Springtime Farming: A Happy Wife At Home

Chapter 2138: To Stay at Shao Family

That seemed like a promising plan.

Fan Ruyin believed that as long as she could remain within the Shao Family, she stood a chance.

She recognized that gaining Madam Shao’s approval was essential to staying close to Lord Shao. It seemed nearly impossible to bypass Madam Shao!

While she had contemplated ingratiating herself with Ms. Fang, her mother-in-law, she found it even more challenging.

Ms. Fang differed from Madam Lady Qiao in that she wasn’t one to meddle in others’ affairs or be easily swayed by flattery. Despite her age, she remained astute and resilient. Winning her favor proved to be no easy feat.

Moreover, the prospect of entertaining more guests seemed unappealing to Ms. Fang.

She placed such immense trust in Qiao Xuan that she allowed her to make all the decisions.

With her husband and mother-in-law firmly in her corner, others found themselves at a loss.

For this reason, Fan Ruyin and Bai Ruirui abandoned the notion of circumventing Qiao Xuan.

It became evident that this path held no promise; it was simply unattainable!

Furthermore, Qiao Xuan had already given birth to her eldest son! Unless they could replace her, their only option was to defer to her and seek her favor.

While this outcome wasn’t entirely satisfactory, they reasoned that given Shao Yunduan’s future as Emperor, aligning with Qiao Xuan could elevate their status. It was a compromise they were willing to make.

How could this not be an improvement over marrying into an ordinary family?

Furthermore, who could predict the future? Anything was possible within the harem. Success didn’t necessarily require being the legitimate Empress; just look at the previous emperor’s consort. She wasn’t particularly exceptional!

Contrastingly, the Third Prince, born of the Empress, ultimately couldn’t compete with the Fourth Prince and was banished from the capital, finding refuge in Jiangning.

Thus, what value did temporary status and victories hold? There was still a long road ahead.

Of course, these thoughts had to be kept deeply hidden, especially in Madam Shao’s presence.

For now, they had to treat Madam Shao as the rightful mistress of the household.

More haste, less speed. This was a lesson Bai Ruirui and Fan Ruyin had learned over the past two years.

With this in mind, Bai Ruirui had an idea and pleaded to stay by Qiao Xuan’s side and serve her faithfully.

Fan Ruyin was momentarily taken aback before quickly regaining her composure. She hastily smiled and implored, “Yes, yes, yes, Madam Shao, I’m inept and often misspeak, causing you distress! But please, Madam Shao, believe me—I harbor no ill intentions!”

“I beseech Madam Shao to be merciful and allow Ruirui to remain in your service. She will serve you dutifully. If she can earn your favor and learn from you, it would be her greatest fortune!”

Qiao Xuan found herself utterly perplexed by the mother-daughter duo.

She harbored no trust in their professed “loyalty” and “sincerity.”

Yet, what were their intentions? What were they seeking?

Was her husband truly so esteemed? Did the Fan family possess such confidence in his capabilities and hold his future in such high regard?

Had the matter of setting the stove ablaze already progressed to this extent?

Qiao Xuan cast a scrutinizing glance at them and offered a smile. “Very well, Mrs. Bai and Miss Bai, please take your leave. I’ll reiterate once more: when trouble arises from loose lips, it’s too late for regrets!”