Now that she has come to Zhong's door seeking marriages for her daughters, Zhong has agreed to let her come to the capital a month earlier, which means she is willing to find husbands for her illegitimate sons and daughters. That's why Su is rushing to show filial piety and leave a good impression on Zhong.
Chapter 6 Rules
Zhong took a sip of tea, placed the teacup on the octagonal table, and asked Zhenshu, "Are you the eldest?"
Zhenshu, who was standing next to Madam Su, knelt down in front of Madam Zhong and said loudly, "Replying to the Ancestor, my name is Zhenshu, and I am the third in our household."
Zhong nodded and said, "He looks older than the eldest son."
With her dark complexion and tall stature, those who didn't know her background naturally assumed she was the eldest daughter of the Su family.
Hearing voices outside, Granny Lü and Granny Miao, who were by Zhong's side, naturally came out as well. Granny Lü stepped forward and said with a smile, "Grandmother is so blessed to have such a beautiful granddaughter to enjoy."
Madam Zhong snorted and lowered her head, saying, "The most important aspects of a young woman's demeanor are to be proper and poised, to be modest but not shy, and to be dignified but not self-centered. Do you understand?"
Madam Su hurriedly said, "Zhenshu, quickly kowtow to the Ancestor and thank him for his teachings."
Zhen Shu bowed and kowtowed, saying, "Thank you for your teachings, Ancestor."
Mother Miao chimed in, "Our ancestor taught Consort Rong, and even now His Majesty still praises Consort Rong's demeanor and manners."
Madam Zhong smiled and remained silent, thinking to herself: What you, Madam Su, want to offer, I will not give you the honor. Fine, I will give this shabby little girl an honor, so that you can't guess what I'm thinking.
Soon after, the remaining girls finished their meal and came out one after another. Madam Zhong then said, "The two ladies want to establish rules here, and I can't refuse their filial piety. Why don't you take these sisters and let's go for a walk around the house?"
Zhenyu bowed in agreement, then stood up and led the Zhenyuan sisters and others outside.
Zhenshu followed behind and turned around to see her mother, Madam Su, with a face that was neither red nor purple. She stood behind Madam Zhong with an upright posture, while Madam Shen and Madam Shen on the other side were on either side, their brows furrowed and heads bowed in silence. It was unclear how long they would stand like this before it was over.
She naturally knew that this was the filial piety that married women should show to their mothers-in-law. Some mothers-in-law were kind-hearted and would only observe the rules for an hour or two each day. Other mothers-in-law were difficult to get along with, and the daughters-in-law had to stand from morning till night and often serve at the bedside at night. There were even cases where husbands and wives could not see each other often because of the rules. Zhenshu had heard of such things and read about them in countless stories.
Madam Su had never been particularly devoted to Zhenshu. After all, she had too many daughters, and Zhenshu was stubborn and easily angered, refusing to do anything Su wished for. Now, Zhenshu's status in the household was, frankly, no different from that of a lowly maidservant in another household. Compared to her sisters, she was incomparable in terms of food, clothing, and daily necessities. Logically, Madam Su should have favored Zhenyi the most, and Zhenyi should have cared for her the most. However, at this moment, apart from Zhenshu, who still seemed somewhat concerned for Madam Su, the other daughters were like birds released from their cages, their hearts long since wandered elsewhere.
As soon as they stepped out of the courtyard of Suihe Residence, Zhenxiu rushed to Zhenyu and rolled up Zhenyu's sleeve, saying, "Good second sister, you are so beautiful, I don't want to take my eyes off you for a moment."
Zhenyu glanced at her sideways and said, "No one is as pretty as the older sister. Look at her today, she looks like a fairy descending from heaven."
Zhenxiu glanced at Zhenyuan from afar and said, "Her? She's nothing but skin and no spirit in her eyes. She's not even a fraction as good as you, Second Sister."
