Chapter 61: Chapter 61 (Two Chapters Combined)

Chapter 61: Two Chapters Combined

"Marchioness, Her Royal Highness the Princess Consort wishes to see you," Nanny Gong announced, arriving in person.

She Niang had just finished distributing the tally tokens. "Does Mother have something specific in mind?" she inquired.

Nanny Gong playfully chided, "It's about the Princess, of course. She quarreled with Wu Ting and ran back home in the middle of the night. Haven't you heard, Marchioness?"

"I slept soundly last night. And after holding A Heng all day, my arm was so sore I retired early." Even if she had known, she would feign ignorance.

Nanny Gong sighed. "Then please come quickly."

When She Niang arrived, the Princess had clearly composed herself. Her expression was serene as she idly twirled the tassel on her waist.

"Greetings, Mother," she said, bowing first.

The Princess Consort of Qing gestured to a seat below. "Sit down. I have something to discuss with you."

"Yes." She Niang sensed an unusual undercurrent and perched on the edge of the seat, ready to listen attentively.

Seeing her seated, the Princess Consort of Qing began, "Your daughter, Bao Ying, is young and inexperienced, with a quick temper. She quarreled with her husband. What do you think should be done?"

Hearing this, She Niang glanced at the Princess and replied, "I am still young and have never handled such matters. What does Mother suggest?"

The Princess Consort of Qing said, "It's better to tear down ten temples than to break up a marriage, especially one arranged by His Majesty. We must find a way to resolve this. As the Marchioness and Bao Ying's sister-in-law, I leave this matter to you."

Expecting She Niang to decline, the Princess Consort was surprised when she said, "Since Mother trusts me, I will not refuse. However, I need to know the full story. Bao Ying, please do not hide anything."

If she couldn’t avoid it, she might as well take charge.

The Princess, however, retorted, "Since Sister-in-law is on my side, make the people from the Marquis of Shouning's household kneel and apologize. They treat a mere maid more importantly than me!"

"Bao Ying, you must tell the whole story," She Niang thought to herself. After marriage, things were different. Although the Marquis's household was not as prestigious as the Prince of Qing's, it was still a prominent family.

Being a daughter-in-law was never easy. Even she, with a relatively reasonable mother-in-law like the Princess Consort of Qing, had to endure grievances.

Even when a princess married a consort, some consorts had affairs with wet nurses or maids, and the princess could do little about it.

Most women had to learn to compromise and use wisdom to navigate situations. This wasn’t ideal, but unless the principles of the "Three Obediences and Four Virtues" were abolished, women could only survive in the cracks.

She Niang was no exception. Only when she gained authority would she suffer fewer grievances.

The Princess had been overly pampered at home and couldn’t tolerate the slightest grievance. Running home in such a hurry, with no one from the Marquis of Shouning's household chasing after her, likely meant something serious had happened.

Seeing the Princess still tight-lipped, She Niang said, "Mother, if Bao Ying refuses to say anything, how can we resolve this?"

The Princess Consort of Qing, who had hoped to gloss over the matter, was taken aback by She Niang's insistence. She called for Nanny An, who served the Princess, to explain.

Nanny An said, "Our Princess was initially doing well in the Wu household. But the maids in the young master’s room, especially one named Ju Qing, who seems to have been intimate with him, acted arrogantly. The young master didn’t defend our Princess but instead sided with that maid. The Princess couldn’t bear it."

"What exactly happened? Explain clearly," She Niang pressed.

Seeing that neither the Princess Consort of Qing nor the Princess herself spoke, Nanny An hesitantly said, "That maid is said to be the sister of the young master’s subordinate. She even has two maids serving her alone, almost like a concubine. She tried to ingratiate herself with our Princess, but the young master was intimate with her in the study, completely disregarding our Princess. Our Princess had her beaten twenty strokes, but the young master said Ju Qing’s brother had saved him on the battlefield and accused the Princess of being too harsh..."

She Niang understood. She said to Nanny An, "If the young master has been intimate with someone, you should deal with it gradually. Why directly beat her twenty strokes? Without justification, you only earn a reputation for cruelty. Nanny An, you’re an experienced elder. Why didn’t you advise against it?"

