The day the message from Fuchang Marquis’s residence arrived, it coincided with Duan Qi’s entrance examination.
Fuchang Marquis’s residence had agreed to the marriage, which wasn’t a surprise to Mingxi, but she was still a bit taken aback by how quickly they made their decision.
She passed the message along to Xiao Muchen.
Soon, Consort Shu from the palace took action, choosing a good day to invite several ladies to the palace for tea. The Emperor was even invited to attend.
“At the tea party, Consort Shu praised the Emperor for the marriage he arranged for Duan Wang and suddenly asked the attending ladies about their children’s marriages. Just so happened, the second daughter of Fuchang Marquis’s residence was unmarried, and the young shizi of Duke Wei’s residence had not been engaged. Consort Shu asked the two ladies for their opinion and specifically asked the Emperor to grant the marriage.”
“Such a pity, if I had been at that banquet, perhaps this marriage could have been arranged for my own daughter.”
“Why did Duchess Wei pick the second daughter of Fuchang Marquis’s residence? If it’s for the shizi, they should have chosen the legitimate eldest daughter.”
“Fuchang Marquis’s residence has always had a good reputation. I’ve seen Miss Xiao Ling. She’s graceful and dignified. What’s wrong with her? Besides, families from military backgrounds don’t care too much about such things.”
Mingxi, sitting in Yuxian Tower, overheard the conversations of a few ladies drinking tea and chatting. She pondered over the methods Consort Shu had used to arrange this marriage, but she never expected her to leverage the Emperor’s power.
An imperial marriage grant—who would dare to refuse?
Duke Cao’s residence, the Empress, or even the Crown Prince—no matter if they knew this was a scheme, they could not openly oppose it.
The marriage negotiations between Duke Cao’s residence and Duke Wei’s residence had always been conducted secretly, with Duke Cao’s pressure on Duke Wei’s family, who had yet to give their consent.
Such behind-the-scenes maneuvers, even with Duke Cao’s thick skin, they were in a tough spot—whether they accepted the situation or not, they were in a losing position.
This truly was a case of getting the best of both worlds.
Mingxi admired the move.
The marriage between Fuchang Marquis’s residence and Duke Wei’s residence, granted by the Emperor, became the talk of the capital.
Duan Qi’s results were posted on the exam list, and the Dingyuan Marquis residence received the news with great joy. Though he had only passed the preliminary exams and earned the title of “Xiucai”, they didn’t make a big deal of it, only setting off firecrackers at the door and giving the servants a month’s worth of wages.
Madam Jiang was overjoyed to the point of tears. Yang Yiniang’s son was literate, and she had been holding back her breath for a long time. Now that her younger son had passed the provincial examination and returned as a Xiucai, she could finally hold her head up high and sweep away the gloom of recent months. She even felt the wind in her steps as she walked.
After hearing the news, Yang Yiniang fell silent for a long while. Duan Qingyin, looking at her, spoke softly, “Yiniang, Brother has worked very hard in his studies, and maybe next year he will return as a Jinshi.”
Yang Yiniang gave a faint smile and looked at her daughter, speaking gently, “Do you think I’m not happy?”
Duan Qingyin nodded.
But Yang Yiniang said, “You’re wrong. I’m not unhappy. I’m just thinking that now it’s better, the third young master has passed the exam, so Madam’s attention will no longer be focused on your brother.”
“Yiniang?”
Yang Yiniang huffed, “At my age, I can’t compare to a young girl. Madam has recently sent two young girls, full of life, to the study. I wonder if she’s trying to observe me.”
Although she took great care of herself, after bearing two children and with age, she couldn’t compare to a young girl.
She had always known when to be flexible and when to stand firm. If she couldn’t live off her looks, she’d have to rely on her children.
Second Young Master’s literary talent had earned her respect, but Madam viewed things differently.
