The division of the Yongchang Marquis household's estate dragged on for over half a month. It wasn't until early February, when Master Liang returned to the capital and finished reporting to the Ministry of War, that he rushed home. First, he knelt before his mother with tears streaming down his face, begging for forgiveness. Then, in front of the clan elders, he sternly rebuked his wife for her foolishness and ignorance. To heighten the drama, he even slapped Madam Liang on the spot. Afterward, he passionately recounted to his three brothers their late father's wish for them to remain united and ensure the family's continued prosperity.
Finally, under the approving gazes of the elders, the four brothers embraced and wept together. Madam Liang twitched the corner of her mouth, while the four daughters-in-law stood awkwardly to the side, each lost in their own thoughts (still too young to control their expressions well). And so, the spectacle came to an end.
..."So, they're not dividing the estate after all?" Minglan didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Madam Liu sighed and nodded, then hesitantly added, "Sixth Sister, do you think... Master Liang truly had no idea about Madam Liang's actions?"
Before Minglan could respond, Hualan scoffed disdainfully, "Impossible! It was all an act! No wonder everyone says Master Liang is exceptionally capable—flexible, shrewd, and decisive. But I don't understand why he would make such a flip-flopping move. It's truly ridiculous!"
Minglan pondered for a moment before cautiously speculating, "In my opinion, Master Liang had originally hoped to inherit the title based on his merits. But when that hope was dashed, he grew resentful. Seeing that his brothers were less capable and the marquis household's influence had waned, he thought it would be better to establish his own branch, with fewer entanglements. So, he hinted at the idea of dividing the estate in his letters to Madam Liang."
Both Madam Liu and Hualan nodded, urging Minglan to continue.
"The idea of dividing the estate was born out of Master Liang's frustration and resentment after losing the title. He hadn't thought it through properly. But Madam Liang, ever impulsive and already inclined toward the idea, took it seriously and stirred up the division. Little did she expect..." Minglan trailed off with a faintly mocking smile.
"Little did she expect that the proud Madam Liang, who had never cared for household affairs before, would suddenly become so formidable," Hualan continued with a laugh. "She rallied relatives, bolstered her influence, and argued on principle—that discussing estate division within a hundred days of their father's death was a disgrace anywhere. Master Liang suddenly realized things were turning sour and hurriedly reined in the situation. Hmph, poor Madam Liang's face—she was used in a self-inflicted injury scheme!"
As Madam Liu listened to the sisters' astute analysis, which aligned almost perfectly with what Second Madam Liang had privately confided in her, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly at the intelligence of the Sheng family's children. Yet, the two most foolish ones had ended up with her—her husband was tolerable, as he at least listened to her advice, but her own sister-in-law... ah.
Knowing that her elder brother-in-law was unrighteous, estate division was inevitable sooner or later. The real task was to urge her husband to strive for success. Once the three-year mourning period ended, she needed to bear a son quickly to secure their position—that concubine surnamed Wan could no longer bear children and only had a daughter. No matter how much she was doted on, what use was it? Why bother competing with her? Truly, a clever face but a foolish mind.
As she wrestled with these tangled thoughts, childish laughter drifted in from outside. It turned out Minglan had asked Xiaotao to open a window to let out the charcoal fumes.The chill of early spring still lingered, and the courtyard of Jiaxi Residence was quite spacious. Lüzhi led several young maids in sweeping away the snow. A thin layer of ice remained on the ground, and the girls frolicked playfully—some scooping up slivers of ice to tuck into each other’s collars or sleeves, others pushing one another to slide about unsteadily. Fortunately, they were all bundled up warmly and padded like little dumplings, so no one got hurt, though each ended up with flushed, excited faces from their games.
The three women inside watched with amusement. After a while, Minglan felt a slight chill and asked Xiaotao to close the window.
Hualan turned back with a smile. "Speaking of which, our fourth brother was born around this time. I remember that year, I was still playing in the yard right in the wind when someone came to announce, 'Eldest Miss, you have another little brother!' I hadn’t thought much of it, but my wet nurse immediately started fussing, saying things like, 'No more mischief now—you must be more dignified!'"
Minglan covered half her face with a handkerchief, giggling softly. "I heard from Mama Fang that you were quite the troublemaker as a child, Eldest Sister. Old Madam, Father, and Mother all doted on you and couldn’t bear to scold you. Your poor nurse was so worried… So every time a new child arrived in the family, she’d go on like that for days, hoping heaven would take pity and make you suddenly feel the need to set a good example for your younger siblings!"
Madam Liu laughed as well. "Who would have thought? Eldest Sister is so graceful and poised now, managing her household and raising her children—everyone outside praises her. That wet nurse really ought to see you now."
