Chapter 4At night, as they settled down to rest, Yaoniang lay on Jinghao's little belly listening to the sounds of his body. Jinghao thought his sister was playing with him and puffed out his small belly, but Yaoniang was actually listening for any irregularity in his heartbeat—especially whether his chest, which so often coughed, felt at all strained."Hehe, sister, that tickles!" Jinghao giggled.Yaoniang lifted her head and tucked a thin quilt around her little brother. She couldn't help but survey the furniture in the room. This was only her temporary lodging, yet every piece was extraordinary—clear evidence that the Luo family was no ordinary official household.Her great-grandfather had been a libation at the Imperial Academy, with students scattered across the realm like peaches and plums. Her grandfather had placed first in the imperial examinations, and her grand-uncle also held high office. Her own father, Luo Zhizheng, had passed the examinations at a young age and risen from the Hanlin Academy—not only earning a reputation for scholarly integrity but also building strong connections at court. By the age of thirty-eight, he had already become Director of the Bureau of Receptions in the Ministry of Rites.Now that the mourning period was nearly complete, his next appointment would surely be a step up.Jinghao, no longer coughing, had been giggling moments ago but was now fast asleep. When his nose got stuffy at night, Yaoniang would keep gently pinching the bridge of his nose to open his airways, allowing him to sleep soundly through until dawn.When Mrs. Yu came over, the siblings were playing a clapping game on the bed. She asked Yinrong, "How did they sleep last night?"Yinrong smiled. "They slept wonderfully. Little Wuniangzi is quite knowledgeable for such a young child—she knew that Young Master Hao had a stuffy nose and kept pinching the bridge of it for him.""Is that so?" Mrs. Yu gazed at her two children with tender affection, feeling that she had no regrets."Fifth Miss, Hao'er, let Mother dress you. Get up, and we'll have breakfast together."Yaoniang obediently let Mrs. Yu dress her. In truth, even in her past life, when she had been at her heaviest, Mrs. Yu had treated her well. Even when she had been an idle good-for-nothing who only loved reading storybooks, and Mrs. Yu would occasionally scold her—and she would talk back to her mother—Mrs. Yu had still treated her kindly.Most parents were snobbish, but Mrs. Yu had always been good to her.She couldn't help but hug Mrs. Yu. Mrs. Yu, thinking Yaoniang simply wanted to be close to her, held her dark-skinned daughter tightly and wouldn't let go—so much so that even Jinghao grew jealous.As the three of them ate breakfast together, Yaoniang asked curiously, "Why isn't Sister-in-law here?" At this hour, Mrs. Fan would normally come by.Mrs. Yu smiled. "Your sister-in-law went to pay respects to your grand-aunt on my behalf. I had her stay a while longer to keep your two aunts company over there."Although the grand-uncle of the second branch had passed away, Grand-aunt Old Madame Dou was still alive and well. Speaking of which, Yaoniang's own grandmother, Mrs. Shan, had been the granddaughter of a prime minister during the Chongqing era. Her family was enormously wealthy, her dowry lavish, and she commanded great prestige within the Luo household. Old Madame Dou's family background was equally distinguished—she came from the Dou clan of Fufeng Commandery, and her nephew was the renowned water-management minister Dou Weishi.Since Mrs. Shan's death three years ago, Old Madame Dou had been the most senior elder in the family. Mrs. Yu usually brought her daughter-in-law Mrs. Fan to pay respects, but today, because the main branch had matters to attend to, she sent Mrs. Fan alone.As for the relationship between Mrs. Yu and Mrs. Fan, from what Yaoniang had observed recently, both women were considerate and gentle-natured, and they got along very harmoniously.So then—Mrs. Fan got along well with her mother-in-law, treated her husband with mutual respect, and had never been known to suffer from any illness. Why on earth had she died so suddenly?Suppressing her doubts, Yaoniang pretended to be curious. "Will Yaoniang be able to pay respects someday too?""Of course. In your grand-aunt's household, besides your eldest cousin who serves in the palace, there are two other older cousins. In the future, you can keep each other company." After saying this, Mrs. Yu explained what a "cousin" was and what a "grand-aunt" was. Though Yaoniang already understood perfectly well, she listened with great attentiveness.Seeing that they had finished their meal, Erzhen brought tea for rinsing their mouths, then said, "Today the master sent word that he will come to see Fifth Miss."Hearing this, Mrs. Yu glanced at Yaoniang with concern. Yaoniang was, after all, not truly a small child, and she understood exactly why Mrs. Yu wore that expression.Her father, Luo Zhizheng, had been famous throughout the countryside since his youth—a renowned child prodigy. His brilliance was matched only by his extreme acerbity. He favored clever people and despised fools.In her past life, she had disliked her father the most, because he always looked at her with dissatisfaction in every regard.Moreover, he hadn't treated her mother particularly well either, always carrying himself