Chapter 7 Traveling by boat in the rain carries a unique charm; raindrops dripped from the eaves of the vessel, forming a curtain of water. At that moment, Luo Zhizheng entered, clad in a straw rain cape, his sideburns and brows slightly damp. Mrs. Yu hurried forward to personally help him remove the cape, then took a dry cloth to wipe his sideburns.Mrs. Yu was tall, but Luo Zhizheng was even taller, so she had to stand on her tiptoes to dry his hair."There, all done." After wiping her husband clean, Mrs. Yu steadied herself.Luo Zhizheng felt the faint fragrance that had drawn close to him suddenly recede, leaving him somewhat displeased, but then he heard Mrs. Yu say, "My lord, I heard you were fishing on the boat and caught a big silver carp—we're truly in for a treat.""Hmm, I've already had the kitchen prepare it; we'll have fish soup tonight." Luo Zhizheng smiled.Nearly every topic Mrs. Yu raised revolved around Luo Zhizheng. From Yaoniang's childhood, she had always felt her mother was too subservient, and that she didn't value her daughters, only her father. But from the present perspective, she now realized how shrewd Mrs. Yu was. Some women, after marrying, talk only about their children all day and stop caring about their husbands. Mrs. Yu, however, held a lowly status and depended entirely on Luo Zhizheng—pleasing him mattered more than pleasing anyone else.In fact, if Luo Zhizheng kept Mrs. Yu in his heart, she wouldn't even need to make requests; he would help on his own.Just as now, when Mrs. Yu welcomed Luo Zhizheng inside, he caught sight of Yaoniang and paused. These days, Yaoniang wore a veil during the day to shield herself from the sun, as the eighth and ninth months were scorching hot. Mrs. Yu feared her daughter would tan, so she had her wear the veil.Otherwise, if she grew darker, she'd feel self-conscious once they reached the capital.But by now, over two months had passed on the journey, and Yaoniang's skin had become much fairer. She had always had fair skin, but in the countryside she had to gather pigweed and tend the cattle daily, spending all day in the sun, which had darkened her complexion. Now she barely stepped out of the cabin, spending her days resting and drinking whitening tonics like almond beverages, along with using whitening facial cleansers and bath beans.Sometimes Mrs. Yu would forget, but Yaoniang remembered and would take the initiative to ask the maidservants to use the facial cleanser and face cream.In just two months, the cold scars on her face had vanished, and going to bed early every night had indeed worked wonders. Her skin was now smooth and radiant, fair with a rosy glow. Her phoenix eyes bore a striking resemblance to Luo Zhizheng's, while the rest of her features took after Mrs. Yu, though her delicate nose was even more refined than her mother's.Even Luo Zhizheng couldn't help but remark, "Truly, in just a few days, she's become a different person."Mrs. Yu smiled and said, "Even I, who see her every day, feel the same way."Compared to Yaoniang, Luo Zhizheng valued Jinghao more. The Luo family was very strict in disciplining their sons. The eldest brother, Luo Jingxi, was already married, yet he still trembled with fear before his father. Luo Zhizheng treated Luo Jinghao the same way—he showed some leniency toward his daughter, but was very strict with Luo Jinghao."You're at the age to begin your studies. You were idle for a few days due to illness, but are you still going to be this lazy now? Are you going to end up worse than your nephew and still have the face to be a man?"Unfortunately, Jinghao had only begun speaking after he was two, and though Luo Zhizheng spoke sternly, he only half-understood, simply looking obedient. When Luo Zhizheng finished, he felt he had been too harsh and carried him out to play in the other room, allowing Mrs. Yu to breathe a sigh of relief.Even so, Mrs. Yu was still very pleased. She said to Yaoniang, "Thankfully you cured his cough. Now Hao-ge has some flesh on his face, sleeps well at night, and his constitution is much better than before. Once we go to the capital, your younger brother can enter school, and I can rest easy."The concubine-born son Jingyuan was studious, but too driven by ambition. She knew well that this was the result of being steeped in Concubine Qin's calculating nature. There was nothing wrong with that per se, but if the Luo family ever faced real trouble, they would certainly stand by and watch coldly.It was just like when Concubine Qin and Concubine Huang had entered the household together back then. They had been on very good terms—in fact, Concubine Huang was even better looking and had initially been more favored than Concubine Qin. The two had agreed that whichever one gained favor would recommend the other. When Concubine Huang gained favor, she first recommended Concubine Qin. But when Concubine Qin gained favor, she never once mentioned Concubine Huang.Thus, even if Jingyuan rose to prominence, he would not help Jinghao or the Luo family in the slightest. Yet the Luo family's connections were limited, and unfortunately Jingyuan was older than Jinghao. Unless Jinghao entered school early and displayed his talent, the Luo family's network could only be channeled to Jinghao through Luo Zhizheng.Yaoniang heard Mrs. Yu speak this way and understood the meaning. In this Great Qi, where "all pursuits are base, only scholarship is exalted," only through study could one find a way to rise. She deeply agreed."You're right—only through study can one gain learning. Later, like Father, he'll become a great official too," Yaoniang said in a childlike tone.Mrs. Yu patted her daughter's head. "You're right. Study hard, and you can become a great official."Now that her daughter had shed the sun-darkened skin and the scars from cold sweats, and her original appearance had been restored, Mrs. Yu held Yaoniang's hand and said, "Since you've recovered, you can't stay cooped up in the cabin all day. You must go pay your respects more often."In aristocratic families, the requirement for women was to socialize widely. Many matters that were inconvenient for men to discuss could instead be connected through women, and the wives could play a very important role in official circles.When Mrs. Yu had first married into the family, she too had made mistakes. Though the master had scolded her harshly back then, he was also the one who truly taught her many things.Yaoniang nodded. "Daughter understands."The boat docked at Pengcheng to resupply, and Mrs. Yu had the opportunity to take Yaoniang to pay respects to Old Madame Dou. The old madame's quarters were as lively as ever—Jingrou and Shizhen sat together holding hands, chatting merrily.Little Mrs. Jiang held a segment of tangerine, attending to Old Madame Dou, while the other two madames sat below with smiling faces.Yaoniang vaguely overheard them discussing the marriage of Shilan, the eldest daughter of the family in the capital. Old Madame Dou said, "Though the second master, by the emperor's grace and Marquis Heng's recommendation, has been appointed as Vice-Director of the Court of Imperial Entertainments, he is after all a man. Once we go to the capital, the eldest girl's marriage will have to be handled by you all. Fa-ge's wife, you must put your heart into it."Little Mrs. Jiang's voice trembled with excitement as she expressed her thanks—truly the foremost among the granddaughters-in-law.Yaoniang had managed a household herself, so she naturally knew that such red-and-white ceremonies were the best training. Once Little Mrs. Jiang took charge of this matter, which of the Luo family's servants would not bow and obey her?But the impact on Mrs. Yu's authority would be tremendous.As she thought this, she had already entered Old Madame Dou's boat. Everyone's attention was on Little Mrs. Jiang, and no one noticed Yaoniang. As the saying goes, your enemy is the one who cares most about you—only Luo Jingrou saw Yaoniang standing by Mrs. Yu's side and drew in a sharp breath.The young girl who entered had fair, lustrous skin, and her goose-yellow half-sleeve jacket made her appear all the more endearing. A jade dragonfly was pinned to the cross-collar of her white undergarment, and her hair was tied with ribbons of pale yellow and tender green. She tilted her head with a smile, utterly charming.Luo Jingrou's expression, however, was caught by Mrs. Yu, who happened to look up at that moment.

The Second Wife’s Daughter