Yining lay in bed, unable to sleep for a long time. She didn’t even know why she couldn’t sleep.
She just stared at the patterns on the ceiling, feeling no trace of drowsiness.
Luo Shen Yuan loosened the collar of his court robes and changed into a simple garment before coming over. “Why aren’t you asleep yet? Was the wedding banquet fun today? I heard you went to tease the newlyweds?”
Given his controlling nature, he must have had one of her maids secretly reporting to him, likely a second or third-tier maid. He knew Yining’s reservations and would never use a first-tier maid as an informant. Otherwise, how could he be so well-informed about her affairs? Yining suddenly thought of Songzhi, but he was just concerned about her. She decided not to dwell on this kind of supervision.
Luo Shen Yuan lay down beside her, leaning against the pillow. Today was Cheng Lang’s wedding, which she had witnessed firsthand. Yet she couldn’t sleep after returning? He opened his book and said calmly, “Not talking to me, hm?”
“It’s not that…” How could she dare not speak to him?
Seeing that Luo Shen Yuan seemed a bit displeased, Yining sighed, “It’s just that seeing Cousin Cheng Lang get married stirred something in me. I can’t believe he married Xie Yun.”
The room fell silent for a moment. Luo Shen Yuan put down his book on water systems: “Did you want to marry him?”
“Of course not…” Yining was puzzled by where his thoughts had gone.
“Then what could have stirred you?” Luo Shen Yuan picked up his book again. “You should visit the Cheng family less in the future. Stay at home and do some needlework. Winter is coming; make me a pair of winter shoes and socks.”
Yining asked curiously, “Didn’t you ask for a cloak a few days ago?” She had spent half a day just choosing the pattern, and then selecting the fabric. Silk, gray squirrel fur, fox fur – she had only settled on the materials yesterday.
She turned to him and held his arm, asking, “Don’t you want the cloak anymore? I’ve just chosen gray squirrel fur for the outer layer and Lu silk for the lining. Lu silk is comfortable to wear. If you don’t want it, should I make your shoes and socks instead?”
“I want both. Take your time making them,” Luo Shen Yuan stiffened. As this little girl tried to grow taller, her height hadn’t increased much, but her chest had become much fuller. With just a glance down, he could see the curves of her breasts and her jade-like soft skin. Her slender wrist holding onto him felt as soft as cotton.
He wondered how it would feel to hold her in his palm.
Luo Shen Yuan’s grip on the book tightened. Sleeping with separate quilts was indeed the right decision. Otherwise, with such a soft jade in his arms, even with his great self-control, it would be difficult to resist.
Ordinary men wouldn’t face such a dilemma – unable to touch their wives. Who else had a wife who was also a young sister? He could only wait for her to grow up a bit more.
Fortunately, Yining soon let go of him and lay back on the quilt embroidered with a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix. She asked, “Third Brother, I’ve never seen your workplace. I hear it’s in the Imperial City. Are the Six Ministries’ offices large?”
“The Six Ministries are located in the Thousand-Step Corridor behind the Zhongzhi Gate. One side is for civil officials, the other for military officials. It’s not very large within the Imperial City. The Ministry of Works has over a hundred people and occupies a considerable part of the Thousand-Step Corridor, so it’s not small,” Luo Shen Yuan said. “Do you want to see it?”
The offices were full of men; how could a woman visit conveniently?
“Never mind, how could I go there?” Thinking of the day he drank and played chess with the courtesans at Lotus Pond, she asked after a while, “Do you have many social engagements?”
“Court affairs are busy. Occasionally, I go out with some ministers and vice ministers, mostly to discuss matters that can’t be talked about in the office. It’s not very often,” he explained. As for where they went, it was better not to tell her.
Yining closed her eyes: “Mm, then drink less alcohol…”
As they talked, she finally felt drowsy and unconsciously moved closer to his side. Her fingers resting on the pillow were slender and white, with translucent oval nails tinged with a faint pink. He picked up her hand, spreading it in his palm like a small animal’s paw. After looking at it for a while, he tucked it back under the quilt to keep it warm.
Having her curled up beside him gave him a sense of peace.
Luo Shen Yuan thought of today’s court session, where Lu Jiaxue reported the successful capture of Zeng Yingkun.
When he married Luo Yining, Lu Jiaxue used a decoy to lure out Zeng Yingkun’s guards, providing living evidence. Later, eight charges were brought against Zeng Yingkun, leading to his capture in Datong. He was now being escorted to the capital.
The last time Wei Ling asked him about this matter, it couldn’t have been so simple. Someone must have leaked information to him.
