Chapter 16: Assistance

◎In truth, you must also be worried about your daughter, right?◎

The young servant girl's return after the first two days didn't bring much news of her daughter. However, since the day she entered the Huafu, the entire capital had been discussing her daughter, praising her virtue and loyalty. Even scholars and talented poets who had come to Beijing for the imperial examination composed poems in her honor. For a moment, her daughter had become the most virtuous woman in the eyes of the citizens.

But no matter how good her reputation was, it paled in comparison to her daughter's happiness in the long run. She couldn't help but recall the day when her daughter returned from Tianyuan Temple, having prayed for blessings for the elderly matriarch. She had scolded her daughter for neglecting her reputation, pointing out that the broken marriage had tarnished her name. Now that the damaged reputation had somewhat recovered, and the ruined marriage was restored, it was at the cost of her daughter's lifelong happiness. Her son-in-law had been executed, separating them forever. Who would now bring happiness to her daughter?

Thinking back, she would have preferred her daughter to have a slightly worse reputation and marry into an ordinary family, rather than end up a widow like this.

Regrets are now in vain; the matriarch wouldn't call her back, and this isn't her maiden family's home. Since she disregarded the Wei Duke's residence, her parents, and her siblings to wholeheartedly marry into that family, insisting on fulfilling her own affections, any suffering she endures now is the result of her own actions. There's no need for you to empathize with her pain.

Madam Yu San was wiping away tears, but upon hearing this, she immediately stopped and looked over with reddened eyes, glaring fiercely at her husband. "She's your own daughter; how can you be so insensitive to her suffering?"

Yu Sanlang stood with his hands behind his back, his face dark and solemn, his brows perpetually knitted. "She's impudent and reckless. The matriarch has already communicated with the Ru Yang Marquis' residence. Now that she's defied authority and left, they're furious and have declared they won't associate with the Wei Duke's residence anymore. The Ru Yang Marquis is the Empress's maternal family, and with the Empress's favor, their power is at its peak. At such a time, our family's involvement in offending them has drawn criticism from Elder Brother and Second Brother."

"I don't have a daughter like that!"

A young boy ran in, shouting, "Father's lying! You say you don't like Sister, but I saw you carefully store her letters in a box and hide them. You didn't even let me read them!"

Madam Yu San cast a glance at her husband, the master.

Yu Sanlang stiffened his neck and said, "Hmph, you always slacked off when I tried to teach you the basics. Now, how many characters do you actually recognize?"

The young boy hid behind his mother, cautiously peering at his father. "Although I don't fully understand it, I can learn from it bit by bit. But Father won't let me read it, nor does he want me to know what my sister has written."

Yu Sanlang remained silent, turning to leave with his hands clasped behind his back. Lady Yu finally came to her senses, gazing at her husband's departing figure. A hint of a smile shimmered in her tearful eyes, "My Lord, you're always like this, tough on the outside but soft on the inside. Don't you actually worry about our daughter?"

"No wonder, you are accustomed to studying the classics of sages and gentlemen, strictly adhering to the principles of benevolence, righteousness, and propriety. Though Lian'er's actions might have been unexpected, they should have earned your approval. Yet, due to the pressure from your mother and elder brothers, and perhaps because you're accustomed to being a strict father, you dare not show your admiration. Am I right?"

Yu Sanlang paused in his stride, not turning back, and rebuked sternly, "Nonsense, utter nonsense, absolute drivel!"

A mother and son chuckled stealthily behind him.

At that moment, a young servant girl rushed in, bowed to the master, then began, "Madam, from the groom's family... no, from the Hu residence, they've been keeping to themselves. There are barely any servants around, and they seldom venture out. So, this servant went to the marketplace and discovered two significant events concerning Miss today."

Yu Sanlang, who was about to step forward, halted, standing there with his hands behind his back.

Lady Yu hurriedly asked, "What were they? Tell me quickly."

The young servant girl took a deep breath. The boy was quick-witted and promptly brought over a pot of tea. The servant girl hastily thanked the young master before drinking it all in one go, gaining the strength to continue.

"First, I heard that the favored candidate for this year's top scholar, Scholar Yuan Xiaocai, rewrote a storybook for our Miss. It sold out as soon as it was published, and now people are talking about it everywhere – in teahouses, inns, and on the streets. I even secretly bought a copy. Second, I've learned that the Hu household is selling their belongings. The common folk all pity Miss, saying that the Hu family is in dire need of money and can no longer afford rice, flour, vegetables, or meat. They have no choice but to sell what they have. Poor Miss, her family was once confiscated, so there isn't much of value left. Whatever they sold was inexpensive, and they didn't even get a few hundred silver taels in total. Miss must be having a hard time there."

The young servant girl had been with Miss for many years and, upon finishing, wiped away tears.

