Gu Lan returned to Yixiang Courtyard to rest. Song Luo brought in a small basket of roasted chestnuts, saying they were brought back by Fifth Young Master Gu from his ride outside.
Song Luo personally peeled them and fed them to Gu Lan. They were perfectly warm and tasted soft and sweet.
After eating the chestnuts, Gu Lan instructed Song Luo: “…That sky-blue water-patterned silk jacket that Grandmother sent over a few days ago has been sitting in the trunk without being taken out. The weather looks good for tomorrow, take it out and wash it for me.”
Song Luo was petite and adorable, wearing a cinnamon-colored sleeveless jacket, and handled matters quite appropriately. But knowing she was sent by Madam Feng, Gu Lan still felt some apprehension. Besides sending Song Luo to take care of her, Madam Feng had other intentions…
Song Luo acknowledged and went to the inner chamber to find the jacket. After Song Luo’s figure disappeared around the corner, Mu Jin told Gu Lan: “Your servant has found someone suitable—the second manager from the stables who hasn’t yet married. The stable business has been good these years, and he’s saved some money. He’s looking to find a wife!”
Gu Lan responded with an “Oh,” took a sip of tea to moisten her mouth, and asked, “If he’s the second manager, he must be around thirty already, why hasn’t he married yet?”
Mu Jin smiled: “This man is lustful. Whenever he has time to leave the mansion, he mostly goes to Yuying Alley. He’s not good-looking and doesn’t have much money, so naturally, no girl is willing to marry him. I think if Sister Qing Pu marries him, her life will surely be very good… but will the Young Miss approve of this match?”
Gu Lan glanced at her: “That’s why you’re still just a maid.”
For Madam Feng, she was accustomed to controlling the lives of these legitimate and illegitimate daughters. If anyone defied her, she would feel disrespected. Moreover, she had long been wary of Gu Jin Chao’s people. If she could marry Gu Jin Chao’s maid to someone in the household, Madam Feng would certainly be pleased.
Besides, what was so special about her Qing Pu? Apart from being Gu Jin Chao’s maid, she wasn’t anything impressive. Qing Pu was already turning eighteen this year, with average looks, and she knew martial arts—whoever married her would be unfortunate!
Mu Jin didn’t understand the Second Young Miss’s meaning, but whatever the Second Young Miss said must be right.
Gu Lan turned to face the bronze mirror, and Mu Jin helped her undo her bun. Gu Lan took out a small box from her cosmetic case and lazily played with it. Inside were yellow, red, and blue facial decorations, not as exquisite as those in Gu Lian’s box.
Delicate forehead decorations like smiles, and jade phoenix hairpins as if about to fly.
Such beautiful and romantic items as facial decorations had all been given to Gu Lian by Young Master Yao, and in extremely exquisite styles.
Gu Lan looked at herself in the mirror. She felt she was not at all inferior to Gu Lian in appearance. Moreover, she was more knowledgeable, refined, smarter, and more considerate than Gu Lian. If not for Gu Lian’s status as the legitimate daughter of the Gu family, could such a marriage… have fallen to her?
Gu Lan somehow thought of Ye Xian again. With Ye Xian’s status, she wondered which legitimate daughter from which noble family would be worthy of him. If legitimate daughters weren’t suitable… perhaps he might be matched with a princess in the future.
And someone like Young Master Yao would only belong to Gu Lian. In Madam Feng’s eyes, she could only match with someone like Mu Zhidai at best.
Gu Lan looked at herself and smiled. Could it be that because her birth was lower than theirs, she would have to remain beneath them for her entire life?
After washing up, Song Luo also came in from outside, and the two of them served Gu Lan as she retired for the night.
The next day, Gu Lan deliberately waited until dusk and then persuaded Gu Lian to go with her to the east wing. Gu Lian had just received a pair of white jade paperweights and had been diligently practicing calligraphy these days, so it was a good opportunity to show Madam Feng the sutras she had copied.
