“Miss, the Second Young Master went to see the First Young Madam.”
Yue Jingque lowered her eyes and continued reading the book in her hands.
“Where is Wei Nancheng?”
“He seems to have gone out.”
Yue Jingque closed her book.
“He probably went to the government office. He has become an official. Although his rank is not high, he still holds real authority in the capital.”
“There are countless cases in the capital. Even on his wedding day, he cannot find time to rest.”
The martial maid standing beside her did not dare to speak.
Yue Jingque laughed bitterly.
“I studied with him for so many years. In the end, he became an official serving the people of the capital, while I can only stay inside the inner household.”
She looked down at the book beside her.
“Go and bring the Second Young Master back. Since I promised Grandmother that I would supervise his studies, I should keep my word.”
She looked at the jade bracelet on her wrist, removed it, placed it into a wooden box, and handed the box to the maid.
“Keep it safe for me.”
“One day, I will have to return these things.”
Li Zhenchun looked at the jade bracelet inside the wooden box, sighed, and closed the lid.
Just after she put it away, a maid entered the courtyard.
“Young Madam, Madam would like to see you.”
Li Zhenchun’s heart skipped a beat.
If it is good fortune, it cannot be avoided. If it is trouble, it cannot be escaped.
….
In Chen Runiang’s courtyard, Li Zhenchun stood nervously beside a stone table while Chen Runiang calmly drank tea.
“Mother, you wanted to see me?”
Chen Runiang put down her teacup and looked at her.
“Do you know why I kept you here yesterday?”
“I do. It was for the Wei family’s reputation and for my own reputation.”
Li Zhenchun spoke softly, glancing at Chen Runiang’s face after every few words.
“That is only part of the reason. The deeper matters are beyond your understanding. You only need to remember one thing—be a proper First Young Madam of the Wei family.”
Li Zhenchun paused before answering.
“Yes.”
“You were born into a merchant family. I assume you are very good at managing accounts.”
Li Zhenchun’s heart sank.
She had never touched the family account books while living at home.
She could not help thinking bitterly that if she had married Wei Xinian instead, her mother-in-law would have been the Second Madam, who came from a military family. She would never have been forced to learn accounting.
She licked her lips.
“Mother… Miss Yue entered the family at the same time as I did. She is skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and she understands all the rules of managing a household. Wouldn’t she be more suitable for these responsibilities?”
As soon as she finished speaking, the two older servants behind Chen Runiang exchanged surprised looks.
After decades in noble households, this was the first time they had ever seen a new bride willingly trying to hand over the authority of managing the household.
Chen Runiang remained silent.
Li Zhenchun could only stand there with her heart pounding.
“Do you know that asking you about this on your very first day means I trust you greatly?”
She glanced sideways at Li Zhenchun.
Li Zhenchun’s knees nearly gave out.
As expected of Wei Nancheng’s mother. Even when she simply kept a straight face, she was just as frightening as her son.
She bent over slightly, trying to stop her legs from shaking.
“I am foolish. I cannot bear such a heavy responsibility.”
“Since you only entered the family today, I will not punish you by sending you to the ancestral hall this time. Go back and reflect on your mistakes. Do not come to see me again until you understand where you were wrong.”
Li Zhenchun returned to her courtyard and collapsed onto the bed.
She had only been lying there for a short while when an older maid entered with four young maids and two senior servants.
“Young Madam, Madam has assigned these maids and servants to serve you.”
Li Zhenchun looked over them.
Four maids. Two senior servants.
She sighed, turned over, and continued lying down.
Officially, they were here to take care of her.
In reality, they were here to watch her.
She raised her hand and looked at the calluses on her palm.
If only I hadn’t spent so much time practicing martial arts… I should have spent some of that time learning accounting instead.
…
“First Young Madam has been confined to her courtyard.”
The martial maid reported to Yue Jingque.
Yue Jingque looked up from her writing desk.
“What happened?”
“They said she knows very little about accounting and angered the First Madam.”
Yue Jingque paused in surprise.
“She came from a merchant family. Why would she not know accounting?”
“I don’t know.”
Yue Jingque set down her brush.
“Tell the Second Young Master that she has been confined.”
The martial maid frowned.
“Miss, shouldn’t we send more people to Drunken Red House to drag the Second Young Master back?”
“Even if we catch him once, can we catch him a hundred times?”
Yue Jingque picked up a painting from the table.
“We must first cut off his escape routes before we can solve the problem completely.”
She wondered whether Wei Xinian would return if he truly cared about Li Zhenchun.
But he did not.
Even after his servant told him that Li Zhenchun had been confined, he only smiled knowingly.
“Someone as foolish and ignorant of manners as she is was bound to be confined sooner or later.”
Yue Jingque looked at her maid.
“Do you think he is simply heartless, or is there really nothing between him and Li Zhenchun?”
Thinking about how Li Zhenchun had come looking for Wei Xinian yesterday…
If it was not love, then it was loyalty.
But someone so cold and ungrateful could never be a good husband.
…
The next morning, Li Zhenchun woke up early.
Standing at the entrance of her courtyard, she saw many servants carrying things outside.
“Hongxiu, what are they doing?”
“Young Madam, tomorrow is Second Young Madam’s return visit to her parents’ home. They are preparing her gifts.”
“They’re already packing today?”
Li Zhenchun looked surprised.
