Apart from the Eldest Branch, every household was packing their trunks, and the Third Branch where Lin Wan resided was no exception. Although her mother was the biological daughter of Old Concubine Wu, Old Concubine Wu treated her rather indifferently. Her father had remarried, and in the Marquis Household, she was essentially nothing. It was pitiful how her younger siblings from her father and stepmother still thought she lived a life of luxury.
"Miss, Cui'er from Third Madam's side has brought over some Huahua brocade. It was likely brought back when Second Madam and the others returned from the north."
Lin Wan picked it up and examined it—only a few feet of fabric. She scoffed, "Third Aunt must have given me the leftover scraps. I knew anything good would go to Su Yingmei first."
She was thirteen this year, no longer a child. Her father was a poor scholar who couldn’t help her in the slightest, yet he still hoped she would thrive in the Marquis Household and lift the family up. She had no one to rely on anywhere.
Her maid, Hongguo, said awkwardly, "Miss, don’t be upset. Fourth Miss is only treated like a treasure in our branch. Outside, no one would pay her any mind."
Hongguo was the daughter of Lin Wan’s wet nurse and had served her since childhood, so she knew Lin Wan disliked Su Yingmei the most. Belittling her was the way to go.
Lin Wan found these words quite pleasing. "You’re right. Look at Third Miss’s demeanor—it’s something Su Yingmei could never match."
"Miss, is Second Master really going to become the Heir?" Hongguo was also curious.
Lin Wan nodded, "That’s for certain."
Hongguo probed further, "Miss, then wouldn’t Second Young Master become the legitimate-born eldest son of the Heir? Do you think what the Old Madam said last year still holds?"
Last year, during the Old Madam’s birthday celebration, Lin Wan, who had always been clever and skilled, had embroidered a fan screen that greatly pleased the Old Madam. The eldest madam, Commandery Princess Ningyuan, had joked that a talented girl like Miss Lin should stay in the household. At the time, the Old Madam had remarked that she was about the same age as Brother Zhi.
Back then, Lin Wan had been overjoyed. Her own plan was that if she could marry into the Eldest Branch of the Marquis Household, it would be a great fortune. At the very least, the Second Branch would do—Second Uncle was a third-rank Xuanwei Envoy, and Second Cousin Su Zhi, though not scholarly, was quite skilled in martial arts. With Second Uncle’s backing, it could work. But now, she dared not think about it.
"No, it definitely doesn’t count anymore. Look at Third Miss’s demeanor, and you’ll know what the Second Branch is like. They’re probably even more powerful and wealthy than we imagined, and not to be trifled with. If I act rashly, I might be driven out."
Hongguo sighed, "Then what should we do? You can’t possibly marry Young Master Huai, can you?"
Su Huai was the concubine-born eldest son of the Third Branch. He was scholarly and well-liked by Old Concubine Wu and Third Uncle, and his status was also a match. But Hongguo knew her young mistress had always prided herself on being legitimate-born and would never agree to marry someone concubine-born.
Sure enough, Lin Wan immediately shook her head, "That’s absolutely impossible. I don’t like Su Huai at all—he’s just a concubine-born seed." After all, she was the legitimate-born eldest daughter of a fourth-rank official, and her mother had been the original wife. She wanted nothing to do with the concubine-born.
"Then, Miss, what about your marriage?"
Lin Wan racked her brains and suddenly remembered someone. "Perhaps you still remember Lord Zhong?"
Hongguo hurriedly stopped her, "Miss, that won’t do. Although Lord Zhong holds a good official position, he’s cursed to lose his wives—he’s already married twice. If you were to marry him, what if—"
Zhong Hun was the commander of the Imperial Guards. His first wife was the daughter of the Duke of Yan, but she died very early. Soon after, Zhong Hun remarried, this time to a woman from the imperial clan. She lived with him for ten years but eventually succumbed to illness and passed away. When Lin Wan's eldest maternal uncle died, Zhong Hun came to offer condolences.
