Chapter 286

Chapter 291: A Visit (Part 2)

Jiexiang fell silent.

She had been the Second Master’s wife’s personal maid from her dowry. After the Second Master passed away, his wife dismissed all her attendants, but Jiexiang refused to leave. She registered her name at a temple and stayed by her mistress’s side ever since.

Jiexiang was fully aware of all the grievances between the Second Master’s wife and her brother’s wife (the aunt).

To be fair, the aunt was good in every way—except for one unbearable habit: whenever something happened, she would threaten to run back to her parents’ home. Because of this, the Xiang family matriarch deeply disliked this daughter-in-law. Once, she had even fainted from anger. The relationship between the Second Master’s wife and her sister-in-law grew increasingly strained over the years. In the early days, with the Second Master by her side and overseeing the marquis’s household, the Second Master’s wife forced herself to tolerate the aunt’s presence. But after the Second Master’s death, her reclusive tendencies resurfaced. She grew impatient even with the previous Fourth Madam, let alone this sister-in-law whom she had never liked to begin with!

Thinking of this, Jiexiang couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

“Then… do you really intend for the second young miss to marry into the family?” Recalling the unassuming Second Miss, who had always been overshadowed by the dignified Eldest Daughter and the lively Third Miss, Jiexiang couldn’t resist asking.

“I hadn’t given it much thought before,” the Second Master’s wife replied. “I assumed Lady Eleven would never agree. Given His Lordship Xu Lingyi’s temperament, the matter would most likely be dropped. I never expected Lady Eleven to actually consent.” She smiled faintly.

Jiexiang was puzzled.

The Second Master’s wife had extraordinary patience with this loyal but somewhat simple-minded maid and was accustomed to chatting with her during lonely days.

“Think about it—a daughter-in-law must follow the rules set by her mother-in-law. If she were forced into the marriage against the Fourth Madam’s wishes, and the Fourth Madam demanded her to massage her legs one day and her shoulders the next, would the daughter-in-law dare refuse? But if things continued like that, how could there be peace in the household? Xu Lingyi wanted to arrange a marriage between Xu Siyu (Yuge) and my niece for two reasons. First, our families are already related, so it wouldn’t be unusual for a legitimate second daughter to marry the eldest son of a concubine. Second, he wanted to secure a future for Xu Siyu, preventing others from scheming for the family’s inheritance. But if the Fourth Madam opposed the marriage before the bride even arrived, it would defeat the purpose. Naturally, Xu Lingyi would have to drop the matter.”

Jiexiang nodded. “That makes sense!”

“But after Xu Lingyi and his wife came to thank me today, I actually think it wouldn’t be bad for Rou Ne to marry into the family,” the Second Master’s wife said with a smile. “Not only would this marriage benefit the Xu family in every way, but it would also be advantageous for Rou Ne herself.

“Xu Siyu is born of a concubine, so he would naturally feel somewhat inferior in front of Rou Ne. If my brother could assist Xu Siyu in his career, given Rou Ne’s timid disposition, even if their marriage isn’t perfectly harmonious, they could at least treat each other with respect. Besides, with me as her aunt, both the elder madam and Xu Lingyi would show her some leniency out of consideration for my sake. Even if Lady Eleven tried to throw her weight around as mother-in-law, she would hesitate somewhat. As for Qin Yi, she wouldn’t dare show the slightest disrespect toward Rou Ne.”

Jiexiang found this reasoning sound. Knowing the Second Master’s wife’s character, she realized that the second young miss would indeed have to marry the Second Young Master.

She thought this arrangement wasn’t bad and said cheerfully, “If the Second Young Master and the second young miss live happily, our household will be livelier too!”

“Marriage is the most unpredictable thing,” the Second Master’s wife replied with a faint smile. “Man plans, Heaven decides. It all depends on luck.”

Seeing that her mistress wasn’t truly joyful, Jiexiang suddenly thought of the Second Master—ever since his passing, even when the Second Master’s wife laughed heartily, it no longer had its old radiance.

Her expression darkened.

If only the Second Master were still alive—how much better things would be!

The thought flashed through her mind, but she quickly suppressed it. She dared not dwell on it, nor did she wish to.

“When you return tomorrow, you must speak carefully with the aunt,” Jiexiang advised. “Since you care for the second young miss, you should ensure she leaves for her new home happily. Otherwise, torn between her mother, her aunt, and the Fourth Madam, how difficult her life would be!”

The Second Master’s wife, however, remained silent. She stood and said, “Let’s go to the elder madam’s rooms. We shouldn’t keep her waiting.”

Knowing her temperament, Jiexiang said no more and accompanied her to the elder madam’s rooms.

The elder madam took the Second Master’s wife’s hand and sat beside her on the heated bench. “What did Lord Xu and his wife go to you for?”

The Second Master’s wife was surprised.

She hadn’t expected the elder madam to ask about this. But she quickly realized—the elder madam didn’t yet know about Xu Lingyi’s plan to arrange a marriage between Xu Siyu and her second niece.

Come to think of it, when she had gone to the Western Hills, both the elder madam and Xu Lingyi had maintained a cautious distance from Lady Eleven. But with each of her returns, the situation had shifted—not only did the elder madam now defend Lady Eleven, but Xu Lingyi had also begun treating her as his wife. She had always sensed there was something unusual about that young woman. And now, recalling how Lord Xu and his wife had come jointly to thank her today…

The Second Master’s wife couldn’t help but smile. “They came to thank me!”

