After listening to Mo Zi’s account, Yuan Cheng pondered deeply.
Mo Zi continued, “If the Wang family is colluding with Daqiu, what could be the reason? And Chen Niang’s matter—was it only to mock my origins? I always feel like there’s a missing link somewhere.”
“You think the Wang family isn’t doing it for money, but perhaps their wealth comes from transactions that can’t see the light of day. How many people in Great Zhou are still secretly conducting business with Daqiu? Ten hands couldn’t count them all. Chen Niang’s affair indeed bears traces of entrapment, and we can even deduce it was at the Empress’s instigation. The reason is also knowable—most likely related to Xiao Wei. Originally the plan was quite good: their own niece would marry into Prince Jing’s household, the Wang and Xiao families would become in-laws, power among the powerful, nobility among the noble. You threw a wrench in those works, and now Xiao Wei remains unmarried while Wang Shi Niang’s marriage prospects are obstructed. For the Empress to humiliate you over this is within reason. That time she summoned you to the palace was to warn you not to harbor improper thoughts about Xiao Wei, which shows she’s not as magnanimous and virtuous as the rumors suggest—she can’t escape the struggle for family interests. Whether there’s any connection between these two matters is hard to say without further investigation. I can’t think of anything at the moment, nor can I hypothesize. I need to discuss it with Zhang Zhen and Su Lan.” Yuan Cheng never pretended to know more than he did.
“Actually, what concerns me are those words Wang Yang spoke before he died. Somehow, the more I think about it, the more it gives me goosebumps. He said the Wang family would suffer a catastrophic disaster and asked me to save Shi Niang, as if it were a prophecy.” Once she recalled it, her heart was unsettled.
“When a person is about to die, their words are kind. He was also your grandfather—it should have been sincere.” Yuan Cheng mentioned the term “grandfather.”
Blood relations were difficult to completely sever. How could Mo Zi not feel wistful? “If it’s private dealings with Daqiu, Wang He should be leading it. With the Emperor’s benevolence, innocent people wouldn’t be implicated—would that warrant describing it as a catastrophic disaster?”
“Unless it’s treason,” Yuan Cheng stated plainly.
“Treason?” Mo Zi was stunned. “That’s impossible. The Wang family are civil officials with no military authority. They also lack imperial bloodline. Without legitimate cause, treason would be self-destruction. Life is going well—why would they look for trouble?” It didn’t make sense.
“You do have half the Wang family’s blood after all—unconsciously speaking up for your own people.” Yuan Cheng smiled. “I’m merely thinking along the lines of Wang Yang’s dying words.”
“I’m not speaking up for them. I just feel there’s no inevitability to it.” Mo Zi thought she was being quite objective.
“According to your thinking, as long as one has three meals a day, clothes for all four seasons, and one sturdy big wooden boat, one should be satisfied.” But Yuan Cheng was suggesting Mo Zi was being subjective.
Mo Zi knew he was right. Everyone pursues different things; one couldn’t generalize.
“I asked Chen Niang to help keep watch, but she can barely protect herself—we shouldn’t expect too much. You’ve always been good at placing spies and gathering intelligence. Do you have anyone in the Wang household? What about with the Empress?” Currently there were no other effective means, only surveillance.
“I do have someone, but they’re not trusted—only working on the periphery.” Thinking about it this way, the Wang family and the Empress were truly very careful. Such watertight security only proved there was something fishy going on.
Yuan Cheng walked to Mo Zi’s side and reached out to massage the knot between her brows. “Don’t trouble yourself. I’ll find a way to investigate this clearly.”
Mo Zi leaned her head against him, comfortably enjoying her husband’s massage. “They say having a child makes you stupid for three years—my brain really isn’t working anymore.”
Yuan Cheng laughed heartily and changed the subject to idle talk, pulling away from these troublesome matters.
