Book: Bound by Spring’s Affection

“Child, what is this talk of ‘begging’? With your grandmother, speak plainly.”

Song Wan spoke gently: “Since Miss Lin is now a woman of the Marquis’s household, her conduct and manners can no longer be as carefree and unrestrained as before. Wan’er wishes to ask Grandmother and Mother to assign one or two people to teach Huai Su and Miss Lin the proper rules for women of the household.”

Mother Jiang said: “Wan’er speaks most properly. In the past when she had no name or status, it was difficult to say anything, but now that she has become part of Yi’er’s chambers, if any embarrassing incidents occur again, it would bring shame to our household.”

Old Madam Jiang nodded in agreement, though she had other calculations in mind and did not particularly care about this. She casually said to Jiang Xingjian: “That girl indeed lacks proper sitting and standing posture, which is truly inappropriate. We must arrange several instructing nannies to teach her proper conduct. However, I cannot spare many people from my side, so let Qi Shun’s wife and your wet nurse, Nanny Li, teach her, shall we? The other two shall come from your mother’s chambers. This way, it both honors the affection between you and your mother, and won’t be overly harsh.”

If all four instructing nannies came from Old Madam’s chambers, it would inevitably create suspicion of interfering in his private affairs. Jiang Xingjian understood his grandmother’s good intentions and quietly agreed.

Old Madam Jiang nodded approvingly to herself, looking at Song Wan sitting gently to one side: “You know that these past years your mother has injured her health from excessive worry over her son, and the household has lacked a capable person to shoulder this burden. Now that Yi’er has returned, you need not confine yourself to your courtyard. I was thinking the household management duties of our Marquis’s household should be entrusted to you—how would that be?”

“It won’t tire you excessively—you’ll ultimately have your mother and me behind you.”

“Yes, Wan’er, with you assisting Mother, Mother can have some relief.”

Transferring the household authority to Song Wan was both compensation to Jiang Xingjian for bringing someone home and appeasement to the Song family from the Chengyang Marquis’s household. Song Wan knew well that she had no choice but to accept, and could only nod obediently in agreement.

Now that Jiang Xingjian had returned, both Old Madam Jiang and Mother Jiang found Song Wan increasingly pleasing to the eye. No sooner had she agreed to take charge of household affairs than Old Madam Jiang had the steward’s wife bring the household tallies to give her.

“If there’s anything you don’t understand, go ask Jiang Fu’s wife.”

“Wan’er understands.”

Taking the tallies, Song Wan handed the enamel-inlaid nanmu wood box to Heng Zhi.

After dining at Fuhe Hall, Jiang Xingjian and Song Wan headed toward Lanting Courtyard. The two remained silent for a long while along the way. Only when they could see the courtyard gate did Jiang Xingjian say: “Jiayue will pose no threat to you whatsoever—why did you rush to trap her with the status of a lowly concubine?”

Song Wan’s eyebrows raised slightly, but she said nothing.

“After I inherit the title in the future, I will elevate Jiayue to secondary wife.”

Song Wan smiled faintly: “Husband has been away for many years and has evidently forgotten the rules and proprieties. Not to mention that Miss Lin eloped with you and lost her reputation, making it impossible for her to become a secondary wife of the Marquis’s household—just consider that today Grandmother and Mother personally determined her status. How could you change it later?”

“The capital’s rules—if Husband occasionally forgets them for a moment, it’s nothing serious. But if you even lose the virtue of filial piety, I fear it would bring shame to all the ancestors of the Chengyang Marquis’s household.”

As they were speaking, Jiang Fu’s wife approached from a distance with a group of steward’s wives. Seeing this, Song Wan lowered her eyes and said: “For Husband to lose face over a mere concubine is still a small matter, but the century-old reputations of both the Chengyang Marquis’s household and my Song family cannot be ruined. I hope Husband will not bring shame to both households.”

“Jiayue, she…”

Just as the words left his mouth, Song Wan turned to greet the household’s steward’s wives. Jiang Xingjian hadn’t finished saying that her status was not ordinary when the beautiful woman before him had already walked away.

