My Lady Always Lacks Ambition

Qin Liuxi left, and Jiang Wenyan pulled Lv Xiaoshan into the inner room to sit down, her face serious.
“You tell me honestly, did the Junior Temple Master get it right? Are you really devouring tonics? Is it your mother-in-law and Zhang Yong who asked you to take them, or is their whole family being so ‘considerate’ towards you?”
Lv Xiaoshan opened her mouth, tears rimming her eyes.
Jiang Wenyan said, “Don’t think about hiding it from me, Lady Shan, you and I are intimate friends, and in my heart, you are like a sister to me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t care about your offspring. I thought it was a good opportunity while the Junior Temple Master was here, someone who many people can’t invite, so I asked her to take your pulse, but you… sigh.”
Lv Xiaoshan sniffed, asking, “Sister Jiang, do you really trust this Junior Temple Master that much? Does she truly have such abilities?”
Jiang Wenyan gave a bitter smile, looked around the drastically changed room, and said, “Just look around, what’s different about my bedroom?”
Lv Xiaoshan was slightly startled, and started observing; she had visited Jiang Wenyan’s place many times and had come to see her when she was ill, familiar with the arrangement of her bedroom.
Now, it seemed like many things were different.
“That fish tank, why has it disappeared? And your small rosewood dressing mirror is gone too.” Lv Xiaoshan looked around and didn’t see these two items.
Keeping fish in the bedroom was indeed rare, so she had a deep impression of this.
Jiang Wenyan scoffed coldly: “That fish, died. If it hadn’t died, I might have been the one to die.”
Lv Xiaoshan was greatly shocked: “Sister, what do you mean by that?”
The two were close friends, and Lv Xiaoshan might be unknowingly trapped in a sweet cage, thus Jiang Wenyan did not conceal her own experiences, and explained everything clearly.
“Now this room, though not as good as before, made me feel refreshed and clear-headed, all thanks to the Junior Temple Master who guided me through confusion. Otherwise, my irritability and temper might have worsened. This condition of mine was exploited by a vile person. But you, Lady Shan, if it truly was Zhang Yong intentionally making you take those tonics, they are even more malicious than Lianyi.” Jiang Wenyan said through gritted teeth, “Lianyi at least felt that I was obstructing her path to success, hence she harmed me in such a way. But Zhang Yong and your mother-in-law, they are your own family, if they did this on purpose, how sinister is that?”
She grasped Lv Xiaoshan’s hand, “Lady Shan, if you had relatives from your parental family, they wouldn’t dare do this. But you are an orphan, what they are doing, it seems they are plotting your ruin.”
When Jiang Wenyan said this, she subconsciously shivered.
She had seen Lv Xiaoshan looking rosy and very happy before, truly believing that the Zhang Family was a loyal and honest farming family, all good people, so her good sister was so comfortable, as marrying a considerate man truly is a woman’s fortune.
But Qin Liuxi uncovered this illusion, saying Lv Xiaoshan’s constitution is too weak to benefit from tonics. What then is the Zhang Family’s real purpose if they knew this and still let her take the supplements?
Once Lady Shan died, the substantial dowry she brought, and the little blessings and connections left by her father, would probably all end up in the hands of the Zhang Family, as Zhang Yong could pretend, he would surely pretend to be a deeply loving man.
Jiang Wenyan had laid it all out, fracturing and crushing it in front of Lv Xiaoshan, her eyes laden with sorrow.
Lv Xiaoshan trembled, saying: “It really is as such. You know that after I married into the family, there has been no news about a child for years. That’s why I was actively replenishing my health, nourishing my primordial qi and treating my cold uterus, consuming everything from ginseng, deer antler, donkey-hide gelatin, to cordyceps, and even cubilose. I actually disliked it, but they all urged me on. Our household doesn’t lack silver; my health is the most important thing. I thought…”
As she spoke, tears instantly streamed down her face.
“Doesn’t anyone around you understand this?”
Lv Xiaoshan gave a bitter smile: “You know, I married beneath my status. My mother-in-law and the others did not have many people to serve me. I also didn’t want them to overthink, and over these past years, the elders around me gradually left, leaving only Ajiao and Ruyi. A new group of people were picked by brokers, all seemingly honest, and these years have passed without issues, but I…”
She dared not continue, feeling more like a fool the more she spoke.
Her mother-in-law was usually benevolent and seldom went out, her sister-in-law had the demeanor of a noble lady, and her husband mostly stayed at home studying. As a daughter-in-law, she hesitated to flit about for fear of displeasing her in-laws. Although they verbally suggested she go out, their very consideration made it harder for her to act willfully. Over time, her best relationship was with Jiang Wenyan of the Duke Mansion, the place she visited most.
The power of the Duke Mansion was significant, and the Zhang Family was pleased to have such a close friend within their ranks married into their household, fostering affection by association. Qiao Ziling and Zhang Yong, calling each other brothers, had also introduced many contacts to him.
Looking back, was it all calculated?
Holding her, Jiang Wenyan didn’t know what to say, asking: “What about the doctor? Did no one see through this?”
“All the doctors I consulted were from Qianjin Hall, Dr. Qian, who is regarded as a gynecological expert. None said anything different, all mentioning my cold uterus and that my time has not yet come. My husband knows some Qi Huang’s teachings and always says medicine has its toxins. Minor colds are cured with his prescribed medicines. These past one or two years, I actually haven’t seen other doctors.”
Jiang Wenyan’s heart sank.
“Sister Jiang, it can’t be like this, right? My husband is genuinely considerate towards me, how could this happen?” Lv Xiaoshan looked up, extremely anxious.
“Do you believe it yourself?” Jiang Wenyan sighed lightly, acknowledging honestly that Lv Xiaoshan lacked guidance from the madam of the household, being overly naive. Her mother passed away early, and her father, a rough man, only had the maids to raise her. It was thanks to the servants that she didn’t grow up crooked, but they couldn’t provide her with the broader wisdom such as discerning people’s true natures.
And the worst part was, her father arranged her marriage into a simple, honest farmer’s family, noble and reputable. She married down, but with a substantial dowry, standing proud; yet, they, skilled in subtlety, did not play the typical harsh in-law games but tailored a sweet cage. There, she was lovingly placed into a cage dipped in honey, and then ants were slowly allowed to eat away at the person inside.
Lv Xiaoshan herself, and even those around her, including herself, had failed to see it. They believed the other side to be truly kind and considerate, especially since the happiness on Lv Xiaoshan’s face was genuine, and she appeared healthy, not sickly.
Who would have imagined that her foundation had already been weakened?
That so-called simple farmer’s guise actually cloaked hypocrites, pretentious good people.
Such human nature is more horrifying than outright wickedness.
“I, I dare not believe.” Lv Xiaoshan broke down crying; her years of perceived happiness and sweetness, were they all an illusion?