Seventy-six Sowing Discord

  Qingzhao had contracted smallpox. Not only did Zou's three sisters not know, but probably even Qingzhao's parents didn't know either.

  Actually, Qingxi didn't know at first. It was Jiujiu who saw that the smallpox in this space-time could lead to death after recovery. When she was popularizing knowledge to several maids around her, Qingxi mentioned the fever she had when she was four years old and the scars on her body, guessing that she might have had smallpox as a child.

  "It's just a pity that grandma didn't have the chance to tell me these things before she was gone..." Every time Qing Ci talks about her childhood, she always sighs like this.

  Qingzhai was the third child in her family, with two older brothers and one older sister above her, and two younger brothers and one younger sister below her. The youngest child in the family is now only four years old. With so many children, Qingzhai's mother couldn't take care of them all, so when Qingzhai was very young, she and one of her younger brothers were sent to live with their grandmother in a big mountain village.

  Later on, there was a landslide in the mountains and her grandmother was crushed to death. Her uncle then used a carrying pole to carry her and her younger brother here to be handed over to their parents.

  At that time, she was only five years old, her brother was even younger, and her mother was trapped in the cycle of pregnancy and childcare all day, so she didn't have the energy to take good care of her, so Qing's smallpox became a neglected secret.

  But it was precisely this neglect that allowed Jiuniang to have a clear understanding at this moment.

  It seems that Zou has never intended to let her go, this should be the rhythm of her getting rid of people around her and taking action against her.

  She still didn't understand why she couldn't let go of her after Zou Zhener had already chosen the dowry and even promised Qiesa.

  Is it just because Zou hated her? Or is everything still the same, and what Zou did was just a trick to divert attention?

  It was precisely because of this that after the date of Liu Jie's wedding was set, Qing Ci was harmed. The reason is that I was afraid that Qing Ci would rely on her own connections to find out about the details of the marriage and then provoke me into counterattacking...

  The ninth sister was frightened by her own thoughts, if it's like this... then isn't she in danger? Because based on her understanding of the Zou family, they would absolutely not let their disobedient pawn marry into the Wang family...

  No way!

  The ninth sister suddenly stood up.

  "Miss..." The two maids, who were still immersed in the sorrow of Qing's departure, saw her sudden movement and couldn't help but pause, looking at her with concern.

  "Alright, stop crying and think of how to avenge Qingzhai instead." Jiujie'er said in a low voice to the two maids.

  "Revenge?" The two maids' faces changed color upon hearing this.

  "Qing Tao, watch your mouth!" Jiujie's stern gaze fell on Qing Tao once again.

  Scared, Qing Tao quickly nodded and shrunk his neck.

  "Qing Tao, go find Cui Mei and ask her to bring back a few more bars of soap from the shop." Jiu Ji'er began instructing Qing Tao.

  Qing Tao nodded and was about to take action, but Jiu Jie'er stopped her again, "Remember, when you bring the silver over, the shop isn't just mine alone, we can't always take things for free."

  "Hmm!" Qing Tao turned and left.

  "Qing Xing, go and help me visit Auntie Xu, ask her to help me find out more about the situation with Madame." Jiujier said to Qing Xing again.

  "Yes!"

  Soon the house was left with only Jiuniang, who neither embroidered nor read books, but gazed at the bloody sunset on the western horizon for a long time...

  ……

  "Miss, why do you want to do this? Are you worried that Eighth Sister won't help you?" Qing Xiang looked at the special soap on the table and asked Jiu Jie in confusion.

  "This isn't it, Eighth Sister won't not help me, it's just...". Ninth Sister also took a glance at the soap, "It's easy for someone to lend you a helping hand, but if you want someone to stab themselves in the chest twice for you, that's difficult."

  "Huh?" Qing An didn't understand and stared at her blankly.

  "Don't ask any more questions, just hurry up and send them to the sisters separately!" However, Jiujiu was too anxious at this moment and didn't have the mood to explain to her.

  "Uh-huh!" Qing Xing hastily nodded and turned away.

  Watching her back, Jiuniang slowly made a praying gesture in her heart, hoping it would come true.

  Aunt Xü went to inquire about it, but she couldn't hold out hope because the Zhōu family was now more vigilant than ever and everything was done with utmost secrecy.

  Not to mention her, I reckon even Li Taijun doesn't know much about Liu Jie's marriage, of course it's also because Li Taijun didn't want to interfere too much, so she didn't ask.

