would never see that much silver in their entire lives, yet from Nanny Zhao’s mouth, it sounded as if she were asking for a few copper coins.
Jiang Xiu, however, showed no anger and only asked, “What does Mother need these five hundred taels for?”
Nanny Zhao answered without hesitation.
“The bill at Huaxiang Tower needs to be settled.”
“The kitchen also needs to make purchases.”
“And the Marquis’s birthday is in a few days—we can’t just not celebrate it.”
“As you know, Madam, the Marquis is at a crucial time in court now. If his birthday banquet is shabby, wouldn’t it become a laughingstock if word got out?”
Jiang Xiu listened quietly.
In the past, hearing the words “the Marquis’s dignity,” she would likely have already told Xing’er to open the storeroom.
But now, she only found it ridiculous.
“Nanny Zhao must have misunderstood.”