Madam Feng had always been most generous to Gu Lian. Although they had already eaten dinner, she still had servants bring jujube and yam cakes, and white fungus soup for them to taste.
When Gu Lan first entered, she saw the chief manager of Gu De Zhao’s tea and rice shops leaving.
“…I didn’t expect Manager Lei to come to pay respects to the Mistress now,” Gu Lan smiled and said to Madam Feng, “Did he bring you some daily necessities?”
Madam Feng just smiled: “I asked him to come. Doesn’t Manager Lei have a scholar son who’s studying at the Imperial Academy? I heard he’s quite talented and handsome, and Manager Lei’s family is well-off. I’m thinking of betrothing Song Xiang to him as his wife.”
Gu Lan was very pleased to hear this: “This is truly good fortune for Miss Song Xiang, and also good luck for Manager Lei’s son to marry your maid.”
Song Xiang’s face turned crimson upon hearing this. She was very satisfied with this marriage prospect in her heart—it lacked neither money nor status and besides, Manager Lei was Gu De Zhao’s manager, right under the Old Madam’s nose, so the Lei family wouldn’t dare mistreat her.
Gu Lian also smiled and said a few words to Song Xiang, then pulled Madam Feng closer: “Sister Song Xiang now has a home to go to, but Jin Chao Sister’s maid still doesn’t have a husband.” These were all things Gu Lan had told her before, and Gu Lian found them quite reasonable, so she repeated them to Madam Feng in one breath. “That maid is getting old and isn’t good-looking. I think it would be hard for her to marry well. Why doesn’t Grandmother help Sister by finding someone reliable in our family to match with her… after all, that maid can’t serve Sister Jin Chao for her entire life.”
Madam Feng felt this made a lot of sense. Her intention in marrying Song Xiang to Manager Lei was to place her people close to Gu De Zhao. Gu De Zhao’s family had just returned, and there were many things she was displeased with but hadn’t spoken about yet. She wanted to reorganize things gradually. If Gu Jin Chao’s maid married someone from the household, her people could then control Gu Jin Chao’s maid, which wouldn’t be bad either.
Gu Lan glanced at Madam Feng and smiled: “Now that Lian Sister mentions it, I recall there’s an unmarried manager in our mansion, seemingly the second manager of the stables. He has some money and is currently looking for a wife.”
Madam Feng calmly put down her teacup. Could things be this coincidental?
Gu Lian had just suggested arranging a marriage for Qing Pu with someone from the Gu family, and Gu Lan immediately came up with a candidate. It seemed Gu Lan had already picked someone out long ago. The relationship between Gu Lan and Gu Jin Chao had always been superficially harmonious but inwardly at odds—she knew this very well.
Not knowing what this person was like, Madam Feng thought for a moment and then had her nanny call this second manager, Xu Houcai, to come over.
Hearing that the Old Madam was looking for him, Xu Houcai arrived in less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick. Madam Feng looked at him in the flower hall and asked a few questions, roughly understanding Xu Houcai’s situation. Xu Houcai knelt, kowtowed, and then left.
Madam Feng felt that Xu Houcai was just average, a bit too old, and not particularly spirited in appearance. His good points were that he had a manager’s position, was single, and had money. When a woman marries, what does a man’s appearance and age matter? Being able to provide for the family is what’s important. Besides, Qing Pu wasn’t exceptionally good; with her looks and age, if she weren’t Gu Jin Chao’s maid, she would be even less desirable than an ordinary maid.
Madam Feng felt this marriage could be arranged.
In Madam Feng’s courtyard, a little maid who had received a large package of pine nut candy from Tong Mama saw Xu Houcai leaving. She immediately dropped her broom and ran to Yanxiu Hall to report the news.
After Tong Mama heard her explain everything clearly, she gave her a package of scallion candy and fragrant salted peanuts. The little maid happily left with her treats.
