Chapter 3

Chapter 3

No sooner had I seen Meng Yan off than Old Madam Qi’s personal maidservant came to summon me.

In Shou’an Hall, Qi Chong’s younger sister Qi Yu and his distant cousin Qi Song were flipping through embroidery patterns.

Mama Zhou lifted the wind curtain and announced my arrival. Qi’s Mother’s eyelid twitched, but she ignored me.

After all, ever since I married Qi Chong, I had forbidden him from accepting gifts, keeping concubines, or frequenting prostitutes.

Qi’s Mother often complained that her nephew was nothing more than a tiny county magistrate, yet her elder sister lived even more richly and grandly than she did.

The last time people from her maiden family visited, her sister wore a fine jade bracelet with excellent translucency on her wrist. Qi’s Mother had stared at it green with envy.

I had blocked all those roads to easy gold and silver at the doors of the Qi household. Qi’s Mother was unhappy about it, and could only find other excuses to pick at me.

Every time I brought it up to Qi Chong, he would turn cold and rebuke me.

“My mother was widowed young and raised me through countless hardships. She is not some greedy, muddleheaded woman.”

In my previous life, it was because I returned all those ill-intentioned bribes on behalf of the Qi family that they were able to preserve themselves when the young emperor secured his throne and purged the opposing factions.

I wondered what expression Qi Chong would wear in this life when he learned that the mother he praised for enduring so much hardship had been amassing wealth behind his back, and that the Qi family was to be raided and punished.

I stood there for about the time it took a cup of tea to go cold.

Qi Yu was delighted to watch me be humiliated, propping up her chin as she shot meaningful looks at Qi Song.

Qi Song hurriedly offered up a plate of pine nuts she had freshly shelled and softly reminded Old Madam Qi,

“Auntie, the pine nuts were just peeled. Please try some.”

Only then did Qi’s Mother slowly open her eyes and scold Mama Zhou beside her in feigned annoyance.

“You’re getting more useless with age. Couldn’t you have announced more loudly? You’ve made my daughter-in-law stand here waiting for ages.”

I lowered my head and silently watched Qi’s Mother put on her little performance.

Lightly brushing her teacup, she asked in an offhand tone,

“I heard today that you helped Chong’er take in a concubine?”

“I did.”

Qi’s Mother stared at me suspiciously.

“In the past, you were always controlling Chong’er, refusing to let him keep concubines or buy women.

“What are you plotting today? Why have you suddenly become so virtuous?”

I set down my teacup and said with a smile,

“I was thinking that since your nephew has managed to father three sons and two daughters in just three years as a county magistrate, our Qi family ought to add some children of our own as well.”

That struck right at Qi’s Mother’s longing to hold a grandson.

Unable to find fault with me, she only asked,

“Have you seen the girl? Is she pretty?”

I smiled and nodded.

At the side, Qi Yu grinned and gave Qi Song a playful slap.

“Of course she is. On the streets of the capital, there really aren’t many women better-looking than my sister-in-law.”

Qi Song did not dare agree. She only lowered her head awkwardly.

“Sister Yu, our tutor said that for women, virtue and talent matter most. Looks aren’t what matter most.”

Qi Yu let out a scornful little laugh.

“Second Sister, that women’s tutor is ugly. She only says that to comfort herself, and you actually believed her?

“Sister-in-law said we’ll be discussing your marriage in three months. By then you’ll understand whether virtue and talent count for anything.”

Marriage talks.

In my previous life, I had treated Qi Chong’s sister Qi Yu like my own and carefully planned her marriage for her.

A poor scholar who gained power would become arrogant after all his suffering and could not be trusted.

A rich family’s son would be spoiled and dissipated, and marrying too high would mean swallowing endless insults, so that would not do either.

In the end, I found her what I thought was the most satisfactory match of all.

The Zhang Family were old friends of my father. Their family values were upright. They were not especially rich or noble, but they could ensure a lifetime free of want, and most precious of all, their sons and grandsons were ambitious and willing to study. They were not like the idle heirs of other great families who knew nothing but cockfighting, dog racing, and wasting their days.

When the marriage was being discussed, my sister-in-law Qi Yu bit her lip and tentatively asked,

“Sister-in-law, I’m always afraid they’ll look down on me.”

Back then, I thought about it and, as a woman myself, understood her worries.

I selected many items from my own dowry to add to hers, and I also asked whether the Zhang Family could add one more boatload to the betrothal gifts.

What I never knew was that Qi Yu had altered that betrothal list with a single stroke, turning it into seven boatloads of betrothal gifts.

Out of consideration for old ties, the Zhang Family did not fall out with me, and as honorable people, they were unwilling to take their anger out on Qi Yu. The whole family borrowed money everywhere and emptied their savings just to barely scrape together those seven boatloads.

When I received the gift list, I assumed the Zhang Family had deliberately raised it to seven boatloads to show how much they valued the marriage, and I thought nothing more of it. I was only happy that my sister-in-law had married into a good family.

Without a word, Qi Yu took the extra dowry I had added for her and the seven boatloads of betrothal gifts, and married over in grand style to live as a wealthy mistress, enjoying every benefit.

Later, when the Zhang Family asked me about it, Qi Yu only cried in grievance.

“Sister-in-law is fierce, and when she manages the household, no one can go against her.

“How would I, a daughter already married out, dare question a gift list she had handled?”

I alone was cursed as greedy and faithless, and even the Zhang Family grew distant from the Shen Family because of it.

After marrying into the Zhang Family, Qi Yu spent her days playing cards and drinking, stirring up trouble and causing discord until the entire household was thrown into chaos. Two families that had been family friends became enemies instead.

In this life, I wanted to see what kind of marriage the Qi family could arrange for Qi Yu without my using the Shen Family’s connections to make inquiries and pull strings for her.

By the lamplight, Qi’s Mother gazed at her daughter’s lovely face and seemed more satisfied the longer she looked.

“Very well. Let that concubine serve my son tonight and give birth to a boy or girl as soon as possible.

“Tonight, write to your father and ask whether there are any young men in the capital with good family backgrounds and good character. After all, the elder sister-in-law is like a mother. You must put your heart into Yu’er’s marriage, understand?”

I nodded, curtsied, and withdrew.

Outside, the sky had darkened, and a fine snow was falling.

The old women serving at Qi’s Mother’s side were lazy and had hidden away somewhere to drink and gamble.

I was wondering whether such heavy snow might make me catch cold when a plain-colored umbrella was held out before me.

“Sister-in-law, I’ll walk back with you.”