In Yanbei, the ideal husband that unmarried young ladies dream of is a refined gentleman like Yun Wenfang or Yun Wenting. However, married women all have an insurmountable mountain in their hearts—the old male god, the Prince of Yanbei.
The Prince of Yanbei himself may not know how good his reputation is. In Yanbei, wherever there are women, no one dares to speak ill of the Prince of Yanbei, or the consequences would be dire.
"Second Young Master is also a good man. I heard he has no concubines and only married one woman from the Ren family."
"It’s only been a few years since Second Young Master got married. There’s still a long way to go. Whether he’s truly good or not will be seen in a few years."
"By the way, that vixen your husband brought back from Yunyang City is also surnamed Ren. Could she be related to the young madam of the Xiao Family?"
Upon hearing this, Gao paused as she held her teacup but shook her head. "It’s just the same surname. How could it be possible?"
"That’s true. What kind of family is the Ren Family? How could they raise such a shameless woman?"
Another young woman cautiously said, "It’s better to investigate thoroughly. If she is related to the young madam of the Xiao Family, you should be careful when dealing with her in the future."
Gao smiled upon hearing this. "Don’t worry, I’ve already asked my brother to investigate. The young madam of the Xiao Family only has one half-sister, who was disliked by her father and was driven out of the family long ago. She died last year, and it’s recorded in the official household register. As for the main branch of the Ren Family, there are only a few notable young ladies. Besides those already married, there’s only a Fourth Miss, a Seventh Miss, and an Eighth Miss. Fourth Miss is devoted to Buddhism and has been living in a temple, practicing vegetarianism and reciting sutras. Seventh Miss married into Shunzhou in July this year, arranged by her maternal grandfather’s Su Family. Eighth Miss is in poor health and hasn’t been betrothed yet. I even caught a glimpse of her from afar when I was in Yunyang City."
The other two ladies felt relieved upon hearing this.
Gao didn’t stay out for long. Since Zhou Wen was having lunch at home today, she sat for a while longer before returning home.
As soon as she entered the Inner Gate, a senior maid she had left at home hurriedly approached her and whispered in her ear, "Miss, the master has returned. The one in the west wing has been making a scene again. I could hear the sound of cups being smashed even from the main room, and the master is also in a temper."
Gao paused for a moment but only smiled. "Later, replace Concubine Ren’s tea set with a new one."
The senior maid curled her lips. "How many times is this already? The master’s belongings aren’t enough for her to smash."
Gao said indifferently, "It’s nothing rare. If she likes smashing things, let her. This time, replace it with porcelain from the Zhou Family Kiln in Shunzhou. It makes a crisp sound when smashed."
The senior maid said indignantly, "Miss, why do you have to indulge her in everything? The master hardly visits her room anymore. Are we still afraid of her?"
Gao still spoke softly, "She’s just a plaything. It’s not worth arguing with her. If it weren’t her, there would be other concubines. I’d rather it be someone like her."
Another senior maid who had just returned with Gao covered her mouth and laughed. "Miss is right. If it weren’t for Concubine Ren, it wouldn’t have been so easy for you to come to Yizhou with the master. We should thank her."When a man is posted away from home, what woman would willingly stay in the old residence to serve her in-laws, leaving her husband to other women? It is only due to the pressure of filial piety. Gao originally planned to find a way to follow Zhou Wen two months after he took up his post, but she happened to be diagnosed with pregnancy. Being a clever woman, Gao knew that for a woman, offspring are more important than a man's favor, so she stayed in Yunyang City to give birth before using Ren Yaoying to make the Zhou family actively request her to come to Yizhou.
Gao smiled and asked, "Where is the master now?"
The head maid replied with a smile, "The master is in the main room. Before you returned, he asked three times when you would be back."
Gao nodded and quickly headed toward the main room with her maids.
Ren Yaoying had been having a very difficult time lately, and she regretted it. She regretted that she should not have looked at Zhou Wen becoming an official and still having lingering feelings for her, then fled the He family's marriage and followed him to Yizhou.
Although everyone in the Zhou family said that Gao was a virtuous and tolerant person, Ren Yaoying knew that Gao was formidable. Gao seemed to do nothing, yet she constantly suppressed her. Before Gao came to Yizhou, her maids were already quite powerful. Now that Gao herself had come to Yizhou, Ren Yaoying could not even get half a word listened to in this backyard. If she wanted to do anything, her maids had to go and ask Gao for instructions.
To make matters worse, Zhou Wen's infatuation with her had already faded. In the past, when she threw a tantrum, Zhou Wen would still coax her, but now he would just leave without a word. Ren Yaoying felt utterly stifled.
But what use was regret now? Could she still return to the Ren Family?
