Chapter 4
Jiang Chengzong was so angry he wanted to curse, but held himself back out of caution. He glared at his old wife, signaling for her to speak.
Pan Shi had never been a woman with strong opinions. Unsure of what to say, she stammered, “Fangting… as women, we should regard our husbands as heaven. Whatever your husband says, that is what should be done. Zhixiu likes Miss Xie—what harm would there be in letting him marry her?”
He Fangting had long known her mother-in-law was muddleheaded, so she did not get angry in the slightest. Smiling faintly, she replied, “Father also likes her. Why not let Father marry her instead?”
Pan Shi looked utterly shocked. “…Ah?”
Jiang Chengzong blew his beard and glared furiously. “Don’t speak nonsense!”
What kind of talk was that—marrying the woman his own son had set his sights on?
Seeing his parents at a loss, Jiang Linxiu stepped forward to persuade her. “Sister-in-law, Miss Xie has no family to rely on. She’s kind-hearted. Even if she comes into our household, she won’t take away your authority over managing the family.”
Xie Meiying had treated countless disaster victims, and many scholars and literati had written poems praising her virtues. Such a wonderful woman—why could his sister-in-law not tolerate her?
Li Xixiang also smiled. “Sister-in-law, once Miss Xie enters the family, we’ll simply have another sister-in-law. Your status won’t change, and the authority to manage the household will still be yours! Why fuss over it? Be more generous!”
She had no grievances with He Fangting. After years of getting along, they had never once quarreled.
But He Fangting carried an innate nobility about her, like a phoenix soaring high above. No matter how richly Li Xixiang dressed herself in gold and silver, standing beside He Fangting always made her feel like a shabby barnyard chicken.
It frustrated her endlessly.
Now that she finally had a chance to watch He Fangting become a laughingstock, she felt exhilarated from head to toe.
Jiang Chengzong and Pan Shi also thought there was hope and hurriedly echoed that the household authority would still remain with her.
He Fangting said leisurely, “All of you keep talking about the authority to manage the household. What, do you think I treasure it that much? Fine then—you can have it!”
All they saw in household management was power. None of them saw the responsibility.
She had labored for this family for so many years. It was time for her to rest.
Turning her head toward Bai Wei, she instructed, “Go find Accountant Chen and Accountant Wang. Tell them to bring the account books to Songrong Hall and hand them over to the Second Madam.”
Bai Wei acknowledged the order and hurried toward the accounting office.
None of the Jiangs had expected He Fangting to do such a thing. It took them quite a while to react, each wearing a different expression.
Li Xixiang’s eyes flickered. She thought: If you dare give it away, I dare accept it. Everyone knew there was profit to be skimmed from managing the household. The second branch of the family had always been inferior to the first branch—being able to take over management would be a good thing.
Jiang Linxiu was also somewhat pleasantly surprised. “Sister-in-law, what are you doing?”
He Fangting smiled lightly. “The reason I refuse to let my husband marry Miss Xie has nothing to do with household authority. But since none of you believe me, I can only prove it to you.”
Honestly, these people were dreaming far too beautifully.
Not only did they want to use Xie Meiying to humiliate her, they also expected her to continue serving them like an ox and horse—handling the entire family’s food, clothing, expenses, and daily affairs. What kind of fantasy was that?
Then she turned to Li Xixiang with a smile. “Younger sister-in-law, the second brother is also a son of the Jiang family. He could carry on the family line as well. And he’s much closer in age to Miss Xie. If he married her, that would actually be the most suitable arrangement.”
Jiang Zhixiu was already thirty-seven years old. Jiang Linxiu was twenty-nine. Xie Meiying was twenty. Between the two brothers, Jiang Linxiu was indeed a better match.
Li Xixiang’s expression changed instantly. “How could that possibly work?!”
He Fangting smiled gently. “Why not? Miss Xie has no family to rely on and is kind-hearted. Once she enters the family, we’ll simply have another sister-in-law. Your status won’t change, and the authority to manage the household will still be yours. Why fuss over it? Be more generous!”
The very words Jiang Linxiu and Li Xixiang had just spoken were thrown straight back into their faces.
Jiang Linxiu frowned. “Sister-in-law, don’t talk nonsense again. Miss Xie likes Elder Brother!”
He Fangting replied, “So if the one she liked were you instead, you’d be willing to marry her?”
Before Jiang Linxiu could answer, Li Xixiang exploded in anger. “Aha! So you really have been harboring wicked thoughts and lusting after that little seductress! I wondered why you kept praising her day after day. Have you no shame?!”
“Miss Xie is not a seductress, and I have no such thoughts about her!”
Jiang Linxiu was furious. This Li Xixiang only knew how to make trouble irrationally.
“And now you’re defending her!”
Li Xixiang lunged at him, clawing and hitting.
Pan Shi and Jiang Furong tried to stop them, while Jiang Chengzong shouted curses. The hall instantly descended into chaos.
He Fangting could not be bothered watching them quarrel. With a flick of her sleeve, she calmly walked out of Songrong Hall.
She thought to herself that the second couple both had terribly explosive tempers.
The evening clouds were so beautiful. Wouldn’t it be better to quietly admire them? Why fight like enraged crows?
On the road, she encountered Bai Wei along with Accountants Chen and Wang, and instructed them to complete the handover that very night rather than waiting until tomorrow.
Li Xixiang thought household authority was some fragrant delicacy, but in truth it was a bottomless pit.
The Jiang family ancestors had once produced a county magistrate, but by Jiang Chengzong’s generation, the family had become so poor they had sold off nearly all their property. In the end, they could only return to their hometown of Sanya Village and farm a few meager acres of land.
Yet Jiang Chengzong still put on the airs of a scholar and refused to work the fields. The one who did the labor was Pan Shi.
Jiang Zhixiu, however, had been exceptionally promising. At nineteen, he participated in the provincial examinations and ranked among the best. During the palace examination, he was named Chuanlu, the youngest among all those honored in the hall, and for a time his fame was unmatched.
But he was a proud and upright man. He never accepted bribes or “filial offerings” from subordinates, and during the years he served in local office, he never took a single corrupt payment. He was famous as an incorruptible official.
That was something she genuinely admired about him.
But from another perspective, it also meant the Jiang family was very poor.
As for her—though she had fallen from political favor—she was extremely wealthy.
Her grandfather and grandmother adored her and had given her an enormous dowry. The portion left behind by her mother, Princess Fuzhuang, was enough wealth for her to live extravagantly for several lifetimes.
On top of that, she had many capable shopkeepers and estate managers. After years of profits and revenue, not to mention county princesses and commandery princesses—even actual princesses and imperial princes probably possessed less wealth than she did.
To say something that would make others jealous: money held little value to her.
Thus, she had never been stingy toward the Jiang family. As long as the Jiangs allowed her to live in peace, she did not mind spending money to support them. Ginseng, deer antler, bird’s nest soup, lingzhi mushrooms—everything was supplied lavishly.
Perhaps that had given Li Xixiang the illusion that the Jiang family was wealthy.
Well then, let her continue being happy over that misconception.
Fortunately, from the very beginning, He Fangting had kept her own accounts entirely separate from the Jiang family’s finances, without the slightest confusion between them. That made the transfer process very simple.
That, too, was her grandmother’s teaching:
You may subsidize your husband’s family, but the accounts must always be kept clear. Otherwise, in the end, you will exhaust yourself only to receive neither gratitude nor fairness in return.
