Repeatedly broken branches

Zhou Tingxi's mother, Xue, was not very satisfied with her daughter-in-law, Ye Wanwan. She nitpicked at her every day, and even when Ye Wanwan was pregnant, she didn't give her a good look and made her cook for her.

Xue said, "Once a slave, always a lowly person."

She looked down on Ye Wanwan from the bottom of her heart. She had never heard of a servant and mistress sharing a husband. It was so shameful.

She didn't want to listen to what people were saying when she went out, that Zhou Tingxi had been bewitched by her, that Zhou Tingxi was not a good person and had gotten involved with a maid.

Enraged, Madam Xue refused to leave the house for several days. With nothing to do, she decided to teach that wretched woman named Ye Wanwan a lesson.

Born into a military family, Xue was influenced by her father and brothers from a young age. She was straightforward and could not stand those effeminate and delicate women; they gave her a headache.

Madam Xue took the cup of tea brought by the maid, lifted the lid and gently blew away the tea foam on the surface. Her phoenix eyes were full of disgust as she casually glanced at Ye Wanwan, who was kneeling on the ground, looking as weak as if she had been beaten fifty times.

Madam Xue felt a headache coming on. She gently supported her forehead with her slender, white fingers and said, "I'm a little hungry. Go and make some braised pig's trotters. Tingxi loves braised duck tongues, so make some for him too."

Ye Wanwan clutched her chest, feeling nauseous. These past few days, she felt nauseous at the mere mention of meat, let alone duck tongues, which had to be pulled off one by one from the duck's head and then cleaned thoroughly.

"Mom, I'm not feeling well... I have terrible morning sickness."

She wasn't lying; in just a few days, she had lost a lot of weight, and her lips were completely bloodless.

Madam Xue couldn't stand her like this and said sternly, "I don't want to say it a second time." Then she gave a wink to the maid beside her.

The maid grabbed Ye Wanwan, who was kneeling on the ground, and Ye Wanwan was led to the kitchen, swaying unsteadily.

After being tormented like this for several days, Ye Wanwan looked exactly like a patient, needing a maid to help her walk, as if she might faint at any moment.

Although Zhou Tingxi lived in the military camp, it was impossible for him not to know. He didn't say anything at all; he still didn't believe the child was his. He had personally witnessed Ye Wanwan drinking the contraceptive soup, and they had only been intimate twice.

Twice? That's too much of a coincidence.

But fate had other plans. He had absolutely no feelings for this uninvited child and didn't even want him to come.

That day, Xia Yunzhi's eyes flashed before my eyes again—a look of utter disappointment.

Ye Wanwan used the excuse of missing Xia Yunzhi to move back to the palace, finally getting rid of that woman Xue. On her way back to Suiyun Palace, she never realized how beautiful the scenery in the palace was.

When Yu Yanjing told Xiao Mu about this, Xiao Mu was leisurely feeding the pigeons. She seemed calm and composed, as if these past few days had been a dream.

Rumors say she loves Zhou Tingxi to the core, and if she knew about this, she would definitely make a huge scene. But to everyone's surprise, she was calmer than the bystanders, and none of them were as calm as her.

"If she returns, send someone to deliver some tonics. Don't mistreat Madam Zhou."

Xiao Shao was furious. "Why should the princess try to please her? You'll be the legal wife and she'll be a concubine. Why send her gifts and make it seem like you're afraid of her!"

Xiao Mu handed the box of bird feed to Xiao Shao and said calmly, "It's just an act in front of others, so that they won't say I can't tolerate her."

She gave her gifts, but she still treated her like a servant. If she were a friend, she would deliver them herself instead of having someone else deliver them.

Xiao Shao asked, puzzled, "This servant is confused. Why does the princess seem not angry at all, even though she knows about this? It's as if it has nothing to do with you."

Xiao Muqian smiled and said, "Why should I be angry? This matter has nothing to do with me. The main characters are Zhou Tingxi and Ye Wanwan. At most, I'll just be labeled as someone who was betrayed by my best friend. People will even pity me."

"Aren't all men like this? They have three wives and four concubines, but which one truly loves and dotes on only one person?" After saying that, her gaze drifted to Yu Yanjing, a half-smile on her face.

