Wang Ziteng Is Helping the Yan Family
Feng-jie was truly caught between a rock and a hard place. If she failed to bring Miss Lin back today, Old Madam Jia would certainly refuse to let the matter rest.
Yet if she wanted to bring Miss Lin over, she could not get around this Miss Yan. Madam Wang was unwilling to yield, and she had spoken so harshly that surely Madam Lin would not simply swallow her anger.
Sure enough, after Daiyu and Yan Xianzhi exchanged greetings, Madam Lin immediately picked up her tea and saw them off.
“I have already made myself clear. Since Second Madam is unwilling, let us forget about this matter. Please return home.”
Madam Wang was quite pleased with herself and actually rose to leave.
Feng-jie was inwardly crying out in distress. She no longer cared about appearances and hurriedly caught hold of Madam Wang, whispering into her ear.
“Second Madam, at least think about how you are going to explain this when we return.”
She then looked toward Daiyu and smiled gently.
“Little Sister has come all this way. Surely you do not intend to leave without seeing Old Madam? Old Madam has been longing to see you day and night. At the very least, please come back with us for a visit. You can pay your respects to Old Madam, and that will count as fulfilling your filial duty.”
Madam Wang did not understand what she meant. She tugged at her sleeve, her face darkening as she remained silent.
What was there to explain? Her words had not been unreasonable. Even if they went before Old Madam Jia, if Madam Lin refused to let Daiyu go, were she and Feng-jie supposed to drag her back by force?
Even if Old Madam Jia became unhappy, what could she do? Was she going to divorce her?
At most, she would say a few unpleasant things and give her some cold looks. It was not as though Madam Wang had never experienced such treatment before. A few days of enduring it would soon pass.
Once the Xue family arrived in the capital, Old Madam Jia would see the charming Baochai and naturally forget about the ill fated Miss Lin.
Seeing this, Daiyu naturally understood what was going on. This Second Sister in Law truly wanted to invite her, but she could not go against Second Madam’s wishes.
Second, Madam had already spoken to this extent. If Daiyu insisted on going to Rongguo Estate, where would that leave her aunt’s dignity?
Between the Yan family and the Jia family, Daiyu had her own measure of who genuinely treated her well. Madam Wang had spoken so harshly in front of Madam Lin, and Daiyu was unhappy about it as well. She therefore smiled faintly.
“Strictly speaking, Old Madam has been thinking about seeing me day and night, so I should indeed go and pay my respects. However, from what Second Madam has said, it seems that the Duke’s Estate is in such difficult financial circumstances that even the expense of feeding one additional person is too much to bear.”
“I am not an outsider either. In such difficult times, how could I possibly add to the burden of the estate? I am staying with my aunt for now, which can also help reduce some of the expenses at the estate.”
Before Daiyu entered the capital, Lin Ruhai had been worried that she might suffer mistreatment at Rongguo Estate. He had specially prepared three thousand taels of silver notes for her in case she needed them. At this moment, a fifty tael silver note was tucked inside the purse she carried.
Daiyu took it out and handed it to Feng-jie.
“Second Sister in Law, please do not be polite with me. Take this silver back and use it for now. If it is still not enough, simply let me know. I will write to Father and ask him to provide further assistance.”
Feng-jie was left speechless. The silver note in her hand suddenly felt as heavy as a thousand catties. She had never expected Daiyu to interpret Madam Wang’s words this way.
“Second Madam, this…”
Madam Wang could no longer maintain her composure. Daiyu’s words clearly implied that Rongguo Estate had fallen into such dire circumstances that it could not even afford to entertain visiting relatives.
“Lin girl, what are you talking about? What kind of family is our Duke’s Estate? How could we possibly lack the money for something as trivial as this?”
Daiyu smiled faintly.
“Second Aunt, please do not treat Daiyu as an outsider. Everyone here is family, so how could I fail to understand your difficulties?”
“With the status of Grandmother’s family, if the circumstances were not truly bleak, why would relatives ever be turned away at the door?”
“If I went over to pay my respects right now and ate and drank freely at the estate, would that not make me terribly insensitive?”
