"You must be tired from the long carriage ride. Rao Rao, go and rest now."
After admiring her youngest granddaughter's hunting achievements, Old Mrs. Wei smiled and gave the instruction.
Wei Rao lived in the rear courtyard of the Hall of Verdant Spring, making it convenient for her to visit her grandmother anytime, so she didn't mind missing this moment and took her leave with a smile.
Guo Shi and Wei Chan both looked displeased.
Wei Rao was sharp-tongued, and over the past two years, whenever they tried to embarrass her, they had never managed to gain the upper hand.
Old Mrs. Wei set down her teacup and instructed her chief maid, Emerald, to stand guard outside the Hall to prevent the younger maids from eavesdropping.
Guo Shi and Wei Chan both turned their attention to the old lady.
The smile on Old Mrs. Wei's face had vanished without notice. She glanced at Wei Chan and coldly questioned Guo Shi, "When did you hear these rumors, and who told you about them?"
Guo Shi twisted her handkerchief nervously and replied with a forced smile, "A few days ago, I had arranged to go to the temple with Lady Li, and she mentioned it to me. It wasn't just Lady Li, either. When I took Chan'er to Zhencui Tower to pick out jewelry, I overheard several ladies discussing the matter. They stopped talking when they saw me, but those I'm close to privately advised me, as her aunt, to discipline Rao Rao to prevent her from causing trouble outside and tarnishing the Wei family's reputation."
Old Mrs. Wei fixed a sharp gaze on her daughter-in-law. "Is that so? And when they spread these rumors to slander Rao Rao, did you, as her aunt, stand up for her and clear her name?"
Guo Shi understood her mother-in-law's implication. She lowered her head and murmured in defense, "I didn't personally witness whether Rao Rao went or not, so how could I vouch for her? You know how that child is—she's always running off to the Secluded Manor every other day..."
"Nonsense! You didn't see that Rao Rao didn't go, yet you believed the gossip of outsiders. Rao Rao is your own niece—you didn't see her go either, so why don't you trust her?" Old Mrs. Wei interrupted Guo Shi sternly.
Guo Shi paled under the old lady's scolding.
She felt guilty.
In truth, Guo Shi had heard the rumors from several sources, though the main target of the gossip was Zhou Huizhen. Even her own sister-in-law had mentioned not seeing Wei Rao with the other girls. However, Guo Shi resented her mother-in-law's favoritism toward Wei Rao over her own daughter and had deliberately stirred up trouble in front of the old lady. She hadn't expected her mother-in-law to take Wei Rao's word without verifying the facts elsewhere.
As a daughter-in-law, Guo Shi didn't dare argue further, but inwardly she fumed at Old Mrs. Wei's blatant favoritism. So biased!
"Grandmother, my mother only has Fourth Sister's best interests at heart. The Zhou family's reputation is terrible—everyone in the capital knows it. If Fourth Sister were truly sensible, she wouldn't go there so often," Wei Chan couldn't help interjecting.
Old Mrs. Wei laughed coldly and turned to Wei Chan. "If your mother truly cared for Rao Rao, she should have sternly rebuked those speaking ill of her. Chan'er, your surname is Wei, and your fourth sister's surname is Wei too. You are sisters bound by blood and bone. If you allow others to gossip about Rao Rao, don't think you'll remain unscathed when her reputation is ruined."
Wei Chan bit her lip and lowered her head. "Grandmother, you only scold me. Why don't you discipline Fourth Sister? If she didn't go out, there wouldn't be so much trouble."
Old Mrs. Wei laughed in exasperation. "Indeed, if Rao Rao didn't go out, she wouldn't be targeted with slander. And if you two didn't go out, you wouldn't turn into fools who spread rumors. Fine, I won't show favoritism to anyone. Starting today, both of you are confined to the estate for a month. Don't go anywhere—reflect on your mistakes behind closed doors!"Guo Shi was greatly alarmed, looking up to say, "Mother, you mustn't. The fifteenth of April is the Princess Consort's birthday, and I've already promised to bring Chan Jie'er along."
Emperor Yuanjia's eldest son, the Prince of Duan, had married Guo Shi's eldest daughter, Wei Shu.
Mention of the Princess Consort of Duan made Old Mrs. Wei's gaze toward Guo Shi even more pained: "Back then, Rao Rao's father wholeheartedly assisted the Emperor in investigating corrupt officials, was murdered by villains, and died young. The Emperor, moved by Rao Rao's father's integrity and loyalty, specially arranged the marriage between Shu Jie'er and the Prince of Duan. That Shu Jie'er could become a princess consort, that you could become related to the Emperor—it was all thanks to Rao Rao's father. Now you constantly try to trample on Rao Rao—how can you face your brother-in-law?"
By the end, tears had welled up in Old Mrs. Wei's eyes.