Nanny An felt wronged. They were the Princess’s people. Shouldn’t the Princess be able to deal with a mere maid?

So, she said, "Who is more important, the Princess or a maid? Normally, anyone would side with our Princess."

She Niang took a sip of tea and said, "Using power to suppress others is not as effective as using reason. Even if you gain temporary advantage, it’s not sustainable. Moreover, fortunes change. Today, you suppress others with status; tomorrow, others may suppress you."

Hearing this, the Princess Consort of Qing raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean, Marchioness?"

"I mean, the Marquis of Shouning’s household will send someone to fetch her soon. We need not do anything. But if Bao Ying continues like this, you may be accused of punishing without teaching." She Niang put down her teacup and spoke frankly.

The Princess Consort of Qing slammed the table. "How dare you!"

She Niang quickly stood up and knelt. "The Classic of Filial Piety says, ‘If a father has a remonstrating son, he will not fall into unrighteousness.’ The Analects also say, ‘In serving your parents, you may gently remonstrate with them. If you see that they are not inclined to follow your advice, remain respectful and do not oppose them. You may feel discouraged, but do not complain.’ My words are not meant to blame Mother but to say what others dare not, so we can resolve this within the family."

Tears welled in her eyes as she spoke sincerely. The Princess Consort of Qing was taken aback and helped her up. "Yes, good child, rise quickly."

The Princess was surprised that her sister-in-law had spoken out against her mother, yet her mother didn’t blame her at all.

"What should we do now?" the Princess Consort of Qing still sought her daughter-in-law’s opinion.

She Niang said, "As I said earlier, you must have thought of it too. The Marquis of Shouning’s household will send someone to fetch her. After all, our Princess married down, and it hasn’t even been a month. This Wu Ting has been intimate with a maid, so he is not entirely blameless. We should prepare some healing balms and have the Princess take them back. Say we didn’t know she was the young master’s favorite and shouldn’t have made her serve. I remember there are a few small rooms outside their courtyard. Let her stay there and be treated well. That should suffice."

The Princess Consort of Qing immediately recognized this as a plan to use others to eliminate a threat. Maids might not target the mistress directly because of her status, but Ju Qing, who was once their equal, suddenly being treated like a concubine without doing any work would draw criticism. People would say the Marquis of Shouning’s household lacked propriety.

"Brilliant!" Nanny An thought the same.

She Niang waved her hand. "But this is only a temporary measure. Bao Ying must learn to stand firm. Otherwise, why should you run back home and leave your position to others? So, Mother, please teach Bao Ying how to manage the household."

Everyone was convinced by She Niang’s words. The Princess Consort of Qing, who had always been hesitant to teach strictly, now had no choice.

After leaving the Princess Consort’s courtyard, Lan Ruo smiled. "I thought this would put you in a difficult position again."

"It is difficult, but not impossible. The Marquis of Shouning’s household will come once they realize the situation is unfavorable." She Niang shook her head.

She was right. Shortly after breakfast, the Marchioness of Shouning arrived. She Niang changed clothes and went over. The Princess Consort of Qing exchanged a glance with her.

The Marchioness of Shouning said, "It’s our fault. That girl’s brother once saved Ting’er. She has no one else, so we took her in, intending to arrange a marriage for her later. We didn’t expect the Princess to misunderstand."

At this, She Niang said, "As the saying goes, ‘A drop of water shall be returned with a burst of spring.’ Our Princess is young and warm-hearted. She didn’t know Miss Ju Qing’s background and was only concerned about maintaining order, fearing that if she gave birth to an illegitimate child, it would cause chaos. Now that she has such a background, our Princess is not narrow-minded. Why not treat Ju Qing as a concubine for now? We can’t formally acknowledge her yet, but after our Princess gives birth to a legitimate heir, she can serve the young master. If she also bears children, she can be promoted to concubine. This way, both reason and emotion are satisfied."

