Chapter 3: Family

“Mr. Zhuang’s kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain. Before my father passed away, he instructed me to take Mr. Zhuang’s surname.”

“Mr. Zhuang spent his life teaching, having no children of his own. He raised countless disciples, and now he has raised me. Even if I were to tend to his incense for the rest of my life, I could never repay his kindness.”

The young girl in the hall recounted her background. Her voice was not loud, but her words were clear, and there was not a hint of timidity in her demeanor.

The Marchioness of Dongyang nodded. “That is only right.” She recalled the contents of her son’s letter. “You are called Zhuang Li?”

The young girl lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly. “Mother may simply call me Li-niang.”

The Marchioness of Dongyang silently repeated the name, Li-niang.

“You and Jingyun…” she hesitated before saying.

Zhuang Li looked up and bowed deeply to the Marchioness. “The Heir Apparent’s kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain.”

*As heavy as a mountain*—that is not a phrase used between husband and wife. She did not believe that a teacher who had only given a few lectures could have earned enough favor for her son to repay him by taking a wife.

The Marchioness looked at the young girl. She wanted to ask bluntly if the master and his granddaughter had set a trap to leave Jingyun with no other choice.

But then she thought, when her son was young, he could emerge unscathed even when facing the temperamental late Emperor and the bizarre, wicked Empress. How could he capsize in the hands of a teacher from a remote academy?

Furthermore, what could possibly threaten the Heir Apparent of Dongyang?

As for being blinded by beauty… The Marchioness looked at the young girl again and felt it would be more accurate to say that the girl was the one blinded by Jingyun.

*Forget it,* she thought. *I will wait until Zhou Jingyun returns to ask. I can say anything to my own son, no matter how harsh, but a daughter-in-law is, after all, an outsider.*

The Marchioness said, “It takes a hundred years of cultivation to share a boat ride; this is fate. Jingyun said in his letter that he still has matters to attend to and cannot return for the time being, so he sent you ahead. Do not be afraid; you have me here at home.”

Zhuang Li bowed her head again. “I am at ease with the Heir Apparent’s arrangements.”

Though the exchange was brief, the Marchioness could see that this woman was indeed not afraid. Her words were respectful, yet distant—there was no fawning humility, nor was there any trembling nervousness.

She did not look like a woman who had come to be a daughter-in-law; she looked like a guest.

The Marchioness inexplicably thought of her previous daughter-in-law, the young lady from the Ding’an Earl’s household. *That* was a daughter-in-law. Thinking of the Earl of Ding’an, her head began to ache. This inexplicable new wife had entered the house, and there would inevitably be trouble when she had to explain this to the Earl’s family.

The Earl of Ding’an had always wanted to renew their ties by marrying off another daughter.

For years, she had held them off by insisting that Jingyun was still deeply in love with the third young lady. Now that Zhou Jingyun had suddenly brought back a new wife, how was she to explain it to the Earl’s family?

“Since Jingyun hasn’t returned yet, would you like to meet the family now, or wait until he returns?” The Marchioness did not want to make small talk anymore and asked directly.

Zhuang Li replied, “My arrival has already disturbed the household; it would be against etiquette not to meet them.”

Thinking of this, the Marchioness complained about her son again. It wasn’t just that he had disturbed the household—he hadn’t returned himself, but he had allowed this woman to travel under the banner of the “Heir Apparent’s Wife” at every stop along the way. The entire capital was in an uproar.

Countless families were waiting to watch the spectacle.

The Marchioness stood up. “Very well, then come with me to meet them.”

……

……

The Guifang Studio was the Marchioness’s study and the place where she handled household affairs; her living quarters were next door.

The building consisted of five main rooms with black-lacquered pillars and carved window lattices. In the courtyard stood towering trees and vine-covered trellises, and under the veranda, five or six birds hopped about and chirped.

The Marchioness led Zhuang Li inside, took a silk handkerchief from a maid named Hongxing to wipe her hands, drank a cup of hot tea, and waved away the offered refreshments.

“Where is the Marquis?” she asked.

Mother Xu hurriedly replied, “I already checked earlier. He is drinking at the Qi household and won’t be back until evening.” She then glanced at Zhuang Li. “The Marquis said he is aware of the situation and suggested that she rest well today and meet everyone tomorrow morning.”

When Mother Xu looked at her, Zhuang Li lowered her head. Upon hearing this, she curtsied. “Yes.”

