Yu Xiang was in seclusion for several months. People thought that she had lost her status as the di[1] young lady of the Marquis manor and was ashamed of meeting others. However, they had forgotten that even though the status of di daughter of the Marquis manor was high, it was not as high as that of a Xiangjun.[2]
The Emperor had yet to decree for her title to be taken away. Thus, she was still Si Nong Xiangjun. Ordinary women without a rank like Zhuo Shi and Yu Miao Qi were required to kneel before her and address her as ‘Si Nong Xiangjun Niang Niang[3]’.
At this moment, they were struggling between kneeling and not kneeling. Their countenance scrunched up with resentment, looking very horrified. Yu Xiang helped the Old Madam to drink her ginseng tea slowly. Only after a few moments, she reprimanded them in a heavy tone, “These lowly people[4] have no manners, drive them out for me!”
As if they had found their backbone, Ma Momo and the others grabbed sticks, brooms, feather dusters and drove them away in a furry. Zhuo Shi couldn’t order her family’s servant to fight back. If they touched a piece of Yu Xiang’s flesh in the midst of the commotion, the matter would be blown out of control. She had no choice but to lift her skirt and fled.
Yu Xiang refused to let them off. She shouted at their backs, “Madam Zhuo, I will kindly give you a word of caution. Yu Miao Qi killed her adoptive mother, framed her adoptive elder brother, plotted against her shu[5] elder sister, and planted evidence against her biological elder brother with her biological mother. If you plan to take advantage of her, beware that in the end she will gnaw on your bones till there is nothing left.”
Zhuo Shi’s footsteps faltered, and she stumbled when she crossed the door threshold.[6] Yu Miao Qi hurriedly reached out her hand to help her up, but it was slapped away. She could see that her words were taken to heart. However, Yu Miao Qi was desperate to use the power of the third branch of the family to send herself to a position of an imperial consort. When they return, she would have to rack her brain to curry favour. If she could not get her to let her guard down, the person the Yu family would be sent to the palace would be someone else.
Her path to glory and wealth would be overturned because of this statement. Yu Miao Qi’s hatred for Yu Xiang was obvious. She made up her mind that when she became wealthy and powerful, she would make sure that Yu Xiang could neither live nor die.
Only after all the outsiders left, the Old Madam took her granddaughter into her arms again, patted her and called her ‘precious’ and continuously asking if she had suffered on the way back.
“With Master Ku Hai and Master Ku Hui taking care of us, Granddaughter has not suffered any hardship. Elder Brother is also doing well and will arrive in the capital in a few days.” Yu Xiang told the Old Madam everything that had happened since she left for the Western Frontier.
Tears uncontrollably gushed out of the Old Madam’s eyes. She said staunchly, “Good, very good. Regardless of whether it was a victory or defeat on the battlefield, it would be good if he can return home safely. Tomorrow, your grandmother will go to Zhen Guo Temple to ask for an auspicious date for you and Yan’er to get married. I have agreed with Lord Shen that I will pay for the bride price and dowry, so that you will be able to wear a beautiful red dress. I will definitely let you marry gloriously with ten-mile of dowries.[7] As for that incest or whatsoever, let those vulgar people talk about it. Let’s just live our lives together.”
Yu Xiang was overjoyed and threw her arms around the Old Madam’s neck. She said coquettishly, “Grandmother, you still love me. I will definitely help you to have a den of great-grandchildren in the future, so that we will have four generations under one roof. Do you think that will be good?”
Happiness filled the Old Madam’s heart. She smiled until her eyes disappeared and said ‘yes’ in a loud voice.
Yu Si Yu also smiled, but two streams of tears flowed from the corner of her eyes. Seeing this, the Old Madam felt distress for her, so she quickly hugged her and comforted, “Shao Xuan Ze, that child, is sincere. I have indifferently observed and noted that he is good. When your big brother returns, let’s plan for your marriage again, and make it more grand and livelier than before. The whole family will take advantage of your happy occasion to wash away the bad luck.”
“Mm.” Yu Si Yu hurriedly lowered her head and wiped her tears.
After Zhuo Shi returned home, she immediately separated from Shen Miao Qi and went to see Yu Jun Wei. The two of them had noticed that the nobleman was a little interested in Yu Miao Qi before, so they decided to send her there. It was only when Yu Xiang mentioned it that she realised how ungrateful Yu Miao Qi had become. Even her foster parents and brother, her blood-related elder siblings and biological grandmother could all be abandoned or framed without batting an eyelid. Her heart was made of stone and could not be warmed in any way.
Now that she was at a disadvantage, naturally, she would be gentle and docile. However, once she gained power, she would backstab them sooner or later.
“I’ve stayed in the Shu[8] for so long that my mind must have been damaged due to all the hard labour for me to even think of sending her there.” Yu Jun Wei sighed as he looked at his calloused hands. After six or seven years of hard labour, he had even forgotten how to judge people.
“Then let’s choose someone else. Let’s look for someone else if there is no one more beautiful than her in the clan, or we can adopt a young child with good qualifications from the side branch of the family and raise her for a few years. If you are reinstated, there will be plenty of areas where the nobleman will need to rely on you. Even if you don’t mention it, he will do so on his accord. Anyway, our son is still young, so there is no hurry.” Zhuo Shi’s face carried a hint of arrogance.
Yu Jun Wei was a shu son, but he had taken the imperial examinations on his own merit. At only thirty years old, he had been appointed as a government official of the Ministry of Justice. If he had not been so conceited and greedy, he would not have been pulled down. In order to secure the throne, the new Emperor would have to take some of the daughters of affluent families into the palace. It was only natural that such an important position as a Minister of the Ministry of Personnel[9] would be conferred on him.
Yu Jun Wei thought that when he became the Emperor’s father-in-law, it would be difficult for others to overthrow him. Thus, he took advantage of Lin Shi, which was why he brought in the mother and daughter into his family. Now, they gave it serious considerations and felt very repulsed by it. He then said, “That old thing has already repudiated Lin Shi, right? Then, the Yu family is not obliged to keep her. When the nobleman’s work is done, you can send them far away.”
“I understand.” Zhuo Shi nodded and hurriedly went to look for a graceful-looking young woman.
When Yu Miao Qi heard the news that Zhuo Shi had invited the clanmen for a meeting, and they had even brought their daughters between the ages of 11 and 12, how could she not understand what Zhuo Shi was thinking? She was so angry that her eyes flushed red. However, the nobleman told her not to meet him until his great work was completed, so she had to grit her teeth and bear with it. What she had in her heart was just the thought that the nobleman was still thinking of her.
When Yu Pin Yan was here, she felt very inferior. Now that Yu Pin Yan was dead, she found herself to be so lowly that she was practically reduced to dust.
[2] 乡君 (xiāng jūn) – township princess. It is translated as “Lady of a Village” or “Lady of Third Rank”. It was usually granted to the daughter of dukes with eight privileges or daughter born to a secondary consort of beile. (Prince of The Third Rank, granted to the son of a qinwang or junwang and commonly used to refer to all Manchu princes.) Credits: Wikipedia
[3] 娘娘 (Niáng-niáng) – an honorific address that generally used for royalty and noble women such as queens, imperial concubines, princesses and also for goddesses.
[4] 竖子(shù zi)- lowly people/ inferior. It is a term used by nobles to scold others. The word ‘竖’ is commonly used as palace slaves. These slaves do chores, such as conveying a message for the monarch, handling the urinary buckets, pulling carts and horses, etc. Since ‘竖’ is a slave to the nobles and has a low status, it is often used to curse others.
[5] 庶(shù)- children born from a concubine