Chapter 218

Chapter 218: Xin An grows ever better at playing dumb

With Madam Li managing the household, she cut off the Tao family’s information leaks, so the news of Tao Yi Ran’s pregnancy never got out. Xin An set down her ginseng tea cup, yawned, and reclined lazily against the chair as she said: “She is pregnant. She has been nourishing the fetus these days. Tomorrow or the day after it will be time to fetch her back.”

“Pregnant?” Lin Yao, startled at first, quickly understood why the marquisate had made no move. Many households were waiting to see the marquisate fall out with the Tao family, but it turned out Tao Yi Ran now had a talisman to protect her.

“Her luck is not bad, only the Tao family seems to have changed all of a sudden,” Xin An said, explaining that the Tao family had replaced their household head with Madam Li: “In a deep inner compound, a few things unfit for daylight are normal. What is not normal is when they are leaked. I heard Madam Tao was so furious she fell ill, which is why they changed the one in charge.”

“Then how did they explain what happened between Tang Rong and Tao Yi Ran?” asked Lin Yao.

“How could they explain it otherwise?” Xin An smiled with layered meaning and said: “They called it nothing more than a young couple overcome by passion. There was no need to escalate. They punished a few loose-tongued servants and declared the matter closed.”

“Besides, after the rumors spread at the Autumn Banquet, the family learned of it. My father-in-law fainted on the spot in a rage, my eldest brother-in-law was punished to kneel in the ancestral hall, and that night a storm raged. When they found him in the morning he was burning with fever and was bedridden for days.”

“Tsk, tsk.” Madam Liao clicked her tongue and said: “Your father-in-law must have been heartsick.”

Everyone in the Northern Garrison Army knew Marquis Wei Yuan was partial, cherishing his eldest son like a treasure and treating the second son like grass. Even Liao Zhi sighed whenever he mentioned it. Of course, it was only a sigh; he still disliked that Tang Mo could be too hesitant. One had to remember that Tang Mo had personally sent his own Old Master and father to their deaths. Although he did it to secure a way out for all in the Liao family, there were few in the world as ruthless.

Xin An only smiled and did not speak, wearing an expression that said everything without saying anything. Lin Yao lingered on the thought and felt ever more certain that Tang Mo and Xin An must have joined hands to do something. She had no objection; on the contrary, she felt it was normal and reasonable.

“Do you know that Huang Wei is making a push for separation?” asked Lin Yao.

Xin An and Madam Liao both shook their heads. Xin An was a little surprised. She had thought Huang Wei would secretly collude with the young madam of the Tao family; who would have guessed she would exit the stage so directly?

Lin Yao said: “Huang Wei called her marriage with Zhu You a fated calamity. She does not wish to delay Zhu You in seeking happiness. Better they part and each find joy.”

“The Huang family has already gone to the Duke of Xiang’s residence. The Duke of Xiang has given assurances that Zhu You will not do anything foolish, but Huang Wei seems determined. Her family has already brought her back home. I think they were furious and deliberately let word between the two households spread.”

“The separation is as good as set in iron,” she concluded.

Xin An admired Huang Wei’s decisiveness and said: “In that case, Miss Huang is a free-spirited woman.”

Madam Liao added that the Huang family had the strength to do so. If a woman’s maiden family had no power, she could only swallow her broken teeth along with the blood. Lin Yao sighed that in marriages between great houses, who cares about conjugal affection; what is sought are the interests of both families. Many couples become resentful and, in the end, only join forces to get through the days. “The Huang family dares to stand head-to-head with the Duke of Xiang’s residence because they have the strength. The key is that her family loves her; otherwise it would all be for nothing.”

Such was a woman’s hardship: an in-law family she could not fit into and a maiden family she might not be able to return to.

Xin An pondered: [If Zhu You regains his freedom, will he not pursue Tao Yi Ran even more aggressively?] Tang Rong’s days ahead should be very exciting.

“The Crown Princess has been punished. I fear Tao Yi Ran will not be allowed out for half a year or longer. You must be careful,” Lin Yao reminded her kindly.