Thinking of the Ren Family, Ren Yaoying felt a glimmer of hope. She had left the Ren Family secretly, so they would surely be looking for her. If she returned, she could lie and claim she had been kidnapped. In Yizhou, Ren Yaoying was unfamiliar with the place and had no support from her natal family. Everyone in the Zhou family treated her as a lowly concubine, and Ren Yaoying truly did not want to live this kind of life anymore.
After much consideration, Ren Yaoying finally made up her mind to leave the Zhou family and Zhou Wen. If Zhou Wen did not let her go, she would report him to the authorities, saying she had been deceived and abducted by him. If Zhou Wen still cared about his reputation, he would have to let her go obediently.
Thinking this, Ren Yaoying called her maid to inquire where Zhou Wen was and whether Gao had returned. Upon learning that both were in the main room, she had her maid fetch water to wash her face and redo her hair. Then, with her head held high, she strode toward the main room.
When Ren Yaoying entered, Zhou Wen and Gao were sitting on the kang, very close to each other. Gao's face was slightly flushed, and her hair at the temples was somewhat disheveled. Having experienced intimacy herself, Ren Yaoying naturally understood what Zhou Wen and Gao had just been doing. Her gaze toward Zhou Wen was filled with resentment.
Zhou Wen felt somewhat embarrassed under Ren Yaoying's stare. He cleared his throat softly and lowered his head to drink tea.
Gao asked gently, "What matter brings Concubine Ren to me?"
Ren Yaoying glanced at Gao and said coldly, "I know your Zhou family cannot tolerate me. Today, I am here to ask to leave!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Wen suddenly looked up and frowned, "What nonsense are you saying!"
Ren Yaoying glanced at him and sneered, "Back then, I was deceived by your sweet words and left my hometown to follow you to Yizhou. But how have you treated me? I won't say anything more. Give me a thousand taels of silver and send me back to Yunyang City, and we can pretend we never knew each other."Zhou Wen was baffled by Ren Yaoying's accusations, and felt he had lost face as a man in front of Lady Gao. He thought Ren Yaoying was being unreasonable and did not believe he had mistreated her. Since she had been with him, her food, clothing, and daily necessities had all been of good quality. Even when Lady Gao wanted to make new clothes, she let Ren Yaoying choose the fabric first. When she had jewelry made, she never forgot Ren Yaoying's share. Yet Ren Yaoying was still dissatisfied with everything, constantly finding fault.
Compared to Zhou Wen's flustered anger, Lady Gao remained much calmer. She smiled and asked Ren Yaoying, "Concubine Ren wants to return to Yunyang City? Are you from Yunyang City?"
Ren Yaoying looked at Lady Gao disdainfully. "Of course I am from Yunyang City. My father, Ren Shimin, is a teacher at Yunyang Academy. My two older sisters—one is the young mistress of Yanbei Prince's Mansion, and the other is the mistress of the Lei Family."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Wen's expression changed.
Lady Gao gently patted Zhou Wen's hand and said to Ren Yaoying without changing her expression, "Now that you mention it, I know which Ren Family you're referring to. But as far as I know, the Ren Family does not have a daughter like you."
Ren Yaoying thought Lady Gao was referring to Ren Shimin severing their father-daughter relationship and immediately raised her voice. "My father was just angry with me for a moment. If I go back, he will surely acknowledge me!"
Lady Gao shook her head. "I heard that Master Ren has three daughters: one is the young mistress of Yanbei Prince's Mansion, one is the mistress of the Lei Family, and there was a concubine-born daughter who died last year. Apart from these, there are no other daughters."
Ren Yaoying was stunned for a moment, then shrieked, "You're talking nonsense! I'm standing right here, perfectly fine. How could I be dead?"
Lady Gao looked at Ren Yaoying with pity. "Why would I lie to you? When you first followed my husband, I wanted to give you a proper status so he could take you as a legitimate concubine, but you refused. However, given my husband's position, keeping a woman of unknown origin by his side would affect his future career. So, since you claimed to be a daughter of the Ren Family, I thought of going to the Ren Family and asking their head to let you enter the Zhou Family legitimately as a Ren Family daughter. But when I sent someone to inquire, I found out that Ninth Miss of the Ren Family had already died. At the time, I didn't believe it, so I asked my brother to check the household registry at the government office. It turned out that Master Ren himself had gone to the authorities to remove your name from the registry. The official documents clearly state that Ninth Miss of the Ren Family died by suicide after encountering bandits."
Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoying felt dizzy and almost fainted. Her face turned pale as she shook her head. "No, how is that possible? I'm clearly alive and well. How could I be dead?"
Lady Gao sighed. "Even if you really are Ninth Miss of the Ren Family, if we let you return to Yunyang City now, how would you explain your whereabouts over the past year to the Ren Family? To put it bluntly, the Ren Family would probably prefer that you had died outside."