He was only in his early thirties, exceptionally handsome, enough to make one marvel. Moreover, he held great power. Lin Wan could almost picture the scene of herself becoming Madam Zhong.
"But, Miss, how can we get close to the Zhong family?"
Lin Wan smiled. "A few days ago, when I went to pay respects to the Eldest Branch, I heard that Old Lady Zhong is reciting Buddhist scriptures in Baoding Prefecture. We'll naturally have a chance to meet her there."
**
Yingzhen and the others had not yet unpacked the belongings they had brought back, and now they had to repack everything to return to the Marquis Household. The packing was done quickly, as the Third Branch was also eager to leave, needing to rush back to their posts. Moreover, Su Run, who had originally served as a Pacification Commissioner, was now awaiting an imperial appointment and had to go to the capital to wait.
This time, Princess Qinghe accompanied the Old Lady in one carriage, while Yingzhen shared a carriage with Yingyue and Yinglan. The rest of the Third Branch arranged themselves in other carriages. Additionally, their cousin Yuan Mengying, having heard that she was to take the examination for the position of a palace talent or assistant, also needed to return early.
Yingyue was the most talkative. As soon as she got into the carriage, she said, "Third Sister, your outfit today is truly beautiful. The patterned satin Madam gave me is also lovely. My mother said that once the mourning period is over, she'll make me a set of clothes."
Yingzhen harbored no ill intentions toward Yingyue, as she was genuinely not very clever and rather timid, quite unlike her mother, Concubine Zhao, who pretended to be kind on the surface. In her previous life, the Old Lady had arranged a marriage for Yingyue, making her the younger daughter-in-law of a family whose patriarch was highly capable. Unfortunately, even then, Yingyue struggled to manage her life and often relied on her natal family.
Yingzhen humored her, saying, "Second Sister, you could make a skirt and embellish it with rice pearls, then trim it with white edges. With your fair complexion, it would surely look beautiful."
As expected, Yingyue was immediately delighted by Yingzhen's flattery. "I'll do exactly as you say."
In Yingyue's mind, she was the eldest daughter of the family. Now that her father was the Heir, she would rightfully become the eldest young lady of the Marquis Household. In the future, she would be as admired and surrounded as Yingya.
After traveling for about an hour, Yingzhen heard a faint whistle. She quickly lifted the carriage curtain and saw her two brothers. Although Su Zhi had only known his sister for a few days, he was deeply grateful for the exquisite pouch she had given him.
"Second Brother, Third Brother, I have some lampwick cakes here. You can have them."
Su Jin cheerfully accepted them. "I knew my sister would have everything." He handed a few pieces to Su Zhi, who also thanked her.
In return, Su Jin took a sprig of wintersweet from his sleeve and handed it to her. "We picked this by the roadside earlier. You can enjoy it, Sister."
In truth, the two brothers were simply worried she might be bored and gave her a flower to cheer her up. Yingzhen held the yellow wintersweet with great delight. Yingyue's jealousy was already evident on her face. Yinglan noticed it but had no intention of getting involved in the dynamics between the sisters. The distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children was inherent, and Su Zhi and Su Jin were Yingzhen's full brothers, so their relationship was naturally much closer.
Unexpectedly, Yingzhen took scissors to cut some wintersweet blossoms and pinned them in the hair of all three girls. Yingyue indeed became happy again, chattering away. Though Yinglan had just felt she didn't care, now with the wintersweet in her hair, she also felt much happier.
Only later did she realize that this Su Yingzhen was merely a little girl over ten years old, yet seemed more considerate than her, who had lived two lifetimes. Seeing how this small gesture had won people over, she truly could not be underestimated.
In truth, she had also given shoes to Su Zhi before. Back then, because both she and Su Zhi were raised in Lady Zhou’s quarters, they had a good relationship. She had no brothers of her own, so she wanted to get closer to Su Zhi. But before she could give many gifts, she discovered that Yingyue’s mother, Concubine Zhao, had secretly thrown them away. Concubine Zhao was a favorite of the Old Madam, and not wanting to cause trouble, she gradually distanced herself.