Recalling her childish antics, Hualan shook her head wryly. "Graceful and poised? Hardly. Ah, that nurse originally nursed Mother and looked after me for many years. She’s elderly now and went back years ago to enjoy her grandchildren." She pointed at Minglan and said to Madam Liu, "This one, though, was well-behaved from the start—ate when told, slept when told, never caused any trouble. Not like Fifth Sister, who was like a firecracker, never still for a moment. Ah, in the blink of an eye…" She clicked her tongue, sighing at how time flies, and then asked about Changdong’s marriage arrangements.
Madam Liu smiled. "Look how busy we’ve been lately—I’ve gone quite scatterbrained. I was just about to bring that up. Would you mind, Sixth Sister, passing a message over there? Just say that the Master is extremely pleased, but since Old Madam is still above us, it wouldn’t be proper to proceed without consulting the elders. We sent someone to inquire a few days ago and are just waiting for Old Madam’s reply before we can go and propose the marriage."
Minglan also smiled. "A few days won’t make a difference. Everyone’s busy during the New Year—I expect the other side hasn’t had time to think about it either." When it came to keeping up appearances, Father Sheng never cut corners, ensuring no one could find the slightest fault.
After seeing Hualan and Madam Liu off, Minglan was about to ask the wet nurse to bring Tuan Ge’er over to play when Che San Niang swayed her ample hips through the door. No sooner had she taken a seat than she eagerly announced, "That matter you entrusted to me, about finding a match for Miss Fengxian—I’ve got a lead."
Minglan was surprised. "So quickly?" She chuckled. "Sister, you are quite capable!"
Che San Niang made no effort to hide her pride, accepting the praise without false modesty. "Well, if I didn’t have some skill, how could I make a living in this line of work?"
As she elaborated, Minglan learned that the prospective groom’s surname was Guo, from a wealthy family in a small town in a remote county. Both husband and wife were very capable, having accumulated hundreds of acres of fertile land. The wife was five or six years older than her husband and was now in her fifties, while their eldest son had married the previous year.Guo's wife, being old and faded in looks, wanted to find a pretty young woman to serve her husband, but there were few presentable girls in such a small place. A daughter of a disgraced official like Fengxian was ideal—easier to control than a respectable concubine from a good family, yet more proper than a courtesan.
"If you agree, we can send her over in a few days," said Che San Niang.
Minglan was eager to settle the matter quickly and immediately sent Cuiwei to ask Fengxian.
Half a day later, Fengxian arrived with a flushed face, mincing steps, and stood in the hall. Minglan patiently listened to her lament her misfortunes for the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea before Fengxian shyly asked, "Are there any better options?"
Minglan sternly replied, "Yes. Earlier this year, several estate managers delivered New Year's goods and mentioned there are still dozens of strong laborers without wives."
Seeing Minglan's displeasure, Fengxian hastily agreed to the marriage. Only then did Minglan rein in her anger and speak to her kindly. But after just a few words, Fengxian, blushing, asked, "What does the gentleman look like?"
Minglan: …
Fengxian: Um, how much dowry does Madam intend to give me?
Minglan: …
Fengxian: It's a long journey, and other belongings would be inconvenient to transport. Silver would be best.
Minglan: …
A woman sent by a malicious rival, provided with food and shelter, found a husband, and in the end, even required a dowry—Minglan fell silent for a long time, unable to bear how she had sunk to such sanctimonious depths.
Until the wedding day, she refused to see Fengxian again, offering only twenty taels of silver as a dowry, though Fengxian could take the jewelry originally sent by the Gan family. Just before departure, Lüzhi boldly searched through Fengxian's luggage and found a pair of small Ru ware official collection blue and white jade phoenix revolving vases and a jade pendant pale purple glaze gold tracing hand warmer hidden among her clothes.
Che San Niang also wiped her brow in relief: "I originally thought she was a delicate, frail talented woman."
Minglan sighed inwardly—being a talented woman came at a cost. Like her dear sister-in-law, Miss Tingcan, who had fallen silent since her marriage. The princess's residence was strictly managed, making inquiries impossible. It was only through Little Shen, who heard some amusing news from Zheng da furen, that Minglan learned: "Your sister-in-law really loves the spotlight. When the Han family's young lady hosted a poetry gathering with several other young ladies, she took the top prize," and so on.
Occasionally, Zhang Shi mentioned that, seemingly to help the new bride adapt quickly, the princess sent a matron to teach her rules in the second month after the wedding, added another after six months, and two more after a year.
While other mothers-in-law loved stuffing their sons' courtyards with bedroom servants and concubines, this princess kept sending matrons—a truly ingenious approach.
Such was the power of the imperial family. Living in the princess's residence, if they were pleased, they'd say, "We're all family, no need for formalities." If displeased, they'd make you study 13 semesters' worth of rules totaling 250 credits, even delaying your graduation, leaving you miserable with no grounds for complaint.
In these difficult times, a talented woman fares worse than a landlady.
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