After resting for a while at Cangyu Courtyard, Xiao Yunzhu washed her face, changed clothes, and went to the Buddha Hall to see her mother.
Madam Xiao had once been a rare beauty, but now she was aged and thin, her appearance withered. As always, she knelt on the prayer mat before the Buddha, devoutly chanting scriptures, praying for blessings in the next life for her husband and son.
Xiao Yunzhu entered quietly, kneeling silently at her side.
When the recitation ended, Madam Xiao’s voice rasped, “You’ve returned?”
Xiao Yunzhu: “Yes, your daughter has returned.”
Madam Xiao: “Is your grandmother well?”
Xiao Yunzhu: “Mother, Grandmother is healthy and peaceful.”
Madam Xiao was silent for a while, then said, “You came back early this year. Is there something wrong?”
Xiao Yunzhu: “Yes. Third Cousin admires another girl. That girl is already three months pregnant and wishes to enter the household first. So I let them be together and annulled the engagement with Third Cousin.”
Madam Xiao had not expected her daughter’s marriage to encounter such trouble and was stunned.
Xiao Yunzhu said softly, “Mother, Uncle and Aunt have long wished to break the engagement. It cannot be forced.”
Madam Xiao: “Have you thought it through?”
Xiao Yunzhu: “I have.” She paused, then added, “Aunt sent someone to fetch Third Cousin’s betrothal document.”
She herself had said she would send it, but Aunt seemed afraid she might regret it, so she sent someone along.
Madam Xiao clenched her prayer beads, anger flashing across her face. “Petty people who flatter the powerful and trample the weak—have they forgotten how they once begged us?”
Her sister-in-law was greedy, her elder brother heartless. If her husband and son were still alive, how would they dare act so?
Xiao Yunzhu listened quietly.
Her mother, grandmother, and many loyal old servants often spoke of “the past.” But she did not live in the past—she lived in the present.
Madam Xiao said no more, closed her eyes, and ordered her attendant, Nanny Xu, to fetch He Baoyan’s betrothal document.
Xiao Yunzhu then spoke gently, “Mother need not worry about my marriage. Grandmother and Uncle will help me look, and Uncle and Aunt of the Ling family will also arrange matters for me.”
She had spoken of her “Uncle from the Ling family,” who was her father’s close friend.
Madam Xiao’s tone was somewhat stiff. “That is good.”
Soon, the betrothal document was brought, and Xiao Yunzhu took it and excused herself.
Once she left, the Buddha Hall returned to silence, but Madam Xiao could no longer continue chanting. After a long while, she murmured in self-loathing, “What kind of mother am I?”
Nanny Xu spoke cautiously, “The young lady understands.”
Madam Xiao whispered, “If she understands, I feel all the more ashamed.”
Her husband and sons had met with tragedy, and she had allowed herself to sink into grief, neglecting her daughter. She never believed the rumor that Xiao Yunzhu’s birth chart brought misfortune to her kin—that was Fourth Girl’s mischief. Yet she could not help but wonder: if she had not given birth to Xiao Yunzhu on that particular day, would the tragedy have been avoided?
All these years, she had vented her anger on Xiao Yunzhu, while also blaming herself day and night. It had become a demon in her heart.
But now that Xiao Yunzhu’s marriage had changed, could she still hide in the Buddha Hall, ignoring everything?
If her husband and sons knew in the afterlife, they would surely reproach her for failing in her duty as a mother. They had loved Yunzhu more than treasure, hoping she would grow up to live happily and well.
Her own mother was old and frail, and though the Ling couple were kind and had cared for Xiao Yunzhu, they had been posted to Huai’an last year and were no longer in the capital.
The Old Madam and the second branch could not be relied upon—Xiao Yunzhu had only her.
Madam Xiao released her prayer beads and ordered Nanny Xu to prepare a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. She would write letters to several close friends.
Summoning Qiao Xiu, Xiao Yunzhu personally handed He Baoyan’s betrothal document to her, smiling. “Now you can be at ease, can’t you?”