Zhenyu glanced sideways and, as expected, saw that Zhenyuan, though beautiful, had no spark of life in her eyes; she seemed rather dim-witted. Zhenyu then became somewhat intimate with Zhenxiu. Seeing that she had indeed won Zhenyu over, Zhenxiu whispered in Zhenyu's ear, "I made a little thing for my sister, but it's not appropriate to give it to you in front of the other sisters..."
Zhenyu said, "Then let's go to my courtyard."
The sisters arrived at the Shanshu Academy where Zhenyu lived. An'an, the maid who accompanied them, ran a few steps into the courtyard and put up the curtain. She called out loudly, "The young ladies of the manor have come to visit. Come out and serve them quickly."
Immediately, several fourteen or fifteen-year-old maids, along with the head maids, came out of the house to greet them and exchange greetings in the courtyard.
Zhenyi was the youngest, and she was dazzled to see that the head maids here were dressed even more lavishly than her older sister Zhenyuan.
Zhenyu invited Zhenyuan and Zhenshu to sit in the outer room and served them tea. Seeing Zhenxiu constantly giving her meaningful glances, she and Zhenxiu went into the inner room. Zhenyi followed suit, saying, "I want to go to the inner room too."
Zhenyu said, "Okay, but you're not allowed to rummage through my things or smear my rouge on me."
A few years ago, when Zhenyi was still young, Zhenyu took her back to her room out of kindness. As a result, she shook out all the things in the room and made a mess of it. From then on, she had no good feelings towards the little girl.
Upon entering the room, Zhenxiu couldn't wait to take out a cloud-patterned shoulder piece from her bosom, unfold it, and hand it to Zhenyu, saying, "This was embroidered by me stitch by stitch. Although it is not as luxurious as the one you are wearing now, it is still a token of my sisterly affection!"
This is a multi-layered, colorful embroidered cloud-shaped shoulder piece in the style of the Four Seasons Spring Ruyi (a traditional Chinese ornament symbolizing spring). It is embroidered with seven-colored silk threads, edged, and with openwork to create layers. It cannot compare with the silver-inlaid and jade-adorned shoulder piece that Zhenyu is wearing now, but it has the advantage of fresh and lovely colors. Wearing it once in early spring is quite nice.
Seeing Zhenxiu looking at her with hopeful eyes, Zhenyu nodded and said, "Not bad."
Zhenxiu rushed over and hugged Zhenyu, saying, "Second sister, you are so kind."
Zhenyu helped her up and said, "I didn't give you a silver bracelet or a jade bracelet, so how can that be good?"
Zhenxiu said, "I only ask that Second Sister take me with her every day, and take me with her wherever she goes. What's so precious about those silver things? It's being able to see Second Sister's beauty every day that's truly precious."
Zhenyu thought to herself: You think you're so discerning?
Of course, Zhenyu has always considered herself a beauty. Others are all ignorant and cannot see her beauty. Although Zhenxiu herself is ugly, she has some taste and gets along quite well with her.
Zhenyu was only a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl, and for many years she had only stayed with her eccentric old grandmother. When she had nothing to do, she would find ways to torment Shen Shi and the maids and servants, or mock and ridicule the two sons of the two branches of the family who had separated from the main household. Zhenyu was already tired of this. Now that a girl of her age had come along who would flatter her and was willing to chat with her, she naturally opened her heart and started chatting with Zhenxiu.
Zhenyuan and Zhenshu drank tea in the outer room for a while. They could hear Zhenxiu sometimes murmuring and sometimes laughing loudly in the inner room, so they knew that she and Zhenyu probably wouldn't be coming out for a while. Zhenshu was worried about Su Shi, so she got up and smiled at the head maid An'an, saying, "My elder sister and I want to go for a walk in the outer room. You don't need to inform the inner room. We'll be back in a little while."
The people inside were having a good time, so An'an naturally didn't want to disturb them and could only nod in agreement.
After leaving the Shanshu Academy, Zhenyuan suddenly smiled and said, "Now I have some influence. From here, it should lead to the back garden. There is water in the garden, and I used to catch ducks there."
