Si Ning did not refute Lu Zhiyuan's intention and agreed.
Lu Zhiyuan breathed a sigh of relief, and praised Si Ning's righteousness with Mrs. Zhang before leading the others away.
As soon as the two left, Qiu Ju stepped forward.
"Madam, what exactly is Mrs. Zhang going to do?"
"I don't know, we'll find out later."
The next day, Mrs. Zhang came to look for Si Ning again and wanted to ask her to accompany her for a walk.
"New Year is coming soon. I want to buy some clothes for myself, and for the people in my family, I also want to help buy some..."
"I disturbed you at the Marquis of Ning'an Mansion. I shouldn't be ignorant of etiquette."
Si Ning nodded and took her to Hongyifang.
From the time she traveled here, she only knew this clothing store and was not familiar with other stores.
The waiter recognized her and was extra polite to her.
"Third Young Mistress, if there is any style you like, I will bring it to you."
"I'm not buying clothes today, it's this lady who wants to buy them."
Mrs. Zhang noticed that the waiter's attitude towards Si Ning was different. It was not just as simple as being a regular customer, but he also showed a bit more respect than he did to guests.
Si Ning may not have felt it, but she could see it clearly.
But she didn't continue to explore, and followed the waiter to choose styles.
Si Ning sat aside, and a waiter from the store served her tea and snacks, all of which were of her favorite taste.
Si Ning was surprised that the service at Hongyifang was so good and he even knew her taste.
While having tea, Mrs. Zhang turned back.
The guy following her was holding several long skirts and men's gowns in his hands, which he probably bought for Lu Zhiyuan.
She walked up to Si Ning and asked her which style of dress she liked.
Si Ning declined her politely, but Mrs. Zhang did not force her.
She went to select a few more pieces of upper cloth, paid the bill together, and asked the store clerk to send them back to Ning'an Marquis Mansion.
After coming out of Hongyi Square, she asked Si Ning to accompany her to buy jewelry.
Mrs. Zhang was very generous and bought a lot of jewelry and a set of facial hair in one go.
The head and face are inlaid with rubies, which is very noble and expensive.
Then I went to the rouge shop and bought a bunch of rouge gouache.
By the time I came out of the store, it was already past noon.
"The third young lady has been with me for so long, shall I treat the third young lady to a meal?"
"It's rare for Mrs. Zhang to come to the capital, so I should invite her."
It was indeed time to eat, and Si Ning felt a little hungry.
She never wronged herself and took Mrs. Zhang to her usual restaurant.
The two asked for a private room and ordered a table of food.
Mrs. Zhang was a good talker and thanked Si Ning.
Si Ning was also willing to deal with her and said a lot of kind words.
The two of them ate the meal harmoniously, talking and laughing, looking like close friends who had known each other for a long time.
After coming out of the restaurant, it was already noon, and the two of them returned to the house in a carriage.
Mrs. Zhang said she had a gift for Si Ning and asked her to accompany her to the front hall. She also called Wu Qianqian, Jiang Linrou and Lu Zhiyuan.
She distributed the gifts she bought today to several people. Wu Qianqian had a gold hairpin and a pink cloth, and Jiang Linrou had similar gifts, a pair of emerald earrings and a turquoise long skirt.
When it was Lu Zhiyuan's turn, she gave him a jade pendant and a dark blue gown.
The jade pendant is about the size of a palm. It is moist and lustrous. You can tell it is a good thing at a glance.
Lu Zhiyuan liked it very much and thanked Mrs. Zhang affectionately.
Mrs. Zhang was a little embarrassed and her cheeks suddenly turned red.
Seeing this scene in Wu Qianqian's eyes, her hanging hands were squeezed together tightly.
I thought Mrs. Zhang had already been very generous, but when it was Si Ning's turn, she gave her the most precious head and face.
Si Ning looked slightly calm and refused with a smile.
"Mrs. Zhang, this is too valuable, I can't accept it."
Mrs. Zhang pretended to be angry, "Are you trying to separate from me? When we had dinner today, we treated each other like sisters. Are we going to separate between you and me now?"
She put her head and face into Si Ning's hands and said, "Can't refuse."
Lu Zhiyuan looked on from the side and also said something.
"Since Mrs. Zhang gave it to you, brother and sister, you should keep it. Mrs. Zhang has fallen in love with you, and you can't refuse her wishes. Besides, you can't refuse the gift from your elders."
These words shocked Wu Qianqian on the side again.
In this way, Mrs. Zhang will become the elder, unless Lu Zhiyuan wants to marry her.
Wu Qianqian was not sure whether Mrs. Zhang would marry her as an equal wife or whether she would put pressure on her.
Si Ning smiled after hearing this and accepted it without refusing.
After the gifts were distributed, everyone returned to the courtyard.
Lu Zhiyuan went to Mrs. Zhang's room, and Wu Qianqian returned to the room alone.
She threw the hairpin and cloth hard to the ground, and her personal maid hurriedly comforted her.
"Second Madam, please be careful, be careful of fetal contractions."
At this moment, Wu Qianqian couldn't care less about this, she just wanted to drop something to vent her anger.
The more she looked at the things on the ground, the more annoyed she became. She stepped forward and stepped on him a few times. The maid hurriedly stopped him.
"Second Madam, this is a gift from Madam Zhang to you. If someone asks me about it in the future, how will you answer?"
"Isn't it great what she gave me? Do I care about this little thing from her?"
Having said that, this foot did not step down after all.
Seeing this, the maid helped her to the side and sat down. She poured a cup of hot water for her and stretched out her hand to help her breathe.
"Second Madam, you still have a young master in your belly. Even if you don't think about yourself, you still have to think about the child in your belly. Now the second master only has this baby in your belly. You can't You have misunderstood other people’s opinions..."
These words gave Wu Qianqian a blow and she immediately calmed down.
She raised her hand to apply it on her stomach and nodded.
"Indeed, this child is the key."
When the maid saw that she was no longer making trouble, she breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.
"Yes, even if Mrs. Zhang enters the door, wanting to conceive a child will not happen in a day or two. As long as you give birth to the child, the second master's heart will naturally return to you."
This maid was personally chosen by Butler Wu for Wu Qianqian, and she was very sincere to the Wu family father and daughter.
She knew the reason for Wu Qianqian's abnormality, so she also chose the advice she liked to hear.
Moreover, bystanders knew very well how important this pregnancy was to Wu Qianqian.
As long as you get a man in one fell swoop, the mother will be more valuable than the son.
As long as the Marquis of Ning'an Mansion does not fall, the baby in Wu Qianqian's belly will be a golden baby, enjoying endless glory and wealth.
Wu Qianqian also regained some sense and was not as excited as before, so she nodded.
"You're right, I just need to protect the child."
The maid also nodded, Wu Qianqian's eyes darkened, and she mentioned another thing.
"But what is Mrs. Zhang's plan? She seems to be trying to win over Si Ning. What is she going to do?"
"Now the only person I can rely on in my house is Si Ning. If she turns towards Mrs. Zhang, I'm afraid I won't have a good life. I have to find a way to win back Si Ning's heart."
"Madam, I think that the most important thing is to have a baby at this time."
Wu Qianqian said, "You don't understand. Nowadays, everyone in the Ning'an Marquis Mansion has three bedrooms. The most important thing is for me to be blessed by Si Ning after I was born."
The maid hesitated to speak, but finally said nothing.
As long as her wife doesn't get angry and hurt the child in her belly, nothing else matters.
