Chapter 004: Fighting for Favor

It was a coincidence that when the group reached the top of the mountain, a red sun was rising slowly from the east, blessing all things in the world. Wherever the sun's golden light shone, it was like the Buddha's light saving all things.

Even Xie was staring at it intently. Yao Niang exclaimed happily, "Mother, isn't this very similar to the poem you taught me two days ago, 'The sun rises, mist and dew remain, the green pines are like ointment.'"

"What a good memory." Xie couldn't help but smile. It was rare for her to have such a smile on her face which was always calm and indifferent.

However, Yan Yingqi frowned slightly after hearing this. This was the poem "Morning Visit to Chaoshi Temple to Read Zen Sutras" written by Liu Zongyuan in the Zen temple after he was demoted to Yongzhou. Jie Lanyou is no more than 31 years old this year. With her natural beauty, she looks no more than 20 years old. Could it be that she also had the same idea?

Fortunately, Yan Jingzhao had asked his servant to bring him paper and pen. Although he was young, he was a famous talent. Seeing this situation, he was inspired and began to write a poem on a stone. Although Yao Niang was not close to her brother, she admired learned people very much, so she ran to her brother to watch him write poetry.

Xie had suffered a lot as a daughter-in-law under Madam Quan, and even had a hard time seeing her son, and had to keep giving birth. But now her son was well raised by the old lady, and he had already become a scholar at the age of fifteen, which made her feel much more at ease.

Yan Yingqi happened to be walking beside her: "Lan You, Jing Zhao doesn't seem to be very close to you?"

Xie looked at Yan Yingqi and shook her head again: "I don't want to think about these anymore." She had a lot of grievances, but if she spoke them out, who would be able to make the decision for her? Then she would become a complaining woman again.

Yan Yingqi didn't know how to comfort her. He knew since he was a child that his uncle and aunt had not given anyone else an heir because of him, and that the huge family property was prepared for him. Therefore, he still had a responsibility to the third house, and could only hope for the best for everyone.

He just said, "In two years, my eldest brother will marry the girl from the Guan family, and you can rest assured."

Xie didn't dare to expect anything from him and just nodded.

However, Yan Yingqi said, "I have two very good maids. I will give them to Jing Zhao as his maids. I will bring them over to you to have a look."

"But what about the old lady..." Xie knew that the old lady Quan had already put someone in her son's room.

Yan Yingqi looked at Xie and felt that he was just being too stubborn: "The old lady has already planted someone, what about you?"

Xie was puzzled: "I, what can I do?"

If she was a legitimate wife, she could certainly do whatever she wanted, but she was not, because she was not the head of the third house.

Why was the Third Old Lady so confident? Because she was the legal wife of the Third Old Lady. It was said that when the Third Old Lady was an official in Yanhe, he also had a concubine who gave birth to two boys. He even brought them into the mansion, which made the Third Old Lady so angry that she went back to her parents' home. Later, she accepted the children with a pinched nose. Unfortunately, the two boys died of malaria while in office after living in the mansion for two years. From then on, the Third Old Lady followed the advice of her parents and let Yan Jingzhao inherit the throne.

Sometimes Xie hated her mother-in-law, thinking that she had taken advantage of her family to let her in and become an awkward concubine. But as a woman herself, she would also sympathize with her husband because she was unable to bear children and her husband had a mistress to force him out of the palace.

But it was also because of this that the Third Old Lady's originally very strong character became biased, especially when it came to her offspring. Although Jing Zhao was said to be her son, in fact, he had been held by the Third Old Lady's side since he was in his cradle, as if he were her mother-in-law's son, and she had a strong desire to control Jing Zhao.

When Jing Zhao was little, she bribed Jing Zhao's wet nurse and brought a plate of snacks she made over. Jing Zhao loved them very much. The first time she was mentioned to the Third Old Lady, the Third Old Lady asked her to go over there. The look in her eyes, the tone of her voice, and even the look of contempt, made her really dare not recall them now.

