The daughter born to Li Lianniang was being cared for by a wet nurse and lived in the side room behind the main courtyard of Yunzhu Yuan.
When Zhao Xian arrived, the little baby was sleeping soundly.
“How is the child?”
Because she was born prematurely, the child was tiny, like a little kitten.
The wet nurse curtsied and said, “Xiu Jie’er is very well-behaved. The physician just came to check on her.”
“Xiu Jie’er?”
“The eldest young master gave the little miss a pet name: Shu Xiu.” As she spoke, the wet nurse took out a piece of paper with the two characters ‘Shu Xiu’ clearly written on it.
Zhao Xian was somewhat surprised. Jiang Wei had already come to see his daughter and even given her a name.
In the book, the male lead of the tragic romance had only a lukewarm affection for this daughter, so she had thought he didn’t like his own flesh and blood.
Born just yesterday, the baby’s face had been wrinkled and somewhat unsightly, but in just one day, it had already smoothed out.
“Xiu Jie’er is awake.” Zhao Xian had only been distracted for a moment when the baby in the crib opened her eyes at some point. Her dark pupils were like gemstones, half-open as she stared at Zhao Xian.
Zhao Xian shifted slightly and noticed that those eyes followed her movement.
Before she could try again, the wet nurse had already picked up Jiang Shuxiu and said to Zhao Xian, “Madam, this servant will feed Xiu Jie’er now.”
After seeing the baby Jiang Shuxiu, Zhao Xian returned to Li Lianniang’s room, where she had already taken her medicine and fallen asleep.
The servants worked quickly, and the side room was soon tidied up and furnished with items the original owner was accustomed to using.
When Zhao Xian first transmigrated, she felt that the room the original owner lived in had a strong sense of dissonance—both elegant and vulgar.
Now, looking at the brightly decorated side room filled with such items, it was clear who was responsible for the vulgar part.
The book seemed to mention that the original owner was born a village girl. Her father was the village chief and, following the principle of “the early bird catches the worm,” took a liking to the scholarly Jiang Liangxu and married his daughter to him early.
After Jiang Liangxu passed the imperial examinations, he did not marry a daughter from a prominent family. Instead, he took the original owner with him to serve in provincial posts, climbing the ranks step by step.
Even after joining the ranks of official wives, the original owner had always felt constrained in social circles and was consistently excluded by the wives of other officials in the book.
Despite her own painful experiences, she never empathized with her eldest daughter-in-law.
The marriage of her eldest son was arranged by the original owner’s husband during his provincial posting. While the original owner’s husband rose steadily through the ranks, Li Lianniang’s father remained stagnant.
Having seen the prosperity of the capital and the talented young ladies from various families, the original owner always looked down on her eldest daughter-in-law, believing that her family’s status was too low to match her exceptionally accomplished son.
Over time, her disdain grew. Since Li Lianniang married into the family, the original owner had constantly found fault with her daughter-in-law, citing her “petty-mindedness” as a reason to torment her and impose strict rules.
She was also dedicated to filling her eldest son’s rear courtyard with concubines.
In the rear garden of a fifth-rank official’s residence, today was the birthday of the master of the house. Many colleagues and their families had been invited as guests.
After the banquet, the young ladies and gentlemen went off to their own amusements, while the familiar wives gathered together to chat and drink tea.
The wife with the highest status present was Princess Rongyang, who was surrounded in the center as the various wives vied to curry favor with her.
One of the wives, hoping to please Princess Rongyang, shared a piece of gossip she had heard: “Recently, I heard an amusing story about a mother-in-law who moved into her daughter-in-law’s room to sleep.”
“A mother-in-law moving into her daughter-in-law’s room? How would the young couple manage?”
“Good heavens, whose mother-in-law is this?”
Seeing that she had captured everyone’s attention, the lady covered her mouth with a handkerchief and whispered, “I really shouldn’t say this outright.”
“Go ahead, we’re all familiar with each other.”
“Yes, do tell.”
The lady glanced left and right before speaking in a voice neither too loud nor too soft, “It’s the wife of Jiang, the second-place candidate.”
While there is a second-place candidate every three years, since the current Emperor ascended the throne, there has only been one surnamed Jiang.
Everyone simultaneously thought of the same person.
Some even discreetly glanced at Princess Rongyang.
Speaking of Lord Jiang, Madam Jiang, and Princess Rongyang, the three of them share a past filled with legend and regret.
This story dates back seventeen years.