  But she thought too much and asked no one, nor dared to ask more, fearing that the all-powerful Zou family would send her on her way prematurely.

  It seems I can only pin my hopes on Eighth Sister now!

  It's just that before the big event, with Zou's meticulous and detailed personality, everything would be on high alert, making it very difficult for Eighth Sister to find out anything useful.

  Adding to that, the personality of Ba Jie is not one to risk her life for this and give up all the happiness within her grasp. This can only be a temptation... In other words, it's an equivalent exchange.

  As for the technique of raising waxworms, she thought Ba Jie would be interested in it. Growing up with inferiority complex, she originally lacked a sense of security, and because of the unpleasantness that led to her engagement with Jiang Yuxing, she thought that at this moment, Ba Jie must have an extreme fear of life after marriage, so mastering a technique that makes her husband's family worship her would make her feel much more secure.

  To know this technique, even though Chiang hinted at it many times, she only taught people some superficial applications and didn't bring out the whole thing.

  Of course she also has an excuse, which is that she just learned a little from books and doesn't know much.

  The excuse for hiding one's true intentions is actually a clever move, perfectly timed, and even Jiang cannot help but be impressed.

  Alas...

  Now taking out this technology, I hope it can be exchanged for something of similar value!

  It turned out that Jiu's decision was absolutely right ——

  Two days later, the maid of the big house sent over Liu Jie and Ba Jie. As a thank you for her repeated gifts of soap, she brought a dish of green bean cake.

  These six sisters have been enjoying their daily lives being chased by people since they made up with the seventh sister through a dog as a mediator. The seventh sister, Zou Zhēn'ér, took turns going on stage, and these six sisters naturally played to their heart's content every day. Plus, with the wedding approaching, many things needed to be arranged, and some dowry also needed to be prepared, so where would they have time to make this laborious rice cake?

  Fortunately, I had a good relationship with her in the past and she often gave me gifts. Eighth sister would bring back gifts, so it's only natural that I wouldn't refuse. The creator of those pastries was naturally Eighth Sister.

  But it was just this nominal title that facilitated her and Ba Jie's secret meetings, allowing them to sneak around under the nose of Zou Shi. She thought that if Zou Shi were to find out, she would be furious beyond consolation.

  One day she will know, but not now. Now it must be done without anyone knowing, so Ninth Sister waited until late at night when people were asleep before "eating" that plate of pastries.

  When she picked up the small note covered with cake crumbs, her heart skipped a beat with excitement. But after reading the note, her heart was still racing, no longer from surprise, but from shock, horror and anger.

  Never thought she was playing a small trick, but Zou played a huge conspiracy.

  She guessed correctly that the person who would accompany her was still herself, but she no longer had the mind to guess why it was still her, because her attention had already been completely focused on Zou's next plan.

  Zou's family was going to... was actually planning to send her to the afterlife immediately, and maybe had already taken action. The thought of this made her involuntarily take a cold breath.

  She's still alive probably because of the marriage arranged by Wen Jingyue, the second young master of the Wen family and Zhou Shi's biological son, which made people from the Lan family of Jiangnan Weaving Factory come and go, and Zhou Shi didn't want any news of death to spread in the mansion at this time.

  It was clear that the Zou family attached great importance to this marriage, not only because the Lan family had a promising future, but also because they had recently heard that the Lan family's daughter, who was a concubine in the palace, had regained favor.

  Originally gave birth to Princess Xuan Ning and the sixth imperial son, Consort Lan Gui Fei, now unexpectedly again received imperial favor, this is a great good thing.

  Moreover, the sixth imperial son Ou Yang Jian, who was well-versed in both literature and martial arts, took the daughter of the current Grand Preceptor Chang Guo Gong Chang Sheng Xing as his official wife, adding wings to a tiger, directly threatening the crown prince Ou Yang Zhi.

  Of course, Crown Prince Ouyang Zhi was also a man who had won the trust of the officials in the court and had both virtues and talents, but there was one thing that he was far inferior to Ouyang Jian, which was his physical build.

  Ouyang Zhi has been weak since birth, and of course, even the gentle and smiling Empress Yang cannot change this, because if she could have changed it, she would have done so long ago.

  Of course, compared to these two sons, Empress Yang must have hoped that the fourth son, Ouyang Rui, would take on important responsibilities. However, Ouyang Rui's limbs were well-developed but his ambition was not, and he had a tendency to be licentious, so he could only be eliminated. She wholeheartedly supported this weak son instead.

