Ling Wuye’s expression darkened, his gaze sweeping over with the sharpness of a blade. “What shallow thinking! What do you know? What ‘pouring in gold and silver.’ For A’Shu to be able to marry the Empress’s own full brother — what an honor and glory that is. It is only right that our Ling Family prepares more dowry.”
“As for saving someone — Wei Yan has said he will do his utmost. Whether it succeeds or not, we must acknowledge this debt of goodwill.”
“From now on, do not go babbling such nonsense again — otherwise, I will not let it pass.”
Li Shi was roundly scolded and could no longer squeeze out even a smile. Her eyes instantly reddened, and she choked out tearfully, “This concubine said it only out of concern — for a moment she could not hold herself back, and let her inner worries slip out. If she said something wrong, a few words of reproach from my lord would have been enough. To scold this concubine in this manner is to have no regard for this concubine as a wife.”
“This concubine knows — my lord is still angered over what happened the other day. But this concubine can say in all conscience that she has never shown the slightest neglect or harshness toward A’Shu or A’Xiao. And yet these two siblings both hold a grudge against this concubine, and now even my lord thinks this way of her. This concubine truly cannot go on living…”
As she spoke, she dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief, the very picture of aggrieved and pitiable helplessness.
On any ordinary day, the moment she put on this show of tearful distress, Ling Wuye would immediately soften.
Today, however, Ling Wuye furrowed his brows and said with displeasure, “Do you take me for a child of a few years with no brain, to be strung along however you like? If you had truly given your whole heart and effort, how could A’Shu and A’Xiao have grown so estranged from you? A’Shu has even insisted on having A’Xiao come and live with her, and has taken all his affairs into her own hands — she simply refuses to let you have any part in it.”
“Rather than reflecting on yourself, you shift blame onto the two of them — the audacity of you.”
Li Shi: “…”
Li Shi had not expected Ling Wuye to react this way in the slightest. She was simultaneously stunned and furious. “My lord, how can you say this? What has this concubine done wrong?”
Ling Wuye asked coldly, “That matter of A’Xiao’s fall and years of blindness back then — was it truly Xia Yiniang’s doing? Are you truly not involved at all?”
Caught utterly off guard, Li Shi’s complexion changed abruptly. Panic roiled within her, and she denied it instinctively. “Of course not! This concubine swears it before Heaven — she has never once done anything against A’Xiao. My lord must believe this concubine; she is innocent and without guilt.”
Had she been truly innocent, she would have long been weeping and protesting the injustice of it.
Thinking of the words Old Madam Ling had privately said to him, Ling Wuye’s own heart sank.
“…Fifth, you must not continue to be muddleheaded. Among the younger generation of our Ling Family, A’Shu is the one with the greatest promise. A’Xiao has been clever from childhood, and now that his eyes have been cured, with A’Shu taking pains on his behalf, his future prospects will certainly not be poor. You must not let these siblings go cold toward you for the sake of one Li Shi…”
Ling Wuye fixed Li Shi with an unwavering gaze for a long moment — a gaze so prolonged that Li Shi’s heart turned to ice. “That matter happened so many years ago now, and Xia Yiniang is dead — it can no longer be investigated. A’Shu has also said that she has no evidence, only suspicion. However, she will not allow you to have any part in A’Xiao’s affairs no matter what — Mother agreed to her, and I have also given my word.”
“She is A’Xiao’s twin elder sister, and she cherishes him like a precious jewel — she would never harm him. For A’Xiao’s future prospects and marriage to be handled by her, I have no misgivings. You are to refrain from interfering or asking about it.”
These words were nothing short of plunging a blade, with great force, straight into the raw and tender wound that was Li Shi’s pride.
Li Shi’s face went white, and her body swayed as if she might fall. “My lord — you also do not believe this concubine?”
“You bore Ling Fou, and you have managed the inner household all these years — that effort counts for something, even if it did not come to much. I will not cast you out — you may be at ease.”
