Feeling a chill throughout her body, Jiang Taohua grasped Qing Tai’s hand and pouted, “I suddenly feel that marrying the Prince Nan might not have been so bad after all.”
At least it wouldn’t have given her this feeling of falling into a snake pit.
Qing Tai’s face turned pale. She clutched Taohua’s hand tightly, her voice trembling, “What should we do? Does the Chancellor intend to harm you?”
“Not necessarily. I’m just an unimportant princess; few in Great Wei would consider me significant. He’s the grand Chancellor—why would he risk offending the Prince Nan to harm me?” Jiang Taohua pondered, then pulled Qing Tai up and straightened her. “Now I can only rely on you. You’re skilled in martial arts, and although you lack brains, you can still help me with many things.”
Given the urgency of the situation, Qing Tai automatically ignored her mistress’s negative assessment and frowned, asking, “What would you have this servant do, mistress?”
“Continue gathering information, preferably outside the Chancellor’s residence,” Taohua instructed. “Find out about the backgrounds and relationships between Prince Jing, the Prince Nan, and Shen Zaiye. Report back to me with everything you learn.”
“This servant understands,” Qing Tai nodded, quickly changing her clothes and finding an opportunity to slip out.
Taking a few deep breaths, Jiang Taohua immediately called for someone to help her change and carefully groom herself.
Qing Tai had mentioned earlier that Shen Zaiye had numerous concubines. As she wasn’t the primary wife and was new to the household, she needed to tread carefully and assess the situation first.
The first order of business was undoubtedly to pay respects to the primary wife.
Before marriage, Jiang Taohua always adorned herself like a peach blossom tree. But upon entering this residence, she immediately changed into ill-fitting, loose brocade robes, went without makeup, and chose particularly old-fashioned accessories.
“Princess,” her maid Hua Deng frowned, “though you’re naturally beautiful, why do you insist on making yourself look so shabby?”
“This isn’t shabbiness; it’s protection,” Taohua explained as she finished adjusting her appearance and headed out with Hua Deng. “Your princess is too beautiful. That’s useful with men, but with women, it’s not only useless but can be a curse. So, we can be as alluring as possible when serving in bed, but when meeting the primary wife, we should be as plain as possible.”
Hua Deng pursed her lips. “That’s quite cunning.”
Tapping her on the head, Jiang Taohua rolled her eyes. “Silly child, don’t you know how to speak properly? This isn’t cunning; it’s wisdom. Understand?”
Rubbing her forehead, Hua Deng nodded with a forced smile, thinking to herself that “cunning” was indeed the perfect word to describe her mistress. How had the once dignified and refined princess of her youth transformed into this over the years?
“This old servant Xu pays respects to Niangniang,” a voice interrupted her thoughts.
Before they had even crossed the corridor, they were met by an elderly woman wearing a brown jacket over a gray-white skirt. Her face was deeply wrinkled, with particularly pronounced lines forming a figure-eight from her nose to the corners of her mouth. Her eyes held a sharp glint, and though she was paying her respects, she had already thoroughly examined Taohua from head to toe.
“No need for formalities. Are you the housekeeper the Chancellor mentioned?” Taohua asked with a smile. “I was just about to pay my respects to Furen. Is there anything I should be aware of, Steward Xu?”
“Yes,” Steward Xu nodded, turning to walk beside her as she began explaining the rules of the Chancellor’s residence.
“In Wei, hierarchy is strictly observed, from the imperial palace down to common households. In homes with multiple wives and concubines, there are established ranks within the household. Our Chancellor is a high-ranking official, with many concubines divided into four ranks. Furen is the primary wife, Madam Mei, who holds the highest position. Below her are the Niangniang, of which you are one, along with four others. Below the Niangniang are six Shiyi, and below them are eight Nuanzhang, who are little different from ordinary maids but occasionally favored by the master.”
Listening and nodding with a smile, Jiang Taohua thought to herself, “With so many women, how has Shen Zaiye not died in bed? How can he still be so energetic and deceptive?”
It was truly incredible.
“When you go to pay respects to Furen now, just follow the etiquette for a junior greeting a senior with a curtsy. Our Furen has a gentle disposition and won’t make things difficult for you. However… if Niangniang Qin is present, you should be more cautious.”
Niangniang Qin? Taohua’s interest was piqued. “Is she someone with a bad temper?”
Steward Xu frowned, opened her mouth to speak, then stopped herself and lowered her head. “How could a servant speak ill of the masters? You’ll understand when you meet her.”
Very well, Taohua thought. With such a warning, she made a mental note to be careful and continued walking, holding up her skirts.
Madam Mei resided in Linghan Court. Despite its elegant name, the interior was lavishly decorated with gold and jade. The intricately carved redwood doors stood wide open, flanked on both sides by red peonies in ornate vases, exuding an air of nobility and liveliness that fully displayed the mistress’s unique status in the Chancellor’s residence.
“Has the Princess arrived?” a voice called out.
As they approached the main hall’s entrance, several people emerged, surrounding a woman. Her features were proper, not strikingly beautiful, but gentle and dignified. Her phoenix eyes held a smile, her straight nose delicate, and a small red mole adorned her chin, giving her an approachable air.
Without examining the others, Taohua focused on the crimson embroidery on the woman’s clothes and curtsied. “Greetings to Furen.”
