Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved

Chapter 80: Chapter 80: Tearing Up Relations with the Marquis Mansion, So Satisfying
 

Murong Man, having been slighted by Jun Yuyan, didn’t dare take out her frustration on Murong Jiu.

If she could coax Murong Jiu into no longer listening to Jun Yuyan, there would be a lot less trouble.

“Ninth Sister, I was just passing a message to the Prince, nothing else, you can rest assured.”

After explaining, she didn’t inquire further into what conflict had just occurred between the grandmother, mother, and Murong Jiu, and she immediately changed the topic, speaking of the recent amusing incidents at the Marquis Mansion, hoping to evoke Murong Jiu’s deep-seated yearning.

They were all very clear on how starved for affection Murong Jiu was.

In the past, they were unwilling to give it, but times had changed, and they hoped that Murong Jiu’s heart would return to the Marquis Mansion.

Murong Jiu listened and, after a while, yawned out of boredom.

“Princess Consort, are you tired? Why don’t you go back and rest, you must be feeling sleepy as you are pregnant.”

Chun Tao was very perceptive and spoke up right away.

The hearts of the three tightened, of course, they couldn’t let Murong Jiu just leave like this.

However, some things were better said in private.

“Ninth Sister, are you feeling alright? I didn’t expect pregnancy to be so tough; you really need to rest well. How about this, let me escort you back to your quarters, okay?”

“That won’t be necessary, I prefer not to have the scent of strangers in my resting place.”

Murong Man’s face stiffened slightly, Murong Jiu was telling her that she was just an outsider.

“Ninth Sister, I am your blood sister, you are being quite cold to me now. When you first came to the Marquis Mansion, it was I who showed you around the mansion, don’t you remember?”

Unfortunately, Murong Jiu was not swayed by the appeal to blood relations, not to mention they were not related by blood, even if they were, such treatment made it utterly impossible for Murong Jiu to have a change of heart and rejoin the family.

Seeing the desperation in the eyes of the three, Murong Jiu was overjoyed.

Suddenly, something moved in her belly.

The baby moved?

Her heart surged with joy, and she discreetly placed her hand on her belly, the next moment, she felt a faint stir again.

Was her baby’s movement coming so early?

It was only three months into her pregnancy.

In her previous life, it seemed that it was only at five months that she truly felt the baby move.

Was it that her child knew she was in a good mood now, so it too was joyously kicking her?

Perhaps in her last life, consumed by sorrow, she ate little, the poor nutrition meant the baby did not develop well, and therefore the movements weren’t noticeable.

This time she was nourishing herself properly, maybe the baby was growing well?

Murong Jiu’s heart overflowed with maternal love, increasingly looking forward to the days after the birth of her two children.

Seeing Murong Jiu looking down in silence, Murong Man thought her words had touched her, and she hurriedly persevered:

“Sister, we are real siblings, when our mother was pregnant with you, I even touched her belly. It’s just because of that accursed monk who gave you an unfortunate fate, leading to our separation.”

As she spoke, Murong Man’s tears fell, and she wept bitterly. She stepped forward, intending to grasp Murong Jiu’s hand.

At that moment, Murong Jiu raised her head, her face devoid of any touched emotion, only a faint cold smile.

She brushed away Murong Man’s hand and stood up.

“I am in a good mood now and suddenly see things clearly. There’s no point in your pretending with me, let’s just lay it all out. You know how you’ve treated me, and you shouldn’t deceive yourselves. Your feigned concern is truly nauseating to me.”

After speaking, Murong Jiu felt an immense relief within her heart.

The three’s faces drastically changed, unable to believe the transformation in Murong Jiu.

What, what does she mean?

“Ninth Sister, it’s not what you think…”

“I know what you’ve come here for, one is for Murong Man’s marriage matters, under the Second Prince’s pressure and threats, you dare not speak out and could only agree, yet begrudgingly so, thus you come to me for help, right? The other is the pile of bad debts in the Marquis Mansion, I’ve heard debtors have started knocking on your door? So, you want to come to me for a windfall, hoping I would give you silver to fill the holes in the Marquis Mansion, as I did before. You’ve really clanged quite a tune with your schemes.”

