Fugui hurriedly explained, “First Madam[1]A household form of address for the wife of the senior son or principal master of a family branch. It denotes her position within the household hierarchy. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3733107_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3733107_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, please hear me out! I wasn’t deliberately hiding anything. At the time, I didn’t know Second Master[2]A household title identifying a male master by his position in the family’s birth order, rather than by his personal name. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3733107_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3733107_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); had gone there for Miss Shen. I thought he’d simply happened to see Cousin, and I assumed he knew her.”
“It was my own foolishness—I didn’t think it through. A couple of days ago, I heard someone mention the gossip that Second Master and Miss Shen had pledged themselves to each other by the lotus pond. That was when I remembered what I’d seen that day.”
“Second Master and Miss Shen never even met. How could they have pledged themselves to each other? I turned it over in my mind for two whole days and nights before I finally realized Second Master had mistaken Miss Shen for Cousin!”
Qinghe was so shocked that she forgot to close her mouth. What an enormous misunderstanding!
Madam Liu asked Fugui, “Have you mentioned any part of this to anyone else?”
Fugui immediately shook his head. “I know better than that. I haven’t breathed a word of it to anyone!”
Madam Liu felt somewhat reassured. She rewarded Fugui with a gleaming silver ingot, reminded him to keep his mouth shut, and then sent him away.
The next day, Madam Liu sent someone to invite Mingyi to her courtyard.
She planned to sound Mingyi out first and see what she thought of Second Master. If Mingyi felt the same way, things would be much easier.
Madam Liu chatted casually with Mingyi for a while, then rubbed her temples and pretended to be suffering from a headache.
Seeing this, Mingyi asked with concern, “Are you feeling unwell, First Madam?”
“It’s nothing serious,” Madam Liu sighed faintly. “It’s just that the household has been beset by troubles lately, and they’ve left me with a persistent headache.”
Qinghe played along, gently massaging Madam Liu’s temples as she chimed in to lead into the subject. “Old Madam[3]A respectful household title for the senior female family elder or matriarch, often the mother of the household’s adult masters. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3733107_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3733107_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); is taking care of Second Master’s marriage. Why wear yourself out worrying about it day after day, First Madam?”
Hearing that, Mingyi couldn’t help asking, “Hasn’t there already been some progress on Second Master’s marriage? With that Miss Shen?”
At once, Madam Liu and Qinghe both looked up at her.
Thinking she’d said something wrong, Mingyi lowered her voice. “I only heard the servants mention it in passing.”
Madam Liu sighed softly. “In the end, one side was willing, and the other wasn’t.”
Mingyi tentatively asked, “Did the Shen family change their minds?”
Madam Liu nodded slowly. “You guessed right.”
“So it really is true?” Mingyi looked somewhat surprised, then added regretfully, “I suppose the match wasn’t meant to be. But Second Master is still in the prime of his life, at the height of his vigor. There’s no need to rush. He’ll surely meet someone who shares his feelings in time.”
Madam Liu watched Mingyi’s expression closely, not missing the slightest flicker.
When she learned that Zong Xian’s marriage to the Shen family had fallen through, Ji Mingyi showed a touch of ordinary surprise, but not the slightest hint of delight or secret happiness. Instead, she seemed genuinely regretful.
Madam Liu tried a few more indirect questions, but Mingyi remained calm and answered gracefully. There was no sign of any hidden feelings.
Madam Liu couldn’t help feeling disappointed.
Seeing that it was getting late, she still wasn’t ready to give up. So she came right out and tested Mingyi: “People often say, ‘Better to be a rich man’s concubine[4]A secondary partner with lower status than a principal wife in a traditional household. The standing of concubines and bedchamber servants could differ by period and household. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3733107_1_4').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3733107_1_4', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); than a poor man’s wife.’ What do you think of that?”
That day, Mingyi had spoken with Madam Liu longer than ever since coming to live at Zong Residence.
