Chapter 018

Chapter 18: Shamelessly Shifting the Blame

Seeing Tang Mo go from fuming to crestfallen, Xin An inexplicably felt her mood lift a little, and she thought: [How can a heart that felt young this morning already feel old? That will not do.]

There were things bottled up in her chest. She had wanted to speak yet could not find a confidant, and it had made her literally sick. Now she simply dumped all that trash on Tang Mo, thinking: [He will not repeat a word.]

She said calmly: “Tang Rong values my knack for securing advantages, and he also wants Tao Yi Ran’s talent and tact. What he cannot have always haunts him. The moment you are gone, his chance naturally arrives. Tao Yi Ran is clever and can hold him firmly. If she outlasts me, she may well have the means to replace me.”

She lowered her voice, matter-of-fact: “These last two days we both gained some benefits, but do not grow careless. His years of groundwork count for something. He will soon enter the court. Your father will pour the household’s resources into helping him. He is far harder to topple than you think.”

She recalled with a chill: [In the previous life, Tang Rong pinned the crimes on my son and wiped Tang Hui clean without drawing suspicion. He must have mobilized a great many resources. His ability is not to be underestimated.]

Tang Mo grew heavy-hearted and suddenly thought: [I am a maggot in the gutter, and no matter how I writhe I cannot turn over.]

Seeing his spirits flag, Xin An did not comfort him. She thought dryly: [If he loses his will this easily, I might as well knock Tang Rong down with a single cup of wine.]

The two of them sat in silence. After a long time Tang Mo finally muttered, wry and tired: “Forget it. I died early and you did not end well either. Given a second chance we still cannot escape the old shadows. Those two across the way are being tender and affectionate, who knows how delighted they are.” Then he stood and added with a faint wave: “Turn in early.”

He harbored resentment toward Tao Yi Ran, thinking with a mix of scorn and fatigue: [She did not even like Tang Rong, yet insisted on marrying him. Having married, she refuses to live peacefully with him.] He also hated Tang Rong: [He chose of his own will to marry Xin An, yet he still covets his brother’s wife. And this shameless man enjoys a sterling reputation I cannot match even if I spur my horse.]

That night, in the bridal chamber at Chun Hua Courtyard, the two did not simply sleep just because Tao Yi Ran’s knees had been scalded red. They kept at it until past midnight.

At Qiushi Courtyard, the two people scarred by the past lay awake until the middle of the night and at last drifted off on a long sigh.

At dawn Madam Wang handed the prepared return visit gifts to both Tang Rong and Tang Mo. Tang Rong expressed thanks and had the gifts sent to the carriage.

At the gate, Tang Rong and Tao Yi Ran noticed that the gifts with Tang Mo were unusually abundant, enough to require an extra carriage. Both assumed Madam Wang was playing favorites. Tang Mo wanted to stride over and jab where it hurt, but Xin An caught his sleeve and kept him from speaking.

Only once they were in their carriage did Tang Mo grumble, half-rising from his seat: “Why did you pull me back? Let me humiliate him with a few lines at least.”

Xin An gave him a sidelong glance and asked levelly: “Is that amusing?” Then, crisp and cool, she explained: “Yesterday, when Mother said they could add to the return gifts, those two were making eyes at each other. I doubt they heard it. Now they will certainly think Mother is biased. Even if you go and explain, they will only decide Mother failed to remind them again and did not handle matters properly.”

She concluded, light as a feather: “Since whatever we do will be deemed wrong, let them think so. Resentment builds up before it bursts.” Then she reminded him with a steady look: “Do not forget you are turning over a new leaf and mean to live properly. Start fewer troubles.”

He echoed, brow knotting: “Turning over a new leaf?” He instantly thought of his partial old man and his face soured: “What have I done so vile that I need to turn over a new leaf?” From childhood to now, how many hidden losses had he swallowed under Tang Rong? He felt wronged.

He spat between his teeth, chest heaving: “He is driving me mad.”

As Xin An had predicted, once Tao Yi Ran sat in her own carriage her eyes reddened as she lowered her gaze and kept silent. Her personal maid, who had always been her mouthpiece, fumed for her and said indignantly: “Madam was too much. How can the return visit gifts for the two rooms be so different? I just counted them. Theirs outnumber ours by exactly half again, and they are all packed in fine wooden boxes, so they must be precious.”

Tang Rong abruptly remembered that Mother had mentioned they could add to the gifts. Back in his courtyard he had been sorting his birth mother’s dowry, planning to pick a few presentable pieces to put in, and afterward he simply forgot. He would not admit to being careless. He preferred to think Madam Wang had failed to repeat the reminder this morning and had not managed things properly. Seeing that Tao Yi Ran did not seem to recall either, he pushed the matter onto Madam Wang without the slightest burden, offering a rueful smile as he said: “Mother is second brother’s birth mother. It is natural that she thinks of him more. I will personally apologize to Father-in-law and Mother-in-law.”

Tao Yi Ran was trying to recall and seemed to remember a vague mention of adding gifts, but since Tang Rong had put it that way she did not care to think further. With a mother-in-law to stand in front, she was happy to leave it be, so she said in a considerate tone: “These are already very good. Mother took pains to prepare them. The family will be satisfied.”

The maid, ignorant of the truth, continued to seethe, only for Tao Yi Ran to chide her gently: “Do not say another word.” The maid closed her mouth, aggrieved.

From the Tang Family to the Xin Family’s small residence in the capital was some distance. Xin An and Tang Mo yawned all the way in the carriage. When they arrived, the Xin Family was already at the door to welcome them. As Tang Mo stood and had half his body out of the carriage, he suddenly turned back and murmured, eyes dark: “I was thinking, simply poisoning him is not out of the question.”

Xin An rolled her eyes and said with cool precision: “If he dies, your father will go mad. Right now you have no ability to inherit the title. Eight or nine times out of ten His Majesty the Emperor will reclaim it. Even if he does not reclaim it, it will be downgraded.” In the present reign, His Majesty the Emperor took noble titles seriously. Only those he approved could succeed. Not even a father’s word settled it.

She flicked his sleeve and concluded: “Turning over a new leaf suits you better.”

“Jie, come out quickly,” Xin Huan urged from outside. Tang Mo turned and let a natural smile rise to his face as he replied easily: “The road was bumpy and your sister’s hairpin went crooked. She insisted on putting it on again.” He added with a laugh: “Women love beauty.”

He jumped down, turned, and reached up to help Xin An alight. Seeing the pair reasonably harmonious, Madam Xin’s eyes filled with smiles as she said: “Come in quickly. Knowing you would be back today, Steward Wen sent someone to buy ingredients yesterday, saying he would make a few Huai Jiang dishes for you to taste. Later it will not be so easy to eat them.”

Xin An could not even remember the last time she had eaten Huai Jiang dishes. She brightened and said with a playful grin: “The way you say it makes my mouth water. I will have two big bowls today.”

Walking behind them, Tang Mo found Xin Huan ambling cheerfully at his side. Xin Huan chirped: “Brother-in-law, you must listen more to my sister from now on. My sister is very smart.”

Tang Mo tilted his head and then smiled: “Oh? Do you always listen to your sister at home?”

“I do,” Xin Huan said with pride, then added meaningfully: “You will find out. But if you want my sister to help you, the premise is that you must treat her better.”

So that was the angle. Tang Mo had to laugh. In the previous life he had never managed to overcome Xin An. In this life, Xin An knew even more about the future than he did, so he had no chance at all. Of course he would cling to her thigh. He replied with mock solemnity: “With such a formidable little brother-in-law as you, how could I not put your sister on a pedestal?”