The pregnant woman pressed down on the wife, and the cousin collapsed into the prince's arms.

After discussing this matter, Madam Wang brought up Rouge again. She had chosen it to ensure Pei Jingnian would have an heir, but since she entered the household, her son had only visited her room once, which was truly outrageous.

Her son, being the heir of a marquis's household, naturally had no reason to accept a concubine. Since the rouge was useless, it would be better to take in another concubine.

"Since you don't like Rouge as a concubine, then I'll make the decision for you. I'll choose two more men from respectable families to be your concubines, how about that?" Madam Wang was eager for a grandson, and after saying that, she looked at Pei Jingnian earnestly.

Pei Jingnian hesitated for a moment after hearing this. His backyard had always been quiet. It was fine if he took Yanzhi as a concubine, but if he took a few more, the women would fight over him and create chaos. It would be one thing, but outsiders would inevitably speculate that he was impotent.

Thinking of this, he clenched his fist and coughed lightly: "No need, Rouge... Very well, I don't want to take too many concubines, causing unrest in the household and giving others something to speculate about and gossip about."

Wang thought about it and agreed. After all, she had only taken Yan Zhi as a concubine a month ago, and if she took another concubine, it would inevitably attract attention.

However, she secretly made up her mind that if there was still no news about Rouge's pregnancy, she would not care about other people's opinions and would simply put more people in her son's room.

_

Rouge's loss of favor worried not only Lady Wang, but also Su Wanrou.

Because her mother-in-law was arranging marriages for Shen Yunshuang, Su Wanrou's worries lessened considerably. But then she heard that her mother-in-law wanted to take other concubines for Pei Jingnian, and she couldn't sit still any longer!

Even if Rouge is useless, she was still the one who found her, and she holds Rouge's lifeline in her hands. Even if Rouge has children in the future, she doesn't need to worry about them threatening her position, since she has plenty of ways to deal with her.

But if it were any other woman... she wouldn't be so easy to handle.

Therefore, before Rouge became a pawn, she also used both kindness and severity to give Rouge a warning.

_

Jinlan Courtyard

Looking at Rouge, who was dressed in a slightly worn, moon-white dress, and then at the plain silver hairpin in her hair, Su Wanrou frowned: "When you entered the manor, weren't you given some new clothes and jewelry? Why aren't you wearing them? So plain, how can you win the young master's favor?!"

Rouge flinched almost imperceptibly, her voice soft and gentle, like a kitten's: "This concubine...this concubine feels those are too precious, too ostentatious to wear on a daily basis."

Su Wanrou couldn't help but facepalm upon hearing this, thinking to herself, a maid is just a maid, not worthy of being on stage. Those clothes and jewelry are naturally valuable to a maid, but she has become the young master's concubine, and what she wears and what she adorns her head are all related to the reputation of the Marquis's mansion.

"You're no longer a maid, but the young master's concubine. What's so ostentatious about those things! Such petty behavior makes you a laughingstock!" Su Wanrou's tone was full of sarcasm.

Her face paled an inch, and she could only softly agree.

Su Wanrou was holding her breath, and when she looked at Yanzhi, she always felt like she was punching cotton. She found Yanzhi's behavior extremely annoying.

Remembering her mother-in-law's watchful eyes, she rallied her spirits and said, "Dress up nicely, please the master as soon as possible, and get pregnant quickly; that's the most important thing."

Rouge's voice was barely audible: "But Master doesn't come to my courtyard..."

"How dare you say that!" Su Wanrou raised her eyebrows. "If you hadn't spoiled my mood on the first day, why would I have treated you so coldly?!"

"Please forgive me, Madam." Seeing that she was angry, Rouge knelt down on the ground with a thud.

At the opportune moment, Zhou's mother handed her a cup of tea. Su Wanrou took a sip, glanced sideways at Rouge, and said, "Alright, I'll find a suitable opportunity in the next few days to have Master visit your courtyard. You should prepare well. Don't forget your mother's illness! If you get pregnant soon, your mother will be happy, and her illness will heal faster."

Rouge's eyelashes trembled, realizing that this was Su Wanrou's real intention in summoning her.

Back at the Begonia Garden, Li'er, the maidservant who served Yan Zhi, began rummaging through her belongings, finding all the clothes Su Wanrou had given her when she first entered the manor. She presented them to Yan Zhi and said, "Madam, which one would you like to wear next time the young master comes?"

She was overjoyed, after all, the madam had just said that the young master would come to Haitang Garden. She was with her concubine and was definitely hoping that her concubine would be favored, so that their lives would be better.

However, it is clear that Rouge's ambition is not as great as that of the maid, Pear.

She held a wooden comb in her hand and was combing her hair, her eyes not even glancing at the clothes.

No matter how gorgeous the clothes are, in her heart they are not as comfortable as old clothes.

Even the most illustrious mansion is nothing more than a den of monsters that devour people.

Rouge knew perfectly well what Su Wanrou was planning: to get pregnant? She feared that if Su Wanrou became pregnant, she would die even faster.

The child would only be her death warrant, but she seemed to have no other choice.

Although she was born a maid, she originally had loving parents and a childhood sweetheart... But after entering the Marquis's mansion, everything changed!

"Put them back. Just pick one," Rouge said calmly. Her composed demeanor was a stark contrast to her timid and submissive manner in Jinlan Courtyard.

Pear pursed her lips and didn't say much. Actually, sometimes she was a little afraid of her aunt.

It's not that her aunt would beat or scold her; in fact, she doesn't like to talk at all. She usually likes to comb her hair with this wooden comb or stare blankly at the comb. This sight makes Pear feel a little uneasy.

When Li'er looked at the wooden comb, she couldn't see anything special about it. It was made of peach wood, and because it was often held in her hands, the comb was smooth and warm, with a light patina. But it couldn't be called a precious item. She wondered why her aunt liked it so much.