Chapter 130 A Fateful Reunion (No male or female protagonists appear in this chapter) The Supreme Being…
Aunt Xue felt a pang of heartache seeing her daughter lying on the bed crying. She moved over, patted her back, and sighed, "How could I not miss your father? If only he were here."
At first, Xue Baochai felt ashamed and angry. Later, she borrowed her father's name and became somewhat sad. When she heard her mother say this, especially the last sigh, she did not cry out loud as before, but instead sobbed softly.
"Our family..." Aunt Xue hesitated for a moment, "...can't go back to the clan. Your brother isn't young anymore, and he only has Xiangling, whom he bought, as a concubine. When he first came back, I was thinking of finding him a marriage partner. After all, we are imperial merchants, nominally registered with the Ministry of Revenue, so I don't want him to marry a noblewoman. Finding someone from an imperial merchant family similar to us would be fine—"
Aunt Xue paused, then sighed heavily: "Who knew that after approaching two different places, they wouldn't even give us a smile when they heard we were staying at the Rongguo Mansion. The Rongguo Mansion is not even as good as us now."
Aunt Xue sighed heavily again and cursed, "My sister is no good! She took all that money from us, and now that things are like this, she still won't budge. I'd like to see what kind of family her precious phoenix egg will find!"
Aunt Xue scolded her a couple of times, then patted Xue Baochai on the back: "But you really have been wasted. How can being a wife in a humble family compare to being a concubine in a wealthy one? If you were to marry into a family with only three or five servants, you would have to make your own clothes, and you might even have to work in the kitchen. How could I bear to do that?"
Xue Baochai gradually stopped crying, but remained silent.
“Look at that Second Sister You. Her status may not be noble, but she is still a daughter of an official. Her mother has an imperial title, her father is an official, and her sister is from the Ningguo Mansion—originally also an imperial title. But what about her? She still insists on becoming Lian Er's concubine.”
Xue Baochai turned over, without looking up, and whispered again, "Second Master Lian".
They had also tried to woo Master Lian, but Jia Lian was busy with his duties and it was difficult to meet him. Moreover, they had only met a few times. No one knew how Feng Yatou had noticed, but after that, she never spoke to her on her own initiative again. Even when Feng Yatou took the initiative, she remained cold and indifferent.
Aunt Xue was also thinking about this: "He is... but times have changed. He can't inherit the title, but he still represents the Rongguo Mansion in handling affairs outside. He's definitely better than the second branch's phoenix egg. At least he can stand on his own two feet. Our family still has some assets. Whether he becomes a landlord or a merchant in the future, he can manage. I'll ask your brother to give it a try later."
Whenever marriage is mentioned, there is one person who cannot be avoided: Lin Daiyu.
"How can she be so lucky?" Aunt Xue used to be somewhat secretive, but now that she herself is not doing well while the other side is doing better and better, she is becoming more and more blunt in her speech.
“Last year, I saw her on the verge of death. She was deathly pale and listless, and she never went out. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she had actually died. How could she have been saved?”
"Let's try again," Xue Baochai said to Aunt Xue with a determination akin to a sacrifice.
Aunt Xue didn't realize it at first, but after looking at her daughter, she understood: "The Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion never replies. Even though the gatekeeper brought our family, they didn't treat us any differently. Every time, it was the same as when it was delivered to us for the first time."
"I don't believe she doesn't hate me." Xue Baochai closed her eyes, her face expressionless.
"Brother, if you offer up your family fortune and... your sister, you will become a retainer of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion. Even if he doesn't want it, Lin girl can't resist. How many times have we offended her behind her back, how many times have we contradicted her to her face, how many times have we sown discord in front of everyone? She must hate me. If she knew this news, she would definitely agree, and then she could torment me."
This time, it was Aunt Xue's turn to have tears in her eyes. She held Xue Baochai's hand tightly and said, "No—how much injustice must she have suffered?"
“If she’s willing to torment me, I can find an opportunity to speak with the Marquis of Zhongyong. I don’t know what she’s like in front of the Marquis of Zhongyong, but I know she would never have tormented servants before.”
