Chapter 40: A Profound Humiliation

Chapter 40: A Profound Humiliation

Jiang Wanrou, who "lacks ambition," has a son with great aspirations at a young age. During the days when Huai Yi fell ill, Jiang Wanrou decided to suspend his studies. Perhaps due to good rest or his eagerness to learn, Lu Huaiyi recovered swiftly and was back to his energetic self in no time.

Jiang Wanrou struck a deal with him to do things within his capacity and not to overwork himself. As Jiang Wanrou neared her due date, her belly grew rounder, and Lu Huaiyi, not wanting to worry her, obeyed her instructions diligently.

By the end of July, the blazing sun scorched the earth, and the Jinguang Courtyard had already begun using iceboxes. As soon as one entered the room, a refreshing chill greeted them, soothing the heart and mind.

Jiang Wanrou lounged lazily on a pearwood chair by the window, her skin as pale as snow, wrapped in a soft, thin satin robe and covered with a light, fragrant gauze outer garment. Her small arms were half-exposed, and a translucent jade bracelet graced her delicate wrist, making her look like a fairy from a painting.

"The price of rice has been climbing rapidly," she murmured as she flipped through the account book. Due to her impending delivery, she had cut the long nails she had previously grown with henna. Her fingertips were now plump and rounded, with a faint pink hue showing through her nails, which she found somewhat strange.

She muttered, "After giving birth, I should let my nails grow back."

"That's easy enough. I saw many exquisite and luxurious nail guards in the storeroom," said Cuizhu, who brought in a plate of plump grapes and placed it beside her, simultaneously taking the account book from Jiang Wanrou's hands.

"Madam, you're always talking about the young master, but you're about to give birth yourself and still work so hard!" Cuizhu chided.

Jiang Wanrou laughed, "I just skimmed through the account book. How is that tiring?"

Since she had relinquished the management of the household affairs, she had been living a comfortable life. Cuizhu and Jintao took care of her meticulously, and the various chefs in the mansion whipped up delicious meals for her in different styles. She didn't have to fret or worry about a thing, and she was well-nourished, with rosy lips, pearly teeth, and a complexion like spring blossoms.

But even a life of ease can grow tedious over time.

She had managed the household for five years, and the mansion operated under its own set of rules. Even in a few months, things wouldn't fall into chaos. Moreover, she had divided the authority between Lady Zhou and Yao, intending for them to balance each other.

She would eventually take back the authority, and her two sisters-in-law didn't dare to take advantage of the situation. In fact, the treatment in Jinguang Courtyard was even superior to when she was in charge. For example, when the palace recently gifted flowers, according to past practices, Jiang Wanrou would send two pots to the front courtyard, two to the second and third wives' quarters, one to the Chunhui Hall and the small Buddhist hall, and the remaining two or three pots would go to Jinguang Courtyard.

This time, however, the two sisters-in-law seemed to have agreed to allocate their shares to Jinguang Courtyard. Seven or eight pots of vibrant, exquisite flowers were neatly arranged outside the window, attracting colorful butterflies, creating a picturesque scene.

Cuizhu curiously asked, "What do the two madams mean by this?"

Jiang Wanrou thought for a moment, "Perhaps they are apologizing."

Zhou Ruotong, with her scholarly family's aloofness, was lacking in social skills. She might have realized belatedly that she had handled the matter with Zhou Miaoyin inappropriately and couldn't bring herself to apologize directly, so she chose this subtle way to make amends.

Yao Jinyu, on the other hand, was much more astute. The third wife was not innocent either. Seeing the second wife showing loyalty, how could she fall behind? She prioritized Jinguang Courtyard in everything. When Jiang Wanrou wanted to see the account book, she immediately sent it over without hesitation.

It's no wonder that a young lady from a merchant family kept everything clear and detailed. Jiang Wanrou had prepared herself for some discrepancies, as it's often said that water that is too clear has no fish. The monthly expenses of the Lu Duke's mansion were substantial, and the management of the household affairs was lucrative. Even if someone took advantage of the situation to skim a little, she wouldn't say anything.