The Marchioness of Shouning quickly said, "I didn’t expect the Prince’s household to be so reasonable."

"Of course. This marriage was bestowed by His Majesty. Anyone who disrupts it first shows disrespect to the Emperor," She Niang said.

If the Princess Consort of Qing handled it herself, it might seem undignified. But seeing her daughter-in-law handle it so appropriately, she couldn’t help but nod. Since the Princess’s mother-in-law had come to fetch her, she had to return. The Princess Consort of Qing glanced at her daughter and sighed softly.

If Bao Ying were as eloquent and composed as her daughter-in-law, it would be hard for a mother-in-law to find fault.

Even when the Marchioness of Shouning returned home and saw the Princess, who was no longer as arrogant as before but instead listened to her sister-in-law’s advice—even giving her favorite clothes and jewelry to Ju Qing—she praised to Wu Ting, "The Princess is just young. And you, why fool around with Ju Qing?"

Wu Ting and the Princess were not very compatible. To him, the Princess didn’t seem like a woman but more like a little girl, especially in matters of intimacy, which she seemed not to understand.

She was domineering and always acted superior. Wu Ting even discovered she didn’t bleed on their wedding night, which he found hard to tolerate.

But he couldn’t bring himself to mention such things.

Hearing his mother, Wu Ting said, "I understand."

"Although the Princess acts impulsively, her sister-in-law is not to be underestimated. A young woman who can manage household affairs under her mother-in-law’s authority is no easy feat." Women understand women best. With a powerful strategist behind her, the Princess’s actions would leave no room for criticism.

After the Princess left, She Niang stayed with the Princess Consort of Qing for a while longer. The Princess Consort of Qing said, "It’s good that you help manage the household. That Bai Shi is not diligent enough."

"But the Dowager Princess Consort..." She Niang hesitated.

The Princess Consort of Qing said, "I will speak with the Dowager Princess Consort."

Thus, control was handed back to She Niang’s hands. The Princess Consort of Qing didn’t overdo it; she still managed the Dowager Princess Consort’s personal kitchen and the living arrangements of the young performers.

Bai Shi was far from satisfied and felt quite wronged, yet she had no one to confide in. The Dowager Princess Consort supported her but favored Li Ju and his wife even more, and the Princess Consort of Qing was certainly not one to reason with...

However, the arrival of the Princess Consort of Chongning gave her new hope.

Just after the New Year, She Niang finally had a chance to take a breather. These days had been hectic both at the palace and at home. She rarely had the opportunity to play the zither and compose poetry with Li Ju in his study when he brought up a matter: Bai Shi intended to adopt a child from the Prince of Chongning’s household.

"Who are they planning to adopt?" She Niang asked.

Li Ju replied, "Wei Shi’s second son."

She Niang was puzzled, "Why adopt a child from the eldest branch?"

"The third branch’s elder brother currently has only one daughter. As for the fourth branch’s elder brother Qiong, as you know, he also has only one son. How could they agree to an adoption? His Majesty, out of compassion for our father, specially awarded a posthumous title to our eldest brother as a Zhenguo General, first rank. Whoever is adopted would essentially gain this title without lifting a finger." Li Ju spread his hands.

"So that’s it. But if this child comes, won’t our A Heng’s place in the family line be pushed back?" She Niang did not interact much with Bai Shi, but she was determined to protect her son’s status.

The child was innocent, but the Chongning household had repeatedly tried to interfere in the affairs of the Qing princely household.

Li Ju smiled, "We’ve considered that as well, but this might be what His Majesty prefers—like the court politics of checks and balances, pitting dissenting opinions against each other."

"No wonder. Under normal circumstances, it shouldn’t be like this. Well, once this child is adopted, Sister-in-law will have more company around her," She Niang said.

Li Ju nodded in agreement.

After exchanging a few more words about family matters, Li Ju mentioned, "The Prince of Jin’s primary wife has passed away. I heard the palace is selecting a new primary wife for him? Our relatives have been frequently visiting the palace lately."

"Who?"

"Our cousin from the Wang family."

She Niang said bluntly, "I’m afraid it’s unlikely to work out for her."

