The shameful, painful memories of the past came flooding in all at once, crashing through her heart like a towering wave.
Ling Jingshu looked at Lu An from a distance, tightened her fists, then lowered her gaze. She fought with every effort to steady her turbulent emotions.
Her enemy was right before her, and yet she could not act. The feeling was truly unbearable.
But no matter how unbearable — she had to hold herself in check.
To deal with Lu An and Ling Shi meant bringing down the entire Lu family. For a girl who was still confined to the inner chambers, this was clearly nothing more than a distant dream. Before she had the power to seek revenge, she first had to learn patience.
After Lu An spoke, Old Madam Ling and Ling Daye, who had been weeping together, finally calmed somewhat.
Old Madam Ling wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve and managed a smile. “Look at me — at my age, and not an ounce of self-control. Crying at the front gate for my son-in-law to see. How embarrassing.”
Lu An smiled graciously, his composure impeccable. “Mother-in-law and her son have been separated by distance — being moved to tears upon reunion is only natural. Seeing it, I myself felt touched. There is nothing to laugh at.”
Old Madam Ling, who had harbored a stomach full of grievances against this son-in-law after what Ling Shi had told her, found that much of her ill feeling melted away now that she saw him in person.
A man this handsome and distinguished, the head of the Lu family, serving as a regional official — practically the king of his own domain in Jizhou. A man of such standing and success could hardly be faulted for indulging himself a little in matters of women.
Everyone gathered around Old Madam Ling and made their way in a grand procession back to Yonghe Hall, where they all took their seats.
The younger generation stood to the sides or behind their parents. Old Madam Ling sat at the head of the room — to her right sat Ling Daye, to her left, Lu An.
Old Madam Ling first asked after Lu An’s journey, inquiring whether it had been tiring, before turning her attention to Ling Daye.
In such a setting, the daughters-in-law — Yue Shi, Li Shi, and the others — had no standing to speak. The younger generation even less so.
After half an hour of pleasantries, Old Madam Ling’s emotions had at last truly settled. She smiled and said to Lu An, “Son-in-law, all these years we have only exchanged letters — you have never once come through the door. You don’t know the younger generation of the Ling family. Let me have them come before you one by one to pay their respects.”
A son-in-law coming to visit was the most honored of guests. What was more, this particular son-in-law came from one of Dazhou’s most distinguished families. The Lu clan alone had no fewer than a dozen members serving as officials across Dazhou. Lu An’s own younger brother, Lu Ping, served as a bureau secretary in the Ministry of War in the capital — not a particularly high position, but Lu Ping was skilled at cultivating connections, and had somehow found his way into Prince Yan’s circle. These days, he cut quite a figure in the capital.
On account of all these factors, Old Madam Ling was all the more warm and courteous toward Lu An.
First came the younger generation of the First Branch, then the Second and Fourth Branches, and finally it was the turn of the four children of the Fifth Branch.
“Your nephew Ling Ting (Ling Xiao) (Ling Fou) pays his respects to Uncle.”
“Your niece Ling Jingshu pays her respects to Uncle.”
Among three boys of varying heights, Ling Jingshu stood in a pale green dress — her features like a painting, her bearing graceful and poised. Her eyes were lowered and her expression composed, yet even so, she could not quite contain the radiance of her beauty.
Lu An’s gaze lingered on Ling Jingshu for just a moment. A flash of startled admiration and heat darted through the depths of his eyes.
He concealed that flicker of feeling with great skill, and in an instant returned to his usual composure, smiling with warm affability. “We are all family here — no need for such formality.”
Lu Qian had been standing at Lu An’s side all along, watching his every move and expression with keen attention. When he caught the strange light that passed through Lu An’s eyes, his entire body went rigid. His hands trembled uncontrollably.
Only when Ling Jingshu finished her bow and stepped back — and Lu An’s gaze no longer followed her — did Lu Qian slowly release the breath trapped in his chest.
Darkness fell quickly.
In the dining hall of Yonghe Hall, four tables had been set. Men and women each had two tables, further divided by generation. Since everyone here was family, there was no need to stand on ceremony about the separation of the sexes, and the room divider screens had been done away with entirely.
Children and grandchildren gathered around, the whole family united under one roof. Since Ling Shi’s marriage and departure, this was the first time they had reunited like this.
Old Madam Ling was in high spirits and drank a few cups of light wine. When her sons and daughters-in-law came to toast her, she mostly just touched the cup to her lips. But when her son-in-law and daughter came to toast, she drained every cup.
With the warmth of the wine behind her, Old Madam Ling said with pointed meaning: “I only have one daughter, A’Hui. I spoiled her from childhood and let her have her own way in everything — she was even jealous when I was kinder to her brothers. All these years living in the Lu household, she must have fallen short and been inconsiderate in many ways. I hope you will be patient with her, son-in-law.”
Lu An, sharp as he was, heard the double meaning in Old Madam Ling’s words at once. His smile became slightly uneasy, and he cleared his throat before replying: “Mother-in-law worries unnecessarily. A’Hui has always been composed and sensible, and she manages the inner household with great efficiency. It is my good fortune to have married A’Hui.”
As he spoke, he looked over at Ling Shi with an expression of tender feeling.
Ling Shi felt both pleased and anxious.
