Cheng Yin, seeing her mother like this, cried loudly, “Yiniang, what are you doing? You just returned and it’s already like this.”
She then looked at Madam Zeng.
“Please punish me instead and spare Yiniang.”
Madam Zeng said, “Second Mistress, this has nothing to do with you.”
Just as Cheng Yin was at a loss, the Eldest Master arrived.
He sent the servants away, leaving only the wives and concubines.
He did not help Zhu Yiniang up but said to Madam Zeng, “Such noise won’t do if Old Madam finds out.”
Madam Zeng’s arrogance vanished at his approach.
She had no idea the Eldest Master secretly sympathized with Zhu Yiniang and said, “I can’t openly take sides, but she’s gone too far. You can’t let this continue.”
“Does that mean I may resist a little?” Zhu Yiniang asked timidly.
The Eldest Master looked at the swelling on her forehead.
“Yes. You have children and are my dearest. I won’t watch you suffer.”
Madam Zeng, still smug, was telling her second daughter how she controlled the concubines, unaware Zhu Yiniang had gained the Eldest Master’s backing.
Cheng Yuan felt uneasy.
“I just went to greet Old Madam. How did it turn into such a scene? Please don’t be like this.”
“What do you mean? A concubine should serve, bringing tea and raising the curtain. Is that not right?”
Madam Zeng felt deeply wronged.
Cheng Yuan knew her mother, though a stepmother, was from a good family and pampered at home, lacking in cunning.
But Zhu Yiniang was skilled at turning weakness into strength.
Her mother had lost these fights repeatedly, which was why she eventually agreed to marry Lü Shian, a poor scholar’s son—thinking she wouldn’t be bullied then.
So, she sat down and said, “Mother, you’re right, but Zhu Yiniang isn’t just any concubine. She’s a noble concubine by birth, cousin to the first madam, and has borne Second Mistress and Fourth Young Master. She’s also connected to the Eldest Young Master.”
“So what? I’m still the Madam.”
Hearing her daughter’s reasoning, Madam Zeng, previously emboldened, felt some regret.
Cheng Yuan advised, “Just ignore her. Father is strict and won’t let her humiliate you. Only if you slip up could she be promoted.”
Madam Zeng scoffed, “Concubines promoted? Impossible.”
Cheng Yuan had thought so too, but after marriage and seeing the world, she realized anything was possible if the right people supported it.
“Mother, anything can happen,” she said.
Madam Zeng shook her head and said no more.
After Li Yaoyue moved to the main house, Yu Zhoujin visited more often.
Miaozhen even tried different flower pigments and asked her, “What color should I use here?”
They discussed at length until Second Mistress’s maid came to ask for bruising ointment.
Miaozhen had Xiao Xi fetch a porcelain jar and quietly asked, “Is this for Zhu Yiniang?”
“How could it not be? Well, I’m off.”
The maid said no more and hurried away.
Once she left, Yu Zhoujin anxiously asked for details.
Miaozhen was vague, “Even without children, Zhu Yiniang has the Eldest Master’s favor. I don’t know what’s going on.”
Yu Zhoujin secretly slipped twenty coins to Xiao Xi while Miaozhen napped.
Xiao Xi hesitated but revealed, “Zhu Yiniang is being bullied. If the Eldest Master visits later, who knows what trouble will happen. East wind, west wind—who can tell?”
Yu Zhoujin hoped to rely on Old Madam, planning to follow the path of a favored concubine, but Old Madam was old and weak.
She had to change tactics.
If Zhu Yiniang spoke well for her to the Eldest Master, it would be beneficial.
With that, Yu Zhoujin decided on her next moves.
Xiao Xi whispered to Miaozhen behind closed doors.
Miaozhen finally sighed in relief, “If they fight for that position, it’s good—it means I won’t get caught in the concubines’ power struggle.”
“How can you say that? Isn’t it tormenting the young ladies?” Xiao Xi asked.
