Sheng Xiangqiao sat opposite Ning Yan, reached out for a plate of pastries, and said vaguely: “Of course I wouldn’t jump. I’m still so young, I haven’t lived enough yet. I want to stay in the Sheng household and enjoy days when I can eat my fill!”
With the powder washed off, this Sheng Xiangqiao looked exactly like a child again, her arms still bearing the red marks from Nanny Zhao’s beatings a few days earlier.
Ning Yan looked at this false young lady, whose background was even more pitiful than her own, and felt a pang of sympathy. She herself, though only a maid with a contract of servitude, was at least a child with parents and kin. Even if she died in the Prince’s household, carried out under a white shroud, her family would weep for her at the back gate.
But this little girl? Nameless, without family—if the Prince decided to silence her, she would likely be rolled up in a mat and tossed into a mass grave.
Thinking of this, Ning Yan realized her own fate was not the worst after all. She poured a cup of water for the girl across from her and sighed:
“These good days… who knows how long they’ll last. Stop making trouble, speak less, and just eat and drink well. Oh, and I heard from Nanny Zhao that in two days you’ll have to go to Qianlong Temple for the temple donation. Many ladies will be there, and the heir will likely attend as well. Don’t let yourself slack off!”
At the birthday banquet, Ning Yan had pointed out which one was the heir, Jin Lianyuan, but Sheng Xiangqiao had been seated too far away to see clearly. What she did know was that the heir hadn’t spared her a glance. According to Ning Yan, he seemed to have no fondness for Sheng Xiangqiao. He liked traveling and studying abroad, and was rarely in the capital, with a restless, playful nature.
Hearing this, Sheng Xiangqiao sighed. Her situation as a child bride hadn’t changed at all—only her fiancé had shifted from a simpleton to a royal noble. And when she thought of her future father-in-law, who casually beheaded people, she couldn’t decide whether the old fiancé or the new one was any better.
It was said that, because Sheng Xiangqiao was still young, the two families had agreed to postpone the marriage for two years. Now, with her feigned illness, the wedding was even less likely to be brought forward.
After her experience in the palace, she no longer believed the Sheng family’s excuse that she was meant to comfort the Old Madam. In truth, the Old Madam would probably be glad to have one less troublesome legitimate granddaughter. Her existence was clearly crucial to Prince Cining’s household. That was why the Prince had broken convention, sending people early to watch over her, and even wanting his son to marry this impostor. This was a dangerous current she could not afford to wade into! From one perspective, the heir was even worse than her former foolish fiancé.
But a young girl without money, fleeing blindly, would only end up in the hands of human traffickers again.
Two years—if the Prince allowed her to live that long, she would surely find a chance to escape. Before then, she had to earn enough silver!
Yet her cousin had deceived her, saying that the Sheng household gave a monthly allowance of three taels. When she asked Ning Yan, she learned the truth—there was not a single coin!
The Sheng family was truly frugal! The young masters and ladies of the household spent less than one tael each month, and even that had to be recorded by their attendants and reported to the accounting office.
Sheng Xiangqiao was considered extravagant compared to the rest, but even her extra expenses had come from the dowry left by her birth mother, Madam Qiao.
Now that she, a counterfeit, had entered the household, Madam Qiao’s dowry would never pass into her hands. She didn’t even receive the one tael monthly allowance!
All she had, at most, was the five taels of silver promised by her cousin Cheng Fourth Young Master each month. But that was only a verbal promise—he had yet to send anyone with the money.
When it came time to leave the estate for Qianlong Temple, without the dresses gifted by her grandmother or the jewelry borrowed from the private treasury, Sheng Xiangqiao’s attire looked rather plain.
But Nanny Zhao insisted that such simplicity was appropriate for visiting a mountain temple—before the Buddha, one must not appear gaudy. As she was leaving the estate, she saw her half-sister Sheng Xianglan and her cousin Cheng Deqing waiting for her. Both girls were dressed in colorful robes and adorned with jade hairpins, looking radiant.
According to Ning Yan, this was because neither of them was yet betrothed. So whenever they went out for social occasions, they had to dress properly and fashionably, so as not to fall behind in appearances.
Especially Cheng Deqing—coming from the wealthy Cheng family —she spared no expense on clothing and accessories, always appearing refined, which made Sheng Xianglan envious.
As for Sheng Xiangqiao, her marriage had already been decreed by the Emperor. No matter how well she dressed, the noble ladies would not pay her much attention. Thus, the Sheng family naturally spent their resources where it mattered, never wasting a coin on a girl whose marriage was already settled.
Fortunately, Sheng Xiangqiao’s looks were good, and with the skillful touch of a talented makeup artist, she still carried the elegance of a noble young lady, even without gold or jewels. Because of her recent incident at the well—or perhaps because her father had scolded Madam Bai—her half-sister now spoke more politely to her, though she still rolled her eyes when no one was looking.
As for her cousin Cheng Deqing, she simply ignored her altogether, speaking only with Sheng Xianglan, so as not to provoke the Sheng family’s eldest daughter into another dramatic scene.
When the group set out, Sheng Guiniang accompanied the Old Madam in one carriage. Several girls of similar age from the household shared another carriage.
The one escorting the women to the temple donation was Cheng Fourth Young Master, who, disliking carriages, rode ahead on a white horse.
Inside the carriage with the three young ladies, the atmosphere was subtle and awkward.
