“It’s already been given. That lowly maid from the Cao Family is now a member of the He household — I have every means to quietly deal with her behind closed doors.” The old woman laughed mockingly. “The Cao Family thinks they can lean on their sister and daughter to keep bleeding the He Family dry. It won’t be that easy.”

……

The He Family, whom the grandmother and granddaughter had just been discussing, was now in the midst of a bustling flurry of activity, packing trunks and bundling luggage. They had been at it for several days and were nearly done. Yet inside the main hall of the He Family’s central courtyard, the atmosphere was glacially cold.

There were five people in the room. Old Madam He sat upright at the head, with two trusted housekeeper women standing on either side of her. Kneeling before her were two women — He’s mother and Cao Jinxiu — both with faces streaked in tears.

“Mother, I beg you!” He’s mother wept. “If this daughter-in-law has done something wrong, punish me however you see fit — but please do not treat Jing’er this way!”

“How would I dare punish you?” Old Madam He’s face was like frost. “You are Hong’er’s birth mother, and no one dares contradict you. You decide who he marries, who he takes as a concubine — I would not dare stand in your way. But since Cao Yiniang has entered my household, she falls under my authority. Very well then — Cao Yiniang, stop sitting there in a daze. Go back and pack your things at once. In a few days, you will set out with me and return to our ancestral home in Baishitan!”

Cao Jinxiu was so frightened her face turned ashen. She had never imagined things would come to this. She shrank back and stammered, “No, no — I beg you, I cannot bear to leave my aunt. With my cousin away right now, I need to look after her!”

Old Madam He’s expression was scornful. “That is no concern of yours. Your cousin has been away for long stretches at a time over the years, and your aunt has not perished yet. Are you implying that you, a niece, are more essential to her than her own son? She managed to survive before, and she will manage again.”

He’s mother felt the chill in those words and raised her head slightly, only to meet Old Madam He’s gaze — cold as stone, burning with fury. She understood then that her mother-in-law no longer held any affection for her. Twenty years of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relations had come to an end. She could not help but crumple to the ground, and no one moved to help her up — only Cao Jinxiu wailed and cried out to heaven.

Old Madam He watched the two of them with icy composure. “I will make myself perfectly clear today. Cao Yiniang, I am taking you away without exception. She has ruined a perfectly good marriage prospect for Hong’er — I cannot allow her to ruin his entire life. I have already found Hong’er a match. The young woman also comes from a family of physicians. Though her family name is not prominent, she is capable, spirited, and sharp — well suited to managing a household. Her father passed away not long ago, and she is still in mourning. I’ve calculated the timing: when Hong’er returns in about a year, the period of mourning will have ended, and the wedding can proceed.”

Cao Jinxiu felt as if her heart were being ripped apart. She stared at Old Madam He in disbelief. “You — you have already arranged a marriage for my cousin? This quickly?!”

“Indeed.” Old Madam He looked at her with undisguised contempt. “And that is precisely why I cannot allow you to remain here, making trouble for the young couple and stirring up chaos within the He household.”

“I would never cause trouble for him or his wife!” Cao Jinxiu immediately recovered her wits and kowtowed repeatedly. “I will serve my cousin and his wife faithfully, and we will live together as sisters.”

He’s mother also pleaded tearfully, “Mother, Jing’er has already said as much — surely you can…”

“I do not believe it!” Old Madam He said flatly. “Neither of you do I trust.”

Cao Jinxiu and He’s mother stared at Old Madam He in terror, listening as she spoke slowly and deliberately. “I remember this clearly. When Cao Yiniang first entered the household, the Cao Family swore up and down, on the heavens above, that they would never come to trouble the He Family again. Yet not even a few months had passed—” Old Madam He fixed He’s mother with a hard stare. “My dear daughter-in-law, how much silver have you given the Cao Family since then? Hmph! Don’t think I didn’t know. The Cao Family wrote to Cao Yiniang begging and weeping, she passed the silver to you, and you funneled it to them. You thought yourself clever, finding a loophole in my words!”

He’s mother knew her mother-in-law had always been sharp and dared not argue back. She only wept and whimpered, “After all, she is my own elder sister — could I watch her starve to death? Mother, you are a woman of compassion — take pity on them…”

“Starve to death?!” Old Madam He let out a cold laugh. “When they left the capital, you had already given them enough silver that, had they invested it in farmland, they could have acquired quite a few acres. On top of what you sent them bit by bit afterward, they had more than enough to set themselves up as small rural landowners. And yet — I have made inquiries. The men of the Cao Family spend their days chasing pleasure women and pilfering whatever they can find. Your dear sister eats and drinks lavishly, and has even taken up moneylending, driving people to sell their own children to repay debts. And you want me to pity them? I will say it plainly here today: I may pity pigs, I may pity dogs, I may pity the beggars at the foot of the palace walls — but I will never pity that family!”

