Chapter 19

Chapter 19

After returning to the Moonlight Courtyard, Madam Tang tossed aside her handkerchief and threw herself down in front of the memorial tablet of Qin Ruixi in the small Buddhist shrine, kneeling on the cushion and sobbing her heart out.

"My lord, since you've been gone, everyone in this household bullies me—I have no way to live!"

"Mother protects the Second Branch, and Chu'er married a princess who's formidable indeed—she's barely been in this house and she's already walking all over me! Had I known this would happen, I'd have been better off following you to the grave!"

Nanny Jin hurried over to support her and comforted her, saying, "Madam, what are you doing? If the Duke heard this, wouldn't that keep him from resting in peace?"

With that, she signaled to a maid who stood frozen in fright, motioning for her to come help get Madam Tang up.

Madam Tang wailed her heart out, pounding her chest and stomping her feet, all the grievances of these past days surging up in her heart. She only calmed down a little after hearing what Nanny Jin said, though she kept saying she wished she could go join Qin Ruixi.

The two maids quickly joined Nanny Jin in helping Madam Tang up and settling her on the nearby daybed. Madam Tang was still wiping her tears, and Nanny Jin sighed, had the maids fetch clean water, then shooed out the rest of the servants.

"Madam, you're the head of the eldest branch now—what's there to cry about?" Nanny Jin said, bending down to wipe Madam Tang's tears while coaxing her. "The West Manor will be split off from the family sooner or later anyway. If you don't mind me saying, the Grand Lady's getting older every year—are you scared you won't outlive her?"

Madam Tang pushed her away and said indignantly, "How can I still act like the mistress of the eldest branch now? The Second Branch has Noble Consort Sun and Prince Zhao above them, and Mother has always been partial—who knows if the Duke Su title might actually end up in their hands. When that day comes, they'll be more than happy to split the family up!"

"I finally understand what 'out of sight, out of mind' means. When my lord was still alive, those people of the Second Branch flattered and fawned, trying to pick scraps out of our fingers. Now look at how the tables have turned." She clutched her chest and said bitterly, "Just thinking about having to bow and scrape to the Second Branch in the future makes me sick!"

Nanny Jin exchanged for a fresh handkerchief and handed it back to Madam Tang to press against her eyes, patiently persuading her, "There's been no talk of the title yet, and besides, the Fourth Master is still here. The Fourth Master is one of His Majesty's favorites now and holds his own title—there's no way he'd let you bow down to the West Manor folks."

That hit home with Madam Tang. Regardless of everything else, her son had made something of himself. Setting aside the title of Duke Su, he's also been made Marquis of Huai'an. With Chu'er around, she felt a lot more secure.

But...

"Chu'er's never been close to me, not since he was little. I went through ten months of pregnancy for him, yet he was stolen away by that wretch Meng—as close as if they were real mother and son. And now he's even raising those two children of Qin Mu's, and just looking at them gives me a headache." Madam Tang gritted her teeth just thinking about her daughter-in-law Pei Yun. "And on top of that, he's gone and married a princess—a real piece of work if I ever saw one. What good can I possibly get out of those two?"

Nanny Jin picked up a white jade fan, fanning Madam Tang as she smiled, saying, "Madam, that's talking like a child. You are the Fourth Master's birth mother—of course the Fourth Master and the princess must honor and respect you. Otherwise, the censors and officials would file complaints against them. So you can rest easy and enjoy your old age."

"I know—you're worried about the Third Master. The Third Master holds no official position now, and if he can't inherit the title, you'll be worrying about him your whole life."

At this, Madam Tang's expression softened. She took Nanny Jin's hand and had her sit beside her, letting out her complaints: "I knew you were the only one who understood me."

"Sure, Sheng'er doesn't exactly apply himself, but he's still my own flesh and blood. Chu'er's made a name for himself and climbed high, and he already holds a title—why can't he give his elder brother a hand?"

"If he cared even a third as much for Sheng'er as he does for Qin Mu, the Duke Su title would've already gone to Sheng'er."

