The small room was filled with the bitter smell of medicine.
Xie Yushu sat by the bed a few steps away, silently watching Qiao Bao’er for a long while.
Perhaps her solemn expression was too heavy, for Qiao Bao’er, accustomed to reading people’s moods, grew uneasy and nervous, hastily apologizing, “It’s not easy for you to come back, and I haven’t prepared anything…Yushu, are you hungry? Thirsty? Is it too hot in the room?”
Qiao Miao’er came in from outside the door, carrying a celadon teapot and tea cups. She poured tea for Xie Yushu and gestured something with her hand.
“Miao’er said this is your favorite Zisu Yinzi, and it’s been chilled in the well for a while,” Qiao Bao’er explained.
“Drink to quench your thirst.”
She quickly added, “This set of cups and bowls is new; we’ve never used them before.”
As if afraid Xie Yushu would reject it or think they had been neglectful.
But that shouldn’t be.
She is Xie Yushu’s mother, after all.
Xie Yushu felt an indescribable emotion in her heart.
She took a sip of the cold Zisu Yinzi; a sour taste rose in her throat.
This couldn’t go on.
She couldn’t let Qiao Bao’er live out such a hopeless life.
Even if it weren’t to complete the female antagonist mission, she had assumed the identity of [Yushu].
Did Yushu really hope her mother would be a mere concubine forever?
She asked the system: Did Qiao Bao’er give birth to this child in the original story?
The system replied: “No. Qiao Bao’er had not yet given birth when she learned of Xie Yushu’s death. Shocked and enraged, she hemorrhaged and fainted, losing the child. Afterwards, she committed suicide.”
Such bitter days.
Xie Yushu put down the teacup and looked up at Qiao Bao’er, no longer hesitating.
She asked, “Has anyone at the Yong’an Marquis Manor been informed about your pregnancy?”
Qiao Bao’er was stunned, seemingly confused by the question, then shook her head, “Not yet. The fetus has been unstable. I wanted to wait until it was completely stable before reporting to Madam Hou and the Marquis.”
“Yesterday and today, Madam Hou’s people came to deliver things. Did they notice that you’re pregnant?”
Xie Yushu asked again.
Qiao Bao’er thought for a moment, “I don’t think so. No one from the manor entered the house. Mai Dong and I stood outside, receiving the Marquis’s gifts.”
“Probably didn’t notice,” Mai Dong added.
“The concubine isn’t showing yet, just looks a bit pale.”
Good, not too bad yet.
Xie Yushu got up and sat down on the edge of the bed.
Qiao Bao’er, feeling overwhelmed by favor, hastily arranged a soft cushion on the bed for her to sit on.
“Mother,” Xie Yushu took Qiao Bao’er’s thin hand in hers and asked seriously, “Why do you want to have another child?”
Qiao Bao’er was completely dumbfounded by the question.
She studied her expression for a long while before answering, “Because…because the Marquis wants a son. I thought if I could give birth to a boy, maybe he could help you…What’s wrong, Yushu?”
Xie Yushu did not doubt her mother’s sincerity.
In this world, it was only natural for a woman to think like that.
Even Meng Min, who grew up pampered, felt guilty and painful for not having a son.
Even the female lead, Xie Jia Ning, accepted the son born by Ye Widow after her return, choosing the mother’s son to inherit the Yong’an Marquis title.
Of course, Qiao Bao’er would believe that if she risked everything to bear a son, perhaps the child would be taken into the Marquis Manor, and she and Yushu would have a fallback—at least better than now.
Moreover, pregnancy was not something Qiao Bao’er could refuse at will.
Did she have the right to tell Xie Zhi’an not to touch her?
Or to carry Yutang?
She was nothing but a servant, an outsider.
But now, Xie Yushu wanted her to choose.
“Mother, have you considered what if the child is a girl?”
Xie Yushu asked gently.
“If it’s a daughter, she will be just like me—a despised concubine’s daughter, born to a servant.”
Qiao Bao’er’s face grew even paler.
“Mother has always felt guilty toward me. Aren’t you afraid you’ll feel the same toward another daughter in the future?”
Xie Yushu said.
“You know very well, I have lived cautiously and submissively all my life simply because of my birth.”
Qiao Bao’er’s eyes reddened, and her thin hand trembled.
“Yushu, your mother is sorry…”
She tried to explain, “The doctor said it should be a boy. If it really is a boy, maybe your father will treat you better…”
“Maybe,” Xie Yushu didn’t deny it but said, “Mother, do you know where I went with Madam Hou yesterday?”
Qiao Bao’er was shocked and confused, unable to react.
Xie Yushu continued, “We went outside the residence of another concubine of Father’s. That concubine is also pregnant.”
Qiao Bao’er was stunned, unable to catch her breath.
Xie Yushu went on, “Madam Hou wanted to find someone to terminate that concubine’s pregnancy but fell ill and couldn’t act.”