The three of them hadn’t expected that Murong Jiu had long since seen through their schemes with utter clarity—It must have been Prince Ling who told her!

In an instant, it felt as though a veil of shame had been torn away, and their hearts were filled with extreme annoyance.

The Old Madam berated angrily, “If you knew our thoughts all along, why didn’t you speak up? You unworthy descendant, were you deliberately waiting to see us beg you, is that it?”

Look at this old creature, not a shred of guilt, but instead counterattacking with such audacity—it’s truly remarkable.

As the beam is crooked, so are the rafters; with such an Old Madam, the Marquis Mansion is naturally a nest of vipers and rats.

Lady Wang no longer pretended and, staring at Murong Jiu, said in a low voice:

“You are too unfilial! You came from my womb, a piece of flesh that I bore with great hardship. We raised you until you grew so big; whatever we asked of you, you should do! ‘From skin to hair, one owes it all to one’s parents.’ I am your mother; you should listen to me, and your money should belong to the Marquis Mansion!”

Moral coercion begins.

If Murong Jiu really were her biological child, she might have been stimulated by such words.

Luckily, she wasn’t her biological mother but rather the instigator of her miserable fate.

“You gave birth to me, then threw me into the farming estate to fend for myself. Every servant could bully me. If it weren’t for my master, I would have died long ago. What kindness do you have towards me? Moreover, after returning to the Marquis Mansion, I have given a total of forty-seven thousand three hundred and fifty-three taels of silver to support the mansion, which has more than repaid my debt.”

Although their relationship had soured, Murong Jiu did not disclose her true identity—now was not the right time.

Lady Wang shouted furiously, “You—you dare to count that bit of silver so clearly! You truly are despicable! That is your home!”

“You are mistaken, I have no home. The Marquis Mansion is filled with foul air, unworthy of being called my home.”

“You—you!”

Lady Wang was so angry she raised her hand, wishing she could slap Murong Jiu hard several times.

Chun Tao hurriedly protected Murong Jiu.

Murong Man also stopped Lady Wang, “No, Mother! You can’t do this. My sister is pregnant, please don’t be angry!”

That bastard was the key to the Second Prince’s control over Murong Jiu; they couldn’t allow Lady Wang to strike her and possibly lose it!

Lady Wang also regained her senses, knowing she couldn’t hit Murong Jiu.

The wrath of the Second Prince was something the Marquis Mansion could no longer afford.

Murong Jiu was right; the current state of the Marquis Mansion was indeed like scattered sand, with countless bad debts, unable even to afford normal expenses.

Each household was selling off jewelry and shops, just to live a little more comfortably, but this wasn’t a solution.

They had grown accustomed to a luxurious life of rich food and splendor. As the saying goes, it is easy to go from frugality to extravagance but difficult the other way around; they couldn’t bring themselves to cut back.

Thinking of the time before she came here, the Marquis had ordered her to get some silver from Murong Jiu, and Lady Wang regretted her impulsiveness.

She feared the Marquis’s anger and his rough behavior, and even more that he might turn to another concubine.

At that thought, Lady Wang’s hatred for Murong Jiu deepened even more.

Was it just a bit of silver? Why was she unwilling to part with it?

Thump!

Suddenly, Lady Wang knelt down before Murong Jiu.

“Xiao Jiu, Mother was wrong. I shouldn’t have neglected you because of your fate and the unlucky birthmark on your face. These years have also been very tormenting and painful for me. Just now, Mother didn’t want to hit you; I was just infuriated with shame. The one I hate is myself!”

Murong Jiu had not expected Lady Wang to reveal this side of herself.

There was no such act in her previous life.

However, in her previous life, she had yielded to their every demand; there was no need for Lady Wang to kneel.

Suddenly, Murong Jiu’s lips curved into a smile.

Watching Lady Wang with tears streaming down her face, appearing to be full of regret, it took her a while to say:

“Chun Tao, go to my chest and bring the silver note over.”