Chapter 7
Chapter 7: The Marchioness Was Unfathomable!
Gu Nan Xi’s confinement didn’t go unnoticed. Plenty of powerful noble households watched it closely.
“That merchant girl Jing Niang is infuriating,” Duke Cheng’s young madam snapped. “If she doesn’t have the skill, why take on the job? Now look at this mess—how are we supposed to handle our own affairs?”
Earlier, Noble Consort Tong’s uncle’s funeral had been extravagance piled on extravagance.
Then came the Old Marquis Yong Chang’s funeral—there were a few embarrassing moments, but at least it was lively and, to an outsider’s eye, respectable.
Now it was their turn, and His Majesty had issued an edict banning lavish burials entirely.
“It’s all that merchant girl Li Ning Jing’s fault!” the young madam fumed. “And it’s the Marchioness of Yong Chang’s fault too. She’s been in charge for years—yet she couldn’t even keep a little merchant girl in line.”
Across from her sat Madam Niu, wife of the Nation-Guarding General. She leaned forward, voice low and knowing. “People always said you’ve got no bends in you. You never believed it. After this, which household madam isn’t giving the Marchioness of Yong Chang a thumbs-up? And yet you’re the only one acting like a hammer.”
Duke Cheng’s young madam stared. “We grew up together. Don’t try to fool me.”
Madam Niu rolled her eyes. “Fool you? Why would I bother? The Marchioness of Yong Chang is close with the Empress Dowager. Do you really think she wouldn’t catch wind of His Majesty quarreling with Noble Consort Tong?”
Duke Cheng’s young madam sucked in a breath. “You mean…”
Madam Niu nodded. “The Marchioness knew His Majesty’s intentions long ago. She didn’t dare step on his sore spot, but she also didn’t want to be the first noble to stick her neck out.”
“She calculated every move,” Madam Niu continued, admiration sharpening her tone, “and swallowed her pride for the moment—so Li Ning Jing could be the one to stick her head out and take the hit.”
She began counting on her fingers.
“First: the funeral still looked grand and proper. Second: she didn’t spend a single coin from the manor. Third: she handed His Majesty a perfect excuse to lash out, and still made him feel guilty toward her. Fourth: she pushed Jing Niang to the front, forcing her to stumble and regret taking on more than she could carry. Fifth: she reeled Su Da Lang back in.”
Madam Niu’s gaze went distant, bitter. “If I had even half her ability, would those shameless women in my back courtyard dare climb over my head?”
Duke Cheng’s young madam clicked her tongue, unsettled. “Isn’t that… a little exaggerated?”
“I didn’t see it that deeply at first either,” Madam Niu said. “Last night my husband came home and told me to learn from the Marchioness of Yong Chang. He analyzed it all for me—only then did I realize how many twists were hidden inside.”
“My husband said the same,” Duke Ji’s young madam put in suddenly. She’d been quiet until now, cracking melon seeds as if she were watching a play.
She spat a shell into her hand and huffed. “That old shameless thing is probably regretting he didn’t go propose to Gu Nan Xi back then. Hmph. I shut him up with one sentence.”
Madam Niu and Duke Cheng’s young madam turned in unison. “What did you say?”
Duke Ji’s young madam patted her belly, smug as a cat. “I said: I gave birth to a good son. I didn’t give birth to trash like Su Xuan Ming.”
The three of them burst into laughter.
When the laughter died, Duke Cheng’s young madam’s face hardened again. “I still can’t swallow this. I’m going to make trouble for Li Ning Jing. From now on, nobody in my manor buys anything from her family.”
Duke Ji’s young madam brushed melon seed crumbs off her skirt. “Even if Gu Nan Xi used me as her knife, fine. I’ll take it. But Li Ning Jing really doesn’t know her own weight.”
Li Family Herb Shop had always relied on wealthy noble households. Medicine was expensive—one rich household could buy more than a hundred poor families combined.
Once the nobles started boycotting, Li Family Herb Shop’s income plunged.
That night, as the Li family went over the accounts, Old Man Li grew so anxious blisters bloomed at the corners of his mouth. “What’s going on? Why isn’t Duke Ji buying our herbs anymore?”
The master of Duke Ji Manor loved medicinal cuisine. When he saw fine ingredients, he bought them without blinking.
This time, he’d rather purchase five-year ginseng from Tong Ji Hall than buy their ten-year ginseng.
Li Da paced in circles. “It shouldn’t be like this. For Marquis Yong Chang Manor’s sake, they shouldn’t dare go this far.”
Jing Niang returned home under a sky full of stars. The moment she stepped through the door, someone shoved account books into her arms.
She barely glanced at them before she understood. “His Majesty issued an edict scolding the Marchioness. The nobles who still need to hold funerals now resent it.”
Li Da’s face twisted. “If they’re angry, they should take it out on His Majesty—or the Marchioness. Why come after us?”
Jing Niang tossed the books onto the table. “They’re pinching the softest persimmon. The Marchioness has Marquis Yong Chang behind her, and she’s unfathomable besides. Why would the nobles choose to become her enemies?”
Old Man Li wiped his face, exhausted. “Jing Niang, let’s cut our losses. Su Da Lang may let you order him around, but the Marchioness isn’t someone to trifle with.”
He truly hated himself for being blind. How had he failed to recognize Mount Tai standing right in front of him?
A woman who’d sat in the Marchioness’s seat for over ten years couldn’t possibly be an empty, decorative pillow.
She hadn’t even shown her face, and their family’s three-generation business had nearly been ruined.
Jing Niang had water brought in and washed her hands, unhurried. “Father, think it through. To handle the funeral, we already sank more than half our fortune. If we give up now, all of that turns into water poured on the ground.”
Old Man Li’s heart clenched. That was money saved across three generations.
Jing Niang stared at her reflection in the basin, then her gaze steadied. “Father, if we quit now, I can only swear off marriage and live as a self-combed woman. Who would dare marry me then? But if we hold on, I refuse to believe the Marchioness can ignore her reputation and cast me aside.”
Li Da lifted a hand at once. “I agree. A wife who has already worn mourning for the elders isn’t so easily cast out. And Little Sister personally handled the funeral arrangements. Unless the Marchioness drives Su Xuan Ming out of the house, she has no choice but to recognize Little Sister as her daughter-in-law.”
The Li family held a family meeting all night and unanimously decided to see it through to the end—no turning back.
The next day, Jing Niang handled the manor’s chores until dusk and finally cornered Su Xuan Ming as he returned from school.
Su Xuan Ming looked dazed, as if his soul hadn’t caught up with his body. Only when Jing Niang lightly patted him did he blink himself back to awareness.
“Jing Niang,” he asked, “what is it? It’s so late. Why haven’t you gone home?”
Jing Niang’s eyes flickered. She hesitated, then covered her face and sobbed softly. “Su Lang… there’s so much gossip outside. I… I really…”
Su Xuan Ming hurried to offer his handkerchief. “It’s because of me that you’ve suffered.”
His voice softened. “After mourning ends, I’ll have Mother invite a matchmaker to come propose. As for the manor’s affairs… I’ll take them over.”
Jing Niang’s breath hitched. She looked at him from the corner of her eye. When she saw his expression—sincere, not the slightest sign of abandoning her—she finally let herself relax.
But mourning lasted at least a year. With the Marchioness’s ability, a year held far too many variables.
“Su Lang,” Jing Niang said, voice low and urgent, “I want to see the Marchioness. As long as I get one clear promise from her, I won’t be afraid of anything.”
That was her true purpose.