"Mother, have you forgotten why we came here?" Seeing Bai Suihe leave, Gu Antong unwillingly tugged at Liu Yun's arm.
"There's no rush. We can talk about this later," Liu Yun said. "Didn't you see how terrible she looked? If something happens to her now while we're standing right here, we'll be the ones taking the blame. With your grandmother around, she will always show you some favoritism."
Gu Antong nodded. "But the jewelry set that matches my outfit is part of Aunt Suihe's dowry. Will she be willing to part with it?"
"Oh, you. You don't need to worry about these things," Liu Yun said, tapping her daughter's forehead. She lowered her voice and instructed, "When we go inside, remember to coax your grandmother and make her happy. Don't let your Aunt Yulan kiss up to her and reap all the benefits."
"There's really nothing I can do about that. They're biological aunt and niece, sharing the same maiden family," Gu Antong whispered back.
Bai Suihe was entirely unaware of the mother and daughter's conversation. Right now, she only wanted to hurry back to her courtyard and figure out how to prepare for what was to come. Upon returning to her courtyard, she used fatigue as an excuse to dismiss all the maids and older servants.
"If I remember correctly, the house raid starts on the tenth day after Gu Kaiyuan returns to the Gu Mansion. At most, that leaves me with less than half a month." Bai Suihe rested her chin in her hand, feeling incredibly distressed. Other than waiting for the raid, she had absolutely no other good ideas.
According to the book, Vice Minister Gu joined the Third Prince's faction. Due to attacks from political rivals, the Gu Family was pushed forward by the Third Prince to serve as a scapegoat. The emperor obviously knew the Gu Mansion was innocent. However, forced to choose between his son and his minister, he made his decision. That was why they were only subjected to a house raid and exile, rather than outright extermination of the entire clan.
Afterward, the Third Prince felt guilty and sent people to take care of them. However, all of this "care" was solely directed at Gu Antong. The rest of them were just insignificant extras whose life or death did not matter.
"Other transmigrators all have golden fingers. What's mine?" Bai Suihe muttered to herself. "A pocket dimension? A system? A portal? Or a red envelope chat group?"
She mentally ran through every cheat code she could think of, yet there was absolutely no response.
"What kind of cruel joke is this? This is a complete dead end. Hitting the road with a massive pregnant belly, and on a path of exile no less—I might as well just slit my own throat and be done with it."
As for the room full of jewelry, she would have definitely admired it thoroughly in the past. But none of this would belong to her on the day of the raid. Looking at it would only make her feel more stifled. Suddenly, she felt a dull ache from her belly. When she touched it, she was startled to find little bumps pushing against her skin.
Having seen her best friend pregnant before, she knew this was fetal movement. At the time, she had only found it amusing, but now she found it incredibly magical.
"Be good, baby. Mommy will definitely find a way to give birth to you safely. I won't let you end up like in the book..." She refused to let the baby die in the womb. At a time like this, she opted for superstition, spitting several times to ward off the bad omen.
Her belly pushed out a few more bumps, as if responding to her. Bai Suihe gently stroked and soothed it until the baby finally quieted down.
"Third Young Madam, I just brought breakfast from the main kitchen. Shall I set it up in the side hall?" Chunxiang asked softly from outside.
"Put it in the side hall. I'll be right there." After tossing and turning all morning, Bai Suihe was starving. She wanted to fill her stomach first before figuring out anything else.
"Do you know when the Third Young Master will return?" Fearing her memory might be faulty, Bai Suihe asked Dongmei and the others again.
She hoped her husband would be easy to get along with; otherwise, the days ahead would only be far worse. Although the book described him as someone who tried every possible method to climb to a high position to avenge his wife, never remarrying, his previous behavior in the mansion showed he was a total peacemaker who constantly compromised. If tragedy didn't strike, she genuinely feared he wouldn't stand by her side. When the time came, she would have to figure out how to draw a clear line with him. Divorcing a husband was neither possible nor precedent in this era. It was a massive headache.
"I have already asked the butler. The Third Young Master sent a message via carrier pigeon earlier. He should arrive at the Gu Mansion in another five or six days," Chunxiang said as she helped Bai Suihe wash her hands. Meanwhile, Dongmei had already led the maids and older servants to set up breakfast.
Being served so meticulously, she thought that if it weren't for the impending house raid and exile, transmigration would actually be quite nice. The service alone made it worth it.
"When the Third Young Master returns and sees that the Third Young Madam has fallen ill and lost weight, his heart will surely ache for you." Dongmei scooped a bowl of plain congee and placed it in front of Bai Suihe. "Third Young Madam, you must eat a bit more. You absolutely cannot lose any more weight."
She mentally complained that it was plain congee again. The entire estate operated according to Old Madam Gu's preferences. Whatever she liked to eat would appear on everyone's dining tables the very next day. Although it was paired with a few side dishes, it genuinely looked unappetizing. As for the cravings of a pregnant woman? There was no special treatment for the Third Branch anyway.
Dongmei quickly glanced outside and whispered, "Miss, I've already sent an older servant out to buy wontons. They will be delivered to your room shortly. Could you manage to eat just a little bit for now?"
This reminded Bai Suihe of a crucial detail. She came from a merchant family, and marrying into the Gu Mansion was already considered marrying up in search of a powerful backer. Thus, her family had provided a massive dowry. They were certainly not short of silver. Having long since bribed the older servants at the side gates, they would never go hungry. Her maids also knew her preferences and always arranged these things in advance.
Hearing that there were wontons, Bai Suihe forced down a few bites of the congee before having the rest cleared away.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before a steaming bowl of wontons appeared in her room. After satisfyingly polishing off the entire large bowl, she took a walk in the courtyard, attended by her maids. The backyard of their courtyard had a small garden. Although it was only a little over two hundred square meters, its advantage was being a private space. It was much more comfortable than going to the main garden, and she didn't have to worry about running into anyone bothersome.
However, she had only taken two laps when an older servant came from the front to report that Old Madam Gu was requesting her presence.
She wondered why there was no end to this day in and day out. Old Madam Gu had just told her to rest well in her courtyard, yet here she was changing her mind only a few hours later.
Upon arriving at the main courtyard once again, she assumed she would only see Old Madam Gu. To her surprise, everyone was gathered this time: the First Branch, the Second Branch, and even the female lead. The entire female master roster of the mansion was truly present and accounted for.
Even though she had been told the family's population was simple when she married in, the amount of petty drama was undeniably immense. After bowing in greeting to Old Madam Gu, she took the initiative to find a seat, no longer standing there like a meek little daughter-in-law waiting to be scolded.
Having seen Bai Qinghe's behavior earlier, Xu Yulan didn't mind. Just as her aunt had said, Bai Qinghe had leverage right now. Once she gave birth, they would properly settle the score. Thinking of this, a hint of schadenfreude involuntarily crept into her eyes.
Liu Yun of the First Branch was somewhat surprised, but upon seeing her bulging belly and recalling the pathetic state she had been in when she fainted yesterday, she grew thoughtful.
"Ms. Bai, I called you over because there is something I need to discuss with you." Since she was asking for a favor, Xu Huizhen's voice was significantly gentler.
"Please go ahead, Old Madam Gu. However, my words carry little weight, and I'm afraid I might not be of much help." Bai Suihe tried hard to recall the plot, looking toward Gu Antong with a sudden dawn of realization.