Chapter 41: A Long-Lost Sense of Ease
Ming Lan, clad in a crisp, frost-colored round-collared brocade robe, its lapels and cuffs subtly embroidered with silver-threaded pine and bamboo patterns, cut a striking figure. His jet-black hair was swept up and secured by a white jade crown, his sword-like brows angled sharply towards his temples, and his nose was tall and straight—the very image of a coolly handsome young man.
"Mother."
He bowed slightly, his voice laced with concern: "How is your health? Are you feeling better?"
Yan Xuerui's cheeks flushed faintly. This was a chronic ailment, a common affliction for women, yet Gu Yan had made such a fuss. His mother had sent an inquiry, and now even her children were worried.
She gently assured him she was well, telling Ming Lan not to trouble himself over her. Then, her gaze shifted to the niece she had never met.
The young girl, dressed in a pink *ruqun*, had a face like a lotus blossom, eyebrows like crescent moons, and delicate nose and cherry lips—truly as beautiful as Yan's mother had described, with a countenance like a flower and grace like the moon.
She was so young, at an age like a flower bud yet to bloom, yet it was a pity...
Yan Xuerui sighed inwardly, her expression betraying nothing. She instructed a servant to present Zhou Yunshu with a pair of sapphire-blue kingfisher-feather and pearl butterfly hairpins, a gilded vine-patterned swaying hairpin, a pair of lustrous, translucent jade bracelets, and a suet jade pendant. The items were chosen for their exquisite quality rather than quantity, and for Zhou Yunshu, they were already quite valuable.
Zhou Yunshu lowered her head slightly, toying with the jade bracelet her aunt had just gifted her. The bracelet was smooth and radiant, its green hue shimmering with a watery luminescence, utterly flawless.
It was far superior to anything her grandmother had given her.
Zhou Yunshu smiled brightly, her voice sweet and playful: "Thank you, Aunt."
Her words were quick-witted and vivacious, a stark contrast to Yan Xuefang's sharp and acrimonious manner. Yan Xuerui did not wish to let past grievances affect the younger generation, but Yunshu, being young, revealed her thoughts plainly before Yan Xuerui.
She was an ambitious girl.
Yan Xuerui took a delicate sip of tea and said, "Your grandmother has already spoken to me about your matter. Today, I wish to ask you: what kind of young man do you have in mind? So I can have a clear understanding."
A hint of shyness flickered across Yunshu's face. She lifted her head, boldly stating, "Yunshu asks for little. I only wish for a husband's family to be wealthy and influential, with a prominent household. That is enough."
Yan Xuerui frowned slightly, saying, "Aiming too high might prove an ill match."
"Whether it's a match or not, one must try to know," Yunshu replied nonchalantly.
She gazed at her aunt, who, though over thirty, still possessed skin like jade and a complexion like peach blossoms. Despite being the same age as her mother, the two were worlds apart. This was the nourishment of power and privilege.
Due to Yan Xuerui, the Yan family held considerable prestige in Yangzhou. As a child, Yunshu had often yearned for her aunt in the capital. When she inquired of her mother, Yan Xuefang would wear a look of disgust and scold:
"What is there to envy? She's merely a concubine. Sooner or later, she'll grow old, lose her looks, and be cast aside."
Yunshu had been bewildered then, but years passed, and her aunt not only lived well but was also elevated from concubine to the legitimate Marchioness.
Having been thoroughly instructed by her mother, who claimed her aunt possessed nothing but a pretty face, Yunshu reasoned that if her aunt could achieve such a feat, then she, being young and beautiful, certainly could too.
Her own family background was far superior to the Yan family's back then. With the momentum provided by the Marquis estate, her future prospects might even outshine her aunt's. By then, what would a mere Prince Su's Mansion amount to?
The public humiliation she suffered when the Prince Su's Mansion openly attacked her family had left Yunshu mortified and deeply resentful, holding a lasting grudge against them.
The man she would marry in the future must be exceptionally noble. As this thought crossed her mind, her gaze subtly shifted towards the coldly composed young man sitting upright. The Marquis's eldest son, yet unmarried, was rumored to have a clean household, without even a concubine or maid.
Her uncle had eyes only for her aunt. Like father, like son; Cousin Ming Lan was surely not a philanderer. But she wondered what exact rank her uncle held. In the capital, marquises and earls were as numerous as ox hair—what was the status of the Marquis of Jingyuan's estate? How did it compare to the Prince Su's Mansion in Yangzhou...
"There are quite a few suitable families for you in the capital," Yan Xuerui interjected, interrupting the girl's reverie. "But if we exclude those with poor character, lacking ambition, unsuitable age, or already married with children, the remaining options are few."