  But then again, it's a bit of a letdown!

  Although the possibility of Chu Jun being established was only one in ten thousand, it was that one in ten thousand that made Zou Shi and his uncle Wen Chongjiang, a man who had always been wealthy and successful, anxious.

  Isn't life just a big gamble?

  Hehe......

  Thinking of this, Jiu Jie couldn't help but laugh again. Could it be that she herself might have been lucky enough to live a few more days because of this gamble?

  "Miss, go to sleep, it's very late..."

  Qing Tao, who was on night shift, first looked at the note that Jiu Sister had brought back and saw that her face didn't look good, so she didn't dare ask. Later, she stared at the note that Ba Sister had written, but couldn't recognize any of the characters. After a while, Qing Tao, who usually wasn't careless, couldn't help but start dozing off, and as she dozed off, she whispered to Jiu Sister.

  "What's with the sleeping? I'll be sleeping forever soon." The ninth sister's train of thought was interrupted, she looked at her and said coldly.

  "Uh..." Qing Tao was suddenly stunned by her.

  Because of the impending crisis, Jiu didn't hide it from her, fortunately this little girl didn't impulsively spill the beans, and that's also a sign of growth.

  "Let's go to the shop again tomorrow and get a few more bars of soap!" Jiuniang suddenly changed the subject.

  "But......" Qing Tao couldn't understand why his own daughter would behave in such a wasteful manner.

  "Going to send off the Lanz family, isn't Third Madame always thinking of Lanz's second daughter?"

  For her biological son Wen Jing Shui's marriage, Jiang naturally picked and chose, and then selected the Lan family, which was also a good match.

  Lan Jia's second brother is the younger brother of Jiangnan Weizhao, also born out of wedlock. Under Jiangnan Weizhao's protection, he has some minor achievements. His family's virtuous and gentle eldest daughter is indeed a suitable match for the fourth young master of Wenfu.

  Tomorrow she will go and play a role in Jiang's think tank, pushing the waves.

  It's actually like that too. If you take a fancy to something, be brave and charge forward. This Jiang family is quite reserved, but being overly reserved makes them lack momentum.

  And took advantage of the time when the Lan family continued to interact with the Hou Mansion people to quickly find a way to save his life.

  Actually, this method already has some direction...

  ……

  In the morning, after the ladies-in-waiting of the Wen family had finished paying their respects, as usual, the daughter-in-law stayed in the Yanshou Hall to discuss important matters with Lady Li, while the other ladies returned to their respective rooms.

  "Wearing such high heels every day, isn't it tiring?"

  A group of people walked in front and behind, and the tenth sister's gaze fell on the shoes with thick and high heels worn by the person in front, whispering to the ninth sister beside her.

  "Why aren't you tired?" Before Jiujiu could even open her mouth, Xiao Shiyi on the other side couldn't help but say, "Every day, she has to soak her feet for a long time, and I heard that the heel of her foot is also very worn out."

  "Who are you talking about?" At this time, the seventh sister who was poked in the back finally got startled, stopped chatting with the sixth sister beside her, turned her head around and glared at the three of them.

  "Uh... uh..." Little Eleven didn't inherit the Zhēn family's talent for arguing, and now being questioned by Seventh Sister, he could only stand there tongue-tied.

  "Don't be offended, Seventh Sister. We just think your high-heeled shoes look good, that's all!" Ninth Sister immediately blocked Little Eleven and started talking nonsense to deal with Seventh Sister.

  "Good looking... you guys go wear it too!" The seventh sister naturally couldn't keep her composure, glared fiercely at the three of them, turned around and left, even forgetting to respond to the sixth sister.

  Looking at the back of the seventh sister, the ninth sister couldn't help but slightly narrow her eyes.

  That slightly lame leg was forever the biggest taboo for Seventh Sister, to the point where even after she had recovered for a long time, she still didn't dare leave the house.

  Actually, this leg isn't that serious, and if you don't look closely, you can't even tell, but the problem is that Seventh Sister loves beauty, and she hopes to rely on her perfect appearance to win a good marriage.

  It's actually ruined, and Seventh Sister naturally feels inferior and disheartened.

  As for why she later left the house and made amends with the six sisters and nine sisters, I don't know if there was any reason related to Mrs. Zou.

  But later on, it was clear that the seventh sister was so confident during this period, and started to dress up desperately, wearing such high heels to correct her legs, which must be the effect of Zou's family.