To her surprise, when she looked at the account book, apart from the significant rise in rice prices, everything else was clear and without any irregularities.

The Lu Duke's mansion had a large population. The main family had few descendants, but the second and third wives' quarters were bustling. Including the servants, there were three to four hundred people in total, and just the monthly food expenses amounted to hundreds of taels of silver.

Jiang Wanrou asked Cuizhu, "Has anything significant happened in the capital recently?"

Cuizhu thought for a moment and shook her head, "I haven't heard of anything unusual."

"Has there been any drought in various regions this year?"

"Madam, there hasn't been any."

"That's strange," Jiang Wanrou closed the account book and instructed, "When you have time, go to the rice shop and ask why the rice prices have risen so much."

Cuizhu nodded in agreement. She was straightforward and always spoke her mind in front of Jiang Wanrou. She wondered, "Madam, it's just a few coins. Our mansion can afford it. Why bother so much?"

"You, who don’t manage the household, have no idea how expensive daily necessities are."

Jiang Wanrou tapped her hair bun gently and said slowly, "A few extra pennies per jin, dozens of pennies for ten jin, and a tael of silver for every hundred jin. Have you ever calculated how much rice our household consumes in a month?"

Cuizhu scratched her head, trying to calculate but failing to figure it out. Nonetheless, she looked at Jiang Wanrou with admiration, "Madam, you’re incredible!"

Jiang Wanrou chuckled bitterly, "What’s so incredible about that? I’ve just been through tough times and understand the hardships of life better."

The rising rice prices only hit the poor. Even someone as shrewd as Yao Jinyu was oblivious to it. She felt the same as Cuizhu: it’s not like we can’t afford it, the total increase isn’t even worth a single hairpin of hers.

Although Jiang Wanrou was born into a noble family, her life in the inner chambers was harsh. Madame Qin was cruel but pretended to be virtuous. She didn’t beat her or skimp on her clothes. As a child, she often wore luxurious clothes but went to bed hungry every night.

Now, she often feels surreal, thinking that the little girl who once starved and was covered in frostbite has actually lived the dream life she once imagined.

Luxurious clothes, lavish meals, and servants at her beck and call. In winter, there is the best charcoal, and in summer, an endless supply of ice. She’s not like Miss Zhou or Miss Yao, who were pampered since childhood. Miss Zhou resents Second Master for being obsessed with landscapes and not making progress, while Miss Yao can’t stand Third Master for being flirtatious and having numerous concubines. Jiang Wanrou has never complained about Lu Feng’s mood swings. She married him despite his reputation, but at least he gave her the respect of a wife, allowing her to escape Madame Qin’s shadow.

Over the years, as Lu Feng’s career soared, she’s grown more confident. She only visits Aunt Li when she goes back to the Marquis’s estate and rarely sees Madame Qin. Occasionally, she encounters her at banquets, sitting at the head of the table, looking at her aging stepmother from a distance, realizing how insignificant she has become.

She treasures her life now. She and Lu Feng have been married for five years. Beyond their marital bond, they’ve built a companionship of mutual support and the friendship of mutual respect. She assumed they’d keep going like this, peacefully and steadily, until suddenly Jiang Wanxue appeared.

Jiang Wanrou’s eyes darkened as she asked Cuizhu, "How is it going in the southern part of the city?"

"Huh?"

Cuizhu’s little mind was still on the rice prices, and the sudden change of topic made her think for a while before she reacted.

"Ah! That place."

She pouted and said, "I heard it’s still chaotic, never settling down."

When Jiang Wanrou learned that the "wife of an old friend" Lu Feng mentioned was her elder sister, she felt uneasy. Then she discovered that the earring she found in Lu Feng’s room actually belonged to Jiang Wanxue.

For a moment, her heart was a whirlwind of emotions. Whether the flowing water meant anything, she didn’t know, but the falling flower certainly had feelings.

Rationally, she knew that their current statuses were worlds apart, and Jiang Wanxue was purely daydreaming.

