Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 397

Chapter 397: Returning Home

An Zhi was half asleep when she heard the words “Madam of He.” She opened her eyes abruptly and saw the bright daylight outside. She quickly sat up, holding her waist. “Have Chunlan make tea for Madam of He first. I’ll get dressed quickly.”

Binglu smiled and said, “Chunlan has already made arrangements. Madam of He told us to let you take your time. There’s no need to rush. She has plenty of time.”

“It’s better to hurry. It’s not nice to keep people waiting.” An Zhi hurriedly got up, styled her hair into a simple bun, applied some lip balm, and left the inner room.

Xu Wenjuan had just picked up her teacup to sip when she saw An Zhi emerge from the inner room. Her hair curled slightly, her face rosy and as fresh as a blooming peach blossom. She sighed, “No wonder Pei Que wants to torture you. If I were a man, seeing you like this, I wouldn’t even attend the morning court.”

The maids in the room all smiled softly at this. They all saw how much their son-in-law loved his wife.

An Zhi sat down next to Xu Wenjuan and reached out to pinch her arm. “Your mouth is truly obscene.”

At this point, She heard Binglu say breakfast was ready. She glanced at Xu Wenjuan and took her arm again. “Alright, let’s eat together. We can talk after we’re full.”

“Oh, I’m not eating anymore. I’ll get fat.” Xu Wenjuan said that she didn’t want to eat, but she still sat down with An Zhi and shared a large bowl of porridge and several snacks. “The food here is really good. The food back home is just average. I can’t get used to the things He Xun likes.”

After Xu Wenjuan had finished her meal, she sat down to the side, holding her stomach.

An Zhi ate more slowly, finishing the last mouthful of porridge and wiping her mouth before returning to the couch.

“I’ve heard all about your family’s affairs.” Xu Wenjuan winked at the maidservant nearby. A moment later, the maidservant returned with a woman in her thirties, dressed in unusual attire. She clearly wasn’t from the capital. “This is Ya Lan’er, the best female poison master serving He Xun. He Xun wants to lend her to you for a while. Please treat her well.”

An Zhi’s gaze rested on Ya Lan’er, a tall woman with tanned skin. Seeing her bow, she nodded. “Ya Lan’er, I’ll be troubling you from now on. Binglu, take Ya Lan’er to the west wing to rest. Let her get accustomed to the Pei Mansion today. We’ll begin our studies tomorrow.”

Binglu gestured to Ya Lan’er and led her out.

Xu Wenjuan withdrew her gaze from Ya Lan’er’s back and shook her head. “If you hadn’t been poisoned, I really wouldn’t have recommended you learn poisons. You don’t know the creatures the poison masters in my Mansion have. Each one is more terrifying than the other; just looking at them is terrifying.”

An Zhi took a sip of tea to clear the porridge from her mouth. “I’m not trying to make poisons; I’m mainly trying to learn how to identify them, so I will be able to tell if I’m poisoned in the future. I learned a little bit at your Mansion before, but it’s not enough.”

“I can’t learn this anyway,” Xu Wenjuan snorted. “But since you’ve suffered a loss, you should learn it well. Learning more never hurts.”

An Zhi nodded and offered Xu Wenjuan some tea.

Xu Wenjuan stayed with An Zhi for most of the day before leaving. Before she left, An Zhi gave her a lot of tea.

The next morning, An Zhi called Ya Lan’er over, intending to learn how to identify poisons with her.

Ya Lan’er glanced around the master bedroom and shook her head. “Madam, please clear out a secluded room where no one else goes. Things like poison, once taken out, will have a certain smell. Learning in your room wouldn’t be a good idea.”

After hearing Ya Lan’er’s words, An Zhi realized they needed to find another room. She asked Binglu to lead the cleaning. “Ya Lan’er, if I want to identify all the poisons, how long will it take?”

Ya Lan’er smiled faintly. “Madam, it would probably take a lifetime. Even the most skilled poison master in our Jiuyi tribe doesn’t know some poisons.”

“Then I’ll try to learn as much as I can,” An Zhi said.

Identifying poisons wasn’t difficult, but some poisons couldn’t be identified with the naked eye, and An Zhi couldn’t smell them. So, after two days of learning from Ya Lan’er, she still encountered some difficulties, but she was making some progress.

On the day Shi Shi returned, An Zhi had to put her poison identification studies on hold. She woke up early in the morning and went to the aunt’s courtyard to help prepare things for the return visit.

Pei Qingyan was unhappy with her daughter’s marriage, and her temper was worsening. Seeing An Zhi approach, she gave a perfunctory smile.

An Zhi, receiving a cold reception, felt unhappy. After Binglu and the others put down their gifts, she turned and left the aunt’s courtyard, intending to return around lunchtime. However, just as she passed through the archway leading back to the Pei Mansion, she saw Lin Shuyao approaching.

Lin Shuyao was still the County Princess Consort, so An Zhi had to bow.

“Madam of Pei’s courtyard is so huge! I almost got lost,” Lin Shuyao teased.

An Zhi said softly, “It’s indeed quite large. County Princess Consort, please don’t wander around. Otherwise, if you stray into an empty courtyard and get bitten by a poisonous insect, it’ll be terrible.”

She didn’t want to talk to Lin Shuyao anymore and was about to leave, but Lin Shuyao stopped her.

“Why are you in such a hurry to leave, Madam of Pei? Logically, you should be entertaining the guests now.” Lin Shuyao couldn’t deal with An Zhi now, so she said as many disgusting words as she could.

“My aunt is a capable woman, so the County Princess doesn’t need to worry about it. You should think more about the County Prince’s recent beauties. I heard two of them are pregnant.” An Zhi, unwilling to be outdone, deliberately glanced at Lin Shuyao’s flat belly. “Oh, I’m too narrow-minded. I heard the County Princess is also very happy. And indeed, when those children are born, they will be brought to you to raise, and they will all call you mother.”

After the fake pregnancy incident, Lin Shuyao was completely unfavored by Li Yao. Li Yao even publicly announced that if anything happened to the two pregnant concubines, Lin Shuyao would be held responsible. So, not only could Lin Shuyao not touch the concubines this time, but she also had to protect their unborn children.

Lin Shuyao, touched by An Zhi’s prick, glared and wanted to curse, but An Zhi’s maid had already pushed her away, and the master and servants fled.

“What’s there to be proud of? You’re just a chicken that can’t lay eggs!” Lin Shuyao snorted softly. Turning around, she saw Madam Li standing on the other side of the archway. She quickly suppressed her anger and said to First Madam of Pei with a smile, “Hello, First Madam of Pei. Why have you lost so much weight? Is something bothering you?”

Madam Li had overheard An Zhi and Lin Shuyao’s conversation. As she heard Lin Shuyao greet her, she recalled the curses she had just used against An Zhi. Her eyes rolled, and she gave her a faint smile. “Yes, something’s happened to my sister-in-law at home, and I’m worried about her.”

“Sister-in-law?” Lin Shuyao’s thoughts shifted, and she whispered tentatively, “What’s wrong?”

“Well, it’s nothing serious. It’s just that An Zhi hasn’t gotten pregnant since marrying into our Pei family, and Father is a little worried…”