Upon returning home, Ruan Shiyi was immediately pulled aside by his mother, Eldest Mistress Gui, who looked him over from head to toe before saying with relief, "Good, you truly have the bearing of a man now. With your wedding approaching, you'll be an adult soon—no more of that mischievous behavior from before."
"I understand, Mother," Ruan Shiyi replied. As the only son in the family, with an elder sister who had long since married off, he was doted upon. Although his father held no official rank, their close ties to the main family branch ensured the household lived in considerable comfort.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with Eldest Mistress Gui, Ruan Shiyi brought up the matter of the bed-rolling children: "Today on my way home, I came across Mi Niang playing outside. She looked so adorable that I thought of inviting her to be one of the bed-rolling children. What do you think?"
Eldest Mistress Gui knew her son well. Aside from his studies, he paid little attention to worldly affairs—which was precisely why she had arranged for him to marry her own niece, a girl several years his senior, to ensure he would be well taken care of.
Suspecting that Mi Niang's grandparents might have said something to influence him, she asked, "Did that family's Old Madam say something to you? Why would you pay her any mind? She's always complaining about being poor, and her husband is no better, always looking for handouts. Besides, I've already arranged for someone—the niece of Mistress Bin. She's said to be a little Blessed Woman."
As a scholar, Ruan Shiyi valued honesty. Moreover, recalling Mi Niang's sweet and well-behaved demeanor, he persisted: "Mother, it wasn't her grandmother who spoke to me. Mi Niang was playing alone. I found her exceptionally endearing and couldn't help but think of how illustrious her father, Ruan Jiading, once was within the clan. If her grandfather hadn't gambled away their fortune, Uncle Jiading might have soared through the imperial examinations long ago. Let's consider this a kindness to Mi Niang—perhaps it will forge a favorable connection."
Though Ruan Shiyi often seemed childlike and detached from mundane matters, few scholars were truly foolish. His mother was moved by his mention of "forging a connection." Despite the Ruan family having produced an Empress, it brought them little practical advantage. The main family consisted of only three branches, all residing in the capital, with limited ability to support clansmen in Jiangling. While her husband was said to be close to the main family, his responsibilities extended no further than managing the Ancestral Ritual Land—merely ensuring a slightly better life than that of ordinary clansmen.
The Dayong dynasty ultimately relied on scholars, and the Ruan clan fervently hoped to produce a few accomplished ones. Those who gained wealth and titles through imperial connections were often little more than idle aristocrats; even those who commanded military power were subordinate to civil officials. The Ruan family had never prioritized martial prowess—most were scholars. If Ruan Jiading could one day distinguish himself through learning, today's act of kindness might indeed plant the seed of a valuable bond.
"In that case, let Mi Niang come," Eldest Mistress Gui conceded. "But don't interfere with the selection of the boy—the one I've invited is no ordinary child."
It was customary to have one boy and one girl as bed-rolling children, symbolizing the harmonious union of dragon and phoenix and the hope that the bride would later bear both a son and a daughter, completing the character for "good" (好). However, the boy was considered more important, as bearing a son was generally deemed more significant in those times—the girl served merely as an embellishment.
Hearing his mother speak so solemnly of the boy, Ruan Shiyi asked, "Who is the boy you've invited?"
Eldest Mistress Gui smiled faintly. "He is the son of Lady Zhang. What do you think of that?"
"Lady Zhang? Which Lady Zhang?" Ruan Shiyi pondered for a moment before exclaiming, "Could it be the wife of Censor Zhang Maoze?"
Aunt Gui nodded, "If it weren't for people looking at the Duke's face in the capital, they wouldn't have let his son come. Moreover, her father, Lord Jian, serves as the Salt Transport Commissioner of Huainan."
So it was such a formidable background. Ruan Shiyi also bowed respectfully to his mother and said, "This is all thanks to Mother for being able to invite such a person."
This was just a simple matter for Ruan Shiyi, but when the news reached Mi Niang, Second Madam Ding treated it as a joyous occasion.
"Mi Niang, Mother will go to your Aunt Shang Sibo to borrow a piece of red fabric. I'll make you a beautiful dress in the next few days, how about that?" Because the family was struggling, Second Madam Ding rarely interacted with other clan members except for Fourth Mistress Shang, of course, also fearing that people would say they were freeloaders.
Now that her daughter was well-liked and even chosen as a bed-rolling child, Second Madam Ding couldn't be happier.
Mi Niang held onto her mother, "Mother, I have a red jacket that was made last year. I'll wear that one. Just iron it for me, that's all."
Joking aside, they hadn't earned any money yet, and now they were going to get new fabric. Her mother said it was borrowing, but she would surely pay for it privately—wasn't that a loss?
"That won't do. That jacket is already old." Second Madam Ding was troubled.