When Princess Rongyang reached marriageable age, Duan Wang did not take a liking to the exceptionally talented and brilliant zhuangyuan, nor did he fancy the handsome and upright third-place candidate.
Instead, he set his sights on Jiang, the second-place candidate, whose literary talent fell short of the zhuangyuan and whose appearance was less striking than the third-place candidate.
Duan Wang was even prepared to “seize the son-in-law under the results list,” but unexpectedly, Jiang seemed to foresee it all. Upon seeing his name on the list, he immediately took out a pre-made banner and slung it over his back, inscribed with eight characters: “I have a virtuous wife, my son is one year old.”
This move left those planning to seize a son-in-law under the list utterly bewildered.
The failure of the “seize the son-in-law” attempt was known to few beyond the Duan Wang household and their associates.
However, Duan Wang drank too much at Xinglin Yan and begged The Emperor to bestow a marriage, making Jiang his son-in-law. He even claimed that Princess Rongyang and Jiang had already pledged themselves to each other in secret, insisting that Jiang divorce his wife.
Frightened, Jiang hastily accepted an official posting outside the capital and did not dare return to Jin’an for several years.
Not long after, Princess Rongyang also married someone else.
The matter quieted down for a few years and might have been forgotten, but after Lord Jiang was promoted and returned to Jin’an, his wife, who came from a farming background, became the subject of ridicule at banquets.
Some felt sorry for Jiang, believing that his wife, being from a farming family with no talent or background, was unworthy of him.
Others even brought up the past of how Princess Rongyang and Lord Jiang had met and grown close before the imperial examinations.
Many lamented the twists of fate, that such a perfect pair—one married to the wrong person, the other wed to an unsuitable match—had missed their chance.
“That eldest daughter-in-law of Jiang Jia is truly unfortunate, to have such a mother-in-law.”
“I recall the eldest daughter-in-law of Jiang Jia is not from Jin’an. Poor thing, she has no family to support her when she’s bullied.”
“How could a man like Lord Jiang end up with such a shrew?”
“No wonder Lord Jiang hasn’t dared to take a concubine all these years.”
“Tsk tsk…”
Some covered their mouths with handkerchiefs and chuckled lightly, others sighed with regret, while some were indignant.
As everyone discussed Madam Jiang’s embarrassing incidents, and in an effort to curry favor with the princess, their words grew increasingly harsh.
The wife of the Shumiyuan Duchengzhi forced a smile and covered her lips with a handkerchief, though she found nothing amusing. This was because her youngest daughter was currently in marriage negotiations with the second son of Jiang Jia.
The six rites had already progressed to the second stage, where names were exchanged and birthdates were matched to determine compatibility and auspiciousness.
Neither family was the type to make a fuss, so the matter had not been widely publicized, and few were aware of it.
Moreover, since the marriage had not been definitively settled, speaking of it prematurely could easily damage the reputations of both families’ younger members if any changes occurred along the way.
But now she had heard about the scandals involving her daughter’s future mother-in-law.
The wife of the Shumiyuan Duchengzhi grew restless. If the mother-in-law truly was so unreasonable, how would her daughter fare after marrying into the family?
From the moment she left the banquet to return home, the wife of the Shumiyuan Duchengzhi felt uneasy all the way.
Being able to form a marriage alliance with the Jiang family was considered a high climb for the Lu family. Lord Jiang, in his thirties, was already a third-rank official. His eldest son served in Dali Si, and his second son had joined the City Guard Battalion—both sons had boundless futures ahead.
For a family like theirs, having their daughter marry into such a household seemed the best choice. Yet, to end up with a mother-in-law like that—what kind of miserable life would she lead after marrying in?
Upon returning home, she immediately discussed the matter with her daughter-in-law. “…Sneaking into her daughter-in-law’s room to sleep—what kind of behavior is that? Utterly disgraceful.”
The wife of the Shumiyuan Duchengzhi truly did not want her daughter to have such a mother-in-law after marriage, yet she couldn’t bear to give up a promising son-in-law like the Jiang family’s second son.
“Mother-in-law, don’t worry. Let’s first send someone to find out what really happened,” Madam Lu’s daughter-in-law advised. “Madam Jiang has lived in Jin’an for many years now. Even if she caused some embarrassment when she first arrived, her reputation has long since improved. You’ve interacted with Madam Jiang before—is she really the kind of person the rumors make her out to be?”
Madam Lu shook her head. “She seemed quite sensible.”
Her daughter-in-law continued, “Was Madam Jiang at today’s banquet?”
