Chapter 37: A Family Reunion
That Divine Doctor Gao truly possessed some skill. After a day filled with turmoil, a bowl of calming herbal soup plunged Yan Xuerui into a deep, dreamless sleep. She didn’t stir until nearly noon the following day.
Her eyes, rolled with an egg and soothed with a compress the night before, were not swollen, merely a touch red. Unaware of the marital discord, Bi He delicately opened the gilded, carved powder box with an ivory hairpin, gently applying powder to Yan Xuerui’s face.
She playfully teased, "Madam, you're meeting your family today, yet your face is so cold, as if you've suffered some great injustice."
With a light touch, the fine powder, soft as silk, spread across her porcelain skin. Yan Xuerui’s slightly pale cheeks instantly bloomed, like a rosy dawn kissing snow, or a lotus unfurling under moonlight, shimmering with a pearl-like luster in the scattered sunlight.
"This powder is indeed much finer and softer than ordinary lead powder. This box is almost empty; I'll fetch another from the storeroom shortly."
Bi He carefully closed the lid. Though palm-sized, this rouge, if weighed, was more precious than gold. It was a tribute from the palace, reserved for high-ranking imperial concubines. Given the Marquis's close ties with Empress Xu and the Crown Prince, such rare cosmetics were never lacking in their household.
Empress Xu managed the inner court. Each year, during festivals, the palace routinely bestowed gifts upon officials: porcelain, calligraphy, paintings, gold, silver, and jade, all bearing the imperial seal. These could not be sold, only revered like ancestral treasures, signifying respect for royal authority. However, the rewards granted to the Marquis's household were predominantly cosmetics and vanity items for the women.
For instance, silks woven from celestial silkworm threads, brocades that shimmered like flowing light under the sun, exquisitely crafted gilded and kingfisher-feather headpieces, glittering gems and pearls... This was quite unlike other mansions. Bi He was certain this generosity stemmed from the Marquis himself.
Though never explicitly stated, all rewards entered the inner treasury. Yet, the visible masters of the house were few. Such luxurious fabrics and headpieces were unsuitable for the elderly Madam. The second branch had no true mistress. The third branch, though bustling, lacked a male head, and the third madam was gentle and reserved, never one to seek attention.
That left only their beautiful Madam Yan.
In Bi He’s opinion, the Marquis specifically procured these for their madam. Thus, whenever she went to the storeroom, she held her head high, brimming with righteous confidence.
Bi He pondered for a moment, then said, "Oh, by the way, we haven't tailored new clothes this spring. Several bolts of kesi and brocade have just arrived in the storeroom. Shall I fetch them to make spring outfits for you and Miss Ming Wei?"
"No need."
Yan Xuerui’s mind was in turmoil, too preoccupied to consider spring clothes. Her thoughts were consumed by "Cousin Zhixu" in the palace. Their brief encounter yesterday had left her utterly shaken by his current state. Now, with a clearer mind, she felt even more bewildered.
How could she help him?
He was clearly Fang Zhixu, a scholar from Yangzhou—how had he suddenly transformed into "Taoist Master Xu"?
"Taoist Master Xu" was introduced to the palace by the Virtuous Prince, who had always viewed the Marquis of Jingyuan's household as a thorn in his side. What was Cousin Zhixu planning? Was it something detrimental to the Marquis's household?
Yes, he should seek revenge. Gu Yan had wronged him so terribly—an eye for an eye was only natural.
But... but...
Yan Xuerui’s heart felt scorched by fire. She painfully realized how fickle she truly was. She felt she owed Fang Zhixu, wanted to compensate him, find a doctor to heal him, and wished him peace and tranquility for the rest of his life.
She wanted him to be happy.
She didn't want to see him as an enemy of the Marquis's household.
She might be the least qualified person in the world to utter such words. Yet, above her were the Old Madam, her father, her mother; below, the crying, hungry Little Young Slave. Gu Yan was right—she had too many attachments, too much she couldn't let go of.
...
"If not for yourself, Madam, at least consider Miss Ming Wei."
Bi He applied lip color to her mistress's lips, earnestly advising, "Your spring clothes pile up like clouds, but Miss Ming Wei, a proper young lady, wears plain daily robes from the academy. As the saying goes, clothes make the man. Even if Miss Ming Wei is naturally beautiful, it's still too unfair to her."
"Miss Ming Wei is a grown girl now. Unlike men, young women need more care and attention."
Having served Yan Xuerui for three years, Bi He was candid in her presence. She abhorred seeing her mistress slighted. The Marquis's household had tailors measure each master for new clothes every season. Yan Xuerui's clothes from the previous year were still new, so she hadn't ordered any this year. But Bi He felt that last year was last year; even if the madam's figure hadn't changed, the fashionable styles differed each year.
Silk stored for a year dulled in color—how could it compare to the shimmering brilliance of new fabric?
Bi He spoke of clothes without malice, yet her words inadvertently pierced Yan Xuerui's heart. She closed her eyes, her voice weary.
"Very well, do as you suggest."
"Where are Father and Mother? Make haste with my makeup—don't keep them waiting."
***
Since she was meeting her family today, even if Yan Xuerui was indifferent, Bi He put her full effort into her mistress's attire. When Yan Xuerui gracefully arrived at the front hall for guests, her rose-red buttoned top hugged her slender waist, and her rosy brocade skirt flowed down from her waist, its hem subtly embroidered with golden-thread crabapples, each petal adorned with tiny pearls. Sunlight enveloped her, making even her hair seem to glow with a pearl-like radiance.
