Chapter 108

Chapter 108: Madam Wang vs Tang Gang

Madam Wang truly was busy today; at dawn she sent a calling card to Count Changning’s manor. Although Tao Yi Ran’s spectacle yesterday had cost her face, it had also shamed the marquisate, so Madam Wang naturally needed to go with generous gifts to make amends, and see whether the blame could be shifted onto the Tao family.

Besides, yesterday’s banquet had yielded a few gains: several more wedding invitations arrived, and she began preparing what gifts to send.

By the time Xin An reached Chun Rong Hall, the sun was already high. The Grand Matron was still in the middle of her skincare regimen; since she had looked quite well yesterday, she was very pleased with the treatment’s effects. Seeing Xin An, she joked with a smile: “Coming at this hour, have you already decided to scrounge a meal?”

When the men of the household were absent, the women took lunch in their own courtyards. Xin An stepped forward with a bright-eyed curtsey and said, “Grandmother sees through me. I have been thinking about the soy-braised fish here since morning, so I dawdled on purpose to arrive late.”

The Grand Matron laughed. Xin An’s appetite was not small; everything tasted good to her. The Grand Matron felt she had found her ideal dining companion and was naturally happy to let her scrounge lunch. She turned to Gan Lu with amusement and said: “Hurry and tell the kitchen to make soy-braised fish, so our Second Young Madam doesn’t come in vain.”

Xin An curtseyed again with a smile and said, “Many thanks, Grandmother.”

The Grand Matron’s laughter was hearty, then something occurred to her, and her smile slowly faded: “Did your eldest sister-in-law play the zither at the banquet yesterday?”

Xin An nodded and said, “Mm.”

Xin An briefly recounted what had happened and added, “I was too far away to hear what they said. Perhaps they were inviting Eldest Sister-in-law.”

The Grand Matron’s expression soured. Xin An supplemented softly: “After we returned, Mother kept Eldest Sister-in-law back to speak. Not long after she returned to Chun Hua Courtyard, we heard she had fainted. I did not dare go visit and do not know how she is today.”

The Grand Matron drew a long breath and, in the end, refrained from scolding Tao Yi Ran in front of Xin An. She asked instead about Xin An’s own gains at the banquet. Xin An did not hide anything and said she had met several new people: “Someone even said they want to invite me out to hear opera.”

“No one made things difficult for you, I hope?” asked the Grand Matron. She had originally planned to keep Xin An by her side throughout, but seeing how well Xin An had performed yesterday, she had not insisted. Once married, men and women alike had duties of their own.

“I spent most of the time with the elder sister of the Yan family and with Sister Lin,” said Xin An. “We have listened to opera and eaten together before. No one said anything unpleasant.”

The Grand Matron nodded, mentioned there would be a few more banquets coming up, and told Xin An to attend with her, while also putting in a round of praise for Tang Mo.

Madam Wang arrived in the afternoon, just missing Xin An at Chun Rong Hall. She had received the reply from Count Changning’s household; they had not refused her visit. She said, “I have prepared generous gifts. We cannot ignore this matter. I will go first thing tomorrow.”

The Grand Matron was far from pleased: “When something has happened, apologies are in order, but as her mother-in-law you bear responsibility. You have been too indulgent with her.”

“I know you are mindful of your status and cannot scold her harshly,” she added, “but do you think indulgence does not, in the end, bring disgrace upon the marquisate?”

Madam Wang bent in acknowledgment and said, “I have already reflected and have confined the eldest daughter-in-law for half a month. When the Marquis returns this evening, I will consult him about inviting an imperial physician tomorrow for a diagnosis. Tomorrow is a rest day; the Marquis and the eldest will both be home. If there is truly an illness, it must be treated properly.”

The Grand Matron lifted her eyes and said, “Inform the Tao family of the diagnosis. Just send any servant to deliver the message.”

The Tao family must be made to understand the marquisate’s displeasure.

