Mrs. Zhou asked, "What is it?"

"You know my cousin came over to visit Wei Changjuan today." Mrs. Min squinted, saying, "Otherwise, I wouldn't have given her all those good things to ruin! Hasn't she ruined enough things in the past?"

Mrs. Zhou asked suspiciously, "But didn't you say you weren't very close to Min Yinuo? How did you manage to persuade her to help us?"

"Her father, Min Zhixia, is just a descendant of a distant branch, but at least, my family is from the lineal branch of the clan, so of course our situation is much better than his. When Min Zhixia was poor and sick, my family didn't care much about him. Since he got the support of the Duanmu Family, he rarely visits our family. Perhaps he has grievances? Before I was married, I was in Quyin County. The first time I met Min Yinuo was in this mansion when Wei Changjuan brought her back as a guest. I only learned that she was from the same family as me when I was with her. However, she is not the person I'm talking about." Mrs. Min had spoken very quickly. She took a few breaths before speaking again, "Actually, the one I'm talking about is the one who came with Min Yinuo at the beginning but was sent away by the doormen!"

Mrs. Zhou was surprised, asking, "Who?"

"Liu Ruoye!" Mrs. Min sneered, saying, "Wei Changjuan caused trouble so many times and she was probably using that person's ideas! This is why Wei Changwan told the doormen not to let her see Wei Changjuan before she went back to her parents' family to mourn!"

"But the doormen are not our people." Mrs. Zhou said unthinkingly.

Mrs. Min said angrily, "Min Yinuo was sent away with Liu Ruoye earlier. In the end, she still managed to sneak in later to visit Wei Changjuan. She used the side door. Liu Ruoye always came into our mansion by the back door, so Wei Changwan only gave the order to the doormen at the back door. The side door is not somewhere that is far away. Visitors just need to walk a bit further along the exterior of our mansion's courtyard. Liu Ruoye has never walked there so she doesn't know of it. As long as someone gives her a rough idea, she will definitely find the place! As for the people at the side door, we should not replace them with our own people. Let's take a look among the servants and then replace them with those who are greedy and bold. Then there will be no need to worry that they will not meet each other!"

Mrs. Zhou was inspired, saying, "This is a good idea! Even if this got found out afterwards, it wouldn't prove that we made it happen. It would be Wei Changjuan's own fault!" But then she wondered, "But when they meet again, it will be good if Liu Ruoye continues to set her up, won't it? If not, it would be a waste of effort!"

"Anyway, all the trouble that Wei Changjuan has caused since last year is more or less related to Liu Ruoye." Mrs. Min thought for a moment before saying, "Besides, if this Liu Ruoye hadn't wanted anything, why would she have come here? Now that everyone in our family is in mourning, we normally wouldn't want visitors. Don't they think it is unlucky to come here? Because of her mother, Min Yinuo is relatively close to us so it makes sense. However, Liu Ruoye isn't close to us, but she is mourning according to the Wufu system. She is a young Miss yet doesn't mind doing it, so she must have thought of ways to set Wei Changjuan up again!"

Mrs. Zhou sighed, "Liu Ruoye is so calculating. She completely fooled Wei Changjuan and even Wei Changwan couldn't talk her out of it. Why are people so different? We racked our brains, trying to please her but no matter how we tried, she never appreciated it. Stupid people will never achieve things easily. Isn't this true?"

"Wei Changjuan is picky but incompetent. Even though we are her sisters-in-law, she despises women like us from aristocratic families. Two days ago, I heard from the people around her that on Infanta Chengxian's wedding day..."

Mrs. Min looked with hatred, saying, "Wei Changying took the two daughters of the person whom we should both call aunt to meet her. Wei Changying was polite to her two cousins, but Wei Changjuan was unfriendly and half-hearted towards them. She ignored the two cousins several times, not talking to them. However, she happily chatted with the Miss of the Deng Family, the niece of the Honored Consort, who had taken the initiative to speak to the two sisters. Later on, the two Misses of the Song Family realized this and told Wei Changying they wanted to leave. In the end, the Miss of the Deng Family also wanted to go with them and probably didn't like this snob."

She looked at her sister-in-law, saying, "Liu Ruoye is a lineal daughter of gentlefolks and her father is also a lineal child. Although he is not from Duke Weiyuan's family, he, as a Military Officer, has a high status. As for Min Yinuo, her mother is also from gentlefolks, and she and Princess Linchuan have a close personal relationship. They are not like a princess and a subject, more like close friends. Otherwise, no matter how gentle and talented they are, Wei Changjuan regards them as nothing!"

