CHAPTER 555: CHAPTER 544: THE MARCHIONESS’S MAID

"Doctor, how is my granddaughter-in-law’s health? What should she pay attention to after becoming pregnant?" The Old Marquis Lady gestured for the servant to give the doctor a big red envelope, thinking about the previous investigation that mentioned her granddaughter-in-law was not in good health, her heart tightened.

"Marchioness has no major issues, just needs to pay attention to rest and recuperation," the doctor answered truthfully.

The Old Marquis Lady was obviously still not reassured, and after sending away the doctor, she took a token to the Imperial Hospital and requested an Imperial Physician specializing in gynecology.

After taking the pulse quietly, the Imperial Physician said the same thing as the previous doctor: "Old Marquis Lady need not worry, the Marchioness’s health is good, just avoid cold natured food during pregnancy. If you’re still concerned, I can come every month to check her pulse to reassure you."

The Old Marquis Lady was finally completely reassured: "Then please trouble Doctor Wang for that."

"This is indeed the ancestors’ blessing! Second Madam, you stay here and care for Lanlan, I will go and offer incense to the old marquis."

"Yes!" Second Mrs. Shen happily agreed.

Not only will she offer incense to the ancestors, but she also needs to send a letter to Duan Rongjing at the border to let him know his wife is pregnant with his child!

"Lady, why don’t you personally write a letter to the Marquis? He will certainly be very happy to see it. At the same time, you can tell him about your life in Marquis Mansion, even if you are distant, don’t let your relations grow cold," Ye Qiu suggested.

Originally, the Old Marquis Lady mentioned that once the letter was sent to the border, Zhong Lan would not worry anymore, but hearing Ye Qiu suggest this sparked some thoughts in her.

"With so many people writing letters, won’t the Marquis find it annoying?" she said nervously.

"How could it be annoying? I think the Marquis will be very happy," Yang Chun continued.

"Not just this once, in the future, you should write to the Marquis every month. Tell the Marquis what you did today, what you ate, how big your belly is, whether the baby inside, the Princely Heir, is behaving, and also ask about the Marquis’s life at the border. Even if the Marquis is too busy to reply, it’s important to let him know you care about him," Ye Qiu said.

After listening to Ye Qiu’s words, Zhong Lan slightly pondered and then smiled. She wasn’t a fool and naturally understood the meaning behind Ye Qiu’s suggestion.

Well, they are husband and wife after all, there’s nothing embarrassing or shameful about it.

That evening, the Old Marquis Lady was initially stunned when she received the letter from Zhong Lan, but then she smiled reassuringly. Her grandson was really like a block of wood; if he doesn’t take the initiative, someone has to. Initially thinking her granddaughter-in-law was a typical delicate lady of a respectable family, she didn’t expect her to be so bold. This is indeed how a daughter-in-law of the Duan Family should be!

It takes half a month for the letter to reach the border, and Duan Rongjing’s reaction upon getting the letter is still unknown. Meanwhile, knowing about Zhong Lan’s pregnancy, Zhong Yin almost gritted her teeth in frustration.

"Why is she so lucky? She got pregnant in just two days, who knows if it’s really..."

"Yin’er!" Zhong Yin was cut off before she could finish by Aunt Wei.

Aunt Wei’s eyes glinted with calculation: "Don’t say such things in the future. Whether it’s true or not, it will affect your reputation, and once Zhong Lan gives birth to the Princely Heir, it will be beneficial for you and your brother."

"Mother, would that not mean I have to defer to her in the future?" Zhong Yin said with an uncomfortable expression.

"You are her sister, even if she dislikes you, she wouldn’t do anything too excessive. Besides, we are just leveraging her situation with the Princely Heir. If she is too inconsiderate, do you think she would have an easy time? I don’t believe the Marquis Mansion really treats her sincerely."

Unfortunately, Aunt Wei, who had been scheming all her life, miscalculated this time. Zhong Lan’s treatment in the Marquis Mansion was indeed extraordinarily good; the Old Marquis treated her almost as if she were a delicate Liu Li ornament.

Aunt Wei and Zhong Yin didn’t have the privilege to witness this scene, but Zhong Jue, coming to the Marquis Mansion to see his own sister, was fortunate enough to see it.

Seeing the countless tonics and the treasures delivered daily to Qingfeng Courtyard, he began to doubt if all the treasures of the Marquis Mansion were now in his sister’s courtyard.

"Sister, is the Old Marquis so generous?" Zhong Jue asked with envy.

Zhong Lan managed a helpless smile: "The Old Marquis said these things were just lying around in storage, so she brought them all over."

Zhong Jue was stunned: "But it seems like you don’t even have space to put them here!"

"The Old Marquis said a pregnant woman’s mood is fickle, so she told me to change the variety every day." Only now did Zhong Lan understand what it meant to be valued for one’s child, but she didn’t mind at all. After all, the child was hers and she also benefited from it, just as Ye Qiu said, she had both face and substance, and she was the happiest new bride in all of Shangjing.

"Brother, I wrote a letter to Grandmother. Now that I am pregnant, she should be reassured." Since the last time Grandmother sent a lavish dowry, Zhong Lan had always been thinking about her Grandmother, who was far away in Jiangnan. Along with this letter, several carts of gifts were also sent.

"Don’t worry, I will make sure these letters and items are delivered on time."

"Brother, you can just assign this task to the servants. Isn’t the Imperial Examination approaching? You should be focusing on preparing for it. Father always says Zhong Lang is learned, we can’t let those people get their way."

Speaking of this, Zhong Lan felt a surge of resentment. Old Lady Wei was always in front of Zhong Huaiwen, praising Zhong Lang’s scholarship. Zhong Lang even personally taught him, and when he grew up, he hired a highly reputed teacher. But what about her brother?

Mingming Brother’s scholarship is better, and just because he observed mourning for three years and didn’t participate in the last imperial examinations, they seemed to decide he wasn’t capable. Thus, her brother could only study in the academy. Legitimate son or bastard, her Father was truly confused.

Hearing Zhong Lan finish, Zhong Jue sarcastically smiled: "Sister, don’t worry. I have been preparing for this day for a whole three years. I never showed off my learning in front of them in all these years, just to lower their guard. This time, I am sure to achieve good results."

"If someone with average scholarship like me can do well, then Zhong Lang, whom Father calls a genius, must perform even better three years later to match his reputation. I wonder if he can withstand the pressure." Zhong Jue said with a cold laugh.

As a bastard, he coveted things he shouldn’t, and it was time to teach him a lesson.

Now, Zhong Jue was truly disheartened with his family, but he would never willingly concede what belonged to him.

Zhong Lan nodded in response: "Brother, it’s good you think this way. Striking at Aunt Wei and others is secondary; the most important thing is for Brother to achieve good results to facilitate a good marriage, right?"

The recently ambitious Zhong Jue became a bit sheepish: "Still daring to tease your brother, truly, becoming a Lady has changed you."

Ignoring his tease, Zhong Lan earnestly asked: "Brother, what type of woman do you like?"

Zhong Jue spontaneously thought, given his family’s circumstances, marrying a feisty woman would be better, otherwise those scheming like wolves, tigers, and leopards would bully her too much.