Lady Dou
"Fortunately, my mind isn't too bad." Jiang Jin sat opposite Jiang Su. "The capital has been relatively calm lately, and the Second Prince hasn't made any moves either." Jiang Jin took out some silver from his bundle.
"My mother gave the temple money to take better care of you, so keep this with you in case of emergency." Jiang Su looked up at Jiang Jin, whose beauty was like that of a peach blossom, and whose demeanor was quite different from her previous gentle and quiet nature.
“This is the inner courtyard. Every room here is very clean and is where the families who come to offer incense stay. There are also some rooms in the back where women who have made mistakes live. If Mother hadn’t spoken up, I would probably be living there.”
Jiang Su isn't stupid. The reason she's sitting here copying scriptures isn't because she's particularly talented, but because the Jiang family hasn't truly given up on her.
"Second sister, what would you do if Father completely abandoned you one day?" Jiang Jin looked at Jiang Su's expression and said frankly, "I am not afraid. I do not rely on the protection of the family, so I am not worried that I will have no place to stand after Father abandons me."
“I don’t rely on my family.” Jiang Su smiled softly, tears streaming down her face. “Second sister, I thought you could live a good life even if you didn’t marry General Wei. But I suddenly realized that I feel like I’m not a person, but an object.”
Seeing Jiang Jin's puzzled expression, Jiang Su said, "It's nothing. Just pretend I haven't seen anyone in a long time. I was just talking nonsense, Second Sister, please don't take offense." Jiang Su had been completely transformed after this incident.
"Alright, if you think this place is nice and you can live in seclusion, then stay here for now. Anyway, the court is unstable, so it's good for you to stay here." Jiang Jin sighed, looking at the simple furnishings in the room. The cotton cloth on the wooden basin was a little faded.
"Should I ask my father to send you some everyday items? You've been in the Jiang family for so long, you're probably not used to it here, are you?" Jiang Jin noticed that Jiang Su's face had darkened and she had lost a lot of weight.
“It was the slap my father gave you that made me realize that you are the daughter of my father’s deceased wife, the wife of Wei Shu, and an official personally appointed by His Majesty. If my father could hit you without any scruples, then I need no further explanation. My aunt is not very wealthy and will still have to rely on my father’s brothers for support in the future.”
Jiang Su only understood the difference between legitimate and illegitimate children through marriage. Her eldest sister married a poor official, so her parents pity her and prepared a lot of money. Her second sister, needless to say, brought back a dowry and bride price to the Wei family. Her third sister married into a respectable family, so her dowry and bride price were naturally quite large. Only she, though arrogant and domineering, had an uncertain future.
"Second sister, it's a pity that one can't know beforehand." Jiang Su, without makeup, looked more ethereal than when she was dressed in elaborate attire.
"Do you still want to marry the Second Prince once this storm has passed?" After all, she's his younger sister; no matter how mischievous she is, he just wants her to be happy.
"I want to, but becoming his princess consort means I can't be jealous. My brothers-in-law might refrain from taking concubines for the time being because of Father, but the Second Prince is of noble birth, and I don't want to stay behind and do housework like my mother." Although there was a charcoal brazier in Jiang Su's room, her expression was as cold as ice and snow outside.
"If you want the Second Prince to be devoted to you, then there is nothing I can do. Cousin Liang always puts his own interests first and will not take a concubine unless absolutely necessary, which would hurt Third Sister's feelings. My brother-in-law is a smart man who knows that he is only good when my sister is good. Only the Second Prince is not like that."
Jiang Jin knew that women couldn't share their husbands with others, but it was different for members of the royal family. Even if Lou Xuan wanted to secretly keep male concubines, Chang Yi could only turn a blind eye.
"I know, that's why I chose to stay in this room for some peace and quiet. My mother is forgiving, and I don't need to worry about my aunt. It's just a matter of temporarily staying out of the public eye and not being able to attend festivals and banquets." Jiang Su smiled self-deprecatingly, not taking Jiang Jin's worried look to heart.
"Second sister, you don't need to feel sorry for me. It's quite easy here." Jiang Su got up and sat on the couch. "I usually rest for a while after lunch, then get up to do my homework. After dinner, I chant scriptures. I don't have to chop wood, pour water, sew clothes, or cook. I just need to clean my own room."
"If you like it here, I'll add some more money for incense. If anything happens, don't panic, just send someone to report it." Jiang Su looked at Jiang Jin and thanked her earnestly. "Second sister, if it were Wu Lang's father who made the mistake, would he have acted this way?"
This question stumped Jiang Jin for a moment, and seeing her predicament, Jiang Su stopped talking, "Wulang is the male member of the family, so he is naturally more precious."
"If Wulang were to insist on marrying a woman from the Dou or Liu family today, Father would probably beat him up, lock him in the courtyard to find another wife, or send him out to gain experience and avoid trouble, because women are always the ones who are sacrificed in gossip."
Jiang Jin knew that Jiang Su felt her father was biased because she was a woman, but her father simply didn't want to undermine His Majesty's trust in him for anyone's sake. As for putting her in a temple or sending her back to her hometown, it was just following the methods of their predecessors.
"So even the man's father wouldn't risk it for him?" Jiang Su smiled, but there was no smile in her eyes.
