Qiu Wu’s personal ornament, a gold-engraved ball, had fallen to the ground when he was seeking pleasure with that girl Ai Lian. Mo Zi took advantage of bending down to pick up a stone to also pick it up.
If Qiu Wu had been fooling around with a little maid from his own quarters, she wouldn’t have been so reckless. However, Ai Lian was Qiu Si’s only accepted room maid, and moreover one granted prestige by the madam. Rumors in the mansion said that Qiu Si doted on Ai Lian greatly, and that perhaps she would soon be elevated to concubine. Now that Qiu Wu had touched his own elder brother’s woman, it came very close to adultery between uncle and sister-in-law.
Therefore, whether this little thing would be useful or not entirely depended on her plans. But keeping it on her person, she also had to be careful not to invite trouble upon herself. It was best to hide it away and wait for the right opportunity.
“This is a man’s accessory.” Xiao Yi lacked Mo Zi’s perceptiveness and only saw thirty percent of it. She smiled mischievously, “Mo Zi…”
Without needing to guess, she knew nothing proper would follow. Mo Zi stuffed the gold ball into Xiao Yi’s hand, “The young miss gave orders, won’t you hurry and go?”
“Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Xiao Yi only followed Third Miss’s words. Her embroidered pouch and pointed embroidered shoes tapped once, and she was about to leave.
“Once you’ve put the thing away properly, hurry back. The madam is hosting guests tonight, and we’ll surely be needed to attend the young miss.” Mo Zi eliminated Xiao Yi’s half-day of rest rotation.
Xiao Yi agreed and went westward.
Mo Zi went off to find Bai He, which need not be mentioned.
Now speaking of Nanny An reporting back to Zhang Shi in the main garden.
“She’s using that square-eyed copper brazier you gave her before the new year, burning peony and lily incense. I smelled that it was still what Ninth Miss had someone send over the other day. The furnishings haven’t changed much, all sorts of utensils are the same as Sixth Miss and Seventh Miss. She’s wearing a cloud-wave skirt and a wide-sleeved robe with clustered flowers, precisely that set you had made.” She actually reported everything about Third Miss’s quarters in detail, even down to what Third Miss was wearing.
“In your view, is she putting on an act of obedience, or is she truly content with her station?” Seated above was a dignified middle-aged woman of graceful bearing, lightly blowing away the steam from her cup, taking small sips of her tonic. Her cloud-like hair was piled high, adorned with precious stones, golden hairpins, and silver trembling ornaments. Her fingers wore gold rings, her wrists a pair of pure white jade bracelets. She wore a blue-based pear blossom spring breeze skirt and a brocade multi-colored purple clouds from the east vest.
“Madam, we’ve checked the account books, not one is missing. The banknotes Third Miss handed over to you also match the general ledger. The one who checked the general ledger was my old man. We husband and wife have been with you as your dowry attendants all these years, and his abacus beads have never made an error.” Nanny An replied.
“You old woman, instead of speaking about truth or falsehood, you praise your own family first.” Zhang Shi pretended to glare, “By your meaning, Third Miss has become honest?”
“Well, madam, I’m stone-headed and can’t see clearly, don’t listen to me.” When a servant becomes cleverer than the master, good days come to an end. Nanny An deeply understood this principle.
“I think you really are getting a bit senile, and your heart is softer than before.” Zhang Shi suddenly laughed coldly, “How could our great Miss Qiu be so easily managed? The better she acts before me, the harder it is for me to trust her.”
“Then why do you still let the honored guests see her? To say nothing else, Third Miss’s appearance is one in a hundred. Sixth Miss and Seventh Miss fall far short. If she’s truly chosen…” Nanny An, who had watched Zhang Shi grow up from childhood, found her thoughts difficult to understand.
“What use is good appearance? Yu Qiong has always been indecisive, so naturally whichever one I say is good is good. It’s a pity Ninth Miss is too young, otherwise the fortune of marrying into Prince Jing’s mansion would belong to my own daughter.” Zhang Shi was quite regretful.
“Madam, people say there should be order of seniority. For a younger sister to marry before an older sister seems improper.” Nanny An wasn’t really helping Third Miss Qiu, just stating the facts.
“Once the date is set, we’ll just find someone for Third Miss. Let Third Miss marry before Sixth Miss, won’t that follow the rules?” Zhang Shi had it all figured out.
“You’re thinking of marrying Sixth Miss over there?” Nanny An saw Zhang Shi put down her cup and quickly went over to massage her arms.
Zhang Shi let Nanny An knead and press, comfortably narrowing her eyes, though unable to conceal their sharp gleam, “Seventh Miss is a pleasing person, usually attending to my every need, far more clever than her own mother. But Sixth Miss has a soft temperament, no schemes, and if she marries into the prince’s mansion in the future, I’ll still be able to control her.”
“Madam thinks so thoroughly.” To have Zhang Shi’s trust to this day, Nanny An’s mouth that knew when to speak and when to play dumb played a considerable role.
