The carriage sent by the Shangshu Mansion was parked outside the manor.
As soon as Song Chaoyu stepped out of the gate, she saw her mother, "Liu Shiyi Niang," waiting for her by the carriage.
She had been the lead actress at the most famous Xile Fang in the capital, later attaching herself to the Song family. Unfortunately, her status did not allow her to enter the Song family. After giving birth to Song Chaoyu, a "girl," she was sent to the manor by the Song family, becoming the Song family's "outside concubine."
However, over the years, Liu Shiyi Niang had maintained her appearance well. She had finally seized an opportunity and was diagnosed with pregnancy last month.
At this time, Song Jiayang, the only male heir of the Song family, was critically ill. The doctor said that Liu Shiyi Niang was carrying a male fetus, which finally made the old madam of the Song family relent and agree to take Liu Shiyi Niang and Song Chaoyu, mother and daughter, back to the Song family.
Song Chaoyu remembered that in her previous life, the child in Liu Shiyi Niang's womb miscarried for some unknown reason two months after returning to the Song family.
Liu Shiyi Niang, having lost her child, was also falsely accused of "poisoning the eldest son." In the end, she was subjected to the old madam's family law, severely beaten, and died in the backyard not long after.
This life... Song Chaoyu would never let such a thing happen again!
"Dawdling, you really think you are a legitimate young lady. The old ladies in the mansion are all waiting for the auspicious hour!"
A wet nurse standing by the carriage suddenly spoke, glaring at Song Chaoyu with dissatisfaction!
Song Chaoyu looked at the wet nurse. She was from the Song family's main wife. In her previous life, no matter how much Liu Shiyi Niang and Song Chaoyu tried to please her, she always found ways to scheme against them.
Liu Shiyi Niang saw that Song Chaoyu's expression was not right. Fearing that Song Chaoyu would cause trouble, she immediately stepped forward and took Song Chaoyu's hand, winking at her and saying, "It's cold today. I've already had someone light the charcoal brazier your father sent in the carriage. Hurry up and get in, don't catch a cold."
Looking at the worry in Liu Shiyi Niang's eyes, Song Chaoyu felt a lump in her chest.
She understood her mother's concern!
She then smiled and said, "Mother, let's go up together!"
She decided to tolerate the wet nurse. Unexpectedly, the wet nurse thought that Liu Shiyi Niang and her daughter were afraid of her.
Standing at the entrance of the carriage, she sneered even more, "This time entering the mansion, it's the auspicious day personally chosen by our old madam. The main wife also said that although the concubine and the young lady are entering the mansion now, they must not elevate their status too high. If you disgrace our Song family in the capital in the future, the master will not forgive you!"
With one wet nurse being so formidable, Liu Shiyi Niang's face turned red, and she felt awkward and uncomfortable everywhere.
Seeing Liu Shiyi Niang about to get into the carriage, Song Chaoyu extended a hand to the wet nurse.
The wet nurse was confused. Song Chaoyu sneered and placed her hand on the wet nurse's wrist: "I see, wet nurse Li, you keep mentioning grandmother, mother, and then father. I thought you were very well-behaved! What, you don't know how to help me into the carriage? If my concubine were here, and you were so negligent that you let my concubine freeze in this icy weather and affected her pregnancy, would you still use the excuse of grandmother, mother, or father to shirk your responsibility?"
Wet nurse Li was startled and looked up at Song Chaoyu. She could clearly hear Song Chaoyu's stern tone, but her eyes were filled with smiles, making wet nurse Li unsure if Song Chaoyu was truly angry.
"This old servant dares not! Young lady, your words are too serious!"
Temporarily suppressing her shock, wet nurse Li's old eyes rolled. She still helped Song Chaoyu into the carriage, not daring to say more.
The carriage carried Song Chaoyu, who had lived on the manor for over ten years, all the way towards the glorious Shangshu Mansion in the capital.
Outside the carriage, wet nurse Li kept telling them about the rules of the Song mansion, her attitude much better than before: "Before entering, concubine and young lady, don't forget to step over the fire basin and sprinkle mugwort water. All bad luck must be driven away before you can enter the mansion according to the time. You must not ruin the old madam's good intentions."
Enter the mansion according to the time?
Song Chaoyu remembered correctly, when they entered the mansion in her previous life, they were stopped by a group of so-called "disorderly" beggars just a street away from the mansion gate.
Those beggars were unreasonable, and in the end, they missed the time to enter the mansion, which greatly displeased the old madam of the Song family.
Later, Song Chaoyu learned that those beggars were actually bribed by the Song mansion's second concubine, who specifically intended to make things difficult for them, mother and daughter!
As she was thinking this, the coachman outside indeed exclaimed, "Hoo!" "Concubine, there's a group of beggars blocking the road ahead!"
And in this life, it was still the same.
A dozen beggars surrounded their carriage, saying they knew they were noble people and demanded fifty taels before they would let them pass.
For many years, life on the manor had been poor. The money given by the Song family had been skimmed layer by layer on its way to the manor, leaving very little.
Liu Shiyi Niang even had to rely on mending clothes to make ends meet. How could she have fifty taels?
But looking at the people from the Song family who were following the carriage, none of them uttered a word, which showed that they were there to make things difficult for them.
"What should we do?"
Liu Shiyi Niang grabbed Song Chaoyu's sleeve, her brows furrowed in distress.
Song Chaoyu already had a plan. She was not flustered. She lifted the carriage curtain and asked, "Where is the steward?"
It was still that wet nurse who stepped forward, her tone somewhat sarcastic: "It's only fifty taels. Concubine, just pay the money. Let's not miss the time to enter the mansion."
Song Chaoyu saw that the wet nurse had not learned her lesson, her eyes gradually turning cold: "I'm asking, where is the steward?"
The wet nurse remembered what had just happened and, thinking she shouldn't get involved, sent someone to call the steward.
The steward was not concerned about Song Chaoyu, this "young lady," and even his tone was somewhat impatient: "Young lady, why have you called me here instead of dealing with these beggars?"
Song Chaoyu gestured towards the beggars with her chin: "I called you here precisely for this matter. Today is a good day for my concubine. Go and reward them generously and have them say a few auspicious words."
"I should reward them?!"
The steward raised his voice, looking at Song Chaoyu incredulously: "Young lady and concubine, you can't even come up with fifty taels, can you?"
That contemptuous tone made Liu Shiyi Niang, who was sitting beside Song Chaoyu, blush.
Song Chaoyu sneered and retorted sarcastically at the steward: "I've never heard of any respectable family sending beggars away by having the master personally deliver the money to the beggars' hands! You are the steward of the Shangshu Mansion, and if this matter gets out, won't you disgrace your father? I truly don't know how you manage your duties as a steward!"