Madam Lü reached out and stroked her hair, her tone affectionate. “You are the child I carried for ten months. If I don’t dote on you, who will? If that Young Gentleman Deng were truly a good match, as your mother, I wouldn’t want to be the villain who breaks up a pair of lovebirds.”
The mother and daughter exchanged a few more intimate words, the atmosphere warm and harmonious.
Meanwhile, in Concubine Yao’s room, Xu Lanshu was still sobbing. Tian Mama, standing nearby, watched with heartache. “Shu-jie’er, don’t cry anymore. If you keep crying, this old woman’s heart will shatter.”
Xu Lanshu’s nose was red from crying as she muttered softly, “Mother…”
Seeing her face covered in tear stains, Concubine Yao took a handkerchief and gently dabbed the tears from the corners of her eyes. “There now, be a good girl. Mother will handle this matter for you in the future. Lately, the First Madam has been in a foul mood. Just amuse yourself at home for now, and once this blows over, I will speak to your father.”
Xu Lanshu gave a small sound of agreement.
Children’s tempers flare up quickly and fade just as fast. After finishing a bowl of sweet soup, Xu Lanshu fell comfortably asleep in the warm room.
Concubine Yao patted Xu Lanshu’s back. Once her daughter was completely asleep, her expression grew noticeably colder.
She reached out and carefully tucked in the bed curtains, shutting out the noisy sounds from outside. She then cast a glance at Tian Mama, who was standing hunched over nearby, signaling for her to step outside with her.
“Although Shu-jie’er was just blurting things out, looking at the Fourth Miss’s reaction, there seems to be something unusual going on.” Concubine Yao sat on the soft daybed, clutching a tangpozi[1]hot water bottle jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3000669_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3000669_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); and narrowing her eyes.
Tian Mama’s expression turned serious, and she quickly asked, “Niangzi, do you mean that our Shu-jie’er might have stumbled upon the truth, and there is indeed something to this?”
“If there wasn’t, why would Fourth Miss panic like that?” Concubine Yao smiled with pursed lips, looking entirely composed. “Have someone look into it first. If it turns out to be true, I’ll need to carefully plot my next move.”
Tian Mama nodded and smiled in agreement. “Rest assured, Niangzi, this servant knows the gravity of the matter.”
“By the way,” Concubine Yao suddenly furrowed her brow. “For Shu-jie’er to blurt out something about illicit affairs today—speaking in such a manner—there must be a problem with the servants in her room. Replace them all.”
Her daughter could not be taken advantage of, nor could she be taught to gossip by others.
Tian Mama agreed, “Do not worry, Niangzi, this servant will choose their replacements carefully.”
There wasn’t much charcoal in Xu Zhihe’s room. Now, at the end of the tenth lunar month, it was still bearable, but when the eleventh and twelfth months arrived, without the relief supplies from the Zhang family, the days would become much harder to endure.
Although her younger uncle was devoted to her, he couldn’t come to subsidize her constantly. She also didn’t want to cause him unnecessary trouble. Thus, she only lit a thin layer of charcoal in the brazier right before bed. Once she fell asleep, her body would naturally warm up.
Xu Zhihe flipped through the book in her hands; this was already her third time reading it.
After finishing, she pricked up her ears to listen to the sounds outside, then beckoned Fang Li over. “Has it quieted down out there?”
“It has.” Fang Li placed two plump, white steamed buns on the table, wiped her hands on her apron, and recounted to Xu Zhihe what had happened in both the other rooms.
Although Fang Li was a maid in Xu Zhihe’s courtyard, she was of lowly status and had little say. Whenever the main kitchen was short-handed, she would be called over to help. Over time, she became considered half a member of the main kitchen staff. Standing around there, no one ever found her presence suspicious.
The main kitchen was crowded and filled with gossip. While sorting vegetables, several of the older mamas chatted animatedly, revealing every detail of what had transpired today.
After listening, Xu Zhihe blinked but said nothing.
On one side was the rightful First Madam, and on the other was a favored concubine who was newly pregnant. She couldn’t afford to offend either of them.
Sitting cross-legged, she reached out and opened the low nightstand by her bed. She took out a cherished jar of osmanthus oil, scraped out a tiny bit with her fingernail, and rubbed it onto the back of Fang Li’s hand.
Fang Li immediately grew anxious. “Miss, such a fine thing—isn’t it a waste to use it on me?”
