eurekapd Chapter 48 Recognizing the Situation
Chapter 48 Recognizing the Situation
Aunt Chen thought to herself, "Now that I am a concubine, Xu Biyun is also a concubine. We are all the same kind of people, so why should I be afraid of her?"
Hearing these words again now only intensified my hatred for Xu Biyun. I only regret that I am not of high enough status to kill her!
Qiao Qingshu stepped forward and patted Aunt Chen on the back, scolding her playfully.
“Aunt, look how ruthless you are! Why can’t you talk things out properly? Why do you have to make such a scene? Look, you’ve scratched Aunt Xu’s face all over. It looks like she’ll need half a month to recover.”
Aunt Chen no longer cared about the two or three taels of silver a month; she simply turned to Qiao Qingshu and said,
"Young lady, I can't control what others do, but if Aunt Xu's monthly allowance is even a penny more than mine, I'll dare to climb on the roof and tear the tiles off the house. I'm not afraid of the master and mistress being angry with me. We're all concubines, so why does this lowly woman live so comfortably? I won't stand for it! I absolutely won't stand for it!"
Qiao Qingshu quickly smiled and comforted her.
"It's the same for everyone. Aunt Chen, your courtyard is close to Lanxiang Pavilion. If you're worried, you can go and supervise her every day. If you find out that Aunt Xu is drinking good wine and eating good meat again, come and tell me. I will definitely investigate thoroughly."
Xu Biyun was terrified of being beaten by Aunt Chen. She shrunk her neck and lay there, not daring to argue or raise her head. She just listened obediently.
Feeling wronged and frustrated, she could only cover her face with her handkerchief and cry pathetically.
The commotion at Zhuqingxuan had already alerted Old Madam Qiao.
Everyone was taken to Fushou Hall for questioning.
These days, Madam Qiao has been very sleepy, and she sleeps for longer and longer periods each day, almost seven or eight hours a day.
I don't know why I feel sleepy and weak, and I can't muster the energy to sleep. Even when I'm awake, my mind is foggy and I'm not very clear-headed for the next few hours.
When Granny Zou came to report that a fight had broken out in Zhuqingxuan, she clutched her forehead, her head throbbing with pain, and she was extremely annoyed.
Nowadays, she is physically and mentally exhausted, and even handling the small matters of the inner quarters is beyond her capabilities.
After drinking another bowl of herbal medicine, he listened to Qiao Qingshu recount the whole story before he began to ponder it a little.
He glanced at Xu Biyun and Chen Xiangyu standing below, both of whom looked disheveled.
Madam Qiao couldn't help but slap her forehead, realizing that she was really getting senile and had completely forgotten about this.
The two shops that Old Madam Qiao had given to Xu Biyun were actually intended to be taken back by her after Xu Biyun became a concubine.
She no longer favored Xu Biyun as before, so how could she allow a concubine to live such a comfortable life now?
However, I've been too busy lately, and my health hasn't been good, so I forgot about it for a while.
Unexpectedly, Qiao Qingshu did it for her.
Then I wondered how Qiao Qingshu found out that these two shops were not recorded in the ledger.
He couldn't help but ask with alarm,
"Shu'er, how did you know about these two shops?"
Qiao Qingshu did not say that she found out by looking at the account book. She only said that the servant of Lanxiang Pavilion was used to being arrogant in the outer courtyard and often boasted about how much money Aunt Xu had received this month. Qiao Qingshu found out by asking the servant.
At this moment, Madam Qiao nodded, her mind not allowing her to think too much, and she believed it to be true.
Xu Biyun had been crying incessantly since she entered the house, and now she spoke softly.
"Grandma, you...you have to do justice for me! I'm carrying the Qiao family's child."
Qiao Qingshu had already arranged for the royal physician to come and examine Xu Biyun's abdomen. The physician said that she had only suffered some superficial injuries and that the baby would not be affected in the slightest.
Hearing this, Aunt Chen was no longer afraid. She only regretted that she hadn't been ruthless enough and hadn't torn the scalp off!
Hearing the doctor's words, Madam Qiao felt relieved.
As long as the child is alright, Xu Biyun doesn't care how badly she was beaten.
Old Madam Qiao glanced at Xu Biyun and reprimanded her sternly.