Mei Jingxue had been in the household for two years and had seen all sorts of women. She knew Shen Zaiye’s preferences well, particularly his fondness for beauties. So when she heard that the Zhao princess was exceptionally beautiful, she had prepared herself to see something extraordinary.
However, the young woman before her seemed quite different from the rumors.
Puzzled, Mei Jingxue looked her up and down and sighed, “Princess, you must have had a difficult night. Look how haggard you appear, and your clothes don’t even fit properly. Someone quickly brings the new sets of jewelry we’ve made. Let the Princess choose one.”
Jiang Taohua appreciated people who were generous from the start, and her gaze softened considerably.
However, before she could secretly rejoice, the woman supporting Mei Jingxue’s right arm spoke up with a smile, “Furen is so generous, allowing our new sister to choose jewelry as soon as she arrives. But now that she has entered our Chancellor’s household, she is only a Niangniang like myself. Furen, perhaps it’s unnecessary to continue addressing her as Princess?”
While there was nothing inherently wrong with these words—Jiang Taohua’s status as a Zhao princess carried little weight in the Great Wei Chancellor’s household, and she couldn’t expect to put on airs—the way it was said left an unpleasant feeling.
Taohua raised her eyes to look at the speaker.
With a diamond-shaped mole between her brows and alluring peach blossom eyes, this woman was far more coquettish than the primary wife. She wore a long apricot-colored robe with light brown brocade lining, and two peacock feather hairpins adorned her hair—a favored concubine.
Recalling Steward Xu’s earlier words, Taohua realized, “Could this sister be Niangniang Qin?”
Qin Jieyu raised an eyebrow, glanced at Steward Xu standing behind them, and chuckled lightly, “Our new sister has just arrived, yet she’s done her homework well, already remembering me? Has someone been speaking ill of me, warning you to be careful?”
“Of course not,” Taohua replied, looking directly at her with a smile. “I’ve heard that Sister Qin is exceptionally beautiful, so naturally, I recognized you at first sight.”
“Oh?” Qin Jieyu was amused. “Are you implying that Furen is less beautiful than I am?”
Mei Jingxue pressed her lips together and lowered her gaze, adjusting her sleeves.
Steward Xu’s warning had been accurate—this Niangniang Qin was indeed someone to be cautious of, always stirring up trouble as if afraid Taohua might have an easy time.
However, Jiang Taohua had long ago mastered the art of conversation. The same words spoken differently could yield vastly different results. In social interactions and battles of wit, it often came down to who was more shameless.
“Begonias have their allure, and plum blossoms have their elegance,” Taohua smiled and said. “Sister, you surely wouldn’t compare a plum blossom’s beauty to that of a begonia, nor a begonia’s elegance to that of a plum blossom. Each has its own time to bloom beautifully. In the Chancellor’s courtyard, there isn’t just one season of flowers or one type of fragrance. Since we are all favored by the Chancellor, what is there to compare?”
Qin Jieyu was taken aback and turned to look at Mei Jingxue. The latter smiled faintly, her eyes showing approval. “Sister Jiang is quite articulate and seems to understand propriety. It looks like she’ll save me a lot of worry. Let’s not stand at the doorway; come inside and talk.”
“Yes,” Taohua nodded and followed them up the steps.
“There are many people in this household, so you don’t need to come to pay respects every day,” Mei Jingxue said gently as she sat in the main seat. “Coming once every three days is sufficient. If you have any matters in between, just send a maid to inform us.”
So easy? Jiang Taohua quickly nodded.
She had been worried about encountering a cruel mistress, which would have made her life difficult. She hadn’t expected to be so fortunate!
“The rules in this household aren’t strict, except for one point that I hope you’ll carefully observe,” Mei Jingxue looked at her and said, “Regarding serving in bed, the household has specific arrangements. You must not deliberately disrupt them to avoid causing conflicts in the rear court.”
This was natural, and Jiang Taohua obediently nodded. With so many women in the household but only one man, it was like hungry wolves fighting over food. Rather than fighting tooth and nail, it was better to establish rules for equal distribution, which was good for everyone.
However, would the grand Chancellor follow these arrangements to favor the women in his rear court?
As if sensing her doubt, Niangniang Qin spoke up while toying with her nails, “Our lord also dislikes women fighting over him, so as long as no one uses underhanded methods, he will bestow his favor according to the rules.”
“I understand,” Taohua nodded and accepted the bed-serving schedule handed to her by a maid.
In a month of thirty days, including her, there were twelve women in the household, excluding the lowly-ranked Nuanzhang. Furen was favored for three days, each Niangniang for two days, and each Shiyi for one day. The remaining days were for Shen Zaiye to arrange as he pleased, whether to favor a Nuanzhang or spend time on his studies.
Calculating the days of required “cultivation,” Jiang Taohua concluded that what Shen Zaiye needed most now was some aphrodisiac tonic. If she needed to curry favor in the future, she’d brew some for him to drink. Otherwise, if he died from excessive indulgence, she’d have no good days ahead.
Silently clenching her fist, Taohua exchanged pleasantries with Mei and Qin for another hour, dodging Qin’s provocations while gathering information about the household. Finally, she took her leave to return to her courtyard.
However, just as she reached the garden, she ran into Shen Zaiye.
“…This concubine greets the Chancellor,” she said, caught off guard.
(End of Chapter)