Chapter 10
Hearing that Bai Wei had arrived, He Fangting slightly straightened up and asked about the matter of settling the accounts.
Bai Wei reported everything one by one, then said somewhat disdainfully, “The Old Madam is truly muddle-headed. She probably still thinks it’s perfectly natural for a husband’s family to use a daughter-in-law’s dowry.”
He Fangting smiled faintly. “Why bother with her?”
Toward her mother-in-law, Madam Pan, she had only one feeling: pity for her misfortune, anger at her refusal to fight against it.
More than ten years ago, when she had first married into the Jiang family, she had already noticed that Madam Pan lived rather miserably. Her father-in-law, Jiang Chengzong, never treated her as a wife, but as a servant. There was no respect in his words, and he would even scold and berate her casually.
Unable to stand it, He Fangting had jokingly spoken up a few times, and she often tried to protect Madam Pan in daily life. Jiang Chengzong did become somewhat more restrained afterward, and she had felt pleased with herself for helping her suffering mother-in-law and upholding justice.
Who would have thought that not long after, Madam Pan would secretly come to see her, saying she should not contradict her elders, then proceed to lecture her about the principles of male superiority and female inferiority.
At first, He Fangting thought Jiang Chengzong and Jiang Zhixiu were using the opportunity to suppress her through Madam Pan. But later, she discovered that these were Madam Pan’s genuine beliefs.
Madam Pan truly believed that, as a wife, one should regard one’s husband as heaven itself, serve him like a slave, and even more attentively than a servant. If the husband beat or scolded her, it must mean she herself had done something wrong and deserved it. Moreover, she believed this was proof of her husband’s affection—otherwise, why would he hit her and not someone else?
He Fangting had been rendered speechless, feeling she had meddled where she was not wanted.
If one was willing to beat and the other willing to endure it, why should she force herself into the matter?
From then on, she stopped interfering—unless it happened directly before her eyes and offended her sensibilities.
This mother-in-law had been foolish her entire life. She was neither worth helping nor worth getting angry over.
Her younger brother-in-law Jiang Linxiu and younger sister-in-law Jiang Furong each had their own forms of foolishness as well. No matter how much one tried to teach them, they could not be corrected. Because of that, she had once believed Jiang Zhixiu was one of the rare sensible people in the Jiang family. But the matter of “maintaining two family lines” had shown her that Jiang Zhixiu was an even greater fool.
She then told Bai Wei to go rest and return to duty tomorrow.
“Princess Consort!”
Just after Bai Wei left, Qinghao returned from outside the courtyard, walking lightly beneath the corridor with an unpleasant expression on her face.
He Fangting slowly opened her eyes. “What is it?”
Qinghao reported, “The eldest master took Xie Meiying and her nephew Xie Rongmo to Yunshan Academy. I heard he intends to recommend Xie Rongmo for admission.”
He Fangting found it rather amusing. Jiang Zhixiu had not even married Xie Meiying yet, yet her father-in-law had already begun acting like the boy’s uncle-in-law.
She smiled and said, “My husband cherishes talent and values scholars. If the Xie family boy truly has ability, entering Yunshan Academy is a good thing.”
She did not particularly blame Xie Meiying, much less take out her resentment on Xie Rongmo.
Xie Meiying was only twenty years old, while Jiang Zhixiu was already thirty-seven—a full seventeen years older. If Jiang Zhixiu had married earlier, he could practically have been her father.
Thus, He Fangting always felt this situation resembled a middle-aged man deceiving an ignorant young girl.
How pitiful that the Xie family consisted of only this aunt and nephew, with no elders to guide them. Otherwise, no one would have watched her walk into such a misguided path.
Qinghao hesitated before adding, “The young master and young miss went as well.”
He Fangting paused in the act of lifting her teacup. “Yu’er and Ying’er went too?”
A boy could not remain shut up in the inner quarters forever, so when You’er turned ten, he had moved to the outer residence.
When Ying’er reached ten, she too clamored for a residence of her own. He Fangting had long prepared Yingluo Pavilion for her not far from Chunming Courtyard, but the girl preferred Biqiu Garden near the flower gardens. He Fangting could only indulge her.
That morning, the siblings had come together to pay their respects. Yu’er had said he wanted to take his sister to the Western Market to watch street performances. Delighted at the closeness between her children, He Fangting had even instructed the servants and maids accompanying them to bring plenty of spending money.
She had never expected they would instead follow Jiang Zhixiu and the others to Yunshan Academy.
Qinghao forced herself to continue, “Perhaps they happened to run into each other at the Western Market. Once the eldest master spoke, the young master and young miss likely did not dare refuse. Since the young master is a student at Yunshan Academy, the eldest master probably thought he could help guide Xie Rongmo around, seeing as he’s new there.”
He Fangting pondered for a moment. “That must be it.”
What other explanation could there be?
Surely the siblings had not voluntarily followed them. No matter how young or naïve they were, they should still understand that they could not grow too close to the Xie aunt and nephew.
Yet unease lingered in her heart, and she intended to question them carefully once they returned.
But she waited and waited until nightfall, and they still had not come back.
Just as she was about to send people to look for them, the group finally returned before curfew. All of them had been drinking, their faces flushed red.
Standing at the second gate to receive them, He Fangting could tell at once from their appearance that Xie Rongmo must have passed the instructors’ examination and been accepted into Yunshan Academy.
Upon seeing her, Xie Meiying looked somewhat flustered before forcibly steadying herself and giving a curtsy.
“Greetings, Princess Consort.”
Xie Rongmo also bowed politely, though his gaze was dark and heavy with humiliation.
Not for himself, but for his aunt.
His aunt was the best person in the world. For his sake, she had wasted her youth and remained unmarried even at twenty.
After finally meeting Jiang Zhixiu, there was still the existence of Princess Shun’an in the Jiang household.
Though Jiang Zhixiu had promised to maintain both family lines and marry his aunt as his principal wife, Princess Shun’an’s status was so exalted. In the future, how could his aunt ever hold her head high before her?
He Fangting, naturally, had no idea Xie Rongmo’s thoughts had already gone so far ahead. She merely nodded slightly to the aunt and nephew.
“No need for such courtesy—”
Before she could finish, Jiang Zhixiu impatiently interrupted, “It’s late already. Everyone should go back and rest.”
The way He Fangting stood there, like a wife catching her husband in adultery, disgusted him.
Not wishing to say more in front of the children, he merely reminded everyone to drink hangover soup before escorting Xie Meiying back to Luomei Pavilion.
