Pampered Poisonous Royal Wife Chapter 144

Chapter 144: Provoking the Su Family Once Again

After more than ten days of hectic work, a merchant convoy departed Jingling City, under the pretext of transporting tea leaves. The convoy journeyed westward toward Yuxi City, the closest city to Yuexi.

Eunuch Qin, having finished his duties with the ginger tea, focused once again on Buxian Tower.

The plaque with the Emperor’s inscription had finally been delivered after being carefully crafted by over ten skilled artisans. To show his appreciation, Mu Yunyao, after consulting with him, specifically selected an auspicious day. She invited officials like Cao Yunian and others, and after setting off a thousand-firecracker display, the plaque for Buxian Tower was ceremoniously hung up!

Such a grand occasion naturally drew most of Jingling City’s residents to watch. Mu Yunyao announced that for the next half-month, the profits of Buxian Tower would be used to buy grain and distribute it to the poor, widows, orphans, and the elderly, as a token of gratitude to the Emperor. This announcement once again earned her a round of praise.

During this period, the manager from the Charity Child Bureau came to see Cai Qing, wanting to take her back. However, upon hearing that she had signed a life-sale contract, the manager cursed her under his breath, calling her ungrateful, before leaving angrily.

Cai Qing knew that Mu Yunyao deeply disliked her past actions, so she didn’t intentionally try to approach her. Instead, she focused on learning embroidery under Madam Ding’s guidance after finishing her housework. Her talent was quite good, and since she had already learned half the techniques before, she made significant progress.

Nan’er had recovered enough to get out of bed and was following Mu Yunyao around every day, hoping to be of help. However, seeing how he kept coughing, Jin Lan became alarmed and quickly sent him back to his room. After several days of this, Jin Lan couldn’t bear it any longer and complained to Mu Yunyao.

Mu Yunyao summoned Nan’er, gave him a thorough lecture, and only then did she let him give up his intention to help and focus on resting and recovering. Once his health improved, he could repay her properly.

After the Double Ninth Festival, the weather grew noticeably cooler. As Mu Yunyao was changing her clothes and preparing to go out, Su Qing followed her, draping a green-patterned embroidered cloak over her shoulders.

The light blue cloak made Mu Yunyao’s complexion appear even fairer, looking as delicate as tender tofu. Su Qing couldn’t help but reach out and gently stroke her cheek.

“Quickly go, and be sure to send my regards to Madam Jin. Be careful on the road.”

Mu Yunyao affectionately rubbed Su Qing’s hand, her eyes crinkling into a smile.

“Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll be back soon.”

Early this morning, Madam Jin had sent someone to invite her. Seeing the anxious look on the maid’s face, Mu Yunyao didn’t dare to delay. After changing her clothes, she hurried to the Cao residence.

Yin Hong was anxiously waiting at the door. Seeing Mu Yunyao arrive, she quickly stepped forward to greet her.

“Greetings, Miss Mu. You’ve finally come. Madam Jin has been waiting for you!”

Noticing Yin Hong’s grave expression, Mu Yunyao’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly followed her into the back courtyard.

Inside the room, Madam Jin was lying pale on the bed, and Cao Yunian was anxiously standing by her side.

Upon entering the room, Mu Yunyao immediately sensed the smell of medicine in the air. Frowning, she saw Cao Yunian quickly kneel and greet her.

“Greetings, Lord Cao.”

“Miss Mu, no need for formalities. Please help Madam Jin right away.”

Mu Yunyao couldn’t afford to be polite. She immediately moved forward to take Madam Jin’s pulse.

Perhaps hearing Mu Yunyao’s voice, Madam Jin slowly opened her eyes and tightly grasped her hand.

“Yunyao, is the child in my belly alright? You must help me protect him. I don’t care about myself, but I cannot let him suffer any harm!”

Mu Yunyao’s heart tightened, and she quickly held her hand in return.

“Don’t worry, Madam. I’ll do everything in my power. Please, do not get too emotional. If you…”

Madam Jin slightly turned her head, and tears began to fall from her eyes. Cao Yunian, pacing back and forth, grew even more anxious when he saw her expression.