with an air of looking down on everyone, as if her mother and she were both useless. Once, she had been eating a bowl of cream in her mother's room, and because she'd helped herself to a second serving, he'd seen her and flown into a rage, saying she must have been reincarnated from a wild boar."Mother, I'm scared." Yaoniang looked at Mrs. Yu.Mrs. Yu wrapped her arms around Yaoniang. "Don't be afraid. Your father is very fond of you." When that fake daughter had still been living in their home, the master had treated that child quite well.But that was because Jingrou hadn't been at home. Now that Jingrou had returned from her maternal grandparents' house, the master often praised Jingrou for being clever and magnanimous. As for Yaoniang, who had just come back from the countryside in Min—she would likely find it hard to win the master's favor.But she was his own flesh and blood, and she had suffered so much. Mrs. Yu felt that Luo Zhizheng wouldn't go so far as to despise his own daughter.Luo Zhizheng's intention to visit Yaoniang stirred ripples in the rear courtyard as well.Luo Zhizheng's first wife, Mrs. Wang, had not conceived within a year of marriage, so his mother, Old Madam Shan, took concubines Qin and Huang for him. Concubine Huang passed away from illness, leaving only Concubine Qin, who bore him a son and a daughter.Concubine Qin, a woman in her thirties, was splitting silk threads. In the room sat a young boy, writing furiously with a brush, looking every bit the diligent scholar. At her feet, a young girl was playing with a linked-ring puzzle.Suddenly, a maidservant entered and whispered something in her ear. Concubine Qin gave a cold snort. "That counterfeit girl before knew well how to please the master. As for this one now, from some village in Fujian—though I've never laid eyes on her, since the mistress has kept her shut away for so long, she must not be fit to grace the halls."The maidservant quickly chimed in, "What you say is true, ma'am. Among the three young ladies of the main branch, Sanniangzi (Jingrou) is older than both Fifth Miss and our own young miss. If you ask me, our young miss is surely the better of them."Concubine Qin looked proudly at her son and daughter. Her son Jingyuan, ten years old, had been praised by his tutors time and again—unlike his elder brother who disliked studying and his sickly younger brother, he stood out as exceptional. And her daughter, Sixth Miss Shiyu, had fully inherited the best features of both her father and herself. Beyond her looks, the girl also possessed a composed, tranquil air.Apart from her birth status, she was inferior in nothing. So what if they met? If the others proved lacking, it would only be they who felt hurt and humiliated.When Luo Zhizheng arrived, Mrs. Yu had combed her daughter's hair into a topknot and pinned a pink silk flower into it. The mourning period had likely ended, and everyone no longer needed to dress as plainly as before.These past few days, Yaoniang had been eating and sleeping alongside Jinghao, and the bond between the siblings had grown by leaps and bounds. Jinghao had become Yaoniang's little shadow.He was now pestering his sister to weave a butterfly for him. "Sister, please weave a butterfly for me. I beg you!"Yaoniang could never resist someone clinging to her leg and pleading, so she agreed. She wove the butterfly while chatting with Mrs. Yu.Mrs. Yu was amazed at her daughter's dexterity. She picked up the grasshopper and dragonfly Yaoniang had woven earlier and felt they were better than those made by some professional craftsmen.When Luo Zhizheng arrived, he saw the three of them laughing together as one. Mrs. Yu in particular had never shown such a carefree smile before. Beside her sat a little girl as dark as could be, wearing pink flowers in her hair despite her complexion. His youngest son, meanwhile, was holding up a grasshopper and patting his little belly."Ahem, ahem…"Yaoniang looked toward the door and saw a man of imposing bearing standing there—handsome and striking, with a straight nose, thin lips, and sharp eyes. It was none other than her biological father, Luo Zhizheng.Mrs. Yu quickly rose and made a curtsey, then said to Yaoniang, "This is your father."Yaoniang had no choice but to play the shy, timid child and called out, "Father.""Hm. Your mother tells me you can now speak and understand Mandarin. I've been busy these past days, so I came today to see you. How is your health recovering?" Luo Zhizheng looked at Yaoniang, though his gaze flickered toward Mrs. Yu.He was irritated by the worried look in her eyes. Did she think he was the sort of man who would distance himself from his daughter or look down on her? That woman never understood his heart—always so dull and wooden.He stepped forward and scooped Yaoniang up in his arms. She was quite startled.But she answered clearly, "The doctor said my spleen and stomach are weak and told me to drink only congee to recover. Mother and sister-in-law take excellent care of me every day. I am doing well in every way.""Hm. I was the one who carried you back then. Now ten days have passed, and I can see your face has filled out and the scars have faded. It seems you've been well looked after."Yaoniang caught the scent of pinewood on her father and felt a sudden daze. So in her past life, when she was little, her father had actually