He knew very well what Second Madam was trying to achieve with this move.
Placing a wife with a marred appearance alongside two beautiful maids trained by Second Aunt was a setup designed to tempt him into making a mistake, which would then be spread abroad to ruin his reputation.
Second Madam spoke quite naturally, “I know Sister-in-law is meticulous in all things, so I only brought these two. After all, I’m not very clever and couldn’t think of anything more suitable. I only just saw how lonely it was around my niece-in-law and had a sudden idea. I’m sure Sister-in-law won’t mind.”
Ruan Xingci asked with an innocent expression, “Second Aunt, since you’ve personally trained these two, you must have put a lot of heart into them. How could I dare accept them? May I refuse?”
Second Madam immediately replied, “Of course not. A gift from an elder cannot be refused. Just as long as you don’t look down on them.”
Nangong Rang thought that his straightforward wife might find this kind of hidden aggression difficult to handle. He was about to step in and resolve it himself, but Ruan Xingci gave him another surprise.
“Since Second Aunt has put it that way, it would be ungrateful of me not to accept. Then, thank you, Second Aunt.”
Second Madam’s joy intensified; she was superior in skill after all.
Ruan Xingci followed up immediately, “Then I must trouble Second Aunt to hand over the indenture contracts for these two to me as well.”
Second Madam’s mouth, which had been grinning from ear to ear, froze. “Eh?”
Nangong Rang felt another small wave of relief. She was indeed clever.
“The indenture contracts?” Second Madam deliberately repeated.
“Yes,” Ruan Xingci said as if it were a matter of course. “Since Second Aunt is giving these two to me, do you intend to keep their indenture contracts for yourself? Since they are being given to me, I should naturally be the one to have the final say over them, right?”
Second Madam had not expected her to be so guarded, but since she had brought it up so openly, she couldn’t deliberately withhold them.
“Ah, that was my oversight. Look at my head!”
After speaking, she pulled the two indenture contracts from her sleeve and handed them to Ruan Xingci.
Ruan Xingci took them and confirmed, “Second Aunt, now that everything regarding these two is for me to decide, Second Aunt won’t interfere anymore, will you?”
“Naturally…” Second Madam feigned generosity.
Ruan Xingci flourished the indenture contracts in her hand and spoke to Second Master and Third Master, who were watching the spectacle from the side. “Second Uncle, Third Uncle, since this is our first meeting, I should have presented some gifts to show my respect. It’s my fault for being young and not knowing the customs here; I hadn’t decided what to give. But Second Aunt’s gift has given me a sudden inspiration. I’ll simply borrow her gift to present to you—I shall give you each a concubine. The indenture contracts are here; you can decide who gets whom…”
Second Master and Third Master were both stunned. From beginning to end, not a single move this niece-in-law made was within their expectations.
Second Madam Jiang Danrou’s mouth hung open. Such a direct slap to the face left her completely caught off guard.
“Nonsense! As a junior, how dare you cause such trouble for your elders!” Old Madam stood up and slammed the table once again.
Ruan Xingci thought to herself that it was a pity this old woman didn’t become a storyteller; she didn’t even need a gavel.
“Grandmother, I am merely repaying a drop of kindness with a gushing spring. Second Aunt gave me two maids, so I am giving Second Uncle and Third Uncle each a gentle harbor. These two look very fertile; perhaps they can even give you eight or ten more grandsons and granddaughters in the future. Why waste them by sending them to our courtyard? Is Grandmother not aware of the Heir Apparent’s health? We need peace and quiet and have no use for these people. Or is there something wrong with these two? These were hand-picked by Second Aunt herself; I assume they must be of clean background, so why shouldn’t they be given to my two uncles?”
Old Madam stamped her feet and shouted, “You’re a disgrace!”
Nangong Chen, who had been observing Old Madam’s expression, knew his mother was reaching the peak of her anger. He quickly said to Ruan Xingci, “Cease your rudeness! The Changchun Houfu is not your Beiguo; put away those savage ways!”
Nangong Rang, who had been silent the whole time, coughed softly several times, breaking the frozen atmosphere.
“Second Aunt, if you weren’t sincere about giving the maids for my wife to do with as she pleases, then please take them back. Grandmother needn’t be angry either; let’s just act as if what just happened never occurred. We came today to serve tea. Now that the tea has been drunk, I am feeling unwell and shall take my leave. Wife, if you please.”
Having finished, Nangong Rang stood up and naturally extended his hand to her.
Ruan Xingci sighed and, with a look of regret, returned the indenture contracts she had just received to Jiang Danrou.
“Second Aunt, since you are dissatisfied with my gift, I cannot shamelessly accept yours. In the future, if you don’t even trust a person to be with Second Uncle, please don’t try to stuff them into our courtyard.”
She supported Nangong Rang as they made a graceful exit, leaving the group from the Nangong family staring at each other in shock.
“Simply lawless!”
Before they had even walked far, Old Madam had finally found her voice.
Ying Mei was also feeling even more disappointed. This son had always been respectful and obedient. Why had he started allowing this ugly wife to commit such blunders the moment they were married?
Her face was grim, and she was already thinking of ways to keep Ruan Xingci in line.
Neither Nangong Rang nor Ruan Xingci paid any mind to the voices behind them.
“You’ve made many enemies today,” Nangong Rang said on the way back.
Ruan Xingci spoke with remarkable clarity, “Since I’ve taken the title of your wife, I’m already their public enemy. If I try to please them, will they suddenly pull out a heart of mercy and give it to me?”
“No,” Nangong Rang replied succinctly. “But this is not Beiguo. They won’t always be concerned about your status.”
Ruan Xingci gave a self-deprecating laugh upon hearing this. “It doesn’t matter. Even in Beiguo, no one valued me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been chosen for the political marriage alliance.”
Seeing that Nangong Rang’s expression hadn’t darkened, she added an explanation, “I’m not targeting you. Although you are very handsome and make me want to take advantage of you, the people in Beiguo only knew the alliance partner was a dying Heir Apparent. What parent who truly loves their daughter would send her thousands of miles away to become a widow? In any case, I’m unwelcome on either side, so why shouldn’t I live freely and naturally? What would compromising change? Mostly, those elders of yours really don’t deserve it.”
In fact, Ruan Xingci had an even more important thought. She was a transmigrator; perhaps if she died in this world, she could transmigrate back…
However, she wouldn’t commit suicide, nor did she plan to actively seek death. She just wanted to make her life here more comfortable.
“I saw my mother-in-law’s expression just now; she probably doesn’t like me either. It’s best not to tell her about me treating your illness. I feel she can’t be relied upon.”
Ruan Xingci’s complaints weren’t late in coming.
Nangong Rang’s expression was slightly unnatural. He was well aware of his mother’s weakness and submissiveness over the years.
“As for your father, from beginning to end, he only seemed to care about Grandmother’s mood. I can roughly guess why your life has been so difficult all these years. It’s a good thing you were willing to help me out of that situation, otherwise my plight might be even worse than yours.”
Nangong Rang didn’t reply, quietly returning to the courtyard with her.
However, just as the two of them sat down, a servant brought word that Ying Mei wanted to see Ruan Xingci alone.