Chapter 129

Chapter 129

Xin Wan was the matriarch of the Yan family's main branch. Her passing could not be handled carelessly. Unfortunately, Xin Wan had no children, so Yan Yingqi arranged for his eldest son, Run, to perform the pot-breaking ceremony on her behalf. Lady Zhen, along with Jie Shi and Li Shi, also came to help.

However, the funeral arrangements were minor issues compared to the biggest problem at hand—Jingwen. If he had wept loudly, it would have been better; after grieving, he would eventually pull himself together. No one expected that after Xin Wan’s death, he would seem as if his soul had been sucked out, living in a daze.

When Yao Niang went to the memorial hall, she heard Ying Niang complaining, “Brother is half-dead over a woman. How can he possibly manage an entire household in the future? Father must have made a grave mistake in arranging this marriage.”

But Yao Niang believed that Father did not make a mistake. Jingwen truly loved Xin Wan, and Xin Wan, who had remained unmarried for so many years, was finally willing to marry with the support of the matriarch of the main branch. As parents, they naturally wanted to see their daughter happy. When Yan Jingzhao was close to Jie Shi due to the birth of their youngest son, he also hoped that the lovers would be united.

He thought that once Jingwen married the woman he loved, he would work even harder. But he was wrong. After marrying Xin Wan, Jingwen became increasingly content, only thinking about enjoying life and disliking his career in politics.

What he forgot was that in a society where a husband's success often reflected on his wife, especially in a family like the Yans, who were from a prime ministerial lineage, unless Xin Wan was exceptionally intelligent and could stand out, Jingwen’s poor political performance would reflect badly on her. Someone like Lady Zhen would not scold her own son but would certainly blame his wife.

Everyone is human, and when elders criticize you, you cannot rebel unless you choose to let it go. Unfortunately, Xin Wan was not in good health, and her early demise was indeed a pity.

At its core, Jingwen did not understand Xin Wan’s situation at all. If he truly cared for her, he would have thought about taking the imperial exams and entering public service to earn respect for his wife.

But everyone blamed Jingwen rather than sympathizing with Xin Wan. Yao Niang also expressed these thoughts to her father.

“Previously, everyone said that Third Sister-in-law did not advise properly, but why should a wife have to advise? If Third Brother truly loved his wife, he would think about bringing honor to her and their children. If he was unwilling to pursue a political career, he should have learned to manage the family business well. He is not blind or heartless; how could he be completely unaware of Third Sister-in-law’s situation?”

Yan Yingqi did not expect his daughter to say this. He looked at Yao Niang and asked, “Do you usually think so much?”

“What do you mean by that?” Yao Niang was puzzled.

Yan Yingqi sighed, “I see that you will never be like your third sister-in-law.” If his daughter were Lady Zhen’s daughter-in-law, and Lady Zhen scolded her, she would not worry but instead feel that it was her son’s fault for not studying. She would push Jingwen to confront Lady Zhen, and the conflict might even energize her, leading her to fight with Lady Zhen until the end just for the sake of an argument.

Hearing this, Yao Niang replied, “That’s because I am healthy and have my parents and brothers to support me. Third Sister-in-law, however, has always been frail and grew up under someone else’s roof. This is not a matter of ability but of the differences in our backgrounds. Father, do you know why I am angry? Because I think of Mother. If I had not survived as a child and died young like my older siblings, and if Grandmother kept Brother by her side and did not allow Mother to see him, and if you had taken a new wife, could Mother have continued to live?”

Even Jie Shi had family support and a father who held an official position, though far below the Yan family’s status, yet she still felt disheartened. How much more so for Xin Wan?

She simply felt that people were too harsh on women.

Mentioning Jie Shi, Yan Yingqi, who was quick-witted, was momentarily speechless before saying, “I know your mother suffered, but this is a different matter. Your cousin Xin Wan, as an orphan, marrying into our family, I gave her the best possible home. I have done everything I can to help them, which is already my greatest concession.”

Yao Niang responded earnestly, “Father, I’m not saying you were wrong. In this matter, you definitely acted with compassion. It’s just that things did not turn out as hoped, and I feel a sense of regret. The dead are gone, but I hope you will treat the living well. In the future, don’t just pay lip service to Mother. You should be clear about what she truly needs.”

In the past, she dared not speak such words because she had not yet earned her father’s attention.

She thought Yan Yingqi would be angry, but unexpectedly, he looked at Yao Niang and said, “Your mother really did give birth to a fine daughter.” Diligent and unwavering, from the past to the present, she never forgot to fight for her mother’s rights.

On the other side, Qian Niang was talking to Ying Niang, her tone filled with sympathy, “I really didn’t expect her to pass away like this. Although she was always frail as a child, I didn’t think she would be so fragile.”

“Who would have thought? I always felt she wasn’t suitable for my brother. If it weren’t for Father being in mourning and unable to return to office, it wouldn’t have been her turn. A forced marriage is never sweet, and now it seems to be true,” Ying Niang showed no sympathy for Xin Wan, only blaming her for her brother’s lack of achievement in the imperial exams.

