Chapter 120

Chapter 120

Sitting in confinement during the third or fourth month of the year was quite comfortable, neither too cold nor too hot. Yao Niang and Shen Linfeng named their newborn son, giving him the single name Zhi.

To say that their daughter Ruo Fu resembled a Western Region Hu girl, with her high nose bridge, fair skin, and double eyelids, while their son looked different from both Yao Niang and Shen Linfeng, having a somewhat feminine appearance, more delicate than his sister.

On the full moon, Yan Jingzhao held his nephew for a long time. Shen Linfeng, remembering that his son was only three days old, thought his brother-in-law wasn't as experienced with children as his father-in-law, who had raised many. Thus, he had an excuse to have the wet nurse take the child away.

This time, Yan Jingzhao's return to the imperial examination system was effortless, as the position of a censor was no ordinary post.

Pang Qian and his wife, the Lady of the Pang family, both came over. Yao Niang had sat in confinement for a full month and a half, and now, with her spirits well-rested, she appeared radiant when receiving guests.

"Mother-in-law, I didn't expect you to come in person; our humble home is truly honored," Yao Niang smiled.

Lady Pang noticed that despite Yao Niang's young age, she was very capable and not someone who looked down on others. Yao Niang even introduced her to the wife of her maternal grandfather, the Grand Secretary Yan, and her daughter-in-law, people Lady Pang rarely encountered. Seeing Yao Niang conversing with the wife of Commander Liu and the Lady Jiaoning, the wife of the Duke of Fuguo, Lady Pang felt even more impressed by the noble lineage of the other family.

Yao Niang had last seen Lady Liu during Sister Fu's birthday last year. After a long time apart, she still remembered the matter concerning Sister Shan: "How is it? Has the marriage been arranged?"

Lady Liu shook her head: "These days, it's hard to find a good husband. A man like your husband is one in a million."

Shen Linfeng indeed possessed top-notch looks and talent, which was why Yao Niang eventually agreed to marry him.

However, she comforted Lady Liu: "Don't worry; with Sister Shan's talents and beauty, she will surely find the best man in the world."

Lady Liu nodded and said, "Today is the full moon celebration for your son Zhi. Don't worry about entertaining me; go attend to your affairs."

Yao Niang smiled and went to fetch her daughter, Sister Fu. The little girl, after being away for a month, was a bit shy at first, but soon snuggled back into her mother's arms after Yao Niang played with her a bit. However, Lady Xie was somewhat reluctant: "Sister Fu has been playing happily at our place. Runge and her two uncles play together every day. They might not be used to her coming back."

"Mother, I know you'll miss Sister Fu. But if we don't visit each other often, won't our relationship grow closer?" Yao Niang laughed.

Lady Xie whispered, "You don't know, because Sister Fu stayed with us, your second sister-in-law hinted that she wanted to send her daughter to stay with your sister-in-law. Fortunately, your sister-in-law said Runge is tough and independent, so she couldn't agree."

Actually, Lady Li was easy to talk to, kind-hearted, and different from Yao Niang, who was very clear about boundaries. She didn't hold grudges over many things. Moreover, Qian Niang's attitude towards Yao Niang and Lady Li was different. Qian Niang always tried to win over Lady Li. When Runge returned last time with a cough, Qian Niang helped find remedies. While Yao Niang loved her nephews, she prioritized her own family and didn't get overly involved.

She believed that after marriage, everyone had their own families. She would help her relatives when she could, but overall, she prioritized her own family.

But this time, Lady Li refused mainly because she feared the main branch of the family would criticize her. Qian Niang, after all, belonged to the main branch, and Lady Li understood this clearly.

Yao Niang was speechless: "She only has one daughter; why does she need to send her back to her parents' home? I don't know what she's thinking. Last time, when Gongding was promoted to a lecturer, Brother Wen came to congratulate us, but she didn't. Her thoughts are even less clear than Ying Niang's."

"Ying Niang now only visits when there's something important. Every time Lady Shen comes over, Lady Zhen hopes Ying Niang will bring Xu Shenyang along," Lady Xie said.

Yao Niang smiled, "Ying Niang is out of tricks. Last month, she came here spouting nonsense and was scolded away by me. She's overt, while my second sister-in-law is covert. But expecting Ying Niang to visit often isn't realistic."

The Yan family was currently busy arranging Yan Ningxin's marriage. Yan Yingqi did not want to make a big fuss, partly because his daughter had once been embarrassed. This time, he didn't want to draw attention. The dowry was ten thousand taels of silver provided by the family, and Zhou Lingguang's betrothal gifts were minimal. Similarly, Yan Ningxin's dowry was not much.

Zhou Lingguang was just a scholar in the Imperial Academy, where the salary was low, and it was a clean office. It was already difficult for him to prepare everything, and the Yan family did not mind. Given Yan Ningxin's past, Yan Yingqi naturally wouldn't provide a lavish dowry. Marrying off a daughter could drain the family's resources, but the family was willing to contribute ten thousand taels. Yao Niang also timely contributed about twenty trousseau items as compensation, making up roughly half the dowry, totaling sixty-four trousseau items.