In Madam Tang's view, that would've been the perfect ending—everyone happy.

Qin Sheng had no official post and clearly wasn't going anywhere in his career, so Madam Tang could only hope he'd inherit the title and get some future security. As for Qin Chu, he was now powerful and influential, held the ennoblement of Marquis of Huai'an, and had married a princess as his lawful wife—his word carried a lot of weight in the Duke Su mansion. In Madam Tang's eyes, there was nothing to worry about for him; he might as well do more to help his elder brother.

Seeing that Madam Tang had finally stopped crying, Nanny Jin took the opportunity to persuade her, "Then you should speak properly with the Fourth Master. We don't yet know what he's thinking, but I suspect the Fourth Master certainly wouldn't want the title to fall to the Second Branch. Then it'd be either the Third Master or Yu Ge who inherits."

"That little wretch—don't even think about it!" Madam Tang's eyes blazed with anger again at the mention of Qin Yu. "The old Duke promised me while he was alive that sooner or later he would give the position of heir to Sheng'er or Chu'er. It was never meant for Qin Mu, and certainly not for his son!"

Nanny Jin said, "But the Duke has passed away now. As you yourself said, Madam, the Second Branch has Prince Zhao and the Noble Consort above them. The eldest branch can only rely on the Fourth Master."

"You should calm your anger and speak properly with the Fourth Master. Between mother and son, how can there be overnight grudges?" Nanny Jin said with a smile. "Besides, the Fourth Master has been filial since childhood—if you ask, how could he refuse?"

"As for Princess Zhaoyang... she is, after all, a daughter-in-law. No matter how noble her birth, she must still respect you. In the three months since the princess entered this house, she hasn't been lacking in any of the proper rites and etiquette. Recent events have shown she's a clever person—she won't deliberately make trouble for you."

In Nanny Jin's view, Madam Tang and Qin Chu simply had too little interaction. It was one thing when Madam Meng was still alive, but Madam Meng had been gone for years now, and still the mother and son weren't close. With the Fourth Master in his current position, the Madam was still cold toward the Splendid Embroidery Courtyard—that was truly not thinking clearly.

But Nanny Jin, who had served at Madam Tang's side for decades, knew well the reason why. Ever since marrying into the Duke Su mansion, the Madam had been protected by the Duke and had never suffered any grievances. Her temper was still as it had been in her youth—proud, willful, and rash.

So Nanny Jin had considerable experience in coaxing her. After this round of persuasion, Madam Tang was indeed moved.

"You mean for me to soften toward Chu'er and the princess?" Madam Tang said most reluctantly.

She knew well enough that her younger son was now the one with power and influence. The real reason she had been holding out all along was ultimately because of Qin Yu and his sister.

Madam Meng had always been a thorn in her heart, one she imagined would never be fully removed even to her dying day. And in this vast household, the only ones connected to her were those two children, Qin Yu and Qin Yue—yet her own son protected them like treasures. How could that not make her angry?

Nanny Jin knew the stubbornness in Madam Tang's heart, so she hurriedly urged, "It's not about softening—it's just about being closer to the Fourth Master. After all, we're of the same branch. In any case, we absolutely cannot let the Second Branch snatch the title away, right?"

Hearing this, Madam Tang nodded and said, "What you say does make sense."

Setting everything else aside, the title should rightfully pass within their eldest branch. The Second Branch was simply trying to seize it by force now that they'd gained power.

Nanny Jin had accompanied Madam Tang to the Hall of Glory and Peace earlier, and seeing that Madam Tang had finally turned the corner in her thinking, she quickly said, "Then I'll have someone find the management tallies and account books and send them to the Splendid Embroidery Courtyard."

At the mention of this, Madam Tang couldn't help but curse again, spitting, "The people of the Second Branch have no shame—they provoked Chu'er and Princess Zhaoyang, and yet Mother wants to take my management authority to smooth things over! In all the world, there's no such reasoning! If Mother has the ability, let her make the Second Branch hand over their management authority to Princess Zhaoyang too!"