It must be Lu Jiaxue who knew about this, but it was uncertain whether he would use this information. Lu Jiaxue’s attitude towards him was both friendly and adversarial, seeming to want to draw him in while also appearing indifferent.
Luo Shen Yuan pondered slowly, considering every possible outcome.
A few days later, Yining had nearly finished the cloak, though she hadn’t yet added the fur trim. Luo Yixiu brought over several boxes of peach cakes to visit her, saying, “I’m leaving tomorrow.”
“So soon? Did your husband come to get you?” Yining pushed the peach shortbread Yixiu liked toward her, encouraging her to eat more.
“No,” Yixiu said sulkily. “He didn’t come for me, but I have legs. I can walk back on my own.”
Though Luo Yixiu and Luo Yiyu had different personalities, they were equally stubborn. Returning to her parent’s home in anger and going back dejected seemed too pitiful.
“Didn’t Aunt say anything? Is she allowing him to take a concubine?” Yining asked.
Yixiu shook her head: “What can my mother say? The two concubines in our family were both elevated from her maids. My mother said Yun Niang is obedient, so taking her as a concubine is fine. In the future, Yun Niang’s children will be registered under my name. I’m the main wife, and Yun Niang is my maid. She wouldn’t dare to cause trouble. Mother told me to be more accommodating, and he’ll care for me more. Continuing to be at odds puts me in the wrong.”
“That’s true,” Yining could only sigh and say, “You can’t control whether he takes a concubine. Just manage the household well, and he’ll naturally respect you. Didn’t you learn to keep accounts with your mother before? Go serve Old Madam Zhu respectfully and take over these household matters.”
Luo Yiyu noted down everything she said; her seventh sister’s mind was indeed sharper than hers.
“Did your Third Brother have someone serving him before?” Yixiu suddenly remembered something and leaned in closer to say, “I think you should be careful of those maids. When they come of age, they’ll be married off to servants. If they climb into your Third Brother’s bed and become concubines, it’s a huge step up. I remember those girls were all quite pretty, especially the one called Fujiang. Let me tell you, not consummating the marriage won’t do. Forget about coming of age or not, you should just climb onto him at night…”
Yining stuffed a piece of cake into her mouth: “Just eat your food!”
Yixiu washed it down with a cup of tea and continued: “But don’t worry about me. My husband treats me quite well usually. If he wants to take a concubine, so be it. He likes Yun Niang quite a bit.”
She seemed to be taking it well, which was good. Wasn’t Lin Hairu also happy, even having little Nan?
Yixiu had come to invite her to have tea and watch a play at Jude Manor in De Yin Alley: “…Several of the Cheng family sisters-in-law are going. It’s quite lively. My mother said she’d bring the two sisters-in-law. You should come too!”
She urged Yining to put away the cloak she was working on and go with her to De Yin Alley.
Yining had heard of the Jude Manor tea house. It was said to have several of the world’s finest teas, some of which were rarely tasted outside. Although she didn’t care much for plays, she loved tea, and participating in social gatherings of noble families was always beneficial. She was somewhat tempted, but besides making the cloak, she also had the task of making two pairs of winter socks, as winter was approaching.
Yixiu insisted she goes out: “You’re as lazy as ever! Always cooped up at home, I think you’re going to grow mold.” She dragged her to say goodbye to Lin Hairu and then to the Jude Manor tea house.
At Jude Manor, they found it decorated with winding streams for floating wine cups, exquisitely elegant. In the second-floor private rooms, beautiful maids brewed tea publicly. Many ladies were there tasting tea.
The Cheng family sisters-in-law were indeed present. The First Madam Cheng, the County Princess of Danyang, was not talkative and focused on drinking tea.
Yining observed that Xie Yun seemed to be at odds with this First Madam Cheng, her expression constantly unfriendly.
When the play menu was brought up, the maids offered it to the two of them to choose first. They both declined, creating an awkward moment.
The Second Madam Cheng awkwardly tried to mediate between them. She couldn’t afford to offend either the First Madam Cheng or Xie Yun, so she had to try to please both. These two were of extremely high status, naturally disliking each other. When the big ghosts fight, the little ghosts suffer – and wasn’t she the peacemaker caught in the middle?
These two had naturally clashing personalities. The First Madam Cheng despised Xie Yun for putting on airs with her mere status as the Empress’s niece, while Xie Yun scorned the First Madam Cheng for daring to claim she was well-read when she had little education. Even after studying for so many years, Xie Yun wouldn’t dare claim to be well-read!