When the family divided their property, Zhenyuan was only three or four years old, just when she had some memories.
She looked around for a moment and then laughed, “There’s a row of houses to the west, where the servants of this mansion probably live. Once I somehow ran into one and saw that the whole house was full of people lying on the beds. I was terrified and kept crying.”
She suddenly remembered that her uncle, Song Anze, was still alive at that time, though he suffered from some unexplained illness. She picked her up and said, "Yuan'er, don't be afraid, don't be afraid!"
She was the eldest granddaughter of the family, and was exceptionally beautiful from a young age, enjoying some favor in her youth.
Seeing that she was looking around and lost in her memories, Zhenshu urged, "Let's go to Suiheju. Mother's legs must be sore from standing for so long."
Zhenyuan said, "We are still guests of honor now. As wives, we should naturally follow the rules. This is a woman's duty in life, and who can stop us?"
Zhen Shu said, "I don't need it."
Tong Qisheng has no father or mother, so where will he establish rules?
Zhenyuan said, "That's not necessarily true. No one can guarantee that you will definitely be able to marry Tong Qisheng."
Zhenshu didn't say it aloud, but thought to herself: At least Mother is willing. She married you all off to this capital city, and she still needs one daughter in Huixian to take care of them in their old age and see them off in their final days. Because of this, I will never have to stand on the rules for the rest of my life.
They returned to Suihe Residence, but Shen was nowhere to be seen. Only Su was still standing respectfully behind Zhong.
Madam Zhong was dozing in her armchair, while all the maids and matrons in the room held their breath. Seeing her two daughters run back, Madam Su repeatedly winked and gestured for them to leave.
With her standing behind him like that, Madam Zhong naturally woke up immediately. Madam Zhong turned around and saw Madam Su twisting and turning uncomfortably, and sneered, "You're not the kind of person who can stand properly. If you can't stand, then get down quickly."
Madam Su chuckled and said, "I wish I could serve you, Grandmother, all day long. I'm just afraid you won't be willing. How could I ever be unable to stand up?"
She didn't show it now, fearing that the Zhong family's daughters might have a gathering and wouldn't allow her daughters to go. In that case, all the manpower and resources they had spent would have been wasted.
Zhenyuan and Zhenshu had discussed it on the way, and now they went over together and said, "We haven't served the old ancestor for a long time, and we are both old and past the age of playing. We would like to stay at the old ancestor's knee and talk for a while."
Madam Lü directed the maids to bring over two small tables and have them sit down at Madam Zhong's feet. She also brought over a cup of cool tea for each of them.
Seeing that Zhenyuan remained poised, composed, and steady, even though she had underestimated her earlier, Zhong thought to herself that although Su herself was a good-for-nothing, her two daughters were more accomplished than her.
No matter how successful she is, he is still born of a concubine, a concubine who has no blood relation to her, an outsider who eats her food and drinks her tea. Now that her own children and husband are gone, these people are not only living well, but also plotting to continue to gnaw on her bones and eat her flesh. How can she like them?
She had just been thinking of teasing him a bit, but then she waved her hand and said, "You can all go now. I'm sleepy too, I need to take a nap."
☆, Chapter 7 Winding
Madam Su quickly helped Madam Zhong to her feet and said softly, "Grandmother, please take a nap in bed. Your daughter-in-law will take care of you."
Zhong glanced at Su's terrified expression, as if afraid she would refuse, and thought to herself: Fine, since I'm in charge of the title of mother, I have no choice but to let them take advantage of me again and again. Since that's the case, let her stand if she wants.
Zhenshu and Zhenyuan respectfully escorted Madam Zhong back to her bedroom. Seeing the look in Madam Su's eyes as if she wanted to kill them, the two left Suihe Residence dejectedly. After wandering around for a while, they came to a courtyard. The flowers and plants around the courtyard were trimmed very neatly and lovely, and two chubby boys were running around and laughing in the courtyard.