“Third Miss should have been sent away first, but this marriage is pressing for us. The border is currently unsettled, the two countries are at war, destroying six of our shops. The master has been so anxious about this that blood rushed to his heart, and he still cannot get out of bed.” Zhang Shi spoke truthfully to Nanny An.
“Madam, the border being unsettled is turmoil out there, it won’t reach the Great Zhou. Moreover, our Luo Zhou is in the south, quite far away.” Nanny An appropriately soothed her.
“But Luo Zhou is only three days by water from the Nande border. If they can fight in the north, can’t they fight in the south? Although the Great Zhou and Nande are currently on friendly terms, today one doesn’t know what tomorrow brings. If we can climb the connection to Prince Jing’s mansion, not to mention having support if we ever move to the capital in the future, even obtaining an official position tomorrow would be easier.” As a merchant’s wife, Zhang Shi was different from ordinary women, understanding changes in the situation.
“That’s why you’re the madam. Where would this old woman get such insight? Usually just managing the maids exhausts me.” Nanny An smiled while belittling herself, then her old eyes turned, and she worried on Zhang Shi’s behalf, “I only fear Third Miss won’t be easy to deal with.”
“Even if she’s not easy to deal with, didn’t she still have to hand over the account books and shops to my two sons? I think even if she’s hidden some away, it’s no more than a thousand taels of silver. When she marries, we’ll secretly deduct it from her dowry, what can she do to me? This time I’ll make her see who can truly be in charge of this household. Don’t think that just because she’s looked after the shops’ business for the family and has a little cleverness, she deserves great merit. Arranging Sixth Miss to the prince’s mansion, finding anyone to marry her off to—it’s all in my hands.” Zhang Shi had many schemes, but always fell slightly short compared to Third Miss Qiu. If Master Qiu hadn’t fallen ill and confused, she probably still couldn’t suppress Third Miss. Now that she alone had the final say in the Qiu household, she calculated in every way, wanting to drive Third Miss out empty-handed. This return home of her close friend Wei Qiongyu had given her a wonderful plan.
“Madam, this old woman has one matter she doesn’t understand, but doesn’t know if she should ask?” Nanny An lowered her brows and eyes, asking respectfully and deferentially.
“Speak.” Zhang Shi was in good spirits.
“The capital’s Prince Jing’s mansion, although they’re royalty by a different surname, they’re still a favorite before the emperor. Why would that princess consort’s legitimate third son look outside the capital for a marriage match?” Nanny An chose her words carefully.
“How would Qiongyu mention such things in a letter? But she said it’s a proper marriage, so I estimate it’s probably a proper and legitimate position as a secondary wife. Although we’re local gentry, even being a small concubine to Prince Jing’s legitimate son would count as marrying above our station. A secondary wife who goes on the family register, if she bears a son, he’d be raised under the primary wife’s name and could inherit property in the future. For Sixth Miss, it truly would be an enormous, enormous fortune.”
Nanny An thought to herself, yes indeed, a primary wife would be impossible no matter what.
With only Zhang Shi and Nanny An in the room, Zhang Shi also beckoned Nanny An close to whisper in her ear, “Quietly go find a matchmaker and have her recommend someone. Tell her she needn’t be too attentive. You understand?”
Though Nanny An followed her mistress in disliking Third Miss, having grown old and become a grandmother herself, she wasn’t as ruthless as before, and secretly sighed at Third Miss Qiu’s pitiable situation.
“Understood, understood, madam just leave it to me to handle.” However, pitiable as it might be, she dared not neglect Zhang Shi’s instructions.
“Madam, Fourth Madam and Fifth Madam have arrived.” A maid outside announced.
“Quickly, let them in.” Zhang Shi put on her mother-in-law’s face for her two daughters-in-law, all because their maternal families were wealthy.
She also gave Nanny An a meaningful look.
Nanny An quickly curtsied to the two madams, paid her respects, and went out. The blue gauze curtain fell behind her, and she heard Zhang Shi affectionately call out twice, “My dears.” Who knew that just as she turned the corner beneath a window, she was suddenly bumped in the waist.
“Trying to kill me, which blind one is charging about recklessly?” Nanny An’s waist was full of fat, where could it hurt?
An eight or nine-year-old little maid with two bun-style hair knots and pink lotus-colored silk ribbons called out sweetly to her, “Grandmother!”
What could she do about her own granddaughter? Nanny An could only watch helplessly as the little girl made a face and ran off.
The little thing ran as fast as the wind, and thus stirred a cluster of newly bloomed large flowers, deep purple like ink, beautiful and bright and vivid.
Among all peonies in the world, they are the king of flowers. Among Yuling peonies, the king among kings.
It was said that Fourth Master had spent a thousand gold pieces to obtain it from a friend’s home and presented it to Zhang Shi as a birthday gift—a famous variety among Yuling peonies—
Mo Zi.