In the end, Jiang Zhiyu still didn’t get to use the Pomelo Leaf Water.
Before she even entered Ruanyan Ge, she saw many people standing outside, and more than a dozen boxes were scattered haphazardly inside the room.
“Young Mistress, where have you been all morning? We’ve been waiting for a long time.”
A woman in her thirties, dressed in the attire of a steward from the Marquis’s household, spoke as she walked out of Ruanyan Ge.
Jiang Zhiyu had some recollection—this was Mama Cao, one of the women who had accompanied her as part of her dowry.
“Where is Nanny Yang?” Jiang Zhiyu stopped and asked.
Back then, she had been determined to marry Gu Jin, which had caused quite a rift with her family.
Her mother had said that since she had chosen her own path, she would have to walk it alone in the future. Still, she had prepared a generous dowry for her, carefully selecting the attendants to accompany her.
Nanny Yang was the head steward, Mama Cao and another woman were the general-duty attendants, along with four senior maids, six second-tier maids, and several third-tier maids.
But after marrying into the Marquis’s household, because Gu Jin had gone off to war and the couple had never consummated their marriage, the Marchioness had said that since Jiang Zhiyu would be staying by her side for a long time, there was no need to keep so many people in her courtyard, as it could easily lead to trouble.
Jiang Zhiyu, focused on building a life with Gu Jin and having grown accustomed to a lack of attendants since her childhood years at Qianling Shan, had no strong attachment to her dowry attendants and had complied with the Marchioness’s wishes.
But now, at a glance, the attendants were scattered and few remained.
In fact, apart from Mama Cao, whom she vaguely recognized, she had no impression of the others.
Were they really her dowry attendants?
“Nanny Yang fell ill half a year ago, and the Marchioness released her from her contract, allowing her to return to her hometown. Didn’t you know, Young Mistress?” Mama Cao asked in return.
“I didn’t know.”
“It’s all right. I’m still here. From now on, I’ll manage all the major and minor affairs in our courtyard, train these maids properly, and ensure they serve you well…”
“Who put you in charge?” Jiang Zhiyu interrupted. “As I recall, you were only a general-duty attendant, weren’t you?”
Mama Cao’s lips twitched. “After Nanny Yang left, someone had to take charge. The Marchioness appointed me as the steward.”
“In my courtyard, the Marchioness no longer has the final say.” As Jiang Zhiyu spoke, she walked inside, sweeping her gaze over the boxes in the room. “Is this all my dowry?”
Mama Cao’s unpleasant expression hadn’t yet shifted when she heard Jiang Zhiyu’s question. She slowly turned around, her tone indifferent. “Yes, it’s been a long time. You might not remember, Young Mistress, but this is all your dowry. These were all brought out from the storeroom, and the original red seals and celebratory labels are still attached.”
Indeed, each box had a label attached, but after a year, they had faded, the red and yellow colors mottled and unsightly.
“The Marchioness said that these dowry boxes have been untouched in the storeroom since you entered the household. Since you now want to take them all to the main branch, you must not break the seals, or it could give others cause for gossip.”
The Marchioness was using Jiang Zhiyu’s own words from the day before against her.
“If you don’t trust the Marchioness and insist on opening them to check, you’ll have to report to her first.” Mama Cao’s tone carried a hint of provocation and testing.
“No need.” Jiang Zhiyu shifted her gaze away from the boxes and walked into the inner room, instructing, “Hurry and have everything packed. We’ll move to the main branch before nightfall.”
Seeing that Jiang Zhiyu didn’t dare open the boxes and instead retreated meekly into the room, Mama Cao sneered inwardly.
She was nothing more than a shiny but weak dung ball—talking big about the Marchioness having no say, but cowering the moment she had to confront her.
Keep her under control, handle the matter well, and the Marchioness will surely reward you generously.
Just thinking about moving to the First Madame’s household, where she could both manage affairs and enjoy a good life while pocketing money from both sides, Mama Cao couldn’t wait to order people to pack up.
Jiang Zhiyu was inside the room packing her personal belongings, paying no heed to Mama Cao’s talk of taking charge.
The Marchioness wouldn’t easily return people and belongings, even with Old Madame applying pressure. At most, it was only a superficial show of compliance for now.
With Nanny Yang absent, Mama Cao was already the Marchioness’s person. The maids below weren’t necessarily the original dowry attendants, and even if they were, after more than a year living under the Marchioness’s rule, it was clear whose orders they would follow.
