The Good Concubine of the Qing Dynasty [Red Mansion]

Yun Shuyou had her sights set on her. As long as Li Sier went out, she would give her a little provocation.

There was no need to keep a constant watch; just a few more visits, and Li Sier would surely lose her fondness for going out.

If she couldn’t control herself and scratched the rashes on her face, leaving scars, Yun Shuyou genuinely wanted to know if Long Keguo would still remain so affectionate at that point.

If that happened, aside from the words “true love,” there probably wouldn’t be many other explanations.

Quite a few people were watching them, and they frequently called for the doctor. These doctors were the ones who treated the Emperor’s consorts, so they certainly wouldn’t be afraid of Li Sier.

The fact that they came to treat her was already based on Long Keguo and the Tongjia family’s prestige; otherwise, why would they treat a concubine?

When it comes to illness, who can predict it accurately?

Li Sier, no matter how angry or unwilling she was, probably didn’t have the mood to care about others now.

News of her illness spread, and while many families didn’t show any outward signs of joy, privately they couldn’t wait to set off firecrackers.

Karma! This retribution had finally arrived, albeit a bit late.

They hoped that she would never recover from this illness. Wasn’t it said that she couldn’t be exposed to the wind? So if she stayed locked up in her room and couldn’t harm anyone else, she wouldn’t get sick again.

Moreover, it was said that having such rashes was very uncomfortable—what a delight for them!

Mrs Wu’s cousin didn’t end up with the child from the Chen family, Yun Shuyou found a date to invite them over to admire the flowers. The younger sister-in-law, Mrs Chen, was aware of this matter. The elder relatives had already found a suitable match and were just waiting to exchange the marriage proposal letters.

Hearing this, Mrs Wu felt somewhat disappointed, but she was used to it. Fortunately, her uncle didn’t directly inquire about it; otherwise, that would have been a bit awkward since they were, after all, on the female side.

When talking about Li Sier, there was a noticeable smile on Mrs Wu’s face. Now, every night before going to sleep, she prayed that Li Sier’s illness would recur and never be cured. This sentiment was a reflection of many people who had been bullied by Li Sier.

Although she didn’t state it explicitly, Mrs Wu said, “Something joyful has happened recently; does everyone know?”

Mrs Chen: “I know.”

The two exchanged a knowing smile, understanding each other without needing to say more.

Yun Shuyou thought of Long Keguo; while she hated Li Sier, it was Long Keguo who supported her. He was the real culprit. Unfortunately, his interests didn’t align with hers, and she couldn’t be too obvious in her actions. Plus, it was too coincidental for both of them to face trouble at the same time, so Yun Shuyou decided to wait a while before addressing it.

Having given a lesson, Yun Shuyou was in a good mood and planned to go out shopping before the New Year to see if there was anything new and interesting.

Whether it was because she had done something good, fortune seemed to be coming her way.

While she was out shopping, hoping for a stroke of luck to find some rare treasures, she spotted a person hurrying away from a pawn shop diagonally across the street, their head lowered.

The person clearly didn’t want to be recognized, but Yun Shuyou had keen eyesight, and at such a close distance, she wouldn’t fail to recognize someone she had seen before.

She indeed recognized that face; she had seen it at the Jia family’s residence. It seemed to belong to Wang Xifeng.

Yun Shuyou stopped in her tracks.

Before long, the same person hurriedly returned with others to move items into the pawn shop, and Yun Shuyou realized what they were doing.

Lin Ruhai knew about this, and so did she; they just had no intention of getting involved. After all, it was someone selling their own belongings—what business was it of outsiders?

If it had been any other time, Yun Shuyou wouldn’t have cared, but at such a close distance, her spirit mirror reacted, indicating there were good items inside!

Yun Shuyou suppressed her slightly anxious feelings and waited for them to leave. They must have already negotiated the price; after moving the items in, they quickly left with their money.

Once they were a good distance away, Yun Shuyou finally entered the pawn shop.

With her outfit, the shopkeeper immediately recognized her as a big client and personally came out to greet her. “Madam, may I ask what you would like to see?”

