Chapter 028

Chapter 28: Made a Scene for Nothing

Upon learning that Xin An had already sent someone to fetch Steward Wu, Madam Wang felt all the more that she understood the larger picture. After suppressing the people of Chun Hua Courtyard, she hurried to Chun Rong Hall; though the Grand Matron no longer managed affairs, anything concerning the marquisate’s lineage still had to alarm her.

Madam Wang laid out her plan: “This daughter-in-law’s view is to send Xue Yu to the suburban estate as soon as possible. In a few months the rumors about the marquisate will fade. If, with the Ancestors’ blessing, the eldest daughter-in-law can conceive soon, the child in Xue Yu’s belly will not be so conspicuous.”

She added with quiet firmness: “If there is no pregnancy for some time, it will still not delay you in having a great-grandson.”

Nothing was more important than heirs. The Grand Matron considered briefly, then agreed, though she worried aloud that the Tao Family might refuse to let the matter rest.

On that point, Madam Wang was not concerned in the least: “The ones who should be resentful about this, originally, ought to be the Xin Family.” She spoke without flinching: “On the wedding night, even if Tao Yi Ran had let out a scream, things would not have turned into this. Tang Mo has no bedchamber maid. In the end the choice was hers; even if she feels aggrieved, she can only endure it.”

The Grand Matron nodded: “True enough; handle it as you see fit.”

Just then, Tang Gang and his son Tang Rong, summoned back by the household servants, arrived reeking of wine. When he learned what had happened in the manor, Tang Rong’s brow furrowed. At last he cupped his hands to Madam Wang and said with constrained courtesy: “Thank you, Mother, for arranging everything with such care.”

Usually tender toward him, Madam Wang was displeased at this moment and spoke with measured reproach: “Only after questioning the people of Chun Hua Courtyard did I learn that you already knew of Xue Yu’s pregnancy in advance. You not only told everyone to keep it quiet, you kept it from us as well. Though it is indeed not suitable to publicize it now and you are not exactly wrong, the people in your quarters are far too lax; they actually allowed Xue Yu to shout until the entire household knew.”

She continued coolly: “Outside is already abuzz over the bride swap; if this is added on, your Father will inevitably be impeached by the Imperial Censor for failing to keep his household in order.”

Tang Gang had thought of this as well. Tang Rong, once again with no defense, could only admit fault, while in his heart he simmered; [he felt a measure of resentment toward Tao Yi Ran, thinking that in his absence she ought to have taken responsibility rather than hand Mother a handle and let her make an issue of it].

Since matters had come to this, the mess could only be left to Madam Wang to handle. Softening her expression, she seized the chance to praise Xin An: “I thought she would be nursing resentment and watching a joke from the side, but she put the larger picture first, went ahead of me to find Steward Wu to silence the servants, and then did not say one extra word. It is truly rare.”

The Grand Matron, already pleased with Xin An, was even more satisfied now: “She is sensible; it is the second boy’s good fortune.”

She dismissed them with a wave: “Enough; you may all go and rest.”

After they left Chun Rong Hall, Tang Gang sternly scolded Tang Rong. In the past he would not have spoken a word against him before Madam Wang, but Tang Rong’s recent performance had been poor; as a Father, he had to knock some sense into him in time.

[What could Tang Rong say?] He could only take a deep breath, return to Chun Hua Courtyard, and first go to see Xue Yu. Thinking he had come to comfort her, Xue Yu moved pitifully closer, but before she approached he spoke coldly: “I told you the grievance was temporary; when the time was right I would report this to Mother. Why did you go make a scene before Mother?”

He added with cutting sarcasm: “Just because you did not get to eat sour apricots?”

Xue Yu dared not move closer again and could only let her tears fall. She said in a trembling voice that she feared she could not keep the child, her words carrying a pointed implication.

This only displeased Tang Rong further: “Since you think staying here is dangerous, go to the estate at dawn tomorrow for a stay. Without my permission, you are not to return.”

