CHAPTER 55: CHAPTER 55 I DON’T WANT SUCH GOOD FORTUNE 13

He Yue was chilled to the bone by the phrase "outsider."

She felt as if she had fallen into an ice pit, cold seeping into every part of her body, even into the seams of her bones.

He Yue pleaded as she looked at Qian Du.

But Qian Du kept his head down and remained silent.

Yet, Ms. Qian He had some feelings for He Yue.

She smiled and said, "It’s different for you. You have to manage a whole household and deal with numerous matters. How could you have the spare time to keep me company? Yue Niang has nothing to do all day; she can keep me company sewing and chatting. If you think Yue Niang eats too much, just subsidize her from my monthly salary."

Having said this, if Tian Meixiang objected further, it would be disrespectful.

Reluctantly, she agreed to let He Yue stay.

However, Tian Meixiang’s attitude instilled a sense of crisis in He Yue.

Fearing she might be sent back to the countryside, she made a grave mistake in her urgency.

She had an affair with Qian Doucheng in the study, which Tian Meixiang caught them in the act.

Tian Meixiang immediately ordered He Yue to be tied up and took her to Ms. Qian He.

She kicked He Yue and, right in Ms. Qian He’s room, beat her mercilessly, accusing Ms. Qian He harshly, "Mother, I told you earlier that for everyone’s peace it would be better to send cousin back to the countryside. You disagreed, and now look what she has done. Now, what do you suggest we do?"

Ms. Qian He looked upset and extremely troubled.

She really did not know what to do.

Finally, Ms. Qian He managed to say, "Given the circumstances, let her become a concubine for my son."

Now, He Yue wasn’t even a proper concubine, just a statusless servant girl.

Tian Meixiang smiled: "Mother had this idea all along, well and good."

She ordered He Yue to be locked up in a room and returned to the Tian home. By the time Tian Meixiang came back the next day, Qian Du had already been reprimanded by his superiors.

Qian Du, full of resentment but unable to upset the Tian family, could only sternly advise He Yue to accept her fate and forced her to sign a contract of servitude.

From then on, He Yue lived in dire straits.

She was no longer the young lady of the family but a servant of the Qian family, a concubine with no status.

Every morning she had to stand outside Tian Meixiang’s room handling curtains and attend to her personal grooming and dressing needs. During meals, she had to stand by and could only eat cold leftovers, sometimes not even enough to fill her.

But that wasn’t the worst of it.

The crux was that Tian Meixiang had a bad temper, often hitting or scolding the servants, and most of her ire was directed at He Yue.

In less than half a month, He Yue was nearly worn to death.

She dearly regretted her actions.

Knowing it would come to this, she would have rather returned to the countryside to marry into a wealthy rural family.

After all, she had a cousin who was a Capital Official, who was quite handsome and literate. Finding a decent family in the countryside would have been manageable, and such a family would have cherished her, ensuring a much better life than she had now.

But Qian Du did pity He Yue.

It’s just that he couldn’t stand up against Tian Meixiang.

Qian Du had even complained to Ms. Qian He about Tian Meixiang’s intolerance and bad temper, and her unattractiveness.

What could Ms. Qian He do?

She could only advise Qian Du: "My son, don’t think too much. Even if your wife isn’t that pretty, she’s still better than Mrs. Bai. Just endure it, after all, she’s the niece of Imperial Concubine Tian. If you keep her happy, your future prospects are limitless."

Qian Du thought this way too, so he just endured Tian Meixiang and compensated He Yue in other ways.

If Anning knew about He Yue’s current suffering, she would probably be very pleased.

In that life of Bai Anning, Yue Niang had thoroughly humiliated her to the utmost.

As a concubine, she was in charge at home, and even her children were raised as legitimate offspring, throughout the entire residence everyone knew only of Concubine Yue, without any recognition of mistress Bai Anning.

Under Yue Niang’s hands, Bai Anning suffered unbearably and was even criticized by Qian Du for not being accommodating enough.

Now, however, those truly unaccommodating—Yue Niang herself—must have received a taste of what it’s like to be a concubine.

Anning, devoted to agriculture, had long put aside concerns about Qian Du and others.

As the end of spring approached and summer began, in just a few days, it would be time to harvest the crops.

During the harvest, County Magistrate Lu and Xiao Yuan went early to the fields, standing guard for several days until every grain of rice and wheat was harvested and stored, after which County Magistrate Lu hastily left.

He went back and quickly wrote a memorandum, having it rapidly sent to the Capital City by fast horse, using the Lu Family’s influence to deliver it directly to Emperor Shengping.

County Magistrate Lu was filled with excited joy.

Anning had given him an overwhelming surprise.

Last year, when Xiao Yuan had sought him out and spoken of Anning’s high-yield crops, he had actually been quite skeptical.

He had only sent people to assist Anning with farming to honor the Xiao Family’s request.

He also had a small plan in mind; if this was true, the Lu Family could gain great merit and rise in status. Even if false, there would be no loss, and he could still curry favor with the Xiao Family.

As a result, due to his cautious attitude, he now reaped immense rewards.

County Magistrate Lu had never imagined the yield of Anning’s crops could be so high.

A single acre of rice could yield eight hundred pounds, and wheat over seven hundred pounds— four times the normal crop yield—truly astonishing and a huge blessing for thousands of families.

The Lu Family had its methods, and the memorandum was quickly sent to Emperor Shengping, who also received a box along with it containing samples of rice and wheat.

Upon reading the memorandum, filled with joy, Emperor Shengping couldn’t sit still and walked back and forth in the front hall.

Afterwards, he inspected the box.

The rice and wheat samples, large and full-grained, clearly indicated a massive yield.

Moreover, County Magistrate Lu’s memo mentioned that Anning’s crops had strong stems and deep roots, wind and drought-resistant, easier to cultivate compared to other crops.

Thinking of the astonishing yield and the potential increase in national produce if every farmer in the country grew these high-yield crops, Emperor Shengping envisioned a country free from famine.

The more he thought, the more delighted he became.

Unable to contain his joy, Emperor Shengping burst out in hearty laughter.

Following this, Emperor Shengping decreed that County Magistrate Lu should ensure the crops were safely transported to the Capital, and also called for Mrs. Bai to come to the Capital so that he could personally bestow rewards upon her.

Anning, upon receiving the imperial decree, along with her husband Bai Desheng, packed for the journey to the north.

Anning’s departure meant that Xiao Yuan naturally followed.

After sorting out his pharmacy business and sending word to the Xiao Family,

Before he could receive a reply from the Xiao Family, the group had already embarked on their journey to the Capital City.

With the protection of the court’s troops and assistance from the Lu Family, their journey was smooth.

In less than two days, Anning found herself in the Capital City.

Thanks to the connections of County Magistrate Lu and the Lu Family’s intent to align with Anning, the Bai family resided in the Lu Family’s guest house upon entering the Capital.

After staying in the guest house for two days, a summoning eunuch arrived to escort Anning to the palace.

Before entering the palace, both Bai Desheng and Zhang Yue Mei felt nervous, excited yet worried.

Although they knew that Anning had been away from the palace since birth and neither Emperor Shengping nor Empress Chu would likely recognize her,

They were still concerned about potential troubles that might arise for Anning in the palace.

Moreover, Bai Desheng was also worried about the harmful schemes of Noble Consort Tian, the venomous consort.