To put it bluntly, it was still a matter of status. She felt rather sour inside.
The carriage traveled for half a month before finding a relatively large post station, where the young ladies finally got down to rest. Yingzhen felt she was about to turn musty. As soon as they arrived, she bathed and changed into fresh clothes, only then feeling much cleaner.
When she went to the Old Madam’s quarters for a meal, she found the Old Madam speaking with an elderly lady. This old lady had an extremely prosperous appearance, with two golden hairpins in her hair, smiling like Maitreya Buddha.
Princess Qinghe quickly introduced, “Zhenzhen, come quickly and pay your respects to Old Madam Zhong.”
So this was Zhong Hun’s mother. Old Madam Zhong was the Emperor’s wet nurse. She gave birth to her son Zhong Hun only in middle age. Though Zhong Hun was merely the commander of the Imperial Guards, he was very close to the Emperor, considered one of His Majesty’s trusted confidants.
Yingzhen hurried forward to curtsy. Old Madam Zhong chuckled, “Is this your second son’s daughter?”
“Indeed, she just returned from the north. We’re heading to the capital together this time,” the Old Madam also smiled.
“She looks like one blessed with good fortune.”
Old Madam Zhong was very generous, rewarding her with a pair of bracelets. Soon, Third Aunt also brought Su Yingmei over, but this time Old Madam Zhong gave nothing more.
Yingzhen sat beside Princess Qinghe, listening as Old Madam Zhong shared amusing stories about her Buddhist worship. The Old Madam had a gentle temperament, listening attentively to everything, which further fueled Old Madam Zhong’s desire to talk.
Princess Qinghe also joined in the conversation and laughter, while inviting Old Madam Zhong to return to the capital together. Old Madam Zhong agreed with a smile, but she had one request: “I have a grandniece whose father just passed away. I am old now—could she stay with your Zhenzhen?”
“What difficulty is there? We can have Zhenzhen share a carriage with her alone.” For someone like Old Madam Zhong, whom they usually had no means to approach, having their daughter get closer was a good opportunity. A word from her before the Emperor could outweigh a hundred of theirs.
Hearing this, Lin Wan was also very pleased. She had thought she would only have a chance to get close to Old Madam Zhong in Baoding Prefecture, but now she could do so earlier—how could this not make her happy?
The only unhappy person was Su Yingmei. She had thought that with Su Yingya gone, she could stand out, but now Su Yingzhen had appeared instead.
Though she was only Old Madam Zhong’s grandniece, unlike distant relatives, Old Madam Zhong doted on her exceptionally. It was said that this Yao Guniang was in poor health, so Old Madam Zhong specially sent someone to modify the Pingzhang Houfu’s carriage for her.
"Yao Guniang, there's no need to be afraid. It's just the two of us in the carriage." Yingzhen noticed she was still wearing a veil. It was said that after her father passed away, she had been deeply affected, so Old Madam Zhong hoped she could have companions of her own age.
After Yao Guniang removed her veil, Yingzhen felt a sense of familiarity, as if she had seen her somewhere before. But shaking her head, she realized she hadn't known any Yao Guniang in her previous life.
Yet this girl was truly beautiful. Her thick, lustrous hair was simply tied back, revealing her fair ears. As she slightly lowered her head, one could see her fan-shaped eyelashes, fluttering delicately, exquisite and lovely, captivating to behold. She was the most beautiful person Yingzhen had ever seen.
She hardly spoke, and fearing she might be disheartened, Yingzhen made an effort to converse with her.
"Yao Guniang, here is a beautiful doll. Do you think it's pretty? I'll give it to you to play with, alright?" She knew that girls of this age usually loved such things.
To her surprise, after taking the doll, Yao Guniang uttered a single word: "Vulgar."
Yingzhen was taken aback.