However troubled she might be, she still had to go. Girls were not like men – men could venture out into the world, and if they were unhappy, they could simply not return. Girls were different; they were like flower branches in a vase. As unmarried daughters, they relied on their maiden family’s vase for sustenance, and after marriage, they would be transferred to their husband’s family’s vase. Don’t think finding a new path meant freedom from worry – the new vase might not be as reliable as the old one. If the new one proved unsuitable, having the old one still there provided a way out. In life, having no way out truly meant reaching a dead end.
Qinghe sat in the carriage, frowning as she said to Xinyu, “Actually, it might be better if Fourth Sister doesn’t return. That family… it’s truly disheartening.”
One could only hope for a good marriage family, treating the maiden family as ordinary relatives would suffice. Xinyu nodded, “I see that both the Old Madam and Madam like to take things to extremes. Fourth Miss has only been gone two days, yet Madam has already sealed up Danyue Pavilion and reassigned all its servants elsewhere, acting as if Fourth Miss never existed.”
“Then why ask me to go beg her?” Qinghe complained angrily, twisting her handkerchief. “Whoever goes to mediate will lose face. They all hide behind while pushing me out front – I’m to be the second Qingyuan. I truly think less and less of the people in this family.”
Even as she complained, what else could she do? While speaking, the carriage arrived at the Chen family gate.
The gatekeeper saw a young lady descending from the carriage and hurried forward with clasped hands to bow, “Which person is Miss looking for?”
Xinyu responded with a smile, “May I ask, is this the Chen mansion from Hengtang?”
The servant said it was, smiling, “I can hear the Hengtang accent. Are you two related to our master?”
Xinyu glanced at Qinghe, who was somewhat ashamed to announce her identity. After hesitating, she said, “I’m acquainted with your eldest miss. Please announce me – say Qinghe has come to visit, she’ll know.”
But the Chen family’s gatekeeper was as clever as a monkey. He looked the visitor up and down, “Our miss belongs to the Qing generation at that mansion. Are you from the Xie family?”
Qinghe felt somewhat awkward but nodded, “Yes. Please do me the favor of passing along my message.”
The Chen family had this virtue – whether masters or servants, they never deliberately made things difficult for others. The servant invited them into the entrance hall to wait, “Please come in, Miss. The sun is quite strong outside. Please wait a moment while I first inform the Old Madam, then report to our First Miss.”
Qinghe expressed her thanks, but standing in someone else’s mansion made her quite uncomfortable.
Shortly after, the servant returned quickly, bowing with cupped hands, “Our Old Madam requests your presence. Please follow me.”
Qinghe and Xinyu went together to the back hall, where Old Madam Chen was already waiting at the door. She was a capable and refined elderly lady who didn’t show any particular attitude just because they were from the Xie family. She maintained her smile, and her tone remained polite and kind, “The Xie family has three young ladies – which one might you be?”
Qinghe curtsied to Old Madam Chen and said, “In response to the Old Madam, I am the eldest daughter. When Fourth Sister was at home, we were the closest. I just heard yesterday that Old Madam had come to Youzhou and Fourth Sister had returned to your mansion. I’ve been thinking of her, so I’ve come uninvited today – I hope Old Madam won’t mind.”
Old Madam Chen said, “Not at all. For someone close to our miss, we naturally welcome you warmly.” While speaking, she turned to instruct a maid, “Go quickly and see if First Miss has finished her morning preparations.” Seeing Qinghe’s puzzlement, she smiled and explained, “We don’t have many people in our household, unlike your esteemed mansion where all the younger generation must pay their respects at set times morning and evening. In our home, everyone has their own business once they wake up. The Old Master went fishing at dawn, and I needed to do my morning prayers, so we dispensed with the morning greetings, letting our miss sleep in a bit longer. Young ones do tend to enjoy their sleep.”
Hearing this, Qinghe felt a mix of emotions. The Xie family had always been full of elaborate ceremonies – as juniors, they never knew what it was like to sleep until the sun was high. Thinking about it now, other families were truly worlds apart from her own. While Qingyuan’s acknowledgment of her ancestral family would benefit the Xie family, staying with the Chen family was Qingyuan’s good fortune.
The little maid went to announce them in the young lady’s courtyard, and Old Madam Chen invited Qinghe to sit. She still harbored some wariness toward the Xie family, and spoke half-truthfully, half-testingly: “Today it’s the First Miss who has come, so I’ve opened my doors wide, but if it were your family’s Old Madam, that would be another matter entirely. Our miss lost her mother when she was just two months old, and she wouldn’t take anyone else’s milk. I raised her spoonful by spoonful with rice paste – you don’t know the hardships involved. Later, when your family wanted her back, I thought since they were her true blood relatives, I let her return. But at your Xie mansion, her grandmother showed no love, her stepmother set traps to harm her at every turn, and in the end, you used her to fill a hole by sending her away… Heavens and Buddha above, what respectable family would do such things?”
Qinghe blushed and lowered her head, “Old Madam’s words truly leave me no place to hide.”
