Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The tea had been refreshed twice before the three concubines finally deigned to arrive.

Before I even saw them, a thick cloud of powder and perfume reached me first.

Concubine Zhou led the way in a brocade robe of bright rose, flanked on either side by a beauty.

The three of them gave a perfunctory curtsy. I had not told them to rise, yet Concubine Zhou took a seat below me as if nothing were amiss.

“We lost track of time chatting. First Young Madam, please don’t take offense.”

So this was a show of force. She wanted me to know that even if they were bored enough to gossip idly, they still had no desire to come pay respects to me.

I lowered my eyes and toyed with the lid of my teacup. The crisp clink of celadon rang especially clear through the hall.

Momo Chen immediately snapped, “Insolence! Arriving late to pay respects is already an offense, yet you still refuse to make a proper bow before the mistress of the house. Is this how little rules mean to you in the Wen Mansion?”

Concubine Zhou smoothed her hair at the temple and cast a sidelong glance over.

“A lowly maid who only just shed her slave status thinks she’s worthy of our bows?”

The brocade robe she wore was stitched so finely that, without a closer look, one might mistake it for a wedding dress. No doubt she had long since regarded herself as the mistress here.

I set down my teacup. The silk handkerchief between my fingers twisted lightly as I turned my gaze to the other two.

“And you?”

There was only one chance. Miss it, and it would be gone.

Concubine Zhao trembled and hurried to rise, only to freeze under Concubine Zhou’s glare.

She stammered, “G-greetings to First Young Madam…”

I gave a faint nod and shifted my gaze to Concubine Rui.

She was indeed lovely, with a willowy waist and a languid, flirtatious charm in the way her eyes moved.

Sensing my attention, she lazily placed a hand over her lower abdomen.

“This concubine is with child. The physician said I mustn’t kneel.”

What a fine welcoming gift. The new wife had only just entered the household, and a concubine was already pregnant.

Wen Hongxian had certainly prepared me a “generous gift.”

The small warmth that had only just begun to bud in my heart was doused to the bone by that basin of cold water.

Of course. Between Wen Hongxian and me, there was nothing but an unspoken transaction.

Just like the Wen Family’s dealings with merchant houses across the provinces: courteous on the surface, each side scheming in the dark.

I said gently, “Since you are with child, you need not come observe the rules from now on. Focus on taking care of yourself.”

Concubine Rui stroked her still-flat stomach and straightened her waist a little.

“Thank you, First Young Madam. This concubine is terribly tired now. May I leave?”

“How dare you. The mistress is showing consideration, and you dare overstep-” I raised a hand, cutting Momo Chen off.

“Enough. A pregnant woman needs peace and rest. It is understandable. Go and lie down.”

Concubine Rui thanked me sweetly, then withdrew with one hand supporting a waist that showed no sign of pregnancy.

From the moment Concubine Rui said she was pregnant, Concubine Zhou’s face had twisted into a knot.

“Filthy little slut!”

First “lowly maid,” now “filthy slut.” Her mouth was foul through and through, utterly lacking decorum.

I brushed a finger over the jade bangle on my wrist, my voice weary.

“A concubine who sins with her tongue must be taught. Since she cannot control her mouth, Momo, help her.”

Momo Chen accepted the order. Her slaps were swift and ruthless. After three crisp cracks, Concubine Zhou’s hair hung in disarray, and all her earlier arrogance had vanished.

“Now then. Are you willing to bow?”

Seeing this, Concubine Zhao’s knees had already gone weak. She dropped to the floor and kowtowed, begging for mercy.

Zifu presented a cup of tea at just the right moment.

Concubine Zhao no longer dared look at Concubine Zhou’s face. Holding the teacup in both hands, she shuffled forward on her knees until she reached me.

“This lowly concubine respectfully wishes First Young Madam peace and health.”

She was a proper concubine granted to Wen Hongxian by Madam Wen. Soft-natured and plain compared with the other two, she was not especially favored in ordinary times. It was obvious she had been dragged into this by others.

I had no intention of making things hard for her. I accepted the tea and drank it, then casually removed the filigree gold hairpin from my hair and bestowed it on her as a first-meeting gift.

When it was Concubine Zhou’s turn, who knew what madness seized her? She suddenly raised her hand and hurled the teacup at me.

“My Zhou Family has operated in Qingzhou for three generations. Even the prefect gives us some courtesy!”

“And you, some thing who used to carry shoes for others in the Capital, dare put on airs with me?”

Zifu shielded me behind her. Concubine Zhou still tried to rush at me and grapple, but two rough-work mamas pinned her down.

My nerves were still rattled.

After so many years in the Capital, I had seen my share of bloodless wars in the inner courtyard.

But this was the first time I had encountered household infighting so utterly devoid of dignity.