“Old Madam told me this morning when I went to pay my respects.
The courtyard is Qiugui Xuan on the back street.
Old Master Ye has always liked to entertain distinguished guests there.
Sheng Ge’er will take the Metropolitan Examination next year—wouldn’t it be better to have a quiet, independent place than the courtyard you’re living in now?” Concubine Su said with a smile.
When Madam Su first heard that they were going to move her and her son to another courtyard, she felt a bit uneasy.
She thought the Ye Family was subtly trying to drive them away.
But as soon as she heard they were moving to Qiugui Xuan, she immediately became happy again.
It seemed the Ye Family still valued her son highly; otherwise, they wouldn’t have given them the courtyard Old Master liked the most.
“Old Master Ye and Old Madam aren’t angry?” Madam Su asked quietly.
Concubine Su knew what Madam Su was referring to and shook her head gently.
“Even if they are angry, it’s not at you. In their eyes, someone is jealous of Sheng Ge’er and wants to ruin this good match for the Ye Family.
Otherwise, why would they go out of their way to give you Qiugui Xuan to live in?
Although the courtyard you and your son are living in now is close to the outside,
making it convenient to come and go, and it even has a separate side gate, which makes it easy for Sheng Ge’er to go to the academy and such,
it’s far inferior to Qiugui Xuan. Second Master has wanted Qiugui Xuan for a long time, but Old Master has never relented!
The Ye Family is also afraid you might overthink things and that this marriage arrangement might fall through.” Concubine Su said with a smile.
Madam Su nodded gently.
Yes, right now, the ones most afraid of this marriage arrangement falling through are the Ye Family.
Just ask around all of Gusu City—could there be a better match than her son?
“As for Fourth Girl…” Madam Su looked at Concubine Su.
“She was frightened. I was startled too when I saw her this morning—her face was completely pale, and her lips were white.
I heard the doctor from Ping An Tang came to see her this morning.
Second Master was worried and insisted she stay in Eldest Miss’s courtyard.” Concubine Su said.
Madam Su’s expression darkened slightly.
“That girl is really something, clamoring to report it to the authorities? Matters like this within the inner household should be resolved privately.
Now she’s made it known to everyone in Gusu City—is that any better?
Petty and lacking in grace, without any of the dignity befitting a mistress of the household.” Madam Su said discontentedly.
Concubine Su gently patted Madam Su’s hand.
“There was no other choice. Even if she hadn’t made a fuss, Madam would have.
After all, the Ye Family still has many other girls. Eldest Miss is marrying into a marquis’s household in the capital next year.
If something like this happened now, it would inevitably look bad and wouldn’t be good for the other girls in the family either.” Concubine Su said.
“What’s so hard to resolve about it?
If something happened, there must have been some truth to it. If she had stayed within the inner quarters and never stepped outside, would something like this have happened?
Now it’s even affected our Sheng Ge’er.
In my opinion, according to the rules of noble families, she should be sent to the Ancestral Temple to live for a couple of years.” Madam Su said.
Concubine Su smiled but didn’t respond to this. Instead, she handed the wooden box in her hand to Madam Su.
“Old Master and Old Madam gave this.
They said that if you move to Qiugui Xuan, in addition to the maids and servants who will accompany you, they’ve also given you these.
Old Madam said that since Sheng Ge’er is now a Jieyuan, his status is different from before.
If he only relied on the meager salary from the government office, he would surely be a bit short on funds.”
Just these, said to be for Sheng Ge'er's usual social expenses.
I took a look: one hundred taels per silver note, thirty notes in total, three thousand taels.
There are also some gold ingots, most dignified for rewarding people.
Oh, I also added an extra thousand taels of silver.
Sister, take some time to properly make a few sets of clothes for Sheng Ge'er.
In the future, when going out to meet guests or attend poetry gatherings, being too plain will invite ridicule.
The weather in Gusu is turning cold soon. Once the New Year passes, Sheng Ge'er will need to prepare to head to the capital.
The capital is much colder than Gusu, so make a couple of fur-lined garments.
I still have two good pieces of fur at my place. I’ll have someone bring them over tomorrow for you to make two pieces for Sheng Ge'er." Concubine Su said as she pushed the wooden box toward Madam Su.
Madam Su touched the wooden box, then grasped Concubine Su's hand.
"Sister, all these years… you've truly suffered," Madam Su said softly.
Concubine Su smiled and clasped Madam Su's hand in return.
"Sister, what suffering is there to speak of?
No matter how hard it was, haven’t we endured it all?
No matter how difficult the past was, isn’t everything better now?
Sheng Ge'er has grown up, and he’s a Jieyuan. Next year’s Metropolitan Examination is sure to bring him success.
When the time comes… with the right support, he’ll surely have a smooth career.
Ning Jie'er is also grown up. Recently, Master has been thinking about finding a match for her.
We’ll take it one step at a time!
Sister, we’ve both held on." Concubine Su smiled.
Madam Su looked at her calm and composed cousin, feeling a pang of bitterness in her heart.
Back then, the most talented sister, after their uncle was dismissed from office and the family fell into decline, could only marry a merchant as a concubine…
Her sister’s character and appearance back then were such that she could have even become an imperial consort.
"Sister, I heard Prince Ning's Son is in Gusu. Ning Jie'er…" Madam Su looked at Concubine Su.
Concubine Su was taken aback.
"Didn’t Prince Ning's Son marry a Consort? She’s the niece of Consort Xu from the palace, originally the daughter of Minister Xu of the Ministry of Personnel?"
"Isn’t there still the position of secondary consort?" Madam Su reminded her.
Concubine Su…
"Sister, I’m not the principal wife. How can I let my daughter not be the principal wife either?" Concubine Su shook her head.
"What are you saying?
Not the principal wife? That depends on whose concubine she is!
If we follow your logic, isn’t Consort Xu in the palace also a concubine? Yet when the principal wives of princes and ministers meet her, don’t they still bow in deep respect?
Ning Jie'er’s character and appearance are top-notch, just like yours.
Rather than marrying into an ordinary family as the principal wife, wouldn’t it be better to marry into the imperial family?
A secondary consort is still a consort, recorded in the imperial genealogy. Once she bears a child, her status will be entirely different.
Ning Jie'er is ambitious but not contentious. If she could become Prince Ning's secondary consort, the Consort would also feel at ease.
Sister, Ning Jie'er is your hope!" Madam Su urged.
Concubine Su thought for a moment but said nothing.
Seeing that she didn’t want to discuss this topic, Madam Su had no choice but to change the subject.
"Is the Old Aunt that the Ye Family is welcoming back the Old Concubine from Ding Guo Gong Fu?" Madam Su asked.
Concubine Su nodded.
"It’s that Old Aunt.
I’ve heard Second Master mention her a few times.
That Old Aunt is Old Master’s cousin. In her early years, she went to the capital to accompany her aunt who entered the palace.
Who would have thought something went wrong in between, and Old Aunt was adopted by the Late Empress Dowager.
Later, she was bestowed by the Late Empress Dowager to Ding Guo Gong Fu to become a concubine.
It's said everywhere that she is not favored, having neither sons nor daughters.
The Old Master has set up quite a few properties for her in the capital.
However, after Old Duke Dingguo returned from the Northern Region, that Old Aunt's life actually became more comfortable.
She gets along fairly well with Old Duchess Dingguo and Old Concubine.
She came back this time to pay respects at her parents' graves." Concubine Su shared what she knew.
"In the end, she's still an unfavored concubine." Madam Su blurted out.
Concubine Su frowned slightly.
A concubine? Isn't she a concubine too?
At least that Old Aunt still has her natal family, while they don't even have that…