Yi Xin as a concubine

Chapter 199 Compromise and Maintenance

The childish voice finally made Xiang Qing regain some rationality. She closed her mouth and sat aside sulking, but her lowered eyes were full of calculations.

Chu Xingchen really hated her now. It felt like he had never hated someone so much before.

When they were still in the deserted house, he would not have confined Xin Baoer to his yard unless she found all kinds of reasons to cause trouble for her every now and then, or tried her best to make trouble in front of him and spread rumors.

I thought that confining her to her home for a year or so, and assigning her a few disguised cold-faced secret guards, would help her control her temper and cultivate her character. I don't ask her to return to her previous gentle and virtuous character, but at least she won't hold Chu Duanhong back in the future.

Now it seems that all his good intentions have been in vain. Even Chu Duanhong, who used to pay his respects to her every day and at least have a meal with her every day, is becoming less and less willing to go to her yard.

The more annoyed he felt, the more dignified he looked. He suppressed his temper and spoke patiently.

"A sister-in-law is like a mother to you. Duanhong needs your care on a daily basis and supervision of his studies, which is also stressful. There are many things to do in this mansion, so let Baoer exercise more, so that he can share some of the work for you and avoid exhausting himself."

The word "sister-in-law" made Xiang Qing tremble all over. She looked at the gentle-looking man in disbelief, as if she had heard something terrible. Her lips trembled and she couldn't speak.

Except for Xin Baoer and Chu Duanhong, everyone present was puzzled by the call of "eldest sister-in-law", but they were smart enough to pretend that they heard nothing.

Xin Baoer did not look at Chu Xingchen who was speaking, nor did she look at Xiang Qing who had a pale face. Instead, she immediately looked at the child who was lowering his head in the corner.

The little boy lowered his head. Xin Baoer couldn't see his expression, but she sensitively sensed his loneliness. A child of a few years old is at the age when he admires the love of his parents.

Chu Xingchen has always played the role of a father in his life. Now Chu Xingchen seems to be intent on severing this relationship. How can he not panic?

After all, this was the child she had taken care of for two years, and his biological mother was unreliable. Xin Baoer sighed in her heart, and felt a little soft-hearted.

She took a deep breath, organized her words, and said, "Second Master, Bao'er really doesn't like to take care of these trivial matters. Why don't you hand it over to Madam? Sheng'er is well-behaved and gets along well with me. If Madam is busy, I can take care of him for you."

Xiang Qing glared at Xin Baoer who was speaking, but did not refute her.

The lost child in the corner raised his head suddenly and looked at Xin Baoer, then looked at his mother, with tears in his eyes.

Chu Xingchen's brows furrowed even deeper, his eyes met Xin Baoer's clear and innocent eyes accurately, the pain in his eyes was not concealed.

He wanted to marry this woman in a formal ceremony, but after years of planning, he finally entered a new stage. The North seemed to be harmonious, but people were greedy, so he had to act cautiously. It was not the best time to reveal his identity yet.

After all, no one knew about the twins born to the former Crown Princess at the time, so his identity was somewhat unjustified. Now was a critical time to stabilize the situation, and based on the principle of being responsible to the people around him, he could not be allowed to act willfully.

After thinking for a while, he realized that he had no choice but to put the overall situation first. He said with a serious face, "Just do as Madam Xin says."

After saying this, he looked around at everyone's reactions, secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and suppressed the growing guilt in his heart.

He continued, "The small courtyard behind the bamboo forest in the northeast corner is allocated to Madam Xin. It has an independent kitchen. Madam Xin is in charge of all matters in the courtyard. Outsiders are not allowed to interfere. All expenses are paid from the public purse. There is no limit on the amount. Madam Xin only needs to ask someone to keep a good account. In addition, Madam Xin likes quietness, so no one should disturb her unless necessary."

Chu Xingchen rarely said so many words except in front of Xin Baoer, let alone such words that were obviously defensive.

Xiang Qing almost gnashed her teeth when she heard that. She rolled her eyes and said with a fake smile, "Ah Chen, this is not good. After all, there are still several sisters. I don't ask you to treat them equally, but at least be kind to them. They are all beautiful girls. You can't just waste time in the mansion."

Chu Xingchen swore that he really gritted his teeth and endured Xiang Qing's nonsense. His gentle expression could no longer be maintained. He looked at Xiang Qing coldly, and the warning meaning was particularly obvious.

