“Same old trick.”
Li Rong felt the plan wouldn’t work. “Third Master Zhou has spent years immersed in officialdom. What kind of person hasn’t he met? The moment you came up with this idea, he’d probably see right through it.
“He isn’t the inexperienced Heir of Prince Yan anymore!
“Besides, the Heir of Prince Yan had some affection for you, at least. But Third Master Zhou…”
With all the favor he showed her and the things he sent her, it didn’t seem as though he felt nothing for her.
“Can you guarantee that you’ll be able to manipulate Third Master Zhou the way you manipulated the Heir of Prince Yan?”
Li Qu shook her head. “I still suspect that Third Master Zhou has an ulterior motive for keeping me in the residence, but I don’t know much about him. And whatever conclusions I’ve drawn from the maids’ conversations and the masters’ discussions may not be entirely accurate.”
“Third Sister, you’re always saying that knowing both yourself and your enemy ensures victory in every battle, and that you must make your plans before taking action.”
“Even if I can’t get a clear read on him, I’ll be able to leave once his new wife enters the household at the latest.”
“Why?”
“First, he doesn’t like me. Second, what new wife would like the person her husband had been involved with before their marriage? My leaving would accomplish two things at once.”
“Three things at once. It would also satisfy you, Third Sister. But when is Third Master Zhou going to marry?”
“He’s already twenty-six this year. He can’t put it off for much longer.”
Li Rong nodded, then remembered the concubinage contract. “Nanny Xu said just now that Second Madam sent people to Jishui Lane. Could they be trying to force Mother to sign the concubinage contract?”
“Mother won’t sign it. She knows there’s nothing I won’t do.” Li Qu’s tone was calm. “If I agree to the contract, I’ll sign it myself. And if anyone else comes to ask you to sign, don’t sign it.”
“If we don’t sign the concubinage contract, wouldn’t that make you a low-status concubine?”
“What nonsense are you talking about? I’m a free commoner, not a rootless vagrant without household registration!”
“Actually, Third Sister, you know that you’re a free commoner. If you sign the contract, you’ll be a proper concubine…”
“What does being a proper concubine mean?”
“After going through this, if you leave the residence in the future, will you be a young lady, or…”
“An abandoned wife—the kind whose mother-in-law sent her back home right after the wedding because her husband fell ill.”
Li Rong reminded her, “There’s no record of you at the local authorities. Once you reach the required age, you’ll still have to pay the tax.”
To encourage childbirth, the Da Qian court required unmarried women who had turned seventeen to pay a tax.
A hefty twenty silver taels a year.
If they didn’t pay, the authorities would drag them away and arrange forced marriages for them at will.
“You don’t need to worry about money. Since Zhou Residence sent you supplies today, I won’t give you any money.”
“Would accepting things from Zhou Residence cause trouble for you?”
“Take everything they sent! I can’t very well let Zhou Jin benefit for nothing.”
Li Rong coughed. “You really are broad-minded, Third Sister.”
“Be careful while you’re out. When you have the chance, find out more about the Zhou family, especially Zhou Jin. If you run short of money or encounter any trouble, come find me.”
Li Rong hesitated. “Mother had some things she wanted me to tell you…”
As she spoke, she watched Li Qu’s expression carefully. “Mother said that you offended the Heir of Prince Yan behind the family’s back, forcing us to abandon a perfectly good business and move south as a whole family to seek refuge with Eldest Sister.
“Now that Third Master Zhou, who is no worse than the Heir of Prince Yan, has taken an interest in you, you should try to win his heart and keep him firmly in your grasp.
“That way, you won’t have to worry about being found and retaliated against by the Heir of Prince Yan in the future.”
Li Qu was furious. “How many times do I have to say this?”
“Wan County is under Zhuzhou’s jurisdiction. Zhuzhou is guarded by Tang Xian, a trusted second-rank official of the court and a true governor with command over an entire region. Like Prince Yan, he holds real power.
“The court has been wary of Prince Yan for a long time. If Xiao Cong dares to enter Zhuzhou alone, Tang Xian won’t let him leave safely.
“In Wan County, Brother-in-law isn’t under Xiao Cong’s control. Once we reach Wan County, we’ll have Brother-in-law supporting us. As long as we keep a low profile, we’ll have no trouble living in peace.”
Li Rong sighed.
Li Qu had said these things many times, but that didn’t change how frightened the Li family was.
“I think Third Master Zhou treats you quite well.”
Li Qu could bear it no longer. “Fine! Let’s go tell him. When we entered the city gates back then, you were the one who went in first. You can become this highborn household’s concubine!”
“Don’t be angry.”
“How can I not be angry?
“Do you want me to end up like Mother someday, having lost all my beauty, then get picked up by a mute who doesn’t even have the ability to feed himself, and give birth to a whole bunch of children we can’t afford to raise?”
Mother Li’s exact age was unknown, but Li Qu’s Eldest Sister, Li Fu, was already twenty-three. Mother Li had to be at least forty.
Yet she was still giving birth!
There was certainly a desire for sons involved, but it wasn’t as though Mother Li had never given birth to boys before.