Osmanthus oil was precious. This small jar had been sent over by her Uncle Zhang last time. A single jar cost over three hundred copper coins. Even the older female servants in the courtyards couldn’t bear to use their monthly allowances to buy such fine ointment for themselves. If their hands truly got frostbitten and blistered, a thirty-coin jar of lard ointment would suffice. Who could bear to buy something so expensive to smear on their hands?
“Who says?” Xu Zhihe earnestly massaged the ointment into her fingers. “The water right now is bone-chilling. When you sort and wash vegetables, it would be a miracle if your hands weren’t freezing. As long as your hands stay healthy, this jar of osmanthus oil is not wasted.”
Watching Xu Zhihe rub it in little by little, Fang Li felt a profound warmth in her heart.
“Miss, you are so good to me.”
Fang Li was two years older than Xu Zhihe and had originally been bought by Uncle Zhang to take care of her. Truth be told, she felt a bit ashamed; over the years, it was more often the young miss who made the decisions.
“Is that better?” Xu Zhihe reached out and tapped the tip of her nose. “By following me, you still have to go help in the main kitchen. The servants in the other courtyards don’t have to do that.”
Leaving aside Madam Lü and Concubine Yao, even Concubine Du—because she had two sons by her side to rely on—had maids and wet nurses in her courtyard who competed to see who was more respectable. None of them were willing to mix with the rough-working servant women in the main kitchen.
It was only Fang Li, following a Third Miss like her—whose father didn’t care and whose mother was gone—who could be bossed around by any random Mama or old servant.
Fang Li, however, didn’t feel wronged. The main kitchen was responsible for the household’s food supply, which was metered and rationed. The fires burned all day, making it wonderfully warm in the winter. As for any surplus portions, Manager Liu Mama turned a blind eye, letting them take a few steamed buns or twisted rolls without ever asking questions.
Thanks to her chores in the main kitchen, Fang Li was able to bring back some extra food from time to time.
The white steamed buns were made of clean, fine flour. They were as white as snow, tasted faintly sweet, and grew more fragrant and delicious the longer they were chewed.
The two of them divided and ate them with great relish.
Having filled her stomach, Xu Zhihe’s mood improved. She gathered up the few books she had finished reading. “In a couple of days, when the weather clears up, we’ll air these books out in the sun. Then we’ll go to the market, sell them, and exchange them for some new ones to read.”
This wasn’t Xu Zhihe’s first time doing this. Fang Li knew the routine and nodded, indicating she would keep it in mind.
During the Northern Song Dynasty, writing materials and books were not cheap. If Xu Zhihe wanted to read more, she had to buy books, sell them, and repeat the cycle.
The money left to her by Concubine Zhang was limited. Over the years, aside from a pair of white jade bracelets kept as a memento, most of her other belongings had been pawned in exchange for brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones so she could practice calligraphy and read. After several years, very little money remained.
In the evening, the main kitchen sent someone to announce that the allotted meals for each courtyard were ready.
Since it was neither the first nor the fifteenth of the lunar month, Madam Lü didn’t insist that everyone gather in the main hall to eat together.
After all, what Principal Wife would enjoy watching her husband’s concubines and illegitimate children hovering under her nose all day?
Although the dishes distributed to the individual courtyards were not as rich as those served in the Principal Wife’s main hall, eating in her own room allowed Xu Zhihe to focus entirely on her meal. She didn’t have to stay on edge, constantly worrying about being singled out.
It was better not to be singled out. Eating in peace was greatly beneficial for digestion, and with a healthy body, everything she did in the future would go well.
Fang Li received the delivered meal: two bowls of dishes—one of dried radishes and one of spinach stir-fried with meat—along with a wooden bucket of rice. That was all.
The spinach stir-fried with meat vaguely showed signs of being cooked with a fair amount of oil and fat. However, the head chef in the main kitchen was highly skilled at deftly separating the meat from the vegetables; not a single slice of meat made it to her side.
Fang Li muttered a quiet complaint, “Miss, today I saw Liu Mama carrying two catties of mutton and five catties of pork belly, but now we can’t see a single trace of meat.”
But complaints aside, over the years, she had long since grown accustomed to it in her heart.
After Fang Li took out porcelain bowls and scooped out two servings of rice, Xu Zhihe was just picking up her chopsticks when she suddenly heard a commotion at the door.
Living in the west wing was a double-edged sword. The downside was that whenever there was the slightest noise outside, it could be heard clear as day. The upside, however, was exactly the same: if there was any news stirring, she wouldn’t be kept completely in the dark, playing the fool for no reason.