Emotionally, she was very unhappy.

Like a tiny fishbone stuck in her throat, she couldn’t swallow it or get it out, making her feel uncomfortable and nauseous.

Because of Lu Feng’s "illustrious reputation" as the Commander of the Forbidden Dragon Bureau, she seldom fretted over his harem. Even if one or two were desperate for wealth and status, she could easily handle them. Back then, she thought simply: she couldn’t let anyone shake her position in Lu Feng’s heart, and she couldn’t let anyone threaten Huai Yi.

Perhaps human hearts are always greedy. Now that she doesn’t have to worry about survival, she wants even more.

She doesn’t just want to secure her position as the Lady of the State, but she also wants Lu Feng’s heart.

She reads those plays, where the love between men and women is human nature. It’s said: love arises unknowingly, and once it does, it goes deep. The living can die for it, and the dead can come back to life. The taste of it is indescribable.

She is only in her early twenties, having experienced hardship and enjoyed wealth, but she has yet to taste the flavor of love. Life is short, only a few decades. Wouldn’t it be a loss not to live it to the fullest?

She won’t let anyone lay a finger on what’s hers.

That day, after a brief contemplation, Jiang Wanrou had a pair of identical earrings made and sent to the small courtyard in the southern part of the city, asking Chang'an to deliver a message.

"Third Sister’s original earring is hard to find. It’s just an old object, not worth much. If it’s lost, it’s lost."

"Coincidentally, there’s a similar pair in the storeroom. I don’t like it, and it’s just gathering dust there. It’s better to make a gift of it to Sister, hoping Third Sister won’t disdain it."

As Jiang Wanrou had anticipated, with Jiang Wanxue's haughty nature, she didn't even glance at the box containing the earrings before smashing it to pieces. Once sisters, the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate daughters was stark, and Madame Qin's harsh treatment of the illegitimate daughters had made their status in the mansion akin to that of maids, kowtowing before their legitimate mother and sister, without any dignity.

Even after Jiang Wanrou's high-status marriage to Lu Feng, Jiang Wanxue married into the royal family, making her even more prestigious. Moreover, Jiang Wanxue had once been Lu Feng's fiancée, and it was she who had abandoned him.

The fact that her illegitimate sister had picked up the man she had discarded filled Jiang Wanxue with a sense of triumph. Despite Lu Feng's rise to power over the years, she had never regarded Jiang Wanrou with any esteem, always considering herself superior, even bitterly thinking: had she not let go back then, how could a lowly illegitimate daughter like Jiang Wanrou have had a chance?

Now, with the tables turned, the earrings she had treasured and fussed over were dismissed by Jiang Wanrou as "not worth much" and "just lost if lost," and then handed back to her as something unwanted. For someone as inherently proud as Jiang Wanxue, this was a deep humiliation.

It was said that Jiang Wanxue smashed all the porcelain in her room that day, and hearing of her displeasure, Jiang Wanrou felt somewhat better.

After all, it wouldn't do for her to be the only one feeling uncomfortable, would it?

At the time, she had sent Cuizhu along with Chang'an, and upon her return, Cuizhu was so gleefully animated, appearing even more relieved than Jiang Wanrou, chattering nonstop in her ear with numerous suggestions, fiercely saying, "Pah! Still a royal consort, shameless as a brothel woman, what's the difference?"

"With them coming to our doorstep, Madam, you must not retreat, we should do this... and then this..."

Amused, Jiang Wanrou patted Cuizhu's head, saying, "Good maid, do you know, in the operas, your kind is called 'henchmen'."

Perhaps due to her pregnancy, her mood was significantly different from before, and she even felt a bit of pity for Jiang Wanxue. Moreover, the constant bickering between two women, even if she won, seemed rather pointless.

Wait for Lu Feng to return, and then settle it properly.

She caressed her belly and instructed, "Tell Chang'an to keep an eye out, don't let anything major happen."

"And the small chapel, how is that Miss Miaoyin doing?"