"And if you further insist on a wealthy and influential family, it becomes even more difficult."
The Marquis estate had a simple household, and the Old Madam managed it with strict discipline. The inner quarters of the Marquis estate had always been peaceful, but Yan Xuerui knew that not every household was like this. Even in the small courtyard of the Yan family, she and Xuefang had quarreled. The larger the household, the more sordid secrets lurked within its inner chambers.
Moreover, Gu Yan had mentioned Yunshu's affairs in Yangzhou. Wealthy and influential families, when choosing a wife, would meticulously investigate three generations of her ancestry. Based on reputation alone, Yunshu would not be able to enter such a household.
Yan Xuerui said, "I believe it's unnecessary to focus on family background. What matters most is the man's character and conduct."
"How can one not consider family background?" Yunshu retorted, her large dark eyes wide, her words innocent yet cruel.
"If Uncle hadn't had such an influential family background back then, why would Aunt have been willing to become a concubine? Aunt herself entered the Marquis's gates, so why should I marry into an insignificant family? I refuse."
"Cousin, mind your tongue."
Before Yan Xuerui could speak, Ming Lan, who had been silently observing, suddenly darkened his expression.
Today, Ming Lan was not on duty. Usually, he could only share a cup of tea with his mother. Sometimes, if Yan Xuerui rose late, they might not see each other all day. Today, he had intended to show his filial devotion by his mother's side but had unexpectedly encountered his cousin from Yangzhou.
Raised under Gu Yan's tutelage and having trained with Gu Yuan in the northwest during his youth, he had never visited Yangzhou and held only a perfunctory regard for his grandmother's family. Now, with Yunshu speaking disrespectfully to his mother in his presence, Ming Lan, as her son, could not tolerate it.
He looked at Yunshu, his cold eyes sharp. "Under the roof of our Marquis estate, lacking respect for hierarchy is disloyalty; disrespecting elders is unfilial; speaking recklessly is untrustworthiness. Is this how the Zhou family raises its daughters?"
Ming Lan's features bore a strong resemblance to Gu Yan's. When he glared at someone with a stern face, the pressure was immense—even men found it hard to withstand, let alone a young girl like Yunshu. She, who had been pampered and cherished at home, was now so frightened that her eyes welled up. Not daring to look at Ming Lan, she turned to Yan Xuerui to complain.
"Aunt—look at him!"
Yan Xuerui rubbed her temples, a headache brewing. After all, Yunshu was a guest. She offered a few words of comfort and asked Bi He to escort the young lady back to her courtyard first. Yunshu, being stubborn, reluctantly hesitated until Yan Xuerui's expression hardened, and she said:
"Be obedient."
These were two words Gu Yan often said to her: "Be obedient." Subconsciously, when Yan Xuerui uttered them, her tone was firm, completely unlike the gentle aunt of moments before.
Yunshu shot Ming Lan an unwilling glare and stormed off. Ming Lan frowned deeply, then rose and bowed to Yan Xuerui.
"Mother, your son admits his fault."
He wasn't apologizing for scolding Yunshu, but for not considering the occasion and making things difficult for his mother.
People had their varying degrees of closeness, especially when it came to defending herself. Yan Xuerui waved for him to sit down. "It's not your fault."
Even towards Yunshu, who had spoken disrespectfully in front of her, she wasn't truly angry. In her eyes, Yunshu was merely an insignificant junior, a child. What could she possibly understand?
All she knew was what the elders had taught her through their words and actions.
To this day, Yan Xuerui couldn't fathom why, when Gu Yan was recuperating at the Yan residence, Xuefang had exchanged letters with him, and why her signature had been accompanied by that ambiguous snowflake.
That misunderstanding had ruined her life!
In Xuefang's narrative, it became her coveting Gu Yan's family background and social climbing.
Yan Xuerui possessed a gentle temperament, but she was not a desireless saint. In that moment, she truly wished to summon Yan Xuefang and directly question her: was that snowflake truly just a coincidence? Or was it intentional?
Why did she do it? What right did she have!
In front of Ming Lan, Yan Xuerui suppressed her surging emotions and gently steered the conversation away. Ming Lan had always been perceptive. Since his mother did not wish to speak of it, he changed the subject to cheer her up.
"Mother, I've recently seen Young Master Su frequently visiting Father's study. Perhaps good news is imminent for our household."
Ming Lan offered comfort, knowing that his sister and Su Huaimo had always been a source of worry for his mother.
