The Qiu Family was, after all, Old Madam Yun's maternal family, so First Madam Yun had naturally paid close attention to the young ladies of the Qiu Family.
"Second Miss Qiu is the only daughter of the eldest legitimate son of Old Master Qiu. She also has an elder brother studying at Yunyang Academy, who is a classmate of Fang'er and has come to our mansion to pay his respects to you several times. Mother should have some impression of him."
Old Madam Yun naturally remembered Qiu Yun, who was on good terms with Yun Wenfang, and nodded: "Although Qiu Xinmin was originally just a son of a collateral branch of the Qiu Family, fortunately, my father left him a few capable people. Over the years, the Qiu Family hasn't been ruined by him. I've met the young man from the Qiu Family; he is a good one. Presumably, the young lady of the Qiu Family won't be too far off."
When Second Miss Qiu came to pay her respects to Old Madam Yun, the latter had been overwhelmed by too many visitors recently and claimed illness, leaving the guests to be entertained by her three daughters-in-law. Thus, she hadn't met that grandniece from the Qiu Family.
"When you have time tomorrow, have someone bring her to see me. I'll take a closer look," Old Madam Yun said. "Also, tell me about the other two young ladies. If possible, our Yun Family doesn't necessarily have to form a marriage alliance with the Qiu Family."
To put it bluntly, Old Madam Yun still looked down somewhat on Qiu Xinmin, who came from a collateral branch of the Qiu Family. Despite the current prestige of this Qiu Family head, back when her father was selecting an heir, Qiu Xinmin had been timid and weak, and he hadn't received the education of a noble family from a young age. In Old Madam Yun's eyes, he was essentially a latecomer, lacking proper roots and pedigree.
"The Guo Family of Weizhou holds a position in Weizhou similar to that of our Yun Family in Yanbei. This eldest daughter of the Guo Family is thirteen this year, with outstanding looks and a lively, straightforward temperament. Her maternal family also hails from a prominent clan in Wuzhou. Although the Jiang Family of Shunzhou isn't as powerful as the Guo Family, they are a true scholarly family. Before moving to Yanbei, the Jiang Family had produced several top scholars and imperial examination placers. While they may not compare to the Pei and Xu Families, they are still a well-known noble family in Great Zhou, celebrated for their literary heritage. This Eighth Miss of the Jiang Family is twelve this year. Her appearance may not match that of the young ladies from the Guo and Qiu Families, but she has a very gentle temperament and some talent."
Old Madam Yun nodded in satisfaction: "The families you've selected are all quite good. In that case, during the days of the Thousand Gold Banquet, have these three young ladies come sit with me more often."
First Madam Yun hurriedly agreed, then thought for a moment and asked, "What about Ting'er's marriage? Shall we just leave it as it is?"
Old Madam Yun rubbed her teacup as if deep in thought, but her tone showed no hesitation: "Leave it. Until the Commandery Princess is betrothed, Ting'er's marriage cannot be settled."
A mother naturally feels for her own son, and First Madam Yun was still somewhat dissatisfied: "What kind of situation is this! Fang'er, as the younger brother, gets engaged first... If this drags on, who knows how people outside will mock Ting'er in the future."
Old Madam Yun wasn't worried about this: "If Ting'er's marriage hasn't been settled by the time Fang'er's engagement is finalized, we can spread the word that I consulted a high monk who divined that Ting'er's fate is suited to a late marriage. If the Commandery Princess can wait, our Yun Family can wait even longer. Besides, what man of stature fears lacking a wife? It's no exaggeration to say that, in terms of character and appearance, the only one in all of Yanbei who can rival Ting'er is the second son of the Yanbei Prince's Mansion."
No matter how dissatisfied she was, First Madam Yun had no choice but to let the matter rest."You only seem to worry about your two sons, but why don't I see you concerned about Chen'er?" Old Madam Yun raised her eyes and said.
Mentioning her daughter, Madam Yun finally showed a faint smile on her face: "It's not that I favor my sons, but Chen'er truly doesn't need my worry. That child has been clever and obedient since she was young."
Old Madam Yun also smiled: "Chen'er's temperament is quite like the Princess Consort back in the day."
Just as Madam Yun was about to chime in with a few pleasantries, Old Madam Yun suddenly shifted the topic, her tone turning cold: "But even the Princess Consort back then didn't have her audacity, daring to plant spies in the rooms of her elders."
At these words, Madam Yun's smile immediately froze on her face, and her complexion turned pale.
The room fell into silence, so quiet one could hear a pin drop.
Finally, Madam Yun lowered her head and knelt before Old Madam Yun, speaking with difficulty: "Mother..."
Old Madam Yun remained expressionless: "There are many clever people in this world, and it is often those clever ones who end up with no good outcome, because they are accustomed to smooth sailing and always forget that there are people beyond people and skies beyond skies. So they don't die at the hands of others but perish under their own self-importance."
Madam Yun knelt in the middle of the room, not even daring to breathe.
Old Madam Yun watched Madam Yun for a while, and when she saw that Madam Yun could no longer bear the fear, she finally raised her hand: "Get up! If I wanted to punish you and your daughter, I wouldn't have started with Third Madam back then. My heart is still biased after all."
Only then did Madam Yun realize that the earlier incident where Third Madam was punished by Old Madam for stealing a recipe from her room was actually a warning to them.
Seeing that Madam Yun was so frightened she tried twice to stand but couldn't, Old Madam Yun's expression finally softened a little: "You are the future master of the Yun Family's inner household, and Chen'er is my most beloved granddaughter. I cannot let you lose face, so I will not bring this up again. Fortunately, Chen'er is not beyond redemption—after I sent away the two senior maids, she did not plant anyone else in my room."
