4
Tang Cheng had already been planning to deal with Shanhu, that malicious maid who had ill intentions and had been urging the original owner to abort the child. Now, hearing Shanhu still trying to play mind games right in front of her, Tang Cheng’s delicate face suddenly flushed with anger.
“Shanhu, shut your mouth. You have no place speaking here!”
“Zhenzhu, go get the herbs.”
Tang Cheng thought about how, in the original owner’s memories, she had been completely fooled by a mere maid like Shanhu. To prevent her doting father the Marquis from killing Shanhu, the original owner had even threatened to die, screaming that if Shanhu were gone, she wouldn’t want to live either. Tang Cheng found this utterly astonishing and had no words for it.
She too was a young lady spoiled by her family, but she had no idea how the original owner’s brain had been wired.
Fortunately, Shanhu had no idea that the original owner had done something so idiotic for her. Otherwise, Shanhu would likely be even more brazen. Tang Cheng noticed that Shanhu’s behavior wasn’t yet completely out of line—there were probably warnings from her father the Marquis behind that.
Shanhu, who had been repeatedly scolded by the young miss today, was stunned. Her eyes were filled with disbelief, and a sudden panic rose in her heart. She dared not speak further. In her eyes, the young mistress had never been a loyal or sentimental person—once displeased, she would discard people like worn-out shoes.
Thinking of the mysterious person’s promise, Shanhu knew she couldn’t be cast aside by the young mistress before achieving her goal. She gritted her teeth and endured, feeling both stifled and wronged. Since the day the young mistress had bought her, she had never been treated like this. What nonsense about only trusting her—it was all lies. Once she got rid of that child…
At this point, Shanhu still had no idea that her empty-headed mistress had been replaced. She continued dreaming her beautiful dreams.
Meanwhile, seeing the young mistress scold Shanhu, Zhenzhu breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Fortunately…fortunately, the young mistress hadn’t been fooled again by a petty person like Shanhu.
Now Zhenzhu dared not argue further. Seizing the opportunity before the young mistress could be won back by Shanhu, she quickly took the herbal list and left.
She would go along with the young mistress for now and inform the Marquis when he returned. She was confident the Marquis wouldn’t let the young mistress do something reckless.
The two nursemaids exchanged glances, smiled wryly, and fell silent. This Fourth Miss Tang was truly willful to the point of being headache-inducing. They were merely servants, and not even servants of the Nanyang Marquisate. No matter how much they said, this Fourth Miss Tang wouldn’t listen. They might even be kicked out.
Hadn’t even Shanhu, the young mistress’s favorite maid, just been reprimanded?
The room grew quiet. Tang Cheng was pleased with this. She leisurely reclined on the chaise lounge, enjoying delicious pastries.
As for the fleeting resentment in Shanhu’s eyes, she paid it no mind at all.
…
As evening approached, Nanyang Marquis Tang Zejin returned home. Coincidentally, Zhenzhu had just returned from purchasing the herbs.
“This servant greets the Marquis.” Upon seeing the Marquis, Zhenzhu quickly bowed respectfully.
“Has Cheng’er been causing trouble today?”
Speaking of his beloved daughter Tang Cheng, the Marquis thought of how she had been throwing tantrums and threatening to abort the child. His head ached, and he felt helpless. He hoped Cheng’er could understand his good intentions.
In the Marquis’s view, compared to the Fourth Prince whom his daughter was bent on marrying, the young heir Wen of the Duke of Zhen was actually a better match for Cheng’er.
Especially since Cheng’er had been fortunate enough to become pregnant with the young heir Wen’s child—that was her leverage. Although the reputation of being pregnant out of wedlock was poor, Nanyang Marquis still decided to give his beloved daughter his full support and do his best to protect her.
“Your Excellency, the young miss has changed her mind and decided to keep the young heir Wen’s child. She has also kept the nursemaids sent by the Duchess of Zhen.” Zhenzhu quickly replied.
Nanyang Marquis breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
“But then the young miss suddenly said her body was too weak and she wanted to brew a type of physique-strengthening medicinal preparation. She wrote out a list and had this servant buy the herbs.”
With that, Zhenzhu raised the large bundle in her hand.
“These are the herbs the young miss told this servant to buy.”