What kind of exemplary household management was it to have raised such a daughter-in-law and granddaughter? Her reputation for virtue was bought with her second son's death, praised and elevated by Emperor Yuanjia in court assemblies to comfort the families of loyal and honest officials! Her second son was so good—what was wrong with favoring Rao Rao a little? Her Rao Rao had such a bitter fate—her father dead, her mother gone, and because her mother had offended the Empress Dowager, she was nearly killed by the Empress Dowager's schemes at a young age, right before her eyes. Why shouldn't she show favoritism?
"Leave now."
Old Mrs. Wei lowered her head and waved her hand.
Guo Shi and Wei Chan could see the old lady's distress and wanted to soften their stance with a few kind words to make amends, but Emerald, fiercely protective, unceremoniously ushered them out.
Old Mrs. Wei, missing her deceased son, had no appetite and barely ate any lunch.
Wei Rao noticed something was wrong and secretly asked Emerald, only to learn that her grandmother had been upset by Guo Shi and her daughter.
Wei Rao's heart ached.
At the Secluded Manor, her aunt and eldest cousin often acted foolishly too, but her maternal grandmother, Shou An Jun, was broad-minded—if she couldn't manage them, she simply didn't, out of sight, out of mind. Her paternal grandmother's temperament was different; the more she cherished her reputation, the more she dwelled on things, unable to rest for a moment.
Telling Emerald and Bitao to wait outside, Wei Rao went in alone to comfort her grandmother.
Old Mrs. Wei lay listlessly on the bed, recognizing who it was from the sound of footsteps.
"Emerald told you again?" Old Mrs. Wei said helplessly.
Wei Rao smiled, sitting by the bed, taking the old lady's hand and gently massaging it: "Grandmother, you ate so little just to make me worry, didn't you? Now that I'm here to care for you, why pretend to blame Emerald?"
Her voice, delicate and sweet, fell like raindrops pattering on a jade plate—pleasing to the ear and carrying a refreshing sweetness that soothed irritation and eased tension.
Old Mrs. Wei shook her head, sat up, and leaned against the headboard to talk with her young granddaughter: "I'm fine, I'm used to it."
Wei Rao looked at the white strands in her grandmother's hair, her eyes reddening: "Grandmother, I want to get married. Tell me, if from today on I behave properly, learn to be a dignified and gentle young lady, and never run around except when accompanying you outside—with my circumstances, could I still marry into a noble family?"
Old Mrs. Wei exclaimed joyfully, "Have you really come to your senses?"
She had long explained to her granddaughter that to marry well, she must become a well-praised lady of good family. Although her granddaughter had the burden of the Zhou family, she also had advantages other young ladies lacked—a father praised by Emperor Yuanjia as an honest and loyal official, an uncle with a noble title, and beauty that outshone the capital. What ordinary official's daughter could compare to Rao Rao?
If her second son hadn't died when Rao Rao was still young, the position of Princess Consort of Duan should have been Rao Rao's.
Wei Rao, well-versed in the art of coaxing elders, said dejectedly, "I've come to my senses, but I'm afraid it might be too late to change now.""Old Mrs. Wei immediately responded, "Not at all, not at all. First, spend a month preparing at home. Several noble households in the capital will be hosting banquets soon, and I'll take you along. I guarantee I'll find you a good match."
Wei Rao blushed and said, "Then Grandmother must take good care of your health. With you strong and healthy, you'll have the energy to plan for me."
Old Mrs. Wei naturally agreed.
However, some pretense was still necessary. The next day, Old Mrs. Wei claimed her legs and feet were uncomfortable, lying in bed unable to move, and demanded that her daughter-in-law and granddaughters attend to her morning and evening. Guo Shi, needing to show filial piety to her "ailing" mother-in-law, thus had a valid reason not to attend the minor birthday celebration of the Duan Princess on the fifteenth of April.
Missing the chance to shine at the Duan Prince's residence left Guo Shi quite frustrated. That evening, she complained to her husband, Cheng'an Marquis: "Mother is doing this on purpose. She blames me for not speaking up for Rao Rao and is punishing me this way."
Cheng'an Marquis, soaking his feet, glanced sideways at his wife. "Mother is still being lenient; the punishment isn't severe enough."
Wei Rao's uncle, though lacking the talent of Master Wei the Second, was upright, honest, and filial, rarely swayed by gossip.
Guo Shi glared at him angrily. "I'm only doing this for Chan Jie'er. Both granddaughters are the same age and should be discussing marriage. Look at our mother—all her attention is on Rao Rao. It's as if our Chan Jie'er was picked up off the street!"
Cheng'an Marquis said, "Chan Jie'er has you and me. Who does Rao Rao have? The older you get, the more unreasonable you become."
Guo Shi's face instantly fell. "Who are you calling old? Concubine Qiu is young—go find her!"
