Chapter Twenty-Nine: Three Marriages
Ruan Bi and Manyun went into the inner room together.
The old lady sat in the main seat of the hall, her brows slightly furrowed, a hint of surprise still lingering between her brows.
Upon seeing Ruan Bi, she stood up and said, "Fifth Girl, come with me to the side hall to talk." Then she said to Manyun, "Send those maids away, don't let them disturb our conversation."
Manyun nodded, waved to the maids, and they quietly withdrew with the leftover tea and pastries.
Ruan Bi stepped forward and helped the old lady to sit down on the couch in the side hall. She noticed that the curtains were not yet rolled up, and the room was dimly lit. She then went to the window and rolled up the curtain halfway. The sun was shining brightly outside, and the autumn sunlight dappled the tree branches, creating a delightful effect.
"Come and sit down, the maid will take care of these things later," the old lady beckoned to her.
Ruan Bi sat down on the round stool at her feet, adopting an expression of listening attentively.
The old lady looked at her carefully for a while and said, "Fifth girl, tell me the truth, when you went to the Princess's residence, did she say anything to you?"
Ruan Bi asked, puzzled, "What does Grandmother mean by that?"
The old lady hesitated, but seeing that she didn't seem to be pretending, she asked again, "Did she... ever mention her young master to you?"
Ruan Bi asked in surprise, "Gu Xiaobai?"
The old lady frowned and gently scolded, "How can you address someone by their first name? If others hear this, they'll think the Ruan family is ill-mannered." She paused and said, "Even if it is him, did the Princess say anything to you?"
What happened?
First came the visit of the Lady of Dongping Marquis—this was a common occurrence, as she and the old lady were on good terms and often visited each other, usually about once a month. However, although this Lady of Dongping Marquis was a kind-hearted old lady, she held strong family values and had never even given me a second glance before. This time, however, she warmly held my hand and invited me to visit the Dongping Marquis's residence, which seemed quite strange.
Then came the old lady's persistent questioning—every time she returned from the Chang Gong Mansion, she would ask about every detail, especially what the princess had said and done. But this time, she wasn't asking the Chang Princess, but Gu Xiaobai.
Then there was the First Madam's hateful gaze.
Ruan Bi wasn't stupid; she vaguely guessed what was going on, but she simply couldn't convince herself. Gu Xiaobai and herself? Something must have gone wrong. After thinking for a moment, she cautiously said, "He never mentioned Young Master Gu to me."
"Oh, did you speak with Young Master Gu at the Princess's residence?"
“Young Master Gu lives in the Duke of Dingguo’s mansion and doesn’t often go to the Princess’s mansion, but I have met him a few times and exchanged a few polite words with him.”
What do you think of him?
Ruan Bi said cautiously, "We've only met a few times. She's very beautiful, but I don't know what her personality is like."
The old lady gave a thoughtful "Oh," squinted at Ruan Bi, and fell into thought.
The Gu family, the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, was a prominent clan in the capital. Their lineage traced back to Emperor Taizong. The Gu family's ancestor, of humble origins, was originally a personal bodyguard of Emperor Taizong. He distinguished himself in the war against the Northern Han, earning the title of general. Later, he repeatedly distinguished himself in the campaign to pacify the south, and was further enfeoffed as Duke of Dingguo, a hereditary title. Now in its fifth generation, the family had become related to the imperial family through marriage to Princess Huiwen. For the declining Ruan family, forging a kinship with them would be extremely beneficial, except for their daughter…
Seeing her expression shift between joy and worry, Ruan Bi couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Just then, a maidservant announced from outside, "The First Madam has arrived."
The old lady came to her senses, waved to Ruan Bi, and gestured for her to leave.
As Ruan Bi reached the entrance of the side hall, she came face to face with the First Madam and quickly bowed, saying, "Mother."
The First Madam's eyes were like those of a piece of raw iron. She glanced at her, said nothing, and lifted the curtain to go inside.
The old lady sat up straight and asked, "Has the Lady of Dongping Marquis left?"
The First Madam nodded, sat down beside her, leaned forward, and asked in a low voice, "Mother, how should we respond to this matter?"
Even the usually decisive old lady hesitated. Betrothing Ruan Bi to Xu Chuanyang would ensure her daughter Ruan Lan's well-being for the rest of her life; betrothing Ruan Bi to Gu Xiaobai would bring glory to the Ruan family of Jingxi. For the first time, she felt torn between her own daughter's happiness and the prestige of the Ruan family. After thinking for a while, she said, "The Lady of Dongping Marquis's visit this time was merely to give a hint. The specifics will need to be finalized gradually. Don't rush to reply; we'll discuss it later."
The First Madam frowned and said, "Mother, this is not appropriate. Even if it's just a hint, we still need to give a reply. Otherwise, wouldn't that be disrespecting Princess Huiwen?"
The old lady was greatly troubled and said, "Why did you choose the fifth girl? If it were the second girl, you would have agreed immediately."