"I think Sister Shu did the right thing! You're just a concubine, yet you're dreaming of owning two shops. Two coins a month is more than enough for you to live on! Stop daydreaming about anything else!"
Xu Biyun said with great grievance,
"But ma'am, I'm pregnant..."
Before she could finish speaking, Old Mrs. Qiao interrupted her,
"What's wrong? Haven't Aunt He and Aunt Chen had children before? Why doesn't anyone else complain, but you're the one who's complaining about this and that! Are you made of gold?!"
Xu Biyun was silenced and dared not say anything more, only looking at Qiao Qingshu with resentment in her eyes.
Old Madam Qiao gave Aunt Chen another scolding, but she didn't punish her severely; she only gave her a verbal reprimand.
When Madam Qiao heard that Qiao Qingshu had reduced the monthly allowances for the concubines, she had no objections, as she had originally intended to do the same.
Qiao Qingshu's two actions almost pleased Old Madam Qiao, so she was very satisfied.
I felt relieved. My health is not good now, and I can't think of many things and places. Fortunately, my granddaughter is very thoughtful in everything she does, which makes me feel more at ease.
He touched Qiao Qingshu's small hand and said...
“Grandmother’s health is deteriorating. From now on, you can handle these small matters yourself without asking me for permission.”
Qiao Qingshu nodded, thinking to herself, "This is great! You're giving me more authority, so I can be even more assertive next time."
Seeing how well Qiao Qingshu was behaving in front of the old lady, Aunt Chen realized the situation and knew that going against Qiao Qingshu would only lead to trouble.
You should still be more polite to the young lady in the future, since Qiao Qingshu is now in charge.
Xu Biyun felt extremely wronged but knew there was nowhere to confide in. Since Old Madam Qiao had spoken, it would be pointless for her to make a scene at Qiao Jizhou's place.
Touching her growing belly, she felt as bitter as if she had eaten lotus seeds, and was filled with regret.
After dismissing everyone, Old Madam Qiao felt dizzy again. She had only spoken for a short while when she became increasingly weak.
Busy, he lay back down on the couch to rest.
Then he summoned Granny Zou and impatiently gave her instructions.
"Sister Shu, you don't need to have anyone keep an eye on her anymore. I see that this girl is always looking out for the Qiao family, so she won't make any mistakes. In the future, don't report any minor incidents like this to me, or you'll disturb my rest."
Granny Zou agreed and removed the few spies from Zhuqingxuan.
Aunt Chen was not about to let Xu Biyun off so easily!
I haven't even gotten over my own pent-up anger yet!
These past two days, he's been going to Lanxiang Pavilion every day to collect debts from Xu Biyun, and he even had his maid find a literate servant outside to write a debt repayment book.
Write down every single thing that was given to Xu Biyun and Liu Wan'er in previous years.
He wrote down every little detail: three scraps of cloth, three spools of thread, two bowls of eight-treasure rice, and four bowls of rice porridge. It was a thick stack of notes.
Every day, Aunt Chen would lead her maid, Hu Niu, and sit down at the entrance of Lanxiang Pavilion, pulling up stools along the way.
"Xu Biyun, give me back my money! Xu Biyun, give me back my things! Give me back my money! Give me back my things!"
He shamelessly demanded that Xu Biyun return the money and the items. Xu Biyun had never seen such a rogue before and was speechless with frustration.
He had no choice but to return it to her penny by penny.
Qiao Qingshu listened to Wanqiu's vivid description of these scenes and found Kele extremely interesting.
Lin Dong frowned and said, "Miss, are we just going to let Aunt Chen make such an unseemly scene? Shouldn't you go and do something about it?"
Qiao Qingshu clapped her hands with a smile.
"Go ahead and make a fuss, it won't cause any harm."
Qiao Qingshu suddenly remembered what Aunt Chen had said when she threw a tantrum that day.
"Aren't you afraid I'll expose all your dirty tricks from the past..."
Qiao Qingshu's eyes darkened slightly.
She thought to herself that she needed to add fuel to the fire so that it would burn even brighter.
He instructed Lin Dong to prepare two sets of fashionable winter brocade jackets and a thick men's robe.
Qiao Qingshu visited Haitangyuan again.