From Hoarding to Time-Travel: My Supplies Saved Him

Chapter 732: Chapter 734: Exclusion

Ming Yue and the other three great maids who had just arrived at her side were not simple either.

Not only had they undergone the devilish training of several shopkeepers, but their martial arts skills had also been approved by Mr. Wu.

With the four of them protecting her, the danger could be reduced by more than half.

Moreover, the guards and drivers assigned to Jin Qianqian were no ordinary people. It would be truly difficult for anyone to play tricks on them.

"I’m just afraid of those underhanded tactics used in the inner courtyard," Lichun reminded her softly. "Should I write a letter to invite Nanny Duan over?"

Nanny Duan was skilled in medicine. She hadn’t followed them to Lu City before because she wasn’t needed there.

At that time, Lu City was in turmoil, and there were very few wives of the heads of households. Even if there were, their husbands’ official ranks were lower than Gu Wenheng’s. If Jin Qianqian found them disagreeable, she simply didn’t socialize with them.

But the situation here was much more complicated. Every household had a head Madam, and most of these women came from aristocratic families. When they gathered together, it was as if they were staging grand dramas all day long.

Jin Qianqian was also hesitating over this matter. "Nanny Duan is getting old, after all, and the journey is far. It’s better not to subject her to such an ordeal."

If this had been a few years ago, Jin Qianqian might have asked Nanny Duan to go through the trouble.

But she was already nearly fifty when she arrived at the manor. In her earlier years, she had also suffered for a time in the palace. As she grew older, her health was no longer what it used to be.

Currently, she was in a state of semi-recuperation at the manor while also training others. Jin Qianqian was genuinely afraid that even if she endured the hardship to travel here, she wouldn’t be able to adapt to the climate. If she were to suffer from acclimatization issues, it would be an even bigger problem.

When they first entered this region, quite a few of her subordinates had shown symptoms of acclimatization issues. It was only after a period of rest that they slowly recovered.

"Hasn’t Nanny Duan taken on a few apprentices these past few years?" Lichun felt that this was the perfect time to make use of those people.

"I’ll write a letter later, but if they haven’t completed their apprenticeship, Nanny Duan won’t agree to let them go." Before she set off, Jin Qianqian had already sent someone to ask, but Nanny Duan had refused.

Although they had learned most of the pharmacology, they still hadn’t met her standards. She said they needed to be trained for a while longer before she dared to place them by Jin Qianqian’s side.

Besides, she had already made two sets of preparations. She had also sent a letter to General Zhou; perhaps there would be good news before long.

"You don’t need to be so nervous. The underhanded tricks of the inner courtyard are nothing more than those few types. As long as we pay attention when we go out and keep people by our side, it’ll be fine." In Jin Qianqian’s spatial domain, she had stored several good medicines prepared by that divine doctor, Guo Yurong.

A few years ago, in order to follow them out to sea, Guo Yurong needed some medicinal herbs but couldn’t go up the mountain to pick them, so they were all purchased through Jin Qianqian.

Since they passed through Jin Qianqian’s hands, she naturally took the opportunity to ask for some benefits.

Every time, Guo Yulong would give her thirty percent of the medicines she concocted. In this way, accumulating over time, not only the variety but also the quantity was very impressive.

For instance, she had stored over a dozen of those poison pills in her spatial domain that were hard to buy outside even with a thousand pieces of gold.

"We’ll have to deal with these people in the future, so whatever is meant to come will come." Seeing the several maids beside her acting as if they were facing a formidable enemy, Jin Qianqian smiled and said, "Don’t be so nervous. I’m an official’s wife, after all. Even if they want to scheme against me, they’ll have to weigh the consequences first."

Lichun was left speechless.

「Sometime later.」

In the banquets that followed, Jin Qianqian experienced Mrs. Liang He’s pettiness firsthand.

Many Madams who had previously interacted with her seemed particularly cold when facing her. They would just exchange a brief greeting and then go about their own business. Their intention to ostracize her was obvious.

Whenever this happened, Mrs. Liang He would flash her a provocative smile. Jin Qianqian couldn’t help but shake her head secretly in her heart.

She wondered how a Second-Grade Imperial Decree Lady could be so short-sighted and act so ostentatiously. It was truly unknown when such behavior would cause trouble in her own backyard.

Jin Qianqian silently noted these people in her mind. For the subsequent banquet invitations, she declined whatever she could, as if she had vanished from the circle of Madams in Yongchang County overnight.

This, in turn, left the hostesses of the banquets feeling uncomfortable.

They understood that they had indeed gone too far these past few days, but Mrs. Liang He, the Governor’s Wife, was not someone they could afford to offend either.

While currying favor with the Governor’s Wife, they didn’t truly want to offend Mrs. Gu.

"Is Mrs. Gu not coming again today?" Several Madams sat together, occasionally glancing at Mrs. Liang He, who was seated not far away.

Mrs. Wang pinched her handkerchief and said with a look of disdain, "If I were her, I wouldn’t come either.

"Some people are simply taking things too far. Since they took the initiative to host a banquet, they should at least maintain the dignity of a host. Inviting someone over only to give them the cold shoulder—what kind of behavior is that?"

Madam Li said, "What else could be done? Lady Liang has already had her subordinates pass on the word. Between the two of them, one has to be offended."

Who would they choose to offend? Wasn’t the choice obvious?

Mrs. Wang continued, "It’s actually quite good for Mrs. Gu to act this way. Since everyone is giving her the cold shoulder, why should she come here to suffer this humiliation?

"As for the rest of you hoping for her to show up, do you just want to watch a good show? Or do you want to join in the bullying too?"

Mrs. Xiao retorted, "Mrs. Wang, you’re going a bit too far with those words. What does it have to do with us? We didn’t get involved in this.

"As low-ranking official dependents, who can we afford to offend?

"They say when deities fight, mortals suffer. We’ve been attending banquets these past few days, trembling with fear every day. Aren’t we just getting caught in the crossfire?

"Just look at the banquets these days. Where is the purity they used to have?"

Pinching her handkerchief, Mrs. Wang covered her mouth and laughed. "Purity? That’s quite funny coming from you, Mrs. Xiao. Every time you squeeze in with us, it’s merely to protect yourself.

"When has any of these banquets ever been pure? It’s just that people like us have little power and our words carry no weight. We’re only here to make up the numbers and fill the seats.

"You don’t need to tremble with fear, either. They don’t even care about small fries like us."

With that, she turned her gaze toward Mrs. Xiao. "Don’t stare straight ahead like that. Originally, they didn’t take us seriously, but if you keep acting this way, you’ll be dragging yourself into the mess. If they decide to take their anger out on you, don’t drag the rest of us down with you."

Mrs. Xiao practically buried her head in her chest, her tone laced with panic. "No way, no way, I just took a tiny peek. I’m doomed. When I go back this time, who knows how badly my master will scold me."

It was bad enough that she couldn’t be of any help, but if she caused trouble and brought it back home this time, her life would truly be unbearable.

A Madam beside them started laughing. "Mrs. Xiao, you’ve been tricked by Mrs. Wang. There’s no such thing at all.

"We’re seated so far away and barely rank at this banquet. Who would take us seriously enough to specifically keep an eye on us?"