Madam Wang’s expression became extremely awkward. Looking at Daiyu’s concerned face, she felt as though a mass of foul air had become lodged in her chest, unable to rise or fall.
Was this Lin girl truly foolish, or was she pretending to be foolish? Could she really not understand that Madam Wang simply did not want to entertain that Yan girl?
More accurately, it would be best if Lin girl did not go either.
How could she twist her words into meaning that Rongguo Estate had fallen into poverty?
Feng-jie was both anxious and irritated, yet she actually laughed. Miss Lin truly had a sharp tongue.
Under ordinary circumstances, Feng-jie greatly admired Daiyu’s cleverness and eloquence. But now that Daiyu had turned that sharp tongue toward her and Madam Wang, all she could feel was embarrassment.
Although both sides were relatives, one was her husband’s niece and the other was her maternal niece. One side was given the best food, drink, and hospitality, while the other side could not even invite one additional person without calculating every expense. No wonder Daiyu favored her aunt.
Feng-jie glanced at Madam Wang. She was no longer in a hurry to leave. She wanted to see how Madam Wang could possibly explain herself without making the situation even worse.
Entertaining one additional person for a few days was hardly a serious matter. Miss Yan had a family residence here herself, and it was no more shabby than Rongguo Estate. Surely she would not simply stay at Rongguo Estate and refuse to leave.
Just as the atmosphere had reached an impasse, one of Madam Lin’s maids entered the room and whispered a few words into her ear.
Madam Lin raised an eyebrow slightly and gave Madam Wang a meaningful smile.
“Since she has arrived, please invite her in.”
Seeing this, Madam Wang realized that Madam Lin had another guest. She immediately took advantage of the opportunity to rise.
“Since your residence has another guest, we shall not impose any longer.”
As she spoke, she gave Daiyu a deep look.
Feng-jie sighed inwardly. Although the whole affair had become terribly awkward, the arrival of another guest had at least given them a way out. They could simply assume that they had failed to persuade Madam Lin today. She could return another day. Surely Miss Lin was not so heartless and ruthless that she would refuse them forever.
The two were just about to take their leave when Madam Lin smiled.
“There is no need to hurry. I suspect that compared with me, the two of you may actually be more familiar with this guest.”
Madam Wang was puzzled. How did Madam Lin know that the person who had come must be someone she knew?
The answer came the very next moment.
“Oh, so Aunt and Feng girl are here too. What a coincidence.”
The newcomer was none other than Wang Ziteng’s wife, Madam Shi.
As soon as Madam Shi entered, she spotted Madam Wang and Feng-jie and greeted them with a smile.
Madam Wang and Feng-jie exchanged astonished glances. Madam Wang was the first to speak.
“Sister in Law, why are you here?”
Madam Shi smiled as she stepped forward. She exchanged greetings with Madam Lin, then rearranged the seating with Madam Wang before saying,
“Old Master Yan was your elder brother’s teacher in his younger years.
Master Yan and your elder brother also share the bond of being fellow students under the same teacher. Now that his family has entered the capital, your elder brother is naturally concerned. As a man, it would not be appropriate for him to visit the residence himself, so he urged me to come and see whether there was anything I could help with.”
She then smiled at Madam Lin.
“Madam, please do not stand in ceremony with us. My husband often wishes to pay his respects to Old Master Yan as well, but the old master travels so unpredictably that we have never managed to find him.”
Madam Lin smiled.
“My father withdrew from worldly affairs and returned to the mountains and forests. We do not know where he is staying now. I shall convey Lord Wang’s concern and gratitude to him on his behalf.”
Madam Shi smiled in acknowledgment. When she turned back and saw the discomfort on Madam Wang’s face, she was bewildered. She could not understand why Madam Wang had already entered the residence yet was now wearing such an expression.
“If Aunt has some free time, you can come and keep Madam Yan company.
Or you could invite Madam Yan to your residence for a visit. If I remember correctly, Madam Yan is also a relative of your family.”
Madam Lin smiled faintly.