“The physician at Jihe Hall said that although the herbs the young miss wanted were unusual, none of them were toxic.”
This was something Zhenzhu had specifically asked about in detail.
The Marquis’s gaze fell upon a bone protruding from the opening of the large bundle.
“Is a bone also considered an herb?”
“Your Excellency, it’s tiger bone. It cost quite a bit of silver,” Zhenzhu replied with a pained expression.
Nanyang Marquis nodded and said casually, “So it’s tiger bone. You can buy a few more pieces to steep in wine to nourish Cheng’er’s body.”
Zhenzhu: “…”
Was the Marquis focusing on the wrong thing? Wasn’t he going to stop the young miss from making this medicinal brew?
Zhenzhu was dumbfounded.
Nanyang Marquis had always doted on his daughter and understood her temperament well. He wasn’t concerned about Tang Cheng wanting to make a medicinal brew. He assumed that by “making a brew,” she meant something like decocting medicine—she would give the orders and let the servants do the actual work. It would probably lose her interest in a few days. Nothing to worry about.
Still, Nanyang Marquis planned to find a reliable physician to place in the Peony Garden, just in case.
Lost in thought, the Marquis headed toward the Peony Garden, with Zhenzhu and a young attendant following behind.
Those in the household with quick news sources knew immediately that the Marquis had gone straight to the Peony Garden as soon as he returned home. They were all quite accustomed to this.
Tang Xin pressed her lips together, a faint pang of bitterness rising in her heart. She had transmigrated here over half a month ago and had spent considerable effort trying to win over her father the Marquis, but to no effect. In the Marquis’s eyes, it seemed there was only that brainless Fourth Sister, Tang Cheng. In the end, she would even go against the female protagonist for revenge, dragging down the entire Nanyang Marquisate with her.
Tang Xin wanted to save the marquisate, but it seemed the path of winning over her father the Marquis wouldn’t work.
As for reforming Tang Cheng—Tang Xin never even considered it. The female protagonist was reborn and already had a grudge against Tang Cheng. A confrontation was inevitable. She didn’t want to get involved.
“I can only rely on myself,” Tang Xin murmured.
…
Peony Garden
Tang Cheng finally met the marquis father who doted on the original owner. The moment she saw Nanyang Marquis, Tang Cheng’s brow twitched. The resemblance was too strong—Nanyang Marquis’s face was actually seventy to eighty percent similar to her own father’s.
Come to think of it, she hadn’t yet seen the original owner’s appearance. With this thought, Tang Cheng picked up a beauty mirror to look at the original owner’s features.
One look, and Tang Cheng was startled.
The mirror reflected a face she found quite familiar—delicate features, pretty almond-shaped eyes, and a hint of pride between the brows.
Everything was so familiar.
She actually resembled the original owner by ninety percent.
Tang Cheng: “…”
Was this what they called fate?
Nanyang Marquis: “…”
He cleared his throat softly, drawing his beloved daughter’s attention back. “Cheng’er, I’ll have dinner with you here tonight.”
Tang Cheng snapped back to reality, casually put away the beauty mirror, and broke into a radiant smile. She happily went over to take the Marquis’s arm.
“That would be great. I’d love to have dinner with you too.”
For this marquis father who looked so much like her own father and doted on his daughter, Tang Cheng felt quite accepting.
Nanyang Marquis, pleased by his beloved daughter’s affection, broke into a happy smile.
Zhenzhu, forgotten, stood holding the large bundle in her hands, waiting silently.
Shanhu was as quiet as a frightened chicken, not daring to breathe loudly.
The cold glance the Marquis had swept over her earlier made her heart leap with fear.
Every time the Marquis came to visit the young miss, Shanhu was terrified, as if walking on thin ice.
This was one of the reasons why Shanhu, who had been quite valued and trusted by Tang Cheng, was so eager to betray her.
“Father, I’ve found a good formula and want to make a physique-strengthening brew. Once it’s ready, you can soak in it too—it’ll strengthen your body.” Tang Cheng thought about how short people’s lifespans were in this era and decided to help her powerful backer, her marquis father, live longer.
“It’s not for drinking?” Nanyang Marquis asked in surprise, his expression relaxed.
