Chарtеr 3: Тhе Contraсеptive Dеcoсtiоn
Аlthоugh Wеi Хun had instruсtеd thаt thеre was nо need to pау resресts tо Оld Mаdаm Wеi todaу, А’Yuan still rоse at the strоke оf mao hour.
Тhe firе in the сhаrcoаl brazier had mоstlу diеd оut. A’Yuan huggеd hеr quilt аnd shivеred, her muddlеd mind clеaring cоnsiderablу.
Chun Tаo, hearing thе mоvеment, рushеd the door оpеn аnd enterеd, followеd by а wоmаn with a lоng facе wearing а dаrk sаtin jacket.
The woman held а trаy in her hands. Upоn sеeing A’Yuan, shе gаve a slight nod and handed over the porcelain bowl from the tray.
“Madam Xie, please drink it while it’s hot.”
A’Yuan sat up straight and reached out to take it. The white porcelain bowl contained a pitch-black medicinal decoction. Even before tasting it, she could already smell its unbearable bitterness. Yet, as if accustomed to it, A’Yuan did not even furrow her brows.
After drinking the medicine, she returned the porcelain bowl to the woman and retrieved a pouch from beneath her pillow, pressing it into her hand. “Thank you for making the trip, Mama.”
“I am merely carrying out my duties for the master; I do not deserve your thanks,” said the woman who had risen early to brew the medicine. Clutching the pouch, her smile grew a touch more genuine.
She served in Old Madam Wei’s courtyard. Knowing that Wei Xun had visited the previous night, she had gone to the kitchen early that morning to prepare this bowl of contraceptive decoction, timing its delivery precisely for A’Yuan.
Wei Xun had not yet taken a wife. Neither he nor Old Madam Wei would allow A’Yuan to bear a first-born son out of wedlock before the future mistress of the household entered the manor.
A’Yuan was well aware of this, which was why she drank the contraceptive decoction without hesitation each time.
Having completed her task, the woman did not linger. Clutching the pouch, she left the Jade Clarity Courtyard.
Though A’Yuan held no official status, she was, after all, half a mistress. Apart from the few masters of the marquis’s household, she was usually the only one who could receive a few pieces of A’Yuan’s embroidery.
The woman served by Old Madam Wei’s side and had always possessed a discerning eye. Naturally, she knew how exquisite A’Yuan’s craftsmanship was.
Such a pouch, if sold outside, would fetch several taels of silver.
At this thought, the woman’s resentment over rising early vanished entirely.
She even began to hope that the young master would visit more often each month, allowing her to receive more rewards.
……
“Mistress, have some honeyed water to rinse your mouth.”
After the woman left, Chun Tao hurriedly poured a cup of honeyed water for A’Yuan to rinse her mouth.
Only after the bitterness in her mouth had subsided did A’Yuan finally unclench her tightly held palm.
In truth, she detested bitterness deeply, but ever since her parents passed away, no one had coaxed her to take medicine.
A child without anyone to dote on her always learned to be more sensible.
After enduring hardship, A’Yuan remembered well: in this world, aside from her parents, no one would indulge her whims any longer.
“Help me change clothes.”
“Yes.” Chun Tao nodded in agreement, placed the cup on the table, and turned to open the wardrobe.
“The young master has just returned; Old Madam is sure to be pleased. Why not wear this pomegranate-red silver-threaded jacket embroidered with golden butterflies among flowers? It looks festive.”
As she spoke, Chun Tao took out the garment.
A’Yuan shook her head. “The green one will do.”
Old Madam disliked her being ostentatious. Moreover, for a concubine to wear red was already a breach of propriety. This jacket and skirt had been made for A’Yuan, but she had never worn them.
“…Yes.”
Chun Tao set it down with a sigh and brought over the green jacket with a straight collar for her to change into.
The jacket and skirt were slightly loose and ill-fitting, effectively concealing A’Yuan’s alluring figure. The cuffs and collar were embroidered with lotus patterns she had stitched herself—elegant yet not vulgar—adding a touch of brightness to the otherwise plain attire.
After dressing, Chun Tao styled her hair into a spiral bun. Her raven-black tresses were piled at the back of her head, secured only by a single jade hairpin.A light dusting of powder on her face slightly concealed the dark circles under her eyes. A’Yuan had refused to wear heavy makeup, yet even like this, she was breathtakingly beautiful. One could hardly imagine how enchanting and radiant she would be if she were to dress up meticulously.
Chun Tao shook off her wandering thoughts and tucked a silver-wired hand warmer into A’Yuan’s hands. Only then did the mistress and maid make their way toward the front courtyard.
Old Madam Wei rose daily at the third quarter of the hour of Mao. A’Yuan and the others were expected to attend to her, but today they were already running late.
When she arrived, Second Mistress Zhao Wan and the concubines from Second Master’s quarters had indeed already gathered.
