bookcurios Chapter 871 The 5th and 6th Concubines Were Driven Away
Chapter 871 The 5th and 6th Concubines Were Driven Away
The fifth and sixth concubines were in Sha Yanxiao's courtyard again. They cried and wailed for a long time, and only when they saw that Sha Yanxiao was definitely not there did they leave, weeping and snotting.
When Sha Yanxiao came back, Gui'er told him about this. He touched his nose and said with a smile, "Madam finally did it."
Gui'er asked, puzzled, "What does this mean?"
Sha Yanxiao smiled and said, "Father used to always withdraw funds from the account to replenish his own treasury. Didn't I take that treasury first? That's why there's not that much money on the books. Madam is now in charge of so many expenses in the mansion, and she also has to manage the military and government finances. With so much less money, she must be feeling the strain, so she's probably thinking of cutting staff."
Gui Er frowned and said, "That would be just a layoff of servants, at most. The Fifth and Sixth Concubines are still the Marshal's women, and their daughters are still his daughters. If they're kicked out, what will people outside think of the Marshal's Mansion? Is it really okay?"
Sha Yanxiao snorted coldly and said, "What's so strange about this? When the Marshal was alive, he encountered a concubine who didn't get along with him. He personally drove her out and claimed that the child she gave birth to was not his own. He took the child away with her. That woman later remarried. This is nothing new for the Marshal."
"Then we just don't care at all?"
"How can I manage it? I have to ask my wife for military pay these past few days. If I anger her, who will pay the army?"
Since no one in the mansion cared about it, the fifth and sixth concubines were actually kicked out of the mansion.
Dingxiang described the situation vividly to Gui'er, "Miss, it's a good thing you didn't intercede for them. They actually took quite a lot of stuff with them when they left, more than a dozen camphorwood boxes alone. It's said that the two of them went out and jointly bought a small apartment in a not-so-good location. They rented out the first floor, and each family had a floor upstairs. They sort of settled down there. The stuff they moved in filled up three rooms. They also forced the servants they had chosen from their own courtyard who had death indentures to follow them. Although they're not in the Marshal's Mansion now, they're living a decent life."
Guier smiled. She was too kind and worried that they would not be able to survive if they went out. It seemed that those who could stay in the Marshal's Mansion for so many years were not ordinary people.
After the fifth and sixth concubines left, the third concubine was frightened for many days. She usually never went out, but she actually ran to Sha Yanxiao's courtyard with some snacks to try to get close to Guier.
But she had no friendship with Gui'er and Sha Yanxiao, so she thought of Taohua and took out a half-new silver bracelet. She told Gui'er how much she missed Taohua and asked Gui'er to take her to see Taohua.
Of course, Gui'er couldn't let her disturb Taohua's life, so she said, "They have moved to the countryside and won't be returning to the city in the short term."
Seeing her genuine fear, Sha Yanxiao consoled her, "Third Aunt, you're an elder in the Marshal's mansion, and you've been with the Marshal for almost as long as Mother has. Besides, your third beauty is married to an officer, and you're helping raise their grandchildren. Mother won't disregard our old friendship, so don't worry about it."
Compared to the Third Concubine's constant anxiety, the Fourth Concubine seemed much calmer. She now spent her days either out socializing with the wealthy wives of Jiangcheng or playing mahjong at home with the Seventh Concubine, the Third Concubine, Jinbao, and Miss Tian. She even said, "It was only a matter of time before these two idiots were kicked out. In fact, when the Marshal was here, I thought they would be kicked out many times. They don't know how to read people's expressions at all, and they're busy trying to make those petty profits all day long. They're really stupid and look like a fool."
The lady had been feeling somewhat guilty, but after hearing her say this, she felt that she had legitimate reasons and felt much more relieved.
Seeing how the fourth concubine could please the lady, the third concubine quickly imitated her. She said whatever the fourth concubine said, and imitated how the fourth concubine interacted with the eldest wife. Although her words were clumsy and she looked like a fool imitating a beautiful woman, she still managed to make the lady smile.
The seventh concubine also often went out, and even played mahjong with Miss Tian, Jinbao and the fourth concubine every day. She did not try to please the lady in particular, but the lady did not make things difficult for her.
Miss Tian smiled and said, "Seventh Concubine, although she is our elder, she is about the same age as us. Look, mother is so strict with others, but she is so tolerant of you. It seems that being good-looking really does help."
The Seventh Concubine smiled and said nothing, while the others echoed, "Yes, yes."
In fact, everyone knew it clearly in their minds. It was mainly because the seventh concubine had changed her husband and followed the eldest young master Sha Yanyao. However, Miss Tian was domineering and unpopular in the Marshal's Mansion, so no one told her at all.
Now Guier has also learned some medical skills from Manager Liu. She can basically treat minor illnesses such as headaches and fevers. She no longer just works as a nurse. She spends more than half of her time every day as Manager Liu's apprentice, assisting him. Over time, the patients also know her and affectionately call her Doctor Xiaosha.
Her relationship with the Marshal's Mansion was already an open secret. However, no one seemed to care. Everyone had a consensus that even the Marshal's biological daughter would be kicked out, let alone an adopted daughter.
Not only did he not think she was superior, but he felt more sympathetic towards her. He felt that as an adopted daughter, she had lived in the Marshal's Mansion for so many years, and now she came to the hospital and started as a nurse. She must have been living a hard life in the Mansion or was preparing to leave the Mansion.
Manager Liu was also very satisfied with her as his apprentice. When he was free, he would tell her about the cases he had encountered, giving her more opportunities to practice while he watched from the side, so the patients were also very satisfied.
That day, after being busy for a while and having few patients, the two masters and apprentices sat there and chatted.
Gui'er said, "Taohua's child was born some time ago. I gave gifts to my two older brothers, and they said they've already bought some land and built a house back home. My second brother will go back soon to plant the crops, hoping they'll have somewhere to hide when the Japanese attack."
Shopkeeper Liu smiled and said, "That's great. Your two brothers are lucky to have you supporting them. Now they have a way out."
"They asked me to go with them. But I have no memory of my hometown. And it was the crucial moment of the anti-Japanese war. How could I possibly desert?"
"That's not the case. You're not a combatant. At most, you're a medical worker. You can't be on the front lines. If it's absolutely necessary, you can take shelter."
"Have you and Manager Zhang prepared a way out? Has the house in the countryside been repaired?"