Fang Li immediately held her breath. She didn’t even pick up her bowl and chopsticks, focusing intently on the sounds outside.
“The Master has returned,” Fang Li whispered after a long moment.
Xu Zhihe had naturally heard the commotion outside as well. Magistrate Xu had newly arrived to take up his post in Eqiao County. With countless daily social engagements, he had come home dead drunk for half a month straight.
Today was naturally no exception.
People emerged from the main hall. It seemed Madam Lü had also received the news and gone out to welcome him.
Fang Li asked, “Miss, would you like this servant to go out and take a look at what’s going on?”
Xu Zhihe placed a chopstick-ful of food into her bowl and shook her head. “Eat first. If there really is an issue, someone will definitely come to inform us.”
In the main hall, the heavily intoxicated Magistrate Xu was supported by servants as he sat down in a chair. His mind was still muddled, dwelling on the events that occurred as the banquet dispersed.
Today’s banquet was hosted by Wei Changhong, the Xianwei (County Lieutenant) of Eqiao County.
Wei Changhong was past thirty-two this year, with features that could barely be considered presentable. During the banquet, he casually revealed his background and connections: his maternal grand-uncle’s niece had married well. Her husband was a high-ranking official in the capital city of Bianjing. Having people in the royal court meant that after enduring a few more years in Eqiao County, he was practically guaranteed a promotion.
Magistrate Xu had some ability, but not much. He had largely reached his current position thanks to the promotion and support of Madam Lü’s father, Lü Ding.
Back when Lü Ding and Magistrate Xu first met, the former was still merely a provincial graduate. Later, believing Xu Zhongyi to be a reliable man, Lü Ding married his youngest daughter, Lü Suying, to him. Within two years, Lü Ding passed the imperial examination in one swoop to become an Jinshi. Becoming a protégé of the Emperor, he was appointed as a Tongpan (Prefectural Vice-Administrator). Basking in Lü Ding’s reflected glory, Xu Zhongyi was slowly promoted from a mere registrar to where he stood today.
Having relied on the protection of his in-laws himself, Xu Zhongyi naturally understood the importance of having connections in the imperial court. Although Wei Changhong didn’t state it outright, his subordinates hinted at it, asking with ambiguous intent, “We hear that the Magistrate has several daughters at home, each as beautiful as a flower and well-educated. If our Xianwei could obtain such a person as his principal wife, having a beauty by his side to pour tea, then when he achieves great success in the future, how could he possibly neglect his father-in-law?”
This aligned perfectly with Xu Zhongyi’s own thoughts.
Daughters—he had plenty of those. Leaving aside the Second Miss who was already married, just among those awaiting marriage, there were the Third Miss and the Fourth Miss. Even the Sixth Miss, though a bit young, could be raised and educated for another two years, which wouldn’t be impossible either.
At the end of the day, although Lü Ding was a Jinshi, up to today he was still barely the Prefect of Huzhou. A local official was no match for a capital official. If Xu Zhongyi wanted to climb higher, he would have to rely on connections in Bianjing.
Xu Zhongyi had stood up and raised a toast to Wei Changhong from afar, the two exchanging knowing smiles.
…
Madam Lü brought over sobering tea, placed it on the edge of the table, and reached out with a handkerchief to wipe Magistrate Xu’s face. The wind outside was harsh, and being drunk, his skin had chapped in the cold wind.
Xu Zhongyi narrowed his eyes, recalling the hints dropped by the men beside him as he left the banquet.
Though Wei Changhong hadn’t specified which daughter of the Xu family he wanted, his ambitions were clear. Now that he had family serving as an official in Bianjing, there was no way he would settle for a concubine-born daughter.
If handled poorly, they wouldn’t become in-laws; they might forge an enmity instead.
Magistrate Xu’s mind raced. Seeing Madam Lü wringing out the handkerchief under the glow of the oil lamp, he reached out and grabbed her wrist, his tone unusually mild. “Da-niangzi[2]First Madam jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3000669_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3000669_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, I have a matter to discuss with you.”
T/n: The New chapter is up! Enjoy the ride and do join us on this adventure 😍🎉🎊. If you want to support me, do check my other novels on my Translator’s Page🫶. You can support the original author here. Please vote on NU here. If you’re interested, you can also buy me a Ko-Fi. Happy Reading 🤓 💅.
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