As May arrived in the capital, the weather turned pleasantly cool in the mornings and evenings, while the afternoons became sweltering.
Madam Cai, beaming with a smile, sent the matriarch of the Changxing Marquis’s household off in a carriage. Afterward, she dabbed her sweaty forehead with a handkerchief and turned to her daughter-in-law, Ding: “Let’s head back to the residence!”
She wiped the smile from her face, revealing a hint of fatigue.
Ding quickly stepped forward to support her mother-in-law and said thoughtfully, “It’s so hot today. The matriarch of the Changxing Marquis is performing a ritual for the late Marquis. You only accompanied her because she happened to ask which monk at Wanming Temple recites well. Our family has no ties with the Changxing Marquis’s family, so why treat them with such courtesy?” As she spoke, she took the fan from the maid and vigorously fanned Madam Cai. “Mother, you’re getting older. Baoshan has mentioned several times that I should take good care of you. If there’s anything you need, just tell me.”
Baoshan was Cai Bi’s eldest son.
Ding glanced at the maids and servants surrounding them, who quickly dispersed at her cue.
Madam Cai replied, “One must always prepare for the future. Just because we have no ties now doesn’t mean we won’t in the future. Accompanying the matriarch to Wanming Temple has already established a connection! Don’t be so shortsighted!” She lowered her voice and continued, “The Changxing Marquis has been reckless in office, and countless people have criticized him, yet he remains unshaken. This is not something an ordinary person can achieve. Building relationships with the Shi family brings only benefits, not drawbacks. As the saying goes, ‘Those who plant trees enjoy the shade.’ I’m doing this for your sake.” She added, “Do you remember the late Master Lin Guolan, who was once closely associated with our family? He passed away three years ago. His grandson got into trouble in Jiangnan, and a letter from the Lin family reached the governor, Tao Zeyu. Not only did the young master escape punishment, but he also returned to the capital with a thousand taels of silver given by Tao. Do you know why? It’s simply because when Tao first came to the capital, he was looked down upon for his Fujian accent, and it was Lady Lin who spoke up for him.” She then advised Ding, “Remember, helping others is also helping yourself. Even if you can’t assist someone, you must never offend them. I brought you along today to help you build a good relationship with the Changxing Marquis’s family.”
“I’ll remember your words, Mother!” Ding nodded repeatedly, personally moving the footstool leaning against the carriage for Madam Cai to step up.
Just as Madam Cai placed one foot on the stool, someone in a nearby carriage suddenly pulled back the curtain and called out, “Madam Cai? You are Madam Cai, aren’t you?”
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law turned around.
Ding looked puzzled, unable to recall where she had seen this woman, but Madam Cai thought for a moment and smiled, “You must be the seventh madam of the Dou family! I thought I recognized you; how could I forget someone so beautiful?” With that, she withdrew her foot and stood beside the carriage.
Indeed, she was quite snobbish, Wang Yingxue thought to herself. If it had been the fifth madam greeting her, she would have rushed over immediately.
Wang Yingxue pushed aside her displeasure and smiled as she stepped down from her carriage to greet Madam Cai and Ding, exchanging pleasantries. Seeing the pleasant atmosphere, Wang Yingxue affectionately linked her arm with Madam Cai’s.
Both Madam Cai and Ding were somewhat surprised by Wang Yingxue’s warmth. Wang Yingxue cheerfully said, “Madam Cai, it’s a pleasure to meet you like this. I was planning to visit your residence in the next few days, but I didn’t expect to run into you here. I hope you won’t mind—there’s something I’d like to ask for your help…” She gestured for her to step aside to talk.
Ding had seen such things many times and smiled, leading the maids and servants to step back.
Wang Yingxue invited Madam Cai into her carriage.
After a moment’s thought, Madam Cai smiled and followed Wang Yingxue inside.
Ding waited outside for about an hour, occasionally hearing faint sounds of crying from within the carriage.
Madam Cai’s close maid looked worried and asked Ding, “Do you think something is wrong?”
Ding laughed and replied, “Even if something is wrong, the Dou family has the fifth madam. It’s not our place to intervene!” She then speculated, “Perhaps she’s feeling wronged and wants the fifth madam to help her out, but she doesn’t want to approach her directly, so she’s asking Mother to pass on the message!”
The maid considered this and found Ding’s reasoning sound, relaxing her expression as she stood leisurely by.
After about another quarter of an hour, Madam Cai emerged from Wang Yingxue’s carriage. Wang Yingxue tried to see her off, but Madam Cai stopped her, saying, “Seventh madam, you should head back. I need to think this over before giving you a response.”
Wang Yingxue hurriedly said, “Thank you, Madam Cai!” Her eyes were red and swollen, and her expression was sorrowful.
Ding wondered, “I wonder what the seventh madam wanted from my mother,” and stepped forward to assist Madam Cai.
Madam Cai’s face was tense, appearing somewhat grave.
Once in the carriage, she instructed the driver, “Hurry back!”
Ding was startled and quickly asked, “Mother, what’s wrong?”
Madam Cai seemed not to hear her, lost in thought, twisting her handkerchief into a ball and then unfolding it, only to repeat the process.
Ding realized her mother-in-law was facing a significant dilemma and dared not breathe too loudly, sitting quietly beside her.
