Reborn as the Crippled King s Beloved

Chapter 77: Chapter 77 That evil girl will arrive in a moment
 

“Miss, although you are now the Princess Consort Ling, Marquis Mansion will always be your home, the bond of blood that you can’t cut off. Moreover, Lady Wang is ill; if you don’t visit, I’m afraid others will speak ill of you behind your back.”

Zhen Zhu kept on talking endlessly, as if Murong Jiu’s failure to visit Marquis Mansion was an act of great disloyalty.

Murong Jiu remained unmoved, sipping the warm fruit tea with a calm demeanor, her mouth filled with its refreshing taste.

Seeing that she had no reaction, Zhen Zhu frowned and whispered softly:

“Miss, the Prince is nice to you now because you and your master possess extraordinary medical skills. Once you are of no use, he will definitely discard you without hesitation. Don’t forget whose child you are carrying in your womb. The Prince is a normal man; how could he tolerate this indefinitely?”

“Only Marquis Mansion is your true support. Don’t get your priorities wrong. Lady Wang is ill; if you show some softness and visit, past disagreements will be forgotten. After all, you are their flesh and blood, there are no grudges that last overnight.”

Zhen Zhu looked as if she was giving advice out of pure concern.

Murong Jiu slowly put down her cup and said:

“Zhen Zhu, I want to visit my mother too, but as you know, I’m pregnant. If I catch her illness, it wouldn’t be good for me or the baby. This child is mine and His Highness the Second Prince’s. I value it greatly.”

Zhen Zhu’s face fell upon hearing the first part, but the last sentence lifted her spirits again.

So it seemed that Murong Jiu cared so much about the child because she believed it was hers and His Highness the Second Prince’s.

Zhen Zhu, who had been in a state of anxious uncertainty, fearing Murong Jiu might have discovered some truth, now felt completely relieved.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ƝονǤο.ᴄᴑ

She quickly responded, “You’re right; I was too worried about you and failed to consider this. Perhaps you should visit after Lady Wang recovers?”

Murong Jiu nodded faintly, “Yes, it is time I paid them a visit.”

In her past life, Marquis Mansion had lived comfortably thanks to her support. Now, without her silver taels, they must be drowning in a mess of debts—probably not doing so well.

She was quite curious to see just how badly they were faring.

Because Consort Yun Pin had a miscarriage, the Emperor was not feeling well, so Jun Yuyan couldn’t take Murong Jiu to the manor to enjoy the hot springs.

With the Emperor needing to recuperate, he intentionally granted some authority to Prince Ling and the Second Prince, ostensibly for experience, so both were quite busy recently.

Murong Jiu stayed in the mansion, practicing the body-strengthening techniques her master taught her, taking medicinal concoctions to dispel toxins from the baby, occasionally spending time with Xiao Wen to read and write. Aside from frequent morning sickness, her days were quite comfortable.

But after just four days, Zhen Zhu came to her and said, “Miss, Lady Wang’s illness has much improved. How about you visit Marquis Mansion today?”

Murong Jiu sneered inwardly, “My mother has been bedridden for so long; how could she recover so quickly?”

“Perhaps it’s a mother-daughter connection. Perhaps Lady Wang, knowing of your concern for her, recovered faster.”

She laughed softly, “Tomorrow then, as the Prince is not at the mansion today, I need to inform him beforehand.”

“You are now the main wife of the Prince Mansion; there’s no need to inform him. He can’t control you. You don’t know, Lady Wang, upon learning you might visit, was in high spirits and has even prepared a table full of dishes you love.”

Zhen Zhu seemed anxious, as if she wanted her to go there that very afternoon.

Murong Jiu guessed it probably had to do with Murong Man’s marriage.

Jun Haoze’s sickly cousin, wasn’t she struck by illness before? Considering how much Jun Haoze cared for her, Murong Man’s marriage must have already been scheduled.

Hadn’t it been arranged already?

