Chapter 7: The Reward

Not only was Wen Congqing unwilling to wait at the gate, but Wen Zehan also wore a sullen expression, as if someone owed him money.

“Third Brother, Sixth Sister will be back from the palace soon. Aren’t you happy?” Wen Qi spoke softly from the side, her eyes shadowed with disdain.

If Wen Zehan still had some use, she never would have gotten so close to such a fool. She had planned to have him arrange for Wen Qiao to enter the palace, but he couldn’t even handle such a simple task. It vexed her beyond measure.

“A crude country bumpkin—why should I stand at the gate waiting for her? Such an uncultured thing thinks she’s better than everyone just because she caught the Emperor’s and Empress Dowager’s favor.”

His seventh sister was much better. Wen Qiao had taken the place that once belonged to her, yet she still cared for her so much. She truly didn’t understand why they had brought Wen Qiao back.

Wen Congqing, standing nearby, changed expression at his words and immediately scolded, “Shut your mouth! How dare you speak of the Emperor and Empress Dowager like that!”

If those words reached the palace, it would be considered treason—an offense punishable by extermination of nine generations.

Originally, although this son was not very bright, he was handsome and born of his childhood sweetheart, so Wen Congqing doted on Wen Zehan a bit more. This indulgence nurtured his arrogant and overbearing temperament. His original plan had been to have Lady Li Yanlan find a noble lady as a wife for him, to help the Marquisate as it declined. But with his loose tongue, not just noble ladies but even daughters of minor officials would likely refuse to marry him, fearing the trouble he might bring.

Wen Zehan’s face flushed with embarrassment, realizing he had misspoken. Luckily, there were no servants nearby—just the few of them—otherwise he wouldn’t have known how to explain himself.

The rest of the Marquisate’s household arrived gradually and first paid respects to Wen Congqing and Li Yanlan, then greeted Wen Zehan and Wen Qi out of routine, standing silently behind.

The household was neither large nor small.

When the Princess of Changle was alive, Wen Congqing had restrained himself somewhat for the sake of the royal family’s dignity, only keeping one concubine, Lady Li Yanlan, and two lesser wives—Madam Zhang and Madam Yun. Occasionally, he visited the pleasure quarters. But after the Princess passed, he became brazen. At first, he dared not be too blatant, but soon he brought Lady Li into the main residence, and within two years elevated her to principal wife. More and more concubines were brought in, and Lady Li, pretending to be virtuous and magnanimous, indulged Wen Congqing's whims. Yet behind the scenes, poison was dealt, and many women and children died.

Wen Congqing was the third son. Above him were an elder sister and a second brother. The elder sister, a concubine’s daughter, married off early to a minor official, making her presence in the Marquisate negligible. The second brother, born of Lady Li Yanlan but raised outside, contracted a fever during a heavy rain as a child and died young without a doctor’s care.

The fourth and fifth sisters had long since perished under Lady Li’s secret machinations, along with the concubines who bore them. If not for deliberate mention, Wen Congqing might have forgotten those two daughters who died shortly after Lady Li entered the residence. Wen Qiao and Wen Qi had several younger siblings not yet grown, and among them was the eighth brother, also Lady Li’s son, whom she doted upon as if he were her very eye. Wen Zehan always harbored malice when he saw this younger brother.

“Marquis, Zehan only misspoke out of concern for our family’s reputation. Please don’t take it to heart,” Li Yanlan said softly.

The other concubines who had arrived did not know what had happened and dared not pry. Those who lived under Li Yanlan’s hand knew her petty and vengeful nature well; she kept grudges over the smallest things, frequently withheld allowances, and publicly humiliated others during morning greetings. Everyone in the back courtyard knew she was the most difficult and ruthless.

Before Wen Congqing could respond, the palace sedan chair came wobbling up. Wen Congqing immediately assumed a respectful stance. Wen Qi’s eyes flickered with jealousy, but she forcefully suppressed it.

Having no biological mother in the Marquisate, Wen Qi lacked genuine protection. If not for Wen Zehan, the fool who she could easily manipulate and who was willing to speak well of her to Lady Li, she wouldn’t have survived here. As for Wen Congqing, he was a selfish, profit-driven petty man. She had been brought back as a substitute for Wen Qiao; even if it were all for show, he would never truly care for Wen Qi. Keeping her in the Marquisate was simply because they had already invested resources in her education—music, chess, calligraphy, poetry, and song—all in hopes of marrying her well to elevate the family’s status. There was no true affection.

While Wen Qi was lost in thought, Wen Qiao had already stepped down from the sedan chair, surrounded by many onlookers. Wen Congqing had to put on a paternal facade, stepping forward to inquire warmly.

“Qiao Qiao is back. Did you cause any trouble for the Emperor or Empress Dowager in the palace?”

“Father, don’t worry. The Emperor and Empress Dowager treated me very well. I am glad to finally be reunited with my family. Last night did cause some trouble, but I will return to the palace in a few days to apologize to them,” Wen Qiao said with a happy smile, genuinely pleased that Wen Congqing had come to welcome her.