This Su Huaimo—back when his sister pursued him, he was as cold as ice. If Ming Lan hadn't been in the northwest, he would have long since beaten him up in a sack. His sister, the Marquis estate's young lady, and he dared to be choosy?
Just when his foolish sister finally came to her senses, that fellow suddenly had a change of heart. Ming Wei still harbored feelings, and the two were once again caught in their push-and-pull romance. Ming Lan didn't understand the romantic entanglements of young people, but he could see that Ming Wei couldn't let go of Su Huaimo.
A daughter grown is like water spilled—hard to keep close. But Su Huaimo’s status was sensitive, and getting their father's approval would be tough. Their mother intended to matchmake the two,
but their father hadn't given his blessing yet. Hearing this news, shouldn’t Mother be happy?
Indeed, Yan Xuerui leaned forward slightly, a puzzled expression on her face.
"Young Master Su came to the Marquis’s estate? When? How come I didn't know?"
She had hinted at it with Gu Yan a few times since, but he neither agreed nor disagreed, only saying, "Let’s wait and see." He had never mentioned Su Huaimo visiting the estate.
Ming Lan thought for a moment and said, "It was around dusk, when the sky was dim. I almost thought I’d mistaken him for someone else."
But upon a closer look, he was commanding and refined, like fine jade or orchids—in terms of appearance alone, there was truly no fault to be found.
Yan Xuerui found it even stranger. "Who visits at dusk?"
Even without Ming Wei’s involvement, when ordinary people visit, they set out in the morning and leave before noon. Otherwise, when mealtime arrives, should the host invite them to stay or not?
It was an unwritten rule.
At the time, Ming Lan had been on his way to spar with his second uncle and hadn’t given it much thought. But now, upon reflection—
He said, "He’s taking the imperial examination this year and is a scholar from the Upright faction. Openly visiting the chief examiner wouldn’t be appropriate."
The explanation was reasonable, yet Yan Xuerui felt something was off. Gu Yan knew how much she cared about Ming Wei—why would he hide this from her?
Yan Xuerui rubbed her temples irritably. Fortunately, although her daughter was trouble, Ming Lan was level-headed and dependable. He offered to investigate further to ease his mother’s worries.
Yan Xuerui felt comforted. Coincidentally, she needed to find a good bone doctor. If she asked Ming Lan for help...
The moment the thought crossed her mind, she immediately recalled Gu Yan’s words: "What do you think that would do to Ming Lan?"
Even when he wasn’t by her side, it was as though an invisible chain bound her tightly, giving her no way out.
In the end, Yan Xuerui said nothing.
***
The triennial imperial examination arrived as scheduled. As the chief examiner, Gu Yan was overwhelmed with duties, leaving Yan Xuerui with a welcome respite. She invited several wives to the estate for a gathering.
But when it came to marriage, fate played a significant role. Ming Lan seemed easygoing on the surface, saying, "As long as she’s gentle, virtuous, and can serve by Mother’s side." She searched for gentle and virtuous candidates, but after meeting them, Ming Lan would bluntly say, "None are as beautiful as Mother."
After this happened a few times, seeing Yan Xuerui’s displeasure, he quickly added, "As long as Mother approves, I’m fine with anyone."
It left Yan Xuerui at her wit's end. Wasn’t she going to all this trouble to find Ming Lan a wife who would truly suit him? Whether it was Ming Lan or Ming Wei, she wanted to do everything in her power to ensure their marriages were fulfilling.
As for Yun Shu—
After stomping off that day, Yun Shu was later scolded by Lady Yan and came to the main courtyard to apologize. Yan Xuerui had no time to hold a grudge against a junior, but as she had suspected, Yun Shu was truly unsuited for marriage into a powerful family.
The matches she selected for Yun Shu were all from respectable but lower-ranking official families. Yun Shu didn’t take a liking to any of them. However, as it turned out, Yan Xuerui ended up befriending some sisters through this process.
Previously, those around Yan Xuerui had been Gu Yan’s informants. They treated her well, with respectful caution, but Yan Xuerui never felt at ease with them. Later, when she hosted a grand Flowerviewing Banquet, she encountered many judgmental looks. Their husbands were either part of the Crown Prince's faction or the Virtuous Prince Faction. Even if they wished to befriend her, they had to consider the factions behind them—it was always a surface-level friendship.
This time, none of the wives she invited were from high-ranking officials. What did it matter who became emperor—the Crown Prince or the Virtuous Prince? It wouldn’t affect their husbands’ salaries. These wives were often from common backgrounds, straightforward and frank. Being with them, Yan Xuerui felt a sense of ease she hadn't felt in ages.