If Yao Niang wasn't just a girl, the third old lady probably wouldn't have felt at ease.

Yan Yingqi held his forehead and said, "What can you do? If you keep doing this and never fight for anything, you will be the one who suffers in the future."

"What else can I do? Who am I?" Xie didn't want to continue this topic. Just then, a servant came back to say that there was spring water ahead. Xie took the opportunity to call people to get some spring water.

Yao Niangsi knew nothing about the lawsuit between her parents. She read some poems beside Yan Jingzhao for a while, then sat on a stone pier and made a garland with Hongxiu.

When Xie came back from fetching spring water, Yao Niang's wreath was not yet finished, so she sat beside her daughter and helped her weave the wreath. The bellybands Yao Niang wore when she was a child were all made by Xie herself, and the unique buttons on her body were also made by Xie. Xie was very good at making these, which made Yao Niang very proud.

After finishing weaving the wreath, Xie helped Yao Niang put it on her head. Yao Niang said happily to the two maids beside her: "Am I beautiful?"

Hongxiu and Qingdai clapped their hands and praised, "Young lady is very beautiful."

Yao Niang hugged Xie's arm and laughed. Yan Jingzhao also said for the first time: "Third sister is pretty."

"Really? Thank you for the compliment." Yao Niang was very happy.

Even on the way down the mountain, she felt very happy, but she sighed again in the carriage. However, Yan Jingzhao was reading a book in the carriage and seemed not to hear it.

But Yao Niang felt that she was closer to her brother today, so she took the initiative to say to him: "Brother, you said that Dad only brought us out, so if we go back like this, will the other brothers and sisters, including the eldest lady,..."

In Yao Niang's view, she and Yan Jingzhao are both children of Xie, and their positions are the same.

Yan Jingzhao smiled and said, "The second sister is gentle and docile. Although the fourth sister is more lively, we are all sisters from the same family. They won't say anything."

Yao Niang pouted: "Second sister is okay, but fourth sister always compares herself with me openly or covertly."

"You're thinking too much." Yan Jingzhao didn't take his sister's words seriously.

Yao Niang is not very old, but she is actually a very strong-willed person. She thought her brother had softened his attitude towards her after climbing the mountain, but now it seems that her brother treats her exactly the same as his second and fourth sisters.

In this case, she will never speak her mind to him again.

Just as Yaoniang expected, when Fourth Miss Yingniang heard that her father had gone hiking with the people from the Third House, her expression immediately turned bad: "If we want to go out to play, we should go together. Why is Daddy so partial? He has been like this since he came back from the capital."

Qianniang is older, and although she was raised by Zhen, Aunt Yin often tells her to keep herself out of trouble and not get involved in the fight between Zhen and Xie. Zhen is the mistress of the eldest house in the Yan family, and although Xie is not as good as Zhen, she is the lady of the third house and has a higher status than them. Although they have chosen Zhen's side, there is no need for them to be hostile to Xie's side.

Therefore, she pretended to be ignorant of the matter and did not say anything. Although she and Ying Niang had been together longer, it was unnecessary to offend Yao Niang.

Xin Wan curled her lips slightly.

…

When Yao Niang came back from the mountain, Xie took her to take a bath, and then she fell asleep on the beauty couch.

After washing up, Xie went to serve the Third Old Lady, which was what she should do as a daughter-in-law. However, her legs were a little shaky, and when she walked out, she happened to run into Yan Yingqi.

"Master." Xie nodded.

Yan Yingqi asked in confusion: "Where are you going?"

Xie said, "I want to go to the old lady to pay my respects. I smell of sweat just now, so I have to wash up before I can see the old lady."

Yan Yingqi didn't know whether he sympathized with Xie or what, but he discovered today that his eldest son and Xie were not close at all. The two were mostly cold and polite to each other. Perhaps because of this, Xie felt there was no hope, so she accepted her fate.

For some reason he remembered that Xie was not like this back then. Although she was shy, she was very smart, clever and lovely. But now she was living on thin ice.