“Let us forget it. Second, Madam could not even tolerate my A Zhi staying here for a few days. If I were to go, would I not receive even more cold looks?”
Madam Shi’s expression stiffened. She looked at Madam Wang in astonishment, then turned toward Madam Lin.
“Could there be some misunderstanding?”
Madam Lin remained calm.
“There are servants throughout this room who can testify to what was said.
Can spoken words simply be denied?”
“Second Madam clearly said that my A Zhi wanted to accompany Daiyu to stay at Rongguo Estate for a few days because the Yan family could not afford to support her, and that she wanted to go to Rongguo Estate to eat for free.”
Madam Shi felt her breath catch in her throat, and she nearly fainted on the spot.
Madam Wang was extremely frustrated. What exactly had she said wrong?
Yan Xianzhi was related to Lin Daiyu, not to Rongguo Estate. Why should Rongguo Estate be required to let her stay simply because she wanted to?
She was just about to argue back when Madam Shi grabbed her wrist. The force was so strong that the loose flesh around Madam Wang’s wrist began to redden.
“Aunt, even jokes have to be made at the proper time. His Majesty personally gave my husband an oral instruction today, saying that Master Yan has worked extremely hard in Liangguang and that since his family has entered the capital, as his fellow student and friend, my husband must look after them carefully. If Madam Yan suffers any grievance while in the capital, His Majesty will hold my husband responsible for failing in his duty.”
“If my husband learns that you have been making such ridiculous claims here, he will truly be furious.”
Madam Wang’s expression changed immediately. She no longer dared to say another word.
Although she was now a daughter in law of the Jia family, she did not completely place Jia Mu above herself. The reason was that her elder brother, who served as the military commander of the capital garrisons, stood behind her.
But now Madam Shi had made it perfectly clear that Wang Ziteng was supporting the Yan family.
The very person whose influence she had relied upon had actually taken the other side.
Madam Shi tightened her grip on Madam Wang’s wrist again and spoke sternly.
“Aunt, you made a joke without considering the occasion. You have truly been discourteous. Hurry up and apologize.”
Seeing Madam Wang’s face turn pale and ashen, Feng-jie knew this would be difficult. She quickly stood up, intending to speak on Madam Wang’s behalf.
She had barely bent her knees when Madam Shi shot her a warning look.
“Feng girl, sit properly.”
Feng-jie had no choice but to give up on helping.
Madam Wang felt a heavy weight sinking inside her chest. Her heart seemed to have become a stone weight pulling downward, but she did not dare oppose Madam Shi. She could only stand and smile at Madam Lin.
“What I said earlier was merely a joke between us. Madam, please do not take it to heart.”
Madam Shi also smiled.
“Ultimately, I must blame my husband for failing to remind Aunt properly, which caused her to offend Madam. Our Wang family cannot escape responsibility either.”
“If the young lady wishes to stay temporarily at Rongguo Estate, simply let her take her people there. The Wang family will provide all her food, clothing, and other necessities. Consider it a small gesture of goodwill from us, and also an apology to Madam.”
“Please be generous and do not take Aunt’s words to heart. She may be old, but her heart is still young. She does not know when to stop joking, and our husband has truly spoiled her.”
Madam Lin smiled.
“Madam, please do not agree so quickly. Although our family has a modest status and cannot compare with the Duke’s Estate, we are rather particular about our household arrangements. These two sisters each have twelve maids, not counting their nannies. They require a considerable amount of money, and they also need spacious accommodations.”
Madam Shi smiled as well.
“That is only right. Young ladies should have such dignity. Although our family is not especially wealthy, surely we are not so poor that we cannot afford even this much.”
As she spoke, she gave Madam Wang another warning glance.
“Aunt truly must change this habit of joking without considering the occasion. Madam Yan holds the rank of a First Rank Imperial Lady, while you hold only the rank of a Fifth Rank Lady. Do you really think it appropriate to joke with Madam Yan? Even if you are relatives, you have been far too presumptuous.”
“From now on, you absolutely must not act so rashly. Think before you make a joke.”