HomeA Cup of LoveYi Ou Chun - Chapter 24

Yi Ou Chun – Chapter 24

“Is this truly where things end between Miss and the Marquis of Danyang’s son?” Bao Xian asked softly.

“How can something end when it never began?” Qing Yuan replied. “Old Madam spoke correctly – his status is too noble, we’re not walking the same path. I need someone who understands life’s hardships, which he doesn’t. Today he was careless and embarrassed me once, tomorrow he’ll be careless and cause misunderstandings with other young ladies – how could that be acceptable? So I can’t accept him… Though he seems sincere now, I still can’t accept. The Xie family hasn’t fallen so low yet, but the Marquis’s mansion already disregards face. If we truly decline one day, what would I become in their household?”

She saw things so clearly, unlike those young ladies who eagerly sought marriage as an escape from their current difficulties. Bao Xian felt relieved and said with a smile, “Actually, you needn’t reject him completely – it would be fine to just consider him as a brother.”

Qing Yuan let out a derisive laugh, “Not one of my brothers has ever regarded me highly, why should I place hope in an outside brother? Brothers and sisters – it’s all unclear. If there’s no true intention, don’t use that as a front, making people lose their souls – what’s the point!”

Bao Xian didn’t know what to say to her, and exclaimed, “Your future husband will need so many tricks just to hold his ground before you! Miss, you see things too clearly – sometimes in life, it’s more comfortable to live in confusion.”

Qing Yuan looked at the distant sky, clouds reflecting in her eyes. Her brow relaxed and she smiled, “I’d rather die clear-headed than live in confusion. How many truly fortunate people in this world are genuinely confused? Those who appear simple but are wise are just treated as fools.”

Finally, all preparations for departure were complete. Old Madam specially set aside two days for everyone to bid farewell to relatives and friends. To maintain face, they naturally had to leave unhurriedly, not letting people see they were going to Youzhou under supervision. The family prepared beautiful carriages, and dozens of boxes were packed full of clothes and fine goods. Once everything was loaded, they raised their banners and set out.

The lead horse clopped steadily, with the Second Master’s carriage in front. Xie Xun and Madam Jiang lifted the curtains to gaze at the manor they’d lived in for over a decade, feeling a wave of melancholy.

“All that effort wasted,” Madam Jiang dabbed at tears with her handkerchief. “The rooms we fought over day and night to divide back then are now locked up. At our age, we have to change places and seek new paths – isn’t it pitiful!”

Second Master was quite accepting, “Can’t people live anywhere? We have our old mansion in Youzhou, with houses stretching like clouds – are you afraid Old Madam won’t let us divide the family? Better not to divide – living together means eating from the common stores, saving us from having to make our living.”

This was true – when they had insisted on dividing the family earlier, although the second branch received a considerable fortune, it couldn’t withstand the father and son’s day and night squandering. Now their shops, estates, and land had been sold one after another. By the time they were to leave, the Second Master still owed thousands in silver to outsiders. Fearing Old Madam’s scolding, Madam Jiang had quietly mortgaged a garden as collateral – otherwise, they likely couldn’t have left peacefully today. Having tasted the bitterness after dividing the family, it was better than mindlessly living together before – the people she couldn’t control, Old Madam would control, saving much trouble.

At first, Madam Jiang was full of unwillingness, but thinking it over she became happy, sighing “ah” and stretching out her legs. Just as she was enjoying herself, she suddenly heard a commotion outside. Looking through the curtain, she saw a young gentleman stopping a carriage, speaking through the curtain to someone inside.

Madam Jiang kicked Second Master, “Who’s that? Isn’t that the third son of the Marquis of Danyang?”

Xie Xun poked his head out to look, “Indeed it is – who has he come to see off? If we weren’t all moving to Youzhou, this would have been an excellent marriage match.”

In that carriage, Qing Yuan sat with her round face, smiling somewhat childishly.

“Thank you for seeing me off, Third Young Master. Let’s part here – until we meet again.”

