PFC Chapter 332 The Prince's Mystery: The Cannon Fodder Bride Forced into a Substitute Marquis'
Chapter 332 The Prince's Mystery: The Cannon Fodder Bride Forced into a Substitute Marquis'
She had never seen anyone so willing to throw themselves into love like a moth to a flame. Shen Yuxi had seen some refugees who had suffered from disasters, and they were already living a miserable life. Exile would only make their lives even worse than that of refugees. Was it really worth it for a man?
"Your younger sister is a woman of strong character, it's just a pity..."
Seeing that Shen Yuxi was becoming increasingly unrestrained in her speech, Madam Hou quickly stopped her.
"Alright, Xi'er, these are not things you should be discussing!"
Shen Yuxi knew that she had gone too far in commenting on Su Jinyue, and when the Lady Hou reminded her, she awkwardly shut up.
Su Jinyue sat obediently at the lower end of the table, as if she hadn't heard those words.
Seeing the awkward atmosphere, the second young mistress tried to smooth things over.
"Sister-in-law, did your homecoming go smoothly today? My brother was ill and couldn't accompany you. I wonder if your family blames you?"
Su Jinyue's smile faded slightly, and she said in a calm tone, "Of course not."
The second young mistress, however, seemed oblivious to Su Jinyue's unease, covering her mouth and teasingly saying, "Eldest sister-in-law is so sensible. Today, Yichen accompanied me on my homecoming visit, but he had business at the yamen on the way."
He left in a hurry right after we finished eating. I complained a bit, and my mother said I was being unreasonable, that a man should prioritize his career, and that I shouldn't always be clinging to him..."
Su Jinyue felt embarrassed to respond to this, so she pretended to drink her tea and didn't say anything more.
Lady Hou looked at Mei Zhixu, a hint of dissatisfaction deep in her eyes.
The timing of the response was right, but the content of the speech was inappropriate.
She knew perfectly well that Shen Huaizhi couldn't come back to his parents' home with them, yet she still went up to Su Jinyue and boasted about it, saying that men should prioritize their careers and that Shen Huaizhi was sickly and was currently recuperating at home. Wasn't this just stabbing Su Jinyue in the heart?
Mei Zhixu is the eldest daughter-in-law of the Marquis's family. Why would she need to compete with a mere concubine's wife?
His own daughter-in-law, and the eldest daughter-in-law at that, would be in charge of the entire Marquis's mansion in the future.
She's still too naive, raised in the boudoir. She doesn't act like a proper wife. I'll have to work hard to teach her slowly!
Lady Hou did not want to reprimand her daughter-in-law at this time, lest she become a laughingstock in front of others, especially Su Jinyue.
Lady Hou had lost her earlier enthusiasm and said to Su Jinyue in a detached tone, "Su, as a new bride, you should abide by the rules of the Hou family after you have married into the Hou family. Huaizhi is still ill, so please take good care of him these next few days."
Su Jinyue stood up, bowed, and then replied, "Yes, daughter-in-law understands."
Afterwards, Lady Hou gave Su Jinyue a few more words of reprimand and then dismissed her.
Knowing that she wasn't an important person to the Lady of the Marquis, Su Jinyue obediently left first.
As for Lady Hou's dissatisfaction with Mei Zhixu, Su Jinyue had also noticed it.
All she could say was that the conflict between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law was probably innate and would never be resolved.
But thinking about her current status, Su Jinyue couldn't smile.
Now that she's also a daughter-in-law, and with such strict rules in the Marquis's mansion, she's used to being carefree and really can't stand the rigid rules.
Su Jinyue took a deep breath. No, she had to find a way to at least avoid being disturbed and live her own life with Shen Huaizhi.
The Xuanping Marquis's residence is a huge five-courtyard complex, with the residence of Marquis Shen and his wife located in the very center of the house.
Shen Huaizhi's residence was quite remote. One had to walk through a covered walkway, pass through a small gate, and then go through a large garden before reaching Shen Huaizhi's place.
Although the courtyard was secluded, Su Jinyue was quite satisfied. It was far from the residences of other people in the Marquis's mansion. Shen Huaizhi was an illegitimate son and was often ill, so few people came here.
This place is far from the main kitchen of the Marquis's residence, and the food would be cold long before it arrived. Perhaps for Shen Huaizhi's convenience in brewing medicine, there is a small kitchen in the courtyard.
In addition, for convenience, a separate side gate was opened outside the courtyard, which can be used to enter and exit when buying groceries or other daily activities.
Su Jinyue was very happy to learn about this side gate, as it meant she wouldn't have to travel all that way to the main gate of the Marquis's mansion every time she went out.
There weren't many servants in Shen Huaizhi's courtyard: two attendants carrying books and washing inkstones, a pageboy named Ping An, two rough servants, a rough old woman, and a cook.
When Su Jinyue married into the family, she brought with her two personal maids, Chuncao and Chunyu, as well as her wet nurse.
The wet nurse's surname was Lin. She was found by Su Jinyue's maternal grandfather to take care of her. Su Jinyue was raised by wet nurse Lin since she was a child, and they were as close as mother and son.
Chuncao, Chunyu, and Granny Lin are all people Su Jinyue trusts.
When Su Jinyue got married, her stepmother had considered arranging for her to bring a few beautiful maids with her, but Su Jinyue politely declined.
Later, Madam Feng probably felt that Shen Huaizhi was bedridden for many years and there was no need to win him over. She was also busy with Su Jinlan's marriage arrangements, so she gave up on the idea.
In her previous life, because of the substitute marriage, Granny Lin, Chuncao, and Chunyu all came to the Marquis's mansion with Su Jinlan. The original owner had no idea what their fate was, but it probably wasn't good.
But it's still better than following the original owner. The original owner was the master, but after being exiled to the northern border, the maids were all slaves and would be sold again.
If they follow Su Jinyue and are sold off, who knows which family they will be sold to? The Su family will never think of buying them back!
Su Jinyue could vaguely sense that the original owner still had feelings for the maids who had grown up with her since childhood. Now that she had taken the place of the original owner, as long as these servants did not betray her, she would naturally give them a good ending.
Back in the courtyard, even though Su Jinyue was much healthier than the average young lady, her legs were still tired from walking such a long distance.
She hurried into the room, where Shen Huaizhi was leaning against a low couch by the window reading a book. Despite the early spring weather, Shen Huaizhi was still covered with a thick quilt and dressed warmly.
Shen Huaizhi is not short, and Su Jinyue looks to be about 1.8 meters tall, but she is too thin and looks rather emaciated. Her face is also very pale due to her illness.
But Shen Huaizhi's eyes were very beautiful, dark and bright, with deep eyes. Su Jinyue could see in those eyes a soul that was completely different from his frail body!
From the moment Su Jinyue lifted her veil and saw Shen Huaizhi, she was deeply attracted to him.
After Su Jinyue came in, she first washed up quickly to get rid of the chill before entering the bedroom.
Su Jinyue sat down on the low couch, carefully observed Shen Huaizhi's face, and then felt relieved when she touched Shen Huaizhi's hand and found it was warm.
"Why are you resting here today? This spot is right by the window; be careful not to get drafty."
Since Su Jinyue returned, Shen Huaizhi has put down his book and kept his eyes following her. When he noticed that Su Jinyue's hand was about to leave, he immediately grabbed it back.
Shen Huaizhi stared intently at Su Jinyue, a gentle smile curving his lips. He said softly, "I'm fine. I'm just bored lying here all day. The light is good for reading."