Chapter 3

Chapter 3

At noon, I went to the Cixin Shop in the west of the capital to distribute rice in the name of the child in the Secondary Wife’s womb, as an act of merit and charity. It happened to be a market day, and many commoners who received the fresh rice praised my kindness and generosity. By the time I returned to the General’s Mansion, it was already evening. Claiming I was feeling unwell, I retired to bed early.

According to my mother-in-law’s instructions, Rong Zhan was supposed to have dinner with me. As soon as he stepped over the threshold, Chunxiang went to meet him. “General, Madam is not feeling well and has already retired. Please have your meal in Lady Liu’s room instead.”

His brows furrowed. “What happened to Zhuo Hua?”

Chunxiang hesitated. “Madam is not in any grave danger, but she has been handling many tasks personally, which has been quite exhausting.”

A suggestive “not in any grave danger.”

Rong Zhan paced in front of the door. Glancing around, he saw the poinsettias in the courtyard blooming like a fierce fire. He reached out and plucked a branch, intending to pin it in Liu Ruzhuo’s hair.

“Don’t.” I called out to him from the window. He turned around.

“Chunxiang said you were resting.”

I replied, “I’m feeling a bit under the weather today. My appearance is haggard, and I didn’t dare face you, General, so I could only peek from the window.” I pulled my white inner robe tighter and gave a forced, apologetic smile.

Rong Zhan reached out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ear. “Zhuo Hua, you didn’t have to be so formal.”

“General, that flower isn’t poisonous, and it would be fine to display in a study. But if you intend to give it to a beauty, I’m afraid it might harm the pregnancy.”

Rong Zhan looked closely at the flower, then gazed steadily at me. “Thank you for the reminder, Madam.” He turned and left, and I watched him go.

Rong Zhan came to visit me again late at night.

I hadn’t expected him to return, so I had to pull myself together to play the role of a virtuous wife. I greeted him with a beaming smile and ordered the maids to bring in everything from hot tea to light porridge.

“I had to hear from my lieutenant that you suffered from heatstroke while praying and distributing porridge for her and the child. Zhuo Hua, why didn’t you tell me?” He sounded slightly annoyed, his brow furrowed as his fingers lightly stroked a jade inkstone on my desk.

I smiled. “My health has always been delicate. A bit of heatstroke is a minor matter; I didn’t want to trouble you.” I handed him a cup of clear tea. “It’s just that Mother was very angry today because Ruzhuo is new to the manor and doesn’t know the rules. But how can we blame her? Her pregnancy is the most important thing right now. I’ve already asked Mother to set her mind at ease. Since Ruzhuo is still expecting, we can wait until the child is a year old before hiring a governess to teach her. If you have time, General, you should go and comfort Mother.”

He reached out to brush away my hair and suddenly smiled. “I’ll go pay my respects to Mother tomorrow. You’ve worked hard managing the affairs of the manor. Ruzhuo is truly both lovely and exasperating; she can’t seem to learn the formalities. I stopped hoping for her to be as virtuous and dignified as you long ago. As long as she doesn’t cause trouble for me, I’m already grateful.”

I murmured my agreement, lowering my eyes as I poured him more tea.

My husband, using a tone of feigned annoyance and indulgence, praised his Equal Wife for being nothing but lovely. When it came to me, it was only a few lukewarm, distant words about being dutiful and managing the household virtuously.

Ten days later was my mother-in-law’s sixtieth birthday. A messenger came from the palace saying that the Dowager Empress would bring Princess Siheng, the Commandery Princess who had been raised by her side, to the Rong Manor to celebrate.

News of the decree for Princess Siheng to marry into Beiwu for a peace alliance had already spread throughout the capital. The border between Dache and Beiwu was plagued by constant friction and tension; settling the conflict through marriage was for the best.

It was no secret in the capital that she was extremely fond of Rong Zhan. When I first married him, she would always boss me around and make things difficult for me whenever we met at banquets. However, I felt no displeasure at the news of her coming. At most, she would see Rong Zhan one last time, and once she left, it would be for a lifetime. I had already won. I was Rong Zhan’s primary wife now, and I would be the only woman by his side in the future.

The news came suddenly, so I handled everything personally with meticulous care, fearing any oversight. I also suggested to my mother-in-law and Rong Zhan, “It’s Mother’s sixtieth birthday, and it coincides with the happy news of Sister Ruzhuo’s upcoming child. We must organize a grand celebration.”

I had already asked my eldest brother-the eldest son of the Zhuo Clan and current Grand Marshal of the Western Regions, Zhuo Cheng-to send some rare items. My brother was generous, sending three chests of treasures from thousands of miles away. When Chunxiang spread them out on the table, the gold and jade were dazzlingly beautiful. To me, however, they were all vulgar objects-except for one striking silk dress.

