Rebirth: Contract Husband Falls in Love with Me-Chapter 426 - 218: Scheming

"Yes, Mrs. Shi!" Xingzhi respectfully replied.

"What do you mean by this, big sister!" Gu Fangzi was furious, as the punishment intended for Xingzhi was a clear slap in her own face.

Sang Wan smiled and said, "The maids do not understand the rules; they even dare to slack off without reporting, let alone other matters? I’ve long wanted to discipline them, but what about you, little sister, asking me like this—what do you mean by that!"

Gu Fangzi stared at Sang Wan in disbelief, filled with amazement. In her wildest dreams, she had not expected that the always courteous and gentle Sang Wan would show such a tough side. With Shi Fengju away, she did not care about anyone else in this estate. With her clever tactics, couldn’t she do whatever she wanted? As for Sang Wan, she cared even less! In her view, what could someone with such a weak and gentle nature do?

"You’ve finally shown your true colors!" Gu Fangzi sneered, "I must have been blind to underestimate you! I wonder if young master would still think you’re gentle and graceful upon seeing you now! You’re quite the actress!" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The faces of Xingzhi and Lan Xiang changed drastically, and both hung their heads in silence.

Sang Wan did not respond to her, and simply said indifferently, "Do you have anything else? If not, please leave! I am busy here!"

This wretched woman, she dares to send me away! Gu Fangzi glared at her with hate, teeth clenched, "We shall see! Sang Wan, you’ve taken my servant, and I, Gu Fangzi, will not rest until death; mark my words!" Having said that, she abruptly stood up and strode out.

Lan Xiang’s legs felt weak as she stumbled hurriedly after her.

The room fell into sudden silence, and after a moment, Xingzhi stepped forward with an apologetic smile, "Mrs. Shi, don’t take her crazy words to heart! The tea has gone cold; I’ll get you a fresh cup!"

Sang Wan nodded with a smile. Gu Fangzi was always like that, did it matter whether she took those words to heart or not? How vexing, why hasn’t Fengju returned? Once he’s back, he would take care of these matters.

Since that day Gu Fangzi left with a threat, she never appeared in Ningyuan again. Days passed without her causing any trouble, and in front of Mrs. Wang, she was all smiles, calling Sang Wan "sister" so much that it made Sang Wan’s skin crawl. It was astonishing that someone like that existed in the world, truly beyond belief.

One day, Third Madam Shi suddenly visited, and Sang Wan hurriedly greeted her with a smile and they talked together in the warm pavilion.

Sang Wan had helped Third Madam Shi find an agreeable estate and farm, and hence Third Madam Shi’s treatment of her had changed. Actually, Sang Wan felt somewhat uneasy because apart from assisting Third Madam Shi, she also wanted to buy some land. Ultimately, she spent over three thousand silver to purchase 200 acres of prime farmland and 50 acres of mountain estates near Guangshan in the southern suburbs, secretly arranging for Liu Ya to manage them.

After some casual conversation, Third Madam Shi suddenly said with a smile, "Miss Wan, I don’t consider you an outsider, so I have something to say, and you must not take it to heart after you hear it!"

"Auntie can just speak frankly, Miss Wan is not so foolish!" Sang Wan replied with a smile, secretly wary and wondering what Third Madam Shi meant by that.

"Then I will speak frankly!" Third Madam Shi said with a smile, "This matter is quite amusing. The other day, one of my maids, I don’t know where she heard some gossip, and she parroted it in front of me. Those words were not pleasant, and I was reluctant to mention them, but as I have started the topic in your presence, I might as well clarify them, or you might be confused!"

Third Madam Shi then casually recounted what she had heard while laughing. It turned out that some servants in the house had been gossiping, saying that their third house did not know how to behave, acting pretentious after serving so many years in office, and not providing any support to the family. Coming back, they were full of demands and made incessant troubles, and there were rumors that they planned to renovate Qinghui Garden soon, which was obviously meant to cause trouble for Mrs. Shi and young master. Who knows when they might leave for an official posting again!

Having heard this, the maid wanted to see who was talking but could not get a clear view through the fence and flower bushes, and the two gossipers walked further away as they talked, so she returned to Jicui Pavilion and repeated everything word for word to Third Madam Shi.

If this was before the recent events, Third Madam Shi would have been furious and blamed Sang Wan, but lately, she has been so grateful to Sang Wan and Shi Fengju that the thought of harboring any grudge was far removed. Although she was momentarily displeased upon hearing those words, she quickly calmed down and asked the maid a few more questions, and even managed a cold laugh.

Third Madam Shi was not someone who hadn’t seen the world, nor was she foolish. Observing from the sidelines over these days, she saw Gu Fangzi climb up and down, winning people’s hearts everywhere, especially ingratiating herself with Mrs. Wang. Third Madam Shi concluded for sure that Gu Fangzi was not a content concubine. In Third Madam Shi’s opinion, a concubine who does not stay in her place deserves to die.

Realizing there must be a catch in this matter, Third Madam Shi suspected it related to Gu Fangzi who had been causing such a ruckus recently. She wanted to use Third Madam Shi to create trouble for Sang Wan—an audacious move!

Regarding Gu Fangzi and Shi Fengju’s past as childhood sweethearts, Third Madam Shi did not know. All she knew was that Shi Fengju was very protective and affectionate toward Sang Wan, his wife from a minor family. Not to mention anything else, just for the sake of her nephew Shi Fengju, the current Third Madam Shi would absolutely not fall out with Sang Wan. She and her husband, even if they were to go out for official duties for a year or two, would eventually need to return to their roots. Every year, they still needed financial support from the family. Since Shi Fengju was managing the family’s business, offending him was the last thing she wanted!

Not to mention, after getting to know Sang Wan, she genuinely liked her niece-in-law.

After much thought, Third Madam Shi decided to tell Sang Wan about this matter, to have Sang Wan owe her a favor and to keep herself guarded.