Lord Jiang’s official rank had risen repeatedly, making him a favorite of The Emperor. Among the noblewomen of Jin’an, Madam Jiang had long become someone everyone vied to flatter.
She remembered that today’s banquet was hosted by a fifth-rank official’s household. Given Madam Jiang’s status, they likely couldn’t have invited her.
“No, but Princess Rongyang attended.”
Madam Lu knew the gossipy lady had been trying to curry favor with Princess Rongyang. However, the story had been told so vividly that it had angered her into confusion. “Quickly send someone to investigate what really happened.”
If it turned out to be deliberate slander, she could pay a visit to inform them.
“Don’t let Yingying know about this for now.”
Unbeknownst to them, Lu Zhaoying had already found out. Her maid had gone out to buy embroidery thread and heard the gossip, rushing back to report.
“Miss, everyone outside is mocking Madam Jiang, saying she, saying she…”
Words like “an old clam nursing her son” and other vulgar insults—too awful to repeat.
Her young lady was currently in marriage discussions with the Jiang family’s second son. If she married into that family and Madam Jiang also sneaked into their room…
The maid dared not imagine such a life—it was too dreadful.
Lu Zhaoying, however, was not as anxious as her mother. Calmly, she asked, “Did you find out the reason?”
The maid nodded and whispered, “They say the eldest young mistress gave birth prematurely to a daughter, and Madam Jiang was dissatisfied, deliberately moving in to torment her daughter-in-law during her postpartum confinement.”
Distracted, Lu Zhaoying pricked her fingertip with the needle. Blood instantly welled up, forming a small bead like a dot of cinnabar on her pale, slender finger.
Placing her finger in her mouth, Lu Zhaoying felt puzzled.
She had interacted with Madam Jiang twice before. Though they hadn’t spoken much, her impression was that Madam Jiang was not the kind of unreasonable woman.
“How many days has the second young master been at the City Guard Battalion?”
The maid fetched ointment and applied it to Lu Zhaoying’s finger, teasing, “About six or seven days, right? Does Miss miss her future husband?”
Lu Zhaoying poked the maid’s forehead with her finger and shot her a reproachful glance.
Jiang Heng only returned on his day off once every twenty days, and it was still early before his next return.
She vaguely remembered that the Jiang family’s eldest young mistress wasn’t due to give birth yet. Why had she suddenly gone into premature labor?
It seemed she needed to have someone investigate carefully.
Jiang Jia.
It had been four days since moving to Yunzhu Yuan. Jiang Wei, with his silent, icy expression and demeanor, was quietly resisting his own mother.
However, Zhao Xian completely ignored him, her heart entirely devoted to the tragic novel’s female lead, Li Lianniang.
Although she had never given birth herself, she had taken care of women in labor before.
Wang Wenpo was unavailable, but in a place as large as Jin’an, finding a skilled midwife was not difficult. Moreover, the female physician took Li Lianniang’s pulse daily and prescribed medicinal meals.
Originally, meals had to be fetched from the main kitchen, but Zhao Xian waved her hand and ordered a small kitchen to be set up in Yunzhu Yuan, dedicated solely to Li Lianniang.
In ancient times, there were no televisions or phones, and it was not advisable for a woman in confinement to read too much.
So Zhao Xian found a literate maid to read a page or two to Li Lianniang every day.
Without being subjected to venomous words or anger, Li Lianniang’s complexion improved day by day. A beauty remained a beauty even during her confinement.
It was then that Zhao Xian noticed her own artist bore some resemblance to Li Lianniang, though the ancient demeanor made the likeness far less striking.
“Madam, the eldest young master is at the door and wishes to see you.”
Zhao Xian was reviewing the account books when Nanny He entered the room and whispered.
Beneath the account books were Zhao Xian’s discarded calculation papers. She was not yet proficient with the abacus, and having neglected these accounts for several days, they had piled up. She had hoped to gloss over them, but discovered that the original host had handled such matters meticulously. To avoid arousing Nanny He’s suspicions again, she had no choice but to calculate them privately.
Zhao Xian placed her hands on the account books, secretly massaging her fingers, which had grown sore from using the brush. “Let him in,” she said.
After several days apart, Jiang Wei remained unchanged—his face as cold as ever, though this time it seemed tinged with anger.
“Mother, how much longer do you intend to keep up this foolishness?”
Author’s Note:
[Throwing flowers][Throwing flowers][Throwing flowers][Throwing flowers] Shamelessly asking for bookmarks