First Phoenix Lady - Chapter 22

“I’m not stupid!” Concubine Wen shot Shi Anrou a glare and poked her daughter’s forehead with a finger. “We need to plan carefully. It would be best if Prince Jin had no choice but to marry you early. That way, you’ll become that snobbish wife’s precious darling-she’ll guard you like the apple of her eye.”

Shi Anrou didn’t dare mention that Shi Anxia would one day become Prince Jin’s Side Consort, Emperor Rongguang’s favored consort, Noble Consort, Empress Jingde, and Empress Dowager Huizheng to Emperor Yuqing…

Shi Anrou had always been raised as Shi Yunxing’s future support, and rarely received such affection from Concubine Wen.

She was greedy for her mother’s kindness.

Right now, she couldn’t be sure whether Shi Anxia had truly been reborn. She’d only heard from her mother about what happened at the Wei family yesterday, but that wasn’t enough to prove anything.

After all, Shi Anxia had always possessed formidable means to stir up storms-otherwise, how could she have climbed from Prince Jin’s Side Consort all the way to Empress Dowager?

Every time everyone thought she was doomed and about to die, she would rise again.

Deep down, Shi Anrou didn’t dare provoke Shi Anxia.

She only wanted to minimize the chances of Shi Anxia meeting His Highness Prince Jin.

If she failed in the end and Shi Anxia still married Prince Jin, she would do her best to please Shi Anxia and firmly join her camp.

Even if it was a repeat of her previous life-look at the concubines in Shi Anxia’s camp, which of them didn’t enjoy endless wealth and glory?

While she was scheming, she was startled by Concubine Wen’s sudden question: “Tell me, in your dream, did that wretched Shi Anxia suffer terribly?”

Shi Anrou panicked, nearly biting her tongue. “No, I didn’t dream about her.”

Concubine Wen looked disappointed, hoping to hear things like “Shi Anxia died suddenly” or “Shi Anxia married a lowly man and was beaten to death.”

She had great faith in her daughter’s dream-it had predicted her son’s cause and time of death more than half a month ago, even more accurately than Master Yangxuan.

Concubine Wen kept asking more and more questions.

Shi Anrou couldn’t fend her off and had to clutch her head. “Mother, please stop asking. My dream was a mess-I don’t remember much. I only recall… um… I became Prince Jin’s Side Consort, and then nothing else…”

“Prince Jin’s Side Consort?” What a tempting prospect! Concubine Wen suddenly realized her daughter was beautiful, well-mannered, and exuded an indescribable air of nobility.

Shi Anrou felt her mother was about to devour her and avoided her gaze. “Mother, it was just a dream.”

Concubine Wen laughed and agreed, “Yes, yes, just a dream. But if I quietly scheme for you, it won’t be just a dream anymore.”

Everything depends on human effort! As long as you dare to dream, nothing is impossible.

Just look at her son, Shi Yunxing-a mere concubine’s son, yet he was the Marquis Mansion’s legitimate eldest grandson and the Duke of State Protection Mansion’s grandson for over ten years.

Nothing is impossible, as long as you dare to imagine it.

By evening, Doctor Shen moved into the Anrong Courtyard of the Marquis Mansion, not far from Master Yangxuan’s Yuehua Courtyard.

This arrangement was made only after Shi Anxia sent someone to consult Old Madam Shi and received her approval.

Normally, Concubine Wen managed these affairs.

But now, Old Madam Shi was relying on Madam Tang and her daughter, so it wasn’t appropriate for her granddaughter to consult Concubine Wen. She could only send the matron from her courtyard to collect the token keys, account books, and the servants’ contracts from Concubine Wen.

Thus, all the servants in the Marquis Mansion knew that the authority over household management was about to change hands.

Concubine Wen was so angry she nearly ground her teeth to dust. Fortunately, she had her daughter’s promising future to distract her, or she might have fainted on the spot.

