Transmigrated Genius: Fragile Heiress Reigns Supreme-Chapter 719 - 720: Waiting (2)

"The servant saw that Madam Ren and Third Young Madam Ren left the mansion heading north of the city." The Wujin Bo Mansion was located in the south of the city.

Xiqiu nodded and said, "I understand. This path is blocked, they must be considering other ways. They wouldn’t give up until the very end, they’d use all the connections they can." Indeed, by afternoon, Madam Jiang arrived, and upon seeing Xiqiu, sighed deeply. Noticing her heavy heart, Xiqiu asked, "What’s the matter? Is there something wrong at home?"

"It’s not that there’s something wrong at home, it’s about Sixth Lady!" Madam Jiang looked helpless, "I came to ask you for a favor... I wanted to check on you, too. With Fourth Master not here, I don’t feel at ease with you alone in the mansion, so I took the opportunity to make a visit!" She then glanced at Xiqiu and said, "The affairs of the Ren Family are out of our hands, so I’ll treat this as just a visit to see you; let’s not discuss anything else."

Xiqiu frowned; Tong Xiyang indeed returned to Tong Mansion, likely to seek help from First Master and her brother. Meanwhile, they were trying to persuade Madam Jiang, and she couldn’t avoid seeing Madam Jiang.

She truly had thought of everything.

"The Emperor hasn’t decided how to deal with Brother-in-law Ren, are Madam Ren and Third Sister here for something else?" Xiqiu asked.

Madam Jiang nodded and said, "There’s a rumor that the Emperor is planning to strip Wujin Bo Mansion of its title."

Xiqiu was startled to hear that it was this severe.

"That’s why the Ren Family is in complete chaos, and they’re reaching out to every possible connection." Madam Jiang shook her head repeatedly, and Xiqiu asked, "What did Father and Brother say?"

Madam Jiang sighed and replied, "Father didn’t agree, but from what I gathered from your brother, it seems this matter has probably been decided by the Emperor; it’s only waiting for an Imperial Decree... I advised Sixth Lady to separate and establish her own household. When the palace sends people to investigate, it’s better to have already divided some belongings!"

The First Master, as head of the family, couldn’t possibly suggest that Tong Xiyang should just look out for herself and move out at this time. But Madam Jiang was different; she stood from a woman’s perspective. If the Emperor indeed decided, nothing they did now could reverse it; it would be better for Tong Xiyang to separate herself. After all, the Ren Mansion’s title wouldn’t fall to Ren Jun anyway.

Besides, whether Ren Jun could survive the Ministry of Justice’s scrutiny was still unknown.

Personally, though she didn’t like Tong Xiyang and didn’t care about her well-being, she didn’t hate her enough to see her struggling alone with a household of illegitimate children. Even if Ren Jun returned safely, what could he possibly do for their family?

However, like Madam Jiang, she believed that if they couldn’t weather the storm together, it would be better to separate, at least being in control of her own life.

"This is the first time I’ve seen Sixth Lady cry in front of me," Madam Jiang sighed again. "Such a stubborn and tenacious person!"

Xiqiu remained silent, sitting shoulder to shoulder with Madam Jiang on the heated brick bed, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Let’s not talk about this anymore," Madam Jiang said after a moment, looking at Xiqiu. "Actually, I came with something to discuss with Sixth Lady." Xiqiu smiled at her, and Madam Jiang continued, "You’re already seven months along; have you found a midwife? She should be brought to the mansion now, and you should also prepare a wet nurse. If you don’t have time, I can help you inquire around."

"Nanny Cen mentioned the midwife a few days ago, but it’s hard to find a good one. If Sister-in-law knows someone, I would indeed need your help." After a pause, she added, "As for the wet nurse, I already sent my request to the Nursery several days ago, and should be getting a reply soon."

Madam Jiang nodded and replied, "Alright, I’ll ask someone to look into it once I get back. Madam Xia is also about to give birth, so I must prepare for her as well; you can leave this matter to me."

"Thank you, Sister-in-law." Xiqiu beamed, then thought of something and called Bihuai over. "Go fetch the two spring shirts I made for Kun a few days ago." Bihuai acknowledged and left. Xiqiu then told Madam Jiang, "I was bored and made a couple of small clothes for Kun. You can take them back along with a few for Madam Xia."

"You’re about to give birth too, you shouldn’t be making things for him all the time." Madam Jiang felt touched and smiled even more warmly. It was delightful to see Xiqiu caring for her maternal family. Additionally, Fourth Master Xiao being summoned frequently by the Emperor recently was a joyous occasion despite no imminent promotion. With this thought, she couldn’t help but grasp Xiqiu’s hands. "Take good care of yourself; if you need anything, send word to me; I will surely handle it for you."

Looking at Madam Jiang, Xiqiu smiled and nodded. "With such a capable sister-in-law, I can’t let you be idle."

At that moment, Bihuai brought in the small clothes, divided into two bundles: one indigo for Madam Jiang and the other rose-red for Madam Xia. Madam Jiang took them with a smile and stood up. "Now I must head back; Kun will be crying soon without me!"

"I won’t keep you then, please hurry home." Xiqiu instructed Chunliu and Bihuai to accompany Madam Jiang out. Standing in the doorway to bid farewell, Xiqiu remembered something and asked, "Has my brother gone to visit Cousin?"

"He has gone, but after several days, he still hasn’t woken up," Madam Jiang said with a helpless expression. "Nurse Zhang said... it seemed like he himself didn’t want to wake up."

Xiqiu said no more. They should be getting news from Shandong these days, and Lord Xu would probably be escorted back to the capital soon. Xiqiu couldn’t fathom why Lord Xu aided Xiao Yancheng and Prince Rong. If he was compelled, it would be different; one man’s guilt might at least absolve Mrs. Xu. If he volunteered... Xu Tianqing might be implicated as well.

"You should go inside; it’s getting windy outside, and you might catch a cold." Madam Jiang was about to leave when she turned around and saw a tall, slender young woman in a red floral overcoat striding in. Her eyes resembled Fourth Master Xiao’s, long and narrow with a distant look. Before she could turn back to Xiqiu, the young woman’s eyes were already teary as she choked out, "Fourth Sister!"

"Second Sister!" Xiqiu was taken aback and looked towards Xiao Yanzheng, who had already ascended the steps surrounded by servant girls. Upon seeing Madam Jiang, they exchanged greetings. Madam Jiang smiled and said, "Relative, Second Young Lady, I’ll be taking my leave now; the children at home need me."

"Take care, Sister-in-law," Xiao Yanzheng nodded, attempting to smile but failing.

Aware that the sisters needed to talk, Madam Jiang led her retinue out, taking the sedan chair parked at the courtyard gate to the outer courtyard.