"Marriage isn't just your affair; it involves two families. Women are often in a weaker position. If something happens to another family, they can divorce to save their own lives, but not a prince. Besides, the princes are constantly vying for power, and it might even affect the second prince." Jiang Jin shook her head, looking at Jiang Su's thoughtful expression.
"I'll come see you again in a while. Be careful in the temple." Jiang Jin put on her veil and was about to push open the door when she heard Jiang Su's voice behind her.
"Second sister, if I were to marry a poor official like eldest sister, would my life be smooth sailing?"
"How can I guarantee your life's success? Besides, life is full of changes, and the word 'smooth sailing' is incredibly difficult to achieve." Jiang Jin pushed open the door and left the temple. By the time he returned to the capital, the sun was already slowly setting.
Leading her horse along the bustling street, Jiang Jin felt the warmth of everyday life that she hadn't experienced in a long time. Her days immersed in intrigue and scheming had left her with a deathly aura.
"How dare you! I clearly ordered that hairpin, how can you show it to others!" A young woman wearing a veiled hat argued angrily with the shopkeeper.
"This lady doesn't want to either, but the lady upstairs is Madam Dou, someone we can't afford to offend!" The veiled maid tugged at the young lady beside her upon hearing this.
"My lady, we really can't afford to offend the Dou family." The veiled lady could only sit to the side, looking somewhat helplessly towards the second floor. Jiang Jin tied the reins to a tree and walked into the shop.
"Madam, what would you like to see?" The shopkeeper, seeing Jiang Jin's riding attire, immediately realized that Jiang Jin was also a noble lady from a prominent family.
"I wonder what kind of hairpin that young lady ordered that could win the favor of Madam Dou. I'd like to see it too." The shopkeeper hesitated, looking towards the second floor. Just then, a well-dressed maid came downstairs carrying a tray.
“My mistress said they were all common things, only that jade and turquoise butterfly hairpin is somewhat pleasing to the eye.” The young woman, who had been sitting, stood up abruptly. “I took the design to the shop and asked the shop assistant to make it; it’s the only one, it’s mine!”
“My mistress said the design is quite nice and it’s worth about a gold ingot.” The maid haughtily took a gold ingot from her sleeve and threw it on the table. “It’s your honor that my mistress has taken a liking to your things.”
"You..." The young woman was speechless for the first time upon seeing such a shameless person.
"The Dou family really doesn't respect the law! Just because you're a member of the Dou family, does that give you the right to forcibly take other people's things? You even tried to snatch the hairpin that this young lady paid for. Anyone who didn't know better would think the Dou family are all short-sighted." Jiang Jin sneered and shielded the young lady behind him.
"Give the hairpin back! This is the capital, under the Emperor's nose, not your Dou residence." Seeing the two arguing, the shopkeeper quickly shrank to the side; these were two people he couldn't afford to offend.
“Madam, you flatter me. It’s just a hairpin. My mistress has seen all sorts of fine things.” The maid, intimidated by Jiang Jin’s imposing manner, hurried upstairs. A short while later, a woman in a cloak was escorted downstairs by a group of people.
"Whose family are you? You seem quite sharp-tongued, though." Madam Dou deliberately placed a jade and turquoise butterfly hairpin in her hair in front of the three of them.
"It's innovative, but the workmanship is mediocre, and the materials are rough. It's better to just not have it." With that, he tossed it onto the table and prepared to leave the shop.
"The Dou family is quite arrogant. I suppose even the nobles in the palace are not as powerful as you!" Jiang Jin reached out to stop Madam Dou. "You casually threw away someone's sentimental hairpin, and it's already deformed. Doesn't Madam Dou apologize or offer any compensation?"
"I thought she was some pure and virtuous person, but she's just a money-grubber." The maid beside her mocked, tossing a handful of gold beans onto the ground. The gold beans rolling on the ground seemed to represent the faces of the three people on the floor.
"Please, this gold is enough for you to live on for a few days without having to beg. And these clothes of yours were a gift, weren't they? You're not of lowly status, are you?" The maid's words drew laughter from the onlookers, but a crisp slap silenced them the next second.
"You dare hit me!" The maid's face swelled up visibly. Although Jiang Jin had only used half her strength, she was naturally stronger due to her years of riding horses and shooting arrows.
"So what if I hit you? Do you expect your Madam Dou to kill me?" Jiang Jin's laughter pierced through the veil, standing out prominently in the quiet shop.
"Who exactly are you?" Madam Dou felt a growing unease as she watched Jiang Jin retaliate. In the entire capital, there were only a handful of people who dared to show such disrespect to the Dou family.
"Who I am is none of your business. I'm just someone who helps those in need. What right do you, someone who abuses power to oppress others and seize what others cherish, have to know my identity?" Jiang Jin felt a surge of pleasure as he watched Madam Dou's expression change.
"Second Madam, perhaps you should consider what would happen if today's matter were to escalate to the imperial court and someone were to impeach you. Of course, the Dou family is extremely powerful, being the maternal family of the Crown Prince and Princess Zhaoyang, so they naturally have nothing to fear. But ultimately, it's because of you that I'm being impeached. Do you think Lord Dou would give you a pleasant look?" After Jiang Jin finished speaking, she walked to the table, carefully picked up the hairpin, and, holding the hand of the young lady behind her, left the shop.
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