Mrs. Zhou stayed silent for a moment then sighed, "Yao, you are right. If we were from gentlefolks, we wouldn't have to suffer and spend our lives in sadness!"

"We are neither high-born nor smart, but as the saying goes, even small things like mole crickets and ants want to live!" Mrs. Min murmured, "It's not that we don't care about our husbands, but when did our husbands ever treat us like their wives? If our father-in-law has gained power, there will be no place for us to stay in this Wei Family! Therefore, it is better to let Liu Ruoye coax Wei Changjuan into keeping on causing trouble. The more the grandmother has something on her, the better. By that time, even if our father-in-law and husbands... Since we are both personally chosen by the Old Madam and have no children, there is no point in the Old Madam killing us. Perhaps we could adopt a son or daughter from the distant branches of the family and live peacefully! Perhaps we could live in ease and comfort in our old age. What else can we count on now except this?"

"I agree." Mrs. Zhou nodded, saying, "Let's do what you have said. I'll then go to organize the thing at the side door. I will find a reliable maidservant to tell Wei Changjuan in case she is too stupid to fall into the trap!"

Mrs. Min quickly warned her, "Forget about finding a reliable maidservant. The people who come to flatter us are blind, thinking we are really in charge of the rear courtyard from now on and Wei Changjuan has completely fallen into disfavor. That is why they come up in droves to curry favor with us! When our father-in-law and the others like Wei Changjuan again, do you think they will hesitate to dispose of us?"

Mrs. Zhou looked serious, asking, "Wait until she finds out about it herself?"

"Her close maidservants have all been born into this family, so their relatives are everywhere in this mansion. It will be easy to find a few who are greedy and bold." Mrs. Min mused, "Some close maidservants of hers have come to curry favor with us recently. However, since she is such a nasty person, she must have scolded and beaten those people who are close to her, though she can't do anything to people from outside. Besides, Liu Ruoye is very clever. Maybe they could use the opportunity to get together. Anyway, now the grandmother in Fengzhou is still very healthy, so Wei Changjuan can't do anything yet. We must do everything steadily!"

The two sisters-in-law agreed on the plan and carried it out as well. They set a trap without anyone noticing, waiting for Wei Changjuan to fall into it.

The days went by gradually.

At the beginning of March, the weather became warmer. It was green everywhere in the courtyard. Winter jasmines were blooming and Eupatorium fortunes were putting forth buds. Spring had brought freshness and beauty there.

As Wei Changying was nearing the time of her labor, the people in the Jintong Courtyard all became nervous. Grannies, maidservants and old maidservants were divided into three groups, and they all took turns to keep an eye on her in case something went wrong. Ji Qubing almost came by every other day to check her pulse. Therefore, the doctor was very impatient and made a few ironic remarks, but neither Wei Zhengyin nor Madam Su could be bothered with him. They were all smiling towards him and concerned that he hadn't been treated well enough.

Even though Wei Changying was strong, for a woman, giving birth was always like having her one foot stepping into a coffin. People who had given birth to several children might even suffer a misfortune and end up dead, even more so this being Wei Changying's first time. Everyone, from the servants like Mrs. Huang to her mother-in-law, Madam Su, and her two aunts Wei Shengxian and Wei Zhengyin, had their minds constantly in a state of tension. Even Shen Xuan asked his wife about her situation every now and then.

No matter how Ji Qubing made digs at them, as long as he said "Everything is fine", everybody would put their minds at ease that day.

For the sake of having peace of mind, everyone tolerated him!

As all the people were very concerned, Wei Changying herself was also cautious, fearing that something bad would happen, wasting all her efforts. She was very careful as if she had been treading on thin ice. On the contrary, Ji Qubing warned her that pregnant women should not worry. So, she had to try very hard to banish her anxious feelings.

Whilst she was counting down the days, news of a tragic victory came from Eastern Hu!

That was a truly tragic victory. Although they had won, the price had been high. Despite the soldiers on the border in Eastern Hu, not one of the five imperial guards who had gone to the border to fulfill their duty had left the battle without injuries. As the Liu Family had given soldiers with suicidal intent to Liu Youzhao to protect him, he, the landlord of Eastern Hu, was wounded the least severely for the price of all of those soldiers' lives. Nevertheless, he had been struck twice by arrows. One of them had only been one centimeter away from his heart. He miraculously survived. Qian Lian and Duanmu Wuyou each had been struck by two arrows. They both had taken bad injuries to their arms and legs. The broadsword that had hit Duanmu Wuyou had been poisoned, but thanks to the fact that the Liu Family had been fighting against northern tribes for years, they usually had the antidotes for these poisons. That was what had saved his life.