From most people’s perspective, the Wang family was quite respectable. Although Wang Zhenzhu’s fiancé had passed away, it could be seen as him not being worthy of her—a sign of her noble fate. But for someone like the Prince of Jin, everything had to be flawless. Family background could be slightly less prominent, but there must be no blemish in any aspect.

After she finished speaking, Li Ju looked at her, feeling a pang of discomfort. "How do you know? You’ve never even met the Prince of Jin."

He was aware that in their previous lives, the Prince of Jin had been her husband. Although he was close to her now, he had always been wary of her at first. He wondered if her sharp mind had noticed. In a way, he had hindered her prospects.

She Niang had not expected this question and quickly replied, "Have you forgotten? I have a cousin who married into the Prince of Jin’s household. I saw her during the New Year, and she mentioned it."

Hearing this, Li Ju smacked his own forehead and said, "I’ve spaced out."

"Perfectly fine, why are you acting so erratically and hitting your head?" She Niang was both amused and exasperated.

Meanwhile, regarding Bai Shi’s plan to adopt a child, the Qing princely household set aside a separate courtyard, and the child was sent over. However, the adoption ceremony was repeatedly delayed. For the Prince of Qing, adopting a grandson from the Prince of Chongning’s household meant that in the future, the Chongning princely household would siphon off the Qing princely household’s assets.

The Prince of Qing put it quite diplomatically: "The child is too young and delicate to raise. Let’s wait until he’s a bit older."

Of course, people from the Chongning princely household whispered criticisms, saying the Prince of Qing had no real intention of adopting—essentially taking a son without following through. Even Bai Shi, who rarely went out, unexpectedly visited She Niang that day.

At the time, She Niang was playing with A Heng, who was now nine months old and could eat crushed pine cakes. He was sitting on a soft rug, nibbling on the pieces She Niang had broken for him.

"Alright, after you finish, we’ll play catch, okay?" She Niang spoke to him, unsure if he understood.

Just as she finished speaking, she heard that Bai Shi had arrived. She Niang first invited her to the main hall for a conversation, asked the nurse to look after A Heng, and then went to the main hall.

Bai Shi wore a pale blue cloak and an unpatterned silk skirt. Her attire was even less impressive than that of Qiu Ju, She Niang’s maid. She looked troubled.

"Sister-in-law, I wouldn’t come without a reason."

She Niang smiled. "No need to be formal, Sister-in-law? If you have something to say, please go ahead."

Last time, Bai Shi was relieved of her night patrol duties and scolded by the Princess Consort of Qing. She had been laying low for a long time, afraid to show herself. Now, for her own sake, she mustered the courage to try again. She did not dare approach the Princess Consort of Qing or the Dowager Princess Consort, but Li Qiong’s wife, Yang Mo, suggested she try this approach.

Yes, She Niang and she were in the same boat—they shared the same sentiments and understood each other.

Seeing She Niang’s attitude, she said, "It’s like this: the boy is very attached to me and has already started calling me 'Mother.'"

"That’s good to hear." She Niang already knew what she was going to say and added, "But I advise you not to be too hasty, Sister-in-law. The child doesn’t understand these matters, but adults might teach him to be close to you. However, once everything is settled and the child is old enough to remember, do you think he won’t know who his birth mother is?"

Bai Shi was confused. "What do you mean, Sister-in-law?"

She Niang said, "You must be somewhat aware of the issues between the Prince of Chongning and our Qing princely household, right?"

Bai Shi nodded slightly.

She Niang continued, "Then think about it: the child may seem obedient now, but his birth parents are still around. Once his name is entered into the family lineage records, whether you’re involved or not, he will become the heir to your husband. What will you do then? But if his name isn’t added to the registry for now, even if the child isn’t close to you, his parents will surely encourage him to be more attached to you."

To be honest, Bai Shi had not considered this angle. She had originally wanted She Niang to speak on her behalf to the Princess Consort of Qing and Li Ju, but now she hesitated.

