Chapter 94 Not long after the betrothal gifts from the Loyal and Brave Marquis were delivered, the eldest daughter-in-law removed...
Not long after the betrothal gifts were delivered, the eldest daughter-in-law, in addition to adding to her dowry, also returned the indentures of her family of four to Pearl's parents. A seventh-rank official's wife could be a head maid from a marquis's household, but she could not have her indentures held by the marquis's household.
As for Pearl's parents and Yinghong, that was a matter of course. The rest of the rewards, though not generous, were enough for Pearl's family to find a place to stay in the capital. With their savings from previous years and the Jiang family's help, they should be able to settle down in the capital.
Yinghong originally wanted to sign the lease and stay in the main kitchen for a while longer, but after being persuaded by Su Zhihan several times, she finally chose to leave the Marquis's mansion with her parents and decided to continue learning to cook with Su Zhihan, hoping to open a shop or become a kitchen maid for official banquets in the future.
With the help of Jiang Zhenniang and Yao Lang, Pearl's family quickly settled in the city. Their place was not far from the Jiang family's, a small courtyard house in an alley, which was more than enough for the whole family.
Pearl's father quickly found a job as an accountant at a restaurant, while Pearl's mother followed Yinghong to Jiang's shop to help out and learn a thing or two about doing business. In her spare time, she would go home to help Pearl prepare her wedding dress and other items. The family was busy, which helped to dispel the sadness of leaving the Marquis's mansion.
The one who was most unaccustomed to it was Cao Daya. A few days later, she slipped out of the Marquis's mansion and went to Jiang's braised meat shop to chat with a few people: "Han'er left first, and now Yinghong has left too. I'm all alone now."
“But there’s also Qiuyue and Sulan.”
"Those two..." Cao Daya winked and said meaningfully, "are busy trying to please Chef Xu."
Yinghong put down her work, a gossipy look on her face: "Is it...that matter?"
Cao Daya nodded: "That's the thing."
The two women, exchanging winks and whispering, were talking about Xiao Hong. Ever since Jiang Zhenniang mentioned it last time, Cao Mama had been bringing it up when gossiping with others, and then the two of them deliberately let it slip during casual conversation.
Before the Lunar New Year, this matter hadn't caused a stir.
A few days ago, Pearl's dowry caused a sensation, and many people in the mansion talked about Jiang Zhenniang and Su Zhihan. Finally, someone brought up this gossip.
"Have you heard? That Xiao Hong was originally Su Niangzi's apprentice."
"Little Red? Lady Su?"
"That one in the main kitchen, Chef Xu's apprentice." The person who spoke next rolled their eyes and explained, "Madam Su is Madam Jiang's daughter. She used to work in the main kitchen too."
"Oh...what? Xiao Hong is Su Niangzi's apprentice? Are you kidding me? How did she end up in the Marquis's mansion? I remember she was Xu Chef's apprentice."
"Let me tell you..." This was what the man wanted to show off. He vividly described the news he had learned to the person next to him: "That Xiao Hong originally recognized Madam Su as her master, but unexpectedly, when she heard that Madam Su had left the Marquis's mansion, she directly broke her promise and ran away!"
"Really?"
"Of course it's true. I even went to the streets and alleys to inquire about it. I heard it caused quite a stir and they even had to pay a large sum of money..."
Xiao Hong stood in the corner, her face pale as she watched the gossiping old woman in front of her. She moved her foot back, silently lowered her head, and left, afraid of being noticed.
But that's not the worst of it...
A few days later, Xiao Hong noticed the change in Chef Xu's attitude. In the past, she would follow Chef Xu and learn from her niece, but from that day on, Chef Xu made her cut and prepare vegetables and no longer let her watch her cook.
Xiao Hong's heart sank, as if falling into a deep pool, her whole body turning cold. She went to the door, intending to explain, but she couldn't say a word when Xu the cook questioned her.
Just by looking into Chef Xu's eyes, Xiao Hong knew that Chef Xu must have done some investigation and was already 100% certain.
This means... she's finished!
