Chapter 11 Mrs. Yu had just taken a sip of tea when she saw Yaoniang and her brother walk in. She hurriedly said to Erzhen, "Go have the morning meal laid out. Don't let everyone go hungry."Yaoniang, the moment she entered, asked Mrs. Fan with concern, "Sister-in-law, is Fanxue all right?""She's fine. She even slept very well last night," Mrs. Fan said with a smile.Yaoniang said happily, "That's good to hear. Back when I was in the Zhong family, when a dog in the village bit someone, it was either beaten black and blue to vent the victim's anger, or the dog was cooked and eaten. I was afraid something like that would happen to Fanxue, so I went to find Father. Luckily Fanxue is fine—now I can rest easy."Only then did Mrs. Fan realize that it was Yaoniang who had asked her father-in-law to intervene. If one were to ask who held the most authority in this household, of course it was her father-in-law. She saw that Yaoniang, though young, had a warm and kind heart.As a result, she became more attentive to Yaoniang, and during the meal, she frequently served dishes to Yaoniang's side of the table. Luo Jingrou gave a cold snort inwardly. She hadn't expected this Yaoniang to turn the situation around with just a few words.Of course, Yaoniang was perfectly aware of Luo Jingrou's little schemes. Some people were just like that—nowhere to be seen when work needed doing, but quick as a flash when benefits were to be had.Ever since Luo Zhizheng had been appointed Director of the Bureau of Merit Evaluation in the Ministry of Personnel, many visitors had come calling. Although Luo Jingrou was clever, she was still young, and the old Madam of Yanping Marquis's household wouldn't teach her household management. Mrs. Yu, on the other hand, didn't deliberately hide things from her—she even had Shiyu come over so that everyone could learn together through exposure.This was precisely why people said it was better to marry a maidservant from a great household than a daughter from a small family. Daughters of official families were especially skilled at managing household affairs; otherwise, without understanding the rules of officialdom, one could easily offend people."Look at this card here—this is a full-format card. Its standard size is three folds, five to six inches long and two inches wide. This type of card is the most precious, but it's generally used for more formal occasions, or when first making someone's acquaintance. Now look at this card—its size is only one and three or four tenths of an inch, and at most reaches five inches. This is called a single card, and it generally indicates a closer relationship—only then is a single card sent."Mrs. Yu also showed them an old single-card example. Luo Jingrou examined it very carefully, thinking to herself that this was exactly what she wanted to learn. Unfortunately, Mrs. Yu had a daughter of her own, and what she taught them now was only the surface; the deeper knowledge would certainly be reserved for her own daughter alone.Shiyu, having been instructed by Concubine Qin, was also listening attentively here. No matter how clever Concubine Qin was, she couldn't teach the intricacies of official social intercourse. Moreover, as a concubine, she couldn't even leave the household gates on ordinary days, let alone engage in social entertaining."Then there's the matter of calling cards when visiting. Although it's a bad custom, the practice of giving door money has become rampant as a form of bribery. Our household doesn't do it, but when you go to other homes, you should be prepared," Mrs. Yu continued.Yaoniang and the other two nodded in agreement. She knew that because her younger brother had recovered, her mother now had the heart to teach them. In her previous life, at this time, her brother was still ill, and her mother not only had to look after him but also manage social obligations—how could she have had the mood for this?Now everything was a good beginning.From the styles of visiting cards to the terminology written on them, Mrs. Yu explained each one: "You see, a single red card is only used by officials serving in the capital. Also, if the card bears characters like 'early arrival' or 'promptly,' it means the host is inviting the guest to come to the banquet earlier. Then there's the 'serving student' card, which generally refers to how a junior addresses an elder. And 'year-serving student' is the self-designation used when corresponding with those who passed the imperial examinations in the same year as your father."Knowing that Yaoniang and Shiyu were both illiterate, Mrs. Yu also taught them to recognize those characters.Yaoniang was well aware that although she had been reborn and was currently ahead of Shiyu, who was the same age, if she did not put in the hard work, she might be surpassed by others in a few years.Seeing her daughter Yaoniang read out and memorize those characters, Mrs. Yu then said, "Enough, we'll stop here for today. You three sisters can sit in the side room for a while, and in a bit we'll all go to Ganquan Residence together—your eldest sister is returning today."At that, Yaoniang and Shiyu both nodded. Only Jingrou, at twelve years old and already