The Second Branch caused the trouble, yet she had to bleed to make it right—the very thought made Madam Tang want to vomit blood.

Nanny Jin also knew this was indeed Old Madam Ming's blatant favoritism, but there was nothing to be done about it now. If she went along with Madam Tang's complaints, the Madam would only make trouble with the Splendid Embroidery Courtyard again. So she could only soothe her, saying, "Madam, just think of it as for our Pan Jie'er to find a good marriage match—bear with it."

"...Enough, enough. I can see it now—there's no place for me in this household." Madam Tang sighed, rubbed her forehead, and waved her hand. "Send it over. Another day I'll have to go find Princess Zhaoyang to discuss the matter of the Rong Prince's polo club. There are so many suitable families in the capital looking for daughters-in-law now—Pan'er can't be overtaken by other girls."

"Exactly so. At the very least, this is a matter of our eldest branch—we can't let the Second Branch laugh at us." Seeing Madam Tang relent, Nanny Jin hurriedly had someone deliver the tallies and account books, then came forward to massage Madam Tang's shoulders, saying, "And about the Grand Lady bringing up Rui Ge'er's boy's examination today—you really should pay some attention to it. Setting everything else aside, Miss Mei has only this one full brother. If she wants to stand firm in the Duke of An's mansion, she surely hopes her brother can distinguish himself."

"Princess Consort of Rong is not an easy person to deal with. At this critical juncture, we absolutely cannot afford any misstep regarding Rui Ge'er's matter."

At the thought of Qin Mei and Qin Rui, this pair of siblings, Madam Tang's head ached even more.

"Heavens! How is it that everything in this household now is against me!" Madam Tang secretly fumed. "What more do I need to do for that little brat? I haven't skimped on his food or clothing—do I have to hold him up like an emperor?"

Nanny Jin could only force a smile. Without the Duke, the Madam truly was besieged on all sides alone in this Duke Su mansion. Thank goodness the Fourth Young Master had made something of himself—otherwise, with the Madam's temperament, she would have been devoured alive by the Second Branch long ago.

Madam Tang grumbled for a while but could still listen to Nanny Jin's advice. She pinched her nose and had her fetch Qin Rui to stay in her courtyard until next year's boy's examination. With his mother not at home and his sister already married off, he truly did need someone to look after him.

But Madam Tang, after much deliberation, still couldn't bear to hand over the management authority so easily. She instructed Nanny Jin again, "Even though the Fourth Young Mistress is managing the household now, we can't withdraw all our people—otherwise we'll be tied hand and foot and can't do anything conveniently."

"Tell the people below to stay alert and work faithfully for us. If there's ever a chance to take back the management authority, who knows."

Nanny Jin agreed with this. In such a vast household, without one's own people and without any power at all, one would indeed find it hard to move a step. So she quickly said that the matrons and stewards below had all been instructed and would certainly not forget who their true masters were.

Only then was Madam Tang somewhat satisfied. Seeing that it was getting late, she washed up and went to rest.

In the Splendid Embroidery Courtyard, Qin Yu and Qin Yue had just finished washing up as well and were preparing for bed. In their childhood, the siblings had lived together, but now that Qin Yu was growing older, proper decorum between the sexes had to be observed, so he had moved to the adjacent courtyard. Still, they lived very close by. Before Pei Yun had married into the family, the siblings had been together at all times except for sleeping and when Qin Yu went to the academy for study.

Returning from the Hall of Glory and Peace that evening, Pei Yun had also spent some time chatting with Qin Yu and Qin Yue. Seeing that the hour was growing late, she had someone escort Qin Yu back to his own courtyard to sleep, while she herself planned to stay a while longer in the Ink Fragrance Study to coax Qin Yue to sleep first.

While Qin Yue bathed inside, Pei Yun sat cross-legged on the couch by the window, fanning herself and surveying the room's arrangements.

"The weather is gradually warming up, and children feel the heat even more. Tomorrow, have the window screens here and in Yu Ge's room changed—they're too heavy." Pei Yun instructed. "Also, from now on, place more fruits in Yue Jie'er's room and use less incense. If she likes it, she can still have some fruit."

