Early the next morning, as usual, Madam Du rose at the first stroke of the morning drum. By the time she finished her toilette, the sky was just beginning to lighten. As she arrived outside the Old Madam’s room, she saw Hong’er carrying hot water and asked, “Who was on night duty last night?”
Hong’er smiled, “It was me, madam.”
Madam Du’s eyes were like knives as she scrutinized Hong’er. Today, Hong’er wore a willow-green gauze jacket with a six-panel goose-yellow gauze skirt. Her hair was adorned with a string of small pearl flowers. Her skin was fair and delicate, with fine eyebrows small eyes, and cherry-like lips. When she smiled, she revealed a row of small, rice-like teeth. She looked quite pleasing and harmless, no wonder the Old Madam had chosen her…
Madam Du couldn’t help but sigh inwardly at the Old Madam’s astute choice and clever calculation. In terms of beauty, no one in this household could surpass He Mudan, so rather than trying to outdo her, it was better to choose someone of lower status and less beautiful who seemed easy to control yet still pleasing to the eye. This would be more readily accepted. Once this was accepted, it would be even easier to bring in a noble concubine from her own family as a favored concubine later. But to be wary of her! This was something Madam Du could not tolerate. Her efforts and hard work were not for nothing! Thinking of this, she smiled faintly at Hong’er, “Did the Old Madam sleep well last night?”
Hong’er hesitated, her face flushing as she said, “She slept well, but I…” Her eyes reddened as she quickly whispered, “I’m afraid I won’t have the fortune to serve the Old Madam and you anymore in the future.”
Madam Du smiled faintly without responding, leaving the somewhat uneasy Hong’er behind as she entered the room with her head held high. She diligently assisted the Old Madam with her morning routine. As the Old Madam’s nearly four-foot-long silver hair was let down, spreading across the dressing table and shimmering, Madam Du praised, “Mother, your hair is truly beautiful. Though it’s white now, it’s still so full and lustrous.”
The Old Madam smiled, “When I was young, I didn’t need hair extensions for my high buns.” Recalling her youth, she couldn’t help but sigh, looking at Madam Du’s demure reflection in the mirror, “I’d like to discuss something with you.”
Madam Du replied nonchalantly, “Mother, if you have instructions, just say so. Why talk about discussing or not discussing?”
These words seemed to strike a chord with the Old Madam. She smiled and praised Madam Du before saying softly, “I’m planning to send Hong’er with them. Initially, I thought any of your maids would do, but upon careful consideration, I felt it wasn’t appropriate. You’re not his birth mother, and he harbors resentment. He might overthink things unnecessarily. What I give is different; they can’t find fault with it. If there are any dissatisfactions, they’ll be directed at me.”
Madam Du responded with tearful gratitude, “Mother, you’ve truly thought of everything. Hong’er is a good girl.” Her words were grand and seemingly caring, but in reality, wasn’t this just another way for the Old Madam to keep everything under her control?
The Old Madam smiled, “Has everything been prepared for the new bride’s visit to the ancestral temple? Where’s Houde? Why don’t I see him?”
Madam Du’s expression darkened, “He seems to be busy with official matters lately, always staying in his study. I hear he’s not sleeping well at night either. I sent Concubine An to attend to him, but he sent her back. The other night, he even broke a cup, saying the tea was cold, and beat the serving boy with a board.”
Ever since the Lantern Festival, Jiang Zhong had hardly visited her room. Even if she didn’t mention it, the Old Madam was aware, so it was better to be straightforward about it.
The Old Madam’s face immediately clouded over, and she said coldly, “He’s been bewitched.” Then she asked Madam Du, “I heard Yi’er say that Zhong’er has achieved some merit?”
It seemed that Jiang Changyi’s other letter had taken effect. Madam Du humbly replied, “Yes, but it’s just a small achievement, hardly worth mentioning.”
The Old Madam, however, was in high spirits, “As expected of my Jiang family grandson! You see, I said he would make great progress after a few years of tempering in the military.” She also comforted Madam Du, “You can start looking for a marriage match for him.”
Madam Du forced a smile. She knew all too well how Jiang Changzhong had obtained this merit. If they had waited for Jiang Changzhong to be like Jiang Changyang, it might not have happened even in ten years. But she had no choice but to let her brother from her maiden family calculate for Jiang Changyi once more.
“What’s the hurry? It won’t be too late in a year or two!” Jiang Zhong strode in, his mood seemingly better than usual. He first paid respects to the Old Madam, then sat down and said, “He’s just starting now. Many people still remember that incident, so we can’t arrange a good marriage now. It’s better to wait a year or two. If he continues to progress like this, things will be different.”
The Old Madam thought for a moment and said, “That makes sense. But we should start making inquiries.”
No matter what the mother and son said, Madam Du only agreed and indicated she would comply. When the Old Madam got up to burn incense in the inner room, Madam Du finally spoke softly to Jiang Zhong, “I just heard that Mother wants to send Hong’er back with the eldest son.”
If she didn’t tell Jiang Zhong in advance, when trouble arose later, he would surely blame her for watching coldly from the sidelines. By mentioning it now, she was making it clear that this was between him and his mother, and had nothing to do with her.