However, these three people were still in good enough shape. They only needed to be treated in Eastern Hu and stay there to recover.

Pei Kai and Su Yuwu were dying!

It was because the poison in their wounds had obviously been made with You Lai He as the main ingredient, against which the Liu Family could do nothing.

You Lai He was cold by nature. Shamans of the northern tribes added several herbs to make it the coldest poison and applied it to the arrows of the archers of the tribes. They were especially used to kill the soldiers of the Great Vi. As the five of them had stepped onto the battlefield together in similar costumes, the best archer from northern tribes had probably, on seeing that Pei Kai and Su Yuwu were the tallest and strongest among the five, thought the two had been the most important people. Therefore, he had shot almost all the arrows of his quiver at the two men.

The two had been struck by a total of seven arrows. When they had been carried off the battlefield, they even had had frost and snow on their eyebrows while the rest of the people had all been sweating from the battle.

They were both imperial guards who had gone to the border to fulfill their duty. One was a lineal child of the clan of a family of gentlefolks, and the other was also a lineal child of the clan from an aristocratic family. So the Liu Family didn't dare to offend. When Duke Weiyuan had learned the news, he had immediately ordered his people to drive their carriage out, had ordered the Liu Family's best doctor to be on board to treat them, and had ordered a group of soldiers to escort them to the capital without any delay. Except for Ji Qubing, people had never heard of another person who could detoxify the poison of You Lai He!

However, the worst part was that though Pei Kai and Su Yuwu were mostly being poisoned by You Lai He, as several unknown herbs had been used in the poison as well, except for Ji Qubing, there was no other doctor who would dare to treat either.

Having received a letter that had sped into the capital from the Liu Family, Wei Zhengyin almost fainted! Not even having put her shoes on, she ran to the Ji Family to request that Ji Qubing set off along the highway to Eastern Hu, saving time to get there to save him.

Ji Qubing was a person with a sharp tongue, and he made no exception for this time. However, what he said this time was extraordinarily painful. He said without much enthusiasm, "Your niece is about to give birth. You have asked me to make sure that your niece is well looked after, but now you want to send me away from the capital to save your son. If something happened to your niece, what should I do when your mother puts the blame on me?"

On hearing these words, the Ni Tao couple, who were serving tea and snacks, looked awkward. To Old Madam Song, both Wei Zhengyin and Wei Changying were her descendants. To them, they were their mistresses. However, Ni Tao's mother, Huang Qianxiu, was now with Wei Changying. Mrs. Huang's eldest son and husband were both in Wei Changying's dowry, so the couple naturally supported Wei Changying the most.

Additionally, Old Madam Song had been nurturing Mrs. Huang for so many years. She turned out to be a granny who knew medicine, who was loyal, who was good at management and who knew how to win in the fights in the rear courtyard. Who would not want a person like this? Wei Zhengyin, the only daughter of Old Madam Song, had wanted Mrs. Huang, but in the end, Old Madam Song gave her to her granddaughter.

It could be seen that even though Old Madam Song loved her daughter, she preferred her son. Because of her father, the granddaughter was loved more by Old Madam Song than her own daughter.

Wei Zhengyin knew the true reasons very well why her mother valued her niece more than her. One was that she and her elder brother, Wei Zhenghong, were the only ones who had lived among all the children of Old Madam Song. Compared to her healthiness, her eldest brother, Wei Zhenghong, had always been sickly ever since he had been born and had suffered from illness since he had been small. Seeing his son suffer, Old Madam Song was heartbroken, thinking she was indebted to her eldest son. Naturally, she paid more attention to Wei Zhenghong. Secondly, as they had asked Ji Qubing's help too late, resulting in Wei Zhenghong’s long-lasting suffering, Old Madam Song deeply felt she had done wrong towards her son, as well as to her lineal grandson and lineal granddaughter.

In this situation, although her daughter was someone to whom she had given birth and her granddaughter was a generation away, Old Madam Song didn't think about Wei Zhengyin as much as she did about Wei Changying.

Usually, although Wei Zhengyin knew this, she never paid mind to it. Old Madam Song didn't love her as much as Wei Zhenghong, but she had never treated her badly. As for her niece's more worthy dowry, Wei Zhengyin had also understood that her niece would be married into a place far away compared to where she would go. However, the problem now concerned her only son's life. Wei Zhengyin had to argue, saying decisively, "No matter what happens in the future, I will bear all the consequences even if Mother asks about it. I beg you to set off quickly, doctor!"

Ji Qubing stroked his beard, saying calmly to the Ni Tao couple who looked worried, "Did you both hear that? If the Shen Family sends someone over here to get me tomorrow, you remember to tell this to that person!"