Chapter 3
Every few days, Yin Zonglin added something to his sister’s dowry.
A gold hairpin. A round fan. A beaded flower.
Whenever he spotted a pretty trinket outside, he bought it for Eldest Miss Yin.
He was the capital’s very model of a devoted elder brother.
Today’s gift was a fine jade pendant, which I delivered in person.
Her nurse was sorting the dowry inventory. She invited me to drink tea and asked with a smile, “Miss Chunyi, have a look. Is there anything we’ve forgotten?”
It was only casual conversation. She did not truly expect my opinion.
I gave it anyway. “Several loyal maidservants trained in martial arts.”
The nurse laughed. “What would our young lady need fighting maids for? She’s going to marry, not to war.”
By the window, Eldest Miss Yin set down her book and turned.
She had always been clever.
I went to her and handed over the pendant. In the tone of someone making idle conversation, I said, “What if the Cao groom mistreats her? She’ll be so far from home, with no one to defend her. She could cry to heaven and earth and no one would answer. I’ve heard of men who appear refined in public but are savage in private. They beat maids and lawful wives alike. If a wife dies from a beating, they announce that she succumbed to illness and marry another without difficulty.”
The nurse’s smile disappeared. She knew I did not gossip without cause.
“No wall is entirely windproof. A violent man could only deceive outsiders who knew nothing of him,” she said, forcing confidence into her voice. “Fortunately, we know the Cao groom’s family well. Our master has praised him many times.”
Eldest Miss Yin stroked the pendant thoughtfully. “The Cao family is very rich. Money can make ghosts turn millstones.”
She escorted me to the courtyard gate herself.
I had walked a long way before I glanced back. Her figure was still faintly visible.
Several days later, I heard that her nurse’s foster son had returned to his hometown on business.
It was too small a matter to attract anyone’s attention.
At month’s end, an entire wagon of lotus roots and water caltrops arrived from the country estate.
Madam Yin selected the best basket. Miss Du had asked to meet me, so I was sent to deliver it to the Du residence.
Before I left, Yin Zonglin warned me, “Miss Du will be your future mistress. Show her proper respect. Do not play petty games.”
He probably expected me to flaunt the favor I had enjoyed at his side.
They were not yet married, and he did not want rumors of discord between wife and concubine.
“Handle this well and I’ll reward you when you return.”
A slap followed by a sweet date. It was Yin Zonglin’s favorite method.
The Du family’s dislike was inevitable.
Madam Du took one look at me and curled her lip. “So this is the coquettish face that bewitched Zonglin into sparing you the contraceptive brew. At least he isn’t completely muddleheaded. He knows whose womb should bear his eldest son.”
No one told me to rise, so I remained kneeling.
Madam Du soon lost interest and waved a hand. “Take her to the young lady.”
Thus I met Du Ruohua.
Until she opened her mouth, she looked exactly as Yin Zonglin had described her: gentle, virtuous, and sensible.
The maids and matrons withdrew.
She came close and whispered into my ear in a strange voice, “Eldest Miss Jiang.”
My head snapped up.
It had been a very long time since anyone called me that.
“Do you think this is retribution?” She laughed softly, savoring every word. “You used to be the wealthy heiress looking down from on high, while I was a poor student from the countryside. When your brother made me his mistress, you ended our friendship. You called me vain, shameless, obsessed with money.”
So it was her—my former best friend.
She had used my name to meet my married brother, left school, and become his gilded caged bird.
I had begged her to end it. I told her not to abandon her education, no matter what happened. I urged her to value herself, stand on her own feet, and build an independent life.
She remembered none of that. She remembered only the words I had shouted in anger.
At the time, she had laughed and pointed to the bracelet on my wrist. “You can buy a million-yuan bracelet without blinking. I can earn a million-yuan transfer for sleeping with your brother once. But if I study and work honestly, how many years will it take me to save a million?”
She had insisted on her shortcut.
“Now I’m the noble young lady, and you aren’t even a poor commoner. You’re a slave at the very bottom of this world, a toy my fiancé keeps. At best, you’ll become a dog kneeling at my feet.”
“Concubines can be bought and sold. The day I tire of you, I can have you bound and sold away.” She giggled. “You always despised women who lived like vines clinging to a man. Yet Yin Zonglin’s favor is now the only thing keeping you alive. I want to see how a bedchamber maid whose contract belongs to her masters survives without depending on a man.”