Chu Yunxuan looked at Chu Yunyun with a smile, his expression appearing intimate. “Your Second Brother has a bit of a temper. If he upsets you two, don’t hold it against him. If anything happens while I am in the estate, you two can come to me. If I am not in, you can go to Father or Mother.”
Though Chu Yunxuan’s tone was gentle, his words made Chu Yunyun feel deeply uncomfortable. Having experienced yesterday’s events, Chu Yunyun knew this was not a place for him to act recklessly, so he could only pretend to be obedient. “Thank you, Big Brother. I understand.”
Lin Yanran did not wish to slight herself or her sons just to clean up the mess for these two children. “Don’t mind him, Yun’er. Your Second Brother doesn’t have a bad temper; he is just a bit aloof. He means no harm. If you need anything, just go to the Marquis; he will certainly be able to resolve it for you.”
Both Chu Yunyun and Sun Xinrou understood the implication behind Lin Yanran’s words. Although Chu Yunyun felt unsettled, he obediently agreed. Sun Xinrou, still kneeling, harbored much resentment, but she was a person who understood the currents of the time; she offered her thanks with apparent sincerity. She felt there was no point in holding onto her frustration now—after all, the Marquis was still bedridden, and even if she wanted to use her charms, she had no way to do so. Whatever thoughts or grievances she had would have to wait until the Marquis recovered.
Seeing that Sun Xinrou was being sensible for once, Lin Yanran gently signaled for her to rise. “Rise, Concubine Sun. This is the first time the siblings have met; I was naturally happy and perhaps spoke too much. It was quite unfair to you.”
“It is this concubine’s honor to kneel before you, Mistress. I do not feel it is unfair.” At this moment, Sun Xinrou actually believed it herself; she was, after all, the Marquis of Wenxuan’s only concubine. Regaining a shred of self-confidence, she dared to ask about her son’s future. “Mistress, the Third Young Master has reached the appropriate age. May he enter the clan school?”
“Yun’er is the Marquis’s son, and the Marquis has already made arrangements. He can go to the clan school when the time comes. As for Yu’er, you shall keep her with you for now. In the future, you may request the Marquis to find a nanny to instruct her properly.”
It was impossible for Lin Yanran to worry about other people’s children. As for whether raising them well would turn them into assets for the family—with a restless mother, they were destined never to be assets to her own sons. Whether the two children could grow up successfully would depend entirely on the choices Sun Xinrou made. Although the original owner had lost her life because of the affairs of the Marquis and Sun Xinrou, Lin Yanran felt the Marquis was clearly more at fault. After all, had the Marquis not desired it, a weak woman like Sun Xinrou would never have dared to approach him, let alone get close to him, given that she was merely the daughter of an eighth-rank official. If Sun Xinrou behaved herself in the future, Lin Yanran might spare her. As for whether her eldest son chose to deal with them, Lin Yanran would not only refrain from interfering but would even help cover his tracks. However, if Sun Xinrou dared to make a move, she shouldn’t blame Lin Yanran for being ruthless.
Having received this news, Sun Xinrou’s smile was visibly more sincere. Her son’s future was the foundation of her foothold in the estate. “Thank you, Mistress, for planning for Yun’er!”
Regardless of Sun Xinrou’s true thoughts, Lin Yanran accepted her thanks graciously. “He is, after all, the Marquis’s child; it is only right that I plan for him.”
As soon as Lin Yanran referred to herself by her title as a Princess (Junzhu), Sun Xinrou grew even paler and more deferential. Perhaps in Sun Xinrou’s mind, the Marquis’s wife would ultimately have to listen to the Marquis, and if she could win him over, the Mistress could not do much to her. But she now realized, however ignorant she might have been, that the Marquis might be powerless against a member of the royal family—a realization that shattered all her plans.
Sun Xinrou had always believed that “women conquer men, and men conquer the world,” and that as long as she conquered the Marquis, she would possess everything she desired. Yet, this logic failed in the face of royalty. If the Marquis could not command his wife, the higher she jumped, the faster she would likely die. At this moment, Sun Xinrou felt she should act with caution for a few years and observe the situation.
Lin Yanran cared little for what Sun Xinrou was thinking. She commanded according to her own wishes: “You need not come for morning greetings every day; only come on the first and fifteenth of each lunar month. If I have any instructions, I will send word. You are not to approach my Main Courtyard without cause. If my people discover you there, I will assume you are plotting against me, and do not blame me for being discourteous.”
As for the trope in novels where a mistress is kept close to serve her, Lin Yanran felt that was simply asking for an early death. Who knew if they were hiding something, or if they might use a hairpin as a weapon? Lin Yanran found the saying, “A gentleman does not stand under a crumbling wall,” to be very sensible. There were plenty of ways to deal with a concubine; there was no need to risk one’s own safety—who knew when someone might decide they couldn’t endure it any longer?
“This concubine will strictly follow the Mistress’s instructions!” Sun Xinrou was now profoundly respectful. She already regretted being so arrogant before the Marquis and the Mistress the previous day. Reflecting on herself, she realized she had been spoiled by the Marquis over the years and had forgotten that she was merely the daughter of a minor eighth-rank official.
Having finished her instructions, Lin Yanran began to dismiss them: “I am tired; you may all withdraw.”
Sun Xinrou did not dare to delay, hurriedly pulling her two children to bow and withdraw.
Once they had gone, Chu Yunxuan thought of his mother’s gentle appearance toward the three of them and reminded her: “Mother, do not be deceived by Concubine Sun’s submissiveness today. She is a woman who can endure.”
“Rest assured, Mother has her own measures. Doesn’t your father love beauties? I have already asked your maternal grandmother to keep an eye out for some; they will be able to enter the estate as soon as your father recovers from his injuries. With more beauties around, Concubine Sun will amount to nothing. By then, she will be busy enough; she won’t have the time or energy to cause me trouble.”
Lin Yanran was not the original owner; she would not live or die for a man who had strayed. A flourishing backyard in the Marquis’s estate was for the best!
Both Chu Yunxuan and Chu Yunheng opened their mouths in astonishment at Lin Yanran’s words, asking in unison: “You want to choose concubines for Father?”
Lin Yanran leaned back against her chair, looking as if she had seen through the vanity of the world: “Now that Concubine Sun has entered the estate, what difference does it make to add one or two more?”
Thinking of the tactics women used that he had seen in the palace across two lifetimes, Chu Yunxuan felt his scalp tingle: “Perhaps by then, there won’t be a safe place in the backyard, and you won’t have a single moment of peace all day long.”