Her mouth was a little dry, so she lifted her teacup and took a small sip. After a moment’s thought, she slowly replied:
“In my humble opinion, what matters most in life is having a clear conscience and sound character. Wealth and splendor are certainly pleasant, but they can never offer the security of an untarnished name and a proper place. To bow beneath someone else for the sake of riches and become a concubine, living at another’s mercy and always watching for their approval, would mean losing one’s freedom and one’s true self. A poor household may lack fine clothes and rich food, but a husband and wife bound together openly, living steady and honest lives, have something far more precious.”
Mingyi sat straight-backed, her gaze open and sincere.
Every word struck Madam Liu like a heavy hammer against her heart. She showed nothing on her face, but inside, waves of shock surged through her.
She had never expected that Mingyi, a helpless orphan surrounded by luxury, would not merely resist going with the flow but remain so pure-hearted—truly like a lotus rising unstained from the mud.
Though she hadn’t received the answer she’d hoped for, Madam Liu wholeheartedly agreed with Mingyi’s words.
She began to see the young woman before her in a new light.
“It’s getting late. I’ve kept you here talking with me for so long—you must be tired. Go back and rest.”
Mingyi took her leave.
After probing Mingyi, Madam Liu was now certain of her feelings. And now she truly had a headache.
She closed her eyes and sighed. “One side willing, the other unwilling…”
Meanwhile, on the way back with her maid, Mingyi ran into Zong Xian!
Zong Xian had just returned from the palace, dressed in a dark purple cross-collar brocade robe. Its wide hem and sleeves stirred lightly as he walked, lending him an air of restrained nobility.
A scholar in a blue robe walked beside him, fair-skinned and gentle-featured, with the look of a refined bookish young man. Mingyi had no idea who he was.
Mingyi didn’t look at him for long. She lowered her eyes and bent her knees in a formal curtsey. “My Lord.”
The sky was overcast with thick clouds; it looked as if rain was on the way.
A draft swept through the covered corridor, lifting the hem of the young woman’s pale pink skirt and stirring her hair before they settled again. She looked delicate and graceful.
Zong Xian felt his heart stir.
He hadn’t expected to see her in the residence. After a brief pause, he glanced along the path behind her, assuming his sister-in-law had invited her over.
But when he had just come in, he hadn’t seen a Shen family carriage outside. He asked, “When did you arrive?”
Mingyi paused, then answered softly, “At noon. I kept First Madam company and chatted with her.”
He had been out of the residence at noon.
A flicker of puzzlement crossed Zong Xian’s eyes. Why had she called Madam Liu “First Madam”?
It was only a form of address, and Zong Xian didn’t dwell on it. He glanced at the darkening sky and said calmly, “It’s going to rain.”
“Chang Yu, fetch an umbrella in a moment and see the young lady out.”
The attendant behind him immediately answered respectfully, “Yes, sir.”
Mingyi hurried to refuse. “There’s no need. It isn’t far. I can just walk faster…”
The man’s gaze shifted to her. “Don’t refuse me.”
Mingyi fell silent at once and didn’t dare say another word.
Yuegui stood behind Mingyi with her eyes lowered, careful not to look at her master’s expression. Still, she couldn’t help wondering: why did Second Master’s tone sound so strange when he spoke to Cousin?
Zong Xian had matters to discuss and didn’t linger. He walked straight on.
Chang Yu inclined his head slightly. “Miss Shen, please come with me.”
Mingyi had been watching Zong Xian walk away. At the unexpected address of “Miss Shen,” she immediately turned her head.
“Who did you call Miss Shen? My surname isn’t Shen.”
At the same time, Qinghe came hurrying over, lifting her skirt as she ran. From far away, she called, “Cousin, you forgot your hairpin!”
Zong Xian stopped dead.
He seized the young maid by the wrist and stared at her, his gaze dark. “Who did you call Cousin?”
Only then did Qinghe seem to realize that the man before her was Zong Xian. Her face went pale, and she timidly pointed toward Mingyi. “I was calling her, of course, Second Master…”
Rumble—
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