The cousin's family is extremely wealthy; she deserves to be a concubine.

Yuan Tiaotiao smiled and made a shushing gesture. "I'm pretty sure it's true. My appetite hasn't been as good as it was a few days ago, and I've even been drowsy more."

Du Juan listened carefully; these were exactly the symptoms of pregnancy.

She had shaken off her past gloom and had long forgotten her displeasure at being made a concubine by Yuan Tiaotiao. She was now eagerly anticipating the birth of a young master in the girl's belly.

"Should I go and fetch a doctor? And inform Yimei Garden and the son-in-law?"

Yuan Tiao Tiao stopped her, saying, "Don't make a fuss about it yet, let's talk about it in a few days."

Du Juan didn't understand why her daughter was hiding this happy occasion, but she was an obedient and good girl.

“These days I have been serving you personally, especially Sisters Wenqin and Wenhua. You should excuse them from paying their respects, so as not to give anything away and be harmed by them.”

Yuan Tiaotiao thought about it and disagreed, "Suddenly exempting them from paying their respects will inevitably arouse suspicion."

"It would be better to wait until they come to pay their respects, then I can take the opportunity to give them a dressing down. This will make a good impression on outsiders and also put their minds at ease."

Dujuan nodded and asked, "Qin has been very favored these days. If you want to find an opportunity to teach her a lesson, it won't be difficult at all."

Perhaps it was He Zhizhang's indulgence that made Wenqin a little complacent. One day, while serving Yuan Tiaotiao, she became distracted and poured some hot tea on the mistress.

Yuan Tiaotiao immediately slapped him across the face, the force of which made her hand, which had been used to hitting people before, tremble slightly.

It's clear she's been holding back her question about the zither for a long time.

"You lowly servant, are you trying to murder your master?" A huge accusation was slapped on Wenqin's head, whose eyes were gleaming with greed.

Although Wenqin was suddenly slapped, her mouth was faster than her brain. "This servant wouldn't dare, this servant would never have such thoughts."

"This servant has been serving the young master diligently these past few days, and I haven't had enough rest—yes, I haven't had enough rest. Please, young mistress, punish me lightly."

After saying that, she unconsciously revealed most of her snow-white neck, where there were still traces left from their lovemaking.

Wenqin's provocation was not without reason.

Ever since she started serving by Shen's side, everyone in the Marquis's mansion has looked up to her.

I got slapped hard in the face at the Fragrant Garden today, right in front of Wen Hua and the others, and I'm still furious.

Taking advantage of his recent favor and He Zhizhang's boundless indulgence, he inevitably developed some inappropriate thoughts.

She thought that tonight she would use this slap to show weakness to He Zhizhang and lure him into her room.

She would have to fetch water several more times, making the jealous woman in the main courtyard extremely envious, while also making the young master see through Yuan Tiaotiao's shrewish and jealous nature.

Du Juan watched from the side, her teeth itching with envy, while Yuan Tiao Tiao ignored her completely.

At this moment, Wen Hua wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground; she didn't want to see Wen Qin's self-righteous arrogance at all.

They really think the young mistress is an easy target.

Wenhua came to Mixiang Garden before Wenqin. She could see that the young mistress seemed very generous and extremely kind to them.

But for some reason, when she was in contact with the young mistress, she would always unconsciously be on high alert and act with extreme caution.

Wen Hua trusted her intuition, and it was this very instinct that had allowed her to coexist peacefully with Wen Qin in Yi Mei Garden all these years.

At this moment, she had no time to plead for Wenqin and hurriedly went forward to help Yuan Tiaotiao change her clothes.

Unexpectedly, Yuan Tiaotiao only ordered Du Juan to serve her.

He left a message, ordering Wenqin to stay at home.

Although Wen Hua was not punished, he knew it was best to keep a low profile recently.

Inside the room, Dujuan asked with concern, "Miss, are you feeling alright?"

Yuan Tiaotiao said it was fine, she was in a very good mood right now, "It's a pity, if it weren't for my belly, I would have taught that arrogant brat a lesson today."

Fearing that Yuan Tiaotiao's pregnancy might be in trouble, Du Juan hurriedly said, "You are the legal wife, and she is just a concubine who can be dismissed at any time. Why bother with her?"

Our most important thing right now is the young master, and we look forward to your successful delivery of the future heir of the Marquis's mansion.

Whether it's a question about music, painting, or books, you can handle it however you like.

Yuan Tiaotiao chose a looser set of clothes and stood in front of the mirror to examine herself. She even faintly saw a trace of maternal glow in her eyes.

In a good mood, he became more lenient with Wenqin, saying, "Fine, just punish her by confining her to her quarters. Consider it a blessing for the child in my womb."

Du Juan chuckled, "Our little prince is sure to be a very lucky child."

After Wenhua returned to her room, she stayed inside, but that didn't mean she stopped paying attention to anything in the main courtyard.

She was, after all, an old servant of the Marquis's mansion and had come from Shen's side. She was usually gentle and kind, and there were always maids or old women who would secretly pass on some harmless messages to her.

Consider it a way of selling in advance, okay?

Although her popularity has declined since Wenqin came to Mixiang Garden, she is not deaf or blind after all.

Based on the information she had received, she boldly speculated that the young mistress was probably pregnant.

No wonder Yuan Tiaotiao didn't let her serve him closely today.

This also explains why the young mistress was able to tolerate Wenqin's antics for so long before finally dealing with her today, and of course, the methods used to deal with her were extremely gentle.

It was merely a house arrest; overall, this young mistress was an extremely competent matriarch.

Wen Hua only hoped that Yuan Tiao Tiao would give birth to a legitimate son as soon as possible. Only in this way could a concubine of her status have the opportunity to stop taking the contraceptive medicine and conceive a child of her own blood.

Even being born out of wedlock is better than having no children at all.

When He Zhizhang returned from his shift, he heard that Wenqin had been confined to her quarters. Instead of offering words of comfort, he went straight back to the main house.

Yuan Tiaotiao thought He Zhizhang was going to stand up for his darling, but to her surprise, He Zhizhang acted as if nothing had happened and chatted with her as usual.

Du Juan nodded to herself. Although her son-in-law was not one to resist temptation when it came to women, his respect and protection of his wife far surpassed that of many men.

In today's male population, the young master is already considered a high-quality man.

That evening, Yuan Tiaotiao declined He Zhizhang's offer to stay overnight, citing that she was feeling unwell.

He Zhizhang's expression didn't change at all, and he didn't ask a single question. Instead, he reminded her, "You are my lawfully wedded wife, and you are the one who calls the shots in the entire Mixiang Garden."

Anyone who doesn't recognize their place can be killed without hesitation.

Since you're not feeling well, I'll rest in the outer courtyard tonight.

He Zhizhang did not defend Wenqin, which should have made Yuan Tiaotiao happy.

But when she heard him say, "Just go ahead and kill," she felt a chill run down her spine.

Even if a maidservant has no status, she is still the person who was passionately entwined with him and lay beside him yesterday.

How can we treat it as casually as discarding a cat or dog?

Of course, if He Zhizhang were to come directly to the main courtyard and question her, Yuan Tiaotiao would also despise this man.

It's true, being a person is hard, being a woman is hard too.

Du Juan then held her young mistress's hand and said, "Young mistress, it's winter now, be careful not to catch a cold."

Yuan Tiaotiao came to her senses and realized that He Zhizhang's approach was actually quite good. No matter how many women entered their harem or how much they were favored, with He Zhizhang's endorsement, her position as the principal wife would at least not be threatened.