Chapter 190: Solving the Urgent Problem
The remaining maids and old women quickly stepped forward to stop him, saying repeatedly, “You mustn’t, First Madam is pregnant.”
The more they said this, the more Zhou Jing San’s anger flared, and he cursed, “You shameless whore! I’ll skin you alive when the time comes!”
Granny Zhao hurried over and said, “Eldest Young Master must have been affected by something after drinking too much. Help him out and let him rest well!”
Zhou Jing San was indeed drunk and unsteady on his feet, so he was ushered out by the maids and old women.
Even so, he continued to curse under his breath, but eventually, his speech became slurred and unintelligible.
When Granny Zhao re-entered the room, only Liu Cuiyi was sitting there, covering her face.
“Miss, let me see. You were hit too hard,” Granny Zhao said with heartache and worry. “Did it harm the fetal qi?”
Liu Cuiyi did not speak, as if her soul had left her body, staring blankly.
Seeing her like this, Granny Zhao couldn’t help but sigh deeply and quietly shed tears.
After a long while, half of the tallow candle on the table had burned down, and Liu Cuiyi finally spoke.
“Granny Zhao, it’s just as Sister Wen said, but I didn’t expect it to happen so quickly,” Liu Cuiyi said with a somewhat vacant gaze. “We can’t wait any longer; we must strike first.”
Granny Zhao was stunned for a moment, then asked, “Miss, have you thought of a plan?”
“I have,” Liu Cuiyi said very, very slowly, as if each word took great effort, but she was resolute. “Tomorrow morning, you take the silver and buy a beautiful and plump maid. Remember, don’t be stingy with the money; don’t feel heartache over the silver.”
“Alright, I’ll go first thing tomorrow when the market opens,” Granny Zhao replied.
“Zhou Jing San must have heard some rumors to have treated me like this. But I imagine he has no real evidence, so he won’t do anything drastic to me in the next few days. We must seize this opportunity and not be soft-hearted or hesitant.” The left side of her face was swollen from Zhou Jing San’s beating; this wasn’t the first time she had endured such violence.
However, in the past, she would always cry and lament her fate. Today, not a single tear fell.
The candlelight flickered, making her eyes appear even darker yet brighter.
“Then Miss should rest early! I’ll be outside; call me if you need anything.” Granny Zhao said no more. She knew there was no need to comfort and appease her as before.
The next morning, Granny Zhao got up and left.
Zhou Jing San was dead drunk last night and would likely not wake until noon.
This window of time was enough for her to handle her business.
In the current market, buying a maid around fifteen or sixteen years old would cost no more than two hundred taels of silver, and she would need to be presentable and skilled in needlework.
However, Granny Zhao spent seven hundred taels to buy a maid from Wujiang. This maid originally came from a moderately well-off family, but due to their decline, she was forced to come to the Capital City.
Her needlework skills were average, but she could sing folk songs and play the pipa. She had fair skin, and her eyes and brows exuded charm.
Granny Zhao guessed at first glance that she was no longer a virgin and estimated that her past activities might not have been clean.
But none of that mattered; what mattered was that she could help resolve the immediate crisis.
Bringing the maid before Liu Cuiyi, Liu Cuiyi looked her over and was pleased. “You have a very obedient appearance. I shall bestow upon you the name Ruyi! To be frank, I didn’t buy you to do chores; you only need to serve the Eldest Young Master well. I have a few new clothes that I haven’t worn yet; I’ll give you two!”
The maid naturally guessed some of it. Seeing Liu Cuiyi’s kind face and gentle tone, she was quite happy.
Liu Cuiyi added, “However, I don’t know if the Eldest Young Master will fancy you. We’ll see when he meets you! Madam and Old Madam haven’t been feeling well these days, so you don’t need to pay your respects for now. We’ll talk about it later.”
Zhou Jing San woke up groggily. He had slept in Concubine Zheng’s room last night.
The concubines of the Zhou Family were usually not very respectful to Liu Cuiyi, and now that she was pregnant, they were even more jealous.
Concubine Zheng then stirred the pot, saying, “First Madam has become even more pampered lately. We went to pay our respects to Madam early this morning, but she didn’t. I heard she hasn’t even gotten up yet, probably because she didn’t sleep well last night!”
Although she didn’t know exactly what was going on, she felt that the atmosphere in the Zhou Family had been very delicate lately.
“That bitch!” Zhou Jing San sat up angrily. “Who is she trying to impress with her airs?”
Saying this, he put on his clothes and headed towards Liu Cuiyi’s room. He was now sober and wanted to question her.
To his surprise, as soon as he entered the room, he came face to face with a beautiful maid. Zhou Jing San’s feet immediately froze.
The maid’s eyes, like autumn water, secretly glanced at him, then shyly lowered her head, her chin nearly touching her chest, her breasts so full they almost burst through her clothes.
Zhou Jing San was almost melting on the spot, forgetting his own surname, let alone looking for Liu Cuiyi to settle accounts.
He only asked the maid, “Are you new? What’s your name?”
“Replying to the Eldest Young Master, this servant’s name is Ruyi.” Ruyi’s voice was soft, like the gentle spring waters of Jiangnan.
“That’s a good name,” Zhou Jing San grinned. “Are you from the Wu region?”
“Eldest Young Master is truly exceptionally intelligent. This servant is indeed from the Wu region,” Ruyi said, swaying her waist slightly.
“Ruyi, I asked you to fetch something, why haven’t you brought it in?” Granny Zhao called loudly from the inner room.
“Oh, coming!” Ruyi blushed and quickly fetched the item, turning back into the room. “It’s the Eldest Young Master who has arrived.”
Zhou Jing San then coughed twice and walked in.
The swelling on Liu Cuiyi’s face had subsided, but upon closer inspection, the marks were still visible.
Zhou Jing San glanced at her face but said nothing.
He had originally intended to make a big scene and vent his anger, but he hadn’t expected there to be a beautiful woman hidden in the room.
Zhou Jing San’s greatest love in this world was beauty, and in the face of beauty, he naturally couldn’t care about anything else.
“Eldest Young Master, what do you think of this maid?” Liu Cuiyi asked after taking a sip of tea.
“She’s not bad,” Zhou Jing San said, still maintaining some composure.
“I am pregnant now and often feel fatigued, so I cannot serve you. I might as well have bought this maid. If the Eldest Young Master is satisfied, you can take her as your concubine!” Liu Cuiyi spoke very directly, without beating around the bush.
This was exactly what Zhou Jing San wanted. He had already decided to take this maid for himself, but he hadn’t expected Liu Cuiyi to be so agreeable. He considered her sensible.
So he said, “Since it’s your intention, I can’t refuse you. Let her stay in the west wing’s warm room for now. We’ll find another residence when the weather improves.”
For the next few days, Zhou Jing San spent all his time with Ruyi in her room, and no one else could see her.
Zhou Jing San was indeed indulging in a world of pleasure, but his concubines were not happy, and their resentment towards Liu Cuiyi grew significantly.
