Chapter 345: 186 Happiness Pulse (Second Watch)
Gu Jiao hadn’t seen Mrs. Yao for a few days. Even though Mrs. Yao came over last night, Gu Jiao was unfortunately out on an emergency, causing them to miss each other.
Gu Jiao calculated that Mrs. Yao should have finished the medication she prescribed her. After breakfast, she carried her small basket and made a trip to the Marquis Residence.
Startled and enraged by the plot Madame Ling sprung on her last night, Mrs. Yao only fell asleep very late. She couldn’t even make her usual visit to the Old Lady Gu.
Madame Fang sent someone to mention that the Madam had caught a bit of cold and feared that spreading the illness to the Old Lady wouldn’t be ideal. She would pay her respect in a couple of days.
In the past, Old Lady Gu would have taken this as Mrs. Yao’s disregard towards her as a mother-in-law. Yet, Mrs. Yao’s recent actions had successfully won over Old Lady Gu’s trust.
Not only did Old Lady Gu believe her, but she also had the maid deliver top-grade ginseng to Mrs. Yao.
It wasn’t that she favored Mrs. Yao excessively, but rather that she wanted Mrs. Yao to recover sooner so she could lay down the household rules.
Gu Jiao arrived neither too early nor too late, just as Mrs. Yao woke up and finished her morning wash up with a little light porridge.
Upon seeing her daughter, Mrs. Yao’s eyes involuntarily filled with a happy smile.
She walked over, took her daughter’s hand, and entered the Warm Pavilion, “Why did you come today? Could you leave the Medical Hall?”
“The Medical Hall isn’t busy,” Gu Jiao said.
Mrs. Yao and her daughter sat down on the stool next to the table. Mrs. Yao did not like to sit in the official armchair for guests, with a tea table always set between the chairs, creating an unnatural separation.
Gu Jiao placed her small basket on the table and said to Mrs. Yao, “You look unwell.”
Mrs. Yao touched her cheek and laughed, “I slept late.”
“Why stayed up so late? Are you worried about something?” Gu Jiao had no idea about Mrs. Yao’s encounter the day before.
Mrs. Yao thought for a while, not sure how to explain to her daughter.
Her daughter had enough to worry about, and she did not want her daughter to be troubled over her own problems.
On the other hand, her relationship with Zhen Ping was not something she could easily bring up to her daughter.
But just because she wouldn’t tell, it didn’t mean that Madame Fang wouldn’t.
Last night, after returning to the house, Madame Fang slowly extracted the whole incident by cajoling and guessing.
She believed there was nothing she couldn’t tell her Young Miss.
“It’s all because of Madam Ling!” Madame Fang recounted in an angry tone, “We thought she would have tampered with the sacrificial offerings or the horse carriage, or humiliate Madame through the third Young Master. But who would have expected her to secretly investigate Madame’s past affairs and use her previous engagement as a point of attack! Since Madame married into the Marquis Residence, she has had no further contact with the Zhen Family. Some things, however, are difficult to explain clearly! The Marquis must have doubts in his heart, even if the Marquis is not angry, wouldn’t the Old Lady be furious? Madame has only recently earned the trust of the Old Lady. If she were truly caught by the Marquis and the third Young Master yesterday, all of her efforts would have gone to waste!”
The more Madame Fang thought about it, the angrier she became. She couldn’t understand how Lady Ling could come up with so many substantive schemes.
“If it were not for the Crown Prince’s timely arrival, I really don’t know how we would have fared yesterday! Ah, thank god for the Crown Prince!”
Actually, Mrs. Yao could make peace with her own efforts being wasted, but she was worried that the contemptible Ling would use the incident to slander her children.
Thereafter, rumors would circulate within the residence – Gu Jiao and Gu Yan were illegitimate children and not the Marquis’s blood.
When she thought about her children being unfairly burdened with such disgrace, she couldn’t help but shudder with dread.
Because of this, when Madame Fang’s speech was filled with gratitude towards Gu Changqing, she did not refute it.
No matter how it was in the past or what it would be in the future, at least on this matter, she really should offer him a word of thanks.
Gu Jiao noted this in her heart.
She suddenly remembered the dream she had when she returned to the Marquis Residence.
In that dream, the person who instigated conflict between her and Jin Yu and led her to oppose Jin Yu step by step was Madame Ling.
At that time, Jin Yu was actually quite nice to her at the beginning.
In the dream, Mrs. Yao and Gu Yan were deceased, and she was taken back to the Marquis Residence in the Capital City by the Marquis.
The Marquis treated her well, considering that his wife and son had passed away. As the only link between him and Mrs. Yao in the world, she was the combined proof and offspring of their union.
The Marquis would be reminded of his deceased wife who had passed away prematurely whenever he saw her, and therefore lavished all his attachment for his wife on her.
And she was rather dependent on the Marquis as well.
In the first year or two, she had a harmonious relationship with her biological father and younger sister.
She couldn’t compare to Jin Yu in any way, so Jin Yu didn’t envy her. On the contrary, Jin Yu made a diligent effort to tutor her. However, no matter how hard Jin Yu tried to teach, she just couldn’t seem to learn.