Qiao Xiu replied awkwardly, “This servant was never uneasy.”
All along the journey, she had worried that Madam Xiao might refuse to annul the engagement and not return the Third Young Master’s betrothal document. Then she would fail her task and surely be punished by her mistress. So she had asked Lü Mei several times whether Sixth Miss truly had the authority to decide.
Each time Lü Mei said yes, but she had not quite believed it. Now it seemed Sixth Miss truly could make her own decisions. And Madam Xiao truly did not concern herself much with Sixth Miss.
Xiao Yunzhu added, “Aunt is waiting impatiently. I won’t keep you—return tomorrow.”
Qiao Xiu agreed and withdrew. It was rare for her to come to the capital, and she and her husband had thought to stroll about. But Sixth Miss was right—the Madam was waiting for the betrothal document, so it was better to return quickly.
After sending Qiao Xiu away, Xiao Yunzhu went to the second branch to pay respects to her Second Uncle and Aunt, bringing gifts from Anzhou.
Naturally, she also sent gifts to Old Madam Xiao—she never allowed herself to be faulted in matters of etiquette.
Second Uncle Xiao Hui was not at home, and Second Aunt Madam Huang was busy. After a few polite exchanges, she let Xiao Yunzhu return.
Xiao Yunzhu herself had matters to attend to.
Qiao Xiu had misjudged one thing: Xiao Yunzhu could not only make her own decisions, but she could also manage the affairs of the Xiao family’s main branch. For several years, she had overseen both internal and external matters.
Outsiders did not know this. They thought Madam Xiao, though broken in spirit, still forced herself to hold on for her daughter’s sake, and that Xiao Yunzhu merely conveyed her mother’s orders. Even some stewards believed this. At first, it was indeed so. But later, Madam Xiao discovered that her daughter was exceptionally intelligent, grasping things instantly and often handling matters better than she did. So she completely let go.
In other words, the one truly managing the Xiao family’s main branch had long been Xiao Yunzhu. Having been away for days, a group of stewards were waiting to see her. By the time she finished handling affairs, it was already time for the evening meal. She longed to bathe and rest afterward, but she knew the day’s matters were not yet over.
As expected, while she was strolling in the courtyard to aid digestion, a silver-bell laugh rang out: “Sixth Sister, was Anzhou fun?”
Xiao Ruqiong led the way, with Xiao Ruxiu and Xiao Ruwen following behind. They were all daughters of the second branch: Ruxiu was third, Ruqiong fourth, and Ruwen fifth.
The eldest sister, Xiao Rulin, and the second sister, Xiao Rufang, were already married, their husbands’ families not in the capital.
Among them, only Rulin and Ruqiong were born of the principal wife; the other three were concubine-born.
In the gradually declining Xiao family, the only shining star was Xiao Ruqiong. She was strikingly beautiful, graceful, and widely connected, friends with several princes and princesses. Even though Second Uncle Xiao Hui favored sons over daughters, he regarded her differently, seeing her as the hope of restoring the family’s marquisate.
Xiao Yunzhu invited them to sit, smiling. “Anzhou is a remote place, with only rustic amusements. How could it compare to the capital, rich in talent and treasures?”
Before the birthday celebration trip to Anzhou, Xiao Ruqiong had said she was bored in the capital and wanted to see the scenery elsewhere.
Xiao Yunzhu dared not let her go to her maternal grandmother’s house, so to dissuade her, she spoke ill of Anzhou. Now, naturally, she could not contradict herself by saying Anzhou was fun.
Xiao Ruqiong teased, “Well, who would have thought—Sixth Sister is prejudiced against regions.”
Xiao Yunzhu considered the meaning of “prejudiced against regions,” then smiled. “Not prejudice—just the truth.”
Xiao Ruqiong often came up with fresh and curious expressions, and Xiao Yunzhu was used to it. She also understood why they had come to her so late.