People generally came to pawn shops for three reasons: to pawn items, to redeem items, or to buy items that had been pawned.

Many frugal people frequented the shop to pick up bargains, purchasing items for household use at lower prices.

Yun Shuyou glanced at the heavy table that hadn’t been moved yet. “What type of wood is this? It looks like yellow sandalwood; it seems quite nice.”

The shopkeeper replied, “Madam has a good eye!”

“This is made from good materials; Madam, just look at the luster and the grain,” the shopkeeper said.

Yun Shuyou smiled. “It really is good material, but what a pity—it’s not a complete set, and this style isn’t in vogue in the capital anymore.” She examined it closely. “It’s at least twenty years out of style.”

The shopkeeper did not deny it; this style was indeed not recent, and the lack of a complete set was a drawback, but the quality was genuine.

“This represents heritage; such fine things are only found in wealthy families from the past,” he added.

Yun Shuyou wanted to buy it, so she nodded in agreement with the shopkeeper’s points. “That makes sense. How much is it?”

The shopkeeper was overjoyed—was business really coming to him?

He immediately doubled the price based on what he had just received, slashing it in half; it was still easy money from a quick turnaround.

Yun Shuyou didn’t care about the small amount of silver; once she had the item, the question was where to move it.

Moving it to the Lin family would be a bit strange, so she had someone bring the item into her shop; that was her territory.

After she arrived, the people in the shop didn’t know how to move the table, but since it was their master’s business, they kept quiet.

Yun Shuyou asked the others to leave, then focused on one of the table legs, where there was something good that the spirit mirror wanted.

The wood was undoubtedly sturdy, but when Yun Shuyou gave it a gentle tug, it broke easily, revealing a gem hidden inside the hollow table leg.

A ruby, a sapphire, a cat’s eye stone, and a piece of amber.

There were only four items, but Yun Shuyou’s target was that piece of amber.

The amber was a light yellow color and somewhat transparent, but when held up, she could see what seemed to be faintly flowing inside. In the center, there was a blooming unknown yellow flower, very fresh and beautiful.

Yun Shuyou’s heart raced.

However, she wasn’t excited because of the flower’s beauty; rather, she sensed that this was likely something extraordinary. Not to mention the spirit mirror, even Yun Shuyou felt it herself. This stirring sensation wasn’t transmitted by the spirit mirror; it came from her. Suddenly, she thought of something: could this flower have an effect on her supernatural abilities?

Was this the kind of rare treasure that suited someone with supernatural powers?

Yun Shuyou suppressed the spirit mirror, put the item away, and planned to ponder it slowly when she returned.

As for the broken left leg, she could only say she had bad luck—she hadn’t noticed the cracks when she bought it, and it even had been eaten away by insects inside.

After having the table taken care of, Yun Shuyou returned to the Lin residence. That evening, she confirmed something.

The amber itself was a good item, and the little yellow flower inside was also valuable.

The spirit mirror wanted both.

However, the little yellow flower was also useful to her, and Yun Shuyou planned to use it herself.

She had been stuck at level five for a long time, but with the help of this flower, she should be able to reach level six.

Thinking about it, she acted immediately. By morning, the piece of amber had turned to ashes, and the spirit mirror had already restored 40% of its power, while she successfully leveled up to level six.

She tentatively took a vegetable seed, infused it with her supernatural energy, and watched as it transformed from a seed into a mature plant within one or two minutes.

The consumption was significant, but the speed was much faster.

However, it was a bit of a regret that she could only use the flower as a powerful supplement, and not as a weapon or seed to rely on.

Ordinary plants were still somewhat weak.

But the existence of this item indicated that such things could be found in this world, though they were likely to be rare.

She would take her time.

Yun Shuyou let out a breath, feeling her stronger body and the supernatural energy flowing within her, gradually calming her excited emotions.

That night, when she leveled up, she caused a slight overflow of energy. By morning, the surrounding flowers and plants were particularly lush and vibrant. Taking a deep breath felt as if it could cleanse her soul.

When the early-rising maidservants got up, they noticed that the familiar flowers and plants seemed even more eye-catching than usual.

