How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Chapter 193 The Sprouting Seed

"Miss, are you back?"

"Hmm." Zheng Peilan looked exhausted and threw the handbag she was holding away.

The maid immediately caught it, then put down the bag, knelt on the ground, and took off her shoes.

Since the incident at home, the servants felt that Zheng Peilan's temperament had become increasingly strange, not to mention that she had killed a maid in front of everyone.

From then on, the servants only became more afraid of her.

Aside from adding new servants, the Zheng family kept all their other servants, and Zheng's comprador would never allow anyone to leave the Zheng family's gate with the family's secrets.

Zheng Peilan lay on the sofa, letting the maid massage her and remove her makeup, not wanting to move a single finger.

A newly arrived maid noticed that Zheng Peilan was unusually quiet, so she quickly began to flatter her.

"Miss, your skin is so beautiful, the smoothest and most delicate I've ever seen."

...

Zheng Peilan didn't speak, and neither did the other maids. The new maid was so embarrassed that she could hardly stay any longer.

Seeing that she was about to slip out, Zheng Peilan called out, "Wait, come sit down next to me."

The maid couldn't believe it, but dared not ask any more questions. She could only go to Zheng Peilan's side and carefully sit next to half of the sofa.

"Slap!" Zheng Peilan suddenly changed her expression and slapped her hard.

"You too?"

The new maid covered her face in grievance, wondering what she had done wrong.

Annoyed by what she saw, Zheng Peilan stepped on her hand and got off the sofa.

Is the hot water ready?

"Alright, Miss, you can go take a bath now."

Zheng Peilan leisurely led her people to the bathroom, leaving the maid there to cover her face and weep.

Soon after, someone came and dragged the person away, and from then on, no more noise could be heard in Zheng Peilan's room.

Amidst the rising steam, Zheng Peilan slowly closed her eyes, gently washing away the lingering odor from her body.

I spent another night at a dance hall today, and the smell of smoke and alcohol gave me a headache.

Can't wait any longer.

Zheng Peilan lifted her legs out of the water, and glistening water droplets flowed down her smooth, jade-like thighs, gathering in a ball at her lower abdomen before flowing back into the bathtub.

Gently stroking her belly, Zheng Peilan's face was full of hostility.

That bitch!

She actually got pregnant!

The thought of this made Zheng Peilan want to kill Song Fu, Lü Qingru, Guo Zixing, and everyone else...

Even Zheng's comprador's face flashed through his mind.

Everything is ruined. Everything is ruined.

The First Daughter! She should have married the best man in the world, rising from First Daughter to First Lady, forever surpassing all the other young ladies in the city.

But what about now? That blunder with the Guo family not only made her lose face, but also caused her to lose most of her family business. Guo Zixing, who used to ask her out every now and then, has disappeared without a trace.

These despicable people all want to use her and mock her; not one of them is sincere.

A cocktail party not only cost her her virginity but also left her pregnant. She never looked back, completely extinguishing her hopes of marrying into a wealthy family. She was left only to choose from families less fortunate than hers, or to find a gigolo to live with.

She wouldn't want that. All men like that should get lost. She was a woman who brought the entire Zheng family's assets as her dowry; based on that alone, no woman in the city could compare to her.

Thinking this through, Zheng Peilan looked at her smooth belly. She could hide it for another two months at most. After three months, a little life would push it up, and then she would have no hope of turning things around.

"Miss, soaking in the water for too long will make your skin wrinkle. Let's get up and apply some skincare products."

Zheng Peilan composed herself and tried her best to return to her previous demeanor.

"I understand. Come in."

With permission granted, the maids filed in, carrying bath towels, incense, and other items, each with its own purpose.

After tidying Zheng Peilan up, the maid said, "Master said he personally cooked porridge for you. Drinking alcohol is bad for your health, so porridge is just right to soothe your stomach."

Zheng Peilan frowned subconsciously; she was already sleepy.

However, thinking of Zheng's doting on her, she reluctantly put on a soft long gown again and went downstairs.

This is a villa in the city center. The Zheng family moved here before the Zheng family manor was rebuilt after it was destroyed.