Ren Yaoying truly could no longer stand steady. She staggered and collapsed to the ground.
Lady Gao quickly called out, "Someone, fetch a doctor!"
After the maids hastily carried Ren Yaoying away, Zhou Wen looked at Lady Gao with a face full of guilt. "I... I really shouldn't have..."
Lady Gao comforted him. "What's done is done. Why say such things now? I trust your character. Back then, Concubine Ren must have said she couldn't stay in the Ren Family, which is why you took the risk to take her away."Zhou Wen nodded. Ren Yaoying had written him many letters, saying that the Ren Family was forcing her to marry an old man old enough to be her grandfather, begging him to take her away. She also said that her initial rejection of him had not been her true intention but was coerced by her grandmother.
Lady Gao sighed, then spoke seriously to Zhou Wen: "Husband, what has already happened cannot be changed. But now that you hold an official position, for the sake of your future, you must think twice before acting in the future."
Zhou Wen quickly nodded: "You are right, my wife. I will certainly be more careful from now on. But what about Madam Ren? Are we really to send her back to Yunyang City?"
"Husband, you are being foolish again!" Lady Gao gently chided. "Ninth Miss of the Ren Family is already dead. Where would you send her? Since Master Ren has already removed her from the household register, it means he does not want her to return to the Ren Family. Otherwise, where would the Ren Family's face be? If you eagerly send her back, the Ren Family will not only fail to thank you but will also become your enemy."
"What should we do then?" Zhou Wen was also somewhat frightened upon hearing this. He did not want to make an enemy of the Ren Family; he still wanted to advance in the official circles of Yanbei.
Lady Gao said gently: "Naturally, we let Concubine Ren stay in our Zhou household. However, she is merely a concubine you purchased, not any Ninth Miss of the Ren Family."
Zhou Wen was also clever; hearing Lady Gao's words, he immediately understood. Ninth Miss of the Ren Family was already "dead." Even if she were not dead, she could only be treated as such. If she were to go out and cause trouble, the authorities might convict him of abducting a respectable woman, which would ruin his future.
Seeing that Zhou Wen understood, Lady Gao took his hand and said: "When Concubine Ren wakes up later, go and persuade her properly. You share a youthful affection with her. Treat her well in the future, and I will also regard her as a true sister, allowing her to settle peacefully in the Zhou household. However, if she continues to speak nonsense, for the sake of your future, I will have no choice but to play the villain and confine her. Concubine Ren is an intelligent person; she will come to understand."
Zhou Wen clasped Lady Gao's hand in return: "I've wronged you."
Lady Gao smiled faintly: "You speak sweetly now, but when I really confine her, don't blame me for being heartless and bullying your beloved."
Zhou Wen looked at Lady Gao with deep affection: "Don't you know who my beloved is? To have such a wife in this lifetime, what more could I ask for?"
Lady Gao blushed and shyly lowered her head.
After Ren Yaoying woke up, she indeed refused to behave, continuing to make a fuss. Lady Gao tried to persuade her several times, but Ren Yaoying would not listen. In the end, Lady Gao had no choice but to order Ren Yaoying confined. Ren Yaoying cried and made a scene in her room all day, eventually ruining her voice. Later, whenever she raised her voice, her throat would itch unbearably, and she would cough up blood.
Initially, Zhou Wen was still willing to visit her room, hoping to win her back, but gradually his heart grew cold, and he refused to enter her room again. Another year passed, and both Lady Gao and the maidservant who shared his bed became pregnant. Lady Gao took the initiative to arrange for Zhou Wen to take in another obedient and beautiful concubine. All of Zhou Wen's colleagues envied him for having married such a virtuous wife.Although Zhou Wen was a man of romantic affairs, he always held great respect for Lady Gao. Even after she aged and lost her youthful beauty, he spent at least half of each month in her chamber. By the time Zhou Wen was surrounded by children and grandchildren, Lady Gao passed away, and he was overwhelmed with grief, falling seriously ill. Every year on the anniversary of Lady Gao’s death, Zhou Wen would write a eulogy for his late wife. Two of these poems later became classics of mourning for a departed spouse, celebrated and passed down through generations.
As for Ren Yaoying, Zhou Wen had long forgotten her. Ren Yaoying’s fate was unfortunate—she died of tuberculosis just a few years after becoming involved with Zhou Wen. In later years, when Zhou Wen occasionally recalled her, he only vaguely remembered her as a youthful romantic dalliance, dismissing it with a light-hearted smile.
Indeed, Zhou Wen and Lady Gao exemplify the model of an affectionate couple in feudal society.
No need to envy too much～o(∩_∩)o.
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