Chapter 11: An Idea

Lu Jin did not leave the Marquis of Dongyang's manor until evening.

She had eaten dinner with the Marchioness of Dongyang, played cards with her, and finished drawing patterns in her presence. During that time, no one mentioned this new Young Mistress; the Marchioness of Dongyang did not even ask her to stay and keep her company, as if such a person did not exist in the household.

However, this person truly existed; she was not a fabrication.

Lu Jin let out a soft sigh.

"What is it? Is that person's background truly extraordinary?"

An inquiry rang out from within the room.

Lu Jin snapped back to her senses and looked at Count Ding'an and his wife, who were sitting above.

Count Ding'an was nearly fifty and stout. Unlike the Marquis of Dongyang, who had risen from commoner status through meritorious service to the throne, Count Ding'an belonged to a great aristocratic clan; his ancestors had held high offices and great wealth for generations.

Count Ding'an wore a brocade robe, and the gemstones adorning his belt were likely heirlooms passed down from his forefathers.

"Uncle, it takes a full day to travel to and from Lingquan Temple," Lu Jin did not answer directly, but instead said in a low voice, "It would be best if you took a carriage to travel in and out of the city tomorrow."

Otherwise, if the Marquis of Dongyang's manor found out they were lying and that they hadn't actually gone to Lingquan Temple at all...

Count Ding'an snorted. "I want them to know I'm lying."

Count Ding'an's wife, who possessed a similarly round and plump face, interrupted them and pressed Lu Jin: "Quick, tell us, how is this person? Is she really just someone used as an excuse?"

Lu Jin had not lied to the Marchioness of Dongyang. In truth, it wasn't just the Third Madam who suspected this; almost everyone in the family had the same thought. Zhou Jingyun had not married for all these years, and he didn't even look upon the daughters of Count Ding'an's house. Who was he waiting for? To marry a princess?

This sudden marriage was not to a well-known prestigious clan, so naturally, everyone suspected it was a sham.

Lu Jin said, "This Miss Zhuang is very ordinary."

She recalled the Zhuang Li she had met. She wasn't ugly, but she certainly couldn't be called peerlessly beautiful. Her demeanor was quiet and refined, and her clothing was simple and plain. Although the fabric was high quality, one could tell at a glance it was made by the Marquis of Dongyang's manor, carrying an ill-fitting sense of strangeness.

"The Marchioness of Dongyang's reaction was one of great dislike, so..." Lu Jin sighed again, "this marriage is real."

If it were a fake, a mere performance, the Marchioness of Dongyang would have been more appropriate acting warm and affectionate toward her new daughter-in-law. Instead, she was so repulsed that she didn't even want to look at her.

Countess Ding'an lifted her sleeve and turned her head to sob. "My poor daughter."

Even though she knew Zhou Jingyun would eventually take a second wife, hearing it truly was heartbreaking. Her daughter would never be remembered again.

Count Ding'an, however, slammed the table heavily, his face full of rage. "That boy Zhou Jingyun is truly ungrateful! If I hadn't petitioned the Emperor for the marriage back then, he would certainly have been forced into a marriage by that demonic Empress. If that had happened, the Marquis of Dongyang's manor wouldn't even exist today!"

As he spoke, he grew angrier, standing up to pace.

"He married my daughter to avoid the Empress's involvement. Now that the new Emperor has ascended the throne and he has returned with fame and success to rise through the ranks, he wants to sever ties with my Count Ding'an manor."

"Without me back then, there would be no him now. Does he think that without the late Emperor, our Count Ding'an manor would be nothing?"

"Once I cast aside my old face and go to the Emperor to weep, let's see what kind of bright future Zhou Jingyun can have!"

Lu Jin hurriedly stood up. "Uncle, please don't be anxious. In truth, Zhou Jingyun getting married is not a bad thing for us."

Countess Ding'an turned her head. "This is not a bad thing?" Her eyes could not hide her hatred. "He claims to be keeping watch for my daughter to earn a reputation for deep affection, yet he is involved in secret affairs outside. What, am I supposed to congratulate him?"

Lu Jin took a step forward and said softly, "Aunt, I can understand why the Young Heir Zhou is reluctant to allow the family to marry into his household again. He does not want other women from the Count Ding'an manor to take Third Sister's place."

Countess Ding'an was slightly stunned. Was that so? To tell the truth, she wasn't willing either...

"Stop talking nonsense," Count Ding'an said irritably. "He simply does not want to form a marriage alliance with my family."

Lu Jin said, "Uncle, he does not want our family to provide a second wife, and we cannot force him. But forming a marriage alliance is not difficult."

Count Ding'an frowned at her. He held this second brother's youngest daughter in low regard. Aside from asking the family for money, the second brother had achieved nothing; he had even sent his daughter back for them to pay to raise. And this youngest daughter had only lived at home for a year before instigating the Old Madam to publicly pressure Zhou Jingyun to marry her...

He had originally chosen his own daughter; his other younger daughters had not yet found their matches.

