kvmb Chapter 867: Changes in the Marshal's Mansion
Chapter 867: Changes in the Marshal's Mansion
"My eldest sister-in-law called my eldest brother a loser, a coward, a wimp, and a pervert. This was all heard by the people my mother planted in the first house." Sha Lili said with relish.
Guier raised her eyebrows: "The fourth concubine is so capable that she can actually place people in the main house." She was still a little unhappy with the fourth concubine's previous chameleon-like behavior.
Sha Lili was a smart person. She guessed what she was talking about and quickly said, "Alas, I admit that my mother is a little shallow, but she doesn't have bad intentions. For so many years, she has been trembling with fear and treading on thin ice for us brothers and sisters in the Marshal's Mansion, watching us all get married and start our own families. Now that my father is gone, maybe in a few years she will find an excuse to move out of the Marshal's Mansion and live with my brother. Don't bother with her so much."
After hearing this, Gui'er felt a little sad. The apparent harmony in the Marshal's Mansion would eventually collapse with the death of the Marshal.
After the funeral, Gui'er begged Sha Yanxiao to release the two nurses and the director of the prison. Gui'er felt very bad, worried that they would mind. But when she ran into them at work later, they actually greeted her with a smile. The director said, "The military officer in charge of guarding us told us not to be afraid, saying we were Miss Gui'er's colleagues. They wouldn't give us any trouble. They also said that if Miss Gui mentioned it to the young marshal in a few days, he would definitely release us. Since the young marshal loved Miss Gui so much, we didn't suffer any injustice. We had a good meal every day, and when we were released, each of us received 10 yuan in wages, which they said was from the young marshal."
Gui'er finally felt a little relieved and was very grateful for what Sha Yanxiao had done for her.
I had originally thought that the first wife would leave for Nanjing after the Marshal's funeral, but they hadn't left yet. Of course, the concubines didn't want them to go back to Nanjing either, because they were holding onto the money they had received from the division of the family property. Now, every day, the concubines from each room came to greet the mistress and curry favor with them, except for the fourth concubine and Gui'er.
Because the two courtyards had already received their share of the money, Sha Yanxiao told Gui'er that she didn't have to go if she didn't want to. He also acknowledged the previous incident where the eldest wife's attempt to cause trouble at the funeral had failed. Sha Yanxiao was now very dissatisfied with the eldest wife and was wary of her.
The fourth concubine was preparing to move out and live with her children in their old age. When the other concubines heard that the fourth concubine had received her share of the money, they were all very surprised and secretly said to her: "The fourth concubine is really capable and so disloyal. She only cares about herself and doesn't even remind us."
The fourth concubine was too lazy to pretend with them now, and said casually: "That's the result of my two elder brothers taking turns to visit the lady. Hey, if you want to get the money, quickly ask your family to come and help persuade her."
The other concubines fell silent when they heard this. They all came from humble backgrounds, and some even needed money from their parents' homes to support them. How could they have a say?
Since the funeral, Sha Yanyao's temperament seemed to have broken. He went to nightclubs every day to hang out with dancers and gamble, which caused some upper-class people in Jiangcheng to talk about it. They said that this young master was actually a playboy. He was just acting normal before because he was suppressed by the Marshal. Now that the Marshal is gone, his true nature is exposed. Fortunately, the position of Marshal was passed to the second son Sha Yanxiao, who was capable and hardworking.
According to Jinbao, the lady also heard these discussions and tried to persuade Sha Yanyao privately, but Sha Yanyao did not take it to heart and continued to do as he pleased.
Jin Bao said worriedly, "Gui'er, I've placed all my hopes in this life on the young master. If he really becomes decadent, what should I do?"
Gui'er remained silent. The version she had heard was actually not like that. Dingxiang had told her that early in the morning. She also had good friends in the Seventh Concubine's room. She said that Sha Yanyao was using a trick. He would go out and stay for a while, then take a rickshaw to the mansion alone through the small gate used to transport firewood and grain and oil, go to the Seventh Concubine's courtyard to meet with her secretly, stay there until very late, then leave the mansion and take a rickshaw back through the main gate. Dingxiang also said that although the Seventh Concubine still couldn't get her share of the family property, their life in the courtyard was much better.
"It's almost as good as our courtyard. They're picking out the best stuff, so the servants in the courtyard are happy to help keep the news secret. My sister even told me to keep it a secret."
Gui'er said, "Seventh Concubine is a pitiful creature, childless and still so young. With Madam's character, it won't be long before she's forced to leave the Marshal's Mansion and remarry. If she gets along with my eldest brother, maybe she can get a little more money, and then life will be easier. We don't need to interfere in this matter."
Ding Xiang smiled and said, "Miss, you are right. You know how to care for others instead of blindly demanding that women observe certain chastity. Madam has already sent several of my sisters from the main house away. They all became slaves in wealthy families, but no matter what, I'm afraid their lives won't be as good as those in the Marshal's Mansion."
Gui'er listened to the commotion in the mansion, and it seemed that it had little to do with her. Anyway, the mission had been completed, and she was now relieved.
Now she still goes to work and comes home every day, usually learning something from Manager Liu. When she has time, she goes shopping, watches movies, and has dinner with He Ruizhu and Tong Yujun. Occasionally, Sha Yanxiao will take her out for an outing when he is free. Her life is very fulfilling.
On this day, Gui'er was on vacation. She heard a lot of noise in the yard early in the morning. Thinking something had happened, she quickly got up, dressed and went out to see. It turned out that it was the farm in the mansion who was handing in the harvest. In the past, the harvest would not be handed over directly to their yard, but to the main house. Now that the Marshal has passed away and the family has been divided, the harvest from the farm under Sha Yanxiao's name would naturally be delivered to their yard.
The bluestone pavement in the courtyard was filled with all sorts of baskets and sacks. The harvest, freshly brought in from the farm outside the city, still stank of earth. The head of the farm, wearing a felt hat, was directing the tenants as they unloaded their cargo. He checked the account book and boomed, "Twenty dan of new rice, ten dan of rough rice—all weighed, no mistakes!"
Several men were carrying heavy cloth bags towards the warehouse, beside which were piles of baskets of lake crabs and several baskets of fresh lotus roots. The tender white lotus nodes were covered with wet mud and stained with tiny lotus stamens. Bunches of ginkgo nuts were packed in bamboo baskets, and the green-yellow peels looked plump. The most eye-catching thing was a dozen jars of newly brewed osmanthus wine, the jars sealed with red cloth, and the sweet aroma of the wine could be faintly smelled.
The housekeeper was calculating with an abacus, checking and storing the crops. The head of the village said, "There was plenty of rain this year, and the rice harvest is 20% higher than last year. The water chestnuts and water chestnuts in the lake are also plentiful. I picked the tenderest ones for you, young lady, and rinsed them with well water. You'll have them ready to eat this afternoon." He pointed to a few rolls of blue printed cloth in the corner. "These are new products from the village's dyeing workshop. They're moisture-resistant and durable, perfect for making curtains and tablecloths for the courtyard."