literate, grasped what Mrs. Yu taught in an instant and wished Mrs. Yu would teach more.Because in those invitation cards, she saw the names of many officials—people who corresponded with her father and would be valuable connections in the future. What a pity, she thought, glancing at Yaoniang, that if her own mother were still alive and had taught her early on, she wouldn't have to ask others for help.Just as Yaoniang and the others were about to leave, First Mrs. Shan arrived to chat. This First Mrs. Shan was the niece-in-law of Old Madam Shan's natal family. She was plump and round, with an impressive background.Yinrong whispered to her, "This is the old lady's niece-in-law from her natal family. She comes from the Zhang clan of Pucheng, descendants of a chancellor's family. First Master Shan holds the honorary title of Court Gentleman for Ceremonial Service."The Shan family had indeed once been glorious, but now they were past their prime. Yaoniang thought to herself—a Court Gentleman for Ceremonial Service was an honorary rank of the seventh grade."This must be Jingrou—you've grown into a young lady! Why so quiet? Before, at our house, you and Xuxu used to compete reciting texts, and you even played tricks on me." First Mrs. Shan clearly liked Luo Jingrou.Luo Jingrou quickly stepped forward to pay her respects, and the two chatted and laughed. In her previous life, Yaoniang had envied Luo Jingrou for being the legitimate daughter of the first wife, with a status unlike others. But now she saw that First Mrs. Shan was actually vying with Mrs. Yu. When First Mrs. Shan had married into the Shan family, it had been a time of glory and splendor, so they had held their heads high.Now that Old Master Shan had passed away, Master Shan's official career was faltering—he had just been demoted—and First Master Shan was only an honorary official. Meanwhile, the Luo family was thriving, and even Mrs. Yu, a second wife, had many people currying favor with her. First Mrs. Shan had no choice but to come and maintain relations. Yet feeling resentful inside, she deliberately fawned over Luo Jingrou.Mrs. Yu saw through it all clearly but merely smiled and watched, saying nothing.Instead, Erzhen came in and said, "Madam, the second branch says the eldest young lady has already arrived at Ganquan Residence and asks why you haven't come over yet."Only then did Mrs. Yu speak softly, "Cousin-in-law, what a pity. Why don't you come along with us to take a look?"First Mrs. Shan's smile stiffened at the corners of her mouth, and she had no choice but to take her leave first.Watching from the side, Yaoniang silently admired her mother—truly extraordinary, shooing away First Mrs. Shan with just a few words, implying that even if you came first, your timing was still inconvenient.By the time they arrived at Ganquan Residence, it was already filled with laughter and chatter. Yaoniang followed Mrs. Yu and Luo Jingrou inside. At a glance, she saw a young woman surrounded by admirers. She was about sixteen or seventeen, with a face like a silver platter, eyes like autumn ripples, and a small cherry mouth—a veritable wealthy beauty straight out of a painting of ladies.The young woman was quick-witted. Seeing Mrs. Yu, she immediately rose and bowed: "Greetings to Aunt.""That's too much honor. Eldest young lady, these are your three younger sisters: Jingrou, Shiwei, and Shiyu." Mrs. Yu introduced them one by one.Luo Shilan and Luo Jingrou recognized each other. Although since her mother's death, Luo Jingrou had often been invited to the Marquis of Yanping's residence to play, the two had met before, but they were young then. Now looking at her, Luo Jingrou wore a thin round-collared jacket of pink glossy satin embroidered with peonies and monthly roses, dressed with exquisite refinement. Worthy of being raised by the Marchioness of Yanping, her bearing was graceful and dignified.Furthermore, the two young ladies standing beside Luo Jingrou were both stunning. One had skin fairer than snow, eyes like lacquered dots, with a luster that flowed and sparkled like magnificent jewels, radiating brilliance that could not be overlooked. Though still young now, one could only imagine what a beauty she would become when grown. Judging by her features, she bore some resemblance to Mrs. Yu, so she should be Fifth Sister Shiwei.As for the other young lady, she too was elegant and outstanding. This should be the concubine-born daughter of the eldest branch. Her features were extremely lovely, but standing beside that other girl, she was slightly overshadowed."All three younger sisters are such exquisite beauties. This elder sister is truly delighted from the bottom of her heart." Luo Shilan took their hands, beaming with joy.Everyone took their seats in turn, and then Little Mrs. Jiang spoke up: "Our eldest young lady said that since the sisters have all come from Gaoping, winter clothing might not be prepared in time, so she has selected two white fox pelts for each of the sisters."Shizhen and Jingrou, who were old enough to understand such matters, knew that although white fox pelts were rare, they were no great matter for Luo Shilan—her betrothal gifts included one hundred