Pleased that Lu An had not looked at her with such warmth in a very long time. Anxious because Old Madam Ling speaking this way made it plain to Lu An that she had been saying things to her mother — and he was surely displeased. He wore a smile now, but once the banquet ended and they returned to the room, who knew what mood awaited her…
Old Madam Ling offered a smile. “As long as my son-in-law does not find me tiresome and long-winded.” She paused, then added: “A’Hui has not returned to her family home since she was married. Now that she is here, I would like to keep her for a longer stay.”
Lu An smiled and said, “That is only natural.”
After a few more pleasantries, Lu An returned to his seat.
Ling Jingshu sat at a table with her female cousins and sisters-in-law.
Dazhou ruled its realm with the twin pillars of loyalty and filial piety. In the nearly twenty years since the borders had been secured and warfare had ceased, the court had grown ever more inclined toward civil accomplishment over military valor. For the great families, the most distinguished path was through the imperial examinations, and learning had become the highest priority. This trend had even touched the lives of women. In any household of means, female tutors were engaged to teach the daughters to read and write. In a great clan like the Ling family, this was all the more so.
It was therefore not unusual for the women to converse with ease and quote readily from the classics.
This sort of gathering was usually the moment when Ling Jingshu shone. Today, however, she had no appetite for it. She ate a few bites and set down her chopsticks, not saying another word.
Ling Jingxian secretly found this curious, but was only too glad that Ling Jingshu remained silent — it meant she would not steal the attention.
Ling Jingxian turned warmly to Ling Jingxian: “Jingxian jiejie, we were born only a month apart. What a pity that all these years you have been in the capital with First Uncle and Aunt — I never had the chance to grow close to you. Now that you’ve come back, we finally have the opportunity.”
Ling Jingxian was the eldest legitimate daughter of the First Branch, seventh in the birth order among the siblings. Having spent years in the capital, she carried herself with a certain proud reserve. She smiled faintly at the remark. “Father has taken extended leave and plans to stay in Dingzhou for two months before returning to the capital. There will indeed be plenty of opportunity.”
Mentioning Dingzhou, she let a trace of subtle superiority color her expression.
Ling Jingwan had been met with a soft rebuff, and felt a prickle of resentment.
Hmph. What is there to be proud of? It’s only because First Uncle serves as an official in the capital that you got to live there. Otherwise, you’d be living here in the old Ling family manor in Dingzhou like the rest of us.
Ling Jingxian was strikingly beautiful, her clothes and jewelry fine and fashionable — clearly the latest style from the capital. She had outshone all of them almost immediately.
Ling Jingwan, unwilling to concede, let her eyes dart sideways. Then she smiled and said, “Jingshu meimei hasn’t said a word this whole time.”
She then turned to Ling Jingxian with an air of helpful concern. “Jingxian jiejie, you haven’t been back in so long, so you wouldn’t know. Jingshu meimei is widely read and exceptionally talented. She also excels at cultivating rare peonies, and she has quite a name for herself here in Dingzhou. Someone has even given her the title of Dingzhou’s number one beauty!”
Both were legitimate daughters of the Ling clan. Ling Jingshu’s name was known throughout Dingzhou, while Ling Jingxian — in Dingzhou at least — was entirely unknown. With Ling Jingxian’s proud nature, hearing this would surely rankle her.
Sure enough, Ling Jingxian, having taken in this pointed provocation, felt a swell of rivalry rise in her chest. She looked at Ling Jingshu’s lovely face and said with a smile that was not quite a smile: “Oh? I had not realized Jingshu meimei was also skilled in cultivating peonies.”
The word also carried a barely concealed edge of competition.
Ling Jingshu finally looked up at Ling Jingxian.
When she thought about it, Ling Jingxian was also a tragic figure.
In her past life, Ling Jingxian had chanced upon Prince Yan and quietly fallen for him. Given the Ling family’s standing, aiming to be Prince Yan’s principal consort was beyond their reach — a secondary consort position would have been a stretch, but manageable. Yet Ling Daye was a man of orthodox conviction, firmly in the Crown Prince’s camp, and he refused to let his daughter become Prince Yan’s secondary consort. He rushed to arrange a different match for Ling Jingxian instead.
Ling Jingxian was unwilling, but could not fight her father’s authority, and was forced to comply.
Later, the Crown Prince’s faction fell from favor. The Crown Prince was deposed, and Prince Yan was named heir apparent. Those in the Crown Prince’s circle were purged, and Ling Daye was among the first to be caught in the net — accused of embezzlement and thrown into prison. The Ling family spent tremendous effort and nearly half their fortune to save his life.
The match that had been arranged for Ling Jingxian dissolved in the chaos of that imprisonment.
Later still, Ling Jingxian returned with her parents to Dingzhou. By then she was older, the family’s fortunes were diminished, and good matches were hard to come by. A matchmaker came with a proposal — a man over thirty, with a houseful of concubines, and legitimate and illegitimate sons already born.
Ling Jingxian’s life after that marriage was not a happy one. She later encountered complications in childbirth and died, her beauty extinguished before its time.
Thinking of all this, Ling Jingshu felt a quiet ache, and lost any will to spar with Ling Jingxian. She replied lightly: “I have nothing to do in my spare time, so I occasionally pass the hours in the garden. People outside don’t know the full picture — they’ve simply exaggerated the story.”