“In noble families of the capital, preparations usually begin on the very first day after the wedding.”
Li Zhenchun had no idea what gifts were supposed to be taken home.
She also could not understand why visiting her parents required so much preparation.
Although she claimed she would study household rules with the two senior servants, she actually spent the whole day reading storybooks.
Near sunset, she rubbed her sleepy eyes.
Just as she stood up, Hongxiu entered quietly.
“Young Madam, a message came from the government office. Young Master will not be coming home today.”
“That’s fine.”
Without Wei Nancheng around, she felt much more relaxed.
Hongxiu hesitated.
“…Tomorrow as well.”
Li Zhenchun looked at her.
“If he doesn’t come back, then he doesn’t come back. Why do you look so worried?”
“Tomorrow is the day you return to your parents’ home.”
Li Zhenchun immediately understood.
“It’s alright. I can go by myself.”
…
In Chen Runiang’s courtyard, she slammed her hand onto the stone table.
“That foolish boy!”
She clenched her fist.
“Did the Young Madam really say that?”
“Yes. She said she could return alone.”
Chen Runiang rubbed her forehead.
“One knows nothing about proper manners, and the other has no sense of responsibility.”
The one who knew no manners was Li Zhenchun.
The one with no sense of responsibility was Wei Nancheng.
“Forget it. After she returns from visiting her family, I will teach her properly.”
Li Zhenchun did not know that returning to her parents’ home alone would become the laughingstock of everyone.
Among noble families, when a bride returned alone, it usually meant that her husband’s family did not value her.
“This is outrageous! The Wei family has gone too far! First they changed your marriage partner, and now they make you return home alone! At the next Spring Banquet, I will certainly ask Old Madam Wei how she can justify this!”
Old Madam Yue frowned deeply as she looked at Yue Jingque.
“The change of marriage was something I agreed to.”
Yue Jingque paused.
“As for today’s visit… The second Young Master has caught a cold these past few days. He stayed away because he did not want to pass his illness to Grandmother.”
It was only an excuse to save face.
Privately, everyone knew the truth.
After all, Wei Xinian’s reputation as an idle playboy had existed for years.
After the family banquet ended, Madam Yue brought Yue Jingque into a private room and held her daughter’s hand.
“Tell me honestly. Is the Second Young Master really sick, or is there another reason?”
Yue Jingque lowered her eyes in embarrassment.
“Mother, since you already know the answer, why ask?”
“You…”
Madam Yue became both angry and heartbroken.
“If I don’t ask, how would I know you’ve been living like a widow right after your marriage? No! I must speak to your father and demand an explanation from the Wei family. Why did they secretly change your husband?”
The son-in-law they had originally arranged was Wei Nancheng.
How had it suddenly become the useless Second Young Master?
“Don’t.”
Yue Jingque held her mother’s hand.
“Do you want everyone to know that I returned home alone?”
She looked at her mother.
“Even if I had married Wei Nancheng, he still would not have come back with me today. Miss Li also returned home alone.”
Madam Yue frowned.
“Even so, allowing you to return alone is an insult to you.”
“My Lady!”
A maid hurried inside.
“Second Madam Wei has arrived. She even brought two live deer.”
Madam Yue glanced at Yue Jingque.
“Let her in.”
“Dear sister, it has been a long time!”
The Second Madam Wei entered smiling warmly and immediately linked arms with Madam Yue.
“The Second Young Master could not accompany Jingque today, and his father passed away long ago. So I, as his mother, came to accompany her instead.”
“I personally went into the mountains to hunt these deer, which delayed me a little. I hope you won’t blame me.”
Seeing her smiling face, Madam Yue could only swallow her anger to avoid causing a scene.
As Yue Jingque was leaving, Madam Yue said softly,
“This marriage was unfair to you. Both the Wei family and I have wronged you. If one day you become tired or unhappy, come home.”
Yue Jingque said nothing.
She simply followed Second Madam Wei onto the carriage.
The Second Madam Wei sighed.
“What the Second Young Master did today was truly inappropriate.”
Yue Jingque remained silent.
Instead, her little maid spoke up.
“It is not only today. On the very first day of the marriage, the Second Young Master went to a brothel. When my lady sent someone to ask him to return, he drove them away.”
“Which young master in the capital would behave so disgracefully? Only my lady could tolerate such treatment. If it had been any other noble young lady, the marriage would already have fallen apart.”
The Second Madam Wei looked embarrassed.
She knew her son was completely at fault.
She also knew his reputation was terrible.
Any respectable family in the capital refused to let their daughters marry him.
Being able to marry the legitimate daughter of the Yue family was probably a blessing from his late father.
If he continued acting like this, even a hundred blessings would not save him.
She took Yue Jingque’s hand.
“Good child, how about this? I will leave Second Young Master entirely in your hands. Discipline him however you like. Beat him or scold him if you must. I will never interfere.”
Yue Jingque looked at her.
“Mother, do you truly mean that?”
“I absolutely do. From now on, I will not interfere in any of his affairs.”
“And you will not give him any money?”
The Second Madam Wei raised her hand.
“I swear I will not give Wei Xinian a single coin from now on.”
“What about his monthly allowance?”
“I will have my sister-in-law give all of it directly to you.”
Yue Jingque smiled gently.
“Then don’t worry, Mother. From now on, I will make sure the Second Young Master studies diligently.”