Mama Chen was left speechless by her question, thinking hard for quite a while.
“Once the old madam got old, somehow she managed things a bit too much. The two masters were raised at their legitimate mother’s side since childhood—how could they be managed by her?”
“So that’s why you advised her children and grandchildren have their own blessings?”
“Miss Yan, why do old people’s eyes grow dim and ears slowly go deaf? It’s because Heaven tells them to mind less business.”
Mama Chen smiled bitterly. “Minding less business means not being disliked. Don’t you agree with this principle?”
“I agree.”
Yan Sanhe suddenly changed topics again. “So when Madam Ning’s daughter was to become the Crown Prince’s concubine and the old madam voiced opposition—that also counted as meddling?”
Mama Chen hadn’t expected her to suddenly raise this matter. After thinking, she shook her head, then nodded.
Pei Xiao was dying of anxiety watching. “Mama Chen, why are you both shaking and nodding your head? What do you mean?”
“Young Master Biao.”
Mama Chen sighed deeply. “This matter the old madam discussed with me. Better to be a commoner’s wife than a wealthy family’s concubine—being a concubine is hard!”
Mama Chen knew well how hard it was to be a concubine.
Others only saw the old madam’s steady rise. Only she saw clearly how much grievance the old madam suffered along this path, how much hardship she endured, how many tears she shed.
Setting aside everything else, in the two months before the Grand Matriarch’s death when she couldn’t pass stool, it was the old madam who manually extracted it bit by bit.
This filthy work—even biological children couldn’t do it.
“Precisely because the old madam knew in her heart how hard it was, you see among the Ji manor’s young ladies—which one wasn’t properly married through the main gate with eight sedan chairs into her husband’s family?”
Mama Chen wiped tears with her handkerchief. “But the other party was the Crown Prince’s manor. This old woman advised: Old Madam, the Crown Prince’s manor doesn’t call them concubines—they’re called secondary consorts.
In the future when the Crown Prince ascends, that’s a proper lady in the palace. If she bears a son or daughter, this future, this boundless wealth and glory—how many women under heaven could encounter this?
Moreover, once Fifth Miss becomes a secondary consort, the Ji manor would truly be connected to the Crown Prince’s manor. Isn’t this better than going roundabout trying to curry favor with the Zhang family?
This would also help Eldest Master and Second Master’s official careers!”
When the last word fell, everyone’s eyes—including Yan Sanhe’s—fixed firmly on Mama Chen.
At this moment, they finally understood why the old madam had only her as a confidante.
This old woman saw clearly!
Yan Sanhe narrowed her eyes very slightly. “With so many benefits, why did the old madam still strongly oppose it?”
Mama Chen met Yan Sanhe’s gaze.
“The old madam said: Anyone can calculate advantages when the wind is favorable. If the lady bears a son or daughter and the son catches the Crown Prince’s eye, wouldn’t our Ji family become even richer and nobler?”
These words shocked both Xie Zhifei and Pei Xiao.
Before they could react, they heard Mama Chen continue: “She said: The Ji family ancestral grave hasn’t smoked with such fortune. Even if it did, the Ji family doesn’t have the fate for such great wealth and nobility. Better to live peacefully and steadily—don’t push Fifth Girl into a fire pit.”
Yan Sanhe asked, “She didn’t care at all about offending the Zhang family?”
“Miss Yan, this old woman asked the same thing. The old madam said the Zhang family had no good intentions—otherwise why wouldn’t they send their own daughter in?”
Mama Chen continued: “The old madam also said Eldest Master and Second Master were still useful to the Zhang family. They couldn’t be offended for the time being—what was there to fear!”
Hearing this, Yan Sanhe instinctively looked up at Xie Zhifei.
Xie Zhifei looked back at her, his expression cracking bit by bit.
An illiterate old madam of the inner residence who never stepped outside the main or secondary gates had incisively identified the relationship between the Ji and Zhang families?
This…
He couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Why were women nowadays all cleverer than men? What hidden depths were there?
There were tremendous hidden depths. Yan Sanhe was also pondering this inwardly at the moment.
“Third Master Xie?”
“Speak.”
“Would the Xie manor discuss court matters with the old ancestor?”
“No!”
Xie Zhifei answered decisively. “My father says: Women have long hair and short vision. Telling them more would only cause trouble.”
“Is this the custom throughout the capital?”
“Not just the capital’s custom—this is how the world works.”
Men managed external affairs, women internal—a wall separated inside and outside. Husband and wife rarely crossed that boundary even half a step.
Xie Zhifei reached out and touched Pei Xiao. “The Ji manor should be the same, right?”
“Absolutely!”
Pei Xiao added another sentence. “Unless my uncles’ words were overheard by my maternal grandmother. But that’s impossible—my eldest uncle is so careful!”
“Young Master Biao, the old madam was clever. Though illiterate, no one had better memory than her.”
Mama Chen sighed. “The old madam often said: People must watch more, listen more, speak less. Speaking too much not only seems foolish but lets others see your thoughts.”
Pei Xiao’s face paled somewhat, his expression dazed for a while.
Eldest Uncle, Third Aunt, was the old madam Mama Chen described the same person I knew?
Why did I seem like a fool knowing nothing at all?
Yan Sanhe’s mind also churned with countless thoughts.
In Ji Lingchuan’s words, the old madam was calculating.
In Madam Ning’s words, the old madam showed different faces in public and private.
In Mama Chen’s words, the old madam was perceptive and worldly.
Three people with different perspectives said different things, but together they proved one matter: the old madam absolutely wasn’t an ordinary inner residence old madam.
This person had schemes when she wanted schemes, methods when she wanted methods, ruthlessness when she wanted ruthlessness. Her caliber exceeded Old Madam Xie’s by who knew how many times.
Such a person—no matter how Yan Sanhe looked at her from any angle, she couldn’t connect her to a fisherman’s daughter.
“Miss Yan, is there anything else to ask?”
After speaking, Mama Chen covered her mouth and yawned. “Old age means light sleep and inability to stay up late. Can’t compare to youth when I could keep vigil all night.”
What to ask?
Yan Sanhe herself didn’t know. Everything that should and shouldn’t be asked had been asked. Everything everyone could and couldn’t say had been said.
Yet she still hadn’t touched upon anything related to the old madam’s obsessive thoughts becoming demonic.
“Mama Chen, hold on a bit longer.”
Yan Sanhe couldn’t let her leave. “Tell me more about other matters concerning the old madam.”
“What should this old woman say?” Mama Chen was also confused.
Yan Sanhe asked casually, “Why did the old madam like sitting by Heart Lake?”
Mama Chen: “She said it was quiet there.”
Yan Sanhe: “Before the Ji manor had Heart Lake, where did she like to stroll?”
“The old madam didn’t like strolling anywhere—just liked wandering around the vegetable garden.”
Mama Chen suddenly thought of something and smiled. “Sometimes the old madam would even complain Xiaohong’s vegetable planting wasn’t good and liked to work with her own hands.”
“Really?”
“Yes! Especially when tender shoots sprouted, she’d wish she could go to the vegetable garden three to five times a day, repeatedly instructing Xiaohong left and right to watch carefully and not let anyone steal them.”
Mama Chen laughed. “This old woman listening at the side found it amusing.”
“How could one not be amused?”
Yan Sanhe also laughed with her. “Who would dare steal vegetables the old madam planted? Were they that bold?”
Mama Chen’s eyes suddenly went blank.
Seeing this blank look, Yan Sanhe instinctively felt something wrong. “Mama Chen, did you think of something?”