Li Cong Xin, usually fair-skinned, now showed a hint of red in his cheeks, either from the sun or anxiety. He pressed one hand against her carriage window, speaking earnestly, “The road from Hengtang to Youzhou is very long – Fourth Sister must take extra care. I have several old acquaintances in Youzhou with whom I’m quite close. If Sister encounters any difficulties, you can certainly seek them out.” As he spoke, he passed in a piece of paper, “Just mention me to them, and they’ll naturally know – they definitely won’t make things difficult for Sister.”

Qing Yuan took the paper, feeling momentarily guilty towards this young marquis.

“I’m afraid I cannot repay Third Young Master’s kindness,” she smiled, a glimmer rising in her eyes before she lowered her lashes, holding the paper as she said, “Thank you anyway. If Third Young Master comes to Youzhou in the future…”

Li Cong Xin said he would, “Sister go first – I’ll come to Youzhou in two months and will surely visit you then.”

Qing Yuan was somewhat surprised, but after the surprise came acceptance. She smiled and nodded, signaling Bao Xian to lower the window curtain.

The carriage started moving again, the corner of the paper in her hand burning hot from her grip. Chun Tai kept glancing at her hand, so Qing Yuan opened it. On the gold-flecked note were neatly written official titles and names: Secretary Director Liu Shuang, Chief of Imperial Cavalry Escort Lu Yanzhao, General of Manifest Might Xu Yin, and Palace Guards Commander Shen Che.

Chun Tai, completely unfamiliar with the complex official system, wondered aloud, “This Third Young Master is strange – writing down these people, surely we wouldn’t seek them out if something happened!”

But Qing Yuan understood Li Cong Xin’s intention, which showed his thoughtfulness, “These are all officials in charge of prisons and military affairs. If something happens to Master, they could save lives.”

Hearing this, Chun Tai quickly took the note and carefully stored it in the jewelry box, muttering, “Then we must keep it safe – this is our life-saving talisman.”

Bao Xian sighed, “This Third Young Master… what a pity.”

Speaking of pity, indeed there was some – after missing this chance, it grew into a small abscess, invisible but painful to touch.

However, later regrets were all diluted by the exhaustion of long-distance travel. Endless journeying, stage after stage, and during the journey, Qing Yuan turned fifteen. Old Madam held a simple coming-of-age ceremony for her. That night at the post station, Bao Xian helped Qing Yuan change into a cloud-patterned upper garment and a flowing skirt with scattered flowers, and Old Madam used a hairpin to arrange her hair. The child who had worn hanging braids was from today forward a young lady – strange how just changing a hairstyle made her seem to grow up overnight.

Old Madam looked at her and said with emotion, “The youngest of our family’s girls is now grown. Watching each of you come of age, I remember when I first put up my hair – in the blink of an eye, decades have passed.”

Elderly people easily lament the swift passage of time, while young people often complain time moves too slowly. The group, who had been dejected from changing locations these past few days, gradually adapted and created quite a lively atmosphere. Madam Hu smiled and said, “How blessed Old Madam is, surrounded by children and grandchildren. Fourth Miss is our family’s youngest, and now even she has come of age – Old Madam can enjoy a peaceful fortune from now on.”

Qing Yuan respectfully curtsied to Old Madam, then paid her respects to Madam Hu and her aunts. By custom, among the family concubines, apart from Lotus Concubine, Clean He’s mother who was a favored concubine requiring separate respects, there was no need for such formality with Plum Concubine who came from a servant background. But Qing Yuan did otherwise – she went before Plum Concubine to pay respects. Receiving her formal courtesy on such an occasion was already great respect. Plum Concubine was initially indifferent, but seeing herself regarded in the girl’s eyes, became somewhat flustered by the honor.

“Oh my, Miss please don’t stand on ceremony,” Plum Concubine stood and made a gesture of support, smiling as she said, “Miss is so considerate, you make me uncomfortable.”

Qing Yuan smiled and said, “Concubine Mother has two sons with great merit. I rarely have the chance to be close to Concubine Mother, but today is my coming-of-age ceremony, and Concubine Mother has come to witness it – I should naturally pay my respects.”

Her voice was soft, but her eyes in the candlelight showed a clear understanding of worldly matters. Plum Concubine quickly removed the plum blossom glass hairpin from her head and placed it on Qing Yuan’s, “This was given to me by Master on my thirtieth birthday. Since Miss regards me with such consideration, let me add to your adornments – Miss must accept it.”

