Chapter Sixteen: Stirring Up Trouble

Yang’s furious outburst made all the servants lower their heads and shrink their necks, while the two newly arrived maids were so frightened their legs gave out, and they dropped to their knees.

Xu Ruo Jin, however, was not surprised in the least.

She knew perfectly well Yang had not grasped the intricacies at play here; perhaps she simply felt that Xu had contradicted Lady Bi, making her lose face as the mistress of the house.

“Do you even know who Lady Bi is? She’s the daughter of the county magistrate’s wet nurse! In Zhonglin County, who doesn’t show Lady Bi some respect? Standing there, pretending you know all about incense, speaking as if you’re an expert—where does that leave me, your mistress?”

“You really think you’re someone important now! About to marry into the Zhang family, suddenly you’re speaking in a refined manner, wanting to discuss and consult with others? Hah! Take a look at yourself—who do you think you are?”

By the end, Yang was almost breathless with rage. Madam Huang hurriedly handed her a cup of tea and, cradling it, interjected, “Second Miss, you truly went too far today—shouldn’t you apologize to Madam? Madam is doing everything for your own good; you shouldn’t be ungrateful.”

Yang sipped her tea, eyeing Xu Ruo Jin from the side. But the girl remained calm and unperturbed, her face unreadable.

So, after all her scolding, the girl hadn’t taken a single word to heart?

“Why are you silent? Stop pretending to be stupid in front of me!”

Xu Ruo Jin looked up at her unhurriedly. “How could your daughter know Lady Bi’s background if mother didn’t say? I only felt she deliberately brought up things you were unfamiliar with, perhaps hoping to swindle some silver. As for those incense blends—sweet wood, moon lotus, and all the rest—which could I possibly choose? They’re all priceless, worth more than gold. What if I picked the wrong one?”

“Even if she is the daughter of the county magistrate’s wet nurse, she’s selling incense. She’ll only mock our family for being fools—buying expensive incense without any understanding. Father’s salary could never cover such extravagance. And if the magistrate heard of it, wouldn’t he suspect Father of taking bribes or having illicit income?”

At this, Xu Ruo Jin looked earnestly at the dumbfounded Yang. “Mother loves her daughter—I know that. But if you grit your teeth and spend a fortune on such luxury, those grand households will only laugh at our vulgarity. The Zhang family will still look down on us; using incense won’t change their opinion.”

Yang opened and closed her mouth but could not speak.

This wretched girl made sense—wasn’t that precisely the situation?

Yang finally realized the trap Lady Bi had set, yet she couldn’t help but fume. Why hadn’t her own son said these things? Why did it have to be this illegitimate girl?

Looking at Xu Ruo Jin’s smiling face, Yang’s anger only intensified. Who knew what sort of seductive creature her late mother had been!

“Get out! Go back to your courtyard and stay there. The sight of you makes me sick—get out!”

Xu Ruo Jin stuck out her tongue inwardly and, taking Spring Grass with her, fled as though escaping disaster.

Yang was left parched from her tirade, her spirits still unsettled. “No wonder you said I should treat her with more kindness—see what happened? The moment I show her a little favor, she’s no longer herself!”

Madam Huang was equally uncomfortable, but there was nothing appropriate to say at this moment.

Never in her wildest calculations did she imagine Second Miss would confront Lady Bi, let alone know so much.

Had she underestimated the girl all this time? Could it be that falling into the water had knocked some sense into her?

“She used to play the weakling, always acting aggrieved, but now after one plunge into the river and with the Zhang family’s visit approaching, look at her—she acts as if she’ll be a noble lady tomorrow! She absolutely cannot be allowed to act with impunity. Didn’t she just say she learned everything from books? Go and inform Zi Mo—she mustn’t be allowed to read whatever she pleases. And tell Tutor Wang as well: apart from lessons on women’s virtue and proper conduct, she is to be taught nothing else!”