Yan Father and Yan Mother had last visited their daughter in the capital five or six years ago. After such a long separation, their emotions had swelled during the journey, their eyes already red-rimmed, only to be abruptly interrupted by astonishment. Awkwardly, the imagined scene of a tearful family embrace failed to materialize.
"Ahem. The Marquis's household is indeed wealthy and powerful. Rui'er is well-preserved, unchanged from before."
Yan Father stroked his beard, smoothing over the moment. He was past fifty, tall and thin, with wrinkles crowding the corners of his eyes, though hints of his youthful handsomeness were still visible.
"Father, Mother, please sit. Bi He, serve tea."
Yan Xuerui had felt distant from her Yangzhou family over the years, but with her parents before her, she couldn't remain unmoved. Her father had stooped considerably, and her mother, once fair and plump, had grown thin.
Meeting again is as unpredictable as the stars. Yangzhou and the capital were a thousand miles apart—who knew when they would meet again.
Thinking this, Yan Xuerui felt a pang of sadness. She stepped forward to personally help her parents into armchairs, then glanced at the woman standing silently to the side.
"Xue Fang, you sit too."
As the elder sister who had lived all these years, she felt those childhood grudges should have faded by now.
Yan Xuefang looked up at her, but the dazzling brilliance of her jewels seemed to sting. Yan Xuefang quickly lowered her head and silently sat beside Yan Mother.
"Ah, you two sisters, always at odds since childhood, and even now at this age, you still won't put my mind at ease."
Yan Mother dabbed her slightly red eyes with a handkerchief. Under Gu Yan’s care, the Yan family had prospered in recent years; even the prefect showed them respect. Yan Mother wore dark red silk satin, a jade forehead band on her head. She was plump and kindly, and she sat there like a benevolent, wealthy old lady.
She said, "You are sisters, connected by blood even if bones break. Family should support each other, not grow distant."
Yan Xuerui paused at this, gently lowering her eyelashes.
"Yes. I understand."
The initial joy and sorrow of seeing her parents suddenly faded considerably.
Her mother had treated her well; she shouldn't ask for more. Yet her sensitive nature always noticed subtle differences.
Her father and mother coming to the capital wasn't just to accompany her "adopted brother" for the imperial exams. Her mother's immediate advice suggested Xue Fang was in difficulty.
Originally, she became Gu Yan's concubine as a bargaining chip. Gu Yan gave the Yan family many benefits, one of which was Xue Fang's marriage. She married the son of a Yangzhou educational official—an official family, upright and respectable, and the young master was said to be handsome. Such a match was beyond the Yan family's reach before.
Xue Fang had a good life after marriage. Before she gave birth to Ming Wei, her mother's sparse letters conveyed her happiness.
A mother would naturally be glad her daughter was well.
Later, perhaps it was a case of 'those whom the gods love die young'—her young, ill-fated brother-in-law succumbed to illness just after passing the provincial exams, leaving Xue Fang alone to raise a son and daughter.
Yan Xuerui had sighed over it at the time. Fortunately, her in-laws had some influence in Yangzhou, and the Yan family was improving. Later, they adopted a son to continue the family line. With a brother's support, Xue Fang, as a widow, lived better than most women.
At their age, Xue Fang’s difficulties...
Yan Xuerui took a sip of tea and said softly, "Father, Mother, after your long journey, are your bodies holding up?"
"Well, well, your father and I are still hardy, not afraid of travel."
Lady Yan chuckled softly, gazing at her eldest daughter seated at the head of the room, whose radiant jade-white skin gleamed under pearl-adorned netting. Though her heart swelled with affection, the years of separation and the barrier of her status now made it hard to feel close.
She was no longer just their daughter. Moments earlier in the hall, when she remained standing, not a soul in the room dared to sit before her. She was the Marquess’s wife. They had grown timid in front of their son-in-law, not daring to act as authoritative parents-in-law, and now, faced with Yan Xuerui, they found themselves lacking confidence as well.
Ah, children are both a blessing and a burden.
With a quiet sigh in her heart, Lady Yan knew what needed to be said.
She addressed Yan Xuerui, "Rui'er, your father and I may be old bones, but that’s of little concern. It’s your niece and nephew—the two children have weak constitutions. The long journey has left them vomiting and with diarrhea. They’re still resting in the residence."
"When they’ve recovered, I’ll have them come pay their respects to you. One is named Yun Jing, the other Yun Shu. They’re both good children."
"Especially our Yun Shu. She’s just fifteen, cultured and graceful, with a beauty as lovely as flowers and fair as the moon. Suitors have been beating down our door coming to propose."
"Ah, but that girl has high standards and hasn’t taken a liking to any of them. She thinks Yangzhou is too small a place, so she seized the chance to accompany your brother to the capital for the imperial exams, hoping to try her luck in marriage here."
Yan Xuerui listened quietly, then lifted her gaze. "So, my sister has come all this way to ask me to arrange a marriage for her daughter?"
"Why use the word 'ask'? It sounds so unpleasant."
Yan Xuefang couldn’t help retorting. Time had left its mark on her—now in her thirties, she did no manual labor, and though no frost-white streaks showed in her hair, fine wrinkles had begun to show at the corners of her eyes and brows, impossible to hide even with the thickest powder.
Having been widowed for years, she wore a loose, dark purple satin robe, with exquisitely crafted hairpins and bracelets adorning her. The two sisters had never gotten along since childhood, and even knowing her elder sister’s elevated status, she had no desire to be outshone.
At first glance, even without the fine clothes and jewelry, the difference between them was clear. Yan Xuefang clenched her fists in her sleeves, her heart a mix of shock and envy.
Does she use some dark magic? Even the greatest beauties eventually fade with age—no one can escape time’s erosion. Why does she not grow old?
Impossible!