"Thank you?" Elder Madam was startled. "For what?"

Second Madam then explained how Lord Xu had asked her to act as a matchmaker.

Elder Madam immediately understood everything.

No wonder they'd been at odds. Most likely, Old Fourth's domineering ways had flared up again. He had quietly asked Second Madam to negotiate with her family, and only after everything was settled did he think to inform the Eleventh Miss.

Elder Madam's expression darkened slightly upon hearing this.

"Actually, this matter is all my fault," Second Madam sighed, noticing her reaction. "You know how my sister-in-law and I don't get along. When Lord Xu asked me to mediate, I couldn't refuse him outright, and I thought if anyone else went, it might work, but if I went, my sister-in-law would definitely refuse. So I planned to just go through the motions. That's why I didn't ask too many questions beforehand, afraid Lord Xu would misunderstand me as doubting his ability to manage his household." She wore an awkward expression as she spoke. "Who knew my brother would think it was a good idea? He agreed on the spot. And when he heard Lord Xu wanted someone with a gentle temperament, he immediately settled on Rou Ne. That put me in a tight spot. The other day when I ran into Fourth Madam here, she’s usually very polite, but she didn’t say a word to me. I thought to myself then, 'This is bad—either Fourth Madam doesn’t agree to this marriage, or Lord Xu never mentioned it to her beforehand.'" Second Madam gave Elder Madam a wry smile. "So I couldn’t say anything either. I was just thinking of how to untangle this mess when they suddenly came to see me." She then brightened. "Not only did they thank me, but they also asked me to feel out my brother tomorrow!" She reassured Elder Madam, "Don’t worry. From the way they were acting, so perfectly in tune, they seem to be getting along just fine!"

Hearing this, and recalling Madam Du's mention of them chatting and laughing together, Elder Madam's expression softened slightly. "Still, Old Fourth's temper needs to change! Thankfully, our household is simple. If several branches were living together, where would that leave the Eleventh Miss's dignity?"

"Lord Xu is the head of the family," Second Madam said. "He weathers all the storms of the household. Sometimes, he really does need to be decisive. From what I’ve seen of Fourth Madam, she’s quite reasonable. At the very least, they didn’t let this issue blow up into a huge fight. Didn’t you always say that every pot finds its lid? I think Lord Xu and his wife are truly well-matched!"

Elder Madam couldn’t help but laugh. "What nonsense are you talking?"

Seeing Elder Madam cheer up, Second Madam smiled too. "You should have seen it—when Lord Xu came to my place, he kept saying 'we' this and 'we' that. When has he ever been like that before?"

Elder Madam thought back and nodded slightly. She then asked about Xu Siyu’s marriage prospects: "...If this works out, it really would be a good match!"

The old lady was shrewd—she could see all the twists and turns in this matter.

"You know my brother," Second Madam said, pouring Elder Madam a cup of hot tea before sitting back down beside her. "Unless Lord Xu thinks our Rou Ne isn’t good enough for Yuge, what’s there to stop it?"

Elder Madam chuckled modestly. "But Yuge was born of a concubine..."

Second Madam immediately cut her off. "But he’s still Lord Xu’s son! A descendant of the Xu family!"

Elder Madam was pleased with this response, a flicker of satisfaction in her eyes. "Before this matter is formally discussed, find a chance for the Eleventh Miss and me to meet the girl—on the third of March, there were too many people, and I didn’t get a good look."

Second Madam agreed with a smile.

Madam Du returned.

Elder Madam didn’t avoid Second Madam and asked Madam Du directly, "What did he say?"

Madam Du bowed to Elder Madam and Second Madam before replying, "The old marquis said he’ll send someone over first thing tomorrow morning."

Elder Madam let out a long breath.

Second Madam asked with concern, "What’s the matter?"

"Lady Dan," Elder Madam said with some exasperation, "keeps calling for Jining for Xin Jieer’s sake every other day. It’s getting a bit too frequent."

Second Madam thought for a moment. "Should we have them move somewhere else?"

Elder Madam nodded. "You and I think alike. I was planning to discuss it with Old Fourth when he comes later. If necessary, we could have a courtyard built in the garden." She then asked about Jining. "Is she still lecturing Fifth Madam on scriptures?"

"No," Madam Du replied with a smile. "She went to see Fourth Madam."

Elder Madam was surprised. "Isn’t Lord Xu there?"

"Apparently, Magistrate Ma has come, so Lord Xu went to the outer study."

Elder Madam laughed. "No wonder Jining ventured to go to the Eleventh Miss’s place."

But Second Madam asked, "Has Magistrate Ma been coming around often lately?"

Madam Du smiled. "He's visited a few times, though I wouldn't say it's frequent."

Just as she spoke, a young maid hurried in. "Madam, Eunuch Lei is here!" She added, "He's in plain clothes."

Plain clothes meant this was a discreet visit.

The elder madam's face tightened slightly, while the second madam immediately kneeled down to help her with her shoes.

"Don't trouble yourself with this," the elder madam instructed her. "Madam Du has this. Go quickly and welcome Eunuch Lei in."

The second madam obeyed and left.

Madam Du quickly straightened the elder madam's collar and headed toward the courtyard gate.