Jiang Zhiyu had never intended to rely on these people, but she had other uses for them.
As for the dowry, back then, she had twenty-eight visible dowry chests on the surface alone, not to mention the countless personal valuables hidden away. Now, not only were there fewer than a dozen chests, but the contents inside had likely been swapped out long ago.
But opening them now would be pointless. The dowry list was managed by Nanny Yang, and its whereabouts were unknown. She couldn’t leave the estate, and without evidence, as long as the Houfu insisted these were the original items, they would remain so.
Moreover, among those outside, there might well be Old Madame’s people.
She had just assured Old Madame that she would handle things properly. Losing her composure now would only disappoint Old Madame and cost her the only support she currently had in the Houfu.
Aside from the so-called “dowry,” Jiang Zhiyu didn’t have many belongings. By the hour of Shen, everything was packed.
Mama Cao led the way to the First Madame’s household.
Chengen Houfu was a sizable estate, and the walk from the Second Household to the First Household took some time.
This spoke to the Houfu’s past glory, but that was all in the past. With each generation faring worse than the last, it had long since fallen into decline.
The current Marquis Chengen was Gu Jin’s father, Gu Si. Originally, it should have been the eldest uncle, Gu Miao, but unfortunately, he fell ill and passed away before inheriting the title, allowing the Second Household to seize the opportunity.
While there were opportunities to seize within the estate, success in the imperial court depended on ability. Marquis Chengen only held a fifth-rank Langzhong position in the Ministry of War’s Bureau.
The next generation was even weaker. The First Household’s legitimate son, Gu Huaiqiu, went to the battlefield but returned with no achievements and both legs crippled. The Third Household was full of idlers, with no one of use. Only Gu Jin stood out as the tallest among the short.
Because the Second Household was the tallest among the three branches, their courtyard was also the largest, gradually “expanded” step by step after the Marchioness took charge.
The First Household was left with only a widow and her child, so their courtyard was the smallest. However, in her previous life, Jiang Zhiyu had only visited the First Household briefly and never lived there, so her memories of it were sparse.
Only after passing through the corridor and arriving once again at the First Household’s courtyard did she gain a concrete sense of this “smallness.”
The legitimate eldest branch, yet their courtyard had only two entrances and exits, covering less than three mu of land.
It was barely divided into inner and outer courtyards, but the outer courtyard wasn’t even as large as the Marchioness’s. It consisted of only one Ming Tang and two side halls, with simple landscaping barely maintaining a facade.
A slightly plump maid, around eighteen or nineteen years old, was waiting at the corridor entrance. Seeing Jiang Zhiyu arrive, she didn’t hide her disdain and said coldly, “First Madame has instructed that there is only one abandoned courtyard available. If the young mistress is willing, she may stay there.”
“They haven’t even prepared the courtyard and expect us to move in? And we have to clean it ourselves?” Before Jiang Zhiyu could speak, Mama Cao protested indignantly.
The maid glanced at her, then turned to Jiang Zhiyu. “If you don’t like it, you can go back.”
“I’ll stay,” Jiang Zhiyu spoke up first this time. “Please lead the way.”
Jiang Zhiyu did not make a fuss, nor did she have a reason to drive anyone away. The plump maid curled her lips and turned to walk along the corridor toward the inner courtyard.
Jiang Zhiyu followed. Mama Cao opened her mouth to say something, but Jiang Zhiyu said coldly, “If you don’t want to, you can go back to the second household.”
Mama Cao choked back her words. How could she possibly return now? She hadn’t even accomplished her task yet.
She could only reluctantly lead the others to follow.
The corridor connected the two courtyards. Since it was just an orphan and a widow living here, there was no need to lock the gates between courtyards at night—only a moon gate separated the inner and outer areas.
Just as they were about to pass through the moon gate, Jiang Zhiyu caught sight of a figure out of the corner of her eye.
She stopped and looked over. On the pavilion atop the rockery sat a slender young man, not on a stool but in a wooden wheelchair.
Noticing Jiang Zhiyu’s gaze, the man turned his eyes toward her. His gaze was cold and sharp.
Jiang Zhiyu remembered it vividly.
It was Gu Jin’s cousin, the man now named as her husband on the marriage certificate—Gu Huaiqiu.