Madam Wang assented. Having labored half the day, she too was tired, and the Grand Matron told her to go rest. After she left, the Grand Matron sighed helplessly. Gan Lu stepped forward to help her lie down and said, “With the Marchioness in charge, there is nothing you need worry over. Your task is to nourish your health.”

“This marquisate will not be peaceful,” murmured the Grand Matron in a low voice. [The Marchioness is done being tolerant.] At present, Madam Wang had joined forces with the second son and his wife, whereas the other three on the opposite side were probably still lost in a dream. If Tao Yi Ran could truly establish herself, that would be another matter, but the Grand Matron looked left and right and remained puzzled: “What kind of person do you think the Eldest Young Madam is?”

Gan Lu thought, then shook her head: “The Eldest Young Madam seldom appears. It is hard to see clearly, only…”

Gan Lu hesitated. The Grand Matron sat on the bed’s edge and said, “You feel she does not resemble the legitimate daughter of an official’s house, do you?”

Gan Lu did not dare nod; she could only say softly, “Perhaps the Eldest Young Madam has not yet adapted.”

The Grand Matron sighed and said, “Even if a legitimate daughter of an official family is not exceptionally clever, she knows propriety and acts with measure. Although such girls are raised delicately, they shoulder the duty of bringing prosperity to the clan. From childhood they are taught to put family interests first; after marriage they honor parents-in-law, raise children, assist their husbands. Few of them live as they please.”

She rubbed her brow and said, “The second son’s wife is like that. But this one from the Tao family, why does she not seem so?”

The Grand Matron was bewildered.

Gan Lu said people differed and gently urged the Grand Matron not to dwell on it: “If you are well, the marquisate will be well. Let the Marquis and the Marchioness handle the worrying matters.”

The Grand Matron lay down and closed her eyes: “I must take good care of myself and live longer.” [So long as I am here, I can at any time remind those outside of the Old Master’s meritorious deeds and shelter our sons and grandsons.]

Madam Wang had barely risen from her nap when Tang Gang returned, his face still stormy. After sitting, he gulped down tea and immediately asked after Tao Yi Ran. At court, when the morning audience dismissed, several officials had gathered in twos and threes to tease him in pointed tones; Count Changning had even glowered at him. Pressed for details, he learned that Tao Yi Ran had offended the young ladies of Count Changning’s household the previous day.

“How could she disregard status and propriety just to steal the spotlight? She is utterly senseless. Why did you not stop her?” he demanded.

Madam Wang’s expression cooled as she said, “There were many guests at the Water Blossom Banquet yesterday. I not only had to accompany Mother, I also had to attend to other ladies. She is a grown woman and no stranger to banquets. Must I keep my eyes fixed on her?”

“By rights, I should have been watching the second son’s wife,” she added evenly, “as it was her first banquet. Do you think I had the time?”

Tang Gang pursued the point: “And when she returned, did you punish her?”

“I scolded her and punished her,” said Madam Wang. “I confined her for half a month, and the moment she returned she promptly fainted. Who do you think that performance was for?”

Madam Wang’s temper flared: “With that body that topples at the slightest breeze, fainting at the drop of a hat, won’t people say I, the mother-in-law, am harsh?”

The more Tang Gang thought, the angrier he became. He blamed Madam Wang for poor judgment: “When the match was proposed, did you not make more inquiries, look more carefully? How could someone of such character be allowed through my marquisate’s gates?”

Madam Wang let out a short laugh of fury and said, “Was it not the Marquis and Lord Tao who settled the engagement? At the time you praised her to the skies and acted as if the second son had picked up a great bargain. I would like to ask now: she ended up as the eldest son’s wife in the end. Could that not have been a scheme of you, the dutiful father?”

“You looked down on the Xin family for being merchants,” she continued coldly, “saying they could not help your eldest son and repeatedly extolling how distinguished the Tao family was, how talented Tao Yi Ran was. You thought the second son was marrying above himself.”

“After such a huge scandal,” she said, “your precious eldest only knelt in the Ancestral Hall once, and you took it up high and put it down lightly. The more I speak, the more it looks exactly like that. Will the Marquis not give me an explanation?”