Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The Eastern Courtyard was a flurry of activity as trunks and cases were carried out in an endless stream. The Chen family’s servants, secretly observing from a distance, even began counting the items, simply to alleviate their boredom.

Meanwhile, the Ming family’s retinue exuded an air of dignified purpose, each person walking with head held high, eyes fixed straight ahead, their movements synchronized and expressions solemn. This disciplined display inexplicably made the onlookers feel outmatched, even though no direct comparison was being made.

As the crowd murmured amongst themselves, a woman in an autumn-hued dress, her hair tightly coiled and adorned with only a silver hairpin, approached them with a smile. “May I ask which of you serves in Madam Chen’s courtyard?” she inquired.

After a moment of flustered hesitation, someone glanced around nervously before eagerly pushing forward Taohua, who had been trying to hide at the back. “This auntie, she’s from Madam’s courtyard,” they offered, eager to please.

Taohua was on the verge of tears. She had known that being sent by her mistress to gather information wouldn’t end well. Steeling herself, she replied, “Greetings, Auntie. Although I serve in Madam’s courtyard, I am only a second-tier maid. Now that I’ve been assigned to Concubine Ya, I don’t have much say in front of Madam.”

Granny Liu scrutinized her. Noticing her neat attire, clear gaze, and coherent if nervous reply, Granny Liu nodded subtly in approval.

“This is actually quite convenient. Our young mistress has some belongings she couldn’t take with her and instructed us to give them to Miss Ya Yun, who resides in Madam Chen’s courtyard. Since you are here, it saves us a trip—I doubt Madam Chen would wish to see anyone from our family anyway.”

Before Taohua could react, Granny Liu handed her a heavy bundle and turned back toward the Eastern Courtyard.

Clutching the weighty parcel, Taohua ignored the teasing remarks from those around her urging her to open it. She bent low and scurried into the eastern wing of the main courtyard.

Ya Yun was pacing the room, a hand resting on her waist, when she saw Taohua rush in, clearly flustered. “What’s wrong?” she asked, puzzled. Had Taohua uncovered something significant?

Still catching her breath, Taohua placed the bundle on the table and cautiously took two steps back, lowering her voice. “To answer you, Madam—the people outside are all from the Ming family. The young mistress has divorced the young master, and the Ming family has come to retrieve her dowry. This bundle was given to me by the young mistress’s family, who said she couldn’t take it with her and wished to bestow it upon you.”

She finished in one breath, then nervously shuffled back another half-step, her head bowed deeply, not daring to look up.

All she heard were a few heavy breaths, followed by a sharp gasp from Xiao Hong, Ya Yun’s most trusted maid. Then came the sound of hurried footsteps and the scraping of a chair being pushed aside.

A moment later, someone settled heavily into the chair and let out a long sigh.

Ya Yun murmured softly, “The young mistress… actually divorced…”

Her tone was bitter, as if she had accepted the reality yet still struggled to believe it.

How was she to live now?

The Chen family had brought her in only because the young mistress couldn’t conceive, while she was pregnant. Now that the “barren” young mistress had left, the young master would surely remarry. What if the new wife could bear children?

Ya Yun had spent her days planning how to raise her child and how to please the young mistress so that her child could be officially recognized under the mistress’s name. Once the child grew older, she, as the birth mother, might even be able to contend with the young mistress.

Who could have imagined that Ming Tang had no intention of engaging in a struggle and simply overturned the entire situation? Now, all her carefully laid plans were shattered. The child in her belly was no longer the Chen family’s sole heir, but an illegitimate child that would hinder the young master’s remarriage!

Just thinking about it caused Ya Yun’s stomach to ache faintly. She forced herself to calm down and signaled for Xiao Hong to open the bundle.

Inside the plain wrapping was a bed curtain embroidered with the *Hundred Sons and Thousand Grandsons* motif. The craftsmanship was exquisite, the depicted children lively and vivid—but ultimately, it was just an ordinary fertility-themed curtain. It looked nearly new, as if barely used.

Ya Yun didn’t understand its meaning and beckoned Taohua closer. “Is there any special significance to this curtain?”

Taohua stepped forward, frowning thoughtfully. “The young mistress never used such curtains… Ah! I remember hearing the senior maids say that Madam had once gifted one like this to the young mistress, but she didn’t like it. The young master even sided with her, which upset Madam for days.”

Ya Yun’s eyes flickered. She immediately ordered the two of them to fold the curtain and took it to the main residence.

Madam Chen was sitting by the window, fuming as she gazed toward the Eastern Courtyard. When Ya Yun arrived, her expression remained cold. “What is it?”

Ya Yun approached and awkwardly bowed before settling onto an embroidered footstool nearby. Her delicate brows were furrowed, and her demeanor was uneasy. “Madam, the young mistress recently sent someone to give me this curtain. I was going to hang it up, but someone reminded me that it was originally a gift from you to the young mistress. I didn’t dare use it without permission, so I’ve brought it back to you.”

Xiao Hong promptly presented the curtain to Madam Chen.

Madam Chen’s eyes sharpened as she took it, running her fingers over the intricate embroidery. Her resentment toward Ming Tang deepened.

She had truly hoped her daughter-in-law would give her a robust grandson. This curtain had cost her a considerable sum, and she had even placed it before the statue of Guanyin, the Goddess of Childbirth, for forty-nine days of blessings.

After going to such lengths as a mother-in-law, who would have thought Ming Tang wouldn’t appreciate it at all?