As Xue Baochai spoke, she regained her confidence, "Such an obvious difference will surely pique the curiosity of the Marquis of Zhongyong. My eldest cousin was over twenty before she was made a concubine, and I'm not even older than her."
Aunt Xue sighed and said, "You've always been decisive, so I can't stop you. But you are indeed getting old, and we can't afford to waste a single day. Let's go for it. I'll have your brother take you tomorrow. I still have two pieces of jewelry that I've been saving. Dress up nicely before you go tomorrow."
Xue Baochai shook her head: "I think it would be better to wear men's clothing tomorrow. Women are somewhat reserved, but if I wear men's clothing, I might be able to see the Marquis of Zhongyong."
Aunt Xue thought about it and agreed: "Your brother is not good with words, so it's better if you speak first."
While the Xue family mother and daughter were discussing new options, Wang Ziteng was having some reservations.
Why are both of his nieces like this?
What is the purpose of virtue? How come everyone who spoke so eloquently before now disagrees?
One is terminally ill, the other bursts into tears at the sight of anyone. Where do they seem to have any royal blood?
There is one that is indeed missing.
Or perhaps we should find two orphaned girls and adopt them as goddaughters.
Having already set out with this idea, Wang Ziteng decided to go all the way. In addition to the orphan girl, he also wanted to find some courtesans in places like Chunhua Tower. Getting things done with them would be much better than having his niece.
The next morning, Xue Baochai dressed in men's clothing that made it immediately clear she was a woman. A very tight wide belt was tied around the waist of her long robe, and she wore two red coral earrings. She also wore light makeup, revealing her red lips and white teeth.
On the other side, Yingchun and Siqi also boarded a carriage and headed towards the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence.
Siqi pondered what to do. Every time she went there, she would sit in the gatehouse, something even her own mistress had never mentioned.
Fortunately, she had seen plenty of the wealth and luxury of the Rongguo Mansion, and with a little embellishment, she transformed it into the opulent splendor of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion, so much so that even her own wife couldn't detect the flaws.
But if I bring my wife along today, I can't hide it anymore. Is the Lady of the Marquis here? If she's not here, will the gatekeeper invite my wife in?
“It’s too impolite to come like this,” Yingchun sighed. “She used to be a very polite person. Even when she was having a poetry gathering, she would send out invitations in a proper manner.”
Siqi's attention wasn't on this; she only came back to her senses after Yingchun finished speaking.
Fortunately, Yingchun didn't expect a response to this. After all, Siqi was just a maid, and she didn't know anything about poetry gatherings.
“I’m asking you,” Yingchun said again, “Master has brought you bird’s nest, why don’t you want it? I remember she used to eat a lot of bird’s nest back in the Rongguo Mansion.”
Siqi's reasoning to Sun Shaozu was that if they were to send bird's nest now, what would they send later? They suggested starting with things like white fungus, which, although not as precious as bird's nest, were still good things.
But the master doesn't know, and does the mistress not know either?
Siqi's tone was rather unpleasant: "Does Madam not know where that bird's nest came from in the first place?"
Although it was a question, Siqi didn't expect her to answer. She continued, "First, Miss Xue sent it over in a big way, making the whole mansion know that she had eaten the Xue family's bird's nest. Later, Second Master Bao couldn't stand it anymore and took away the old lady's allowance to prepare it for her every day. But in the end, she didn't eat much—humph, I've experienced firsthand what kind of people those people in the small kitchen are."
Siqi smashed up the small kitchen, although it was an attempt to cause trouble and pave the way for her relatives. However, those old women looked down on her and wouldn't even give her an egg. It was true that they only fawned over the Yihong Courtyard.
“Those old women found it troublesome and were impatient to make this, so she stopped eating it.”
Upon hearing this, Yingchun didn't know what to say, only managing a dry, curt reply: "Those maids and servants are indeed outrageous."
She could really empathize with that.
Although the Rongguo Mansion is in a good location, almost in the very center of the capital, how could the Xue family dare to let the Rongguo Mansion know where they live, and even jump ship to the Rongguo Mansion?
So in the morning, she still had to pay her respects and chat as usual. Xue Baochai had to change her clothes when she got back, and by the time she arrived at the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence, it was almost noon. She had arrived a few words earlier than Yingchun and her maid.