These words were like a sharp knife stabbing into the heart of the First Madam. At the time, the Lady of Dongping Marquis had said she was acting on behalf of Princess Huiwen to arrange a marriage, and the First Madam had assumed it was the Second Miss and was overjoyed. But when she later heard it was the Fifth Miss, she wanted to grab a stick and beat the Lady of Dongping Marquis out of the mansion. What kind of karmic entanglement had this been? The Second Miss's marriage to Xie Mingzhu of the Yanping Marquis's family had been ruined by the Fifth Miss, and now this marriage to the Duke of Dingguo's family had also been stolen by the Fifth Miss. Ever since she recovered from her illness, the Fifth Miss had only been causing trouble. The more the First Madam thought about it, the angrier she became. She dug her fingers into her palms, determined to return this marriage to the Second Miss, or, if necessary, to ruin it altogether.
After carefully considering her words, the First Madam said, "This matter is quite strange. When the four maids visited the Princess's residence together, the Princess favored the Second Maiden and even rewarded her with a gold ingot. The Second Maiden also told me that Young Master Gu personally named her poem as the best. So, when the Lady of Dongping Marquis came over just now, I thought she was speaking on behalf of the Second Maiden. How did it suddenly change to the Fifth Maiden?"
The old lady said, "It's probably because Master Ziying said something to the Princess."
Mentioning Master Ziying rekindled the deep-seated hatred in the First Madam's heart. She had known her for over ten years, donating considerable sums to the Jade Void Temple, hoping Master Ziying would put in a good word for the Second Miss, but Master Ziying remained silent, leaving the Fifth Miss to benefit instead. She resolved never to donate to the Jade Void Temple again.
"You're saying that it was Young Master Gu who personally named Er Ya's poem as the best?"
The First Madam nodded.
After thinking for a moment, the old lady made up her mind and said, "How about this, you should visit Princess Huiwen another day and hear her opinion. It would be best if Erya could be betrothed to Young Master Gu."
The First Madam was secretly pleased and nodded, saying, "There's another matter. I've already asked around about the third son of the second branch of the Lu family in Zhejiang, whom I mentioned last time. They say he's a reliable person, filial, healthy, and quite talented."
This marriage was arranged on behalf of the fourth daughter. The old lady was too lazy to bother with it and said, "Find out the details and then make the decision. The Lu family in Zhejiang is a prominent family, and their education of their children will be excellent."
The First Madam nodded repeatedly. The upbringing of children from prominent families was certainly not bad, and this Third Young Master Lu had a good reputation, though she'd heard he was homosexual. That was precisely why she'd chosen him. Having spent most of her life alone in her chambers because of Concubine Lin, she wanted her daughter to experience that too. If anyone asked in the future, she could tearfully say that she hadn't investigated properly, a pity for her beautiful fourth daughter.
However, there is an obstacle to this matter: the master.
After a moment of hesitation, the First Madam said, "However, I'm afraid Master won't agree to Fourth Miss's marriage. He's determined to marry her off to Young Master Xu."
The old lady frowned and said, "Nonsense, I've already scolded him for this."
"I've also spoken to him. Logically speaking, it would be more appropriate for Fifth Sister to be betrothed to Young Master Xu. She could also help her aunt after marriage. But he told me that he had promised Concubine Lin, and that Concubine Lin only asked him for this favor when she left... Mother, what kind of nonsense is this? Does our family's daughter's marriage have to be decided by a concubine? Where does that leave me, the principal wife?" As she finished speaking, a dark red tinge appeared in the First Madam's eyes.
The old lady waved her hand and said, "I've already scolded him, so don't take it to heart."
The First Madam pulled out a handkerchief, pretended to wipe away her tears, and said, "Mother, there are still some stewardesses waiting for me. I'll go to the council hall first."
"Go, go."
The First Madam came out of the inner room and saw Ruan Bi still standing under the eaves. She frowned and said, "Why haven't you gone back to your own courtyard? What are you doing standing here? All you do all day is laze around, running around like this. Do you look like a proper young lady? I was too busy the past few days and didn't have time to check on your needlework. Bring it with you when you pay your respects to me in the evening. Let me know in advance, don't try to fool me with some embroidery again. That needlework is for making shoe soles, do you know that?"
Several maids who had been standing idly nearby were startled by these words, fearing that the Madam's anger would reach them, and quickly and quietly slipped away to the side.
This was clearly an attempt to provoke someone. Ruan Bi calmly said, "Mother, it was Sister Manyun who told me to wait for her here."
As soon as she finished speaking, Manyun came out of the house with a prescription in her hand. She said with a smile, "Madam, it seems that the Fifth Miss has caught a cough. I found a prescription that the Old Madam used a while ago for her."
The First Madam felt embarrassed, and then thought that she might have gone too far just now, so she softened her expression and said, "Why did you suddenly start coughing? Should we call a doctor to take a look?"
Ruan Bi smiled and said, "I just coughed twice, it's nothing serious, there's no need to call a doctor. I'm an unfilial son, I've made my mother worry."
The First Madam was about to say something when she suddenly saw the Master rush in, looking flustered, his hat askew. Startled, she forgot about disciplining Ruan Bi and hurriedly went to greet him, asking, "Why are you back at this hour?"
The master asked, "Is Mother inside?" He walked past the first wife towards the main house without stopping.
"He's inside, has something happened?" The First Madam hurriedly caught up.
The two entered the house one after the other.
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