Cao Jinxiu’s face had gone deathly pale as the words struck her. She nearly bit through her lip in her effort to hold back a retort, and finally could not contain herself. “Old Madam, are you not mistaken? My mother and father have always said they work hard and farm honestly…”

“Oh, is that so?” Old Madam He suddenly smiled. “Since you and I will be traveling back to the ancestral home together, our route happens to pass right by your family’s home. You are most welcome to stop and take a look yourself. If I have spoken wrongly, I will send you back here at once. But if I have spoken truthfully, you will remain in Baishitan for the rest of your life. What do you say?”

Cao Jinxiu was rendered completely speechless. She let out a few broken sobs, said nothing more, and lowered her head to kneel in silence.

Old Madam He made no effort to hide her disgust and cursed bitterly, “You double-faced, low-born thing! Even a toad from the filth of a roadside ditch has more dignity than you! How dare you speak to me at all? And you dream of staying by Hong’er’s side? In your dreams!”

Cao Jinxiu crumpled to the floor, her face blazing red, overwhelmed by shame and indignation, and began to sob softly.

Old Madam He then turned her gaze to He’s mother and said in a measured, solemn tone, “Daughter-in-law, though you were widowed young, the He Family has never wronged you. In all matters, this branch has always been given the greater share. I am not an unreasonable woman — it is no extraordinary thing for a concubine to remarry. But that woman, and her entire family, are people of the lowest and most contemptible character. If Hong’er becomes entangled with them, his whole life will be ruined.”

She paused to catch her breath, then raised her voice. “Let me be clear with you today — Hong’er is your son, yes, but he is also the grandson of the He Family. You do not get to hand him over to the Cao Family as a personal favor.”

He’s mother’s complexion had gone ashen. She could do nothing but tremble in confusion. Heartbroken, she looked up at Old Madam He. “Mother, how can you speak to your daughter-in-law this way? How am I supposed to go on living with any dignity?!”

“You will go on living just fine!” Old Madam He said coldly. “Cao Yiniang, I am determined to take you with me. Rather than stand by and watch Hong’er be dragged to ruin by your family out of filial obligation, I would sooner be the wicked mother-in-law and watch you die.”

He’s mother could no longer produce any tears. She stared at Old Madam He in horror, and Old Madam He smiled in a peculiar way. “Perhaps you believe the Cao Family matters more to you than your own son — but I have a hard heart, and to me, my own grandson is all that matters.”

He’s mother lay prostrate on the floor in a daze, her body gone ice-cold, as Old Madam He’s words fell upon her one by one: “Mark my words clearly. The He Family is the He Family, and you are merely the daughter-in-law of the He Family. It is not your place to take He Family money and give it to the Cao Family. You have already done enough damage to the He Family’s name — I no longer trust you. When you return, hand over Hong’er’s estates to me for safekeeping. When the time comes, I will pass them directly to Hong’er’s wife. If you wish to make gestures of generosity from your own dowry, I cannot stop you — but think carefully on this: a daughter-in-law who brings no dowry for her son’s wife is not something the He Family is interested in. And one more thing — if the Cao Family comes entangling us again, I will go directly to the local magistrate. Those deserving execution will be executed, those deserving flogging will be flogged. If retribution comes for me, I will bear it.”

Old Madam He’s imposing authority left both He’s mother and Cao Jinxiu unable to utter a single word. They could only suffer and beg desperately, but Old Madam He’s heart was iron — she would not hear a word of it. Cao Jinxiu, unable to contain herself any longer, was on the verge of cursing, “You old—” when He’s mother quickly clamped a hand over her mouth. Cao Jinxiu may not have known, but He’s mother knew very well: her mother-in-law had blood on her hands. More than a few concubines, servant women, and even some illegitimate daughters had vanished without a trace.

Old Madam He watched the two of them with a calm smile and offered a word of comfort: “There is no need for such despair. I have no intention of confining Cao Yiniang forever. Once Hong’er has children of his own, and ten or so years have passed, I will send her back to you. Your family will be reunited.”

He’s mother gazed at her mother-in-law, and a chill settled over her heart. She knew her own health — she would not survive another ten years, not a chance. She had hoped that while she still drew breath, she could help her son and Cao Jinxiu grow close. Once she was gone, Cao Jinxiu would be able to hold her own position. But now her mother-in-law intended to — outlast her? To let her simply waste away?

By the time that happened, she would be dead. Her son and his wife would be devoted to each other, with children of their own. What use would it be to send back an aged and faded Cao Jinxiu? She would be given a bowl of food, kept from starving — nothing more.