Shi Anxia, however, knew that with Old Madam Shi’s temperament, she would never hand over the Household Management Authority cleanly and decisively.
However, she and Old Madam Shi thought the same way-businesses that come to you are never good business. There was no rush; they could take their time, as there was a long road ahead.

Shi Anxia personally brought Doctor Shen to He’an Courtyard to check the pulses of Old Madam Shi and the Old Marquis for peace and health.

This move alone helped Old Madam Shi let go of much of her pent-up frustration.

Doctor Shen was a man of few words, but he quickly wrote out quite a few prescriptions.

Old Madam Shi quietly asked Shi Anxia, “How is Doctor Shen’s consultation fee calculated?”

Shi Anxia replied, “Grandmother, you know that Doctor Shen’s consultation fee is never cheap, and there’s always a queue to invite him. Now that Doctor Shen is willing to stay at our Marquis Mansion, any amount of silver is worth it.”

Old Madam Shi nodded. “That’s true.”

Shi Anxia continued, “Because my eldest aunt’s uncle did Doctor Shen a favor in his early years, Doctor Shen agreed to come as a gesture of respect. He himself proposed to stay for three months for only one hundred taels, with food and lodging provided by our Marquis Mansion.”

Old Madam Shi was discerning and did not gasp at the mention of one hundred taels of silver.

To be honest, inviting an ordinary doctor to stay at home for three months would only cost about ten taels of silver.

But was Doctor Shen an ordinary doctor? He was someone you couldn’t even invite, so the price was not high at all.

Especially since everyone in the mansion, young and old, could have Doctor Shen take a look at them-why not make use of it?

Shi Anxia had already figured out Old Madam Shi’s thoughts. “Grandmother, even if we don’t talk about medical treatment, just spreading the word that Doctor Shen is staying at our mansion would bring so many visiting cards that we wouldn’t be able to accept them all. Which family wouldn’t look at our Marquis Mansion with new respect?”

Old Madam Shi was thoroughly delighted. “Yes, yes, yes, Xia, you’ve thought of everything. We must not neglect Doctor Shen! Assign more people to serve him.”

“Yes, Grandmother.” Shi Anxia smiled sweetly.

Old Madam Shi was dazzled by this smile, inexplicably feeling that it was as splendid as blooming flowers.

She called Nanny Xing to her side. “These days, follow Xia and see what staff she wants to assign. Do your best to support her.”

Thus, the process of gradually delegating authority began.

Nanny Xing responded, “Yes,” and then curtsied to Shi Anxia. “This old servant will await Miss Anxia’s instructions at any time.”

Shi Anxia then went to select staff for Doctor Shen’s courtyard, and temporarily picked two third-class Maids each for Yun Qi and Yun Shu-these were usually overlooked house-born servants.

After finishing these tasks, she had just sat in the side hall for less than half a stick of incense when Nanny Zhong from Begonia Courtyard arrived.

Shi Anxia gestured for Nanny Zhong to sit and even offered her a cup of tea.

Nanny Zhong thanked her for the favor and only sat half-turned to the side. “Miss, we have ten shops in the Capital, eight estates, and the rest of the properties are mainly concentrated in Jiangzhou, West City, and Lanzhou. The year after Madam got married, she handed everything over to Uncle Wan to manage. Uncle Wan comes to deliver the accounts every festival, and he should be on his way now.”

Shi Anxia knew about this Uncle Wan, so she didn’t ask further, only nodded and said, “Today, let’s first check the accounts of the shops in the Capital.”

Since Old Madam Shi was dragging her feet and refusing to let go of the housekeeper’s authority, she decided to first organize her mother’s dowry.

Tang Chujun herself did not manage affairs. Upon hearing that her daughter was willing to take care of her dowry properties, she handed them all over without the slightest hesitation.

Nanny Zhong signaled for the young servants to carry in the sealed chests, and also brought in the ten shopkeepers.

Once the shopkeepers had greeted her in unison, Shi Anxia looked up to observe them, but did not offer them seats. She went straight to the point and asked, “Whose indentures among you are in my mother’s hands?”

Everyone was stunned, not knowing why she suddenly asked such a question.