Chapter 90

Chapter 90

A bigger and more explosive scandal had emerged, and the love triangle involving Anping County Princess, Anhe County Princess, and Anping Commandery Prince no longer seemed interesting.

Jiang Chun decisively turned around and said to Zhong Wenjin, "Second sister-in-law, things are getting chaotic outside. We need to find Mother quickly before she gets pushed aside."

Zhong Wenjin nodded vigorously. "Yes, we must protect Mother. Otherwise, we won't be able to explain ourselves to Young Master and Second Young Master when we return."

The two of them played off each other and headed out.

Seeing this, the other ladies dropped a few parting words and hurried after the sisters-in-law.

The group hurried towards the "Jiangyun Pavilion," as mentioned by a young maid.

Jiang Chun, who was naturally strong, and Zhong Wenjin, who had excellent stamina from her frequent mountain travels, strode ahead.

The noblewomen behind them struggled to keep up, sweating despite the cold winter.

Since the grove where they had been was not far from the Jiangyun Pavilion near the west corner gate, and they had walked quickly, only a few onlookers were present when they arrived.

However, these few were all of noble status: Princess Xinchang, Lady Qian, the Dowager Marchioness of Yongping, and Lady Liao, the Dowager Marchioness of Jinxiang.

The three of them were standing inside the Jiangyun Pavilion. The elderly Ladies Qian and Liao had stern expressions, while Princess Xinchang wore a playful look, her apricot eyes filled with the excitement of a spectator.

Jiang Chun was even more excited, pushing past the two matrons who tried to block their entry, and rushed into the room eagerly.

Then she was taken aback in her heart.

It was quite lively inside the Jiangyun Pavilion.

The tall, muscular butcher, Fan, was on top of the bare Cheng Eldest Miss, who was grinding rhythmically. Cheng Eldest Miss's maid, Zisu, was also bare, hugging the butcher from the side, her face lewd as she rubbed against his leg.

The two matrons were trying to pull them apart but weren’t putting in much effort, muttering half-heartedly without exerting much strength.

"Oh dear," Jiang Chun exclaimed, quickly raising her hand to cover her eyes.

She peeked through her fingers and shouted, "Unbelievable, in broad daylight! How could Eldest Miss Cheng be doing this with a man here!"

Zhong Wenjin mimicked her, spreading her fingers to "cover" her eyes and said in surprise, "Eldest sister-in-law, look closely. There’s Eldest Miss Cheng’s maid too. All three are naked; this is a threesome!"

Jiang Chun pretended to just realize this and exclaimed in surprise, "This, this, this… You people in the capital really know how to have fun!"

The ladies were pushing forward, trying to get a better view of the scene inside.

Hearing Jiang Chun's words, someone immediately refuted, "Jiang Niangzi, don't make wild assumptions. It's Eldest Miss Cheng who knows how to have fun, not us. We are all virtuous women who uphold our propriety."

Others chimed in, "Yes, yes, we are all virtuous women. We would never engage in such lewd activities with a wild man in broad daylight!"

Some even speculated, "Eldest Miss Cheng is twenty this year? No wonder the Cheng family couldn't find a suitable match for her. It turns out she has a lover outside."

Another person slapped their thigh and said, "I knew it! My brother-in-law's conditions were so good, but when my mother-in-law proposed to the Cheng family, she was rejected mid-sentence, which infuriated my mother-in-law.

She has a lover outside, so naturally, she wouldn’t want my brother-in-law.

In this case, we should be grateful for her refusal. Otherwise, my brother-in-law might have been cheated on, and we wouldn’t be sure if the child was his."

Another lady agreed, "Exactly, thank goodness my younger brother didn’t marry Eldest Miss Cheng, otherwise he might have become a cuckold."

These two women obviously had some grudge against Eldest Miss Cheng and were taking the opportunity to add insult to injury.

Jiang Chun, however, was enjoying the gossip.

Did Cheng Wenyuan ever imagine she'd end up like this when she was concocting a vicious plan to make Song Shian wear a cuckold's hat?

But after the joy, she became puzzled.

Wait, this scenario didn’t exist in the original novel!

Fan the Butcher was originally the lover of the original inhabitant of this body, and because he had made the original owner pregnant, ruining Song Shian's reputation, he was drowned in a pig sty by Song Shian.

But now, Fan the Butcher has become Eldest Miss Cheng's lover. What’s happening here?