He’s mother lay there in blank disarray, when something suddenly stirred in her heart — a thought struck her.

Old Madam He took one look at the change in her expression and knew exactly what she was thinking. She raised her teacup unhurriedly and spoke in an unhurried tone: “You had best not scheme to have Hong’er’s wife come to plead with me on your behalf. If your daughter-in-law or your son come to me requesting that Cao Yiniang be brought back — I am a muddleheaded old woman. I will not trouble myself to investigate who pressured whom, or why. I will simply take your niece, send her directly into a nunnery, and be done with it. Come to think of it, there is a place called Tongchu Nunnery out in Baishitan — the sort that specializes in housing women who have committed transgressions…”

Cao Jinxiu could no longer hold herself together. She fainted dead away. He’s mother’s eyes glazed over, and she sat frozen on the spot in a stupor.

※※※

※※※

Author’s Note:

A note about Old Madam He’s behavior — some readers have found her actions somewhat abrupt or puzzling.

Allow me to add a few points here.

Old Madam He is a clearheaded elder. She understands perfectly well how to manage an inner household. So why did she not act sooner?

First, we need to understand that the mindset of women in ancient times differed greatly from that of women today. A modern woman would view her husband taking a concubine as a catastrophic tragedy, but an ancient woman would not necessarily feel that way at all.

Old Madam He’s initial inaction regarding the Cao Family was not a deliberate attempt to undermine Minglan. She simply did not regard the taking of a concubine as any great matter. It was only that Minglan was the granddaughter of a dear old friend of many years, and she felt it was somewhat awkward that a concubine was being brought in before the marriage — especially when that concubine happened to be a cousin, which would make her difficult for Minglan to manage.

But at her core, Old Madam He did not feel that He Hong should be prohibited from taking a concubine, or that Minglan deserved some kind of exclusive arrangement.

In Dream of the Red Chamber, Jia Lian, on the very day of Wang Xifeng’s birthday, rolled around in bed with Bao Er’s wife and conspired to be rid of Wang Xifeng entirely. When Wang Xifeng went to the Matriarch to complain, the old woman merely said, “That’s just how young men are — they are like greedy cats, and everyone goes through that phase.” Jia Lian received no punishment whatsoever. This is partly a reflection of the Jia household’s moral decay, but it also speaks to something more: because all of us readers are modern people, we tend to overestimate the weight that the taking of a concubine carried in the ancient mind.

Furthermore, He’s mother had been widowed in the prime of her youth, and Old Madam He had always felt great compassion for her. With twenty years of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law sentiment on one side, and a granddaughter-in-law who had not yet crossed the threshold on the other — as an elder, how could she strip her daughter-in-law of face simply to elevate the incoming bride? Especially when it was, after all, “just a concubine who cannot bear children.” And when He’s mother made such a desperate commotion about it all, Old Madam He ultimately made a concession and allowed the Cao cousin to enter.

This is different from Old Madam Sheng. Old Madam Sheng had married down to be with a top-ranked scholar, having gone in pursuit of something like true love — which was why she was so heartbroken and despairing. But Old Madam He, like the vast majority of ancient women, had never built her marriage around anything so fragile as so-called love.

At that time, Old Madam He’s thinking was this: given Minglan’s position, she would speak well of her to the Sheng Family, help Minglan after the wedding, and since He Hong already had deep feelings for Minglan, and Minglan was capable of managing a household, the marriage would ultimately turn out well.

And in truth, had nothing unexpected occurred, Minglan was indeed on course to marry into the He Family.

But then someone swooped in halfway through and upset everything — a certain man by the name of Gu.

By that point, Old Madam He was filled with bitter regret, and her resentment can well be imagined. On top of that, Cao Jinxiu continued to cause trouble even after entering the household, and Old Madam He grew sharply alert. Once she recognized the severity of the consequences, she struck — and she struck like thunder. When she moved, it was immediately a killing blow.

Old Madam He is neither a good person nor a saint. She is simply an ordinary woman of the ancient world who had made something of herself. She had no reason to unconditionally champion a granddaughter-in-law who had not yet entered the household. What right did the Sheng Family’s daughter have to be so extraordinarily prized — that she could not even tolerate a single concubine? A concubine was not what she found problematic. What she found problematic was the Cao Family’s endless, unrelenting entanglements and dragging burdens on the He household. Her eyes were fixed on the He Family’s reputation and the wellbeing of her descendants.

……

Now for a word about He’s mother. Some readers have said her actions seem inexplicably foolish. The author will reveal here that He’s mother, as a character type, has real-life counterparts — figures who appear regularly in online gossip forums. As they say: art is drawn from life, and then elevated beyond it.