Chapter 16: Idle Talk

By the time Xue Liu returned to the Marquis of Dongyang's manor, it was already time for the lamps to be lit. On the Marchioness's side, her concubines and their children were gathered, surrounded by laughter and joy.

Of course, the new Young Mistress was not among them.

Seeing Xue Liu enter, everyone began chatting and smiling. "Xue Liu is back." "The Marchioness was just mentioning you." Even the Ninth Lady ran over, shaking Xue Liu's hand: "Sister Xue Liu, what did you bring me?"

Xue Liu greeted everyone one by one with a smile, then took a small box from the hands of the little maid following behind her, who was carrying a bundle.

"I have something." She knelt down and handed the box to the Ninth Lady.

The Ninth Lady took it and opened it on the spot; it was a box of silk flowers. She didn't care whether the gift was expensive or not, as long as she received something, and she thanked her happily.

"It wasn't easy for you to go home, why are you still thinking of her?" the Marchioness of Dongyang said reproachfully.

Xue Liu smiled and said, "It was the Tenth Lady who was thinking of the Ninth Lady and asked me to bring it."

The Lu family's Tenth Lady was roughly the same age as the Dongyang Marquis's Ninth Lady, but they wouldn't be considered playmates. When the marriage was first arranged, both had just been born, and later, because the families refused to allow a second wife for the Marquis, the two households had not interacted much.

Ultimately, it was only because Xue Liu was thoughtful. The Marchioness of Dongyang thanked her with a smile and said no more. Xue Liu sat at her feet and said, "My mother made some soybean paste; I brought it for the Marchioness to taste. I gave some to Mother Xu as well."

A concubine nearby laughed and said, "Xue Liu, every time you go home, you always bring things back. Be careful, or your mother won't let you go back anymore."

Xue Liu covered her mouth and laughed. "Concubine Yang, the floral ointment you rewarded me with last time, I gave it all to my mother. She told me to scavenge even more from you."

Concubine Yang spat and said to the Marchioness, "See? She still sides with her mother."

The Marchioness laughed and said, "If one didn't side with their mother, what kind of person would they be? I wouldn't dare employ someone cold-hearted."

Concubine Yang nodded and said to Xue Liu, "Now you know how to please the Marchioness, right? Scavenge more of her things." Having said that, she beckoned Xue Liu closer and whispered, "I know where the Marchioness hides her good things. I'll point them out to you, and you just scavenge a little bit to share with me."

Everyone in the room burst into laughter. The Marchioness of Dongyang even laughed and spat, "At your age, you're still playing pranks with the girls."

Another concubine asked from the side, "Is everything alright at the Count of Ding'an's manor?"

The question caused the atmosphere in the room to suddenly turn silent.

Everyone knew that Zhou Jingyun had suddenly married a wife, and the Marchioness of Dongyang had been treated coldly when she visited the Count of Ding'an's manor.

It was an unpleasant topic.

The Marchioness of Dongyang glanced at that concubine. What? Was she relying on her youth and the fact that the Marquis had been staying in her room these past few days to impatiently watch her son's joke unfold?

"Sigh." Xue Liu let out a heavy sigh from the side. "Things are not quite good at the Count of Ding'an's manor."

This broke the stillness, only to make the atmosphere even more stagnant.

The concubine who had asked the question didn't dare to follow up; she hadn't expected this maid, who was so intent on pleasing the Marchioness, to dare to answer like this.

"What happened?" It was the innocent Ninth Lady who asked curiously.

Xue Liu sighed again. "The Count gave Young Master Wenjie a beating. He even broke the whip. The Countess and the Old Madam are both furious."

Since it was about someone else's son, the Marchioness of Dongyang breathed a sigh of relief, then asked in surprise, "What happened? The Count has always been good-tempered; why did it come to a fight?"

This Young Master Wenjie was the Count of Ding'an's youngest legitimate son, always held in the palm of his hand. How could the Count bear to use a whip on him?

"He went off to learn gambling from others," Xue Liu said.

Gambling—for a family of high nobility, it wasn't considered a massive deal. Who in the capital wasn't playing? Forget gambling; there were even worse things, and no one took them seriously.

Of course, except for her Jingyun, the Marchioness thought, feeling a hint of relief.

"He is young; he just needs proper teaching," she said. "There was no need to use a whip."

Didn't the Count of Ding'an play himself? Why would he get angry to such an extent?

Xue Liu lowered her voice. "I only overheard one sentence: he went to Shangguan Yue's gambling boat."

Shangguan Yue.

The Marchioness of Dongyang frowned slightly.

"How did he end up mixing with such a person?" she said. "No wonder the Count is angry."

The expressions of the concubines became somewhat strange, and the young masters looked at one another, winking and gesturing.

The young Ninth Lady looked around, not understanding, and asked urgently, "Who is Shangguan Yue? Is 'Shangguan' the same as the 'Shangguan' from the Imperial Consort's family?" She then widened her eyes in envy. "Isn't that a very powerful family?"

Because she was young and rarely went out, the Ninth Lady didn't know who this person was, but she knew that the Golden Jade Princess, who was greatly favored by the late Emperor, had married into the Shangguan family, making them imperial relatives. During the late Emperor's reign, the Shangguan family could enter and leave the palace freely. Now that the late Emperor was gone, this Princess was the new Emperor's biological sister. Since the new Emperor had no other siblings, he was extremely close to this Princess, and the Shangguan family's power had grown even stronger.

The Shangguan family was also very arrogant; not just anyone could associate with them.