Xin An arched a brow and said: “Can the Crown Princess even implicate me?”

“Why not?” Lin Yao said: “The day after the old madam of Marquis Wei Yuan’s residence entered the palace, an edict admonishing the Crown Princess was issued. The reason is not hard to guess. The Crown Princess prides herself on her exalted status and cannot tolerate those who do not defer. Now that she has lost such face, she will surely resent Marquis Wei Yuan’s household. Moreover, you have been seen as being close to the Second Prince’s Consort.”

“I am wronged,” Xin An said helplessly: “What status do I have to be close to the Second Prince’s Consort? I was only summoned and asked a few questions. What was asked is easy enough to guess. What does the trouble my good elder sister-in-law caused have to do with me?”

Her cry of grievance was heartfelt, sounding perfectly innocent. Xin An’s acting these days was superb, and even the faint suspicions Lin Yao had harbored were dispelled. Lin Yao then revealed why she had raised the question: “Outside they say that, failing to attach themselves to the Crown Prince, the marquisate now wants to cozy up to the Second Prince.”

“That is a joke,” Xin An said: “We as a couple have neither achievements nor real power, and you know how my father-in-law treats us. Would a matter of that magnitude ever be entrusted to me?”

“Even if we had the ability, people would not trust us,” she added.

Lin Yao had meant it as a probe, but Xin An was even more agitated and speechless than she expected, reacting as if a sore spot had been pressed: “What sort of person do you think I am? Aside from you few, are the nobles of the capital people I can see whenever I wish, or decline whenever I want?”

On this point, Madam Liao could empathize with Xin An and said: “What you say is true. In matters this big, unless one is the most important person in the residence, one would not even be allowed to know. What if a careless word slipped out?”

“Exactly,” Xin An said: “Whoever started that rumor did not think. I have heard that the most brilliant women can turn their hands to make clouds and turn their hands to make rain, plotting with flawless precision. If only I had that ability.”

Madam Liao laughed and said: “What an interesting temperament you have. One moment you are riled up, the next you are already admiring yourself.”

Lin Yao echoed her: “Seeing you so agitated, I regretted asking and was wondering how to comfort you, yet you managed to make yourself laugh first.”

Xin An teased them and said: “Then Sister Lin, quickly comfort me: say I am formidable, say I am capable.”

Her expectant look for praise succeeded in making everyone laugh, a ripple of girlish giggles spreading through the room.

Then Xin An deliberately lowered her voice and asked: “Did the marquisate truly try to approach the Crown Prince?”

“You really do not know?” Lin Yao asked.

“How would I know?” Xin An sighed and said: “I only know the eldest brother often goes to my father-in-law’s study. Tang Mo only recently went twice, and both times he was scolded as soon as he went in. As for me, there is nothing to say.”

“You two really are…” Lin Yao felt it was rather pitiful. Xin An could be dismissed, since she was a woman and a daughter-in-law. But Tang Mo was a blood son. Did he not even have the right to enter the study? Too partial.

“Not knowing is also a blessing. It saves worry,” Xin An sighed and said: “I am an ordinary person who asks only for stable days. If someone else makes a mistake and drags me down, how unjust would that be?”

“Then you can only accept it,” Lin Yao said in all seriousness: “If you enjoy the clan’s protection, you must also bear the clan’s guilt.”

Xin An leaned back and said: “Do not scare me. I have barely enjoyed a few days of such protection.”

Lin Yao laughed and said: “I am teasing you. Marquis Wei Yuan is known for being cautious. He will not take matters that far.”

Said nicely it was caution; in truth it was cowardice. Otherwise, with the Old Marquis’s military merits, he would not be holding such an idle post today.

Xin An pretended to be frightened and let out a long breath: “I am timid. I cannot stand a scare.”

Lin Yao laughed even harder. She then told Xin An two amusing stories from the capital, and only then did Xin An’s smile return. Even she herself admired herself: [I am getting better and better at playing dumb.]