Miaozhen shook her head, “You see too simply. Forget it. These things have nothing to do with us. The Cheng Family was originally a salt merchant family; they have money and are generous. We workers get good pay. That’s enough. Don’t get involved in their family affairs.”
A few days later, when Miaozhen went to Lü Da Nainai’s for moxibustion, Lü Da Nainai had guests in the reception room.
Miaozhen waited briefly before hearing Lü Da Nainai say, “The lady who just came is Madam Nanli Shu’s wife. She’s inviting me over.”
“Then you must avoid cold, raw foods. In time, you’ll get better, but watch what you eat,” Miaozhen advised, speaking only what a doctor should.
The identities of these ladies meant little to Miaozhen; she was just a humble servant.
Sometimes, walking among such noble families, Miaozhen envied their tall mansions and splendid clothes.
But shaking her head, she was content with her own lot.
Though Lü Da Nainai rarely spoke, each visit eased her ailments, and she admired Miaozhen’s skills more than the older herbalists she’d hired before.
“She’s often heard that you Wen Yuan ladies of Jiangnan like to dabble in medicine and thought it was just a game. But you’re no worse than experienced Langzhongs.”
“You flatter me,” Miaozhen demurred.
“Spring is near. I sent you two bolts of silk last time, but thought it inconvenient for you to make clothes at the Cheng Family. Since you and I are about the same size, I’ll give you some clothes I didn’t like from my birthday gifts. Please don’t refuse.”
That was how the gifts came.
Miaozhen said, “You keep finding new ways to give me such good things. I don’t know how to thank you.”
Lü Da Nainai smiled, “Wear them. Once the Cheng Family’s mourning ends, the Second Young Lady will likely have a match. These will suit her well.”
“Is Second Young Lady getting married?”
Miaozhen asked, unaware.
Lü Da Nainai chuckled, “Madam Nanli Shu’s wife who came earlier is arranging the match.”
Miaozhen finally understood.
Zhu Yiniang endured humiliation to secure this good marriage—a family of the Nanjing Ministry of Rites’ Shangshu.
Though not Beijing’s Shangshu, it was still a top-tier family.
Such news, though whispered, couldn’t be kept secret.
Though still in mourning, news seeped out.
Madam Zeng was not well-informed, but Cheng Yuan, often attending Old Madam and friendly with her maids, knew.
Having lived before, she understood what had happened in her past life.
She knew what kind of man Cheng Yin married.
They used to say he was a libertine with many concubines, but even though Cheng Yin was pregnant at death, she had no complications.
She realized Cheng Yin valued status, not fidelity.
Madam Zeng still didn’t know the true situation and said, “Such a good match should’ve been for you. Why give it to her?”
“Cheng Yin is older and the eldest daughter of the main branch. Her good marriage is good for me too. You should act like the true madam. If you’re harsh and cause trouble, Father might feel sorry and give Cheng Yin something better—which is exactly what Zhu Yiniang wants.”
Cheng Yuan said firmly.
Madam Zeng was silent.
Zhao Mama, Madam Zeng’s chief adviser, said, “That’s how it is. We vent, but in the end, we suffer.”
“Zhao Mama, what should we do?”
Madam Zeng asked helplessly.
Zhao Mama said, “First, buy a beautiful concubine to share favor. Zhu Yiniang is getting old; how can she compete with a younger woman?”
Cheng Yuan agreed, “Just watch them fight it out. But don’t pick someone of low status. It must be a good concubine, pretty and clever, so they can battle for favor.”
“What about Miss Yu?”
Madam Zeng thought of Yu Zhoujin—pretty, from a good family, backed by Xifu.
Zhao Mama shook her head, “That girl is alluring but lacks savvy. Among the female doctors who came in together, no one likes her.”
Madam Zeng brightened, “What about Miss Xu? Her father was a Juren, she’s skilled in medicine, dignified and refined, and literate.”
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