“So, it’s just soaking in this so-called physique-strengthening brew. Zhenzhu said the herbs aren’t toxic, so it probably won’t do much anyway. Might as well treat it like taking a bath.”
At least his precious daughter wouldn’t have the patience for it.
Zhenzhu looked utterly despairing.
The Marquis’s reaction wasn’t quite right.
The two nursemaids: “…”
“It can be drunk, and it can also be used for medicinal baths.” Tang Cheng was amused by her marquis father’s first reaction.
“The potency of the physique-strengthening brew is a bit strong. Let’s start with medicinal baths first, and once the body adapts, then we can drink it.”
“Father, don’t worry. I won’t do anything reckless. I’m going to have this baby smoothly.”
This Fourth Miss Tang spoke as if it were all quite real. The two nursemaids twitched their mouths.
Nanyang Marquis was not at all reassured. He hadn’t expected this brew could also be drunk.
“Cheng’er, where did you get this formula?”
Tang Cheng replied without blinking: “A Taoist gave it to me, I think. It was quite a while ago, so I can’t really remember. But he was just an insignificant person, so Father doesn’t need to concern himself with it. As long as the formula works, that’s what matters.”
Nanyang Marquis’s brow twitched.
You can’t remember who gave it to you, but you can still remember the formula?
The Marquis felt a headache coming on.
“Cheng’er, you’re carrying a child now. You need to be cautious about anything you consume. The two nursemaids have extensive experience—you should listen to their advice.”
Nanny Gao and Nanny Cao nodded vigorously in agreement.
Wouldn’t it be better to just rest peacefully during the pregnancy? Why did she have to go making all sorts of messy things?
Tang Cheng wasn’t at all upset by her marquis father’s lack of trust. She knew he was just concerned about her.
“Father, don’t worry. If the medicinal baths don’t work, I definitely won’t drink it.”
“You can make the brew and take medicinal baths, but only after a physician has examined it and confirmed there’s no problem.”
The Marquis thought about his precious daughter’s temperament and felt a headache coming on. But he couldn’t bear to scold her. Well, it was just a medicinal bath. With a physician watching over it, nothing should go wrong.
If he stopped her now, who knew if his precious daughter would secretly try to do it on her own? It was better to keep it out in the open.
Having gained her marquis father’s support, Tang Cheng was very happy.
“Father, send someone to collect martial arts manuals. I’m very interested in martial arts. After the child is born, I want to practice martial arts.”
Tang Cheng was planning ahead. Her physical combat techniques would need to be disguised as martial arts.
Nanyang Marquis, who spoiled his daughter, felt his brow twitch again.
“Alright.”
Tang Cheng was thoroughly satisfied.
Zhenzhu looked utterly dejected.
She knew it would turn out like this.
Shanhu secretly rejoiced. Go ahead and make trouble—hopefully, she’d end up losing the young heir Wen’s child.
As they spoke, the sky grew dark, and candles were lit in the main hall.
The kitchen steward entered with a procession of maids. As they came inside, the aroma of food wafted into their noses.
Delicacies filled the table, fragrance spreading everywhere, the colors tempting.
Tang Cheng sat down at the table and enjoyed a delicious dinner with Nanyang Marquis.
After the meal, Tang Cheng dismissed the servants and then told Nanyang Marquis about wanting to get rid of Shanhu.
The Marquis was pleasantly surprised. He wanted to double-check, lest his precious daughter regret it later and cause another uproar.
“Cheng’er, you really want Father to get rid of Shanhu?”
Tang Cheng spread her hands, looking innocent. “Yes. That girl Shanhu is becoming more and more unpleasant. She likes to stick her nose where it doesn’t belong. She’s no longer suitable to stay by my side as a trusted maid.”
“Father, send me more people. I am a marquis’s daughter—how can I only have one maid by my side? It’s such a loss of face. I need at least eight or ten. That would be more dignified.”
Nanyang Marquis laughed heartily. “Cheng’er is right. That’s exactly how it should be. Father will send you eight or ten servants tomorrow.”
His precious daughter had finally turned against Shanhu.
The Marquis was so delighted that he decided to have Shanhu dealt with tonight, before anything could go wrong.
As for how to deal with her—she would simply disappear.
**