Chapter 10
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The thirteenth day of the twelfth lunar month was the day the Chen family would marry off a daughter.
With the wedding date drawing near, the Prince of Huai’an still refused to adopt Chen Jiao into the main branch. Madam Zheng and her daughter were frantic with anxiety.
Chen Xianle had thrown another fit, smashing everything in the room that could possibly be broken.
The old nurse Liu could not calm her, and had no choice but to send someone to the Golden Jade Courtyard.
With her hair hanging loose around her shoulders, Chen Xianle sat on the floor. She had inherited Madam Zheng’s round, silver-pale face, with its lovely willow-leaf brows, almond-shaped eyes, and cherry-red lips.
When she smiled, dimples appeared in her cheeks. Naturally beautiful, she was the very image of a classic beauty.
As a legitimate daughter, she had been raised in luxury from childhood and had never suffered such humiliation in all her life. How could she willingly marry into Jiaozhou?
Before long, Madam Zheng hurried over. Seeing the wreckage scattered across the floor, she could only sigh helplessly.
With tears shimmering in her eyes, Chen Xianle asked sorrowfully, “Mother, does Father truly intend to drive me to my death before he will be satisfied?”
Madam Zheng’s heart broke. She quickly stepped forward to help her daughter up and scolded her, “What nonsense are you talking?”
Chen Xianle wiped away her tears. “I know he is displeased with my uncle and the rest of my maternal family, but I am his own legitimate daughter.
“They say even a tiger will not devour its cubs. Can he truly harden his heart and send me to Jiaozhou, ruining the rest of my life?”
The words lodged painfully in Madam Zheng’s heart.
Confronted by her daughter’s accusations, she was too distressed to answer.
After finally calming Chen Xianle and making countless promises, Madam Zheng returned to her own courtyard.
Old Madam Cao, pained by her mistress’s exhaustion, offered a suggestion. “Since the master has refused to agree for so long, perhaps you should lower your pride and plead with him on Fifth Miss’s behalf.”
Madam Zheng looked dispirited. “I have spent countless words on this matter. Every time I bring it up, we end up quarreling. How could I possibly persuade him?”
Old Madam Cao answered patiently, “My lady, do not forget that you were formally brought into the Chen household as its principal wife, with all the proper rites and betrothal gifts.
“Only the children born of you are his true legitimate heirs. Whatever their origins, the others cannot be considered part of the main line.”
Madam Zheng looked at her in silence.
Old Madam Cao continued gravely, “Husband and wife are one body; when one prospers, both prosper, and when one suffers, both suffer. Lower your pride and speak to the master properly about how difficult these years have been.
“You bore and raised five children for him. Even if you have received no honors, you have certainly endured hardship.
“Fifth Miss is right. Even if the master is dissatisfied with his wife’s family and her maternal uncle, he should not vent his anger upon her.
“No matter what, Fifth Miss is his own legitimate daughter.
“Set aside your dignity and speak to him sincerely. Perhaps you may yet move him.”
Madam Zheng was only half-convinced. “Will that truly persuade him?”
“It can do no harm to try.” After a pause, Old Madam Cao added, “My lady, do not bring up your maternal family. When necessary, you must even stand beside the master and complain about them yourself.”
Following her advice, Madam Zheng specifically instructed the kitchen to prepare the Prince of Huai’an’s favorite dishes.
That evening, Chen En returned to the residence, and Old Madam Cao went to invite him over.
Chen En did not wish to quarrel with Madam Zheng and declined. “I am tired today. Whatever she has to say can wait until tomorrow.”
Old Madam Cao hurriedly replied, “I beg you to go and comfort the mistress. She is unhappy and full of complaints about Administrator Zheng.”
The administrator, Zheng Zhang, was Madam Zheng’s elder brother. Chen En’s curiosity was immediately aroused.
Whenever the Zheng family had been mentioned in the past, Madam Zheng had always defended them. This sudden change was remarkable.
That curiosity prompted him to pay her a visit.
This unexpected approach proved remarkably effective.
When Madam Zheng came out to receive him, she began complaining, wearing an expression of disdain as she listed her elder brother’s faults.
Chen En was filled with suspicion and could not help asking, “What has your elder brother done to offend you this time?”
Madam Zheng disparaged him. “My brother reaches too far and meddles in everything.”
Chen En said nothing.
