Chapter 15 The Resentment and Schemes of the Second Branch of the Su Family
Chapter Fifteen: The Resentment and Schemes of the Second Branch of the Su Family
Su Mufeng smiled and patted his son on the shoulder: "That's backbone. The men of our Su family should have this kind of ambition."
He turned to look at his wife, his gaze tender: "Back then, when I married you, there were constant gossips from the family all these years, but aren't we still very happy? What matters most is that you like yourself." Su Mufeng wanted her not to take the elder's words to heart.
Tang Wanqing gave him a reproachful look, but her eyes were filled with sweetness. She gently pushed him and said, "What nonsense are you talking about in front of the children?"
Just then, the steward came to report that the second branch of the family had arrived.
Su Mufeng's younger brother, Su Maolin, walked in with his wife, Wang, their faces plastered with fake smiles.
"Congratulations, elder brother! Congratulations, elder brother!" Su Maolin said, cupping his hands in greeting, his voice deliberately raised, revealing a hollow enthusiasm. "I heard that Su'er has been promoted to the rank of concubine. This is a joyous occasion indeed!"
Madam Wang smiled and echoed, the fine lines at the corners of her eyes crinkling together: "Yes, we rushed over as soon as we heard the news. Su'er has been promising since she was little, I knew she would definitely win back the Emperor's favor."
That sounds nice, but everyone knows that during the time Su Su was demoted, the second wife never came to visit her even once.
Tang Wanqing responded indifferently, instructing the servants to serve tea, her smile not reaching her eyes.
Su Maolin looked around at the elegant yet extraordinary main hall, a hint of undisguised sourness flashing in his eyes and heart. Although his sister-in-law Tang Wanqing came from a merchant family, she was the daughter of the richest merchant in Jiangnan, and her dowry was famous throughout the capital. Even though Su Jie'er had temporarily lost power in the palace recently, the eldest branch of the family still lived a much more comfortable life than the second branch, thanks to the continuous income from her mother's shops. Now that their niece had been promoted to the rank of concubine, the eldest branch's resources were even more beyond their reach.
"I just saw the Grand Elder storm out," Su Maolin asked tentatively, his little finger unconsciously brushing non-existent dust off his sleeve. "Did something unpleasant happen?"
Su Mufeng picked up his teacup, gently stirred the floating leaves, and said in a calm tone, "It's just a disagreement about Ji Zhi's marriage."
"A marriage?" Madam Wang immediately perked up, leaning forward unconsciously. "Whose daughter is it?"
Upon hearing that Su Mufeng had rejected the marriage proposal from the Lan family, the second couple wore incredulous expressions, as if they had heard something horrifying.
“Ji Zhi, it’s not that your second uncle is criticizing you,” Su Maolin shook his head and sighed, looking heartbroken, “so many people would beg for a marriage like the one with the Lan family, how could you refuse it!”
Madam Wang quickly chimed in, her voice shrill: "Yes, Miss Lan may be a bit spoiled, but she's of noble birth! If we can get married into this family, it will benefit our Su family and Su'er in the palace. Maybe...maybe we can even get a few good words for Su'er in front of the Emperor!" She added, thinking herself clever, unaware of how grating her words sounded to Su Mufeng and the other two.
Su Jizhi listened expressionlessly, without saying a word, as if they were talking about something that had nothing to do with him.
The second wife and her husband talked for a long time but couldn't persuade Su Jizhi. They sat for a while longer, said some words of advice, and then left dejectedly.
After seeing off the second branch of the family, Tang Wanqing sighed softly, a hint of worry creeping into her brow: "Now, we've offended both the elder and the second branch."
Su Mufeng held her hand, his palm warm and firm, and said gently, "What are you afraid of? As long as we are comfortable, that's better than anything else."
Su Jizhi said in a steady and powerful voice, "Mother, rest assured, your son will definitely make a name for himself through his own abilities and give my sister something to rely on in the palace."