and eighty white fox pelts.In addition, she gave each sister a pair of bracelets, two bolts of fabric, and a pair of gold ingots.Yaoniang quickly rose to thank Luo Shilan: "Thank you, Eldest Sister."Luo Shilan smiled and shook her head: "This is nothing."This kind of confidence could only belong to her, the future Duchess of Chengguo and daughter-in-law of the Prince of Fenyang.The younger ones—Shifang, Shiyu, and Yaoniang—merely expressed their thanks, but Shizhen and Jingrou, who were already young ladies, felt rather envious and resentful. Moreover, Mrs. Yu mentioned: "Our master said to set up a school in the Huining Study in the garden. Once he invites a tutor, these young ladies will all go to study. Though they need not become learned women, they should at least know some characters and not remain illiterate."Old Madame Dou laughed: "That is the proper way. The older ones are fine, but the younger ones all need to study.""Yes, and perhaps a study companion might be selected as well," Mrs. Ren said coolly.Her daughter's studies would be useless anyway. She spoke of selecting daughters of official families, as if her daughter could qualify, but the unspoken rule of such selections was to choose daughters of high-ranking officials. In this household, the only officials were Luo Zhizheng and Luo Zhixiao, which meant that among all the girls, only Shifang could never be selected.When one's own life goes poorly, seeing others fare well only fuels greater jealousy.But this remark stirred the hearts of most of the young ladies present, including Shiyu, who was even younger than Yaoniang.If they had only heard of the wealth of a prince's household through gossip, they would not have been moved. But now, witnessing such overwhelming riches firsthand—Luo Shilan's rise from an official's daughter to Duchess of Chengguo, and the shift in everyone's attitude toward her with that change in status—was a different matter entirely.Old Madame Dou cast a warning glance at Mrs. Ren, who, though her heart pounded like a drum, could not restrain herself.Mrs. Yu then changed the subject: "I see the banquet is nearly ready. Today, Eldest Young Lady will gather with her younger sisters. I have specially invited performers of a hundred tricks and acrobats, so everyone can enjoy themselves.""It's so thoughtful of Aunt to have arranged all this and invited these performers over so quickly," Little Mrs. Jiang said with a smile in agreement.The group then moved together to the flower hall, where they dined while watching acrobatics and variety acts—a lively and boisterous affair.The sounds of merriment carried all the way to the rear wing rooms, where Luo Jingtian and Mrs. Zhou resided—a modest three-room dwelling they shared in the middle.At this moment, Mrs. Zhou lay in bed, her face as pale as gold paper, her breath as faint as a silken thread. A faint smell of blood lingered in the room.Murong, Mrs. Zhou's chief maidservant and also her dowry maid, heard the music and could not help but say sorrowfully, "You've suffered so terribly, yet the family doesn't even spare you from this.""Who are we to matter in this household?" Mrs. Zhou said, stroking her belly. She could never bring herself to do the kind of shrewish things her mother-in-law did—cursing at chickens and chasing off dogs—so she bore all the bitter fruits herself.Murong grew even more indignant. "This was clearly Fourth Miss's doing, and yet there she is, happily watching the show. If it weren't for her, you never would have—""Enough," Mrs. Zhou said, waving her hand. She pressed the two hundred taels of silver notes tucked in her sleeve—money that Mrs. Yu from the eldest branch had quietly given her yesterday while visiting to check on her illness.It was almost unbelievable: Mrs. Fan was only her stepdaughter-in-law, yet she was willing to use money to settle this grudge, even promising that if the second branch had no time to arrange the donation of a official post for her brother, the eldest branch would be glad to handle it.What else could she do? Of course she agreed.This child had already shown signs of a threatened miscarriage—abdominal pain and persistent bleeding—but she knew that if she truly miscarried, her mother-in-law would heap unspeakable cruelty and humiliation upon her. So that day, she had steeled herself and taken the blow meant for Shifang.In doing so, her mother-in-law would have nothing to say against her, and even Mrs. Fan would bear some blame.Among the sisters-in-law of this household, though she disliked Little Mrs. Jiang, Little Mrs. Jiang came from a good family and was naturally sharp-tongued by nature, not deliberately so toward anyone. She and Mrs. Fan shared the same origins—both from humble scholar families—yet their fates could not have been more different.Mrs. Fan had not even borne a child yet, and her mother-in-law was a stepmother, yet she lived so well. She herself had borne a son, and both her son and husband were clever and ambitious, yet she suffered constant harsh treatment from her mother-in-law.How unjust heaven was!She had originally wanted Mrs. Fan to suffer, but instead it was she who had taken the heavy blow.

The Second Wife’s Daughter