Could this be Song Shian's handiwork?

He had people guarding (watching) Jiang residence and grew suspicious when the Mu residence next door suddenly changed residents. He investigated Fan the Butcher's background and unearthed the secret.

Then he decided to pay back in kind, putting Cheng Wenyuan and Fan the Butcher in the same bed?

The more she pondered, the more she felt she might have hit upon the truth.

After all, apart from Song Shian, it was hard to find another person who had been offended by both Cheng Wenyuan and Fan the Butcher.

Jiang Chun couldn't help but click her tongue inwardly.

This guy was incredibly decisive, without even informing her beforehand.

And he chose the day she was attending a banquet at the Marquis of Anyuan's household to make his move. Was he deliberately staging this for her to see?

Now that she thought about it, the peculiar incident of Princess Anyuan unexpectedly catching them in the act and precisely finding the deepest cave in the rockery—was that also his doing?

She had been wondering why one by one, they were deviating from the original plot, to the point where she began to doubt whether she had transmigrated into a fanfiction rather than the original novel.

It turned out Song Shian was the one stirring up all this trouble behind the scenes.

While Jiang Chun was calculating all this in her mind, the other women were getting increasingly agitated, their speculations becoming more outrageous.

So outrageous that they even speculated the Cheng family’s decision to dissolve the engagement with the Song family was because they had discovered Cheng Wenyuan's illicit affair and lost virtue, leaving them no choice.

Having heard enough of the gossip, Princess Xinchang finally spoke up, lightly scolding them, "Enough, say no more."

The crowd immediately fell silent.

But after they fell silent, the noises from inside the room—the grunting and moaning—became even clearer.

Madame Qian, who was forced to witness this lewd spectacle with her daughter-in-law Princess Xinchang, was utterly embarrassed.

Unable to bear it any longer, she shouted at the two old women guarding the door, "You two, come in and help. Quick, separate them. This is utterly disgraceful!"

With over a dozen people having rushed in, was there still any need to guard the door?

With the help of these two additional women, the four of them finally managed to pull the three apart.

As soon as they were separated, Madam Cheng rushed to Cheng Wenyuan. Seeing the red and white filth between her daughter's legs, she fainted on the spot.

Lady He hurriedly said to the attendant behind her, "Quickly help Madam Cheng to her feet."

She then instructed her lady’s maid, "Send someone to the Imperial Medical Bureau with the Marquis' name card to invite an Imperial Doctor."

The maid responded and left.

Lady He then ordered the other maids to help Cheng Wenyuan and Zisu dress.

The attendants holding them released their grip.

Unexpectedly, as soon as they let go, the two women charged toward Fan the Butcher.

They threw themselves on him, each clamping onto one of his legs, rubbing against him.

Everyone: “……”

Lady He twitched at the corner of her mouth, thinking that Song Shian had found some potent aphrodisiac, its effects incredibly strong!

She shouted sternly, "Who told you to let them go? Are you all dead? Why haven't you separated them yet?"

Several attendants rushed forward, seizing the three and pulling them apart forcefully.

Looking around, Lady He saw more and more people gathering. Others could be seen on the distant walkway, indicating that more were heading there.

She immediately instructed Madam Liu, "It's almost time for the banquet. Elder daughter-in-law, please lead the ladies to the flower hall."

"Yes," Madam Liu responded, then, with a seemingly unaffected smile, said to everyone, "Please follow me."

Since the hostess had spoken, though some were reluctant, they followed Madam Liu.

In any case, they had seen enough of the spectacle, and the final proceedings weren’t crucial to watch.

On the way to the flower hall, with Madam Liu present, the ladies couldn’t discuss the incident, but they exchanged excited glances, unable to hide their excitement.

*

While they were enjoying the gossip, the people of Marquis of Anyuan’s household were running around, trying to tidy up the aftermath.

Lady He, along with Madam Liu, rushed to Jiangyun Pavilion to handle the matters concerning Eldest Miss Cheng and others, while Grandmother Jiang went to the rock garden to deal with the situation involving Princess Anping and others.

Back at Jiangyun Pavilion, Imperial Doctor Lu from the Imperial Medical Bureau said that Cheng Wenyuan, Zisu, and Fan the Butcher were all under the influence of an aphrodisiac known as "Hehuan."