Old Madam Chen continued, “This matter has nothing to do with First Miss. I heard in Hengtang that the First Miss is betrothed to the eldest son of the founding Earl – naturally, you must be an impeccable young lady to meet the Earl’s wife’s approval. I have just one thing to say: if you’ve come to see our miss just to talk and enjoy yourself, you’re most welcome. But if it’s for anything else…” She didn’t need to finish the sentence, just smiled, with all her meaning contained within.
Qinghe, already feeling guilty, felt her heart beat faster. Fortunately, the little maid came in to report that the miss had finished her morning preparations and requested First Miss Xie to come over. She stood up and bowed slightly, “Please rest assured, Old Madam. We sisters will just talk about personal matters, nothing else.”
Old Madam Chen smiled and said good, ordering someone to lead First Miss Xie over. Qinghe then followed the maid into the garden. Through one beautiful scene after another, past three or four moon-shaped gates, they entered a delicate small courtyard. From far away, she could see Qingyuan standing at the steps, still the same as before – dressed simply, smiling carefree.
Seeing her again now stirred countless feelings that were hard to express. There was guilt, there was shame, and she even felt somewhat ashamed to face her. But Qingyuan was much more magnanimous than she had imagined. Qingyuan spoke first, smiling brightly, “Elder Sister, no need to explain, I know why you’ve come.”
Since she knew the purpose, there was no need for her to face this awkwardness. Qinghe lowered her head and said, “I originally didn’t want to come. I know you’re much better off in the Chen family than in the Xie family.”
Qingyuan remained as open-hearted with her as before, leading her into the room while saying, “Of all the Xie family, only Elder Sister understands my heart. The Old Madam sent you, inevitably to persuade me, to say it was all out of necessity that they sent me away. Whether it was necessary or not, what’s done is done, and I’ll have nothing to do with the Xie family from now on. Elder Sister, see how well I’m doing now – what reason would I have to return to the Xie family? I’m very happy when Elder Sister comes to visit me, but as for those heartbreaking matters, let’s not speak of them anymore.”
Indeed, all the words Qinghe had prepared before coming were blocked by her response. So she sighed and said, “Since that’s the case, I won’t try to persuade you. To be honest, when Second Brother mentioned it yesterday, the whole family was in an uproar. The Old Madam called me alone to the side hall to discuss – never mind you, even I couldn’t stomach what I heard. I just met the Chen family’s Old Madam, and she’s quite different from our Old Madam. I was worried at first that she wouldn’t welcome me and would turn me away.”
Qingyuan said, “That’s impossible. My grandmother is most gentle – she can tell who is good and who isn’t.”
Qinghe nodded, “That day when the Old Madam sent you to the Commander’s mansion, I was so worried you wouldn’t have a good life, becoming someone’s concubine, living under others, suffering – who doesn’t know about such hardships! Later, when Zhenglun came back with the news, I was secretly delighted. As I said before, whether it’s the young marquis or Commander Shen, a good marriage is a good marriage – as long as it’s the primary wife, one can hold their head high. Among the four sisters in the family, we two are the closest. No need to care about Second Sister and Third Sister – they’ll each have their fate. I only hope for our happiness – who cares what happens to them!”
Qinghe was a sincere person. When Qingyuan first returned to the Xie family, she was like the others, not fully accepting her, but as time passed, they gradually opened their hearts to each other. People need time together – if they’re good people, getting along isn’t difficult; if they’re bad people, naturally they wouldn’t have made it to today.
Qinghe inquired, “Have you and Commander Shen settled things?”
Qingyuan smiled shyly, “I suppose we have…”
Before she could finish, a tiny kitten the size of a palm crept out from under the table and disappeared under the cabinet. Qinghe exclaimed, “What an interesting cat, those two spots on its face look like rouge.”
The kitten was newly arrived and quite shy, though it had an eager heart for human affection. At night it would jump onto the bed, sleeping half the night using her arm as a pillow, but this morning with so many people around, it was startled and darted about the room, showing itself like an elusive dragon.
“The Commander took me to choose it, bought fish and salt, and did everything properly to welcome it home,” Qingyuan said softly. The joy in her heart was something she was too shy to reveal before her grandparents, but since Qinghe and Li Guanling were also very close, she could share it with her, knowing she would understand.
She pulled her sleeve and poured Qinghe a cup of tea, embodying perfectly that tender affection in a young lady’s lowered head. She smiled, “Elder Sister, he’s truly good, treats me well, and knows to show respect to Grandfather and Grandmother. Earlier when I heard he was an overbearing and cold-blooded person, I was afraid of him, but now I gradually know his good qualities and hate how those people wronged him, spreading rumors that made him sound like a beast.”
Qinghe chuckled, “You’re seeing him through rose-colored glasses – he’s not like this with others.”
Qingyuan smiled, “Treating everyone alike with kindness would only invite disaster.”
As they were chatting, a matron announced from the corridor, “First Miss, Commander Shen has sent two carriages of items, requesting Miss to inspect them personally.”
Qingyuan responded with an “Oh,” knowing it was the sixty thousand taels of silver, and also knowing that Qinghe would inevitably report back to Old Madam Xie. Therefore, she didn’t try to hide it, saying with a smile, “Sister, come with me. The garden is very large – I can show you around as well.”