been kind to her too—not just to her elder sister and younger sister.And though he looked at the dragonfly and butterfly she had woven and found them unworthy of any grand occasion, he said nothing disparaging.In fact, after he left, he sent someone to deliver a jade Buddha to her, saying she should wear it around her neck for protection.It was customary for men to wear Guanyin and women to wear Buddha, and what Luo Zhizheng sent was a Maitreya jade Buddha, seemingly of ice-jade quality. Mrs. Yu was delighted as well. "Jade is most nourishing to the body. Your father gave this to you, so you should keep it."Mrs. Yu had been in good spirits these past few days, and with the mourning period over, she wore a rose-purple, gold-threaded, knee-length narrow-sleeved jacket that showed off her figure beautifully. Looking at her mother's physique, Yaoniang couldn't help but think that once she slimmed down, she would discover her own slender waist, full bust, and long legs—all inherited from Mrs. Yu.The Luo family had enjoyed a run of good fortune lately. Not only had the swapped daughter been found, but the eldest young lady, Luo Shilan, had been betrothed by imperial decree to Gao Dengfeng, the second son of the Prince of Fenyang and the Duke of Chengguo.Luo Shilan's father was the second son of the second branch of the family, a jinshi degree holder who now served as the chief administrator of the Hengyang Prince's mansion. Her mother, Mrs. Jiang, was the sister of the Chief Censor and the daughter of a deceased Vice Minister of Rites. Shilan herself had been selected three years prior as a companion-attendant to the Commandery Princess of Fenyang—in other words, the princess's study companion. Now, with the imperial decree of marriage, she would one day become the Duchess of Chengguo.Mrs. Yu and Mrs. Fan were both bustling about, for this was a momentous occasion for the entire clan.Yinrong saw that Yaoniang seemed confused and couldn't help but say, "Fifth Miss, you're still young. Our eldest young lady is the oldest among the Luo sisters. She's set a fine example, showing that the imperial family recognizes the Luo family's upbringing. In the future, the other Luo girls will have an easier time marrying well.""Yinrong, what are you saying? Fifth Miss is still young—how could she understand such things?" Erzhen said as she brought in the bird's nest porridge.But Yaoniang understood all too well. Yet she couldn't let it show, so she simply smiled as if she hadn't understood a word. Yinrong had already been assigned to serve at Yaoniang's side, and she considered herself an ambitious maidservant, hoping that Yaoniang would rise further in status.So when Mrs. Yu came by in the evening, Yinrong pretended to make conversation: "Earlier today, when we spoke of the eldest young lady marrying into the prince's household and becoming a duchess, Fifth Miss seemed quite envious. Then she said she wasn't as good as Third Miss and seemed rather downcast. Who would've thought such a little one would know so much?"In the past, Mrs. Yu would have seen through this immediately—Yaoniang was too young to say such things.But Mrs. Yu's maternal love was overflowing, and she already felt guilty toward her daughter. Though she told Yinrong not to speak nonsense, after the maid left, Mrs. Yu held Yaoniang with a thoughtful expression.She seemed to be tidying Yaoniang's hair as she said, "Yaoniang, don't worry. As long as it's what you want, your mother will make sure you get it."Yaoniang never expected her mother—known outside as "the soft persimmon"—to say such a thing. Her heart churned with shock, but her face remained innocently blank.Mrs. Yu smiled again, her voice barely a whisper: "Your father may seem shrewd, but he's actually right in the palm of my hand."The smile was full of confidence. Yaoniang recalled the day Luo Zhizheng had come over—though he spoke to her, his eyes kept drifting toward Mrs. Yu. Now, as an adult in her own right, she realized that although Luo Zhizheng was often privately harsh with Mrs. Yu, she managed the household, and since her arrival, he had never taken a concubine.This was a new discovery since her rebirth. Perhaps now that her younger brother had recovered and she had matured, her mother finally had the chance to cultivate a bond with her father. She remembered in her past life, her brother was ill and she was unwell too, keeping her mother running back and forth until she fell sick herself. Later, when her brother died, her mother was ill for a whole year…She set that thought aside for now. After her eldest cousin Shi Lan was chosen as the daughter-in-law of the Prince of Fenyang, her father Luo Zhizheng was reinstated to office. He was appointed as Director of the Bureau of Appointments in the Ministry of Personnel. The Director, Vice Director, and Secretary of that bureau "managed the ranks, grades, and appointments of all officials in the realm." Though it was only a fifth-rank position, it was the most powerful fifth-rank post in all the land.The Luo family could be said to be at the height of their glory, burning bright as oil-soaked firewood.But what troubled Yaoniang was this: she had planned to wait until she had grown a bit more and her skin had lightened before appearing before everyone. She never expected to have to face them all so suddenly.

The Second Wife’s Daughter