“Good child~~” Donna Smith hugged the little chubby boy tightly again, then took the heavenly book, looked around the room, found a wooden box, and carefully placed the book inside. After staying for a moment and regaining her composure, she finally walked out unhurriedly and called out, “Zhang-shi, take Dalang back to his room and let him rest!” Immediately, a woman came in. The little chubby boy bowed to his mother, then followed the woman out, hopping and skipping. Normally, if he behaved like this, Donna Smith would certainly scold him, but at this moment, she couldn’t be bothered.

“You all, come in here!”

The household servants who had accompanied Henry Clark outside entered, trembling with fear. Donna Smith looked at them coldly, saying nothing, but in her heart she was considering whether to get rid of these people. These people knew about the goldfish, and the loose-tongued maid had even gossiped outside, causing all the villagers to know that the marquis’s residence had received an auspicious sign. Killing them would not be difficult, but if she were to kill, she would have to kill them all at once. Eliminating so many people at once, even if no one investigated, would still seem suspicious.

These fools had really created a problem for her.

In this cold and tense atmosphere, a long time passed before Donna Smith finally softened her expression and said with some displeasure, “This time, in order to please Dalang, you pretended there was some auspicious sign and deceived the villagers. How do you expect outsiders to view our family with such behavior?”

The servants were stunned. They glanced at the large fish being dissected and gleaming with golden light. A few immediately realized what was happening, and instantly bowed low, saying, “We are gravely at fault. We should not have sprinkled gold dust on the big fish to please the young master and falsely claimed it was an auspicious sign. We know our guilt!” The rest quickly followed suit, kowtowing and admitting their guilt. Only then did Donna Smith nod and say, “Considering your usual service, you will be fined two months’ wages. Do you accept this punishment?”

“We all accept. Thank you, madam, for your mercy.”

“This fish will be used to nourish Dalang’s health. As for that ‘fake auspicious sign,’ you must go and explain it properly to the villagers and the local officials, so that no more trouble arises.” Immediately, several cooks took the goldfish away. The servants seemed to understand something, and all looked uneasy and fearful. Donna Smith narrowed her eyes and said, “Though my husband died young, my son is still the Marquis of Jiedu Pavilion, and the current emperor’s grandnephew. I also have an elder brother and two nephews helping to manage affairs. If anyone dares to gossip outside, even if it costs me this marquisate, I will see their entire clan destroyed!!”

“We will strictly obey madam’s orders and dare not utter a word!”

……

Donna Smith was indeed ruthless, though her political skills were somewhat lacking. After Henry Clark ascended the throne, both Donna Smith and her clan dragged him down quite a bit. Of course, as a mother, Donna Smith was very fond of Abraham Lincoln. As for how she knew there was a book in the fish’s belly—this trope of a book hidden in a fish’s belly is not just used by Old Wolf; it was already overused in ancient times. Also, this woman is very ambitious. After Abraham Lincoln took the throne, her various actions made this clear. Of course, you’ll see more of this as the story goes on. Old Wolf hopes to write an authentic depiction of that era. Someone asked me why Abraham Lincoln is a chubby boy. Well… chubby kids are just cuter, right? Old Wolf has no evidence that Abraham Lincoln was chubby as a child… but people who are this absurd and lazy usually end up chubby, don’t they?

Chapter 0003: Steward of the Residence

“Good.” Donna Smith nodded, her gaze no longer so cold. She continued, “Send someone to invite the steward back. The rest of you may leave!” Only then did the servants breathe a sigh of relief, rise, bow, and withdraw slowly.

As for these servants, Donna Smith relaxed her mind a little. Han people have always valued trust and loyalty, and besides, they were household servants of the marquis’s residence, sharing in its fortunes and misfortunes. She figured they wouldn’t do anything to harm the household.

Afterwards, Donna Smith took two strong maids and went to the kitchen. She came from a humble background; her father and grandfather were merely wealthy landowners with some property. But after marrying into the marquis’s residence, she hadn’t set foot in the kitchen for a long time.

As soon as she entered, she saw the kitchen staff gathered around the goldfish, all watching intently, not noticing that the mistress had come in. One of the strong maids shouted, “How dare you be so disrespectful!”

At the sound, the cooks quickly turned around. Seeing the mistress, they were so frightened that they bowed at once. Donna Smith waved her hand and said, “This is a gift from heaven for my son. You are trusted members of the household. When my son prospers, you will all benefit.”

“Thank you, madam, for your great kindness!” Whether sincere or not, they all put on a show of loyalty and gratitude. Donna Smith smiled and nodded, pretending to help them up, and said, “Then get back to work.” With that, she didn’t leave, but stood to the side with the two strong maids, watching. Under the mistress’s gaze, everyone became busy at once—some tending the stove, some sharpening knives, coming and going.

Donna Smith was unwilling to leave. She felt that since this goldfish had a heavenly book in its belly, it must be extraordinary. If her son ate it, it would surely be beneficial. So she stood there waiting, not feeling tired at all. The cooks plucked the golden scales and were about to clean out the innards, when they suddenly discovered the goldfish had no internal organs. Startled, they could only chop the big fish into several pieces and put it into the pot to cook.