She saw the stunned look frozen on Qiao Bao’er’s face.
“How dare Madam Hou terminate the Marquis’s child?”
Mai Dong blurted out, “The Marquis wouldn’t allow it either!”
“Why wouldn’t she dare? She’s a princess; her maternal family is royal. If she wants to terminate an outsider’s pregnancy, she has plenty of ways.”
Xie Yushu said without hesitation, “Even if Father forbids it, so what? Is he going to divorce the proud princess just because of a concubine?”
Qiao Bao’er and Mai Dong fell completely silent.
Because they knew very well that Xie Yushu was right.
No matter what, the Marquis would never divorce the princess.
“I’m not telling you this to scare you,” Xie Yushu said, holding Qiao Bao’er’s trembling hand with a sigh.
“I just want to tell you that even if you risk everything to have a son, it won’t guarantee he’ll be accepted back into the Marquis Manor. You and I will have to fight against Madam Hou, her powerful maternal family, and perhaps even Father in the future…Have you decided that I should sacrifice my whole life for a brother, to please everyone just to protect him?”
Qiao Bao’er burst into tears, clutching her hand tightly and shaking her head, “How could I make you sacrifice your whole life? I…I just want you to have a support in the future…You’ve suffered so much being born to me, I truly want a better life for you…”
She couldn’t even argue for herself.
What schemes or tactics did she have to fight or compete?
Xie Yushu sighed.
Even Ye Widow, who was scheming and cunning in the original story, ended up a pawn of the Yong’an Marquis Manor, suffering the fate of the mother losing her son.
How much more so Qiao Bao’er?
“I know,” Xie Yushu wiped her tears gently and called her softly, “Mother, I know you care for me.”
Hearing the word “Mother” from her daughter, Qiao Bao’er wept uncontrollably.
Since she became aware, Yushu had stopped calling her “Mother.”
Everyone taught Yushu to call her “concubine,” and she even let Yushu call her that, all to avoid dragging her daughter down…
Yushu.
Xie Yushu embraced her, waiting until she calmed down before reaching out to Jin Ye.
“Give me the box.”
Jin Ye and Yin Ya, both tear-streaked, hurriedly wiped their eyes and handed over a silver box that they carried with them.
Xie Yushu opened it, revealing a thick stack of gold ingots and silver notes—ten thousand taels of gold and ten thousand taels of silver.
“Where did you get so much money?”
Qiao Bao’er had never seen so much in her life.
The largest silver note she’d ever seen before was the thousand-tael note Xie Yushu had given her previously.
“Don’t worry, I earned it all myself,” Xie Yushu smiled, laying the gold ingots before Qiao Bao’er’s eyes.
“Mother, I came back today to ask you one question. From now on, do you want to live with me, or continue being Xie Zhi’an’s concubine?”
Qiao Bao’er was dazed by the gold ingots, unable to grasp the meaning behind her words. She looked up blankly at her.
Xie Yushu had to clarify, “Now that I have money, I want to buy your freedom from the Yong’an Marquis Manor, free you from servitude, and establish you as a Nühu.”
She saw Qiao Bao’er’s stunned face and knew every word she said must seem unbelievable.
So she said firmly, “This money is enough for us to buy a grand manor like the Marquis’s and live comfortably for the rest of our lives. Mother, if you meet a man you like in the future, you can remarry openly. If you don’t want to serve any man, we can just live our own lives together.”
What a beautiful vision, but it wasn’t a life Qiao Bao’er dared to dream of…
“That’s…impossible.”
Qiao Bao’er couldn’t believe it.
Clutching Xie Yushu’s hand like a lifeline, she said, “How could a servant who has borne children for her master ever be released from the manor? Even if Madam Hou and the Marquis mercifully release my selling contract, I can never be freed from servitude, much less become a Nühu…”
“Why impossible?”
Xie Yushu knew the rules of this world.
A servant needed government permission to be freed from servitude, and it was even harder to become a Nühu.
According to law, only widows observing shounü for three years could apply.
But exceptions existed.
“Mother, do you know Zhao Sanniang, the most famous fish slicing chef in Bianjing? Didn’t she become a Nühu?”
Xie Yushu said, recalling what she had heard in Fanlou after coming to this world.
“I even saw her there. The owner of Fanlou personally invited her to make fish slices like a VIP.”
Zhao Sanniang was a remarkable woman in Bianjing.
Qiao Bao’er naturally knew of her.
Zhao’s father started with fish slicing, and she was his only daughter.
After her mother died early, her father raised her alone, passing on his knife skills and business.
Before he died, Zhao Sanniang’s cooking was already renowned in Bianjing, often specially invited by officials and nobles.
Such fame, wealth, and connections allowed Zhao Sanniang to secure money and government favor to become a Nühu after her father’s death.
But what did Qiao Bao’er have?
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