The Zheng family owned more than one property. They temporarily stayed at Guo Zixing's villa for two reasons: first, for convenience, and second, to allow Guo Zixing to get closer to Zheng Peilan.

Little did anyone know that Guo Zixing had never taken Zheng Peilan seriously...

Suppressing his emotions, Zheng the comprador smiled and personally served Zheng Peilan a bowl of porridge.

"This is a special soup that Dad made for you with red dates and yams. It's thick and sticky, and I also added royal jelly. It's the kind of flavor you like."

Zheng Peilan took the porridge and found that it had cooled just enough to eat, which touched her heart.

"Thank you dad."

Zheng, the comprador, did not take credit, saying, "You're good to go if you drink it."

Zheng Peilan quietly drank her porridge. Seeing that she was in a good mood, Zheng the comprador cautiously asked, "Whose son have you been getting close to lately?"

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing. You just came back from Shanghai, and I was thinking of making a few more friends."

Zheng Peilan shook her head. "No, it's still the same. The people I hang out with are all old friends. That Song family guy never sees me. When he does see me, he's like a mouse seeing a cat. I really can't stand him."

Zheng, the comprador, found the thought amusing. "It's not necessarily that they don't like you. The Song family has a combined Chinese and Western education system, where you have to learn both foreign languages ​​and classical Chinese. Maybe they've gone mad from all that and don't know the benefits of women."

Zheng Peilan pursed her lips, neither confirming nor denying, "I don't know about that, but his mother seems really shrewd. She always has a smile on her face and looks very kind, but after spending a few time with her, I felt it was fake. She treats me the same way, and she treats everyone else the same way. She has no emotion. People like that are terrifying."

Zheng, the comprador, smiled smugly. "Do you know why?"

Zheng Peilan asked, puzzled, "Why?"

“Second Concubine Song is a princess from the previous dynasty, from a royal family. Her background is extraordinary. In the past, we Han people wouldn’t even be considered as good as her.”

Zheng Peilan scoffed, "That's all in the past. The Qing Dynasty is long gone. Besides, what's wrong with being a princess of the Prince's Mansion? She still ended up as a concubine. Sigh, speaking of which, why have I never seen Mrs. Song? It's always the Second Concubine who entertains guests. It's strange."

Seeing that Zheng Peilan was eating with relish, Zheng the comprador couldn't resist serving himself a bowl as well.

"You don't know, their first wife has been a devout Buddhist for many years and has not been involved in worldly affairs for a long time."

Zheng Peilan became interested; she loved hearing stories of power struggles and intrigues within wealthy families.

"What happened? Did the struggle fail?"

Zheng, the comprador, shook his head and smiled without saying a word.

Zheng Peilan shook his arm anxiously, "Tell me, Dad, tell me quickly!"

After keeping everyone in suspense, Zheng the comprador finally said, "Yes and no. This second concubine is definitely not someone to be underestimated, but to say that she can defeat the first wife is also uncertain. Because the first wife disdains fighting. It is rumored that she is highly skilled in martial arts and will beat or scold anyone who is slightly displeased. When she goes crazy, not only the second concubine, but even Master Song will be beaten."

Zheng Peilan's eyes lit up. "Really? Then why did she go to worship Buddha?"

"I don't know that. I only know that she gave birth to a premature baby who died before the day was over. From then on, the first wife stopped caring about worldly affairs and lived a secluded life in a remote corner."

Zheng Peilan asked with great interest, "Could it be that the second concubine secretly harmed the first wife's pregnancy? Master Song was so infatuated with women that he didn't stand up for the first wife. Heartbroken, the first wife shut her heart and devoted herself to Buddhism?"

Comprador Zheng was both amused and exasperated. "Imagine whatever you want. How could such a high-class family's affairs be so widely publicized? If I hadn't been so cautious and followed Master Song around for several years, I wouldn't have known about this secret."

Zheng Peilan's emotions were fluctuating, and she was no longer as agitated as before.

She developed a new hobby: inquiring about other people's early gossip.