"You just climbed the mountain and your legs are shaking. Do you still want to go? Why don't you send someone to tell them?" Yan Yingqi thought that the Yan family was not a small family, so why would they torture their daughter-in-law.

Xie shook his head.

Yan Yingqi said, "How about I go and talk to them for you?"

"You can help me this time, but what about the future? Besides, these are the rules. Since the old lady didn't exempt me from paying respects, I still have to go." Xie smiled faintly, and seemed to think Yan Yingqi had good intentions, so she said: "You go back and rest first. You have to go to the yamen tomorrow. Don't worry about me."

After saying this, Xie was about to leave, but was stopped by Yan Yingqi. Looking at her pitiful figure, he couldn't help but be moved: "I'll come here again today."

Xie didn't expect him to say that, and suddenly remembered Yao Niang's words. She said that she told her eldest son that the first wife might not like her, and her son reacted coldly.

In fact, to survive in the backyard, she can only rely on her husband and son. It is clear that her son will not be her support anymore, so she has to rely on her husband again.

So, Xie turned around with tears in her eyes and looked at Yan Yingqi. Yan Yingqi had always had feelings for Xie, otherwise, he would not have come here specially. Now seeing her like this, he felt even more distressed.

Xie went to the third old lady without saying a word.

After they walked away, Mother Song beside Xie said, "Madam, you finally figured it out. In fact, while you are still young, what's wrong with having another child?"

"It's not that. I already have Yao Niang, who is better than anyone else." There are some things that cannot be said even to confidants.

Furthermore, she had lost two children before, and everyone said that she was unlucky with children. But after Yao Niang was born, she was so healthy, and a fortune teller said that she was "blessed with both blessings and wisdom." Xie finally breathed a sigh of relief, and from then on she was no longer willing to worry like this.

It was also said that Yan Yingqi went to the big room that day, and Zhen brought the two concubines Yin and Feng to set the table. Zhen also laughed and said, "Master is tired from climbing the mountain, so we specially made the meal richer today."

Aunt Feng smiled coquettishly and said, "Master, are your legs still sore? Do you want to ask someone to come over and give you a massage later?"

Yan Yingqi said, "I've applied ice, and she's much better." After that, he asked Zhen to sit down and eat, and asked Aunt Feng and Aunt Yin to go down first.

Until this time, Zhen felt that she had returned to her former self. She was dignified and self-possessed, but it was enough for her to have Concubine Feng to control her husband. It was obvious that Xie was also old and could not control her husband's heart.

Therefore, Zhen also told Yan Yingqi about her son Yan Jingwen's master: "I heard Jingwen say that his master went home to attend the funeral, and has been resting at home these days?"

Yan Yingqi nodded: "In a few days, let Jingwen become Mr. Lancang's disciple. Mr. Lancang accepted Jingzhao as his disciple because he saw Jingzhao's intelligence. Now, it is only after Jingzhao's recommendation that he is willing to accept Jingwen as his disciple. In a few days, we will officially perform the ceremony of becoming his disciple."

Zhen was relieved, but she was also a little worried. It was obvious that her husband thought more highly of Yan Jingzhao than of her son. In a few years, even if her son could become a scholar, Yan Jingzhao might pass the imperial examination or even become a Jinshi. The gap would be huge.

Yan Jingzhao already had the resources of a third wife, and if she had the support of her husband in the future, her future would naturally be limitless.

Who would still remember their son when he is so powerful?

What was even more unexpected was that Yan Yingqi also said: "I have been going to the third room these days. I have to be there for my eldest brother's marriage."

Zhen's heart tightened. She knew Yan Yingqi was just trying to please her. In fact, he was probably seduced by Xie. If Xie was just an ordinary concubine, like Yin and Feng, she would not have any thoughts. But Xie...

It would be fine if she didn't fight for favor like before and remained so stubborn. But if she plans to fight for favor now, don't blame her.