Marrying The Imperial Elder Chapter 24

Feeling her parents’ approving gazes, Zhen Yiyun was secretly pleased. Outwardly, however, she continued to play the role of the good elder sister, trying to smooth things over. “Second Sister, Little Brother only misspoke in the heat of the moment. I hope you won’t take it to heart.”

However, Zhen Tingyun did not respond.

A look of surprise appeared on Zhen Yiyun’s face as she looked at her closely. “Second Sister, surely you aren’t unwilling to forgive Little Brother?”

Zhen Tingyun shook her head. “Elder Sister has misunderstood. We’re family. I’m not so narrow-minded as that. The reason I didn’t speak isn’t because I refuse to forgive Little Brother. I simply wanted to hear Father’s and Mother’s opinions first. They say an elder brother is like a father and an elder sister is like a mother, but our parents are still here. As children, we should first listen to our parents’ teachings before discussing anything else.”

After all, Father Zhen and Madam Pei were present. Even if they were not, there was still Old Lady Zhen. For Zhen Yiyun, the eldest sister, to jump out and take charge of the situation at this moment seemed a bit too eager to show herself off.

As she spoke, Zhen Tingyun tilted her head slightly toward Father Zhen. Her dark hair was piled like clouds, her fair cheeks partly revealed, and a small dimple appeared beside her face, making her look bright and charming. “Father, am I right?”

Father Zhen had already intended to lecture his son. Seeing his youngest daughter smiling at him now, he could not help laughing as well. Teasing her, he asked: “What is it, Ting Jie’er? Are you trying to say, ‘If a son is not taught properly, the fault lies with the father’?”

Zhen Tingyun merely pursed her lips in a smile, wearing an expression that seemed to say:

Since you already know, I won’t bother saying it.

Looking at his youngest daughter’s clever and lively manner, Father Zhen felt no offense. Instead, he was pleased.

He thought that father and daughter truly shared a natural bond. Somehow, they seemed able to understand each other without words.

Comforted by the thought, he nevertheless kept a stern expression on his face.

Turning toward his youngest son, he snorted and rebuked him sharply: “What have I taught you all these years?! Apologize to your Second Sister at once!”

After being scolded by his elder sister and then reprimanded by his father, Zhen Hengzhe was already regretful. He immediately lowered his head and apologized to Zhen Tingyun. “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have said that.”

Zhen Tingyun did not hold it against him. Smiling, she reached out and took his hand into hers, truly looking like a close pair of siblings. Then she joked self-deprecatingly: “I know Little Brother only said those things because he’s worried about me. To be honest, I worry about not passing the examination myself…”

Then she looked up at Father Zhen, her eyes bright.

Playfully she added: “When I was at home, Grandmother often told me stories about Father. I heard that even the stubborn donkeys in the village that refused to obey anyone would become perfectly well-behaved when they saw Father. He sounded incredibly impressive. After seeing Father today, I can tell Grandmother wasn’t exaggerating!”

Zhen “Stubborn Donkey” Hengzhe: “…”

Although Father Zhen was still wearing a stern expression, he could not help being amused by his daughter’s joke. Pretending to be angry, he scolded: “Mischievous girl!”

Fortunately, this was exactly the sort of topic Old Lady Zhen loved. Immediately forgetting the previous disagreement, she launched into one story after another praising her son, recounting old incidents as vividly as though they had happened yesterday.

The atmosphere, which had been tense only moments earlier, became much more relaxed. Only Zhen Yiyun bit her lip slightly. The look she gave Zhen Tingyun grew deeper and more thoughtful.

Meanwhile, Father Zhen became increasingly filial as old memories resurfaced. Personally supporting Old Lady Zhen, he escorted her back to her courtyard to rest.

By the time they emerged from Old Lady Zhen’s courtyard, night had fully fallen.

Father Zhen still had court duties the next morning, so he did not linger. He instructed the servants to escort Zhen Hengzhe back to his own courtyard. Then he had Zhen Yiyun, as the eldest sister, take Zhen Tingyun back to rest. As for himself, he returned to the main courtyard with Madam Pei on his arm.