Even though Marquis Ensu’s eldest son had no interest in women and was known as Lord Rabbit, Murong Man naturally wouldn’t want that. She was supposed to marry Jun Haoze. A good woman wouldn’t be married twice; although merely betrothed, now that Haoze was determined to marry her to his cousin, how could she accept that willingly?

And she herself was the instigator for Murong Man to be married off. With Marquis Mansion’s parents doting on their precious daughter, they were looking for a turnaround from her.

“If my mother is so concerned about me, then I should go there early. Alright, you send the message; I’ll go to Marquis Mansion this afternoon.”

Zhen Zhu was overjoyed, “Yes, I’ll go right away!”

She ran out happily.

When Chun Tao returned and saw this, she asked Murong Jiu, “Miss, why is she so happy?”

“She wants me to return to Marquis Mansion, and I agreed to it.”

“What! No, Miss cannot go! The Marquis Mansion has been so unkind to you, and now that you’re pregnant, I’m afraid they’ll harm you!”

Chun Tao firmly disagreed with her going.

Murong Jiu smiled at her, “Don’t worry, they wouldn’t dare.”

They all knew that the child in her belly was the “key” that allowed the Second Prince to control her, so how could they harm her?

In the afternoon.

After Murong Jiu had lunch and napped for a bit over an hour, she freshened up, changed her clothes, and boarded the carriage from Prince Mansion which leisurely headed toward Marquis Mansion. Halfway there, she took a detour to visit the grain shop and chatted with Manager Chai and Lou Zixi for a while.

Lou Zixi’s leg had mostly healed. When Manager Chai led Murong Jiu in, Lou Zixi was practicing simple walking movements while holding a book, learning from the notes of predecessors.

Upon seeing Murong Jiu, Lou Zixi’s eyes lit up. He hurried over to greet her with the salutations of a scholar.

Having recuperated for this period, his complexion was fairer, and he had put on a little weight. He no longer had the emaciated appearance he had when with Manager Chai in the refugee dwelling. His demeanor carried a touch of scholarly spirit, polite, gentle, and humble.

Murong Jiu thought to herself that, without the frustration of being deliberately thwarted by Jun Haoze in her previous life, and without the shadow of being crippled, in this lifetime, Lou Zixi would certainly achieve his ambitions on the Imperial Court, display his talents, and become a good government official, a parent to the people.

The gatekeeper at Marquis Mansion had long heard that the Ninth Sister was coming back. They had been waiting and waiting, their necks growing long with anticipation. Finally, when they saw the carriage from Prince Mansion, they hurried to instruct the servants below, “Ninth Sister has arrived, quickly go and report to the Marquis and the Madam!”

The servant dashed inside.

In the drawing room, the Marquis and Lady Wang had been waiting since the moment Murong Jiu departed from Prince Mansion. They didn’t expect to wait this long for her arrival.

Both of them had faces full of rage.

Murong Man entered, “Father, Mother, calm down. Today we are the ones asking for a favor from Ninth Sister. She probably knows it, and her being deliberately late is just to see us get angry, so she can refuse us again. Ninth Sister is no longer the same as before, perhaps Prince Ling is advising her from behind.”

“This scourge! Ever since we made her marry into Prince Ling’s Mansion in place of someone else, our Marquis Mansion hasn’t had a day of peace!”

The Marquis said angrily.

He blamed all the misfortunes of Marquis Mansion on Murong Jiu.

But he didn’t consider who it was that, in order not to let his biological daughter, Murong Man, enter a pit of fire, had knocked Murong Jiu unconscious and stuffed her into the bridal sedan.

He only thought of the advantages, as if good things could simply be obtained without any cost in this world.

Lady Wang tried to pacify him, “Let it go, my lord, let’s not talk about that now. That wretched girl will be here shortly.”

The Marquis let out a cold huff and sat down, full of arrogant posture. No matter what, he thought, today he had to make Murong Jiu kneel and give him a bow, to alleviate some of his pent-up anger.

“Marquis! Madam!”