"Why is it you?"
The person who opened the door was Madam Qin, the eldest daughter of the Su family. She had met Madam Yang before.
Qin was dressed in a dress that was neither new nor old, and her hair was neatly combed, adorned with a silver plum blossom hairpin.
In the past, Qin was a woman who wore gold and silver, but now she only wears a silver hairpin, and her shabby attire is not as decent as Yang's.
Madam Yang had not expected that the person who opened the door would be Madam Su.
The two sized each other up.
Madam Qin never expected that Concubine Yang would come to the Su family's door.
"What do you want?" Qin stared at Yang with wary eyes, standing in the middle, showing no intention of letting Yang in.
Seeing Qin's unfriendly expression, Yang originally wanted to congratulate the Su family on producing a second-place scholar.
She swallowed her words back, then her mind raced.
With a beaming smile, she said, "Madam Su is still so young and beautiful. Since my sister passed away, our two families have become estranged. My husband is a man who cherishes old friendships, so he specially sent me to visit my sister's family."
"Are you alone?"
It is said that one cannot hit a smiling face. Qin looked behind Yang and did not see Yang with any maids or gifts. She lowered her hand from the door frame with some doubt.
"Madam, you don't know the whole story. The affairs of the Jiang family are complicated. Let me go in and give you a good chat."
She really couldn't tell outsiders about bringing a maid with her.
She had no one she could trust left. The maid assigned to her courtyard by Madam Zheng often ran to Madam Zheng's courtyard, so having this maid was practically the same as not having one at all.
Whether this matter can be accomplished today is still unknown; we must not let Zheng know.
Last night, the master agreed to let him decide on the marriage for his beloved daughter. If Madam Zheng finds out, she'll probably be so angry she'll vomit blood.
Madam Qin stepped aside to let Madam Yang in.
Although the Su residence is a bit old, it is not small in size.
Upon entering the main gate, one sees an archway on one side of the first hanging flower gate, with an unclosed copper lock hanging on it.
Seeing the curiosity in Yang's eyes, Qin said calmly, "After the two elders of the Su family passed away, we separated from the second branch of the family."
Ms. Yang said "Oh" to indicate that she understood.
The two families share a gate, so outsiders don't know that the Su brothers have separated. It seems the Su family still cares about their reputation and is afraid of being accused of discord among the brothers.
In the capital, parents should not separate from their families, otherwise they will be considered unfilial.
Madam Yang smiled and said, "Since both elders of the Su family are gone, it is only right that the family separates. Even if we open another gatehouse, no one will say anything."
“Building another gatehouse would also cost money. It’s much simpler to just open a gate in the wall as it is now.”
Hearing the resentment in Qin's tone, Yang quickly shut up. It turned out that the two brothers were competing and neither was willing to spend money to build another gatehouse.
Qin led the people into the hall, but no maidservants came to serve tea.
Qin Shi went straight to the chair at the head of the table and said, "When the family was divided, the second branch took away most of the servants. Today, the maids in my room went out to buy supplies. Please forgive me if the hospitality is not good."
"Madam, please don't be so polite. I had porridge this morning, so I'm not thirsty." Madam Yang gave a slight curtsy and sat down at the lower end of the table, showing her keen sense of propriety.
What? The second wife has taken most of the servants, and there aren't even any left to brew tea?
Judging from the current situation, only Qin's dowry maid remains as servants in the main branch of the Su family.
In the hall, there were only cypress armchairs and an eight-immortal table. A quick glance revealed no valuable furniture, let alone antique shelves or ornaments for decoration.
Qin asked bluntly, "What brings you here today?"
Qin didn't even address Yang properly. In her eyes, no matter how down on her luck the Su family was, she was still the legal wife. The fact that she was sitting here with a concubine was already a sign of respect to the Jiang family.
"I remember that the First Madam has a young master and a daughter. I wonder if it is the eldest son or the second son who is taking the imperial examination this year..."
Before Yang could finish speaking, Qin interrupted her.
“My son Peng’er has no interest in this; he’s working for my family now.”
Qin came from a merchant family, but Yang didn't know much about her, so she didn't ask any further questions.
Mrs. Yang remembered that the Su brothers' first children were born a few months apart, and were about a year younger than Jiang Jiaojiao.
Yang automatically assumed that the second-place scholar was the child of the second wife's family.
Many years ago, she met several of the Su family's children at the Su family's funeral hall. What impressed her most was the eldest son of the two branches of the Su family.
He looked somewhat like Su Shi, with delicate features.
"Your son is a handsome and talented man. I wonder which family's daughter he has chosen?" Madam Yang asked tentatively.
If you calculate carefully, Su's eldest son is nineteen years old (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning). If the family were prosperous, he would already be married.
Qin Shi simply stopped pretending and frowned slightly. "My master has been a low-ranking scholar for so many years. His salary is only enough to support the family. Where would he get extra money to arrange a marriage for Peng'er?"
"No rush, children and grandchildren have their own blessings. Let him settle down and start his own family on his own," Madam Qin added casually, as if she was truly not in a hurry.
After Qin finished speaking, she glanced at Yang and thought to herself, "Could a lowly concubine have come to her door to act as a matchmaker for Peng'er?"
Yang lowered her eyes slightly, already having made up her mind.
The eldest son of the Su family was a civil official, a sinecure.
Some men, when they have too much free time, are bound to cause trouble.
For example, visiting gambling dens and teahouses, listening to music and patronizing prostitutes in brothels—Master Su just happened to be fond of the former.
In the past, when they lost money gambling, they would go to the Jiang family mansion to complain to Madam Su about being poor, saying that they had no money to cover their losses and would make their parents angry to death, or that they had no money to buy medicine for their parents.
In short, the excuses are varied, and they never leave empty-handed.
As the eldest daughter in her family, and someone who doted on her parents, Su Shi's dowry was eventually emptied by this eldest son of the Su family.
If it weren't for attending various banquets, her jewelry would have been swindled away by the eldest son of the Su family.
The concept of filial piety can be overwhelming. No matter how much Su Shi helped her family, Jiang Zhengming had nothing to say, since Su Shi was using her dowry to subsidize her family.
Seeing that Yang remained silent, Qin asked, "I heard that Jiang's son-in-law was stripped of his official post?"
“That’s right. A new emperor brings a new court. My husband is still the head of the Ministry of Revenue, while many old officials have gone back to their hometowns to retire.” Madam Yang said with a slight smile, in a cheerful mood.
In Yang's view, even if Jiang Zhengming's official position was low, it was still better than that of the eldest son of the Su family, and her sense of superiority naturally showed.
That faint smile stung Qin's eyes, and she made a move to get up and see the guest out.
"Since Aunt Yang has nothing else to say, please leave."
"Who said there's nothing else? Aren't you just about to talk about how our two families can become even closer through marriage?"
Qin looked completely bewildered, and her raised bottom fell back down into the armchair: "Who's getting married to whom?"
Madam Yang smiled and said, "Your eldest son and my darling are about the same age. They are a perfect match in terms of looks and talent. Our two families are old relatives. It's always better to support each other than to arrange a marriage with outsiders. Don't you think that makes sense, Madam?"
Qin was stunned; only four words remained in her mind.
Let's get married!
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