As the sun set, they chatted intimately for a while longer, then had dinner together. The warm yellow afterglow cast long, intertwined shadows of the three of them. Only after finishing their meal did Su Jizhi leave.
However, the scene was quite different in the courtyard of the second wife's house.
"Hmph, just a concubine's rank, and they're this arrogant!" Madam Wang angrily wrung out her handkerchief, but ultimately couldn't bear to smash the freshly brewed pre-rain Longjing tea. "Their eldest branch is so high and mighty, daring to refuse even the Lan family's marriage proposal! The elders wanted to push our Yue'er into the palace before, but the Empress Dowager stopped them. If we could now climb up to the Lan family's noble lineage, our entire Su family could rise to a higher level. Yue'er's future marriage prospects would be vastly different; she could even marry into a noble family, or even take over Su Su's position in the future... It's not impossible! Now, all of this has been ruined by their eldest branch! The whole family is short-sighted!"
Before she could finish speaking, the beaded curtain trembled slightly, and a slender figure froze at the doorway. It was their daughter, Su Linyue. She had come to say goodnight, but unexpectedly overheard her mother's words filled with resentment.
Su Linyue's face, which bore a slight resemblance to Su Su but could only be described as pretty, instantly drained of color, replaced by an overwhelming sense of humiliation and deep-seated jealousy. She clenched the embroidered handkerchief in her hand so tightly that her nails almost dug into her palm. It was Su Su again! She had always been the center of attention, not only had her path to the palace been blocked, but now her brother was preventing her from marrying into a wealthy family through their influence!
Su Maolin's face was gloomy, his eyes filled with malice: "Brother, you're relying on your daughter's power to look down on everyone." Su Maolin was so jealous because he himself hadn't done well in his studies when he was young. Later, he pleaded with the Empress Dowager, but she only gave him a ninth-rank position as a prison warden in the Ministry of Justice. Although his wife, Su, was the daughter of an official family, her father's official rank was not high, only a seventh-rank official, and her family was poor, unable to bring him official position or wealth. Therefore, he was extremely jealous of Su Mufeng and also felt inferior, feeling that Su Mufeng was not only more handsome than him but also more talented and wealthy.
"Just wait and see!" Madam Wang sneered through her nose, her voice filled with malice. "The favor in the palace comes and goes quickly. Let's see if they'll still be so arrogant when their daughter falls out of favor again!"
Inside the house of the eldest son, who was the object of jealousy, however, was a warm and peaceful place.
Tang Wanqing was embroidering a sachet by the bright candlelight by the warm kang. The stitches were fine and dense, and it was the pine and cypress pattern that Su Mufeng often used. Although Su Mufeng was holding a book, his eyes were mostly on his wife. When he saw her rubbing her neck, he put down his book and walked to her side.
"It's late, be careful with your eyes." His voice was deep and gentle as he reached out and gently removed the embroidery from her hands.
Tang Wanqing looked up at him. In the candlelight, even the fine lines at the corners of her eyes appeared soft and captivating. She was only thirty-five years old this year, and thanks to her excellent maintenance, her face was still as beautiful as ever. Now, in the warm yellow light, she exuded an even more gentle and graceful charm. Su Mufeng's heart stirred, and he bent down and picked her up in his arms.
"Master!" Tang Wanqing called out softly, her cheeks flushing instantly, but her hands naturally wrapped around his neck.
"My wife, you must be tired," Su Mufeng said, carrying his still light-footed wife steadily toward the bed in the inner room, a mischievous smile in his eyes. "I'll carry you to rest."
The warm glow of red candles and cozy curtains filled the room with the quiet warmth of spring.
Inside Baixuan Courtyard, Su Jizhi stood by the study window, gazing in the direction of the palace, his eyes calm and resolute.
Sister, are you doing well in the palace? Don't worry, your brother will strive to do his best and will never be a burden to you.
As night deepened, the lights in the Su residence were extinguished one by one.
Only in the courtyard of the main house did that warm lamp burn for a very long time.
