Chapter 601 - 603: Second Brother’s Tao Hua Trials
"So her goal is to have Mr. Xie take a concubine?" Bai Ruozhu pondered and asked.
Yu Hongxiu bit her lip and nodded, saying, "Adoption is unrealistic now, even if we agreed, when we have our own child, we definitely won’t leave our family business to an adopted child. Also, who would adopt someone else’s child when their own first child is about to be born? But taking a concubine is justifiable, considering my condition will get heavier, I certainly need someone to help me take care of my husband."
The Old Mistress had a grim expression and said, "Hongxiu, you should make your own arrangements early. If you raise someone from your side to become a concubine, ensure it’s not your second aunt’s niece."
Bai Ruozhu didn’t agree with the Old Mistress’s method. Although it was the most commonly used and realistic method in ancient times, thinking of the strong affection between Yu Hongxiu and Mr. Xie, it was unpleasant to think that Mr. Xie who clearly didn’t want to have another woman in his life would have to accommodate one more."
Especially when a woman is pregnant, and she has to share her husband with another woman, how heartbreaking that would be.
As a modern person, Bai Ruozhu couldn’t accept it, she thought Yu Hongxiu too could not accept it, judging from her expression.
"Sister Hongxiu, if you don’t want this, just refuse firmly. You are the mistress, whether it’s accepting a concubine or raising a concubine, it’s your decision. Why should you share your husband with another woman? Even if you gain a reputation for being jealous, so what? Is it important to you than your happiness?" Bai Ruozhu couldn’t bear to see Yu Hongxiu biting her lips almost to the point of breaking her skin, so she directly expressed her thoughts.
"During the Tang Dynasty, there was a prime minister named Fei Xuanling. His wife was a famous jealous woman. One day, Emperor Tangtai sent Xuanling two beautiful women which were scorned away by Fei’s wife. Tangtai, not pleased, summoned both of them to the palace..." Bai Ruozhu started to tell the story and both the Old Mistress and Yu Hongxiu were engrossed.
"Fei’s wife dared to disrespect the Emperor, she must be in big trouble," the Old Mistress sighed.
Seeing both of them engrossed, Bai Ruozhu continued the story.
"Emperor Tang was very angry and said that Fei’s wife was too jealous, and if she wasn’t willing to let her husband take the two women, she should drink the jar of poison in the hall. Fei’s wife was a fierce woman, she immediately picked up the jar and drank from it. Fei Xuanling, who was stomping anxiously at the side, didn’t expect everyone in the hall to start laughing."
"Ah, did Fei’s wife die just like that? And they even laughed?" Yu Hongxiu smacked the table angrily.
Bai Ruozhu, fearing that she would get angry and hurt her body, didn’t dare to keep them in suspense and quickly said, "No, she didn’t die. The jar did not contain poison, it was a jar of vinegar. The Emperor Tangtai at that time was a wise monarch, he only wanted to test Fei’s wife’s determination. Therefore, he decided not to force Xuanling to take those two women."
Both Yu Hongxiu and the Old Mistress heaved a sigh of relief, exclaiming, "Thank goodness."
"Where did you read this story? It’s very interesting. When was Emperor Tangtai’s reign?" the Old Mistress asked curiously.
Bai Ruozhu knew that they were in a different era and that there were no historical records of the Tang Dynasty, so she quickly said, "I read it from some random history book, and it says that the Tang Dynasty was a prosperous era many years ago, and women could even become officials back then."
"That’s really unusual," said the Old Mistress with a smile.
Yu Hongxiu also said, "This is the first time I’ve heard about this. But that Fei’s wife was really tough."
Bai Ruozhu quickly said, "I’m not encouraging you to get jealous, I just want to say that it’s your right as a mistress to disagree with your husband taking a concubine. Don’t worry about what others say, the most important thing is not to make yourself unhappy."
Yu Hongxiu vigorously nodded her head. If Fei’s wife wasn’t afraid to drink poison, why should she be afraid of gossip?
The Old Mistress’s expression dimmed slightly, she sighed and said," Ruozhu, you always manage to surprise me with your words. If I had heard this a few decades ago, I might have lived a more comfortable life."
The Old Master from Meng Residence passed away a few years ago, but judging from the Old Mistress’s words, she must have let him take a concubine, and even arranged for her trusted maids to be raised as concubines to keep her peace of mind. But even the most generous woman must have felt uncomfortable during those times, right?
Seeing the Old Mistress suddenly so melancholic, Bai Ruozhu felt sorry and held her hand, jokingly said, "Old Mistress, you are already living a carefree life. Your place is called ’Leisure Residence’, every time I come here, my mood is lifted. Seeing your joyful expression all the time, all my worries seem to vanish."
The Old Mistress laughed again at her words and put aside her retrospective thoughts, "Yes, now that I’m old, why bother thinking about the past? As long as I’m living comfortably now, that’s all that matters."
Yu Hongxiu had now understood the situation and even regained her appetite, the three of them enjoyed a meal together. After that, the Old Mistress invited Yu Hongxiu to stay in the ’Leisure Residence’ for a few days, and sent word to Mr. Xie to take care of the household affairs.
Bai Ruozhu felt Yu Hongxiu can’t hide in Meng Residence forever not returning home. After some thought, she felt it would be best to find two maids who have martial arts skills. She could then say that they were sent by Mistress Meng. In the future, if they really have a fall out with Deng Shi, no one would be able to accuse Yu Hongxiu of being unfilial.
However, in Danliang Country, martial arts is not popular, finding a maid who is skilled in martial arts would be difficult. Most families usually arrange for guards, as men can’t accompany Yu Hongxiu in the inner courtyard.
After lunch, Bai Ruozhu had to leave to feed Dengdeng. On her way home, she accidentally encountered her second brother...well, her second brother’s romantic troubles.
As Bai Ruozhu sat in the carriage, she heard a woman shouting, "Bai Zepei, stop!"
She got startled and quickly lifted the curtain of the carriage to see, on the other side of the street, her second brother was galloping away on a horse as if he were escaping from something.
Bai Ruozhu quickly told Wa San, "Wa San, hold on, it seems like my second brother is in trouble, let’s go over there and see, but don’t get too close yet."
Wa San chuckled after hearing this. Why did he feel that the second young master wasn’t in trouble, but was just experiencing some romantic entanglements?
Upon hearing the woman’s loud shout, Bai Zepei’s body shook, but he neither stopped nor turned back. The woman became furious and whipped her horse and shouted again, "Don’t pretend that you can’t hear me. I know you can, stop!"
Regrettably, Bai Zepei was determined to escape and continued to gallop forward. But he was riding an ordinary horse and had recently learned horse riding, so he was soon caught by the woman who was wearing a riding dress.
The woman not only had remarkable riding skills, but she also raised her hand and caught Bai Zepei’s horse reins, stopping his horse in its tracks.
Even someone as calm and composed as Bai Zepei looked annoyed at this time, and there were two suspicious blushes on his face.