Shen was hiding in the shade under the eaves watching the two chubby boys chasing each other and having a great time. Suddenly, she noticed the two young ladies from the second branch of the family standing at the door. She quickly got up and pointed to Rongrong to welcome them in.
She pointed to the old woman beside her who had brought out some tea and fruit, set up a table under the eaves, and asked them to sit down, smiling as she asked, "Is your mother still setting rules?"
Zhenyuan nodded and said, "Grandmother is sleepy and wants to sleep. Mother will go in and keep her company."
Madam Shen lowered her head and nodded silently, then smiled slightly and said, "Usually, I'm the one who stands by the bedside to serve her while she sleeps."
Auntie looked like she was about to complain, but Zhenyuan and Zhenshu didn't know how to respond and could only listen blankly.
Madam Shen looked up and smiled again, her expression slightly bitter, and said, "Women from humble families have neither dowry nor family background to rely on. Once married, they are at the mercy of their mothers-in-law, and they can't blame anyone else."
That's natural. Although Madam Su and Madam Lu suffered some mistreatment during their visit, it was only for a short while. After they returned to their own homes, they could do as they pleased. But she couldn't. Every single day of the year, she had to get up before dawn to prepare breakfast, manage household chores, and establish rules. From the time she married into the family until now, the only days she didn't establish rules were the two months after giving birth to her two children.
Even now, Madam Zhong hasn't uttered a single word about wanting her sons, Changcan or Changgui, to be chosen as the eldest son's son. In this mansion, she's only enjoying the fleeting wealth and splendor of the present. Watching her two chubby boys gradually grow up, Zhenyu is determined to empty the entire Song mansion to make a living for her. Madam Zhong's veiled reluctance to mention the matter of choosing a son's son as the eldest son's son is causing her great distress.
Zhenyuan and Zhenshu, of course, were unaware of Shen's thoughts. After playing with the two little brothers, Changgui and Changcan, for a while, they saw that it was already noon and went to Suiheju for lunch. Zhenyu and Zhenxiu were chatting so happily that they didn't even want to come to Suiheju for lunch, and simply sent someone to inform them.
At noon, Su served food to Zhong as usual. Since Su had been by Zhong's side while she took a nap, her expression was even more amiable than in the morning.
After lunch, Zhong Shi, who had just woken up from a nap, sat down in the armchair and asked Zhen Yuan and Zhen Shu to keep her company while she talked. She also asked Su Shi and Shen Shi to stand behind her and observe the proper etiquette.
When they were at Caijia Temple, Su would take a nap every day. Now that it was time for her to nap, she was so sleepy that she wanted to prick herself with a needle to keep her eyes open, but her eyelids were so heavy that she couldn't lift them. Zhenshu and Zhenyuan, sitting below, were anxious and didn't know what to do, so they could only chat with Zhong about what patterns she liked to embroider and what foods she liked to eat.
The mother and her two daughters stayed with Madam Zhong until they finished dinner. Then Madam Zhong said calmly, "I originally thought that since you have settled down on our family's estate in Huixian County, the girls should also find husbands there. After all, the second son has no sons. If he doesn't carry on the family line when he gets old, someone will have to take care of him. But since the second son asked Consort Rong to help us find husbands for the girls in the capital, I had no choice but to agree."
So, although Song Anrong didn't say it, he did send a letter to Consort Rong in the palace.
Overjoyed at these words, Madam Su bowed and said, "Thank you, Ancestor!"
Zhong said, "You didn't persuade me in the first place, so why thank me? Tomorrow, the Marquis of Beishun's mansion will host a banquet and invite the young ladies of our mansion to go. Since you are so filial and devout, you can serve me by my side and have Shen take the sisters over, how about that?"
As long as her daughters could go out and socialize, Su Shi would be willing to do anything, even scrub the floor here. She nodded hurriedly in agreement, and Zhong Shi said, "You take them back and get ready. I don't need you to serve me here anymore."