Poor Miss, a lady from the Marquis household, couldn't even afford food and had to resort to selling possessions to survive.

Madam Yu also felt pained, her eyes reddening. "Why, why must it be like this? My poor, foolish child, reduced to such straits."

She turned to her husband. "My Lord, you're back. What should we do now? Lady forbids us from helping our daughter or sending her a dowry. What are we to do?"

"Which noble lady in the capital has suffered like our Lian'er? Other young misses, even if their families are struggling, still receive at least a few sedan chairs and shops or manors as part of their dowries. Our Lian'er left with nothing but her dowry; how will she manage her life?"

Yu Sanlang snorted. "Does she think I don't know she took two thousand silver taels?"

Madam Yu angrily threw a teacup in his direction. "What good are those two thousand taels? When Lady agreed to this marriage for Lian'er, she promised to contribute ten thousand taels from her personal savings, while Eldest and Second House would each provide another ten thousand, making a total of thirty thousand taels for Lian'er's dowry. Now, Lian'er is married to the same man, but she received nothing. Compared to that thirty thousand, what are two thousand taels?"

"Our household expenses, excluding clothing and social obligations, only require a few weeks' worth of food and drink. Although the Hu family is small, they're poor. Being stripped of their titles and reduced to commoners, what silver could they possibly have left? Look, after just a few days, they've started selling these worthless trinkets. Clearly, Lian'er is not doing well there."

Yu Sanlang returned and sat beside his wife, solemnly asking, "So what do you suggest?"

"You think of a way to secretly send some silver notes to our daughter. If possible, take the little maid along so she can attend to our girl. Lian'er has been pampered since childhood. I've heard that most of the servants in the Hu household have fled. What competent help could be left for her to command?"

The man pondered for a moment before replying, "Silver notes can be concealed, but sending a person might easily raise suspicion. It wouldn't look good for our family if word got out. The matriarch and my elder brothers would surely object."

The young maid stood quietly by the side, unsure if she wanted to serve her mistress or not. In her current state, the Hu family was far from prosperous, and naturally, life in an ordinary household wouldn't compare to that in a Duke's residence. But she had served her mistress for many years, and it was her duty to attend to her.

"Then shall we send someone secretly to deliver the silver notes?"

Madam Yu San was about to rise and return to her chambers to count her personal savings, even if she had to scrape together some funds for her daughter.

Yu Sanlang said, "There's no rush. I'll consider it further."

"The servants of our household, regardless of their affiliation, carry the mark of the Wei Duke's residence when they go out. If they were to head towards the Hu residence, it might draw unwanted attention. The Hu family keeps their doors closed, only venturing out occasionally for provisions. It would be less suspicious to approach them openly rather than sneaking around."

He paused at this point.

Madam Yu San also fell into deep thought. After a moment, she suggested, "Let me go. I'm Lian'er's mother, and it's understandable that I would be eager to see her... No, the matriarch has given a strict order forbidding us from contacting our daughter."

"Would it be better to find a street urchin outside to deliver the message?"

"What if the little beggar runs away with all those banknotes?"

"What are we to do then?"

"How pitiful is my sister, sobbing because she's so hungry?" Suddenly, the young boy's eyes welled up with tears as he whined.

The couple turned their attention to their youngest son, exchanging a knowing glance.

While the Matriarch forbade them from contacting their daughter, adults had self-control. But what about children? They were innocent and ignorant; it was understandable for the young one to run to his long-missed sister on a whim.

The Matriarch doted on her grandson, and even if she was upset, she wouldn't go too far – at most, a light scolding or a spanking.

Madam Yu called her youngest son over, affectionately patting his head and asking, "If your sister were in trouble and needed your help, would you be willing to lend her your support?"

The boy answered loudly, "Of course, I would, Mother. Before she left, she gave me a handful of sweets, and I've been saving them, not daring to finish them." He then covered his mouth, fearing that his parents might take the candies away.

Madam Yu didn't comment on the sweets. Instead, she patted her son's head and asked, "If your actions were to displease Grandmother, and you got punished, would you be afraid?"

The young boy hesitated for a moment, but the thought of his sister's kindness towards him and her current plight of not having enough to eat stirred his courage. He lifted his small chin resolutely, "Yu Shi isn't afraid!"

That evening, Third Lady Yu summoned her youngest son to her side. The mother and son whispered confidentially for a long while. Then, she handed him two silver banknotes, instructing him to keep them safely in his pocket and bring them to his sister the next day.

The following day, the young Yu Shi set out with his bookish companion, planning to find an opportunity to sneak into the Hu residence to see his sister. However, they were met with a crowd gathered at the entrance, and armed soldiers with fierce expressions.

Alarmed, he hurriedly sent his bookboy back to inform his mother – something had happened to his sister!