Yang gnashed her teeth. “I refuse to believe, after nearly forty years, I cannot deal with a mere slip of a girl!”

Back in her own courtyard, Xu Ruo Jin reflected on the day’s events with a tinge of regret.

After just a few days of study, she was brimming with energy, so much so that she’d confronted trouble head-on without a moment’s hesitation.

No doubt Yang now hated her even more and would soon devise new torments.

But what choice did she have?

With Lady Bi’s incense on display, even if Xu kept silent and did not expose her as a charlatan, Yang would almost certainly have fallen into the trap.

In the end, no matter how she calculated, she’d be the one to suffer. There had been no other option.

She once thought her days were finally looking up, but who would have thought Lady Bi could throw everything into chaos?

In the end, her own foundation was just too weak. There was no use in resentment—she could only work harder and grow stronger.

Looking at the Analects she’d borrowed that day from Tutor Wang, Xu Ruo Jin sat down without a word and resumed her study and practice.

That evening, Madam Huang sent two maids to weed the courtyard, replaced the broken chair, provided two new quilts, and delivered a small bookshelf—thus tidying Xu Ruo Jin’s quarters.

Spring Grass felt aggrieved on her mistress’s behalf, but seeing Second Miss silently bury herself in her studies, she could only swallow her complaints.

Yet, even when Xu Ruo Jin endured Yang’s harshness, there were others who could not stand her—and this time, it was not Yang, but Li Qiuping.

Last time, Li Qiuping suffered in silence, not daring to complain to her mother-in-law. When Xu Zilin came home, she grumbled a little, but he scolded her for making a fuss, so she could only swallow her grievances.

Now, upon learning that Yang had engaged a seamstress from Destiny Embroidery Workshop to make new clothes for Xu Ruo Jin, Li Qiuping’s jealousy flared.

She was the eldest daughter-in-law of the Xu family, and pregnant besides, yet her mother-in-law ignored her in favor of that illegitimate girl?

With the last incident and now her simmering envy, she could not find peace.

Yet Li Qiuping dared not complain to her mother-in-law without reason, so she turned her resentment once again toward Xu Ruo Jin.

The next morning, as Xu Ruo Jin was gathering her things to attend lessons with Spring Grass, Li Qiuping arrived with her maids.

“Why have you come, Sister-in-law? No one mentioned you’d be visiting. I was just heading to Third Brother’s quarters for lessons—do you need something urgent?”

Xu Ruo Jin stood her ground, unmoving. Li Qiuping, unable to enter the room, stood at the threshold, rolling her eyes and sneering, “Now I must announce myself before visiting you? After just two days of study, you’ve certainly grown in airs and rules, Second Sister.”

Xu Ruo Jin frowned slightly. “Is it urgent, Sister-in-law? I was just about to go…”

“If it weren’t urgent, why would I come so early?” Li Qiuping shoved her aside. “Why are you blocking the way? I’m pregnant, you know—if I tire myself and something happens, can you bear that responsibility?”

Xu Ruo Jin wanted to push back, but with Li Qiuping’s pregnancy, if she used the opportunity to stage a fall, she really would be in trouble.

So she stepped aside. Li Qiuping marched in, sat down as if she owned the place, and ostentatiously ordered Spring Grass to serve tea. Xu Ruo Jin stood at the door and turned to her. “If it’s urgent, please say so. Didn’t you just say it was important?”

“My family sent a letter asking after my health, but I can’t read a word. Unlike you, our talented lady, I must trouble you to write a reply for me. I’m not trying to make things difficult—your eldest brother can write, but he’s nowhere to be found, and our third brother is just a child. It’s hardly proper for a pregnant sister-in-law to seek him out. So, gifted lady, please take pity and lend me a hand.”

Li Qiuping sat there, supporting her back and belly, staring intently at Xu Ruo Jin. She’d thought long and hard on this excuse, and if Xu Ruo Jin refused, she had plenty more arguments ready.