“Have you noticed? It’s already winter, yet how come the leaves are even greener?”

“I noticed that too. Even though it’s an evergreen species, it’s still quite fascinating.”

Yun Shuyou overheard their quiet discussions, which was expected.

She felt delighted, but at the same time, a bit regretful.

The Jia family had been selling for so long; how many good things had she missed if they still had items like this?

She immediately instructed someone to keep an eye out. If the Jia family was still pawning these heavy items, she wanted to buy them.

As long as there was at least one valuable item inside, it would be a sure profit.

Even if there wasn’t, this recent gain was enough.

Before the New Year, there was another piece of good news: Long Keguo fell off his horse due to his anxiety over Li Sier’s recurring illness. After the physician diagnosed him, it was determined he had suffered muscle and bone injuries and needed three months of recuperation.

This wasn’t something Yun Shuyou had instigated.

When the news came, she couldn’t help but exclaim, “Good!” This was a mess of Long Keguo’s own making, and because of it, his parents were also furious. They scolded him for being so distracted over a mere concubine, and even Li Sier was punished, ordered to stay indoors and reflect on her behavior.

Now, both of them were unable to go out.

When Mrs Wu heard this, she chuckled softly. She didn’t say anything, but the mockery in her eyes was obvious.

It wasn’t that they didn’t know how much their son pampered that concubine before; they just didn’t care.

Now that Long Keguo had harmed himself over this matter, they were finally angry.

“Birds of a feather.”

The old lady nodded in agreement. “Tongjia Clan, as for their character…” She shook her head. “We know well enough ourselves; there’s no need to speak of it outside.”

As long as the emperor was still around, their maternal clan would not weaken.

There were no benefits to be gained from confronting them.

Mrs Wu nodded. “Great-aunt, we understand. It’s only us few who dare to speak up.”

The Spring Festival of the 44th year of Kangxi passed amid various good tidings.

By January, after three months of pregnancy, Luoyu finally announced the news.

Taking this opportunity, Yun Shuyou made another visit.

After hearing this good news, Grandma Jia was even more determined to match the two families together.

“This is a joyous occasion. Feng girl, prepare a gift; don’t be stingy. This is to be sent to the prince’s residence.”

Wang Xifeng replied, “…Yes, Ancestor.”

She almost couldn’t laugh anymore.

The heavy items in the storeroom… there was no end to them.

She couldn’t possibly sell them all; she had to keep some to maintain appearances.

After selling everything, what else in the house can be sold?

Wang Xifeng returned home with a frown.

“Grandma…”

Wang Xifeng sighed, “If I’m pushed too hard, I’ll sell those ornaments from the other storeroom as well.”

“…” Ping’er exclaimed, “Ornaments? Many of those are needed! It feels like you can’t stop.”

“Grandma, can’t we find a way to save money and cut expenses?”

Wang Xifeng scoffed, “Then tell me, how can we save money and cut expenses?”

Ping’er thought about the situation in the residence. Whether it was to increase income or reduce expenses, they couldn’t do either.

Could they manage themselves, let alone take care of the old lady and the master?

Ping’er couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh.

Just at this moment, they needed to send silver and a letter to the palace, and Grandmother Jia included a note about Luoyu’s pregnancy in the letter.

When Jia Yuanchun saw this letter, she was momentarily taken aback; she was already twenty-one years old this year.

Her best years were almost over.

Now, she was still just a female official in the Concubine De Palace.

How much longer could her grandmother and the others support her?

If she really had to wait until she was of age to be released from the palace, what would happen to all the silver spent during these years in the palace?

What would happen to her later life?

In that case, she would become a sinner in the family!

“Now my cousin is pregnant; she is pregnant…”

Jia Yuanchun wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, then recalled that this cousin of hers was a rare pair of dragon and phoenix twins.

Could it be that she would also give birth to twins this time?

If so… perhaps she could gain some support.

As Jia Yuanchun thought of this, a vague idea formed in her mind. She was determined that by the end of this year, she had to achieve a result; she could no longer afford to waste time!