This drug not only stimulated desire but also confused the mind, making the affected believe they were in a dream. Thus, those under the drug’s influence became extremely lascivious, desiring intimate contact with any opposite sex they saw.

He prescribed medicine, and after drinking herbal decoction and taking herbal baths, it took half a day for them to finally regain their senses.

Upon learning that she had publicly engaged in intercourse with Fan the Butcher, the recently recovered Cheng Wenyuan fainted once more.

Thus, Imperial Doctor Lu, who had just left Marquis of Anyuan’s household, was chased down by a servant and had to return.

Following an acupuncture session, Cheng Wenyuan woke up again.

Seeing Madam Cheng, who had red, tearful eyes, she cried and gnashed her teeth, cursing, "Song Shian, it must have been Song Shian who—"

Before she could finish, Madam Cheng covered her mouth.

Madam Cheng looked up at Princess Xin Cheng, Old Madam Qian, Lady Liao, and Lady He, and said with an awkward smile, "Eldest Miss Cheng is still confused and talking nonsense. Don't take her words seriously."

Princess Xin Cheng coldly snorted, "The 'Hehuan' is a despicable drug commonly used in brothels. It is suspicious that Eldest Miss Cheng and the others were afflicted with this drug. It should indeed be investigated thoroughly.

However, until the results are out, you should all be careful with your words and not randomly accuse anyone. Otherwise, what is already a difficult situation might become even harder to resolve."

How could Madam Cheng not be aware of this?

Knowing full well that it was Song Shian who did this, he must have discovered their plan and was repaying them in kind. But they could not say anything.

Because there was no evidence.

As Princess Xinchang said, without evidence, randomly accusing others would only make the situation harder to handle.

Madam Cheng hurriedly nodded in agreement. "Princess Xinchang is absolutely right. Yuan’s mind is still unclear, so we certainly won't take her words seriously.

The truth can only be determined after an investigation."

Princess Xinchang, satisfied with Madam Cheng's sensibility, hummed in agreement.

Madam Cheng gave several meaningful looks to Cheng Wenyuan, who, upon receiving her mother's signal, finally fell silent.

Meanwhile, at the rock garden, Elder Madam Jiang stepped in, mentioning her daughter, Consort Jing, and her grandson, Crown Prince Li Xing. This finally got Princess Anyuan to stop her whipping.

By that time, Anhe County Princess and Anping Commandery Prince had already been severely whipped and bloodied, their bodies a mess, filling the cave with a strong smell of blood.

The complicated situation between the three of them left Elder Madam Jiang unable to offer an opinion, so she had to send for Prince Qing.

Prince Qing, the old emperor’s cousin, was overseeing the Imperial Clan Court. Since both Princess Anyuan and Anhe County Princess were members of the imperial clan, it was most appropriate for Prince Qing to handle the matter.

When Prince Qing arrived and heard the whole story, he said nothing and took the three of them away.

Elder Madam Jiang breathed a sigh of relief privately.

But she couldn’t help but curse Song Shian internally.

He truly didn’t shy away from causing trouble. Having already plotted against Eldest Miss Cheng, to ensure his plan was perfect, he deliberately revealed the affair between Anhe County Princess and Anping Commandery Prince to Princess Anyuan, luring her to catch them red-handed.

Two affairs occurring in their household in one day—was their Marquis of Anyuan’s household a haven for affairs?

With these incidents, who would dare attend their future banquets?

That said, she couldn’t help but admire his thorough planning.

It was thorough to the point that the Cheng family had no means to investigate.

Knowing full well that it was Song Shian who orchestrated this, they couldn’t produce any evidence and had to swallow this bitter pill.

Of course, the Cheng family could fabricate evidence to prove that the mastermind behind the scenes was Song Shian.

However, fabricating evidence was one thing; fabricating it perfectly was another.

Song Shian was not just any unknown figure. He was not only the eldest grandson of the Song clan but also the brother-in-law of the Crown Prince.

If the Cheng family fabricated evidence to "frame" him, the Crown Prince wouldn’t remain idle. He would certainly request the old emperor to assign the case to the Dali Temple or the Jinyi Guard for investigation.

If that happened, the Cheng family’s scheme to recruit Fan the Butcher to seduce Jiang Chun, intending to cuckold Song Shian, might be exposed.

Having plotted first and then fabricated evidence to "frame" him, the old emperor, for the Crown Prince’s sake, would likely not let it slide and would probably punish the Cheng clan.