Bixiao acknowledged each instruction with a smile, saying, "The princess truly couldn't be more attentive to the young lady and young master."

Pei Yun smiled. Spending every day together, with these two children so well-behaved and adorable—how could she not love them?

"And today Mother gave us that box of eastern pearls, didn't she? Tomorrow, have someone make two string ornaments—they'll look just right on Yu Ge'er and Yue Jie'er." Pei Yun thought for a moment and added.

Not only had they brought many gifts over today, but Prince Ying and Princess Consort of Ying had also pressed plenty of things upon them. That box of eastern pearls was especially precious—bestowed by the Empress Dowager a few days prior, each pearl full and lustrous. Princess Consort of Ying had kept them stored away, unwilling to use them, and had given them to Pei Yun when she came.

Though she probably hadn't expected Pei Yun to use them for making ornaments for the children.

"Making the pearl net shouldn't use many, so the leftover can be made into a set of hair ornaments for the Princess." Bixiao said with a smile, "Those pearls are all round and lustrous; they'd make beautiful hairpins."

Pei Yun didn't really care either way, as she wasn't short of jewelry, so she let Bixiao handle it as she saw fit.

Just then, Hongliu pushed aside the curtain and came in, leaning in to say, "Princess, earlier today the Empress Dowager had Princess Qinghe summoned to the palace and kept her for dinner. Princess Qinghe only just left the palace."

A flicker of thought passed through Pei Yun's eyes as she asked if Princess Qinghe had made any further moves.

"Nothing much has been reported—Princess Qinghe returned straight to her residence after leaving the palace," Hongliu said.

Pei Yun nodded. Of course, Princess Qinghe would heed the Empress Dowager's summons, and since there had been no activity from her residence all day, it seemed Princess Qinghe was being wary. With the Empress Dowager stepping in now, the matter of Yue Jie'er likely wouldn't cause much of a stir in the capital.

The Princess Consort of Rong had specifically named her to bring Yue Jie'er to the Polo Club today, probably with the intention of backing Yue Jie'er up at the Polo Club. If she guessed correctly, Princess Qinghe had likely received an invitation as well.

As Pei Yun was pondering this, another young maid entered, curtsied, and reported, "Princess, Nanny Jin from the Madam's side has arrived."

"Please, invite her in."

Pei Yun arched an eyebrow, and soon saw Nanny Jin enter with a smile all over her face. After greeting her, she had the maids behind her present the management tally sticks and account books.

"Princess, these are the tally sticks and ledgers for the eldest branch. The Madam had deliberately had them sorted out, and before I came, she instructed that if you have any questions, you should send someone to Moonlight Court to ask," Nanny Jin said with a smile. "The delay was due to sorting the accounts—please don't hold it against us."

"Nanny Jin, what are you talking about? How could I possibly blame Mother?" Pei Yun glanced at the tally sticks and ledgers, then had Bixiao take them, replying with a smile, "Please, have a seat, Nanny Jin. No need to stand while we talk."

With that, a young maid quickly brought over a stool, but Nanny Jin declined repeatedly, saying, "It's getting late, and I must hurry back to attend to the Madam, so I won't stay longer."

"Oh, and one more thing: the Madam, thinking that Rui Ge'er's concubine mother isn't by his side and he has no one to look after him, especially during this critical time for the boy's examination, wishes to have him move to Moonlight Court tomorrow."

Pei Yun nodded and said, "With Mother's care, that would be for the best."

She hadn't expected her mother-in-law to show a moment of wisdom and heed Old Madam Ming's advice—how unusual.

Nanny Jin added with a smile, "Also, the Madam, considering that you are well-read, skilled in managing household affairs, and both clever and perceptive, and since Miss Pan has reached the age of fifteen, she thought it would be good for her to learn more about household management from you. She hopes Miss Pan can visit Brocade Garden more often and asks that you kindly guide her."

Author's note:

None