Chapter 87: Is Xiao Fu Bao Disliked? The Whole City Loves Me With Their Lives
**Chapter 87: Signs of Prosperity**
Concubine Su was taken aback by Feng Xuanrui's sudden outburst, her face turning a few shades paler. When she heard that Qi Wangfei had stopped Sixth Young Master, Lady Su forced a smile and said, “I understand that Sixth Young Master is shy. I won’t bring it up again.”
Feng Xuanrui felt his fists clenching again but, respecting his mother’s command, he restrained himself.
Seeing her son’s aggrieved expression, Qi Wangfei felt a mix of helplessness and annoyance. Such matters were hers to handle, and it was her responsibility to manage them. Allowing the children to take action was not appropriate and would only serve as a source of ridicule for the Qi family.
After Concubine Su’s comment, Princess Qi glanced at her and said in a calm voice, “After being in the mansion for so long, you still don’t understand the importance of speaking cautiously. It seems your aunt’s teachings have not been effective. I will ask Aunt Chi to visit your courtyard later to give you some proper guidance.”
Upon hearing this, Concubine Su’s face, which had not yet fully recovered, turned even whiter. She swayed on her feet, nearly losing her balance. She opened her mouth, seemingly to say something, but no words came out. Instead, Qi Wangfei continued, “Furthermore, you are to copy the mansion’s rules and the Heart Sutra ten times a day to clear the impurities from your mind!”
With that, Concubine Su collapsed to the ground. Relying on her recent favor, she stubbornly raised her voice, “You can’t do this to me! I am the Lord’s woman!”
As soon as Concubine Su said this, the other concubines’ expressions changed. They were genuinely worried that Concubine Su’s foolishness might drag them down as well.
Qi Wangfei remained calm, her face showing no anger. She responded coolly, “What should be done then? Should I sell you off directly?”
Before Concubine Su could reply, Qi Wangfei added, “You are merely a concubine of the Lord.”
This response was in direct reply to Concubine Su’s claim of being “the Lord’s person.” Some things, though harsh, were still the truth. In the mansion, concubines were considered servants, not people.
Lady Su, not particularly sharp-witted, was slow to grasp the implications, but in that moment, she understood what Qi Wangfei meant. Her face turned as white as paper, and she trembled uncontrollably.
Qi Wangfei, having made her point, signaled Aunt Qiu to take Concubine Su away. The other concubines, seeing the situation, hurriedly left, each trying to minimize their presence and avoid being associated with Concubine Su.
Once they had walked a distance, the concubines glanced back anxiously. When they saw that Qi Wangfei and her entourage were no longer visible, they finally relaxed and headed back to their own quarters.
After handling the matter, Qi Wangfei finally allowed everyone to enter the dining hall. She gently took Suishui’s hand and comforted her, “Concubine Su spoke out of turn. I have dealt with her. Are you upset?”
Suisui didn’t feel upset at all since she didn’t understand what was happening. Moreover, with Qi Wangfei comforting her, Suisui only felt warmth and happiness.
She nodded vigorously, “I will listen to Mother!”
Seeing Suisui like this, Qi Wangfei sighed silently, though her brow remained furrowed. She was troubled by the news from the estate that morning.
Usually, the estate would only send vegetables and meat and seldom reported on livestock births. However, today, the steward had come early to report on the exceptional birthing results from the previous day.
Typically, a cow would give birth to one calf, occasionally two, but three calves at once was extremely rare. Yet, yesterday, the cows had produced three healthy and lively calves each. Additionally, two ewes had each given birth to seven healthy lambs.
Even more astonishing, two sows had produced a total of forty-six piglets! Qi Wangfei felt her scalp tingle at the thought. Although the sows were mature and capable of bearing such large litters, twenty piglets per sow seemed excessive.
Moreover, the steward mentioned that the sows had given birth early, yet all the piglets were healthy and without any weak or sickly ones.
Upon hearing this, Qi Wangfei’s first thought was of Suisui. Suisui had previously avoided a fatal landslide for the Prince Qing’s party due to her illness. Could this remarkable prosperity be due to Suisui’s luck?
If so, would it somehow harm her? Qi Wangfei felt that their family was already sufficiently prosperous and did not need Suisui to sacrifice herself for further fortune.
However, the little girl might not understand such matters. Qi Wangfei worried about attracting unwanted attention to Suisui.
After some thought, Qi Wangfei decided to attribute the good fortune to Sixth Young Master’s safe return and treat it as a blessing from the heavens, which would make the estate celebrate the prosperity.
Although assigning the good fortune to Feng Xuanrui made Qi Wangfei feel somewhat awkward, protecting Suisui was more important.
She thought that if her young son’s status could suppress any negative effects, it might be worth it.
This concern kept Qi Wangfei distracted throughout breakfast. Only when she was with Suisui, watching the little girl happily eating, did she find some solace.
She considered discussing the matter with someone but realized the Prince was occupied elsewhere with matchmaking.
Furthermore, could the Prince be relied upon?
Qi Wangfei continued to ponder while she ate a lavish breakfast, which included various kinds of porridge, such as sweet green bean porridge, yam and goji porridge, and longan and jujube porridge. The variety was likely due to the numerous children in the household, leading to sweeter porridge.
Suisui drank yam and goji porridge, which was said to be good for her stomach and overall health.
In addition to porridge, there were various noodles and side dishes. Suisui was overwhelmed by the abundance.
After the meal, the mouthwash was fragrant tea. Suisui, after rinsing, couldn’t help but smile at the pleasant taste in her mouth, her expression both adorable and slightly bittersweet.
Seeing this, Qi Wangfei thought again: Perhaps it was time to visit her family and consult her brother.
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