Jiang Zhong frowned, “Now? Is that appropriate? Didn’t you try to dissuade her?”
Madam Du smiled coldly, “How could I not have tried? I’ve been trying to persuade her since last night until this morning, only to be scolded. I’m telling you this to save you from accusing me later of having ill intentions or trying to harm others.”
Jiang Zhong fell silent, then got up to find the Old Madam. The mother and son spoke in low voices for quite a while before coming out with composed expressions. It seemed they had reached an agreement, but no one told Madam Du what the result was or what they had planned. Madam Du couldn’t help but clench her teeth in secret.
Just after breakfast, news came that Jiang Changyang and his new bride had arrived and were waiting outside to pay respects to the Old Madam. The Old Madam raised an eyebrow indifferently, “At this neither early nor late hour, what are they paying respects for? If they want to pay respects, let them do it after the ancestral temple visit.” This was a rebuff.
Madam Du thought for a moment and went out personally to receive Jiang Changyang and Mudan, “The Old Madam is reciting scriptures at the moment. It’s almost time for the auspicious hour, so let’s proceed with the ancestral temple visit first, and you can pay respects later.”
Although this situation was within Jiang Changyang and Mudan’s expectations, Jiang Changyang was still worried that Mudan might be upset. He glanced at her reassuringly, but Mudan just smiled and got straight to the point, “So shall we go to the ancestral hall now?”
“Yes, I’ll escort you there first. Your grandmother and father will join us shortly,” Madam Du said affectionately, taking Mudan’s hand and praising her, “It’s only been two days, but you seem like a different person. Not only are you radiant, but your overall aura is incomparable. Everyone wears this bright red, but few can carry it off so well.”
Mudan smiled slightly and thanked her for the compliment. Mudan quite admired Madam Du. During the Lantern Festival incident, she did not follow Madam Du’s arrangements and even conspired with Jiang Changyang to outwit her. Yet when Madam Du saw her afterward, she never showed any displeasure or mentioned the incident, instead being naturally warm and friendly, which was truly remarkable.
Madam Du, showing no reserve, led Mudan forward affectionately, introducing the surrounding scenery as they walked. When they encountered servants, she called them over to pay respects to Mudan and explained the household situation to her, being even more thorough and gentle than a real mother-in-law.
When they reached the entrance of the ancestral hall, she whispered, “Danjia, let me give you a heads up. Today, the Old Madam wants to gift someone to you two. I tried to dissuade her but couldn’t. She’s old and sometimes acts impulsively. Please don’t hold it against her later, harmony is the most important thing.”
Gift someone? What kind of person? Mudan and Jiang Changyang exchanged a glance, both having some idea. Mudan, disliking Madam Du’s two-faced behavior, deliberately asked, “May I ask, Madam, what kind of person does the Old Madam want to gift us? How could we possibly be angry or hold it against her?”
Madam Du was taken aback. She hadn’t expected Mudan to ask so directly, which was very different from their habit of only hinting at things. If she were to tell Mudan and Jiang Changyang clearly what kind of person was being given, how would she know what Jiang Zhong and the Old Madam had ultimately decided? So she refused to elaborate, only smiling meaningfully, “You’ll know soon enough.”
Soon, everyone had arrived. Both Jiang Zhong and Jiang Changyang pretended not to see each other, each maintaining a stern face and going about their own business. The ancestral temple visit went smoothly. With this, the wedding ceremony was considered complete, and Mudan was now officially recognized by the clan as a Jiang family member.
As they left the ancestral hall, Jiang Zhong said sternly, “Your grandmother is waiting for you. You’ll have lunch here today and meet the other family members.” With that, he turned and walked away.
Jiang Changyang was about to tell Mudan not to worry about anything, and that he would handle everything. But he saw Mudan playfully raise an eyebrow at him, showing no sign of depression. He smiled slightly, his mood improving as well.
The Old Madam coldly looked at Jiang Changyang and Mudan before her. The beauty was indeed as stunning as rumored, but the Old Madam found everything about Mudan displeasing. If it were up to her, she wouldn’t want to say a word to Mudan, but she had matters to attend to and couldn’t have her way. So she said sternly, “I was originally dissatisfied with this marriage. But since you’ve married into our family by imperial decree, you are now a Jiang family woman, and I won’t mistreat you.
However, there’s one thing: in the future, you’ll be dealing with noble people, not ordinary merchants. I see that your etiquette is somewhat lacking, and I’m afraid you might embarrass yourself unknowingly. I have a maid who has grown up by my side since childhood. She is well-versed in etiquette, knows how to conduct herself properly, and is familiar with the noble families in the capital. It would be best for you to keep her by your side. If anything comes up, she can remind you.”
These words were extremely insulting. Mudan had originally vowed not to get angry over anything this family did. But hearing the old hypocrite’s words now, she couldn’t help but feel furious, especially seeing Hong’er being pushed forward in new attire. She was burning with anger and had immediately come up with a countermeasure. Just as she was about to speak, Jiang Changyang had already slammed his teacup on the ground with a loud “bang,” stood up abruptly with a “whoosh,” kicked over his stool with a black face, as if he were about to kill someone.
The Old Madam’s face suddenly turned pale with fright, clutching her chest and pointing at Jiang Changyang, gasping for breath.