“Chenxing, I am doing this for the good of our family—for your own good!”
“The Duke of Wei’s estate is the maternal home of the late Empress Dowager. Their rules are strict, the household is large, and many eyes watch their every move.”
“Your elder sister has been learning etiquette from a governess since she was a child. Her words and deeds are cautious and proper. If she marries into the Duke’s estate, our Xue family will be respected, and that will benefit you as well.”
“Although the Cui family cannot compare to a Duke’s estate, they are still a prestigious family. Madam Cui is easy to get along with. If you marry into that house, you will be able to live more freely.”
Xue Chenxing gazed blankly out the window, her mother’s nagging voice droning in her ears.
As midsummer approached, the trees and flowers outside the window grew lush, casting mottled shadows. Hidden on some branch, a cicada chirped incessantly with a shrill, piercing cry.
It was just as noisy as her mother!
Madam Xue’s throat was dry from speaking, yet seeing Xue Chenxing’s dull expression as if she hadn’t heard a word, her anger flared. “Are you even listening to me?”
Madam Xue’s maid, Chunxi, stepped forward at the right moment to offer tea, saying with a smile, “This is Pre-Rain tea newly purchased from Qingfeng Tea House. This servant chilled it with well water.”
Xue Chenxing’s vacant gaze finally shifted.
She lowered her eyes, looking at the tea in the cup on the table.
Chunxi took the opportunity to add, “The Madam dotes on the Second Young Lady the most. The procurement officer only bought this tea yesterday, and as soon as the Second Young Lady arrived today, the Madam ordered me to brew it specifically for her.”
Madam Xue suppressed her anger and softened her tone. “You are, after all, flesh of my flesh. If it weren’t for Dong…”
She paused, glancing toward the inner room. “If someone hadn’t committed such malice, you wouldn’t have grown up in the country manor. How could I not love you?”
“Your nature is… wild… no, innocent and romantic. If you went to the Duke of Wei’s estate, those rules would bind you so tightly you would likely suffocate from the boredom.”
Xue Chenxing picked up the teacup and took a sip. Her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly before she slowly set the cup back down.
“It is because I truly care for you that I want you to marry into the Cui family.”
Xue Chenxing finally spoke. “I remember Father mentioning that the young master of the Cui family is merely an Assistant of the Court of Imperial Treasuries.”
“The second son of the Duke of Wei, however, is now a Director in the Ministry of Rites—a highly sought-after young talent.”
Madam Xue’s expression changed slightly. “Do not look down on the young master of the Cui family. Did your grandfather not also start as a minor official and rise step by step to build such a great estate for us?”
Xue Chenxing smiled. “Since Young Master Cui is so wonderful, why doesn’t Mother let my elder sister marry him? Perhaps Sister would then become the first Gaoming Lady in our family.”
The anger Madam Xue had suppressed surged back up, her face frosting over. “How can you be so ungrateful!”
“The Duke of Wei’s family are imperial relatives; they associate with people from the palace.”
“You’ve developed a wild streak from growing up in the countryside. You have no sitting posture, no eating manners, and you even talk back to your elders.”
“With a temperament like yours, if you entered the Duke’s estate, heaven knows how much trouble you would cause and how many jokes you would become. Your father wouldn’t be able to hold his head up in court ever again.”
Xue Chenxing lowered her eyelids and remained silent.
Chunxi fanned Madam Xue with a silk fan, smiling cautiously. “Madam, please don’t be angry. Speak to the Second Young Lady slowly; she will eventually understand your painstaking efforts.”
“Look at her! Can she understand? She—”
“If my elder sister takes my place as the legitimate daughter of the Xue family to marry into a high-ranking household, what benefits can Mother give me?” Xue Chenxing interrupted her.
Madam Xue didn’t react for a moment. “Benefits?”
A cold sneer touched the corners of Xue Chenxing’s mouth. “Though I grew up in a country manor, I am still the child you gave birth to. My elder sister may have grown up by your side and been taught by a governess, but her biological mother is Dong Xiaoniang.”
“The Duke of Wei’s estate consists of imperial relatives. What they seek to marry is naturally the legitimate daughter of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.”
“Since Mother wants my elder sister to marry into the Duke’s estate under the title of the legitimate daughter while I marry into the Cui family, surely you must give me some benefits?”
Madam Xue’s face turned unsightly, and the disgust in her eyes as she stared at Xue Chenxing overflowed. “What do you want?”
Xue Chenxing did not beat around the bush. “My dowry must be double that of my elder sister.”
“What?”
Not only was Madam Xue shocked, but all the maids present looked at Xue Chenxing in consternation.
A woman’s dowry was her confidence in her husband’s house and the face of her maternal family.
A daughter of the Xue family marrying into a Duke’s estate? The dowry would naturally have to be lavish; otherwise, how could she stand tall among imperial relatives in the future?
Xue Chenxing had asked for double that amount. If the Duke’s estate found out, how would they view the Xue daughter who married in, and how would they be willing to help the Xue family?
For Madam Xue, this was a very difficult position.
She still had two sons and hoped to rely on the Duke’s estate to support them in the future.
“Rest assured, I will not wrong you with your dowry,” Madam Xue said, without making a firm promise.
She craftily said only that she wouldn’t “wrong” her.
Xue Chenxing’s smile did not reach her eyes. “I have already been wronged. I want a dowry double my sister’s. Whenever Mother agrees, I shall agree as well.”
She stood up and gave Madam Xue a graceful curtsy. “I am hungry and wish to eat roasted chicken. I won’t disturb Mother further.”
Without waiting for Madam Xue’s reply, she walked out on her own.
Madam Xue was nearly floored by rage. She pointed at Xue Chenxing’s retreating back, her voice trembling. “Do you see her? Does she have even a hint of the grace expected of a young lady from a prestigious family?”
“A girl fighting over a dowry… truly a brat raised in the wild, she is simply unpresentable!”
“Calculating and selfish to the core. With a disposition like hers, let alone the Duke’s estate, I fear even the Cui family would come to our door to complain.”
A slender, beautiful girl emerged from the inner room. She supported Madam Xue’s back and said timidly, “Mother, please don’t be angry with Second Sister. It is all my fault. Second Sister only spoke that way because she is unhappy.”
This was Xue Chenxing’s elder sister, Xue Chenyue.
“Mother, do not be troubled. If Second Sister is unwilling, I will marry into the Cui family.”
“No!” Madam Xue said flatly. “You must marry into the Duke of Wei’s estate.”
Perhaps because her voice was too loud, Xue Chenyue couldn’t help but shrink her shoulders.
Seeing this, Madam Xue softened her voice and said earnestly, “The marriages of families like ours are tied to the interests of the clan.”
“The second son of the Duke of Wei is a rising star with a boundless future. Countless families in the capital wish to become in-laws with the Duke’s estate.”
She took Xue Chenyue’s hand. “You grew up by my side and are a good child. I have high hopes for you.”
“After you marry into the Duke’s estate and gain the trust of the Old Madam and the Second Young Master, our Xue family will be able to share in the glory.”
She squeezed her hand firmly, offering a heavy exhortation. “Chenxing is senseless, but you are sensible. You must remember my words.”
Xue Chenyue nodded obediently. “Daughter understands.”
Xue Chenxing left Madam Xue’s room. Halfway back, she suddenly stopped and tilted her head back to look at the sun in the sky.
The sunlight pierced her eyes, causing them to sting. She looked down and rubbed her reddened eyes.
The maid following behind, Hanlu, whispered, “The Madam is too biased! You are clearly the one the Madam gave birth to, yet the Madam favors the Eldest Young Lady so much.”