Everyone in the room had their calculations. Qing Yuan’s intention to draw close to Plum Concubine was to show Madam Hu. Madam Hu’s heart was far less broad than it appeared on the surface – this way, suspecting they had allied would increasingly worry her and provoke Plum Concubine’s dissatisfaction.

As for Plum Concubine, she used the gift of the hairpin to gain face for herself. She had two sons and had saved some private funds – she could afford such a small gift. But what about Madam Hu, the primary legal wife – what had she given for the Miss’s coming of age? If she gave less than a mere concubine, that would be enough for everyone to laugh about for a lifetime.

Sure enough, all eyes turned to Madam Hu. Women most enjoyed such entertainment, maintaining an interest in drama to pass the boring journey time.

But how could Madam Hu not be shrewd after twenty years as the household’s mistress? If she didn’t have much preparation, wouldn’t that be slapping her face? She smiled slightly – the plain silver scroll hairpin in her left sleeve pocket wouldn’t do now. From her right sleeve pocket, she took out a brocade box, opened it, and presented it to Qing Yuan, saying, “This is a small token from me. Congratulations on your coming of age today, Miss. May your future bloom with fortune, auspiciousness, and wealth.”

Qing Yuan bent her knees in a curtsy, “Thank you, Mother.”

Bao Xian stepped forward to receive it, replacing the lid, and saw at a glance it was an exquisite golden hairpin inlaid with kingfisher feathers and pearls.

As they played their game, Qing Yuan just watched with a smile, understanding clearly in her heart that without Plum Concubine’s grand gesture, though Madam Hu wouldn’t have glossed over the occasion, she wouldn’t have been so generous either. She had even anticipated that those wide sleeves held two preparations, ready to adapt to whatever wind blew. This time she suffered a great loss and would surely gnash her teeth in private, complaining about giving her such an advantage.

But that didn’t matter – the more they competed in secret, the more it benefited Qing Yuan. She had also correctly judged that even if Old Madam disapproved of her paying respects to Plum Concubine, she could find no fault with it. After all, Zheng Lun and Zheng Jun were Old Madam’s grandsons – elevating their mother’s status, if Old Madam had anything to say about it, would mean slighting the Second and Third Masters. Such a foolish thing, Old Madam would never do.

Madam Jiang figured it out and later told Second Master, “Among the four sisters, the youngest is the most formidable.”

Second Master took a sniff of tobacco, sneezed loudly, and blew his nose, “A teenage girl – what’s so formidable about her?”

Men didn’t understand the ways of the inner quarters. Their Xie family had been military for generations – military commanders wielded broad swords in battle, but within the household walls, killing happened without bloodshed, even more dangerous than their ways.

She still remembered that time when she had complained and encountered this Fourth Miss. Such a kind child, sincerely sympathizing with the second branch’s grievances, manipulating her to willingly approach the Magistrate’s wife and cut off thoughts of arranging marriage for the Second Miss. She, decades old, only later realized she had been used as a pawn by a teenage child – that feeling was truly indescribable. To confront her about it – well, she had never directly said what to do. That kind of known humiliation that couldn’t be spoken of was enough to make one die of frustration.

Anyway, the family entered Youzhou this way – suspecting and guarding against each other, friendly faces hiding disharmonious hearts. The old mansion in Youzhou was indeed as Old Madam had said, even more magnificent than the one in Hengtang. It had been granted by imperial decree for ancestral military merit, expanded and renovated by imperial command. After several decades, among the noble families filling Youzhou, it was quite impressive in scale.

When the carriages stopped and everyone dismounted, they had expected servants maintaining the old mansion to come to welcome them, but reality often differs from expectations.

There were servants, indeed waiting outside, but besides these people, there were also Palace Guards in brocade robes and armor patrolling before the gate. Seeing Old Madam Xie dismount, a captain stepped forward with clasped hands in greeting, and said expressionlessly, “Old Madam Xie, you’ve had a tiring journey. I am the Protocol Officer under the Commander, here by the Commander’s orders to settle the Commissioner’s household’s Old Madam and noble family members.”

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