Chapter 6

How could talking about money be vulgar?

Money was the best thing in this world.

Getting married had turned out to be rather profitable.

As the saying went, even an honest prefect could amass a hundred thousand taels of snow-white silver in three years. And Lin Ruhai was the Salt Inspector: his connections reached upward to the emperor and downward to merchants, never mind his colleagues and old classmates in between.

There were so very, very many people eager to give him money.

The Shens were an established great family too. To put it boldly, ours was the sort of upright scholarly lineage that would survive the fall of an emperor. Naturally, we had no shortage of guests either.

Such exchanges of favors weren’t considered corruption, but courtesy. Besides, even the emperor had sent a wedding gift specifically to show his favor.

By the time the wedding feast was over, we had positively raked it in.

I had someone call Lin Ruhai over. “Lift my veil and drink the nuptial wine with me before you go back out.”

His footsteps paused. He seemed surprised. “Now?”

He had come to bring me pastries. Brides usually went hungry on their wedding day, having to wait until the groom finished entertaining the guests before he could enter the bridal chamber.

Lord Lin was a thoughtful, considerate man. I was very pleased with him.

But I couldn’t wait.

Under my veil, I nodded. “Yes.”

Hurry up.

I wanted to see my darling daughter.

Before, being unmarried had kept me from coming and going freely at the Lin residence. Now, though, we had bowed before the wedding altar.

Once the veil came off, I would be Lord Lin’s wife and little Daiyu’s stepmother.

Naturally, I wanted to see my adorable little girl at once.

I gestured toward the chests, baskets, and lists of wedding gifts filling the courtyard. “I’ll keep track of the Shen family’s gifts. May I ask Yu’er to manage the ones on your side?”

Lin Ruhai was plainly taken aback. He turned and looked at me for a long moment. Then, as if coming to a decision, he took my hand.

“We’ve become husband and wife. Of course I trust you. I am happy to leave the household in your hands. There is no need to involve anyone else.”

I let my gratitude show. “I understand, husband. But Yu’er has only just come home, and now I’ve arrived. I want her to know everything that happens in the household, great and small, so she understands that this will always be her home.”

“Besides,” I continued with a smile, “I may not be a celebrated scholar, but I have managed a household. Yu’er is clever, yet her time away has given her few opportunities to learn such things. There are so few of us, and we won’t have that many major affairs for her to see. Why not let her learn along with me?”

I had phrased it delicately, but Lin Ruhai was intelligent and soon understood what I meant.

I truly wanted to accept Yu’er.

I wanted to teach her to manage a household.

And although Yu’er was bright, she behaved like a sheltered junior around Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng. That offered a glimpse of her life with the Jias: loved, perhaps, but not necessarily well taught or allowed to gain experience.

Even a man as guarded as Lin Ruhai showed a little of his true feelings before me.

He seemed to think of something. When he looked at me again, his gaze was clearer and gentler, with a hint of admiration. “You have considered this carefully, my wife. In that case, let us do as you suggest.”

I was ecstatic. I curtsied. “Thank you, husband. Off you go.”

Let me have some cuddles with my daughter.