Lin Qianzi’s face alternated between red and white after his words. She opened and closed her mouth a few times without saying anything, but tears were already forming in her eyes. The maid she’d brought with her felt badly for her mistress, but all she could do was glare silently. However, the target of her glare was Bai Xiangxiu.
Bai Xiangxiu coughed a few times to try and ease the discomfort that came from the almost resentful glare.
“Are you feeling alright?” Long Heng asked, which startled Xiaoshi even more. Her mistress was pregnant! Everything had to be considered!
“Madame Xiu, are you alright? Is your stomach alright?”
The hell! There’s nothing more revealing than allowing a silly maid to attend to me. Who doesn’t know what’s happened to me now thanks to her questions? A concubine being pregnant before the main wife even enters the household is a pure and unadulterated smack to the face!
Lin Qianzi was mentally rocked, as if she’d just been given several sharp slaps. She couldn’t sit still any longer, and leapt to her feet in anger. “Long Heng, do you have any respect for me at all?! It was one thing to ignore me at Red Maple Mountain Villa, but now I have to accept this kind of disgraceful thing before I’ve even set foot over the doorstep. You… you all are… inconceivable!”
Bam! The table in front of them turned into splinters the second Long Heng slammed his hand down on it.
Bai Xiangxiu was both surprised and feeling aggrieved. When all was said and done, she was Long Heng’s concubine! What shame was there in the two of them rolling in the bedsheets and having a child? Did Long Heng have to remain pure for the female lead? Then didn’t it follow that she had to be a virgin as well!? Although it might’ve been Luo Yunzheng forcing himself on her back then, but if the female lead hadn’t tried for his attentions continuously and thought of him constantly, why would that man have bothered her incessantly! Bai Xiangxiu still recalled how the female lead had stopped her when she’d tried to help Long Heng.
Now that things were already at this point, Bai Xiangxiu had no fear of losing face. “Surely Miss Lin is jesting. I’m the prince’s concubine, how would… this be a disgraceful matter? It’s rather you who saved someone else that day and prevented me from saving His Highness…”
She felt that such a strong style wasn’t quite suited for her after speaking, so she tilted her body and fell onto Xiaoshi, pretending to cry into a handkerchief.
Long Heng’s heart spasmed painfully as he responded coldly, “Miss Lin had better not give this prince the opportunity to speak of your disgraceful deeds.” He tenderly lifted Bai Xiangxiu up into a princess carry after he finished speaking and left the old madame’s residence. He was furious enough to want to kill that woman, but suddenly saw the woman in his embrace wink up at him. There was no sign of tears or suffering on her face at all. He couldn’t help but laugh, “You were pretending?”
“Eh, this concubine is sad but just didn’t have enough time to cry.” Bai Xiangxiu turned her face to the side, but a cute smile danced on her lips. The male lead wasn’t angry at her little subterfuge. It looked like he was just as was written in the novel. He didn’t like girls who were overly weak and were always being bullied by others. The occasional rebellion was actually quite cute to him.
After he brought his lady back, he paid a visit to the military camp outside the city. He’s certainly a busy man. I can’t just sit around either.
The new year was almost upon them, so she had to arrange various things. And now that she had a boyfriend, she had also grown a bit vain. This cotton jacket was making her appear fat, and she wanted to switch things up a little. Therefore, she wanted to make some thin cotton coverings and some outerwear to go with them. Because she had some money now, she invited a tailor to visit and create the garments for her.
Lin Qianzi actually came to visit just as they were getting caught up in the enthusiasm. It was impressive that she’d been able to make it to Apricot Garden by herself with just her own maid by her side. Bai Xiangxiu stepped down from her seat with a smile, “What brings Miss Lin by? Have a seat. Come, someone pour her tea.”
“That’s fine. I heard the bustle here and decided to come take a look. Are you making new clothes?” Lin Qianzi herself was being beset by that man who didn’t know how to treat a woman gently. How would she be of the mindset to do anything like this? Nevertheless, she was a girl too, and quite happy at looking at these beautiful bolts of cloth. However, she didn’t even dare set foot outside the manor at the moment.
Bai Xiangxiu wasn’t keeping an eye on the changes in Miss Lin’s expressions. She felt that Miss Lin could have everything she wanted, what would she care for Bai Xiangxiu’s items? But how would Bai Xiangxiu know that Long Heng hadn’t given her just any bolts of cloth? Each bolt was exquisite, and some of it had come from the stash he’s accumulated in his many years outside. The bolt of cloth next to her at the moment was interspersed with fine down. If turned into clothes for the season, the wearer would be quite warm even without cotton padding. This bolt was worth thousands of gold taels in the city, particularly in the winter time. The wearer would have quite a lot of face if they walked around wearing it.
Ling Qianzi couldn’t help but feel sad. Luo Yunzheng only wanted her body, and had barged into the Lin residence not long after she’d returned. She was afraid of him, to the point where she wanted to hide from him, but he always forced her down into doing… that, and more than once at that. Bruises criss-crossed her body for days afterwards, and forced her to keep a low profile in front of her family. Yet, her mother still discovered it in the end, and felt that word of this matter couldn’t be spread. She wanted Lin Qianzi to head for the Prince Li Manor first for protection, and then strike up a relationship with Long Heng after a while, completing their marriage as soon as possible.
That man wouldn’t dare do anything after she entered the prince’s household. Lin Qianzi was also truly afraid, so she’d agreed to come to the prince’s manor. But when she saw how Long Heng was so protective of a mere concubine, even gifting her presents that Lin Qianzi had never seen before, she clutched her hand into a tight fist. This is my husband! “No need, I’m just coming by. The old madame needs rest and doesn’t need me to wait on her.”
However, who knew that this would actually cause others to misunderstand her? The visiting tailor had no idea that she was Long Heng’s fiancé! Therefore, he wasn’t particularly polite when speaking to her. She’d said she was waiting on the old madame after all, and what main wife would come visit a concubine?
The current topic of conversation revolved around the bolt of cloth with fine down. Bai Xiangxiu was clueless and asked, “Will the wearer really not be cold without cotton padding inside?”
“Oh! Madame Xiu doesn’t know this bolt of cloth. It’s actually ermine down. The weavers put it in bit by bit, and it’s quite precious,” the tailor explained.
“I’ve heard that it’s a rare and precious cloth from far away. I don’t think you could find any within our borders. The prince is quite thoughtful, but why wasn’t this gifted to Old Madame?”
Men are such unfilial creatures. Did he forget about his own mother after having a beautiful woman? Lin Qianzi started laughing coldly when her thoughts traveled here.
The female lead was a straight shooter, and full of righteous indignation. It was a pity that she’d used it in the wrong place this time. The tailor snorted dismissively. “It looks like this sister thinks elders are suited for all good things? Although this cloth is good, it’s very easy for divine fire to appear when elders use it, which might cause heart palpitations and shortness of breath.”
Divine fire was what they called static electricity in ancient times, and it was a saying grounded in science. More importantly, the female lead was completely silenced by those words. The word “sister” was what outsiders used to address the head maids in manors!
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