This was exactly what Sheng Xiangqiao wanted—no need to pretend to converse, she simply ate candied fruit with tea, enjoying the peace. Still, while nibbling her snacks, she listened in on the conversation between the two girls opposite her.
The two girls chatted idly. Though they were nominally her younger sisters, by age, they were actually older than her. At that half-grown age, they liked to discuss matters that only adults should.
Cheng Deqing, visiting her grandmother’s household this time, carried a mission.
The Cheng family had once forced Second Branch’s Sheng Guiniang to divorce, fearing that the scandal of the Sheng family daughter’s elopement would implicate them.
Who would have thought the Sheng family would pull off a miracle—at the Emperor’s birthday banquet, they actually brought Sheng Xiangqiao back. At the time, Cheng Peifeng thought it useless, since rumors of the Sheng girl consorting with actors were already widespread. With her reputation ruined, surely Prince Cining’s household would not tolerate it, and the matter would reach the Emperor. But unexpectedly, the Prince’s household remained silent, enduring the shame.
And at the banquet, Sheng Xiangqiao managed to please the Emperor—her chaotic hammer dance from southern opera won His Majesty’s praise and even earned her a generous reward. From then on, her supposed scandal with actors was reframed as an act of filial devotion. Anyone who mentioned it again would be implying the Emperor himself had been fooled.
After all this, Cheng Peifeng realized that the scandal of the Sheng family’s legitimate daughter had ended up ensnaring only the Cheng family!
When they returned from the banquet, his usually mild-mannered younger brother lost his temper, accusing him of being overly cautious and hasty, which had caused their son Cheng Tianfu to ignore him and their wife to stay away, inviting gossip.
Cheng Peifeng understood that now the marriage alliance between the Sheng family and the Prince’s household was unshakable. The Cheng family’s top priority was to repair the rift caused by their earlier missteps.
But Sheng Guiniang avoided seeing anyone from the Cheng family. Cheng Tianfu grew stubborn, insisting that if his mother were to be divorced, the Cheng family must provide a proper reason. She refused to endure humiliation in silence—she wanted clarity, whether it was that she was deemed unworthy or that Second Master Cheng had betrayed her. If it were explained clearly, she would rather be formally cast aside than quietly divorced without cause.
Cheng Peinian, the brother who always avoided trouble, now insisted that the elder brother was the instigator and should clean up the mess with the Sheng family.
As the eldest, Cheng Peifeng could hardly step forward himself. His sister-in-law, Madam Qian, had already played the villain and could not now act as mediator. So they sent Cheng Deqing, who had just returned from the Cheng family’s old estate, to try to reconcile her parents.
Cheng Deqing was still young, so Sheng Guiniang did not tell her about her father’s entanglement with Tian Peirong. The girl only thought her parents were quarreling over trivial matters. Seeing her mother refuse to return, she grew anxious.
Meanwhile, Sheng Xianglan, the Sheng family’s concubine-born daughter, knew nothing of the truth. She comforted her cousin Cheng Deqing, saying not to worry—her aunt and uncle were only sulking and would surely reconcile.
Sheng Xiangqiao munched on a handful of melon seeds along the way, listening to the two young girls chatter about their hopeful visions, until they arrived at Qianlong Temple.
This temple had recently welcomed a grand and finely crafted wooden Buddha, so the front hall was being renovated, and the Buddha was to be covered in a thick golden robe. The abbot listed the required timber, bricks, tiles, and gold on a large donation board hung outside the temple, inviting patrons to contribute.
At ordinary temples, raising funds and materials would take effort. But Qianlong Temple was famous, having produced the eminent monk Guanghai, so noblewomen competed eagerly to donate.
There was also a hierarchy in the donations. For example, the main hall’s central beam was reserved for the women of the Tian family, while the roof tiles at the corners were left for the ladies of the prince’s households. Other items were discussed among the wives, who sat together over tea to decide. Thus, this tea gathering for pledging donations was arranged.
While the front temple was bustling with construction, the rear garden remained quiet. The monks had prepared vegetarian dishes and tea to thank the female patrons.
The wives sat together to drink tea and discuss, while the younger ladies, unable to sit still, wandered. Since many households had brought their young men along, there were plenty of encounters—after viewing the steles and ancient pagodas, they met casually under the pines, which added a touch of charm.
Curiously, the widow Tian Peirong was absent today, perhaps to avoid awkwardness. Instead, a legitimate daughter of the Tian family, Tian Qinshuang, accompanied Madam Liu, the mistress of the Tian household.
According to Ning Yan, Tian Qinshuang was the youngest daughter of Empress Tian’s eldest brother. She was Tian Peirong’s half-sister, born of different mothers.
Tian Xianzhong now served in the Ministry of Personnel. After Tian Peirong’s mother passed away less than half a year ago, he remarried Madam Liu, the third daughter of Duke Chengtian. At sixty years old, he had Tian Qinshuang, his treasured jewel, whom he adored and had long delayed marrying off.
At fifteen, Tian Qinshuang was radiant and graceful, tall and slender, with a delicate waist. Among the group of still-growing girls, she stood out. She was surrounded by admirers, with many young ladies gathered around her. Clearly, she had sown strong bonds of friendship and was well-liked.
Meanwhile, Ning Yan was adjusting Sheng Xiangqiao’s skirts in the corridor. Looking up, she saw the false young lady staring intently at the temple’s stone inscriptions.