The Cheng family, having lost more than they gained, would end up suffering a great loss.

Therefore, the Cheng family certainly wouldn’t dare to fabricate evidence and could only swallow this bitter pill.

Elder Madam Jiang calculated in her mind and felt a sense of relief.

Thankfully, the Marquis of Anyuan’s household, being the natal family of Consort Jing, was naturally in the same boat as the Crown Prince’s Consort’s natal family, the Song family, rather than being enemies.

Otherwise, with someone as calculating as Song Shian, and their own men who were always foolishly happy, even if they pooled all their brains together, they probably wouldn’t amount to half of Song Shian’s intellect.

How could they possibly be a match for them?

*

At the flower parlor, after Jiang Chun and the others arrived with Lady Liu, it hadn’t even been a quarter of an hour before the maids started serving the dishes.

The Marquis of Anyuan’s household, being a hereditary aristocratic family, had a collection of private family recipes, and the dishes were much better than the daily meals at the Song family.

As Jiang Chun picked dishes for Zhong Wenjin, she said with a smile, “The Marquis of Anyuan’s banquet is quite nice. Second Sister-in-Law, do eat more.”

Zhong Wenjin, reciprocating the gesture, picked some dishes for her elder sister-in-law and said with a smile, “Elder Sister-in-Law, you should eat more too.”

The others were engaged in whispered conversations, but the two sisters-in-law were enjoying their meal heartily.

This amused Lady Xiao, who joked, “Sisters Jiang and Zhong have such healthy appetites. One might think the Song family doesn’t feed you two enough regularly.”

Jiang Chun said with a smile, “The Song family doesn’t mistreat us, but no matter how good one’s own family’s food is, how can it compare to someone else’s free dishes?

After all, eating it is gaining it.”

Zhong Wenjin, with her cheeks bulging, was too busy to speak and could only nod vigorously.

Lady Xiao laughed, and seeing how much they were enjoying their meal, couldn’t help but pick up her chopsticks, taking a piece of braised pork and biting it lightly.

The next moment, she turned her head and spat it out, exclaiming, “Wah!”

Jiang Chun was shocked.

Was it really that bad? The braised pork was clearly delicious, why did Lady Xiao spit it out?

Such a picky eater?

Zhong Wenjin reacted quickly, looking at Lady Xiao with an auntie-like smile, “Sister Xiao, could it be that you’re pregnant?”

Lady Xiao, taking the tea handed to her by a maid, rinsed her mouth and asked, puzzled, “What is it?”

Zhong Wenjin casually replied, “Pregnant.”

Lady Xiao was completely stunned.

Pregnant?

It can't be!

She had been married to the Marquess for seven years and hadn’t been able to conceive a child.

Even the most skilled Imperial Doctor Han from the Imperial Medical Bureau had said that it was difficult for her to have children and advised her to make other plans.

Over the years, she had taken countless medicinal decoctions and folk remedies, and had long since given up hope.

But now, unexpectedly, there was a glimmer of hope?

Tears of joy filled her eyes.

Seeing this, Jiang Chun summoned a maid from the Marquis of Anyuan’s household and asked, “Is there a physician in your estate? If so, please ask them to check Lady Xiao’s pulse.”

The maid quickly replied, “Certainly, Jiang Niangzi, we have a physician in the estate. I will fetch Physician Li immediately.”

Jiang Chun, afraid that Lady Xiao might be getting her hopes up for nothing, poured cold water on her hopes, saying, "Sister Xiao, calm down a little. Once the doctor feels your pulse and confirms that you're really pregnant, then we can cry if we want to."

Lady Xiao dabbed at the corner of her eyes with her handkerchief, laughing and scolding, "Who's crying? I was just affected by the smell of scallions."

Jiang Chun, with a good-natured smile, said, "Alright, alright, alright. The heavens and earth are vast, but the pregnant woman is the greatest. If Sister Xiao says she was affected by the scent of scallions, I wouldn’t dare disagree."

Lady Xiao gave her a side-eye and said coquettishly, "Just now you told me to calm down, and now you're calling me 'pregnant' again. If this turns out to be a false alarm, I’ll hold you accountable."

Jiang Chun leaned closer and said in a "quiet" voice, "Even if it’s a false alarm, you’d need to take it up with Lord Lu, not me. If there's no baby, it's because he didn’t work hard enough. It has nothing to do with me."