Madam Yun was covered in cold sweat, opening her mouth but still unable to speak.
Planting spies in an elder's room—this matter could be taken lightly or seriously. If Old Madam Yun truly intended to punish her, no one would dare say a word even if she were given a letter of divorce. Fortunately, Old Madam Yun still valued this daughter-in-law and genuinely cherished her granddaughter Yun Qiuchen.
"Mother, your daughter-in-law knows her mistake. Chen'er... Chen'er will be properly disciplined from now on," Madam Yun said hoarsely.
"Hmm, you may leave now," Old Madam Yun said, no longer dwelling on the matter with her daughter-in-law.
Madam Yun bowed and retreated, but just before stepping out the door, she somehow thought of Old Madam Yun's teachings for the Yun Family's daughters and couldn't help but turn around to ask: "Mother, you have always placed great importance on family background and lineage. But your daughter-in-law believes that the reason great families remain great families is through intermarriage and shared interests, generation after generation, allowing their roots to grow deep and providing shade for future descendants. Such foundations are sometimes unshakable even by imperial power. Yet, although our Yun Family is known as the foremost family in Yanbei, our marital ties are as good as none, because the Yun Family's rules forbid married women from interfering in their natal family's affairs. Your daughter-in-law does not understand why this is so?"After a moment, Old Madam Yun's voice came from behind the beaded curtain, carrying a tone of aged weariness: "Noble families? What true noble families are left in Yanbei! The real noble families perished long ago under the iron hooves of the Liao people. Do you think the Xiao Family, with hundreds of thousands of troops at their command back then, were driven out of Yanbei like stray dogs by the old emperor for no reason? Those deeply entrenched noble families of the time contributed greatly to the emperor's efforts! Now that the Xiao Family has regained control of Yanbei with great difficulty, how could they allow history to repeat itself? Yanbei today has no need for deeply rooted, powerful noble families that could shake imperial authority. The existence of noble families is merely a facade for the Yanbei Prince's Mansion."
This was the first time Madam Yun had heard such words, leaving her momentarily stunned.
"This is also why our Yun Family has become Yanbei's foremost noble family. Our late patriarch recognized his place early on and never aspired for the Yun Family to become some towering tree." Old Madam Yun chuckled softly.
"As for your claim that having marital ties is as good as having none, that's not entirely true. Why do you think I insisted on having Ting'er marry the Commandery Princess?" Old Madam Yun continued calmly. "It's true that daughters of the Yun Family, once married, follow their husbands and no longer interfere in their natal family's affairs. But let me ask you—there were quite a few so-called noble families who, like our late patriarch, recognized their place early on, such as the Guo Family of Weizhou and the Jiang Family of Shunzhou. Yet why does everyone unanimously regard our Yun Family as the foremost among Yanbei's noble families?"
Madam Yun thought for a moment and ventured cautiously: "Because our Yun Family has produced one principal consort and one secondary consort?"
"Exactly." Old Madam Yun smiled faintly. "Maintaining integrity and avoiding factionalism is for the eyes of the Yanbei Prince's Mansion, while forming advantageous marital alliances is for the eyes of the world. With the trust of the Yanbei Prince's Mansion and the recognition of Yanbei's various families, how could the Yun Family possibly decline? Therefore, when our Yun Family forms marital ties, we never seek to borrow strength, only influence."
The doubts that Madam Yun had long harbored in her heart were finally resolved today.
She had never understood the Yun Family's adage that "a married daughter is like spilled water." She believed her daughter was as intelligent and capable as any man and that after marriage, she could leverage her husband's family to assist her brothers. Thus, her approach to educating her daughter had always differed from Old Madam Yun's. She had never imagined that the Yun Family held such views on marital alliances.
When Madam Yun left Old Madam Yun's room, she felt as though all her years as the lady of the household had been in vain.
Meanwhile, over at Ren Yaoqi's side, the room was filled with young ladies chatting merrily.
Yun Qiufang was asking the young ladies of the Ren Family about the talent performances they had prepared for tomorrow's Thousand Gold Banquet. Ren Yaoyin said she would either compose a poem or write a lyric. Ren Yaohua was not particularly skilled in calligraphy, painting, poetry, or song, but she played the flute quite well.
When it was Ren Yaoqi's turn, she thought for a moment and said with a smile, "I'll stick to painting."
She had originally considered calligraphy, as it was more convenient than painting, but Madam Lin had approached her earlier, mentioning that Ren Yaoyu had been practicing calligraphy for several days and hinting that Ren Yaoqi should not steal her younger sister's spotlight. Ren Yaoqi did not wish to argue with Madam Lin, nor was she particularly set on calligraphy.
However, Ren Yaoqi did not notice the flicker in the eyes of Ren Yaoying, who was sitting beside her, after she finished speaking.
Yun Qiufang then asked Ren Yaoying, "What about you, Cousin Ren Jiu?"Ren Yaoying lowered her head with a smile. "I haven't decided yet. I'm not as talented as my elder sisters. Aunt did say my handwriting is passable and presentable, though."
As soon as Ren Yaoying finished speaking, Ren Yaoyu shot her a fierce glare. However, mindful that they were still on someone else's turf, Ren Yaoyu held her tongue. It must be said that after the last incident, Ren Yaoyu had grown somewhat wiser.
Second update...
This chapter really took its time—revising and editing until half past two again 〒_〒
And I'm not sure if you all enjoy this kind of scheming and plotting, though I personally find it quite interesting.
Someone like Old Madam Yun is actually quite formidable.
Waving my little hand before bed, asking for pink votes~
During the National Day period, one vote counts as two~ (^o^).
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