“When I was still at my family home, he loved ordering me around. Even after I married into the Chen family, he continued interfering in household affairs. It has always displeased me.”
She immediately began gossiping with him about her sister-in-law’s habit of taking petty advantage of others, as well as all the many faults of her own brother, Zheng Zhang.
Though the matters were trivial and harmless, Chen En found himself feeling unusually at ease.
The couple entered the side chamber. Madam Zheng personally stepped forward to remove the hooded cloak from Chen En’s shoulders and hung it on the clothes stand.
A maid brought in a copper basin so her master could wash his hands.
Servants carried in one dish after another, all of them Chen En’s favorites.
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Madam Zheng ingratiated herself with him. “I am troubled at heart today and would like to ask my husband to share a few cups of wine with me.”
Seeing her mild and docile manner, Chen En decided to grant her that courtesy. “Very well.”
The husband and wife sat facing each other. Old Madam Cao dismissed the servants and stood guard by the door.
Madam Zheng warmed the wine, poured a cup for Chen En, and filled one for herself.
Chen En said, “Yue-niang, you have never held your liquor well. Drink sparingly.”
Madam Zheng was filled with grievances. “You are right to remind me, but I truly feel oppressed today.”
She served him some food. “Try this fermented-wine duck, my husband.”
Chen En sampled it with his chopsticks and nodded. “Excellent.”
Madam Zheng smiled, served him another dish, and ladled him a bowl of soup.
It had been a long time since the couple had sat down together and spoken calmly. Madam Zheng seemed overcome by memories and said, “By my reckoning, I have been part of the Chen family for more than twenty years.”
Chen En nodded and considered the matter seriously. “This year makes twenty-seven.”
Madam Zheng raised her cup to him and said sincerely, “Now that our children have grown, more than half our lives are behind us.
“When I was young, I was spoiled and willful. I stumbled through one disagreement after another with you, always defending my family. Looking back suddenly today, I find my heart heavy.
“This cup is my apology for all the wrongs I did you. It was only through your tolerance that I have been able to live in peace until now.”
She was, after all, a cultivated woman. The words she spoke possessed a refinement that the concubines below her could scarcely hope to attain.
Chen En was moved as well. Toward this principal wife of his, he felt both resentment and the affection born of shared years.
“Today’s Yue-niang seems almost like a stranger to me.”
Madam Zheng gave a bitter smile. “I suppose my willfulness truly did make things difficult for you. I ought to punish myself.”
Chen En did not reply.
Madam Zheng drank half her cup.
Chen En reminded her, “You cannot hold your liquor. Do not drink so quickly.”
The wine burned fiercely as it passed down her throat.
Madam Zheng drank a little soup to suppress the heat of the alcohol. Determined to appeal to his emotions, she began recalling the past.
“I remember when Third Son was ten. He got into trouble and was beaten, then punished by you to kneel in the ancestral hall. He fell ill afterward.
“At the time, I was so furious that I quarreled with you. In my anger, I said things without thinking and accused you of favoring First Son and Second Son.
“Looking back now, Third Son had indeed done wrong, and punishing him was meant to teach him responsibility. Yet I behaved like a shrew, lashing out without distinguishing right from wrong. I imagine I infuriated you terribly that time.”
The words awakened many memories in Chen En. He recalled, “Yue-niang, you were always saying that I favored First Son and Second Son.”
“That was because my father and brothers provoked me into foolishness. Looking back on all those absurd incidents, I truly deserved punishment.”
Chen En gave her a way out. “I deserved punishment too. It was careless of me to let Third Son develop such a high fever while kneeling in the ancestral hall.”
They raised their cups and drank to each other.
Madam Zheng rambled on about the more than twenty years she had spent in the Chen household. Her tone remained calm; she settled old accounts, but also reflected upon her own mistakes.
Though the couple had their disagreements, they were not enemies.
With her attitude so gentle, even though Chen En understood her purpose, he could not bring himself to say anything cutting.
After three rounds of wine and five courses of food, Madam Zheng began to feel tipsy.
She held her cup, her expression dim. “I suppose you resent me.”
Seeing that something was wrong with her, Chen En said, “Yue-niang, you must be drunk.”
Madam Zheng shook her head. “I am not drunk.” After a pause, she continued, “All these years, I defended my family at every turn and forgot that the person I would have to rely upon in old age was you. You must have laughed at me for being so unreasonable.”