Cheng'an Marquis's brow furrowed deeply. "Qiu'er was your maid, and it was you who told me to take her in back then. It's been almost twenty years—why are you jealous over nothing?"
Guo Shi cried, "Who told you to say I'm old?"
Cheng'an Marquis sighed in exasperation. "Alright, alright, you're young, and I'm the old man. Is that better?"
For the sake of domestic peace, Cheng'an Marquis had no choice but to hold Guo Shi that night and whisper some of the flirtatious words they'd shared in their youth.
Though she knew it was insincere, Guo Shi loved hearing it. Feeling her husband's affection, she found it less burdensome to attend to Old Mrs. Wei afterward.
Over the month, Wei Rao was closely supervised by Old Mrs. Wei, either reading and practicing calligraphy or honing her needlework.
These skills, typical of well-bred young ladies, were indeed Wei Rao's weak points. It wasn't entirely her fault—after falling gravely ill at age eleven, she nearly wasted away, spending her days taking medicine with no energy to learn such things. Later, when Emperor Yuanjia sent a master to train her, Wei Rao developed a strong interest in martial arts. Once she fully recovered, horseback riding and hunting became her new passions, and she had no desire to catch up on the poetry and needlework she'd missed.
"Will last-minute cramming even help?" Wei Rao muttered under her breath.
Old Mrs. Wei said, "Learning more is never a waste, especially calligraphy and needlework. After you marry, you'll need to use them often."
Wei Rao pouted, lifted her sleeve with one hand, and continued practicing her calligraphy.
"Miss, your handwriting looks quite beautiful to me," Bitao said, flattering her mistress while grinding ink. "It's like Cloud Mist Mountain—unconventional yet elegant, with the strength of mountains and the gentleness of water."
Old Mrs. Wei remarked, "I didn't realize you were more adept at appreciation than your mistress."
Bitao blushed and focused on her task without another word."Old Mrs. Wei, a eunuch from the palace has arrived." A young maid came running over, her cheeks flushed from the heat and exertion.
Old Mrs. Wei hurriedly brought Wei Rao, Guo Shi, and Wei Chan to the front courtyard to receive the imperial decree.
Cheng'an Marquis was working at the Ministry of Revenue, and Young Lord Wei Zizhan was studying at the Imperial Academy, so neither was home.
The visitor was a young eunuch from the Empress Dowager's retinue. With the Dragon Boat Festival approaching, the Empress Dowager had issued an oral decree inviting Old Mrs. Wei to watch the Dragon Boat Race at the palace, allowing her to bring two relatives or friends along.
The Dragon Boat Race during the Dragon Boat Festival was one of the annual grand events.
While commoners had teams sponsored by merchants and noble families, the palace's Dragon Boat Race featured elite soldiers selected from the imperial guards. Though seemingly just a competition, it was actually an opportunity for the emperor to review the strength of various imperial guard units. The spectacle far surpassed those in the civilian sector, and invitations were typically extended only to imperial relatives, high-ranking officials of the fifth rank or above, and their families.
As Cheng'an Marquis was only a sixth-rank capital official, the Wei family's invitation was a mark of respect that Emperor Yuanjia was showing Old Mrs. Wei.
Though the invitation came from the Empress Dowager, it was actually Emperor Yuanjia's intention.
After the eunuch departed, Guo Shi and Wei Chan beamed with joy, both turning their gazes to Old Mrs. Wei.
Old Mrs. Wei called Wei Chan and Wei Rao to her side and asked with a smile, "Would you two like to accompany me to the palace?"
Wei Rao had no desire to see the Empress Dowager, but this year's Dragon Boat Festival celebration was a perfect opportunity to make an appearance. To marry into a prestigious family, she needed to put in the effort.
"I'd love to. I've never seen the palace's Dragon Boat Race before," Wei Rao said.
Three years ago, the Wei family had received a similar invitation, but she had been too frail at the time and stayed home.
Wei Chan heard this and glanced awkwardly at her mother, Guo Shi.
Guo Shi struggled to maintain her smile, blaming herself for being careless. Last time, her mother-in-law had taken her to the palace because Wei Rao was ill. Now that Wei Rao had recovered, how could her mother-in-law disappoint her beloved granddaughter?
"Hurry and thank Old Mrs. Wei? Our whole family is benefiting from her favor," Guo Shi said, forcing cheerfulness.
Wei Chan expressed her thanks with a smile, then quickly shot Wei Rao a glare when Old Mrs. Wei wasn't looking.
In Wei Chan's opinion, Wei Rao was entirely unnecessary. Without Wei Rao, their family wouldn't be the subject of gossip, and her mother wouldn't have to yield her position to Wei Rao.
In the entire second branch of the family, only Second Uncle was a good person. Unfortunately, good people don't live long, leaving Little Zhou and Wei Rao—these two troublemakers—to reap the benefits.
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