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Chen Feng, observing Madam Jiang’s tired appearance, felt a twinge of sympathy.
Chen Shiying himself was handsome, talented, and charming, treating everyone kindly. However, burdened with an inattentive mother and daughter, and uninterested in household matters, any woman marrying him would face challenges.
Not wanting to delve into the Chen family’s issues, Chen Feng refrained from further inquiry.
Speaking in a hushed tone, Chen Yuqing whispered to Chen Feng, “Elder sister, be careful when visiting our home in the future… Remember!” She then sat back as if nothing had been said.
This cryptic message left Chen Feng puzzled, and just as she was about to seek clarification, Madam Jiang rose to take her leave.
Accompanying Madam Jiang and her party out of Tangyuan, Chen Feng ensured that both Tangyuan and Luyuan had prepared return gifts.
She intended to ask Chen Yuqing for clarification but found Madam Jiang engaging her in conversation the entire time. As they reached the gate, after further instructions, the mother and daughters boarded the carriage and left.
Reflecting on Chen Yuqing’s words, Chen Feng began to piece things together. It seemed to involve Chu Lingxuan, suggesting that Yuhui had set her sights on him.
Chen Yuhui and the old lady had always believed that Chu Lingxuan was intended for Chen Yuhui. They thought Chen Shiying and Madam Jiang had arranged the marriage with Chen Feng. However, now that she was married to Chu Lingxuan, they sought to have Chen Yuhui become a concubine to Chu Lingxuan. With her pregnancy providing a perfect opportunity for such arrangements, Chen Yuhui was contemplating becoming Chu Lingxuan’s concubine?
The audacity of such a plan left Chen Feng astounded. Why settle for a lesser role when being the principal wife was just as good? Why aim lower?
Furthermore, Chen Shiying showed no sense of responsibility. He spoke sweetly to her, appeared affectionate, and seemed like a loving father. Yet, he treated his mother and Chen Yuhui with equal kindness, refusing to see their faults. Whenever things got complicated, he left it all to Madam Jiang to deal with. While Chen Yuhui was his biological daughter and the old lady his mother, they had no ties to Madam Jiang whatsoever.
Madam Jiang’s deep affection for him led her to willingly clean up his messes and seek his favor. Otherwise, who knows what might have happened. Returning to the Chen family would not have been helpful, instead, it would have brought more troubles.
Fortunately, Mrs. Wang married Chen Ming in the end. If she had married Chen Shiying, even if not chased away, she would have faced the turbulent atmosphere of the inner household.
Feeling somewhat irritated, Chen Feng closed the door and entered the space.
Inside, the Golden Swallow was there, lying on the ground, using its large wings to securely wrap the Golden Amber, warming it like a mother hen incubating a chick.
It had returned the previous afternoon and had sneaked into the space without a word exchanged between them.
The fragrant atmosphere in the space refreshed Chen Feng’s spirits, and seeing the Golden Swallow in such a caring manner lifted her mood.
She asked, “Is the baby incubating the Jinbei again?” Sitting beside them, she remarked, “Jinbei seems to have changed a bit, it’s darker, warm, and once I even thought I saw its tiny black eyes move. Can it really come back to life?”
The Golden Swallow opened its wings slightly, peeked inside, then closed them, chirping, “Yes, it has changed somewhat. Perhaps it can indeed come back to life, but we don’t know how long it will take.” It then mused about the future, “It would be great if it could come back to life soon, I’ll would have a companion, and winter wouldn’t be so lonely.”
Glancing at Chen Feng’s belly, the Golden Swallow spread its wings, placed Jinbei on the ground, and generously said, “For Mommy’s well-being and for my little brother and sister, let me get you some green swallow’s nest.”
It flew into the Golden House and returned, delicately carrying a small piece of green swallow’s nest in its beak.
Delighted, Chen Feng gracefully took the green swallow’s nest and placed it on her tongue, savoring its fragrance before regaining her composure.
She then held the Golden Swallow in her hands and kissed it, saying, “Thank you, my dear, you are so generous.”
The Golden Swallow licked its beak, then lay back down, cradling Jinbei, and chirped, “Mommy, yesterday, I flew to the capital for fun and saw that naughty princess at the Peach Blossom Banquet. I perched on a branch and discreetly dropped a piece of poop on her head. She didn’t notice and walked around with it on her head, and no one dared to tell her.”
Chen Feng laughed heartily at the amusing scene and praised the Golden Swallow for a job well done.
Third Madam Chu had recently sent a message, explaining that Princess Rong Zhao had been targeted by birds dropping excrement, causing panic in the capital. The Emperor personally had the celestial observatory check the omens and, upon finding no ill portents, felt reassured. However, Princess Rong Zhao was now unpopular and was advised to stay home, tend to her family, and avoid unnecessary attention, refraining from entering the palace unless necessary.
Princess Rong Zhao and her daughter had become unwelcome in the noble circles of the capital. Many avoided them, believing them to bring bad luck. Despite this, the mother and daughter couldn’t resist the isolation for long and soon ventured out again, only to have another bird incident occur.
Seeing her owner pleased, the Golden Swallow mentioned, “Rong Zhao may be mischievous, but she has plenty of treasures. Next time, I’ll steal some more jewelry from her. She has enough gold for building a house, but she lacks a few top-quality gemstones.”
Chen Feng replied, “Feel free to steal whatever you want from her. If you can get some banknotes…,” realizing banknotes might be traced and not easily spent, she corrected herself, “If you can steal more gold, pearls, cat’s eyes… Anything valuable.”
“Understood, let’s aim for a big score this time.” the Golden Swallow chirped mischievously, already scheming.
The next day, the Golden Swallow flew out alone, leaving behind Qiqi and Gray, and didn’t return for several days.
Nine days later, in the dead of night, Chen Feng was awakened by the chirping of the Golden Swallow. Opening her eyes, she saw the bright moonlight filtering through the window, casting a hazy glow in the room. She faintly observed the Golden Swallow dragging a large bundle onto the bed.
The size of the bundle indicated a significant haul this time. Excited, Chen Feng sat up, put on her nightclothes, and followed it to the space.
The Golden Swallow proudly said, “Mommy, open the bundle and take a look.”
Chen Feng unwrapped the bundle to find an assortment of colorful treasures: exquisite icy jade ornaments, Hetian jade figurines, white jade carved magnolia flowers, a jade pendant depicting dragons and phoenixes, as well as several unfamiliar small ornaments. Additionally, there were a dozen hairpins and hair clasps encrusted with cat’s eye gemstones, shimmering and stunning. Two embroidered boxes contained five night pearls each and five pearls the size of pigeon eggs.