In short, Xie Yun had been picking fights with her elder sister-in-law for the past two days. She was incredibly clever, but the First Madam Cheng was no pushover either. Back in her maiden home, she had fought so fiercely that her sisters would hide at the sight of her – she was renowned for it. Xie Yun still lacked some experience and couldn’t outmaneuver the First Madam Cheng. Her face was as cold as frost, and she barely diverted her attention when Luo Yining arrived.
The First Madam Cheng didn’t pay much attention to Luo Yining either, but when she heard that Yining was a young lady from the Marquis Ying’s household, she glanced at her again and asked, unusually, “I remember the young lady from Marquis Ying’s household is the adopted daughter of General Lu, the Lu Daren, right?”
Luo Yining was surprised that the County Princess knew this. After all, her status as an adopted daughter wasn’t widely known.
The First Madam Cheng explained, “When I was young, I lived with the Empress… now the Empress Dowager. One autumn during a hunting trip, I was charged by a horse, and it was the General who saved me. That’s why I call him Fourth Uncle. The Empress Dowager told me about it.”
The First Madam Cheng was about twenty-five or twenty-six, still quite young. She immediately called a maid, “…Bring Hanyang Mist Tea for Third Madam Luo. How could we serve her Liu An Melon Slice Tea?”
Yining hadn’t expected to receive such preferential treatment from the First Madam Cheng and thanked her with a smile.
The First Madam Cheng said quite kindly, “Since you’re General Lu’s adopted daughter, there’s no need for formalities.”
Seeing this, Xie Yun felt even more upset. This First Madam Cheng was deliberately going against her; they were simply born with clashing destinies. Even at breakfast at home, when they went to pay respects to Old Master Cheng and ate together if she liked porridge, the First Madam would insist on noodles. If she said the cucumber salad was delicious, the First Madam would say today’s cucumbers weren’t fresh. She thought Jude Manor was just a boring attempt at refinement, yet the First Madam Cheng had brought everyone here.
Xie Yun smiled subtly and stood up, saying she wanted to take a walk. She opened the door first and left with her maids surrounding her.
Yining, seeing that the play had started and not wanting to stay long, followed out the door, intending to take a closer look at the layout of the restaurant. She had only glanced at it briefly earlier and wanted to examine the exquisite arrangements more carefully.
Yining brought Zhenzhu and a few others out and walked along the corridor, admiring the decor of Jude Manor. Suddenly, she heard the rustle of conversation. Turning her head towards the sound, she discovered a richly dressed man talking to Xie Yun by the side of a flower hall.
Xie Yun wasn’t responding much to him, but the man persisted, continuing to say something. Xie Yun, impatient to leave, pushed away his hand when he tried to grab hers: “Aren’t you tired of this? I’m already married.”
The maids accompanying Xie Yun stepped forward to block the man, allowing her to escape.
Zhenzhu, at Yining’s side, said, “Madam, that’s Xu Yong, the eldest son of the Xu Marquis family. I heard he fell in love with Miss Xie at first sight and often pester her. The Xu family dotes on their eldest son, and no one can do anything about him…”
Yining was intrigued. Wasn’t this eldest son’s youngest aunt supposed to marry her father? She hadn’t expected this development.
Xie Yun was already married, yet he still pursued her – he was truly a scoundrel.
As they were speaking, Xie Yun was already walking in Yining’s direction. Xu Yong, the eldest son of the Xu Marquis, was indeed handsome and richly dressed, following her closely step by step.
Xie Yun’s displeasure was evident when she saw Yining. She managed a polite smile and nod before her expression turned cold again as she walked past. Yining, seeing there was no more drama to observe, nodded slightly in return and continued walking towards the back.
Xu Yong, noticing Yining walking towards the back garden but not seeing her face, pulled one of Xie Yun’s maids aside and asked, “Who is that? Why does Miss Xie seem so unwilling to see her?”
“She’s the one who upset our Miss,” the maid said in a low voice. “Otherwise, why would our Miss be so impatient with you, young master? I must go now.”
Xu Yong, as the eldest son, was greatly spoiled by his grandmother and used to doing as he pleased. Hearing that someone had upset his beauty, he immediately frowned and smiled at the maid, “Since she’s upset Miss Xie, I’ll help Miss Xie this time. You can tell Miss Xie later to remember my good deed.” With that, he fanned himself and followed towards the back garden.
Another maid said to the one who had spoken, “How dare you! This Xu Yong is a troublemaker! Who knows what he might do? Third Madam Luo’s family is powerful too, with her father being Marquis Ying and her husband being Lord Luo, the Vice Minister of Works. If something happens and it’s blamed on our Miss, what will you do?”
The maid who had spoken dismissed her concerns, “What could happen? I saw she still had maids with her.”
As they spoke, they walked further away.