So many people wanted to associate and play with the Shangguan family, so why would the Count of Ding'an beat his son for it?

The Ninth Lady didn't quite understand what was going on.

"Ninth Lady," Xue Liu whispered, "that Shangguan Yue is a member of the Shangguan family, but not quite."

Then is he or isn't he? The Ninth Lady was even more confused.

"He is the child of the Imperial Consort's mistress," one young master said bluntly.

The Ninth Lady seemed to understand. "So he's like us, born of a concubine?"

This caused the illegitimate sons to complain, "What kind of talk is that?" and the concubines were even less willing to listen. Concubine Yang let out an "oh!" and knelt over to shake the Ninth Lady's arm. "It's not the same as us. The Marchioness drank our tea; you can call the Marchioness 'Mother'."

How could they be compared to those lowly mistresses!

Xue Liu also hurried to explain again, "The Imperial Consort let him into the family, but the Princess does not recognize him."

Therefore, although he bore the surname Shangguan, without the Princess's nod, he could not be entered into the family genealogy.

"He is also useless; he doesn't study well, and he's proficient in drinking, eating, prostitution, and gambling. He even set up a gambling house..." another concubine said disdainfully.

The Ninth Lady asked curiously, "What is a gambling house?"

A young master said, "It's a floating pavilion. The boat is massive, with three floors. The first floor is for banquets, the second floor has beautiful courtesans, and the third floor is a casino. Every night it is brightly lit with the sounds of singing and dancing, never extinguishing in the Jinshui River..."

He spoke with great animation, his eyes full of longing.

The Marchioness of Dongyang slapped the table, cutting him off.

"You seem very familiar with this gambling house," she said coldly. "Should I also have the Marquis prepare a whip?"

The young master's face instantly turned pale, and he fell to his knees with a thud. "Mother, I was wrong!" He then hurriedly defended himself, "I have never been there; I only heard people talking about it."

The Marchioness's gaze swept over the other young masters, and they hurriedly knelt as well, saying one after another, "Mother, we have never been there." "Mother, we would never go to such a place."

The atmosphere in the room became tense, and the Ninth Lady didn't dare to speak much either.

Only then did the Marchioness nod. "You must remember, no one in our family is allowed to engage in drinking, eating, prostitution, or gambling. If anyone dares to do anything that corrupts the family reputation..." She swept her gaze across everyone in the room, a faint smile on her lips, "...you and your concubine shall leave the Marquis of Dongyang's manor together and become figures like Shangguan Yue."

In other words, they would be expelled from the manor and no longer recognized as members of the household.

At this, the concubines began to scold their own sons, and together they promised the Marchioness they would never commit any shameful acts that would disgrace the family.

Looking at the Marchioness, Concubine Yang even shed tears.

"What are you doing?" the Marchioness said irritably. "Do you think I am being too harsh?"

Concubine Yang said, "I am simply moved by the Marchioness's true motherly heart. If one were heartless, they would pretend to be tolerant and indulge their illegitimate children into being useless." She covered her face and sobbed, "Meeting the Marchioness is truly a blessing we have cultivated over several lifetimes."

The other concubines and young masters in the room hurriedly followed suit, expressing their emotions and shedding tears.

Only the Ninth Lady's lips moved, wanting to say that being a concubine or an illegitimate child for several lifetimes felt like a blessing that...

Fortunately, her biological mother pinched her arm in advance, stopping the child from talking nonsense.

The Marchioness of Dongyang spat at Concubine Yang. "At your age, you're still acting like this in front of me."

Though she spat, there was a smile in her eyes.

Concubine Yang's voice was thick with emotion. "No matter my age, you are still my lady."

Concubine Yang was a maid brought as part of the Marchioness's dowry.

The Marchioness said nothing more, took a sip of tea with a smile, and waved her hand with a hint of fatigue. "It is getting late, you all should head back."

Everyone bowed in response and filed out one by one. Concubine Yang stayed behind, personally preparing the Marchioness's bed before withdrawing.

Xue Liu was still standing in the room, her eyes following the departing Concubine Yang. She couldn't help but say, "It is truly good that the Marchioness has Concubine Yang by her side."

The Marchioness of Dongyang could no longer remember if she had thought it was good or bad when she was young, but now that she was older, she felt it was quite good—certainly better than those seductive, low-born harlots of unknown origin.

Seeing the envy and a hint of sadness in Xue Liu's eyes, she immediately understood why the girl was so sentimental. If Lady Lu San were still alive, Xue Liu would likely have become a concubine for Zhou Jingyun. It was just that Lady Lu's passing had been too sudden; although Lady Lu had held Xue Liu's hand and given her final instructions before she died, Zhou Jingyun had refused to take anyone else in...

Now that the new wife had entered the manor, her status as the former wife's maid was somewhat awkward.

"Since you came from home, did you bring her something?" the Marchioness asked softly, gesturing with her chin toward the direction of the Heir's courtyard.

Xue Liu immediately understood who she was referring to.

"I did," she said with a smile. "Rest assured, Marchioness, I would not be so impolite."

The Marchioness nodded. "I know I don't need to worry about you." Her expression softened further. "Go on." She paused for a moment. "Be at ease; I am here."

At ease regarding what? The Marchioness didn't say clearly, but Xue Liu understood. She felt both joy and excitement. Once the Heir returned, even if the new wife refused to let her be his concubine, with the Marchioness making the decision, no one could stop her.

"Yes, thank you, Marchioness," she said excitedly, bowing respectfully before withdrawing.

(End of Chapter)