Xin Wan’s body was kept for forty-nine days before burial. Lady Zhen had already started looking at potential brides for the prime minister’s son, as there were many families eager to marry into the Yan family. However, things often did not go as planned, and Yan Jingwen became a monk.

Upon hearing this news, Shen Linfeng was astonished, “I didn’t expect him to become a monk. He truly is a devoted lover.”

“Becoming a monk is just an escape from the world, showing that he is a coward. I don’t believe he is a devoted lover. If he were truly devoted, he would be like you. Although you are not passionate about your career, you have always protected us and our children. In this world, who doesn’t want to do what they love? Forget it, I won’t get angry about my family matters anymore. Let him do as he wishes,” Yao Niang shook her head.

The one most affected was undoubtedly Lady Zhen. She pleaded with Yan Yingqi, “Lord, Jingwen listens to you the most. Please go and bring him back from the temple.”

Yan Yingqi was troubled, “I’ve already been there, but he is determined. What if I force him and he dies? What then?”

In his heart, he had already given up on Jingwen. Such a man, deeply entangled in love and living in a daze, could not accomplish great things. Now that he had become a monk, as a father, he had already tried to persuade him once, but his son refused to recognize him. Why should he try again?

The Zhen family was truly on the brink of collapse. Originally, she had planned everything well: after Xin Wan's passing, her son would marry within a year, and everything would return to normal. But she had forgotten that Yan Jingwen was not Yan Jingzhao. When Yan Jingzhao lost his wife, he resumed his duties at the yamen after seven days, but Yan Jingwen chose to shave his head and become a monk for love.

She had forgotten how she once mocked Yan Jingzhao for being heartless, and now her own son had made all her life's efforts in vain.

With her son becoming a monk and no legitimate grandson, what had she been striving for all her life?

Yan Yingqi looked at Lady Zhen, thinking that even at this point, she hadn't asked him to bring her son back from the temple, but was still waiting for someone else to do it. She had spent her whole life sowing discord, afraid of offending anyone, always waiting for others to do good deeds so she could reap the benefits.

As he reached the door, he wanted to turn back and say something, but then he heard Lady Zhen muttering to herself, "If I had known this would happen, what hope did I have? Half my life's efforts have gone down the drain..."

Even with her son like this, she was still talking about such things. Without looking back, Yan Yingqi left, only calling out to the steward, "Go see the third young master every month. If he falls ill, send someone to treat him. If he wants to return to secular life, let it be."

Some things seem to go against one's wishes, and perhaps this is what it means. Even if he were now a high-ranking official, not everything would go smoothly.

Compared to Yan Jingwen, who became a monk after his wife's death, when Shen Sanlang returned, he searched the outer chambers but gave up without saying anything.

Han Ruohua wouldn't have said anything either. She was secretly alarmed; if she were ever unjustly harmed, Shen Sanlang probably wouldn't even lift the white cloth to look. This made her more determined to focus solely on raising her own son, putting aside all other thoughts.

Therefore, she wanted to reconnect with Yao Niang, hoping that Shen Linfeng might help her son in the future. After all, even if the Shen governor's career continued to flourish, he wouldn't enter the cabinet. He was already a high-ranking official, and by the time her son grew up, he would have long retired.

But when she came over, she found that the fourth and fifth sons' wives had already arrived. Yao Niang saw through her intentions, knowing she was just like Shen Mo—using people when they were useful and discarding them when they weren't. She wasn't that foolish.

Every time Han Ruohua visited, they barely spoke. After a few visits, Han Ruohua felt bored and left, feeling quite aggrieved. Yao Niang thought to herself, "When you ignored me, I still treated you politely and didn't say anything."

The fourth son's wife, Jiang Shi, said, "Sister-in-law, you don't know yet, do you? The eldest sister-in-law's family has also run into trouble."

Yao Niang was puzzled, "What happened?"

"I heard it from rumors. It seems her maternal aunt and some merchants colluded to oppress the people, and the locals stoned her to death. This incident also implicated the eldest sister-in-law, as these people were introduced by her." Jiang Shi was well-informed.

Yao Niang recalled the eldest sister-in-law's maternal aunt, Feng Shi, who was said to be a granddaughter of a princess, with a very noble status. She never imagined she would die so ignobly. As for the eldest sister-in-law, she had lent money at high interest rates and was far from a good person. She had spent her whole life wanting a child of her own but ended up with nothing.

Moreover, she had even made an enemy of Aunt Chu. One could imagine that when Aunt Chu's son grew up, she would have to look up to a concubine's son.

But the root cause of all this was greed, an excessive greed.

Desiring power, wealth, and children, she harmed others when she couldn't have them herself, stealing from others. When she was young, Yao Niang often thought there was no retribution, that good people didn't live long while evil ones thrived. Now, however, she believed that it wasn't that there was no retribution, but that the time had not yet come.