In truth, Father Zhen had spent many years separated from both his mother and youngest daughter and had always missed them greatly. Now that they had finally reunited, he was genuinely delighted. As a result, he had drunk a little too much. After washing up, he went to bed early and lay down to rest.

Madam Pei, however, had matters weighing on her mind.

She dismissed the maids and attended to herself.

Changing into a simple household dress, she sat before her mirror and slowly removed her hairpins and jewelry one by one.

A peachwood comb passed through her glossy black hair, smooth as silk. Her raven-dark locks spilled down around her shoulders, shining enough to reflect light. Even the face reflected in the mirror remained as beautiful and radiant as in years past. Time seemed to have treated her with unusual kindness.

More than ten years had passed in the blink of an eye, yet she remained graceful and lovely, almost like a young maiden.

But no matter how youthful and beautiful she appeared, she was already the mother of three children. Her two daughters had grown into graceful young women, like flower buds on the branches in early spring, poised to bloom at any moment.

For some reason, Madam Pei found herself filled with emotion that evening.

After waiting for a while without seeing her come to bed, Father Zhen finally called out: “Yuanjun, it’s getting late. You should come rest.”

Unlike her husband, Madam Pei was not so carefree. She sighed softly. Without turning around or rising from her seat, she continued staring at her reflection in the mirror. In a low voice she replied: “How could I possibly sleep?”

Resting his head on one hand, Father Zhen asked: “Why can’t you sleep?”

Madam Pei answered calmly: “I’ve been thinking about what happened back then. Thinking about our Ting Jie’er. Whenever I do, my heart feels as though it’s burning, and I simply cannot sleep.”

At the mention of this, Father Zhen’s smile vanished. Somewhat awkwardly, he said: “Why bring that up all of a sudden?”

The truth was that Father Zhen understood perfectly well what Madam Pei meant. But he was a man who excelled in public affairs while often preferring comfortable ambiguity in family matters. Now that the family had finally reunited and everyone appeared happy, he had chosen not to think too deeply about the future.

For him, it was enough to enjoy the happiness of the moment.

Madam Pei, however, was a careful and thoughtful woman. Naturally, she considered matters more far-sightedly.

Tracing the patterns engraved on the bronze mirror with her eyes, she sighed. “In youth, husband and wife are companions; in old age, they are each other’s support. Whether parents or children, none of them can accompany us for our entire lives. You and I are husband and wife. We are meant to grow old together. There are some things I do not wish to keep from you.”

Father Zhen paused, then said softly, “Yuanjun…”

Madam Pei ignored him. Her long lashes lowered slightly, as if she had sunk into some inexpressible train of thought.

As though recalling those difficult days, she unconsciously pressed her red lips together and spoke in an extremely low, gentle voice: “You know it too, back then, I truly had no other choice. That year Father was reinstated to office, and Mother and my sisters-in-law all returned to the capital with him. Coincidentally, the new emperor had just ascended the throne and was opening a special imperial examination. A few months later, you were also going to the capital to sit for the exams. I was left alone at home, without even a single person around whom I could talk to… And Ting Jie’er was a girl. The moment she was born, Mother-in-law became terribly angry. When I got up the next day, there was only rice porridge for me to eat… At the time I was furious beyond endurance. After finally struggling through my confinement month, I carried our daughter and went to the capital to find you. In my heart I even blamed you as well. I thought: if you dislike this, then we might as well separate and I’ll simply return to my parents’ home!”

They had been husband and wife for many years and their feelings ran deep.

Hearing these words now, Father Zhen remembered how his wife had looked when she arrived in the capital carrying their eldest daughter. His heart softened with pain.

Ordinary women were usually somewhat plump and fair after childbirth, but Madam Pei had not recovered properly during her confinement. Later, leading two maidservants and carrying her eldest daughter, she hurried all the way to the capital. By the time she arrived, she was pale and gaunt, dark circles beneath her eyes, so thin it seemed she was nothing but skin and bones, sustained only by a single breath.

Thinking back on it, Father Zhen felt miserable and could not help sighing heavily. “I wronged you. Back then, I never should have left you alone at home.”