Several days later, Chen Niang sent word through Zan Jin that she hadn’t seen that Daqiu person again, and the lead had temporarily gone cold. After the chrysanthemum-viewing banquet, Mo Zi was also too lazy to engage in more social activities. She claimed illness to the outside world, saying she wasn’t acclimated, letting Yuan Cheng single-handedly weather the storms from all directions. She didn’t pretend to be sick while actually being active either. Once she left the Yuan estate, who knew how many eyes would be watching her, so she obediently stayed home.
On this day, her good sisters came to visit. Except for Yang Qiao who wasn’t in the capital, Hong Mei who was with her, and Chen Niang who couldn’t leave, Sanniang, Bai He, Lu Ju, Wu You, Sister Xiu, and Luo Niang all arrived. As soon as they entered, they dismissed the maids and matrons they’d brought to the courtyard outside.
“Isn’t Hong Mei with you?” With no maids in the residence, the kitchen sent over a table full of food. With tea brewing on the side, they served themselves.
“The salt fields can’t be left unattended. Who told you to come at the busiest time?” Qiu Sanniang had opened two salt fields. With the Emperor’s special permission to operate and as the court’s designated salt merchant, she earned gold by the bushel daily.
“When are you ever not busy? I’m telling you, hurry up and get pregnant again. This time it must be a son, so your mother-in-law won’t look for concubines for your husband.” Sister Xiu was surrounded by a group of little maids and boys. Sister Xiu’s daughter was the oldest and helped look after them, very well-behaved.
Except for Lu Ju, they were all mothers. Luo Niang was even the mother of two children, having given birth to a boy and a girl. This woman had perhaps suffered too much in her first twenty years, so Heaven was compensating her with extraordinary generosity.
“Daughters are good—they’re caring,” Qiu Sanniang said lightly.
Mo Zi’s eyes were sharp. Seeing her raise an eyebrow, she knew it wasn’t as light as she made it sound. “How is it that you can’t escape mothers-in-law anywhere?”
Qiu Sanniang pouted. “You escaped, and so did Bai He. Remember this—when choosing a son-in-law for your daughter in the future, pick one without a mother.”
Luo Niang was working hard to repair relations with her husband’s family and laughed in shock at these words. “Not all mothers-in-law are like that.”
Sister Xiu threw cold water on it. “You’re asking for trouble. Your husband finally had the resolve to separate from his family, yet you insist on getting close to them. Good people suffer losses—do you understand?”
Luo Niang was kind-hearted and only smiled without complaining.
Mo Zi helped hold Bai He’s big-headed little girl, listening to them chat. From their scattered words, she pieced together the complete picture, feeling how much she’d missed these gatherings of gossiping women. Though she didn’t like household intrigues, she very much welcomed gossip. When women were bitter and resentful, chattering on for a bit could relieve psychological pressure and benefit physical and mental health.
“The mother-in-law problem is still easy to solve—separate the household and live independently. If they send concubines, unless I give the word, who dares accept them? My natal family is the real trouble. Father is gravely ill, and my stepmother comes every two or three days demanding money. I send her good physicians and good medicine, but she appreciates none of it. The Qiu family’s shops lost so much money they nearly closed their doors. The field rents can’t be collected until year’s end—such a huge family fortune, and it’s declining just like that. Just yesterday I returned, and last night they had someone fetch me, you know what for?” Qiu Sanniang’s cat-eyes finally settled on Mo Zi.
Mo Zi understood. “Could it be they’re targeting Hong Yu?”
Qiu Sanniang clapped her hands. “Worthy of being the one who understands me best. Father probably let slip some information, and they found out it’s making big money. They’re shamelessly demanding I return the ancestral business. I said it was sold, and they got right in my face, saying I’m unfilial. They made a fuss until the middle of the night and angered Sanlang, who had people throw them out. It was hilarious.”
Mo Zi secretly felt fortunate—not for Hong Yu, but for Sanniang and her husband’s harmony. She knew that she had played a key role in making this marriage happen. During that time, how much entanglement, how much distress, all from fear that she had harmed Sanniang for life.
“Is your father’s illness better?” Wu You asked.