Ling Wuye said coldly, “However, from this day forward, make your position clear to yourself. The things that are yours to manage, manage them. The things that are not yours to manage — do not so much as breathe a word about them. Otherwise, you will only be bringing humiliation upon yourself. And you cannot blame me then for showing you no love or mercy.”
With that, he turned and left with a sweep of his sleeve.
Left behind was Li Shi, utterly at a loss and dispirited, smashing everything within reach around the room, weeping in anguish.
……
Having received Wei Yan’s promise to “do his utmost,” Old Madam Ling’s heart settled somewhat for the time being. She set about personally preparing Ling Jingshu’s trousseau, while waiting for good news.
Before coming to the capital, Old Madam Ling had already made preparations. Aside from the properties, shops, and land estates that could not be sold, she had brought all the liquid silver she could mobilize to the capital — amounting in total to approximately two hundred thousand taels. She had originally set aside fifty thousand taels as Ling Jingshu’s dowry, with the remaining one hundred and fifty thousand taels earmarked for bribing her way toward rescuing someone.
Now, steeling herself, she kept back only fifty thousand taels, and devoted the other one hundred and fifty thousand to purchasing the trousseau.
It was too late to have furniture crafted from scratch, so she simply spent lavishly to purchase a set of exceptionally fine sandalwood furniture. Everything else she needed, she likewise spared no gold or silver in acquiring, buying only the very best.
Gold and silver ornaments, silks and brocades, precious medicinal herbs and tonics — there was nothing missing.
To show goodwill toward Ling Jingshu, Old Madam Ling had someone summon her and showed her the dowry list for her review.
Ling Jingshu smiled and did not decline, taking the list and unhurriedly leafing through it.
Old Madam Ling, suppressing the ache in her heart, smiled and said, “Look it over carefully. If there is anything genuinely missing, just say the word — I will have someone acquire it.”
Ling Jingshu looked at Old Madam Ling’s hypocritical smiling face and laughed inwardly in amusement.
This time, Old Madam Ling had really bled herself dry. Look at how warm and amiable that smile was — but who knew, she was probably in such pain inside that her heart was nearly dripping blood.
“Grandmother is always thorough in all she does — how could there be any oversights?” Ling Jingshu pressed her lips together in a smile.
Old Madam Ling’s heart relaxed slightly. She was just about to speak when she heard Ling Jingshu say with a somewhat awkward and hesitant murmur, “The things on the dowry list are all fine goods — together with what Her Majesty the Empress has bestowed, assembling forty-eight sedan-loads of dowry will be no problem whatsoever. It is only that this granddaughter has no ready silver of her own in hand. Going to the husband’s household with nothing in her purse… I fear there will not even be silver for tipping the servants.”
Old Madam Ling: “…”
Old Madam Ling had half a mind to cough up blood.
This Ling Jingshu — to have the flesh cut away was not enough; she was evidently going to strip off a layer of skin as well before she was satisfied.
“Am I asking for too much?” Ling Jingshu wore an expression of complete innocence and self-reproach. “If Grandmother feels it is not appropriate, just pretend I never said anything.”
Old Madam Ling finally managed to recover herself, and forced out a smile through sheer willpower. “It was this grandmother who did not think ahead properly. Do not worry — when the time comes, Grandmother will privately add two thousand taels in banknotes for you. A woman going to her husband’s household really must have some ready silver on hand — it does make things more convenient.”
Ling Jingshu’s face lit up with delighted surprise, and she expressed her gratitude again and again. “Grandmother is so generous — this granddaughter is quite unworthy of it.”
Old Madam Ling drew in a long breath and said with a kindly air, “This grandmother is giving it to you — take it without hesitation. What is there to feel unworthy of? Gold and silver are worldly things — you cannot take them with you at birth, and you cannot bring them along at death. This old woman of more than seventy years — if I do not give what is in my hands to all of you, am I to take it into the coffin with me?”
“This grandmother only hopes that you will have a good marriage, and that your life going forward will be a good one.”
Even Ling Jingshu could not help but privately admire Old Madam Ling.
For the sake of saving the Ling woman, Old Madam Ling had endured humiliation after humiliation, swallowing every last indignity without a single word of complaint.