When the dowry was sent, the Yan family's daughters all returned from their husbands' homes. Seeing her sisters, Yan Ningxin felt a mix of emotions. She was now focused on her upcoming marriage, feeling time pass quickly and somewhat anxious about becoming a stepmother in the future.

"Thank you, sisters," Yan Ningxin said, regardless of what they thought, grateful for their presence.

Yao Niang smiled, "Elder Sister, today we send the dowry, and tomorrow you will leave for your new home. Your husband and mine are colleagues in the Imperial Academy; we should visit each other often."

"Yes, Third Sister, I haven't thanked you for the dowry you sent," Yan Ningxin replied.

Yao Niang shook her head, content to do her part. Ying Niang, however, thought that Third Sister had received a hundred trousseau items from Elder Sister but only returned twenty, truly taking advantage of the situation.

But she couldn't directly mention this, as their father had said that providing a generous dowry was to compensate the Shen family. It was rumored that on the first day of Third Sister's marriage, someone had made things difficult for her. Besides, Ying Niang also feared that if she spoke up, Third Sister might come and fight with her.

However, what she found most unfair was not just her father's favoritism towards her third sister, but also his preference for her third brother-in-law. It was truly...

Thinking of this, she no longer wished to stay there and went to Lady Zhen instead. At Lady Zhen’s place, she felt more at ease to speak her mind: "Elder Sister only had sixty palanquins for her dowry, which is really too meager. Why don't we take back some of the dowry from Third Sister?"

"Take it back? How can you retrieve something that has already been given away? Ying Niang, you have been married for a few years now and even have a son. I think you still lack foresight. Who is your elder sister? Your father didn’t even plan a grand banquet for her wedding, fearing that something might go wrong in the middle, making us a laughingstock. Besides, where do we have so much silver now? The ten thousand taels from the public fund were all gathered by selling fields and shops." Lady Zhen shook her head.

In the past, Lady Zhen was much stronger than Lady Jie, with more silver passing through her hands. However, after the public grandfather’s death, a large sum of money was spent on the funeral. Later, when Ying Niang got married, Lady Zhen secretly provided a substantial dowry and even bought a house in the capital as part of the dowry. She almost never used her private funds, relying mostly on the public funds of the main branch. Now, with Yan Ningxin’s wedding being arranged by the main branch, where could they find so much money?

This time, Yao Niang returned over twenty palanquins of dowry, and each of the relatives’ branches contributed several more, saving Lady Zhen a considerable amount of silver.

Even in the Chancellor’s household, things are not always as one wishes. We now support a small opera troupe, and the master often rewards famous paintings and hosts elegant gatherings, all of which require expenses. With a large family and extensive business, every penny counts.

Ying Niang was surprised: "To such an extent?"

"Do you think everyone in the world is a wealthy man? The third branch is doing better than us, and you know your father favors them." Lady Zhen, who used to be calm and composed, now realized that her position as the lady of the house was not as secure as she once thought. Seeing how Yan Jingzhao’s wife came from a high-ranking official’s family, while her own daughter-in-law was an orphan like Xin Wan, made her feel increasingly uneasy.

She heard Ying Niang complain again: "Father only favors Third Brother-in-law, but he is always indifferent to my husband."

Lady Zhen felt even more depressed, unable to vent her frustration. She seemed to vaguely understand a fact. In the past, she always believed that power and wealth in hand meant she didn’t need to worry about anything, thinking that was what women should strive for. But as she grew older, she felt more and more empty and in need of companionship.

If Lady Jie encountered any problems, her husband would be there to comfort and solve them, but she had to face everything alone.

"Daughter, you must capture your husband’s heart," Lady Zhen sighed.

In just a few years, Lady Zhen, who once taught her to value glory and wealth, received Ying Niang’s lukewarm response.

The Yan family remained bustling as usual, with several sons-in-law surrounding Yan Yingqi. Yan Jingzhao felt almost squeezed out and thought he should have more daughters so that he could enjoy the attentions of their husbands in the future.

...

Yan Ningxin’s marriage was handled very discreetly, and she was smoothly sent off, lifting a heavy burden from the Yan family.

On the third day of returning home, Yao Niang saw Yan Ningxin looking radiant and felt that Zhou Lingguang treated her well. Yan Ningxin, having endured many hardships, was specially called over by Yan Yingqi during her return visit: "Your cousin did not say a single word in your defense after your incident. Now that you are married, you have no additional dowry. To prepare for your dowry, the public fund sold a manor in Xiaotang Mountain and four shops on the street. I don’t expect you to remember any kindness from the Yan family. As long as your father holds his official position, he will always be your pillar of support. Your mother passed away early, and these words should have been said by her. Now, I must say them. I know Zhou Lingguang has children, and I am not worried that you will treat them badly; rather, I am concerned that you will be too good to them. Ultimately, having your own son is more important than anything else. He is your true blood relative. Don’t think your thoughts are always right. Unless you can become a chancellor, you must still listen to me."

If he were speaking to Yao Niang, mentioning the beginning would make her understand the end, and she would never cause trouble. Yan Ningxin, however, was well-intentioned but often caused problems, lacking a clear self-awareness. He had to be explicit with her.