Lady Du’s heart secretly rejoiced upon hearing the Old Madam’s words, which were tinged with resentment. After a moment of silence, she spoke softly, “Mother, today your daughter-in-law visited the wife of Censor Yang. She mentioned that people outside are still talking about the incident from a few days ago, and the rumors are quite unsavory.”
The Old Madam’s displeasure grew. She set down her teacup with a thud and said, “Hasn’t everything been cleared up already? It was the servants causing trouble. The discarded items weren’t imperial gifts, and everything has been retrieved and properly enshrined. Even the Emperor hasn’t said anything, yet the Censorate has something to say?”
The Old Madam was particularly angry about this incident. She had ordered the items to be discarded to maintain her unassailable image, but she hadn’t anticipated that there would be imperial gifts among them. Nor had she expected that once her order was given, unlike similar situations in the past where people outwardly complied but secretly delayed action until her anger subsided, the items were thrown out!
She was even more shocked that servants would dare to be so presumptuous as to seize the opportunity to embezzle imperial gifts and valuable items. Fortunately, this provided a scapegoat. However, the main reason they escaped punishment was the Emperor’s old affection for the family, turning a blind eye to the Duke’s household. Otherwise, she, with her white hair, would have had to enter the palace to beg for forgiveness, truly losing all face. She also harbored some resentment towards Lady Du, suspecting that she had taken advantage of the situation to settle scores with Jiang Changyang through her. But her greatest anger was reserved for Jiang Changyang himself. That cunning and vicious boy not only failed to inform her about the imperial gifts but also provoked her into saying those words. His intentions were sinister and truly hateful! Indeed, he was his mother’s son!
Lady Du knew that Jiang Changyang was currently the object of the Old Madam’s greatest hatred and annoyance. She also suspected that the Old Madam harbored some doubts and blame towards herself, but since the words had come from her mouth, she couldn’t find a reason to fault her directly. Therefore, Lady Du refrained from speaking ill of Jiang Changyang and instead carefully said, “It’s not quite like that. It’s just that public opinion is formidable. How many people in the court envy the Duke’s favor with the Emperor? Allowing these rumors to spread unchecked is truly not good. We can endure some grievances, but I fear that if the eldest son believes these rumors and thinks we deliberately framed him, he’ll grow resentful and become even more estranged from us. That would be unfortunate.”
The Old Madam laughed coldly, “He’s been resentful towards us for a long time now. Does this little bit make any difference? Who knows how these rumors even started?”
Lady Du spoke softly, “The eldest son has always been stubborn by nature. Leaving things ambiguous like this isn’t good. It lets outsiders mock us, and misunderstandings that should be cleared up need to be addressed. We shouldn’t leave room for others to exploit. If people say our household is engaged in internal strife, it’s not just bad for the eldest son, but it also affects the Duke and Zhong’er, Yi’er, and Yunqing. Moreover, brothers are like limbs, fathers and sons are comrades in battle. If he resolves his misunderstandings and helps the family a little, isn’t that better than relying on outsiders?”
The Old Madam pondered for a moment, glancing at her sideways, and said, “So what do you suggest we do?”
Lady Du replied, “I think that this was originally our family matter, but it escalated because it involved imperial gifts. Now that it’s become a big issue, we can’t resolve it privately. We need to settle this amicably in front of everyone so that no one can find anything to criticize.”
The Old Madam nodded, “How should we resolve it?”
“We should hold a family banquet and invite many guests, including our close friends and the elders of our clan. We’ll ask the eldest son to come, and I’ll publicly apologize to him,” Lady Du said. Seeing the Old Madam’s face darken, she quickly added, “It was my failure in managing the household that allowed those wretched servants to take advantage and cause this scandal. I should be the one to apologize.”
By taking responsibility, Lady Du absolved the Old Madam of any involvement in the incident. The Old Madam could remain the benevolent, just, and stern matriarch. Having such a good daughter-in-law made the Old Madam feel very content. Her expression softened, and she said appreciatively, “You’re a good child, but you’re the one being wronged here. You’re yielding and showing consideration, even though he had ill intentions and disregarded family ties in his schemes against us. He should be the one punished! Yet for the sake of the Duke’s household, you still have to apologize to him. It’s truly unfair to you. This incident also started because of my momentary carelessness. I’m getting old; otherwise, I would certainly seek an audience with the Emperor to explain the truth…”
That’s enough, these words were merely meant to placate. How could Lady Du not know the Old Madam’s true nature? The interests of the Duke’s household always came first. Whatever she said or did at home was one thing, but in public, unless necessary, she would never sacrifice her dignity or criticize Jiang Changyang in front of others. Lady Du inwardly sneered while gratefully saying, “Mother treats me better than her daughter.
We’re family; there’s no need to speak of schemes, punishments, or grievances. As long as the family is harmonious, all will be well.” She tactfully mentioned Jiang Changzhong: “Zhong’er is disappointing, and Yi’er is weak. I feel deeply ashamed. The future hope of the Duke’s household may well rest on the eldest son. As long as he calms down, prioritizes the family’s interests, and shows consideration for his siblings, what does it matter if I apologize to him? Besides…” Lady Du’s eyes reddened slightly, “I’ve truly wronged their mother.”