He frowned wordlessly, his belly full of stifled anger instead.

In just one day, Song Wan had disrupted all his plans. Jiang Xingjian pressed his temples as he entered Xiuyan Pavilion, calculating in his heart how to break this news to Lin Jiayue. The moment he entered the room, someone threw herself into his arms.

The young woman’s arms circled tightly around his waist, her voice soft and coquettish: “Brother Xingjian, do you know that every time you’re with another woman, Yue’er’s heart aches beyond words?”

“Originally we agreed that once we returned to the capital you would marry me as your wife, but now there’s a legitimate wife in this household sitting like a great Buddha, what have I become? If I had known it would be like this, I might as well have stayed in Suhe—it would be better than now.”

Jiang Xingjian pulled Lin Jiayue away, once again feeling that her behavior was truly improper.

In the past when they were traveling, although Lin Jiayue occasionally displayed some charming feminine manners relying on her young age, she would never do such outrageous things. Now perhaps because of her inner anxiety, she couldn’t help wanting to be intimate with him to prove their mutual affection.

But still…

Jiang Xingjian pressed his temples, rather exhausted: “Old Madam has arranged instructing nannies for you. Starting today, people will come to teach you the Marquis household’s rules. When the nannies instruct you, you must pay attention. If you continue to be as willfully unrestrained as now, you’ll likely suffer for it later.”

Hearing the words “instructing nannies,” Lin Jiayue’s expression stiffened: “I don’t want to learn those oppressive, human-nature-suppressing feudal dross rules. Do you hope I’ll turn into that wooden Buddha?”

Jiang Xingjian pretended not to hear: “If you wish to remain in the Marquis’s household, these rules must be learned. Moreover, Song Wan is my legitimate wife and the future mistress of the Chengyang Marquis’s household. Even if you don’t wish to address her as Madam, you cannot be so discourteous.”

Lin Jiayue stood up, all traces of gentle sweetness gone from her face: “She gets to rank ahead of me just because of an empty title? Brother Xingjian…”

“Today Grandmother has already entered your name and birthdate into the household register. From now on you are a concubine of the household, and Song Wan indeed ranks ahead of you.”

“Concubine? I don’t agree to be a concubine. By what right do they write me into some register? And I don’t even know my own birthdate—by what right do they make decisions for me? How could I possibly become a concubine? Brother Xingjian, you know I want one lifetime, one heart, one couple.”

Jiang Xingjian’s head ached from Lin Jiayue’s commotion: “If you don’t wish to be a concubine, I’ll send you out of the household today.”

“…”

Lin Jiayue bit her lip, utterly unwilling.

She could not leave the Marquis’s household.

Since inexplicably waking in this era, she had finally escaped with great difficulty from the original owner’s impoverished family that subsisted on grass roots and tree bark. And Jiang Xingjian was among all the people she had encountered, the one with the highest status and position.

Moreover, she truly did like Jiang Xingjian.

A man born into a noble marquis’s wealthy family, handsome in appearance, with an upright figure, gentlemanly in behavior and manner with extreme grace—she wasn’t certain whether she could ever meet such a man again, and even if she did, she might not like him.

Lin Jiayue lowered her head, biting her lip in hesitation.

Although she was just a concubine, she could be elevated to principal wife in the future, couldn’t she? As long as she firmly grasped Jiang Xingjian’s heart, she didn’t believe she couldn’t surpass a wooden ancient-era woman.

“You clearly know I’m reluctant to leave you and won’t leave the Marquis’s household. You’re just taking advantage of the fact that I like you to bully me willfully.”

Lin Jiayue wept pitifully. Seeing this, Jiang Xingjian sighed softly.

Wiping away her tears, Jiang Xingjian said: “After I inherit the title in the future, I will elevate you to secondary wife. You need not worry.”

Hearing this, Lin Jiayue thought to herself that a man’s words were utterly unreliable.

She absolutely would not become some secondary wife, and how could she—a person who had received a proper modern education—be willing to come to a feudal era to be someone’s concubine?

How ridiculous.