Tong Mama, however, left Yanxiu Hall to find a familiar old servant of the Gu family, inquiring thoroughly about Xu Houcai’s situation before returning to report to the Young Miss.
“…Gu Lan had just entered, and Grandmother immediately called Xu Houcai over?” Jin Chao said with a smile. “She’s eager!”
Gu Lan had just gained a little status and already dared to scheme against her at every turn?
Well, she shouldn’t blame her for being merciless then. As if she didn’t know about Gu Lan’s dirty little secrets?
She also had plenty of leverage against Gu Lan. Once she dealt with Qing Pu’s situation, she would properly settle accounts with her.
Tong Mama was also very worried after hearing this: “If Miss Qing Pu marries this man, it would truly be ruinous! He visits Yuying Alley seven or eight times a month—how could he be marriageable…”
Qing Pu stood behind Gu Jin Chao, merely biting her lip as she heard all this.
Jin Chao certainly wouldn’t let Qing Pu marry like this. How could someone like Xu Houcai be worthy of Qing Pu? Even if it meant openly defying Madam Feng, she wouldn’t allow Qing Pu to marry Xu Houcai. But defying Madam Feng would likely bring them trouble. It would be best to devise a strategy to make Madam Feng abandon this marriage on her own.
After a long while, Qing Pu finally said softly: “If it really can’t be helped, your servant will just marry him…” She had been thinking about this matter for days. Insisting would only put the Young Miss in a difficult position. Without her, the Young Miss would still have other maids. But if the Young Miss opposed Madam Feng for her sake, how could that end well?
Jin Chao shook her head: “You absolutely cannot marry him. This isn’t just for you, but also for me. I cannot let her gain control.”
Once Madam Feng could control her, there would be endless domination afterward. Jin Chao understood this clearly.
Since they couldn’t make headway with Qing Pu, their only option was to target Xu Houcai. If Xu Houcai had been embezzling funds privately or had done something harmful to the Gu family, then naturally he wouldn’t be able to marry Qing Pu anymore.
Tong Mama, hearing these instructions, went to investigate.
The next day, Madam Feng called Jin Chao over and indeed brought up Qing Pu’s marriage.
“…I found a husband for Song Xiang, the scholar son of your father’s Manager Lei. I was thinking that with Song Xiang getting married, we can’t let Qing Pu remain unmarried. Last night I looked at our household’s stable second manager Xu Houcai. Although he’s older, he’s single and has some money. If Qing Pu marries him, she’ll live the blessed life of a mistress.”
Madam Feng held Jin Chao’s hand and smiled.
Jin Chao was so angry she wanted to laugh. How could Madam Feng be so unreasonable? Manager Lei’s scholar son who had passed the Imperial Academy examination—back when they were in Shi’an, many maids in the household had hoped to marry him. Now, instead, Madam Feng had suddenly arranged for her chief maid to marry the manager’s scholar son, yet wanted to assign Qing Pu to a lustful old man from the household. Madam Feng was capable of such things!
Gu Jin Chao withdrew her hand and took a sip of tea.
Madam Feng’s smile froze for a moment.
“Grandmother, this matter is too sudden. I haven’t even seen what this Xu Houcai looks like. Of course, I trust the character of someone Grandmother has chosen, but I still need to consider Qing Pu’s wishes. She has served me for so many years; I must respect her preferences somewhat.” Jin Chao said slowly. “So let’s not rush to settle this matter. Let me see Xu Houcai first before deciding.”
Only then did Madam Feng smile again: “What satisfaction or dissatisfaction is there in choosing a husband? It’s just about living a life. Since you want to see him… I’ll have Xu Houcai come over tomorrow.”
Madam Feng had more words she hadn’t spoken. A mere maid should marry whoever her master tells her to—how could she defy her master? She could sense Gu Jin Chao’s resistance to this matter, which made her feel uncomfortable.