“Sigh, Madam, please don’t be sad. I’ll make sure to give you an explanation.”

Before Cao Yunian could finish speaking, Yin Hong entered.

“Reporting to Lord and Madam, Lady Wang is kneeling at the gate.”

Madam Jin’s expression instantly turned cold. She turned to Cao Yunian and said,

“I’m looking haggard today, so I’m not fit to meet with Lord. You should go out first.”

Cao Yunian’s expression became even more anxious. However, since Mu Yunyao was present, he couldn’t say anything, so after hesitating for a moment, he slowly spoke.

“Then, Madam, please rest well. I will come back to check on you later.”

Once Cao Yunian left, Yin Hong went out to check, then came back to report.

“Madam, Lady Wang is still kneeling at the gate. When Lord left just now, it seemed like she said something, which caused Lord to kick her.”

Madam Jin slightly nodded to acknowledge she had heard, and Yin Hong stepped back, standing guard at the door.

When there were no outsiders in the room, Mu Yunyao, who had been keeping her head slightly lowered, finally spoke.

“Madam, why go through all this?” When she had taken Madam Jin’s pulse earlier, Mu Yunyao had noticed that her pulse was steady, and there was nothing wrong. But seeing her pale face and tightly grasping her hand, Mu Yunyao had gone along with her words.

Madam Jin sat up, wiping away her tears with a silk handkerchief.

“Yunyao, I’m truly sorry for dragging you into this. These past few days, some people can’t stand to see me doing well and have been gossiping in front of Lord, causing a little bit of doubt in his heart. If I don’t remove this doubt, it will eventually become a knot that can never be untangled.”

“As long as Madam is fine, that’s what matters. You calling me over at this time shows you don’t regard me as an outsider. How could I mind?” Mu Yunyao thought for a moment and roughly guessed the situation.

There had already been rumors circulating in the streets that Cao Yunian’s quick rise was largely due to the help of Madam Jin’s family. Later, Madam Jin’s clothing had attracted praise, and the Emperor had promoted Cao Yunian. Then, because of the spread of the embroidery stitches, Madam Jin had been awarded an official title. People had been saying that Cao Yunian’s greatest fortune was marrying such a good wife. At this time, if someone intentionally stirred up trouble, it would be easy for him to get upset.

“By the way, I called you over because there’s something else. I’ve told Lord about the New Year’s gift, and after hearing the news, Lord Zhang was quite interested. He plans to find some elderly people from all over who are blessed with longevity and have them write ‘Fu Shou An Kang’ (Longevity, Prosperity, Peace). Then, they will send the writings to Jingling City to be embroidered all together. We don’t need to worry about collecting the writings; Lord Zhang will send people to handle it. But the final embroidered work needs to be larger. Do you think it’s possible to complete?”

Mu Yunyao thought carefully for a moment and replied, “The time is quite tight now. If the embroidered piece needs to be larger, it will take quite a bit more time. But since Lord Zhang has brought it up, we must work day and night to complete it. The embroidery piece should be nine feet long and five feet high, symbolizing the supreme power of the Emperor. How does Madam think of this idea?”

Madam Jin looked at Mu Yunyao with an apologetic expression.

“This would be perfect, but it will be hard work for you.”

Mu Yunyao smiled gently.

“To receive the Emperor’s reward, I am deeply grateful. Even if it’s hard work, I’ll gladly do it.”

Moreover, the real reason she was helping with the embroidery work for the New Year’s gift wasn’t just to show her face before the Emperor. More importantly, it was to provoke the Su family.

Back when the Emperor’s birthday came around, the Su family had offered an embroidered landscape screen as a gift. However, instead of adding to the family’s prestige, the screen, with its bloodied imagery, angered the Emperor, causing him to fly into a rage and punish the Su family. It was clear that the Su family had gained nothing from that gift, and perhaps the Su family least wanted to see another embroidered piece.

She would send another embroidered work up to the Emperor, and if the Emperor praised it, it would certainly make the Su family feel as though something were stuck in their throats. Even if the work didn’t receive the Emperor’s praise, it could still remind him of the Su family’s previous blunder. As long as it made the Su family uncomfortable, she was willing to work hard for the next few months.

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