*She still understands etiquette, at least,* the Marchioness thought, though she immediately mocked herself—that was all she could hope for now.

“Tell the others to come over,” she instructed Mother Xu.

The Dongyang Marquis’s household was very populous; that was Zhuang Li’s first thought as she looked at the people in the room.

Standing beside the Marchioness were five women of varying ages—the Marquis’s concubines—along with three sons and four daughters who were not yet married.

Under Mother Xu’s guidance, Zhuang Li greeted them one by one.

The Marchioness had only borne one son and one daughter. Her daughter was married, and two other concubine-born sons and one daughter were also married and lived outside the manor.

“They are all away, and the news was too sudden for them to rush back. I have already sent them letters; you will meet them when they return for the New Year,” the Marchioness told Zhuang Li.

At this, a girl’s voice rang out: “Ah, Mother, does that mean Brother Heir Apparent and the new sister-in-law won’t be holding a wedding?”

Zhuang Li looked over and saw the youngest concubine-born daughter, seven years old, known as Jiu-niang.

As soon as Zhou Jiu-niang spoke, her mother, a concubine, pulled her back, signaling her not to be meddlesome.

The Marchioness did not lose her temper; she smiled at Zhou Jiu-niang. “We must wait for your brother to return to discuss it. If he doesn’t return, the bride cannot hold a wedding alone.”

Zhou Jiu-niang nodded happily. “I’ll be waiting to attend Brother’s wedding feast.”

Her mother tapped her again, chiding, “It’s not as if there’s a lack of feasts for you to eat at home.”

The Marchioness did not continue the topic. “Now that you have arrived, you will get to know everyone in time.” She signaled for everyone to disperse.

The concubines and their children bowed and withdrew.

As the group walked out into the courtyard, their footsteps were chaotic, mixed with the sound of Zhou Jiu-niang’s voice: “Why didn’t the new sister-in-law give me a greeting gift?”

The maids and servants in the room wore strange expressions, but Zhuang Li’s expression remained unchanged; she felt no embarrassment at all.

The Marchioness felt a bit awkward. It was her oversight, but who would have thought this woman had nothing? Even a guest would know to bring a greeting gift.

She couldn’t blame herself for the oversight, though; having a wife suddenly sent back to her, it was only natural that she would be caught off guard.

That she allowed her to enter the door at all was already giving her face.

As for other forms of face, the daughter-in-law would have to earn them herself.

“Let the people from Jingyun’s quarters come in,” the Marchioness said.

Footsteps sounded, and a woman wearing a married woman’s bun entered, followed by a maid.

“Greetings, Madam,” she said, bowing respectfully.

The Marchioness said, “This is your new mistress.” She then said to Zhuang Li, “This is Jingyun’s concubine, Concubine Mei.”

Concubine Mei hurriedly knelt before Zhuang Li, and Mother Xu brought over a cup of tea.

Zhuang Li saw that Concubine Mei was about thirty, with a round, prosperous face.

“She has served Jingyun since he was a child and was raised to the position of concubine after he married,” Mother Xu said with a smile.

Zhuang Li said nothing, took the tea, and drank it. Still, there was no gift.

Concubine Mei, of course, would not chase after a gift like a seven-year-old child; she stood up and waited quietly.

The Marchioness asked Mother Xu, “Are the living quarters all prepared?”

Mother Xu replied that they were.

This was a dismissal. The maid standing beside Concubine Mei said with a smile, “Madam, please rest assured, we will serve the Young Mistress well.”

Although she was just a maid, the Marchioness smiled when she heard her speak and nodded. “I trust your work.”

Zhuang Li couldn’t help but glance at the maid. She appeared to be twenty-three or twenty-four, with delicate eyebrows and a melon-seed-shaped face—quite pretty.

Noticing Zhuang Li’s gaze, the maid looked over, her eyes unafraid, and said with a smile, “Young Mistress, let us go.”

Zhuang Li lowered her eyes and bowed to the Marchioness. “This daughter-in-law takes her leave.”

The Marchioness nodded and had Mother Xu escort her out. Watching them leave, she leaned back in her chair and let out a sigh.

Mother Huang hurriedly began to massage her shoulders.

“I have accepted the person, but how life goes from here is none of my concern,” the Marchioness said.

Mother Huang nodded repeatedly. “None at all, none at all. Life is something one must live for oneself, after all.”

(End of chapter)