Chapter 14: They Have Arrived

“You! Do you think I’m giving you face? How dare you speak to me like that! Qi Qi has always been gentle and kind—what right do you have to compare yourself to her? Believe it or not, tomorrow I’ll tell Father to send you back to the countryside! Even without you, Qi Qi will still win the favor of the Emperor and Empress Dowager. The Marquis’s residence doesn’t need you!”

Wen Zehan hadn’t expected Wen Qiao, who had just been smiling moments ago, to suddenly change her expression. His imposing aura weakened slightly, no longer as fierce as when he first arrived.

“Just you wait. I’ll let you off this time, but don’t think you’ve really made a stand in this mansion!”

Wen Zehan flicked his sleeve, his eyes rolling until they landed on a beautiful glass coral piece displayed on a shelf. Instantly, he found a way to save face and lunged forward to clutch the coral in his arms.

Once he put some distance between himself and Wen Qiao, his courage seemed to return, and he snarled, “This coral suits Qi Qi perfectly. Keeping it with you is a waste. You probably don’t even know its value. If you won’t have it, just give it to Qi Qi.”

“That’s...”

Dai Qiao was about to protest but was stopped by Wen Qiao pressing down on her hand.

“Fine, if Third Brother thinks Seventh Sister will like it, then just take it to her. I don’t appreciate such things anyway.”

“Hmph, consider yourself wise!”

Wen Zehan seemed to regain his dignity, hugging the coral as he left, still a little annoyed with himself for being scared by this rustic girl earlier.

“Miss, that was a special gift from the Emperor’s private treasury today. How could Third Young Master just take it away so casually?”

Dai Qiao complained unhappily.

“Don’t worry, if it’s not hers, she can’t keep it. Stop being angry—look at that pout, you might as well hang an oil bottle on it!”

Wen Qiao showed no sign of worry and even joked, making Dai Qiao even more frustrated.

“Miss has her reasons for everything. Don’t meddle foolishly,”

Huaping advised calmly, and after some effort, Dai Qiao finally let it go.

Wen Qiao bore no grudge against her; after all, she was only looking out for her. Besides, gifts bestowed by the Emperor were not to be casually broken or passed on. Ordinary officials who received such gifts would enshrine them in ancestral halls and keep them forever. Unlike Wen Qiao, who had already obtained so many precious treasures that there was barely enough room on the shelves, with even two vases placed awkwardly in corners.

“I imagine Madam will arrive soon. Let’s tidy up here first, to avoid accidents when more people come,” Wen Qiao said good-naturedly.

Putting on a show in front of Wen Congqing and the servants in the Marquis’s mansion was one thing, suppressing her disgust and speaking politely. But in private, Wen Qiao could never bring herself to call Li Yanlan ‘mother.’ She remembered clearly all the things Li Yanlan had done to her in her previous life. When she had first returned to the mansion and was coldly treated by all the servants, it was because of Li Yanlan’s disdain.

The mansion was filled with petty people who looked down on others. Seeing that the lady in charge of the household disliked the legitimate daughter of the first wife, it didn’t matter that she was the daughter of the Princess of Changle; the Emperor and Empress Dowager did not favor her then, so no one supported her. Many thought Wen Qiao weak and easy to bully, and no one took her seriously.

But being unable to appear in public was just that—Li Yanlan was born an unofficial wife. Even though she was brought into the mansion and legitimized, it did not erase her petty nature. No wonder the other madams in the capital avoided bringing her along when socializing—partly because they looked down on the now-declining Yongning Marquis’s residence, and partly because they disliked Li Yanlan.

When the Yongning Marquisate was first established, it had been glorious. The first Marquis of Yongning had fought alongside the founding Emperor. Without his merits, he would never have received a hereditary title.

Moreover, Wen Qiao knew that the mansion had originally been a dukedom before becoming a marquisate. It was said that the grandfather of Wen Congqing—the previous Marquis of Yongning—had committed some offense during the reign of the former Emperor, angering him and resulting in the stripping of his title. From then on, the family realized their decline was irreversible.

Three generations later, except for two or three officials from Wen Congqing’s grandfather’s generation who served at court, the descendants were incapable and useless, especially Wen Congqing himself. His inheritance was merely because he was the legitimate second son; his elder brother, the legitimate eldest son of the old Marquis, had died unexpectedly.

At that time, although the old Marquis lacked foresight and was poor at educating his descendants, he managed the household affairs meticulously. The old Marchioness’s duties were so few that the old Marquis took them upon himself.

The old Marquis personally managed the inner courtyard, which was small compared to now. Unlike Wen Congqing, who kept adding concubines and thus numerous illegitimate children, the children in the previous generation knew their place. They stayed quietly in the inner courtyard and dared not compete with Wen Congqing for the title. Wen Congqing’s title was practically a windfall.

No wonder the Yongning Marquis’s residence was in such a sorry state now—no real power, no money. Wen Congqing was a fool, and the fact he had survived so long in the capital without being killed by someone he offended was a miracle. One could not expect much from him.

“How do you know Madam will come soon?”

Dai Qiao glanced at Wen Qiao curiously, surprised.

“Of course I divined it myself. If you don’t believe me, just wait and see.”

“I don’t believe it. It’s almost dark and I haven’t heard any news from Madam’s side. Could she be waiting until nightfall to come? Don’t think I’m gullible just to tease me for fun.”

Dai Qiao was quick-tempered but also quick to calm down. She had been angry about Wen Zehan’s unreasonable taking of Wen Qiao’s bestowed gift but now had completely forgotten about it and was instead annoyed at Wen Qiao.

