Qian Liniang sat in the carriage with her personal maid, Taohong, looking out with a face full of springtime delight. In the past, she had only been qualified to sit in a carriage with the other concubines, and most of the time she wasn’t even allowed out. Now her carriage was the very first—ahead of Sun Lang’s principal wife, ahead of all the Sun family women!
Qian Liniang’s heart swelled with pride. Just thinking of Sun Bai’s joy in her room last night made the corners of her lips refuse to fall. She was now the most honored woman of the Sun household!
Taohong was equally thrilled, chattering non-stop. She knew exactly why her mistress was so happy. “Madam, this servant sneaked a look earlier. You should’ve seen the eldest madam’s face—black as the bottom of a pot!”
Qian Liniang’s eyes flashed with satisfaction. That principal wife of Sun Lang had tormented her plenty in the past. Now seeing her rise to the status of an equal wife, sitting side by side, even higher than her—of course there was resentment. But was Qian Liniang afraid? Not anymore! She knew the whole Sun family would now treat her like a living bodhisattva—because her younger sister was none other than the Marchioness of the Dingxi Marquisate!
“Madam, your fate is truly blessed! I’ve never heard of a woman of low birth rising from concubine to equal wife. Mark my words, before long you’ll be the main mistress of the household!” Taohong said, full of envy.
Taohong had not originally been assigned to Qian Liniang. She was Sun Bai’s bedservant. But after Qian Liniang was raised to equal wife, Sun Bai had given Taohong to her, so she would have face when she went to the Dingxi Marquis’s residence. Her words were flattery, but the envy was genuine. She and Qian Liniang were of similar background—one a bedservant, one a concubine, neither destined for greatness. Who would’ve thought Qian Liniang would fall into fortune as if a pie had dropped from the heavens, all because of a younger sister who became a marquis’s wife? If that’s not good fate, what is?
Qian Liniang sniffed. “This is nothing. My fate ought to have been even better.”
Back then, when their parents wanted to sell off their daughters, it was for the Xing family to choose between her and Jiaoniang. But she had feared that if she went, she’d end up widowed, tending orphans and widows her whole life. So she played a trick: that night she deliberately poured cold water over herself, caught a chill, and the next day lay feebly in bed, pretending she couldn’t move. So their parents only took Jiaoniang. If she had known Xing Muzheng would return alive and become such a great official, she would never have doused herself in cold water! She was prettier than Jiaoniang—if there had been a choice, Xing Muzheng surely would’ve picked her!
“Madam, what do you mean by that?” Taohong asked, puzzled.
Qian Liniang shook her head and sighed. “Forget it, the past is past. Talking of it is useless. Now I’ve married this man, given him a son—it’s all fate!” Sending Jiaoniang alone to face the Xing family had been out of necessity. In a sense, she had “helped” her. Now that she was firmly part of the Sun family, she chose not to dwell on it.
Taohong laughed. “Madam, did you go out, see all those fine young gentlemen, and now dislike our master? Don’t! Our master is still handsome and dashing, and he dotes on you so much—he treats you like you’re made of glass, always showering you with gold and silver. Try finding another man like that with a lantern!”
Qian Liniang spat lightly, but then her brows relaxed into a smile. She adjusted the golden lotus hairpiece in her hair. “The master is very good to me. Look at this headpiece—just newly made for me. And these gold bangles—he gave them to me only yesterday. My younger sister may be a marquis’s wife, but look at her—where’s her gold and silver? At best, she wears some broken jade hairpin, looking plainer than a Taoist nun.” Then, turning her thoughts, her expression clouded with worry. “Do you think maybe she only holds onto the position of principal wife because of her son, but lacks the marquis’s true affection?” If that were the case, she needed to plan ahead.
That “broken jade hairpin” could buy several of her gold trinkets! Taohong’s eyes flashed with scorn, though her mouth continued flattering. She added cautiously, “Madam, just don’t say such things in front of the Marchioness.”
“You think I’m stupid?” Qian Liniang rolled her eyes. “Ah, every family has its troubles.” Soldiers were all rough men—how could they compare with her Sun Lang, who knew how to cherish women? All she hoped now was that her younger sister lived safely and securely as marchioness, so that she herself could seize the position of the Sun family’s matriarch.
Want to show your support? Go donate at Paypal or Ko-fi to show your appreciation! Want to get early access to at least 10+ chapters in advance? Go to my Patreon to join now! :)