With the eldest daughter now present, Madam no longer dared to act as she had before, but her biological son’s success in studying and achieving fame would certainly draw Madam’s attention away from her son.
Her son could never inherit the family wealth and title; he could only succeed through studying and advancing.
For the sake of her child, she was willing to take a step back, hoping that Madam would no longer target her. She would also treat Madam more respectfully in the future.
What was wrong with lowering her head?
She was a concubine, after all. If she wanted the same status as the legitimate wife, that would truly be disgraceful.
Yang Yiniang looked at her daughter, “This is the sachet I embroidered myself, symbolizing a bright future. Please pass it to the third young master as my congratulations.”
“Alright.” Duan Qingyin accepted it.
The household hosted a banquet to celebrate, with everyone gathering together. Only those studying outside were absent.
The old master was very pleased and felt greatly reassured.
Although the news was not publicly announced by the Dingyuan family, it still spread. After all, many people had seen the list of successful candidates, and many came to congratulate them.
Madam Jiang’s face was radiant with joy, and she walked with an air of confidence.
When Mingxi returned from the manor, she immediately heard that Madam Jiang had punished Yang Yiniang by making her kneel. She stopped in her tracks. “Why did she punish Yang Yiniang?”
Yang Yiniang was an intelligent woman. Mingxi had previously given her a hint, and she should have understood. She supported Duan Ning, but she didn’t want to cause discord in the family.
Yang Yiniang had been quiet these past few months. Even when Madam Jiang had slapped her last time, she stepped back for the sake of her son and did not escalate matters.
Xiangxiang followed closely beside the eldest young lady, whispering as they walked, “Madam Jiang came today to congratulate Third Young Master on passing his examination. I don’t know what she said to Madam, but after she left, Madam immediately summoned Yang Yiniang. Not long after, news spread that Yang Yiniang was being punished by kneeling.”
The Jiang family again!
Mingxi let out a cold laugh. Ever since Jiang Bingyuan’s incident, relations between the Jiang family and the Marquis family had been tense.
Since Duan Qi had studied at the Jiang family’s academy for years, now that he had passed the examination, Madam Jiang took the opportunity to visit. The Jiang family was certainly pleased, and the Old Madam wouldn’t be able to simply turn her away. If word got out, people would only criticize the Marquis family for being ungrateful.
Duan Mingxi didn’t even return to her own courtyard but instead turned around and headed straight for Yang Yiniang’s quarters.
“Eldest Young Lady,” Xiangxiang hurriedly tried to stop her, “shouldn’t you greet the Old Madam first?”
Mingxi knew Xiangxiang meant well, but she shook her head and continued on her way.
Xiangxiang immediately followed. She had only been thinking that since Third Young Master had just passed the exam, it would be best not to make Madam lose face and put him in a difficult position.
But since the Eldest Young Lady had made up her mind, there was no point in worrying. Whatever the young lady decided, they, as servants, would follow.
“Yiniang, the Eldest Young Lady is here,” Cai Juan rushed into the bedroom to report.
Yang Yiniang was surprised and quickly got up to greet her, only to see the curtain lift as the eldest young lady walked straight in.
“Eldest Young Miss, why have you come at this hour?” Yang Yiniang stepped forward in haste, but having knelt for too long, she stumbled and nearly fell.
Mingxi stepped forward to support her. “I came to see you, not to watch you suffer. Sit down first. Have you had a physician look at your legs?”
Yang Yiniang hesitated slightly before shaking her head. “Not yet.”
Mingxi turned to Cai Juan. “Why didn’t you call for a physician? Can you not even summon one now?”
Cai Juan’s eyes reddened, and she immediately knelt. “Eldest Young Lady, it’s not that this servant wouldn’t go, but Yiniang refused to let me. Eldest Young Lady, please save Second Young Master. Madam is forcing Yiniang to agree to Second Young Master marrying a concubine-born daughter from the Jiang family. Yiniang refuses, which is why she was punished.”