Qiu Sanniang shook her head. “This time I’m afraid he really won’t make it.” But her wings had grown full—she had a husband and a career, and no longer needed to fear her stepmother’s schemes.
“Then fulfill your final filial duty, and after he’s gone, deal with your natal family,” Wu You offered golden advice. “After all, he’s your birth father. Don’t let your stepmother use this to slander you, or your face-conscious grandmother and mother-in-law will seize the opportunity.”
“I know. I’m enduring, holding back, and waiting.” Qiu Sanniang respected Wu You’s opinion greatly. She peeled a green tangerine for her, then said to Mo Zi, “Sister Wu You is expecting again.”
Mo Zi repeatedly offered congratulations.
“I didn’t want to have more, but these few kept nagging.” Wu You was somewhat helpless, somewhat joyful.
“Your father-in-law and mother-in-law have passed away—can that side still control your husband? Now that you’re together morning and night, if you don’t have several more children, you’re losing out.” Qiu Sanniang spoke half-jokingly.
“I also feel one must be magnanimous. Sister Wu You has yielded to the principal wife for many years, yet she’s become worse, even refusing to spare a newborn baby. Really can’t yield anymore.” Even Bai He couldn’t help but advocate for justice.
Mo Zi roughly guessed the cause and effect and didn’t ask in detail, only asking about what concerned her most: “Chen Niang’s matter—how much do you know?”
At these words, everyone fell silent.
It was eldest sister Wu You who spoke first. “This happened too suddenly. In the morning, Chen Niang’s brother brought people to bind and take her away. Chen Niang’s maid sent word to Sister Xiu, and Sister Xiu had Xu Jiu’s subordinates block the road. Chen Niang decided to report to the authorities, but who knew they would actually say she must obey her brother and couldn’t complain about being sold. That wasn’t all—they turned around and accused her of crimes, and by afternoon she’d become an official courtesan who could never be redeemed for life. Sanniang and I received the news and rushed back, but she’d already entered the Wang residence. We mobilized all our connections in official circles, but it was no use. She can’t be redeemed, can’t be bought, can’t even be visited—the person just disappeared like a stone sinking into the sea.”
“Sanlang said that even if Wang Ting released Chen Niang, she’d still have to be an official courtesan. Once entered into this registry, only the Emperor’s special pardon can change it. To petition the Emperor for such a matter, one’s official hat would be hard to preserve. The Emperor would think it’s indulgence in feminine beauty and would certainly punish the offense.” Sanniang had also tried her best. “You’ve only been back a few days—how did you find out? Did Lu Ju tell you?”
Lu Ju waved her hands. “I didn’t say anything. You all instructed me not to make Mo Zi furious the moment we met, so I said nothing.”
“It wasn’t Lu Ju. The first day didn’t anger me, but the third day did.” She roughly recounted the chrysanthemum-viewing banquet.
“What a disaster from nowhere. How did Chen Niang end up with such a brother? He’s simply not human.” Luo Niang rarely spoke harsh words.
“At least Wang Ting treats Chen Niang quite well,” Bai He said optimistically.
“If you ask me, we need to use martial world methods. Wu You, talk to Alliance Leader Fu. He has many experts around him. Send people at night to rescue Chen Niang, and from then on they can fly far away together.” Sister Xiu spoke with righteous fervor.
“The hardest part isn’t these things, but that Chen Niang is unwilling to leave.” Wu You had been through it herself and understood better than anyone. “Isn’t that right, Mo Zi? With your ability as Song Land’s first lady, as long as you ask the Emperor for a songstress, the Emperor will definitely agree.” She was the only one who could speak to the Emperor without bringing misfortune.
“Yes, she said she wants to stay until the princess enters the door.” Mo Zi thought that was just an excuse, Chen Niang deceiving herself.
“By then, you’ll be gone—distant water can’t put out a nearby fire,” Qiu Sanniang said, exposing the truth in one sentence.
“Right now, what I fear isn’t these things.” But rather the conspiracy stirring in the shadows.