"I would have forgotten if Madam hadn't mentioned it. Wangchuan, kick these two women out."

Looking in the direction where his finger pointed, they saw Jiao Ba and Gong Jiu with excitement on their faces because of Xiang Qing's words.

The two of them looked dejected immediately after seeing this, their excited expressions had not yet subsided. It was then that they suddenly remembered that if the environment had not allowed it, they would have been kicked out long ago. Their life was too comfortable this year, and they even felt that their masters had forgotten what they had done.

The two of them ran to Chu Xingchen in panic, knelt down with a plop, and shouted incoherent words for mercy, tears and snot streaming down their faces. There was no beauty in their appearance at all, it was simply unbearable to watch.

Wangchuan had no mercy on the ladies and walked out with one in each hand.

"stop."

"Achen, what are you doing? If it weren't for these two younger sisters accompanying me, I would have been cooped up in that palm-sized yard for the whole year. Have you ever thought about how I would have survived?" Xiang Qing shouted at Chu Xingchen in a timid manner.

Xiang Qing could no longer maintain the image of a noble lady. She had no one available at all, and only these two could be used. They were sensible and usually treated her with respect and fawning. If she were kicked out like this, where would she put her face? If the servants saw her today that she couldn't even protect a maid, how would she manage these people in the future?

Chu Xingchen didn't even look at her, just stared out the door with a cold face.

Seeing that the man was unmoved, Xiang Qing turned her gaze to Xin Baoer again, until she softened her heart and her tone softened, and she spoke hesitantly.

"Sister Xin, look, Miss Wei, Miss Zhao, and this Miss Yu are all Achen's concubines. They can all stay. Please persuade Achen to let them stay as well. After all, they have been with me for so long."

Xin Baoer was impatient to deal with Xiang Qing, who had a calculating face, but for the sake of Sheng'er, she didn't want to make things too awkward with her. After all, they didn't have a direct conflict of interest. One was the eldest sister-in-law and the other was the concubine of her younger uncle. If Chu Xingchen hadn't married a wife yet, they might not even have a chance to talk.

Thinking about Chu Xingchen getting married, Xin Baoer became more and more upset and suddenly didn't want to stay here anymore.

"Madam, what are you talking about? I am just a concubine. What qualifications do I have to question the Second Master's decision? Since the housekeeper's matter has been agreed upon, I don't think there is anything left for me to do. Let's go back and clean up the yard. There are many people in our yard, so we need to plan it carefully."

After saying this, Xin Baoer stood up and walked out without waiting for anyone's agreement. Lancao, Lianrong and others turned around angrily and followed her, without any intention of staying.

Chu Xingchen wanted to chase after him, but after looking at the servants inside and outside the door, he finally restrained his cold expression, slowly sat down, took a sip of tea at just the right temperature, and when he looked up again, his image as gentle as jade had returned to normal.

"Wangchuan, why don't you take the irrelevant people away? Madam still needs to arrange the affairs of each hospital."

Upon hearing this, Wangchuan did not stop and walked out of the room.

Xiang Qing was slapped in the face by Chu Xingchen in public, and her face was so dark that it was unbearable to look at, but things had come to this point, and she couldn't just lose a sesame seed and then lose a watermelon. They were just confidants, and there were so many people in front of her, she could easily catch them with just a few tricks.

Thinking of this, his face finally regained some color, and he sat on the chair gracefully, smiling at Chu Xingchen, "Don't worry, Chen, I will take care of the backyard for you and won't let you be distracted."

Chu Xingchen became even more annoyed when he heard her meaningful words. He suddenly stood up and said, "Duanhong, go and review your lessons. Your mother will take care of everything here."

Chu Duanhong was secretly heartbroken because his mother would rather hand him over to Aunt Xin for upbringing than give up the housekeeper's power. When he heard Chu Xingchen's words, he followed without saying a word, and even forgot to say goodbye to his mother.

Xiang Qing looked at her son trotting after Chu Xingchen, and she couldn't describe the feeling in her heart. She couldn't remember when her son became unclose to her.

But she always felt that she did all this for the sake of a more stable status for both her and her son, so that her son could inherit the throne as he wished in the future, rather than Chu Xingchen's son taking the throne first. The throne was given to her and her son by her husband.