After Bai Shi left, She Niang breathed a sigh of relief and turned to go back. Unexpectedly, Li Ju had just returned. A Heng had been taken away by the nurse, and Li Ju was reading on the couch.

She Niang sat down in front of him and recounted Bai Shi’s visit. "I never expected Sister-in-law to come to me about this. Thankfully, I managed to send her away."

"Was that just an excuse to dismiss her? It sounded quite reasonable to me," Li Ju said, putting down his book and looking at her seriously.

She Niang was definitely not the type to show off. During this year’s family banquet, she had honestly attended to guests without drawing much attention. Li Ju had noticed clearly and even thought his wife was too modest, so he praised her everywhere.

She Niang pointed at herself. "Huh? Are you okay? How is that reasonable?"

Li Ju thought for a moment. "Your words do make sense, but my sister-in-law isn’t exactly aboveboard. I’m afraid she might spread what you said."

"If she spreads it, I’ll just play dumb. It’s not like I have to admit to everything," She Niang said irritably.

For some reason, the deeper his connection with his wife grew, the more it felt like a cleansing for his soul—as if all his preconceived notions had vanished.

He had met many people who did shameful things yet talked a good game. But She Niang was the only one who directly shared her thoughts with him, without any pretense.

Suddenly, he found her adorable and leaned in to kiss her. "Even if she spreads it, so what? Perhaps the Chongning household will become more wary after hearing it."

"Then you have to have my back. If others speak ill of me or spread rumors, you must support me," She Niang cooed.

Li Ju said as a matter of course, "Of course. You’re my wife, my love. How could I not support you?"

"Then do something for me now," She Niang said playfully.

Li Ju tweaked her nose. "What is it?"

"Carry me to the bed later," She Niang said with a smile.

The couple fooled around together. That evening, when She Niang went to see the Princess Consort of Qing, she laid out the whole story of Bai Shi’s visit. "I was afraid Sister-in-law was being egged on, so I sent her away first. I think household matters are ultimately Father’s to decide—it’s not our place to worry."

When Princess Consort of Qing heard what She Niang told her, she immediately said, "You did very well to say that. Bai Shi used to be quiet and unassuming, but now she's become all about managing the household and adopting an heir. What is she trying to do?"

"Perhaps she just wants to give the child more legitimacy and her own as well," She Niang could understand Bai Shi's perspective—surviving in such a vast household, a person without roots can feel very lonely. But your own affairs are your own; clearly, adopting a child would undermine the interests of She Niang's branch of the family, yet you still expect others to jump to praise you? How is that possible?

I understand you, but I also have my own stance. Matters like these are not something I can decide.

Hearing She Niang's words, Princess Consort of Qing quickly offered her advice: "Hmph! I don’t care if she adopts, but she can’t just throw her weight around because of her status. Even if it were her own biological son, so what?"

"If parents love their children, they must plan for their long-term future. Mother-in-law, thinking this way truly makes me happy for the heir," She Niang said with a smile.

Seeing her daughter-in-law so perceptive, Princess Consort of Qing patted her hand and said, "I only have this one son. If I don’t plan for him, who else would I plan for?"

In truth, She Niang had been looking for an opportunity to speak openly with Princess Consort of Qing. Before, when the young princess was at home, She Niang hadn’t found the right moment, but this matter provided the perfect chance. The Prince of Qing's household had too few members internally, while external forces were strong—the Prince of Chongning's household was watching closely, His Majesty was wary, and the Duke of Fuguo and others remained passive onlookers...

With these factors at play, those inside must stand united; otherwise, anyone could be swayed by provocation.

She Niang once again expressed her loyalty: "The men handle external affairs, but they may not be thorough in managing household matters. Though I may lack talent, I am willing to stand united with you, Mother-in-law, to protect this household together and ensure no one can bully us."

Considering the current situation and her daughter-in-law’s capabilities, Princess Consort of Qing said, "I’ve been needing a right hand—who else could it be but you?"

After this incident, the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law grew remarkably close. Even when the young princess returned home for a visit, she remarked, "Why does Mother now keep bringing up my sister-in-law all the time?"