Xiao Hong returned to her house in a daze, collapsed onto the kang (a heated brick bed) with only a thin mattress, and trembled slightly.
"Xiao Hong, what are you doing inside?"
"Grandma." Xiao Hong turned to look at Granny Chen, who looked at least ten years older, and felt a sharp pain in her heart, as if she had been stabbed several times with silver needles. After a long while, she managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Cook Xu understands..."
"What?"
"Cook Xu knows about our family's situation."
Granny Chen was struck dumb, her body went limp and she collapsed to the ground. The thing her family had been hiding was their breach of faith, their forced termination of the contract, for which they had paid the broker a large sum of hush money.
However, Granny Chen and the others did not expect that this matter would be discovered along with the matter of the pearl betrothal gifts, and would be reported to Cook Xu.
"It must have been Jiang Zhenniang who did it!" Granny Chen quickly came to her senses, her withered face contorted in disgust: "Bah, what a load of rubbish! They took so much money from us and then exposed the whole thing! I'm going to find them, I'm going to settle accounts with them!"
Just as Granny Chen was about to rush out, Xiao Hong burst into tears inside the house: "She's the mother of a seventh-rank official, what's the use of you looking for her? Even the eldest mistress has given Pearl a dowry..."
If they come to cause trouble, all it takes is a word from them to the old lady, and her family will be punished, ranging from being beaten and fined to being sold off.
Now, Xiao Hong finally understands the surprise, helplessness, and bitterness Su Zhihan felt when her grandmother told her that she wanted her to enter the mansion. She finally understands that as a servant, she is like fish on a chopping block, at the mercy of her master.
Granny Chen collapsed to the ground: "What do we do now? What do we do from now on..."
Xiao Hong murmured, "There's always a way! I'm talented and learn to cook quickly. I'll always be able to secretly learn something. There will always be a time when I can rise to the top..."
"By then..."
"By then..."
"Yes, yes, yes, as long as we hold on for a few years... we are now people of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion!" Granny Chen nodded repeatedly as if she had found her pillar of support. "Like that Jiang Zhenniang, her son is still an official on the frontier. I heard that the war is raging now, and he might lose his life on the frontier one day!"
The more Granny Chen talked, the more convinced she became that this was true. Her face twisted and contorted, unable to hide the excitement in her voice: "Don't be fooled by her current smugness, just you wait and see!"
But the family forgot that also on the frontier was the backbone of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion: the Marquis of Zhongyong.
On the eve of Qingming Festival, dark clouds rolled in, and there was a continuous drizzle for several days.
Su Zhihan felt wet and sticky all over, which was quite uncomfortable. Even ordinary people were reluctant to go out, and there were fewer people buying various braised foods than usual.
"I think we should close up shop as soon as possible."
“Once these two pots are sold out, we should go back and rest early. You still need to prepare food for the Qingming Festival.” Jiang Zhenniang agreed, and instructed the kitchen staff to stop cooking soon.
Just then, the heavy sound of iron hooves came from afar. Jiang Zhenniang and Su Zhihan looked out in the direction of the sound, but saw no one. After a while, as the sound grew louder, several figures on horseback galloped past on the official road not far away, heading straight for the palace. Only a sharp shout echoed in the air: "Urgent report from 800 li away—all idlers, disperse!"
As the sounds gradually subsided, people from the surrounding shops and courtyards emerged, gathering in surprise and uncertainty on both sides of the main road. They stared in bewilderment in the direction where the riders had disappeared. After a long while, someone whispered, "What... what happened?"
No one answered, and no one knew what was going on.
Three to five days later, a rumor finally reached Su Zhihan's ears—the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery had been defeated by the enemy and died on the battlefield!
Some people in the capital believed it, while others did not. They should know that this loyal and brave Marquis inherited the mantle of his ancestors. He went to the battlefield at the age of twenty and fought fiercely for many years, guarding the frontier. It would not be an exaggeration to call him a war god.
How could it be? How could he have been killed by the enemy at the age of 18? The people were talking about it and eagerly awaited the court's denial, but Su Zhihan got a definite answer from Cao Daya.