The carriage sped along, quickly returning to the paper horse alley where the Cai family resided.
However, Madam Cai remained seated in the carriage, not moving.
The waiting-maid, seeing no one exit after a long wait, lifted the curtain to speak, but Ding shot her a glance, signaling her to stay outside.
As the sun began to set, a cool breeze blew through the alley, but the carriage felt stifling. Ding felt her back becoming drenched in sweat, so she picked up the fan to cool Madam Cai and herself. Suddenly, Madam Cai snapped back to reality and quietly asked, “What do you think, if we had a chance to earn ten thousand taels of silver, should we take it or not?”
Ding was taken aback, exclaiming, “But the risks might be significant!”
Madam Cai nodded, hesitating to speak.
Ding, disregarding the heat, moved closer to sit beside Madam Cai and whispered, “Is this related to the Dou family?”
Madam Cai whispered a few words to Ding.
Ding’s face turned pale with fear, and the fan slipped from her hand, falling to the ground. The maid outside, hearing the commotion, hurriedly lifted the curtain and asked, “What’s wrong?” but was scolded by Ding and retreated.
“Mother, what’s your plan?” Ding’s voice trembled slightly. “I’m afraid this will create a rift with the Huai Tree Alley folks!”
“I think the same,” Madam Cai replied. “While we could brush it off, after such a significant incident, I can’t escape the reputation of being negligent. The people from Huai Tree Alley may not speak of it, but they will certainly harbor doubts. Moreover, your sister is still with them… I’ve thought it through, and this matter is quite troublesome!”
Madam Cai said it was “troublesome,” not “impossible.”
Ding immediately saw through her mother-in-law’s thoughts. She wanted the ten thousand taels of silver but didn’t want to offend the people from Huai Tree Alley.
She pondered, “What if we just pretend this never happened?”
“Foolish!” Madam Cai scolded. “Since she has brought it up and allowed me to consider it a favor owed by the Wang family, she has already made up her mind. If we can’t proceed on our end, she will surely think of other ways and won’t let it go easily. Regardless of the outcome, it will cause a huge uproar. If we knew in advance and didn’t inform the folks from Huai Tree Alley, how do you think the Dou family would react?”
“What do you mean?” Ding began to grasp her mother-in-law’s intentions.
Madam Cai whispered, “I think we should still speak with the Dou family about this. As for the ten thousand taels of silver, we should accept it. When the time comes, we can present the silver to the fifth madam, saying it was unavoidable due to circumstances… The fifth madam is also a straightforward person. Since the seventh madam has already put forth a thousand taels, she can’t possibly show no acknowledgment at all, right? This way, we can do a good deed and legitimately earn some silver. As for the seventh madam, since the fifth madam knows, she certainly won’t expose us to the seventh madam for questioning. The fifth madam won’t allow the seventh madam to act recklessly; we’ll just follow her lead.”
Ding hurriedly flattered, “Experience is indeed invaluable! I panicked when I first heard about this, but I didn’t expect you to come up with a plan so quickly…”
“Enough, enough,” Madam Cai said. “Let’s head to Huai Tree Alley.” A smile involuntarily appeared on her face due to her daughter-in-law’s words.
Ding then suggested, “Mother, given the gravity of this matter, should we consult Father first? Besides, Ren Ge’er’s birthday is coming up in a few days. I think it might be better to wait a few days before going—after all, the seventh madam is capable of such things, so she must be a formidable character.” The implication was that she feared Wang Yingxue might send someone to keep an eye on their family’s movements.
“You make a good point,” Madam Cai said, patting her daughter-in-law’s hand appreciatively. “However, it’s best not to let your father know about this. If anything changes, we can say your father is unaware, leaving us a way out.” With that, Ding assisted her down from the carriage.
For several days, the people Wang Yingxue sent to watch the Cai family reported no unusual activity. Madam Cai then instructed her daughter-in-law, Ding, to take the ten thousand taels of silver, which made Wang Yingxue feel a bit more at ease. She began arranging for the kitchen maids and her trusted servants and daughters-in-law.
Dou Shiying had been staying in the palace for two consecutive days, completely unaware of the situation at home.
On the day of Dou Qiren’s birthday, Madam Cai dressed elegantly and went to Huai Village Alley.
After eating longevity noodles and giving gifts to Ren Ge’er, Madam Cai took the fifth madam to her inner chamber to talk.
The fifth madam looked at the stack of ten thousand taels of unmarked silver notes on the table, shocked and anxious. It took her a while to regain her composure. Furious, she felt the veins on her forehead throb and wanted to scold, but the words caught in her throat as she feared making a fool of herself in front of Madam Cai. She forced herself to hold back and expressed her gratitude, saying, “If it weren’t for you, our Dou family would have become the laughingstock of the entire capital! Even I, as the aunt, would hardly escape blame. You’ve truly saved our family!”
Where was the dignity of the elder madam now?
The fifth madam wished she could spit in Wang Yingxue’s face.
Since Madam Cai had done a good deed, she naturally intended to see it through to the end, ensuring that others would genuinely appreciate her efforts.
She quickly grasped the fifth madam’s hand and comforted her, saying, “Every family has its ups and downs. Fortunately, this matter hasn’t reached anyone else’s ears. We’re all family here, so if there’s anything I can help with, just let me know.”