“The message has been delivered.”
The next morning, when Bailu was serving Seventh Miss as she rose, she reported softly.
“I heard that after hearing it, she didn’t cry or make a fuss—she just pondered in silence without speaking…”
Seventh Miss wasn’t surprised.
The Second Madam was actually quite a rare intelligent person.
As long as she could think through the advantages and disadvantages involved, she wouldn’t do anything foolish.
After all, just seeing how for the sake of her three sons’ futures, she could endure years of separation from her husband and remain in Suzhou working diligently, it was easy to guess what was most important in the Second Madam’s heart…
“Just tell Second Aunt this.” She instructed Bailu thus: “Say that Father and Mother were able to help Second Uncle reach his current position, and they can just as easily destroy Second Uncle’s official career with a flip of their hands. If she wants to push things to that point, she’s welcome to seek death—we won’t stop her. It’s just that we’d been hoping in the future that several cousins would help our Ninth Brother more. If she wants to destroy all that herself, then no one can help her.”
As long as the Second Madam could figure out the meaning in these words, she probably wouldn’t cause trouble again.
In ancient times, individual heroes rarely achieved great things. Behind any high official stood their clan’s power.
Although relations between the Second Branch and First Branch had deteriorated sharply, within the clan they were still one lineage. No matter what, things wouldn’t become too ugly.
Didn’t the Great Master and First Madam’s low-key handling prove this very point?
As long as the Second Madam behaved herself and didn’t cause trouble, after the two branches divided in the future, at most they would have less contact. The Great Master might even use Second Master as his eyes and ears in the capital. It would just mean not being as generous with money as in previous years.
But with the passage of time, after Ninth Brother and Min’ge took their positions, Ninth Brother would be isolated and need helpers both in the clan and at court.
By then, perhaps the Second Branch could gradually draw closer to the First Branch again, and the Second Branch could still borrow the First Branch’s influence.
However, if the Second Madam committed suicide over this matter, things would be much more complicated.
If Second Master didn’t know his place and let things blow up, after the Great Master lost face, destroying Second Master’s official position in anger wouldn’t be difficult.
And having committed such a scandal, the clan could actually strike them from the genealogy and expel the Second Branch…
At that point, relatives would become enemies, and whether the Second Branch could even preserve their wealth and status would be questionable.
“I originally thought…” Bailu was somewhat embarrassed. “The Second Madam had finally remembered the words ‘face’ and ‘dignity’ and wanted to end herself to preserve face for the Second Branch and her young masters…”
“Once this matter came out, the Second Branch already has no face to speak of.” Seventh Miss’s gaze was distant. “However, if Second Aunt committed suicide, with dead people telling no tales, Second Uncle might actually spread the matter everywhere, making both families lose all face.”
“Yes.” Bailu smiled. “It’s just that if the Second Madam could see through this point, she wouldn’t be the Second Madam!”
“However, I presume Second Aunt has also recognized this point: now, she is the fish and meat, and I am the knife and chopping board.” Seventh Miss donned her sky-blue cloak with embroidered cloud patterns and smiled again. “I can deal with her however I want, crush her into the mud if I wish… Death? That also depends on whether I’m willing or not.”
Struggles in large estates were like this—one step to heaven, one step to hell.
That the Second Madam had fallen to this state was entirely of her own making.
Bailu smiled and brought up hot tea. “The weather is cold. You should at least drink a sip before going to pay respects, lest you catch a chill again and the Madam blames us for not serving attentively.”
Seventh Miss smiled and put away her thoughts, accepting a sip of scalding ginseng tea from Bailu’s hand.
Only then did she lift the curtain and leave the room to pay respects to the First Madam.
“Drinking ginseng tea in the early morning is indeed effective.” She chatted casually with Bailu along the way. “I’m not as afraid of the cold this winter.”
In previous years, Seventh Miss’s hands and feet would be ice-cold every winter, and she was always reluctant to leave her room.
Bailu smiled. “It’s also because the Dangshen sent this year is good quality—you can taste the difference in medicine quality immediately.”
Since Seventh Miss had been elevated to legitimate daughter status, the food, clothing, and daily necessities in the western side courtyard had visibly become more refined.
“Step by step, things will get better and better.” Seventh Miss said softly. “Once we arrived at the western side courtyard, we had to make a life for ourselves. Step by step, things will get better and better.”
She suddenly remembered that first night in the western side courtyard when Second Miss had given her six taels of silver, and how she had taken out the money box Ninth Concubine had left behind and carefully placed those six taels inside.
Seventh Miss gazed at the ash-gray sky, her lips gradually curving upward into a rare brilliant smile.
#
Seventh Miss arrived early today. The First Madam had just risen to wash up, and even the Great Master hadn’t yet come from the outer courtyard.
“Mother.” Seventh Miss smiled before speaking, smoothly wringing out a hand towel and passing it to the First Madam’s hand, taking over from Lidong.
She also prepared willow twigs and tooth powder for the First Madam. “I came early today and caught this opportune moment to curry favor.”
The First Madam was so amused by Seventh Miss that she couldn’t stop smiling. “Where did you learn to talk like this!”
She asked Seventh Miss: “Have you prepared your lessons? Don’t let Teacher Huang keep you after class again.”
Seventh Miss had always been lackadaisical about embroidery and was kept after class by Teacher Huang several times a month to make up work.
Seventh Miss protested: “Mother is teasing Little Seven.”
The mother and daughter chatted intimately in the eastern side room. Seventh Miss took opportunities to help the First Madam dress and apply face powder. Her movements were nimble, and having served the First Madam so habitually, the First Madam naturally enjoyed it.
Before long, Ninth Brother also arrived.
“Mother!” He smiled as he entered the eastern side room. “The lotus root you sent yesterday tasted even more fragrant than eating it in summer.”
“Eating it in winter naturally has a fuller flavor—five parts of taste becomes ten.” The First Madam was again amused by Ninth Brother. “Have you finished all your homework?”
“I have.” Ninth Brother blinked. “Father even said the day before yesterday that after New Year I should go study with Teacher Zhang. Teacher Zhang from the family school passed the provincial examination this session and will be returning to study for the spring examinations, so he won’t be teaching anymore.”
“Oh, oh.” The First Madam was very pleased. “Going to Teacher Zhang’s is also good.”
Now that the Zhang and Yang families were about to have genuine kinship relations, Teacher Zhang would certainly be very dedicated in educating Ninth Brother.