Seeing Ya Yun’s visibly pregnant form and her fearful demeanor, Madam Chen felt a pang of sympathy. “What’s there to fear? You are carrying the Chen family’s child—this curtain is perfect for you. Hang it up with peace of mind. The Bodhisattva will surely bless you with a bright, healthy child.”

Madam Chen’s gaze was sincere. Ya Yun relaxed slightly and carefully flattered her before returning to her room, where she immediately had the curtain hung up.

Ya Yun had long passed the age of believing in divine blessings, but Madam Chen’s words sparked a flicker of hope.

She could tell that Madam Chen was simply an ordinary old woman longing for a grandson, not particularly cunning. Since she lived in Madam’s courtyard and now had Madam’s direct assurance, she had gained a bit more leverage. Rather than praying to the Bodhisattva, it was better to rely on Madam’s favor.

The thought left a bitter taste in Ya Yun’s mouth.

This curtain had been sent to her by the young mistress… Could it be that Ming Tang had foreseen her predicament and deliberately gave her this curtain to help protect the child in her womb?

Thankfully, this formidable young mistress chose not to contend with her. Otherwise, what chance would she have in the future? Ya Yun glanced toward the main residence and resolved to work even harder to win Madam Chen’s favor.

*

Ming Tang had already packed and organized her dowry long ago, and with no one from the Chen family daring to stop them, everything was smoothly transported back to the Ming household. Zhe Liu and Wen He, perhaps thinking they had brought enough people, even carried back furniture that Ming Tang had explicitly said to leave behind, storing everything in the family warehouse.

The entire process of unloading and organizing took a full day. Once everything was settled, Ming Tang suddenly remembered that today was the family’s designated rest day, so she invited her nieces, who had no lessons, to come and play.

Now, in the Peaceful Joy Residence (Anle Ju), Ming Tang reclined lazily on a daybed, shifting slightly to make space for her nieces on the outer edge.

Wen He smiled and spread a cushion there before bringing out a small box and gently placing it on the cushion. With a flick of her wrist, a dazzling array of pearls and gemstones spilled out, instantly captivating the girls’ attention.

What girl doesn’t love shiny things like pearls and gemstones? Over the years, Ming Tang had collected a full box of precious stones she fancied but hadn’t yet made into jewelry. Now, pouring them all out at once was breathtaking.

Ming Wan, being the oldest, merely gazed at them admiringly, while Ming Jin and Ming Yu leaned eagerly against the daybed, cheeks cupped in their hands, staring at Ming Tang with wide eyes.

Under the gazes of these lovely little girls, Ming Tang felt lighthearted and content. She stroked the twins’ soft, silky hair, playing especially with their twin buns, making the silver bells on them jingle sweetly.

After teasing them enough, Ming Tang deliberately drew out her words, her tone playful. “Do you want Auntie to make some jewelry for you to play with?”

The twins nodded eagerly, and even Ming Wan couldn’t hide her anticipation. Then Ming Tang grinned and said, “But Auntie won’t give them to you for free. I heard you’ve been learning needlework lately. Ah Wan, since you know more, make me a pouch. Ah Jin and Ah Yu, each of you can braid me an ornamental knot. Bring them to me later, and we’ll trade, alright?”

All three nodded repeatedly. Ming Wan led her younger sisters in sorting the gemstones by color while Ming Tang took the opportunity to teach them how to distinguish between different types of stones and how to judge their quality.

“I wish Auntie could stay home forever,” Ming Yu suddenly sighed.

None of their tutors at home were as beautiful, knowledgeable, or fun as their aunt.

Ming Tang patted her little cheek. “Auntie isn’t planning to leave anymore. Ah Yu, come keep me company after your lessons from now on, alright?”

The moment she said this, Ming Tang was met with three little heads bobbing like chicks pecking at rice, each nodding eagerly.

Ming Tang looked from one to the other, wishing she had more than two eyes—and regretting the lack of something like a phone.

If only she could record this synchronized nodding! How amusing that would be.

And it would serve multiple purposes—keeping it as a memento now, then using it as future teasing material. How entertaining that would be.

Amid the laughter, a stern voice rang out from outside the Peaceful Joy Residence: “And you still have the heart to laugh?”

Before the words faded, the speaker entered, and the entire room seemed to brighten momentarily with her presence. A dignified, elegantly dressed woman stepped inside—none other than Ming Tang’s eldest sister, Ming Shao, the Ming family’s firstborn daughter and the chief daughter-in-law of Minister Zhang, Minister of Justice (Board of Punishments) and Grand Secretary of the Wuying Palace.

Ming Shao had always been a woman of authority. Given the significant age gap between them, the saying “an elder sister is like a mother” was no mere phrase for Ming Tang.

By the time she entered, Ming Tang had already risen properly from the couch. Upon seeing Ming Shao, she stood up to greet her with a perfectly poised curtsy, every movement flowing like water.

Ming Shao nodded and signaled her attendants to take the younger girls out to play. She glanced at Ming Tang, her voice tinged with exasperation: "Why didn’t you tell me about your divorce?"

"I didn’t want to trouble you, sister."

The Zhang family was a prominent Jiangnan lineage with strict traditions, and the Minister’s wife was particularly unyielding. Ming Tang figured her sister had little to do with her affairs anyway, and since she was returning to the Ming family after the divorce, it was better not to bother her.

"You," Ming Shao tapped her forehead lightly. "If you’re going to divorce, don’t worry about troubling me. How else would I find out? Your procession moving your dowry back was so grand—it’s not like the Chen family is a united front. Now anyone with their ear to the ground knows you and Chen Wenyao are divorced. People are saying all sorts of things out there—you’re the talk of the town. Do you even realize that?"