Yu Yanjing said with a firm look in his eyes, "For example, me."

Xiao Shao pressed on, asking, "Which girl does Guard Han admire? Tell us!"

Yu Yanjing raised the corners of his mouth and smiled, "So far away yet so close at hand!"

Xiao Shao hid behind Xiao Mu and said in a fright, "You don't actually like me, do you?"

Yu Yanjing was speechless, staring intently at Xiao Mu, who was laughing so hard she was clutching her stomach.

Xiao Shao chuckled to herself. Her princess used to be so infatuated with General Zhou that she would get furious if any woman got close to him and spoke to him. Now, this woman was someone close to her and had even given birth to a child, yet she wasn't angry at all, as if she were an outsider.

The princess was chatting and laughing with Han, the guard. Yes, she seems to have been getting quite close to him lately. This Han Xingbai is not bad looking, but the rank of guard is too low.

Ye Wanwan is really putting on airs. Not only did she not come to express her gratitude, but she also said every day that the bird's nest sent by the princess was not as delicious as the blood bird's nest.

She would stroll around the Imperial Garden all day wearing the hairpins bestowed upon her by the Emperor. There were a few concubines who were fond of flattering the emperor, and the beauties would go and have tea and chat with her.

Madam Xue favored Xia Yunzhi as her prospective daughter-in-law. Hearing from Zhou Tingxi that the princess showed no signs of agitation, she feared the princess might cancel the engagement. So, she sent someone to deliver a pair of dragon and phoenix bracelets, saying that they were a gift from Zhou Tingxi's grandmother when she returned to the mansion, and were considered family heirlooms.

What she meant was that, regardless of whether Ye Wanwan gave birth to a boy or a girl, and no matter how much Zhou Tingxi loved her, she was convinced that Ye only loved Xia Yunzhi as his daughter-in-law.

This family heirloom dragon and phoenix bracelet is a symbol, signifying that there will only be one future principal wife and matriarch of the Zhou family, while the rest are worthless and insignificant.

Xiao Mu had someone put the dragon and phoenix bracelets away in the storeroom, but she never looked at them once. She had heard that Zhou Tingxi's mother was straightforward and would never try to please anyone.

Xiao Mu scoffed, "She's not worthy of eating bird's nest. I have bird's nest, but she's not qualified to eat it."

It's unclear who suggested it, but Xia Yuyi thought it was a great idea. She had just been made a concubine of the Grand General, was pregnant, and had also been granted the title of Princess. This was a triple celebration, so it had to be a grand affair.

Xiao Mu guessed that it was Su Zhaoyi and Wang Meiren, who played with Ye Wanwan, who suggested it. These two were about the same age as Ye Wanwan and had just entered the palace, so they simply stuck together for mutual support.

They're really naive; they don't know Ye Wanwan's status or position.

Consort Chen said, "The Emperor has been very happy lately. He said there were no happy events in the palace, so he held a big celebration for her. Would you like to send a gift over? I sent a pair of jade screens over. Would you like me to send one over for you as well?"

Xiao Mu smiled and said, "Okay, Your Majesty, please help me choose."

Consort Chen said, "Then why not give her a pair of gold-inlaid jade magnolia hairpins? I see she wears the hairpins given to her by the Emperor all day long and shows them off, so I guess she'll like them too."

"Yes, Your Highness, please convey to my father that I am not feeling well and I probably won't be able to attend the banquet tomorrow. I would like to leave the palace to clear my head."

Consort Chen held her cold hands and said gently, "Don't take it to heart. Going out for a walk is good. Your father will understand. Such things are very common in the imperial family. General Zhou is a young general, and many women want to marry him. He will definitely take all kinds of women back in the future. You will get used to it then."

Xiao Mu took a deep breath and smiled, "I didn't take it to heart, Your Majesty. Let's not worry about him. Let's go out for a walk."

She had no other desires in this life but to live a peaceful and stable life. Whether she could go back or not, all she wanted was peace and stability. She knew she couldn't win the power struggles among three wives and four concubines, so peace and stability were her main themes.