When he turned to leave, Xue Yu called after him. He only tilted his head slightly and said, voice like ice: “If you still cannot control your tongue, then there is no need to go to the estate; the child in your belly has no need to be kept.”

[A concubine-born son being born first would only be a stain on him; how much could he possibly like that?] Xue Yu felt as if cast into an ice cellar. At this moment Tang Rong seemed at once unfamiliar and frightening, and she dared not speak further.

Tao Yi Ran was still shedding tears; when she saw Tang Rong she turned her body aside. Tang Rong, of course, went forward to comfort her at length. Tao Yi Ran was easy to soothe, but Auntie Liu was not and chided without mercy: “Today Xue Yu raved like a madwoman, shouting that the Young Madam wanted to harm her. It was only that the sour apricots arrived a bit late. The Young Madam held back purely because she considered that the child in that belly carries the Heir Apparent’s blood. The Heir Apparent ought to show more care for the Young Madam.”

After this speech, Tang Rong, who still carried a trace of dissatisfaction, felt more pity for Tao Yi Ran. He then handed the matter of the laxness in the courtyard to Auntie Cai to take in hand, while also blaming her for negligence in her duties, which made her admit fault outwardly but left her deeply aggrieved inside.

Tang Mo returned again only at midnight. Xin An discovered that when he was drunk he became talkative; as soon as he entered he asked whether she was satisfied with the day’s arrangements and whether he had given her enough face, then muttered a long string of things. At last Xin An could not stand this babbling drunk any longer and had his serving lad Lai Lai carry him to the adjoining room before things quieted.

Early the next morning, Chun Yang bustled in to report that Xue Yu had already set out for the estate and said with smug certainty: “She made a scene for nothing; I thought she could make something of it.”

She added cheerfully: “The Eldest Young Madam next door is ill again.”

As Chun Yang helped Xin An change clothes to go pay respects, she kept grumbling: “With this illness it will take at least a few days, so we will not need to go pay respects.” She plainly felt the Eldest Young Madam was shirking and simply did not want to go.

Xin An was not surprised in the least; in Tao Yi Ran’s eyes the Grand Matron was an upstart whose trouser legs still had not been washed clean of mud, and the mother-in-law was a second wife, not her proper mother-in-law. Naturally she was unwilling to serve. Xin An only said, light as a feather: “Not going is just as well.”

As a girl from a merchant family, she naturally had to cultivate relationships actively; without Tao Yi Ran being an eyesore, she could perform even better. She gathered herself and said with brisk decisiveness: “Let’s go.”

After they set out, Tang Mo was still sleeping like a log. When Madam Wang saw Xin An, mirth entered her eyes and she asked with a smile: “Is the second boy still asleep?”

Xin An answered with easy warmth: “He came back late last night and could not even keep his tongue straight. Thinking it was not easy for him, I did not wake him.”

Seeing that she was willing to be considerate of her son’s difficulties, the satisfaction in Madam Wang’s eyes nearly overflowed: “Then let him sleep a little longer, and do not blame him. If he is well, you will be well with him. You can see his circumstances in the household. His Father is partial, and he himself is unwilling to live a mediocre life, so he must fight for everything himself. As his Mother I cannot favor him too openly; in the future I will have to trouble you to help him shoulder some of the burdens.”

Xin An nodded without hesitation: “I know.”

They had never spoken certain matters too plainly, yet they could think the same and act in concert. In this, both Madam Wang and Xin An were pleasantly surprised. Laughing and chatting, they went to pay respects to the Grand Matron. On hearing that Tao Yi Ran was unwell and could not come, the Grand Matron said nothing. In her view, if someone could not make her happy, there was no need for that person to appear, which also saved the trouble of letting her eat breakfast only to be secretly despised for eating too much. She gave a calm instruction: “Send her some tonic herbs later; let her recuperate well. There is no hurry for her to come pay respects; health is what matters.”

Madam Wang nodded her assent. Xin An stepped forward and coaxed the Grand Matron into beaming; early in the morning, Chun Rong Hall was full of laughter.