The Old Madam’s expression, which had been pleasant until now, immediately changed as she raised an eyebrow: “Who wronged their mother? If anyone wronged her, it was that selfish, vicious, jealous woman who only cared about herself and showed no regard for her parents, clan, or husband! What’s this talk about the future of the Duke’s household relying entirely on him? It’s too early to say such things. With his behavior, even if he’s currently fooling the Emperor, he’ll eventually be exposed.
His glory won’t last long. You say Zhong’er and Yi’er aren’t good? Better to wrong an old man than a young one in his prime. Isn’t Zhong’er gaining experience in the military? In a few years, he’ll surely make something of himself! As for Yi’er, every inch has its uses. Since he loves studying, don’t listen to his father anymore about forcing him to practice horsemanship and archery. Find him a good tutor, let him study properly, and have him take the imperial examinations next spring! With one pursuing the military path and one the scholarly path, they’ll be able to support each other. How could they be inferior to others?”
Lady Du had been quite pleased at first, but as she continued listening, her heart grew heavier. Nevertheless, her smile became even brighter as she said, “Mother’s instructions are wise. I’ve been wanting to discuss this matter with you. I’ve heard that my brother’s family has hired an excellent tutor for their children, and I’ve long thought about sending Yi’er to study with him. However, when I mentioned it to the Duke once, he ignored me, so I didn’t dare bring it up with you.”
The Old Madam sighed, “You’re good in every way, except that you’re too obedient to Houde! This is an important matter; you should have discussed it with me earlier! The tutor your brother hired for his children must be competent. They’re family, so we know their background. I’m at ease with this and not worried about the child being mistreated or led astray. I approve! If he has any objections when he returns, tell him to come directly to me!” She thought for a moment and then called for Hong’er: “Go open my trunk and take out two old ginseng roots. Send them to the children’s maternal aunt.”
Lady Du quickly said, “Mother, there’s no need. I’ll prepare the gifts.”
“This is my gesture,” the Old Madam said kindly. “Because of Houde’s strange temper, you’ve barely visited them in recent years. Suddenly going to ask for a favor is already quite impolite. If I don’t show proper courtesy, it will make things difficult for you.”
Lady Du’s nose suddenly stung, and her eyes reddened slightly as she lowered her head in silence.
Seeing her daughter-in-law’s aggrieved yet restrained expression, the Old Madam couldn’t help but think that if Wang Shi had possessed even half of Du Shi’s wisdom and composure, things wouldn’t have come to this. She sighed softly, “You’ve truly been wronged these past years. But you should have known the situation in our household when you married. Every step Houde takes is like treading on thin ice… Don’t worry, no matter what happens in the future, I won’t treat Zhong’er unfairly.”
Lady Du sniffled and raised her head, saying with utmost sincerity, “Mother, please don’t say such things. Since the day I married into this family, I became a Jiang. Everything I do is for the Jiang family’s benefit.”
The Old Madam nodded approvingly, “You have many matters to attend to. Go ahead, you don’t need to keep me company anymore.”
However, Lady Du didn’t leave. She stayed to discuss the family banquet with the Old Madam for a while longer. Only when she saw that the Old Madam was tired did she finally withdraw. After leaving the courtyard, she quietly instructed Baixiang, “Go and find out why the Old Madam suddenly thought of the young master studying for the imperial examinations.”
Baixiang accepted the order and left. Lady Du returned to the side hall where she usually handled household affairs and calmly instructed people to prepare a generous gift for Jiang Changyi’s apprenticeship ceremony. By the time everything was ready, Baixiang had returned: “Reporting to the madam, I heard that only the eldest young master had mentioned it before, asking why the young master wasn’t allowed to take the imperial examinations since he loved studying so much. No one else had brought it up. The young master pays his respects to the Old Madam daily, but never stays for more than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before excusing himself.”
Lady Du’s expression remained unchanged, but she clenched her teeth in secret. It seemed that Jiang Changyang was about to make his move! After pondering for a long while, she said steadily, “Go and summon the young master.”
After hearing Lady Du’s words, Jiang Changyi stared at her dumbfounded, unable to speak.
Lady Du smiled slightly, “Oh my, are you stunned? Don’t you want to go?”
“No, no, that’s not it,” Jiang Changyi said excitedly, rubbing his hands together. “I’m just afraid I won’t be able to keep up with my cousins and bring shame to mother.” Then he suddenly slapped his forehead, lifted his robe, and knelt before Lady Du, kowtowing loudly. He only managed to cry out “Mother” before choking up, unable to continue speaking.
Lady Du didn’t ask him to rise. Instead, she solemnly accepted his gesture and said, “Listen carefully. Now that you’re going, it’s not just about you anymore. You represent the face of the Duke’s household and my reputation as well. I don’t expect you to achieve great success, but you absolutely must not fail in your duty as a gentleman.”
Jiang Changyi replied tearfully, “Your son will heed mother’s teachings. I know I’m not gifted and cannot bring glory to our family, but I will certainly strive to be a good person. I won’t disappoint Mother’s painstaking efforts and protection.”
Lady Du nodded, “Good. Remember what you’ve said today. Don’t let me down. You may go now.”
Jiang Changyi kowtowed to her once more before rising and leaving. Lady Du watched his thin figure depart with an expressionless face, then picked up her long-cold tea and drank it in one gulp.