Qinghe followed her to the front hall, where the carriages had already been unloaded. Identical large wooden boxes with studded nails filled the entire room.
Old Madam Chen watched from the side, murmuring while holding her sleeves, “Our son-in-law is quite hasty. Yesterday he sent so many betrothal gifts, and today he sends more. At this rate, won’t the Commander’s mansion be emptied?”
Qingyuan smiled and gestured for Baoxian to open the seals and boxes. When the lid was opened, everyone was stunned to see neat stacks of snow-white silver – the amount, when counted carefully, was truly shocking.
Old Madam Chen didn’t understand, “Why send all this silver?”
Qingyuan said, “He mentioned yesterday it was for my dowry.”
Old Madam Chen was naturally delighted, clicking her tongue, “At least he’s thoughtful. Our wonderful miss deserves such generous love.”
Later, when Qinghe took her leave, Qingyuan walked her out, holding her hand and saying, “I haven’t told Elder Sister, but that day when the Old Madam tricked me into going to the Commander’s mansion, she didn’t give me any warning – I left empty-handed. The jewelry and personal belongings my grandmother gave me earlier, worth four or five thousand taels, were left behind. If the Old Madam sincerely wanted me to return, why didn’t she send my things with Elder Sister? Even common families wouldn’t behave this way – it’s fine among ourselves, but what must the son-in-law think? Elder Sister, think more about yourself in the future. Things like helping your maiden family – do less when you can. Don’t let your hard-earned savings end up filling others’ pockets.”
Qingyuan’s words were always right, and Qinghe agreed, keeping them close to heart. Returning to the Xie family to report to the Old Madam, the whole family was waiting for news. She promptly revealed everything she had seen, “While I was there, Commander Shen sent silver to the Chen family for Fourth Sister’s dowry – more than a dozen large boxes full of silver ingots, at least several tens of thousands of taels. Fourth Sister also asked why no one had sent her the jewelry box she left in Danyue Pavilion. She’s returned to the Chen family now, but if she had become someone’s concubine without a penny to her name, how could she have survived? Old Madam just asks her to return, but with a belly full of grievances, how could she possibly want to come back!”
It went without saying – Danyue Pavilion was sealed, and Madam had handled everything as if the person had died, naturally confiscating everything. At that time, they hadn’t imagined Qingyuan would have a day of triumph, thinking she would become Shen Run’s concubine before the primary wife entered the household and would surely be dealt with by the Mu family’s daughter. Who could have expected her to leap like a fish becoming a dragon, returning with such dramatic flair? The whole family’s dozen-plus pairs of eyes stared at Madam Hu, thinking how the money hadn’t even grown warm before she was utterly disgraced – the Madam had truly lost all face now.
But Madam Hu wasn’t flustered. She adjusted her clothes and said, “We’re keeping her things safe for her. I thought she would return for these belongings, who knew she would climb so high, with huge amounts of silver for her dowry – she doesn’t care about these things anymore.”
Speaking of that huge amount of silver, Madam Hu’s heart stung – where had that silver come from? Others might not know, but how could she not know? Shen Run had extracted a huge sum from her on one hand, then used it to make a show of generosity on the other – what a calculated move. What was more infuriating was that she had suffered an enormous silent loss and couldn’t even speak of it. The more she thought about it, the more unfair it seemed, but with so many people present, she could only suppress her feelings for now.
The Old Madam was utterly frustrated on her end, letting out a snort with earth-shattering force.
Zheng was relatively more moderate in comparison. He sat there sighing, “In my opinion, we should just let it go. Why keep pushing when we’re unwanted?”
Lady Qiu quietly tugged at his clothes, signaling him to stay quiet. Originally, they had hoped his full-blooded sister would make something of herself, but who knew Qingru would end up half-dead, bringing shame to all her brothers. With the military examinations approaching and the master unreliable, they naturally had to depend on Shen Run. He controlled all the imperial guards in the capital – with just one gesture from him, how many shortcuts could the family’s men take?
It was just hateful that Madam and Qingru had to squeeze Fourth Sister out. Now they could only hope their branch of the family wouldn’t be implicated, and that she might help them a bit for the sake of being siblings.
While everyone was gloomy, Madam Hu counted her prayer beads in silence – what she wanted to say, Granny Sun would say for her.
“Old Madam needn’t worry now. How can there be overnight grudges between a daughter and her maiden family? Even broken bones are still connected by tendons. If Fourth Miss doesn’t want to return, then let her be. When the happy day comes and Old Madam personally sits at the Commander’s mansion, will the bridegroom and bride not kowtow to you? Fourth Miss will always be an Xie family person, even if she reaches heaven. Old Madam can just put the family registers in front of them then – it doesn’t matter if they don’t acknowledge the relationship. Let all the nobles of Youzhou see how the Commander and his wife defy their elders and ignore old customs – Fourth Miss won’t be able to hold her head high in noble circles anymore.”
Hearing this, the Old Madam let out a long breath, muttering to herself, “If she still acknowledges this family connection, things needn’t come to this. But if she truly has no regard for me and her father in her eyes, then teaching her a lesson might not be such a bad idea.”