  Yes, I originally thought that I would never be able to marry into a good family again, but suddenly someone hinted that I could become the concubine of the Wang family. To know that this has always been Seventh Sister's dream, how can one not be overjoyed?

  Ridiculous... and pitiful...

  ……

  On an early autumn afternoon, the sun shone brightly, with a refreshing breeze blowing gently through the garden, where roses and jasmine were in full bloom. Seventh Sister strolled along the winding path, feeling unusually carefree.

  She just came back from Liu Jie's place, helped Liu Jie with her embroidery for a while, now Liu Jie is sleepy and taking a nap, so she came back first and will go back to continue helping after Liu Jie wakes up.

  Hehe......

  It turned out that Liu Jie was still the best with her and she was also the one who could help Liu Jie the most, not Zou Zhener.

  Embroidery is not as good as hers, looks are not as good as hers, and she can't even get along with Liu Jie, what about Zou Zhener? Hmph.

  She thought that the matchmaker her aunt had finally settled on would definitely be hers, otherwise why would her aunt let her get close to Liu Si'er? After all, during that period of time, Zhuang Mama and several older female servants from the main house had specifically blocked her.

  "It seems that Seventh Sister is really good to Sixth Sister, ah... Good sisters, supporting each other for a lifetime is the best." And Auntie also said so that day.

  Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, or the day after that, she thought her aunt would soon find Old Lady Jia to discuss her matter, hehe, and it seemed that even without going through her detestable stepmother, Madam Zhen, everything would be settled.

  When that moment comes, hehe... all her past sufferings will be nothing?

  Suddenly, she thought of Ouyang Jing again, who was full of English spirit and had a dignified appearance. Her heart fluttered even more, and with her beauty and wit, she must have been able to win Ouyang Jing's favor.

  With the support of the six sisters who listen to her and follow her plans, won't the Wang Fu be hers in the future?

  But unexpectedly, she got too proud of herself and wasn't careful enough. One misstep and her foot slipped, almost falling over. She quickly grabbed onto a nearby flower tree to steady herself, then looked down at her own feet.

  When her gaze fell on her own feet, Qiemei's face also gradually cooled down, it was all because of that caning...

  "Oh no, miss, are you okay...?" The maid who was following behind her quickly came forward to support her.

  "Bang——"

  But she didn't expect her to slap him in the face.

  "Miss..." The maid was frightened and looked at her with tears in her eyes.

  "You wretched servant, are you doing this on purpose...?" Doesn't she know that what she hates and detests the most is having her feet mentioned? She was stared at by the maid until her head was bursting with rage and fury, and she wanted to hit again.

  "What's going on, Seventh Sister? Why are you arguing with a servant?" But then a clear voice sounded from behind, and it was none other than Ninth Sister, who had walked over with Qing Xiang.

  "What's it to you?" Qi Jie'er turned her head to look at Jiu Jie'er, whose face wore a calm and peaceful smile, and said in an unfriendly tone.

  "What a pity, Seventh Sister's foot!" Ninth Sister said with a smile, her gaze falling on her foot without any reserve, shaking her head.

  "You..." Seventh Sister's face immediately turned red with anger upon hearing this. "No need for your hypocritical sympathy!" She said, and then turned around to leave.

  "Seventh sister, I really pity you, not fake sympathy. Who knows if you can get married in the future?" Ninth sister said behind her back.

  Because of this sentence, Seventh Sister stopped instantly, turned around and smiled, "Heh, Ninth Sister doesn't have to worry about this, having the leisure to think about this, Ninth Sister should consider herself first."

  "What's going on?" Ninth Sister unexpectedly also followed her in laughter, "This naturally doesn't need Seventh Sister to worry about it, I... hehe, have already found a good place to settle down."

  As expected, Qī Jiě was taken aback.

  "Seventh sister, you... are really silly and lovely." Ninth sister said as she looked at her again.

  Seventh sister was stunned again

  "Seventh sister, believe it or not, the one who will marry into the Wang Manor as a concubine in the future is definitely not you?" Ninth sister suddenly whispered into Seventh sister's ear.

  Seventh Sister's face changed instantly upon hearing this.

  "You're so beautiful, even if you were crippled, you'd still be better than some people. How could it be you?" Ninth Sister said another sentence, then looked at her again, shook her head and led Qing An away...

  ……

  Digression

  Everyone, it's really busy, I'm not even satisfied with myself, just take a look at it for now, fortunately, the weekend is coming soon, and I'll definitely bring you something exciting then!