“Yue-niang, you are drunk.”
With her eyes clouded by wine, Madam Zheng spoke the truth. “There has always been a resentment in my heart. I wanted to suppress the secondary household in every possible way.
“I envied Li Chunqin’s deep familiarity and closeness with you. I envied the affection you showed First Son and Second Son.
“I wanted to struggle against them, yet I despised myself for lowering my dignity.
“Chen Lang, tell me—am I foolish?”
She seemed rather sad, gazing at him with open appeal.
Chen En fell silent.
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Madam Zheng took a sip of wine in silence and murmured to herself, “I know you think me narrow-minded and incapable of telling right from wrong.
“I admit that I am petty, and that I have many faults. I am forever angering you on account of my family.
“This time, when Fifth Miss was to be married off to Jiaozhou, I quarreled with you several times. Later, after thinking it over, I accepted it. Perhaps this is simply her fate.”
At the mention of Chen Xianle, her eyes reddened. She gazed at him mournfully.
“You dislike my brother interfering so much. I understand that.
“But our Fifth Miss has been obedient since childhood and has never done anything wrong.
“Simply because her mother bears the surname Zheng, must she suffer such an arrangement? It is unfair to Fifth Miss.
“Whether you admit it or not, she is innocent in this matter.
“If you insist on marrying her off, I have nothing more to say. But whenever I recall everything that has happened, I cannot help feeling that I have failed her as her mother.”
As though she had lost control of herself, she wiped away her tears with her sleeve.
At the doorway, Old Madam Cao secretly watched Chen En’s expression. He was clearly affected.
“Fifth Miss truly is a good child.”
Madam Zheng’s emotions settled. She smiled fondly. “She is like I was when I was young—spoiled by indulgence. If we are speaking of good sense, First Miss and Second Miss are both more sensible than she is.”
Chen En said nothing.
Madam Zheng murmured, “Let us not speak of this any longer, lest I spoil your mood.”
She poured him another cup.
After that, Chen En remained silent, drinking several cups of wine alone.
Seeing how unhappy he looked, Madam Zheng felt that her unconventional approach had probably achieved its purpose.
Later that evening, Chen En returned to his own courtyard and did not stay the night with her.
That night, he tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.
He had always been determined to suppress the Zheng family, but today his resolve had begun to waver.
Perhaps Madam Zheng was right. Chen Xianle was his own legitimate daughter, and he had personally watched her grow up. If suppressing the Zheng family meant destroying her entire life, then the matter truly deserved reconsideration.
He had many daughters, but Chen Xianle was legitimate. The distinction between legitimate and secondary children could not simply be ignored.
Just as Chen En wavered and began considering whether to adopt Chen Jiao into the main branch as a replacement, Cui Jue made his move.
This winter had brought an unusual amount of rain. Though the south saw little snow, its cold was more penetrating than that of the north.
The damp chill seeped into the marrow. Whenever the weather turned cold, Cui Jue’s knees ached, for both had been broken when he was a child.
The charcoal brazier burned fiercely indoors. An ordinary person entering the room would have found it stiflingly hot, but Cui Jue remained entirely unaware of it.
One man, one couch, one chessboard.
Outside, rain whispered and pattered against the world.
Cui Jue studied a game on the low table while turning through a collection of chess manuals.
He had received an excellent aristocratic education and was versed in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
At the same time, he had lived through the worldly truth that the righteous were often rough men of humble origins, while the faithless were frequently scholars.
With long, elegant fingers, he picked up a white stone and placed it upon the board. His thoughtful features were touched with refined beauty.
Suddenly, a voice came from outside. It was Wang Ni.
“M-Master.”
Cui Jue lifted his head slightly. “You are back?”
Wang Ni stammered, “The man has been brought b-back.”
“Bring him in.”
The door creaked open.
Cold wind carrying rain forced its way into the room. Wang Ni pushed inside a man whose eyes were blindfolded.
Once the door had shut, Cui Jue, seated behind the screen, turned his head toward them.
Wang Ni roughly forced the man to kneel on the floor, then removed the cloth from his face, revealing a pleasing, fair-skinned young man.
He was delicate and handsome, with pale skin, red lips, and white teeth—a face that conformed perfectly to conventional standards of beauty.
Cui Jue raised an eyebrow.
Fifth Miss Chen certainly had good taste.
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