Madam Pei pressed her lips together and continued: “At the time, I intended to bring both daughters with me. Whether it was Yi Jie’er or Ting Jie’er, they were both flesh of my flesh. I loved them equally in my heart. Besides, Ting Jie’er had only just been born. She was such a tiny little thing. The moment she was separated from me, she cried without stopping, and every cry softened my heart… But… but she was just too young! Yiyun was crying badly as well. She hugged me and said, ‘Mother, little sister is so tiny. Will she get sick on the journey?’ My heart softened then. I couldn’t bear to make Ting Jie’er suffer such a rough journey with me, and so I left her behind.”

In truth, after arriving in the capital, she had worried greatly about the young daughter she had left behind. More than once she had considered bringing her to the capital and had casually mentioned it in front of her eldest daughter.

At the time, Yiyun had been curled up in her arms, tilting her head, her large black eyes wide open, looking pitifully adorable.

She had said: “Mother, if little sister comes, will Grandmother come too?”

It was the innocent words of a child.

Yet that single sentence pierced Madam Pei’s heart like a needle, bringing back memories of those unbearable days after giving birth to her younger daughter.

At that time, she had lain alone in a dim room. She struggled and writhed for most of a day, her strength nearly exhausted, yet the child still had not been born.

She had been terrified and worried, crying until she nearly ran out of tears.

Her husband and her natal family were thousands of miles away. Beside her were only her two-year-old eldest daughter and two useless maidservants. Her mother-in-law was sharp-tongued and cruel. Had she died on that bed, she feared no one would even have known.

At long last, after narrowly escaping death, she gave birth to the child.

The midwife took one look and said: “It’s a girl.”

The smile immediately vanished from her mother-in-law’s face.

She turned and left at once.

Madam Pei was left lying alone on the bed, which had not yet been cleaned. Her entire body was soaked in sweat, the bedding beneath her drenched in blood, a miserable and pathetic sight. Like an old stray dog on a winter street, frozen so badly its fur was falling out.

Her mother-in-law was furious. She immediately dismissed the kitchen servant responsible for her meals. For all three daily meals, Madam Pei was given nothing but rice porridge. She was so hungry she could barely sleep at night. She secretly cried several times. Even her breast milk was insufficient, forcing her infant daughter to go hungry with her. The baby was tiny and needed something in her mouth in order to sleep. Otherwise she would whimper and sob endlessly, her cries as faint as a kitten’s.

Madam Pei had nearly believed she would die there.

…

And so, Madam Pei quietly abandoned the idea of bringing her daughter to the capital. She never mentioned it again.

Recalling all this now, Madam Pei closed her eyes briefly before slowly opening them again. In a low voice she said: “I never imagined that leaving her behind would turn into thirteen years.”

In the blink of an eye, her daughter was already thirteen years old.

Toward this daughter, Madam Pei indeed harbored some reservations and dislike. Yet she was still the girl’s mother. There remained at least a little of a mother’s guilt and pity, and she tried her best to treat her kindly.

Thinking back on these matters, Father Zhen felt deeply emotional as well. “This isn’t your fault. Mother and Ting Jie’er have both returned now. Mother has become much kinder these days, and Ting Jie’er is so clever and lively, always talking and laughing, just like you were when you were young. I like her very much as well… Our whole family is reunited now. Let’s not dwell on those old matters anymore.”

Madam Pei could not help but give a bitter smile. “How can I not think about them? You said it yourself, she’s clever and eloquent, perhaps even more so than Yi Jie’er. But Ting Jie’er grew up in that place, by Mother’s side, until she was thirteen years old. The more I think about it, the more worried I become… “

“And she’s already thirteen!”

“A crooked sapling can still be pruned and guided back upright. But a grown tree has already taken shape. At her age, in just a few more years she’ll reach her hairpin ceremony and it will be time to discuss marriage. I don’t dare hope for a family of equal status. Marriage is an important matter. People marry a wife to live together for a lifetime; it wouldn’t do to turn a marriage alliance into a feud. But if we marry her into a lower-ranking family, then with her elder sister there as a comparison, I’m afraid the child will resent us.”

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