Meanwhile, in the distant palace, Su Su leaned against the window of Changxin Palace, gazing at the bright moon in the sky, its gentle light shining on her serene profile.
Father, Mother, Brother, Su Su misses you all very much. I hope this gentle breeze can carry my thoughts and news of your well-being to you.
The candlelight cast a warm glow in the meticulously renovated hall, dispelling the chill of the winter night. Su Su walked barefoot on the soft, thick Persian carpet to the round sandalwood table, picked up the cup of warm milk, and held the jade-like porcelain cup in her palm. The warmth was just right. She took a sip, and the rich milky aroma filled her mouth, soothing her thoughts.
The silver wire charcoal brazier in the corner was burning brightly. The fine red charcoal produced no smoke or dust, only a gentle warmth that made the entire inner hall feel like a warm spring day. This was a world apart from the situation not long ago when Qiuju and I were crammed into a hard bed in the side room, relying on the meager heat of inferior charcoal for warmth.
She strolled back to the chaise lounge by the window, her brocade nightgown smooth as water, clinging to her body and outlining her slender waist and undulating curves.
Outside the window, the night sky was clear and bright, with a bright moon hanging high in the sky, its clear light shining everywhere. Even the cold outline of the palace walls seemed to soften a bit. The moonlight shone through the newly changed soft gauze curtains, enveloping her in a hazy halo.
She leaned against the window frame, letting the cool night breeze caress her face, bringing a sense of clarity. The warmth and abundance inside the palace, and the cold moonlight outside, seemed to reflect her current state of mind. Having been reborn, she once thought she had seen through that person's coldness and only wanted to escape far away and seek freedom. But now, this sudden promotion and the extravagant treatment beyond her station were like a soft yet resilient net, trapping her once again in this deep palace.
Li Qianche, what exactly is his intention?
Was it because he discovered there were other hidden circumstances surrounding the Prince of Ning's heir that he felt a desire for compensation? Or... did he still see her as a useful pawn to balance the power between the Empress Dowager and Consort Zhuang? Or perhaps, it was simply because her resolute decision to leave the palace that day challenged his imperial authority, which he could not tolerate being challenged?
She gently swirled the remaining milk in her cup, watching the ripples spread. In her past life, she would have been overjoyed by this sudden favor, racking her brains to decipher the emperor's intentions and trying to grasp this perceived favor. But now, she only felt weary. The warmth in this nine-layered palace was a mix of truth and falsehood, reality and illusion, even more elusive than the moonlight outside the window.
"So be it." She finished the last bit of milk, a faint bitter smile appearing on her lips. Since she couldn't break free for the time being, she might as well go with the flow. This status as a concubine and this comfortable residence were better than struggling to survive in the cold palace. At least, the warmth at this moment was real, the sweetness in her mouth was real, and the companionship of the loyal servants by her side was real.
She raised her eyes and looked at the bright moon again. Her gaze gradually became calm, like a deep pool, undisturbed. Since she could not leave the palace now, she would no longer struggle in vain and waste her energy. These palaces, though a cage, were also her only place to live and make a living for the rest of her life. Rather than suffering a bloody defeat in a hopeless escape, she would find the safest way to survive in this world. She needed to be more cautious and clear-headed, save money, cultivate trustworthy people, secretly investigate the hidden dangers around her father and brothers, and the incomprehensible connection between Consort Zhuang and the Prince Ning's mansion.
From then on, she stayed quietly in Changxin Palace, neither vying for anything nor complaining. If fate were kind enough to let her live peacefully until after His Majesty's death, and she could attain the position of a Dowager Consort, quietly watching the flowers bloom and fade, the clouds roll and unroll in a corner of the palace garden, thus ending her remaining life, it would be another kind of good ending.
The charcoal fire inside the hall crackled softly, making the night seem even more still. She placed the empty cup aside, pulled the warm brocade quilt around her tighter, knowing that no matter what storms might come tomorrow, at least tonight she had a warm room, a peaceful night's rest, and the company of the bright moonlight shining through the window.
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