After kneeling to express her gratitude again, Madam Su led Zhenyuan and Zhenshu out of the house and headed to the small west courtyard where she lived.
Back in her room, she rummaged through her chests and drawers again, searching for clothes to wear the next day. While Su was busy, Zhenxiu and Zhenyi entered the room. Zhenxiu kicked off her shoes and rubbed her feet on the bed, saying, "Mother, Sister Zhenyu has four head maids, while the four of us sisters don't even have one. Tomorrow when we arrive at the Marquis's mansion, let's not be laughed at by the other young ladies."
Madam Su complained that her feet smelled too bad, so she came over and covered them with a blanket before saying, "What can we do? It's already a great favor from the matriarch that you can go out and socialize with Zhenyu. How can I possibly ask for more maids?"
Zhenxiu pointed at Zhenshu and said, "She doesn't have any nice clothes, and she looks rough. Why don't we just have her dress up as a maid and carry our bundles for us tomorrow?"
Madam Su watched as Zhenshu packed up the trunks she had rummaged through. She was still wearing her usual plain, fitted long jacket, and her hair was always tied back. She certainly didn't look like a young lady; if she were to be used as a maid, she would surpass even the maids of other families. After a long pause, Madam Su asked Zhenshu, "You don't have any nice clothes or jewelry, and you don't like to show off. Would you be willing to help the sisters carry their sedan chairs tomorrow?"
Zhenshu rolled her eyes at Zhenxiu on the bed and said, "I'm willing, how could I not be? For the suffering you've endured today, Mother, what is there to be unwilling about? It's just that I can't carry the sedan chair steadily, so I hope Fourth Sister, with your heavy body, you won't tip over."
Zhenxiu knelt down and laughed, "You carry my sedan chair well, and I have something good to tell you tonight."
Zhenshu ignored her and gathered up the clothes Su had worn that day to wash outside.
As Zhenshu lay in bed that night, just as she was about to fall asleep, she heard Zhenxiu shaking her shoulder and saying, "Did you see how Second Sister looked? She's neither a man nor a woman, and she's dressed like a flowerpot. It's as if she wants to drape the entire wealth of the Song family over herself. Well, her father is the legitimate son and should inherit the family business. Now she has no brothers, and even her fourth uncle is an illegitimate son. I'm afraid that when she gets married, she'll have to scrape the walls of the Song family mansion off with her."
Zhenshu turned her back to avoid her and said, "You kept praising her beauty during the day. Be careful that she doesn't overhear you. She won't play with you again tomorrow."
Zhenxiu said, "How could that be? She's busy going to the Marquis of Beishun's mansion to meet her lover tomorrow, she doesn't have time to eavesdrop on us."
Zhenshu laughed upon hearing this, "You're quite capable. In just half a day, you've already found out that Zhenyu's lover is in the Beishun Marquis's mansion. But don't gossip. We're here to be relatives. It would be truly embarrassing if you talked nonsense and got stopped."
Zhenxiu said, "I know what's going on. Zhenyu likes Dou Keming, the fifth son of the Marquis of Chengshun, and has offered herself as a bride several times, but Dou Keming is still holding back and refusing to agree. When I go tomorrow, I'll try to match them up. Maybe Zhenyu will like me and keep me in the capital to keep her company, so I won't have to go back to Huixian and squeeze into a room with you anymore."
Although Zhenxiu was younger than Zhenshu, she was precocious from a young age, with a mind more complex than an adult, and she was outspoken and loved to gossip. This personality trait made her very good at making friends, but it also made her the most likely to be confronted and have her words refuted, so Zhenshu was reluctant to talk to her.
The next morning, after breakfast, Madam Shen prepared the carriage to accompany the young ladies to the Marquis of Beishun's residence. She noticed that the young ladies of the second branch were all dressed up in their finest attire, except for Zhenshu, who was still wearing the same plain jacket and pomegranate-colored skirt as yesterday, without any hair ornaments, and carrying several large bundles in her arms. She asked in surprise, "Why isn't the Third Miss dressed up?"