The money she had received from her cousin, Madam Wu, amounted to a full tael of silver, which she had saved for her husband. Next year, during the academy examination, her husband would need to find a stipendiary scholar as a guarantor. Without going into details, at least one tael of silver was required.
But her husband was important, and so was her daughter.
Now that her daughter had finally caught someone's eye, she couldn't let her be laughed at.
Unexpectedly, that evening, Aunt Gui sent someone over with a small red jacket, exquisitely embroidered with delicate plum blossoms on the outside, looking exceptionally beautiful. Second Madam Ding, rarely giving a reward, tipped the messenger.
The messenger knew that Second Madam Ding lived frugally, but even so, she still understood etiquette so well, so she couldn't help but offer a few words of advice: "Originally, the girl chosen was the niece of Madam Bin. You know Madam Bin—she has always been diligent in visiting our mistress. But our mistress has always known who her own people are. Besides, back then, Second Master Ding was especially kind to our young master, which goes without saying."
Second Madam Ding showed a faint smile on her face, clearly pleased. After all, even among the Ruan family, there were distinctions of status. If those at the very top were the lineage of the Duke of Bohai in the capital, and the most powerful in the hometown were the clan chief's lineage, then below them was Ruan Jiagui, Aunt Gui's husband.
He managed the clan's Ancestral Ritual Land and shops, and his family was very prosperous, with good relations within the clan.
However, when Mi Niang heard about Madam Bin, she couldn't help but ask, "Is it Madam Bin by the bamboo grove?"
The servant exclaimed in surprise, "Miss Mi'er is so clever! It is indeed Madam Bin by the bamboo grove."
It seemed Second Madam Ding also knew about this and quickly added, "I heard her niece is a lucky child."
The servant nodded, "Exactly. Eldest Mistress Bin’s maiden name is Zhou. Her sister-in-law gave birth to five sons before finally having this youngest daughter, and she was cherished beyond measure. Later, after Eldest Mistress Bin married into the family and remained childless for several years, guess what happened? As soon as this Miss Zhou was brought over, she gave birth to twins last year. And that’s not all. Before, Master Bin only had a few acres of poor land, living just slightly better than the average villager. But after the birth of his son, the bamboo grove on his land caught the attention of a major buyer, and that small patch alone sold for nearly two hundred taels. So, everyone says this Miss Zhou is a girl with great fortune. And what a coincidence—her name is Zhou Furou."
Zhou Furou? Mi Niang thought to herself, so it really is her. She hadn’t truly gotten to know Zhou Furou until their journey to the capital, never imagining she had been in the Ruan family so early.
On the other side, Eldest Mistress Bin was equally surprised that her niece had been passed over. Unwilling to accept it, she asked Eldest Mistress Gui, "Sister-in-law Gui, I already told my sister-in-law about this. They sent their daughter over early, so how could this…"
Eldest Mistress Gui shifted the blame to her son, "I wanted your niece to come. She’s a fortunate child, but my Shiyi was quite close with Mi Niang’s father back in the day, so there was nothing I could do. But don’t worry, I have some pastries from Tianxiang Zhai here. Take them back for Fu Jie’er to enjoy."
Although Zhou Furou was considered fortunate, she was merely the daughter of a farming family. Mi Niang, despite her current hardships, was the daughter of a scholar, which placed her in a different social standing.
Nearly everyone held this view. Thus, even though the clan disliked Master Ruan and Old Madam, and privately looked down upon and mocked Second Madam Ding, no one dared to openly break ties. What if Ruan Jiading actually attained Gongming?
Mi Niang heard Second Madam Ding say the same thing, "No matter how fortunate she may be, she’s still just a farmer’s daughter. Your father is now a Tongsheng, and if he passes the xiucai exam next year, you’ll be the daughter of a xiucai. That makes all the difference."
But Mi Niang inwardly sighed bitterly. This Zhou Furou’s fortune was truly extraordinary. In the future, she would marry the Heir Apparent of Jinxiang Hou and be regarded as a sister by Empress Ruan. As for herself, orphaned and without support, her life would be far worse than Zhou Furou’s.
Back then, she and Zhou Furou were both sent by the Ruan clan to serve Empress Ruan, starting as palace maids. From the beginning, Empress Ruan inexplicably favored Zhou Furou. Even though Mi Niang served the Empress more diligently and even offered strategies, she still couldn’t compare to Zhou Furou.
Even Zhou Furou’s marriage was largely arranged through the Empress’s efforts. Yet when Mi Niang was framed by Consort Cui while carrying out tasks for the Empress, the Empress turned a blind eye.
This was the main reason she later turned against Empress Ruan.
Thinking of this, Mi Niang snorted coldly. Fortune and luck? The idea that offending a fortunate person would bring retribution? She, Ruan Miniang, would always believe that human will could triumph over fate. After all, hadn’t Ruan Shiyi chosen her this time?