“Embroidered robes shine in the late spring, with gold-threaded peacocks and silver qilin.”

The skirt was an exquisite shade of cyan-green, densely embroidered with lotus blossoms. The hem was traced with peacock feathers and inlaid with a border of thin gold flakes.

Yet, I still found it too plain. I commissioned four or five of the capital’s most renowned old craftsmen to work through the night to modify it. I had them loosen the waist, hook twelve strands of pearls and emeralds onto the hem, and embed a ring of silver bells around the waistline. Thus, as one walked, the ornaments would sway and chime, radiating a shimmering brilliance.

Chunxiang chuckled. “You certainly have a grand style; an outfit like this easily costs a fortune.”

“How do I look in it?” I asked.

“Where in your wardrobe could you find anything better than this?” Chunxiang replied with a smile, stroking the fabric. “This is the true dignity of the Lady of the House of Rong Manor. It’s just that the waist is a bit large.”

“What if Liu Ruzhuo wore it?” I asked.

Chunxiang paused, startled. “She is merely a daughter from a family of rural laborers, only just elevated to Secondary Wife. How could she possibly surpass you, the Primary Legal Wife?”

At noon, this garment along with several gold and silver ornaments were sent to Cangyun Pavilion, where Liu Ruzhuo resided. “Having seen the vast ocean, one finds other waters unworthy; except for the clouds of Mount Wu, no other clouds compare.” Rong Zhan’s sentiment was carved into the plaque of the pavilion, and it was also etched into my heart.

I instructed Chunxiang to simply claim the waist was too large, and that it would be more suitable for someone who was expecting.

Chunxiang returned to report that when the items were delivered, Rong Zhan was having lunch with Liu Ruzhuo. As soon as the clothes and jewelry entered the room, she had set down her chopsticks with delight and rushed over to look.

It was hardly surprising-a petty woman who had seen nothing of the world would naturally be dazzled. She likely couldn’t wait to drape every precious object over herself; she would take a piece of brass for a gold ingot. Like a fawning dog, Rong Zhan wanted to present every good thing to Liu Ruzhuo, never caring whether she was worthy of them or not.

When Chunxiang returned from outside, she was surrounded by the maids and older servants from the side rooms, most of whom were concerned about my illness.

They said that Dowager Rong’s birthday banquet was only two days away. Although the household affairs were all in order, the mistress had suddenly fallen ill from overwork. Some of the more impatient old women sighed to Chunxiang about how weak my constitution was, and how I had recently been exhausted by matters concerning the Secondary Wife, which was why I was now bedridden.

“Such a perfectly fine person, and now she’s suddenly fallen ill? You lot haven’t been serving her carefully enough. If the mistress’s health suffers, you’ll all have hell to pay,” my mother-in-law scolded the servants at the door.

Chunxiang and I exchanged a glance. I immediately put down the book in my hand, let down my hair, and lay back.

The door opened, and Rong Zhan entered as well.

“Mother, General,” I called out, propping myself up to offer a greeting. Dowager Rong reached out and pressed my shoulder down. “My child, don’t worry about such formalities.”

Rong Zhan sat directly on the edge of the bed. “Are you still feeling unwell anywhere?”

“It is no matter, thank you,” I said.

After chatting with Dowager Rong for a while, she was moved to laughter by my words. “You’re such a clever girl,” she said. “In this manor, who else but you can make me laugh until my stomach hurts?”

Rong Zhan kept staring at me until the side of my face began to itch under his gaze.

Before long, lying there made me feel drowsy. Seeing my weary expression, Dowager Rong told me to rest. Rong Zhan did not leave. As soon as his mother stepped out, the atmosphere turned cold and stiff. I lowered my eyes, my fingers fidgeting with the bedding. He spoke with a smile, “You are so distant with me, yet you are so charming in front of Mother.”

I replied, “The General and I were not well-acquainted to begin with. It will get better as time passes.” After saying this, I coughed a few times. Chunxiang knocked and entered. “General, it is time for the Mistress to take her medicine.”

Rong Zhan didn’t excuse himself. “No matter.”

*Of course it’s no matter to you.* I suppressed my irritation and pulled back the quilt to lift the hem of my skirt. The burns on my knees and legs had begun to fester with pus, the skin flushed red and showing a web of broken capillaries. Even though Rong Zhan was used to scenes of slaughter on the battlefield, he couldn’t help but knit his brows.

“How is it more serious than it was a few days ago?”

“It’s not serious, not serious at all. I’m just being delicate,” I said. Chunxiang applied the medicine for me. It hurt, but I didn’t make a sound. His profile was reflected in the bronze mirror opposite us. I watched him in the mirror; his gaze didn’t waver, as if he truly cared for me.