This is true.
Following Sanlang, the most central and important pillar of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion collapsed.
"The old lady is sick."
“The atmosphere in the manor has been very unpleasant lately, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to come here as often as I used to.” Cao Daya had lost her usual liveliness, and a gloomy look had settled over her face. No one had expected that the Marquis of Zhongyong’s greatest asset would fall so suddenly.
Seeing Cao Daya's anxious expression, Su Zhihan could only gently comfort her, telling her that this was just a temporary predicament and that the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion would surely resolve it soon.
After seeing Cao Daya off, Su Zhihan sighed slightly. This was no easy task, unless... the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion could produce another person to carry on the mansion's banner.
If Sanlang were still alive, it might actually be possible. But now, will it be the greedy and ambitious Erlang, or the cowardly and timid Changge'er, who steps forward?
Su Zhihan stood there, as if she could see the scene of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion collapsing before her eyes.
Jiang Zhenniang's heart was pounding. That evening, she pulled her daughter aside and said, "Your dream, could your dream have been real?"
"The Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion...is it really going to fall!?"
"..." Just as Jiang Zhenniang believed it, Su Zhihan preferred not to. She squeezed Jiang Zhenniang's palm and said softly, "Even if the Marquis of Zhongyong died in defeat, he was still a meritorious official. I think the Emperor should not be so heartless and ungrateful."
Jiang Zhenniang breathed a slight sigh of relief: "That's good, that's good."
Su Zhihan pursed her lips. Actually, she had another half-sentence left unsaid. If the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion remained like this, it would at most be a decline of a powerful family. Perhaps after a few generations, it would still have a chance to turn things around.
My fear is that they won't agree.
What I fear most is that countless wolves have already set their sights on the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion, plotting to tear it apart and devour it whole.
All of this meant that another calamity was sure to follow. However, Su Zhihan had no time to think about this matter at the moment. She said to Jiang Zhenniang, "Has my brother sent a letter back? I wonder if he has been involved in this great battle."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhenniang immediately stopped worrying about the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion. She shook her head and sighed, "After Uncle Xue returned, he only sent two letters, and then there was no more news."
Su Lifeng's first letter was to send all the documents proving his status as a seventh-rank official to the Jiang family, instructing Jiang Zhenniang to go to the government office to prove her identity and officially receive the title of 'Anren'.
It was for this reason that Madam Jiang confirmed what Jiang Zhenniang had said and happily agreed to the marriage.
As for the second letter, Su Lifeng agreed to the marriage arranged by his mother, but due to the busy war, he was afraid he would not be able to return to the capital to report for duty for another year or two.
If Pearl is willing, they can wait until he settles down in the border city, then come over and hold the wedding, or they can wait two more years until he returns to the capital before getting married.
Pearl's family felt that things might change if they waited too long, and it would be better to get married sooner. However, Jiang Zhenniang thought that the journey was too far, and the environment in the south was completely different from that in the north. The long journey might cause illness. Besides, the Jiang family's shops were all in the capital, and they really couldn't leave them alone.
Therefore, after much discussion, the two families decided to wait until Su Lifeng returned to Beijing before holding the wedding.
Jiang Zhenniang frowned: "After that letter was sent, we never received it again."
Su Zhihan calculated that more than half a month had passed, so it was normal that the letter from the other side had not yet arrived.
However, after another half month without receiving anything, the mother and daughter gradually became anxious. Su Zhihan had just accepted the fact that she had an older brother, and then suddenly realized that she might lose this brother. For several days in a row, she was absent-minded.
Jiang Zhenniang was even more worried. She would go to the post station every day to see if there were any letters from the frontier.
Not to mention that the mother and daughter had not received any letters from Su Lifeng, news came from the brokerage that a large number of refugees had poured into the northern frontier, all of whom had fled due to the army's defeat.
Even though the capital was far from the northern frontier, the people were filled with anxiety. News about the northern frontier circulated in the city every day, some of it so detailed and convincing that it made people tremble with fear.
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