So when Siqi helped Yingchun over, they heard a very familiar voice from inside the gatehouse.
"Our Xue family are descendants of the Imperial Attendants, and we were once ministers to the Emperor, a very prominent family. Now we are imperial merchants, and we are still very successful. In Jinling, our family is known for its wealth and influence. Our branch has connections in both the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Revenue. We wish to become your retainers, and we ask that you inform us. We have been sending invitations for over a year, never stopping during festivals, rain or shine, which shows our sincerity."
The doorman was getting a little impatient. Anyone would be annoyed by a persistent pest, especially one who was not only clingy but also a bad person. But he was a doorman, so he had to put up with it.
“Young master,” the doorman said, his politeness bordering on hypocrisy, “you must first write an invitation and make an appointment before you can see the general.”
She kept repeating the same sentence over and over again, and Xue Baochai got angry and said, "I am the cousin of the Lady of the Marquis. We grew up together. Just go in and announce my arrival. She will definitely want to see me."
You're still wearing men's clothing.
Xue Pan tugged at her sleeve and said, "Let's wait a bit, we'll send the invitation over in a little while."
To be honest, Xue Baochai was much more confident than Xue Pan. When Xue Pan went out to do business and socialize, he suffered a lot of disdain and contempt, and was even beaten up.
Xue Baochai, however, fared much better. The Jia family were all concerned with their reputation, and even when Grandmother Jia tried to dismiss them, it was always through hints, reminders, and metaphors; they could simply pretend they didn't understand. So, in reality, Xue Baochai didn't suffer much harsh criticism.
Xue Baochai said in frustration, "Am I going to have to return empty-handed today?"
Wouldn't that mean we'd return empty-handed?
The gatekeeper thought to himself: Their general is in the suburbs showing His Majesty his elite troops, including shield bearers, infantry, cavalry, heavy infantry, archers, and siege units, and how they are combined and how they attack.
Let alone you, even if the Emperor Emeritus came, he wouldn't be able to see the general.
As for the Lady, she went to the palace to talk with the Empress and teach the princess to write. The Emperor Emeritus could see her, but he couldn't tell her the truth. Revealing the Empress's whereabouts would be a serious crime if investigated.
You two are treated the same as the retired emperor; it would be unpleasant to return empty-handed.
As for the other people in the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion, Huang Guihua was collecting her persimmon cakes: "The mansion is really nice. There's more sunshine than in Linjia Village, and the place is more spacious. There's such a thick layer of frost on it."
And there's Mu Dazhuang, strolling down the street with his hands behind his back. Yesterday, I overheard some people watching acrobatics under the overpass saying that there's a place at the street corner that serves particularly delicious stir-fried bean curd with mutton tail fat.
He was, after all, a third-rank official, so he not only wanted double the amount of mutton tail fat, but also added green beans and pickled mustard greens, so he could enjoy a delicious meal.
The inside was bustling, but the people outside couldn't wait any longer. If it were just the two of them, it wouldn't be so bad, but there were Sun family servants in the carriage behind. Siqi took a deep breath, helped Yingchun up the steps, and went inside to speak first.
“Our lady is the cousin of the Lady of your noble family. It is the perfect time for winter nourishment. This is this year’s fresh white fungus, and this is authentic astragalus, which nourishes yin and replenishes qi.”
After saying that, she seemed to have just noticed the person: "Miss Xue, why are you dressed like that?"
Putting everything else aside, although she was dressed in men's clothing, the belt was cinched tightly around her waist, making her curves both upper and lower body obvious. Who wouldn't be able to tell that she was a woman?
Although Yingchun was not talkative or sociable, she would still greet people when she saw them. She nodded to Xue Baochai and called out, "Miss Xue." Then she took two steps back and stood behind Siqi, avoiding Xue Pan's gaze.
Xue Baochai was also looking at the two of them. They were carrying things, but there were no invitations, and judging from their tone, this wasn't their first time visiting.
Xue Baochai chuckled, then regained her composure: "You've also come to see Madam Lin? Let's go in together."
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