Old Madam Wei had given birth to three sons and one daughter. The eldest son, Wei Ming, had died young, leaving no one in his household. The second son, Wei Cong, had been frail since birth due to an illness contracted in the womb, and he remained bedridden year-round.
Fearing that her son might follow in his elder brother’s footsteps, Old Madam Wei doted on him excessively, granting his every wish. Particularly worried that Wei Cong might die young, she allowed him to take several concubines as he desired, hoping they would bear children and continue the family line. Yet to this day, only Zhao Wan had given birth to a son.
Just three years old, the entire household cherished him like the apple of their eye.
As for Third Master Wei Xun, he and his elder sister Wei Jin were twins. Having just turned twenty-five after the New Year, he had no other women in his quarters besides A’Yuan.
Even A’Yuan had been forced upon him by Old Madam Wei.
In his eyes, only official duties mattered. If not for his twice-monthly visits to the Jade Clarity Courtyard, Old Madam Wei would have truly believed her third son was destined to become a monk.
“Well, it seems someone gained support last night when Third Master returned, making all of us wait for you.”
As soon as A’Yuan and her maid entered the room, Second Mistress Zhao Wan couldn’t resist launching an attack.
Old Zhou had been beaten and driven out last night, and Zhao Wan was still seething with anger.
That little seductress, always running to men with complaints! If she were in her household, she’d tear that mouth of hers to shreds!
Zhao Wan’s appearance was unremarkable. Her round face, paired with narrow, slanted eyes, gave her a somewhat mean-spirited look. At this moment, she stood with her hands on her hips, her gaze toward A’Yuan filled with jealousy and resentment. Behind her, the two concubines from the second branch covered their mouths, their eyes flashing with mockery.
Truth be told, none of them failed to envy A’Yuan.
As fellow Thin Horses, it was one thing for her to be the most beautiful, but she also had the good fortune to enter the quarters of the heir, Wei Xun. Even if Wei Xun was cold and indifferent, showing her little favor, it was still far better than serving a lecherous invalid like them.
Thus, when Zhao Wan suddenly lashed out, they were all too happy to watch A’Yuan become the laughingstock.
A’Yuan tightened her grip on the silver-wired hand warmer and was about to explain when Old Madam Wei emerged from the inner chamber, supported by a maid.
“What is all this noise?”
She wore a jacket embroidered with floral and longevity patterns, a brown headband adorned with eastern pearls across her forehead. Though advanced in years, one could still see traces of the beauty she possessed in her youth.
Zhao Wan shot A’Yuan a venomous glare before eagerly stepping forward to support the old madam.
“It’s all because of A’Yuan. Last night, as soon as Third Master returned, he punished a lowly servant woman on her behalf. That old woman, forgetful in her age, had neglected to deliver charcoal to the Jade Clarity Courtyard for two days. A’Yuan kept quiet about it, only complaining to Third Master upon his return. Old Zhou was given twenty lashes and sent to the estate overnight. Amitabha, in this bitter cold, if anything were to happen to her, wouldn’t it become Third Master’s sin?”
Zhao Wan was clever with her words, and Old Madam Wei, a devout Buddhist who especially believed in karma, grew visibly displeased when Wei Xun’s name was implicated.
But Old Madam Wei had spent most of her life navigating the intricacies of the inner household. How could she not see through the hidden schemes behind such matters?
No matter how bold Old Zhou might have been, she would never have dared to withhold supplies from the heir’s courtyard. In the end, it was Zhao Wan who had deliberately made things difficult.She lifted the cup, gently skimming off the froth, her expression unreadable. “Later, send two bottles of the finest golden wound medicine over. Let her recuperate well for a few months.”
“…Yes.”
Zhao Wan’s smile froze at the corners of her lips. This was certainly not the outcome she had hoped for.
Zhou Mama was her dowry servant, yet Wei Xun had made an example of her by driving her out of the estate. Wasn’t this a slap in her face?
If the matter were brushed aside so lightly, what authority would she have left in this household?
“Mother, it’s not that I deliberately meant to make things difficult for A’Yuan. Zhou Mama brought this upon herself by doing wrong. But the third young master had just returned home and hadn’t even rested before A’Yuan clung to him for half the night. Today, she deliberately slept in. Fortunately, the third young master hasn’t married yet. If his future wife were to enter the household and A’Yuan still behaved this way, wouldn’t she cause trouble between the couple?”
“Slap!”
Zhao Wan’s words had struck Old Madam Wei’s sore spot. Concubines vying for favor was a major taboo in the marquis’s household. Back then, she had chosen A’Yuan precisely because, despite her striking beauty, her eyes held clarity. Now, it seemed she had grown arrogant from being spoiled.
The cup slammed onto the table. Old Madam Wei, intending to temper her disposition, lifted her gaze and cast a cold, stern look her way.
“Since she slept in, let her go kneel in the ancestral hall.”