“Then, after giving birth to beautiful children, I’d have to suffer other people’s jealousy. One would be smothered to death today, another drowned tomorrow!”
Li Rong was left speechless.
Li Fu was twenty-three, while Li Rong was eighteen. There was a five-year gap between them, and a boy had been born in between.
Rumor had it that he was smothered to death on the day of his one-month celebration.
The murderer was unknown.
Li Qu was sixteen this year. She had once had a younger brother three years below her, who had just learned to walk before he drowned.
After that, Mother Li gave birth to another daughter, ten years younger than Li Qu.
Li Fu had taken her to Wan County and raised her personally.
There was nothing particularly unusual about the Li family’s sons. Father Li and Mother Li were timid and easy to bully, and they never made trouble for anyone.
The only thing different about the Li family’s boys was that they were beautiful.
They were born with deep double eyelids, straight noses, and skin as white as snow.
Among the mostly ordinary-looking villagers, many of whom were downright homely, they stood out painfully.
“Third Sister…”
Li Qu did her best to calm herself. “Second Sister, setting everything else aside, the Heir of Prince Yan has countless concubines. How many brothers do you think Xiao Cong has?”
The Heir of Prince Yan, Xiao Cong, had two full brothers born of the same mother, as well as two half-brothers. Yet the older of those two half-brothers was only four years old.
“Besides, back in Yan territory, the Miss Lin you thought was my good friend was actually Xiao Cong’s fiancée. Their betrothal had been arranged when they were children.
“Her father’s favorite concubine was a woman from a military household and a free commoner. But simply because she knocked over a flowerpot Princess Consort Yan had given Madam Lin, she was beaten, sold, and sent away!”
“And in this Zhou Residence, Second Master Zhou is a merchant. He has a concubine who travels with him and has borne him a son and a daughter. Because she happened to wear the same clothes as Old Madam Zhou, she was sent away to an estate.”
“Tell me, have you ever seen a household where the concubine became the principal wife, enjoying the happiness of having children and grandchildren gathered around her?”
“No!”
“All of these things happened. They’re real people and real events, plain for all to see!
“Tell me, why should I sacrifice myself for a man and live a life where I don’t know whether I’ll survive from one day to the next, with no hope for my old age?”
As Li Qu spoke, the emotions she had suppressed for so long—emotions completely at odds with the common beliefs of this era—burst forth.
“If she’s lucky, she’ll end up like Mother, at least left with her life.
“If she’s unlucky, a crooked tree, a roof beam, a deep well—any of them can become the place where her soul returns!”
“You say you want to fight the principal wife?
“The principal wife was born into nobility, and the servants around her are blades her family has trained since childhood. How many loyal confidants do you have at your disposal?
“Not to mention that marriages between powerful families are all tied together by mutual interests. Even if you were made entirely of gold, you still couldn’t outweigh the future and safety of the entire clan in your husband’s eyes!”
“Perhaps you’ll say that you’re more beautiful than other women.
“But isn’t our Eldest Sister beautiful?
“After having children, she still couldn’t stop Brother-in-law from taking a concubine who wasn’t even as beautiful as Eldest Sister, just to have another woman around to add fragrance to his books.”
“Li Rong, I could have been like Eldest Sister and become a principal wife who managed the household and held real authority, raising the children while assisting my husband.
“With one or two concubines to share the risks of childbirth, I could have lived my whole life without a care!”
Unable to contain herself, she sat up, her arms trembling slightly with agitation.
“The world does not permit men to favor concubines and neglect their wives. It praises husbands and wives who treat each other with respect.
“The law says that concubines are property and may be bought and sold. A husband who harms his wife is sentenced to exile a thousand miles away!
“Why would I give up the position of a proper wife who manages the household and degrade myself into a concubine with absolutely no status?”
“For all the gold and silver filling this room? For a life where I can order servants around? Or for a man’s handsome face?”
Li Qu looked at Li Rong, her eyes full of ridicule.
“Are those things worth trading for my social status? Worth trading for the life I’ll have for the rest of my years? Worth even gambling away my one living, breathing life?”
“Not worth it!” No man in this world was worth it!
The words rang like a thunderclap.
“Li Rong, in the eyes of a powerful household, women of our birth are no different from ants, easy to manipulate. Becoming a concubine is no different from stepping straight into the Netherworld. I advise you not to entertain any such thoughts.”
“Why would I? You know I like learned scholars.”
After releasing all her pent-up emotions, Li Qu suddenly felt as though her chest had opened up and become light.
Seeing that Li Qu’s expression had improved, Li Rong brought up another matter. “So, were all the men who came to ask for Eldest Sister’s hand as a concubine beaten up after you had people throw sacks over their heads?”
Li Qu didn’t want to continue discussing the subject. After telling Li Rong her plans, she had Li Rong stay for lunch, then sent her home to reassure Father Li and Mother Li.
Leaving emotions aside, as far as their interests were concerned, Li Rong was counting on Li Qu to pay the tax for being unmarried past the eligible age. She was firmly on Li Qu’s side.