“That’s impossible. She won’t come before dark. Just wait and see.”

Wen Qiao spoke with certainty. Dai Qiao hesitated but nodded half-believing.

Sure enough, once night fell, Li Yanlan arrived, slightly out of breath but still maintaining the demeanor of the legitimate wife. Wen Qiao found it amusing.

“The shops down below are settling their accounts these days and many ledgers have been brought in. I haven’t finished reviewing them yet! Today, your father sent someone to ask me to bring two maids to serve you. I remembered it then but got too busy and forgot. Qi Qiao, I hope you don’t blame me?”

Li Yanlan’s apology was sincere and flawless, far beyond the level of Wen Zehan and Wen Qi.

“No matter. You’re busy, and the things here are trivial. With Huaping and Dai Qiao around, there’s enough help. I appreciate you coming at night,” Wen Qiao replied without even addressing her formally, speaking indirectly about the lateness. Li Yanlan suddenly felt uncomfortable, sensing she was being unreasonable.

Despite her dislike for Wen Qiao, Li Yanlan kept up appearances. A few days ago, Wen Congqing had asked her to send maids to Wen Qiao, but she had delayed. She thought two palace maids were enough to serve Wen Qiao. The mansion was not wealthy now; every servant had assigned duties. Sending two more to Wen Qiao would mean pulling them from elsewhere, which was troublesome. So she postponed, partly because she really didn’t want to send help to Wen Qiao.

As the head of the household affairs, she understood the mansion’s dire straits: income barely covering expenses. The entire large mansion depended on appearances. Even her dowry had been spent to fill the holes in the finances.

“It’s no trouble. Since I manage the household affairs, these things are my responsibility. These two maids are excellent; I just selected them for you. But you already have Huaping and Dai Qiao, so you probably don’t need more personal attendants. The Marquis insisted I send them to you to ease their workload.”

Li Yanlan smiled helplessly, as if this was a difficult task.

Wen Qiao dared not use the maids she brought, but since they had arrived, it was improper to send them away. She accepted them, letting them do cleaning duties in the outer courtyard. They were unnecessary for personal service.

“Thank you for your concern, Father, and for coming so late,” Wen Qiao said politely.

Wen Qiao yawned appropriately, and Li Yanlan, with tact, rose.

“You’ve had a long day and must be tired. I still have many ledgers to review in my courtyard. I’ll leave the girls here. You can send them where needed.”

The two maids bowed their heads to their toes and did not move after Li Yanlan left.

“Lift your heads,” Wen Qiao said softly, her tone gentle.

“Since you’re here in my courtyard, your old names no longer apply. From today, you are Yu Ling and Ming Chao. I have enough personal attendants. You may rest now. Huaping, find them a room and see if the courtyard needs cleaning. Tomorrow, arrange tasks for them; if nothing else, they can sweep the outer courtyard. They must not enter my room.”

Wen Qiao’s voice was mild, and the two maids no longer appeared so frightened. Sweeping the courtyard was far better than working in Wen Zehan’s quarters, where he was notorious for abusing the maids. Although Wen Zehan had warned his servants not to seduce his son, he himself was a menace. Many maids were ruined by him. Fortunately, these two worked in his small kitchen, far from him, and their plain appearances spared them.

Yet no matter their looks, Wen Zehan had a twisted preference for ruining innocent young women. Once he got what he wanted, he lost interest. If this continued, it was only a matter of time before these two suffered the same fate. Few in the mansion knew this. A maid once told others about her ordeal, how Wen Zehan stripped her and left her to freeze to death in the snow, with other abused maids forced to watch. Since then, no one dared to speak out. Those abused suffered in silence, lest they meet the same fate and lose even their dignity before death.

Time passed swiftly. Wen Qi’s etiquette lessons were nearing completion. Early one morning, Wen Qiao had just finished washing when Wen Qi arrived.

“Seventh Sister, you’re so early,” Wen Qiao remarked, amused but keeping her expression neutral.

“It’s my first time staying so long in the palace, so I’ve been anxious. Before, I only followed Father to court banquets, but now it’s just the two of us sisters, without adults accompanying us. Unlike you, Sister, favored by the Emperor and Empress Dowager, I must rely on myself. If I were late on the first day, people might think I’m ill-mannered.”

Wen Qi’s voice was soft, but her words were sharp, implying how much advantage Wen Qiao had from imperial favor.

Wen Qiao merely smiled without responding. Dai Qiao couldn’t help but retort, “Seventh Miss is right. Our lady has always been punctual when entering the palace. Besides, the Emperor and Empress Dowager favor our Miss because she is truly exceptional, not without reason.”

Regardless of who spoke, Wen Qiao remained silent, and Huaping respectfully continued brushing Wen Qiao’s hair.

Wen Qi’s teeth clenched at Dai Qiao’s words but she dared not say more. She forced a stiff smile.

“Yes, Sixth Sister is indeed exceptional. I still have a few days of etiquette lessons ahead. I didn’t expect you never had to learn before entering the palace. I’m ashamed and must learn more from you. I came early to see you and learn.”

Dai Qiao was furious hearing Wen Qi imply Wen Qiao came from the countryside. She wanted to speak again but Wen Qiao stopped her.

“Enough, Dai Qiao. No need to say more. Since Seventh Sister wishes to learn with me, let her observe closely.”

Wen Qiao said no more. Wen Qi had no choice but to swallow her anger, fearing that if she argued, Wen Qiao might enter the palace alone without her. She would have to find her way from the palace gates, and might indeed be late.

The end.