Lady Xiao blushed slightly at the teasing and lowered her head in embarrassment for a moment.

Then she looked up and retaliated, "You and Lord Song have been married for over two years, and there's been no sign of a baby. It seems Lord Song isn’t working hard enough either."

Jiang Chun immediately denied it three times, "No, no, no, on the contrary, we don't have children because he works too hard. He plows the field every day, and it's going to be overworked."

Lady Xiao: "……"

Zhong Wenjin: "……"

Everyone who was eavesdropping on their conversation: "……"

Is Lord Song that impressive?

Thinking about Eldest Miss Cheng and the burly, dark-skinned butcher from earlier, everyone’s expressions became somewhat complex.

Eldest Miss Cheng had broken off her engagement with the stunningly handsome Lord Song, who was famous in the Imperial City, only to end up with a butcher. Wasn’t it because the butcher was more capable in certain matters?

But if she knew that Lord Song, a refined civil official, was actually more capable in the bedroom than anyone else, wouldn’t she regret her choice?

"Doctor Li has arrived."

The maid who had gone to fetch the household doctor returned, followed by a middle-aged man carrying a medical box. It was Physician Li, the doctor of Marquis of Anyuan's household.

After feeling Lady Xiao's pulse, Doctor Li bowed and said with a smile, "Congratulations, my lady. You’re pregnant, and it’s been more than a month."

Lady Xiao immediately instructed her maid to give a reward.

After Doctor Li left, Lady Xiao wiped her tears and said with a smile, "This is something I never dared to hope for. I never expected it to come true."

Jiang Chun advised, "Sister Xiao, this is a blessing after enduring hardships. But your pregnancy is still in its early stages, so avoid strong emotions."

Hearing this, Lady Xiao dared not cry anymore and wiped her tears with her handkerchief, saying, "You're right. I shouldn’t get too emotional. If something happens because I get too excited, I’ll regret it deeply."

The other ladies also came forward to offer their congratulations to Lady Xiao.

Lady Xiao, beaming with joy, thanked everyone warmly.

Afterward, she instructed her maid, "Go back and tell Lord Xiao that his wife is pregnant and that he should come to take me home."

The maid left to follow her instructions.

Jiang Chun chuckled, "Sister Xiao is really acting superior now."

Lady Xiao raised her chin proudly, "If not now, then when else?"

Jiang Chun could understand.

After all, for a married woman in ancient times, having children was the foundation of her status in her husband's family.

For years without a child, Lady Xiao must have felt immense pressure.

Now that she’s finally in a better position, she certainly has the right to show off. Wouldn’t you?

As they were laughing, Gui Zhi suddenly entered and announced, "Madam, Young Master has come to pick you up."

Jiang Chun looked taken aback. "This early? I planned to admire the chrysanthemums after lunch."

Wasn’t Song Shian supposed to be out of the city, finding a martial arts master to teach him? How did he come back so soon?

Gui Zhi grinned. "I told Young Master the same, but he said not to worry, that you can take your time. He’ll wait for you, Madam."

Jiang Chun smirked. "Look, look at how well he understands the art of showing affection."

Sure enough, as soon as Gui Zhi finished speaking, everyone began teasing them.

Lady Xiao was the most enthusiastic teaser. "Not in a hurry? I think Young Master Song is quite eager. Otherwise, why would he come to fetch someone in the middle of the day?"

Her words clearly had a hidden meaning, and all the married ladies present understood it perfectly.

Jiang Chun said with a playful scold, "Lady Xiao, you’re pregnant and still not behaving. When Young Master Lu comes later, I might just tell him to discipline you."

Lady Xiao said boldly, "I’m carrying a child now, very delicate. If he dares to ‘discipline’ me, his mother and grandmother will surely discipline him instead."

Jiang Chun leaned in and whispered, "Oh, dear sister, when I said ‘discipline,’ I didn’t mean that kind of discipline. You know what I mean."

She winked at her while speaking.

Lady Xiao’s face turned red, and she covered her face with her hands. "Jiang sister, you’re talking such nonsense! If you keep this up, I won’t speak to you anymore!"

Jiang Chun said with a smile, "Oh, I’m not a decent person? You’re a decent person, so how did you end up having a baby with Young Master Lu?"

"Pfft."

"Cough, cough, cough."

"Haha."

"Ahem."

A bunch of people burst into laughter.