When Bai Wei arrived, He Fangting sat up slightly and asked about the accounts.
Bai Wei explained everything, then added with some disdain: “The Old Madam is truly muddle-headed. She probably still thinks it’s only natural for the husband’s family to spend the daughter-in-law’s dowry.”
He Fangting smiled faintly. “Why bother with her?”
Her view of her mother-in-law, Madam Pan, was simple: pity her misfortune, but be angry at her lack of resistance.
More than ten years ago, when she first married into the Jiang family, she noticed that Madam Pan’s life was miserable. Her father-in-law, Jiang Chengzong, never treated Madam Pan as a wife, only as a servant. His words carried no respect, and he would scold her at will.
He Fangting couldn’t bear it. She spoke up half-jokingly, often defended Madam Pan, and Jiang Chengzong restrained himself somewhat. He Fangting felt she had helped her suffering mother-in-law uphold justice and was pleased.
But soon Madam Pan came to her in secret, telling her not to contradict her elders, and lectured her on the principles of male superiority and female inferiority.
At first, He Fangting thought Jiang Chengzong or Jiang Zhixiu had prompted Madam Pan to suppress her. Later, she realized Madam Pan truly believed it.
Madam Pan sincerely thought that as a wife, one should treat her husband as heaven, serve him like a slave, and even more attentively than a slave. If the husband beat or scolded her, it must be because she had done something wrong and should endure it. Moreover, she believed this was proof of his affection—otherwise, why would he beat her and not others?
He Fangting was left speechless, feeling she had meddled unnecessarily. If one was willing to beat and the other willing to be beaten, why should she interfere? From then on, she stopped caring—unless it happened directly before her eyes.
Her mother-in-law had been foolish all her life. She was not worth helping, nor worth getting angry over.
Her younger brother-in-law, Jiang Linxiu, and younger sister-in-law, Jiang Furong, were each foolish in their own ways. No amount of teaching could change them. She once thought Jiang Zhixiu was the rare sensible one in the Jiang family, but the matter of succession proved he was just another fool.
At that moment, she told Bai Wei to rest and return to duty tomorrow.
“Your Highness!”
As Bai Wei left, Qing Hao returned quietly from outside the courtyard, her expression troubled.
He Fangting slowly opened her eyes. “What is it?”
Qing Hao reported: “The Master has gone to Yunshan Academy with Xie Meiying and her nephew Xie Rongmo. It’s said he intends to recommend Xie Rongmo for admission.”
He Fangting found it amusing. Jiang Zhixiu hadn’t even married Xie Meiying yet, but was already playing the role of uncle. She laughed:
“My husband loves talent. If the Xie boy truly has learning, entering Yunshan Academy is a good thing.”
She hardly blamed Xie Meiying, and certainly bore no resentment toward Xie Rongmo.
Xie Meiying was only twenty, while Jiang Zhixiu was already thirty-seven, seventeen years older. Had he married earlier, he could have been her father.
Thus, He Fangting always felt this affair resembled a middle-aged man deceiving a naïve young girl.
Poor Xie family, with only this aunt and nephew, no elders to guide them—otherwise they would never have let her stray down such a path.
Qing Hao hesitated, then added: “The young master and young lady also went along.”
He Fangting was just about to sip her tea when she paused at the words.
“Yu’er and Ying’er went too?”
A boy could not grow up confined within the inner residence, so when You’er turned ten, he moved to the outer courtyard.
When Ying’er reached ten, she also clamored to live on her own. He Fangting had already prepared Yingluo Pavilion for her, not far from Chunming Court. But Ying’er preferred Biqiu Garden near the flower beds, and he Fangting could only indulge her.
That morning, the siblings came together to pay their respects. Yu’er said he wanted to take his sister to West Market Ward to watch the hundred entertainments. Their sibling bond was strong, and He Fangting was naturally pleased. She instructed the attendants and maids to bring plenty of silver. She hadn’t expected them to end up at Yunshan Academy with Jiang Zhixiu and the others.
Qing Hao, bracing herself, explained: “Perhaps they met by chance at West Market. Once the Master spoke, the young master and young lady dared not refuse. Since the young master is already a student at Yunshan Academy, the Master may have thought Xie Rongmo, being new, should be guided by him.”
He Fangting pondered. “Yes, that must be it.”
What other explanation could there be? Surely the siblings hadn’t gone of their own accord. Even in their youth, they would know not to get too close to the Xie aunt and nephew. Still, unease lingered. She resolved to ask them directly when they returned. But she waited and waited—until night fell, and they had not come back.
Just as she was about to send someone to look, the group returned before curfew, all flushed from drink.
Meeting them at the second gate, He Fangting could tell at once: Xie Rongmo must have passed the teachers’ assessment and been admitted to Yunshan Academy.
Xie Meiying, upon seeing her, looked flustered, then forced herself to compose and bowed. “Greetings, Your Highness.”
Xie Rongmo also saluted, his eyes dark with humiliation, not for himself, but for his aunt. His aunt was the best person in the world. For his sake, she had wasted her youth, unmarried at twenty. At last, she met Jiang Zhixiu, but the Jiang family already had Princess Shun’an. Though Jiang Zhixiu promised to honor both lines and marry his aunt as principal wife, Princess Shun’an’s noble status meant his aunt would never be able to hold her head high before her.
He Fangting did not know the depth of Xie Rongmo’s thoughts. She nodded slightly to the pair. “No need for such ceremony…”
Before she could finish, Jiang Zhixiu cut in impatiently: “It’s late. Everyone should go rest.”
He Fangting’s suspicious, accusatory demeanor disgusted him. With the children present, he did not wish to say more. He merely reminded them all to drink sobering soup, then escorted Xie Meiying back to Luomei Pavilion.