the truth
The oriole slowly ate a piece of plum blossom pastry, then asked uneasily.
"Master, can you guess why Madam Wang came to see you just now?"
Jiang Yan couldn't help but laugh: "What else could she be doing? Listen to what she's saying, isn't it just to show off? Show off how much the prince dotes on her! I'm just wondering, why is she so easily angered? Isn't she afraid I'll really complain to the prince about her?"
Huang Ying then said, "To say something you might not like to hear, Madam Wang doesn't take you seriously at all!"
"You don't take me seriously? You've got some nerve!"
Huang Ying: "My lady, I'm about to say something you don't want to hear again. Life in the Prince's mansion is just like life in a large courtyard. It's not about having a status to live comfortably; it's about being favored."
"Are you kidding me?" This is clearly different from the novels she's read!
She has read at least a hundred, if not a thousand, novels. In those novels about the royal harem, the stories all revolve around who is favored and who has the highest status. Moreover, she has heard that anyone the supreme ruler likes will be given a special position, no matter how difficult it may seem.
Could it be that the Zhou Kingdom was different from other dynasties in Chinese history?
"If the prince likes someone, can he elevate that person to the highest position?" Jiang Yan asked.
Huang Ying: "Your Highness, the sons of noble families never marry out of love, but out of profit. So these young ladies may have status and position for their whole lives, but they may not have love for their whole lives! Some young ladies may live alone for their whole lives, and they are not as good as a concubine."
"So, according to you, being a concubine is better than being a wife?"
Huang Ying: "It's not always like that, but generally speaking, the principal wife will gradually be neglected once family interests are involved. As for the concubine, she may not have a status at first, but because there are no conflicts of interest, she will not only have a status later on, but also gain favor."
Jiang Yan disagreed with her opinion.
Her viewpoint was that a lawfully wedded wife was no match for a mistress who came into the picture temporarily.
Is this an era where mistresses can be more powerful than wives?
No way?
This is utterly absurd!
How could Huang Ying have such a mind-blowing idea?
Could it be... that this is how the Liu family is?
According to her, Liu Ruyi's younger sister, the current Madam Liu, is actually a concubine who has risen to a higher social status.
Jiang Yan suddenly felt as if he had been enlightened. He glanced at Huang Ying, who was eating snacks with her eyes downcast, hesitated, and then said.
"Huang Ying, I promised to help your young lady Ruyi get justice, but you have to explain the Liu family's affairs to me clearly, right? Otherwise, I won't know anything, and it will be like the blind men touching an elephant, which will not benefit anyone."
But the oriole simply lowered its eyes and remained silent.
Jiang Yan guessed that she definitely still didn't trust her, so she said.
"Huang Ying, I've already sworn an oath. If you still don't trust me, then I won't be able to trust you in the future either. As for the thing you asked me to do, I don't think I need to bother doing it."
Upon hearing this, Huang Ying immediately became anxious.
Seeing her flustered appearance, Jiang Yan said, "Tell me the truth, is it true that your eldest daughter Liu Ruyi's mother is actually the legal wife?"
Upon hearing this, Huang Ying was immediately dumbfounded.
"It seems I guessed right! Ruyi's mother is Liu Xiangyi's lawfully wedded wife, while Liu Ruyan's mother is actually a concubine."
"How did you guess? Did someone tell you anything?" Huang Ying asked nervously.
Jiang Yan sighed in frustration: "Who can tell me? I deduced it from what you just said."
"Did I just say something?"
Jiang Yan sighed speechlessly: "Ruyi's mother's family must be very powerful, right? At least as powerful as the Liu family, right?"
Huang Ying looked dejected and gave a soft "hmm": "The eldest young lady's aunt's family is in the south. They have been doing business for generations and are the richest family in the area."
"Then how did you end up marrying into this family?"
If she wasn't mistaken, this was the North. The South and the North are opposites, and the distance between them is no small amount!
Huang Ying: "I learned these things from Miss. As for other things, Miss didn't say anything, so I don't know either."
Jiang Yan: "When did you arrive at the Liu residence?"
Huang Ying: "Six years ago, when I was eight years old. That year, Miss was only six years old."
Jiang Yan: "How did Ruyi's mother die? Could she have been murdered by a concubine?"
Sure enough, when Huang Ying heard what she said, her eyes showed disbelief and surprise.
"So she really was killed by her concubine?" Jiang Yan couldn't help but feel sorry for her. "What did her family do? Didn't they demand an explanation?"
Huang Ying: "Only my maternal uncle came at the time, and he only stayed for one day before going back. I heard that the master felt very guilty and sad at the time, and my maternal uncle didn't say anything. The matter was over and done with."
"That's it? No way? Didn't you say your young lady's aunt's family was very wealthy, the richest in the area? How could they let their daughter die so mysteriously? Impossible! Are you hiding something from me?"
Huang Ying: "What else could I possibly hide from you? It's true. Back then, the eldest young lady cried to her maternal uncle, saying that her mother was killed by the second madam. But her maternal uncle didn't believe her at all. He even scolded her, telling her not to talk nonsense and to listen to the second madam and the master. The eldest young lady got so angry that she fell seriously ill. I took care of her the whole time. She stayed in bed for more than a month before she could get up. That was during the hottest part of summer."
"From what you're saying, it seems your young lady's mother wasn't well-liked at home either! Otherwise, what kind of parents would not even bother to see their daughter one last time after her death, and only send her brother-in-law instead? Your young lady is truly pitiful! Her maternal uncle's family doesn't care for her, and her own father doesn't love her either!!"
Huang Ying: "I am not very clear about the specific details, but what you said is indeed true."
Jiang Yan: "How did the Second Madam harm your mistress?"
Huang Ying: "I remember it was the Dragon Boat Festival. Master hosted a family banquet. Madam ate a zongzi (sticky rice dumpling), and less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea later, she experienced severe abdominal pain and vomited black blood. The doctor hadn't arrived yet when Madam couldn't hold on any longer and passed away. When the doctor arrived, he examined Madam's face and determined that she had died from poisoning. And all Madam had eaten that one zongzi that Second Madam had peeled for her all day. Tell me, if it wasn't Second Madam who killed Madam, then who else could it be?"
Jiang Yan, however, replied after a moment's thought, "Didn't the others eat zongzi? Aren't zongzi the same?"
"They ate everything, but only the lady... unfortunately."
Jiang Yan asked doubtfully, "Do you think it could be your wife? She couldn't think straight, so she..."
Unexpectedly, Huang Ying suddenly became extremely angry and said, "You suspect that the madam committed suicide?" She stood up abruptly, "I knew you were just good with words! In fact, everything you said was a lie!!" Then, she stormed out of the courtyard.
Jiang Yan was anxious and wanted to chase after her, but by the time she reached the door, she had already disappeared. Frustrated, she sat back down on the stone bench.
It's not surprising that she thinks that way. Think about it: Liu Ruyi's mother was originally Liu Xiangyi's lawfully wedded wife. Later, she not only lost her status as his wife, but also lost his favor. Who could bear that?
If she were to actually commit suicide, it wouldn't be hard to understand.
Jiang Yan sighed dejectedly, sat on the stone bench for a while longer, lost her appetite for snacks, and went inside to rest.
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