The matter had caused such an unsightly scene back then; fortunately, she was clever enough to accept the Marchioness of Dongyang as her adoptive mother to resolve it.

In recent years, she had used her status as an adopted daughter to frequently visit the Marquis of Dongyang's manor, coaxing the Marchioness into being very happy.

But one must not forget who her true family was. She only ever spoke in favor of the Marquis of Dongyang's manor—saying things like how Zhou Jingyun couldn't bear to give Third Sister's place to other daughters, or that forming a marriage alliance wasn't difficult...

"It isn't difficult for an adopted daughter like you," Count Ding'an said crossly. "You just have to kneel down and call her 'Mother'."

Lu Jin said, "Uncle, Aunt, marry me to Zhou Jingyun as a concubine."

Count Ding'an was startled, and Countess Ding'an stopped her sobbing.

"What nonsense are you talking!" she scolded. "How can our daughter become someone's concubine?"

Count Ding'an also glared at her. "Is this how your parents taught you out in the world?"

"Uncle, my parents taught me at home to devote myself fully to the Count Ding'an manor, that the family prospers or suffers together," Lu Jin said. "Just as Aunt said our daughter cannot be a concubine, even if she is, it would be different."

Count Ding'an frowned. "How is a concubine different?"

Lu Jin took a step forward and looked at Count Ding'an. "If Uncle petitions the Emperor to grant me to Zhou Jingyun as a concubine, the Emperor's golden word will naturally make it different."

...

...

The lamps were lit in the room, and the night grew deep. Countess Ding'an sat before her dressing table, but she had no heart to remove her hair ornaments. Thinking about what Lu Jin had just said, the more she thought, the more vexed she became.

"My Lord, were you truly swayed by her?" she turned her head to ask.

Count Ding'an was still sitting in his chair, lost in thought. Under the lamplight, his expression was shifting. "What she said makes sense."

Lu Jin had said that previously, the Emperor had acted as the matchmaker; now, by requesting the new Emperor to act as the matchmaker, it followed the father's precedent and would demonstrate the Emperor's filial piety toward the late Emperor.

The Emperor had, after all, seized the throne through a coup, and now he wanted to wash away that stain.

The Count Ding'an manor could also please the Emperor.

And the Count Ding'an manor doing this would also be for the sake of the Third Young Lady, who had died young.

"In the future, if I bear children in Third Sister's name, she will have descendants to carry on her line. I am her biological sister; it is better than the offspring of others."

Truly, the hearts of kin are the most pitiable things in the world.

As for Zhou Jingyun, he had already gotten the wife he wanted, and yet he was pushing away the Count Ding'an manor; that truly meant they would go from relatives to enemies.

"Going to the Emperor to speak of this makes it seem as though our family is the one rushing toward the Marquis of Dongyang's manor," Countess Ding'an said. "It makes us look like we are beneath them."

If they did not seize this opportunity with the Marquis of Dongyang's manor now, they would be even further beneath them in the future. Count Ding'an sighed inwardly. His family was muddled, thinking the manor was still grand and prosperous, but as the head of the household, he knew very well that the manor's glory had faded by this generation.

Soon, it wouldn't even look grand.

These families of merit had first been suppressed during the late Emperor's reign, then encountered the chaos of the demonic Empress's rule. Now they were scattered and struggling to survive. Only the Marquis of Dongyang's manor had produced a Zhou Jingyun, whose future was promising.

For the sake of his descendants, he would cast aside his current dignity.

"I will go to Lingquan Temple to stay for a few days tomorrow," he said to Countess Ding'an. "Then, you send an invitation to the Marchioness of Dongyang to come for a visit. That should save face."

...

...

The young maid Cui'er carried a lamp as she walked along the gravel path. The night wind caused the flame to flicker, making the light dim and unstable.

The maid Yaoqin supported Lu Jin, telling her to be careful, while also scolding Cui'er: "Why are you the only one here to carry the lamp?"

Cui'er explained in a low voice, "The Old Madam is bathing, and the other sisters are all over there."

Since the families had already split, Lu Jin only brought one maid to the Count's manor. She lived with the Old Madam, and her food, clothing, and daily necessities were provided by the Old Madam; she could not simply command the Old Madam's maids.

"It's fine, I am young and can see the path clearly," Lu Jin said. It was just a single lamp; she didn't mind being served by a few maids.

"Keep your body low and watch your feet," Yaoqin scolded Cui'er.

Cui'er hurriedly bowed and bent down, carefully lighting the way for Lu Jin.

"Miss, are you really going to become a concubine?" Yaoqin asked in a low voice, her expression uneasy. "It is too much of a grievance."

Lu Jin smiled. "What grievance?"

She glanced at the little maid bending her bottom to light the way. That lamp was a very ordinary lantern, unable to compare to the glass lamps used by the Countess, the Old Ladies, and the others; it was dim and flickering.

Would living like this not be a grievance?

(End of Chapter)