Chapter 413: Cause and Effect

d fur.The reddish-brown bear was waving its massive paw, extending its sharp claws onto the fleshy pads and striking fiercely at the crocodile whose tail had already been severed. Its attacks were bot...The beautiful concubine Su Ling felt uneasy after receiving the invitation. She subconsciously touched her stomach and, with the help of her maidservant, went to the main courtyard. There she met the mistress of the house, Mrs. Wu, and Master Wang.

"I have seen Madam, and Master!"

Su Ling lowered herself into a graceful bow, showcasing what she considered her most alluring profile for the esteemed Lord Wang seated above. His eyes flickered briefly before diverting to Lady Wu. After all, it was she who had summoned him.

"You're pregnant, sit down and talk."

"Yes!"

Su Ling did not dare to be presumptuous. She knew the mistress's methods. Having to rely on others for a living, she naturally had to behave obediently. Even though she was now pregnant, as long as the child wasn't born, it wouldn't count as her reliance.

“Today, I called you here to ease your worries. As long as this child is a boy, he will be under my name, considered my legitimate son, and inherit the Wang family's fortune in the future. You, his biological mother, will also enjoy endless wealth and glory for the rest of your life.”

"Thank you, madam, for your kindness. I shall take good care of myself and the child, and will not disappoint my husband and you."

Su Ling got up and performed another bow.

"Before this, I came as Lao Ye to talk about the family property. Zhenzhen and Yinyin are also your daughters. Because they are girls, they cannot inherit the family business, but they cannot be mistreated either."

Of course, they are both my flesh and blood. I will give each of them a generous dowry so that they can marry with confidence. The Wang family has been a royal merchant for generations, and even ordinary noble children would be lucky to marry in.

Master Wang stroked his handsome mustache and said with a smile.

"My lord, it's not just about the dowry. The Wang family's wealth is also shared by both daughters. Those properties should be left to the son as they are golden hens. As for the rest of the money, it should be divided equally between the two daughters. With some financial security, even if they don't get married, they can live comfortably."

Mrs. Wu raised an eyebrow and said lightly.

"This"

Master Wang hesitated a little, but Mrs. Wu didn't give him a chance.

"If you disagree, it's fine. Su Ling's children will always be concubine's children, even if they are boys, it won't be easy for them to inherit the family business in the future. Those branches are not vegetarians."

Mrs. Wu raised her teacup, glanced at the tea leaves, and took a delicate sip.

Su Ling heard this, her hand under her sleeve immediately clenched into a fist, her nails digging into her palm, keeping her calm and preventing her from losing composure on the spot.

If the head wife refuses to register her child under her name, the child will forever be a concubine's child. A concubine's child is not incapable of inheriting family property, but it is exceptionally difficult.

Because not only will he be made difficult by the head mistress, but also by the sidelines. If he is not excellent enough, in the future, he will just receive a share of the family property, and then be divided out. At most, he can take her out to support her, but this depends on the attitude of the head of the household.

Mr. Wang knew in his heart that ever since he took a concubine, the relationship between him and his wife had become merely respectful civility. There was no longer the intimacy of the past. He understood his wife's efforts to secure good futures for their two daughters.

Moreover, he didn't even know if the concubine's child was a boy or a girl. He didn't want to upset his wife either. For the sake of the family, he had already made concessions once. This time, he wanted to protect his wife.

"Okay, I'll do it as you said."

Mr. Wang settled the matter with a decisive hammer blow.

After receiving approval, Wu started to prepare gradually. She wanted to settle everything before the concubine gave birth and she didn't want to alarm the Wang family's collateral branches or the Wu clan.

Of course, as the head of the household, she also reprimanded Su Ling:

"Lingniang, as the ancients said, a woman's worth is tied to her husband. This applies to you as well. Right now, your most important task is to nurture your pregnancy and give birth to a healthy child. That will ensure the Wang family's standing. Think about anything else you want, but it won't matter. Do you understand"

"Su Ling understands! He will definitely keep the mistress's advice in mind."

Su Ling bowed deeply before taking the pregnancy-preserving medicine bestowed by his master back to his solitary courtyard.

Once the door closed, her face darkened. She was unwilling to accept it. As long as this child was a boy, everything in the Wang family should belong to her son, not those two maidservants. However, she also knew her own identity and current position. All of this depended on giving birth to a son.

Su Ling lowered her eyes, touching her still-undetectable belly, and murmured to herself:

"Child, you must fight for your rights! Everything here belongs to you!"

The maidservant beside her eyed the ground, expressionless, and fanned herself lightly.

"My lady, don't worry too much. It's not good for the fetus. Right now, the most important thing is to take care of yourself and your pregnancy. We can figure out the other things."

"Of course I understand, but how can I not worry! Bring me a bowl of bird's nest."

Yes, my lady.

The maidservant respectfully retired and shortly returned with a bowl of bird's nest soup.

"My lady, this was made from blood swallows. It's good for beauty and nourishing the fetus. The master ordered it to be made especially for you."

The old master is thoughtful.

Su Ling's mood was much better now. She savored a bowl of bird's nest soup and then lay down to rest, feeling quite sleepy as she had been since becoming pregnant.

The maidservant received the soup bowl and quietly exited the inner chamber, waiting outside.

When Mrs. Wu learned of Su Ling's actions that day, she simply smiled coldly and quickened her pace. By the time Su Ling's child was born after ten months of pregnancy, Mrs. Wu had also built two treasure vaults, placing all the wealth belonging to both daughters inside. She gave each of them a key to the vault, letting them keep it safe themselves.

Su Ling gave birth to a boy. Lord Wang was overjoyed and personally named him Wang Yao Hui, and he elevated Su Ling to the status of a cherished concubine. As for Wu Shi, she remained composed throughout, as per their agreement, Wang Yao Hui was registered under her name, becoming the legitimate heir of the Wang family.

Although the child was officially registered under Wu's name, Su Ling always found excuses to visit. Wu directly told her to bring the child to live with her, and Su Ling, fearing reprimand, could only plead guilty and mention that Old Master Wang had interceded on her behalf. This allowed her to keep the child with Wu.

Su Ling wasn't stupid. If she truly brought the child to live with her, it would mean letting everyone know that the child was a bastard, and everything she desired would turn into smoke. Afterward, she completely stopped making any fuss, living in her own small courtyard, and dared not mention seeing the child again.

Spring comes and autumn goes, when Wang Yaohui was five years old, both Wang Zhenzhen and Wang Yinyin also turned sixteen, reaching the age of marriage. Because of the wealth of the Wang family, there were quite a few families who coveted the two sisters, and matchmakers stepped over the threshold of the Wang family's house one after another.

To cater to her daughters' needs, Mrs. Wu had to entertain matchmakers. In the end, she organized a Red Plum Banquet at Hongmei Villa, inviting those interested in marrying her daughters. This allowed both girls to secretly observe the eligible bachelors and choose someone they admired.

It was at the Red Plum Mountain Villa that Xu Fengze met Wang Yingying, and even staged a heroic rescue scene.

Two sisters were picking plum blossoms in the plum grove of Hongmeishan Villa when they encountered masked bandits. Their target was the two sisters. The first attack was blocked by the guards around them, and the rest escorted the two young ladies to the front yard for help.

Just at this moment, Wang Zhenzhen's personal maid suddenly rebelled, a dagger pressed against her own mistress's neck.t.After waiting for a moment, the little ghost floated back down and said in ripples:"My regent wishes to see you.""Thanks, lead the way!"The ripples stood up and said with a smile."Miss, this way!"Th...