“Though summer has arrived, it is still a bit chilly outside. Why are Father and Mother waiting out here for me? Your daughter is unfilial, causing you worry.”

Li Yanlan clenched her back teeth, forcing a polite smile.

“Nonsense, Qiao Qiao. You’ve been away so long. Your father missed you terribly and insisted on personally seeing you come home. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to rest, barely eating breakfast this morning.”

After a prolonged display for the onlookers to recount at the palace, Wen Congqing became perfunctory.

Wen Qiao changed the subject and stepped inside, slipping some silver coins to the eight young eunuchs who carried the sedan. The lead eunuch accepted the pouch with a flattering smile, thanking her repeatedly.

Seeing his daughter, Wen Congqing recalled the time he had to comply with the royal family’s pressures and the Princess of Changle’s demands, which left him feeling bitter and unwilling to say more to Wen Qiao. He tossed his sleeves and returned to his study. Li Yanlan took Wen Qiao’s hand, wearing a kindly smile.

“You’ve just returned. There are some things you may not have seen before. I didn’t arrange for them to be placed in your courtyard to avoid damage. When you have time in a few days, I’ll have your seventh sister take you to the storeroom to pick things out, so you won’t embarrass yourself.”

Though her face was friendly, her words were dripping with contempt.

Wen Qiao softly agreed, lowering her head but smiling with irony.

“Zehan, take your seventh sister to the courtyard to look around. If anything is unsatisfactory, tell me.”

As Li Yanlan finished speaking and was about to leave, Wen Qi hurriedly added, “Mother, I want to go help Third Brother. After all, he’s a man and it’s inconvenient to enter the ladies’ quarters.”

It was a trivial matter; Li Yanlan agreed without hesitation, eager to return and check the ledgers brought to her. Last month, she had disbursed considerable entertainment funds, and this month some interest had been collected to help support her natal family.

Once most people had left, Wen Zehan finally revealed his true nature.

“Don’t think that just because you went to the palace once, you’re remarkable. If you hadn’t taken Seventh Sister’s place, all these things would have belonged to her!”

Wen Zehan said viciously, gripping the injured arm of Wen Qiao tightly and dragging her forward recklessly. Wen Qiao struggled to keep pace, stumbling as he pulled her along.

“Third Brother, please be gentler. Sixth Sister is already frowning; she must be in pain,” Wen Qi said.

Instead of easing up, Wen Zehan quickened his pace, forcing Wen Qi to jog to keep up, while Wen Qiao was dragged along, utterly miserable.

“Hmph, she deserves the pain. Who told her to use such improper means!”

Wen Qi curled her lips, then quickly masked her expression with concern, saying no more.

Since Wen Qiao had spent the night in the palace, Wen Congqing, fearing palace emissaries, hastily ordered the shabby courtyard cleaned and furnished anew. The weeds were cleared, but small stones remained scattered on the ground, easy to trip over.

It was on one of those stones that Wen Qiao was dragged into the courtyard.

Her skirt was tattered and torn; the neat hairstyle arranged by palace maids that morning was disheveled. The wound on her arm, barely healed, throbbed painfully under his grip. Now, Wen Qiao truly frowned.

“Third Brother, I am your sister too,” Wen Qiao said, trying to reason with him.

“You? You deserve that?” Wen Zehan mocked. “You don’t even have the right to carry Seventh Sister’s shoes. How could you compare to her? If you hadn’t entered the palace, it would be Seventh Sister staying with the Empress Dowager. You shameless thing! Wen Qi is several months younger than you. Don’t you know how to give way to her?”

Sometimes Wen Qiao was at a loss. She truly couldn’t understand what Wen Zehan’s mind was made of, how a woman could so cloud his judgment.

“Third Brother, please don’t say that. Sixth Sister will be hurt. Besides, the Emperor and Empress Dowager are Sixth Sister’s uncle and grandmother, so it’s only natural she’s close to them. It’s my fault for not having such a good background and making Third Brother worry on my behalf.”

Wen Qi’s eyes reddened, causing Wen Zehan to feel a pang of pity. He suddenly shoved Wen Qiao to the ground.

Unfortunately, a sharp stone lay beneath her hand, slicing her palm, but she did not utter a sound.

Had she warned these two fools, things might have been different. Soon, the Empress Dowager’s gifts would arrive at the Marquisate. If she guessed correctly, the one delivering was Madam Song, the Empress Dowager’s personal maid since her dowry days—a pair of eyes and mouth for the Empress Dowager. The coarse hemp clothes prepared for her in the Marquisate paled in comparison to the fine fabric she wore, meaning she had no suitable clothing to change into.

The thought made her want to laugh.

“Your heart is so vicious. Seventh Sister is kind and doesn’t hold grudges, but I won’t stand for this. In three days, you’ll enter the palace to study with the princes and princesses. You’d better figure out a way to bring Seventh Sister with you. If you can’t, you’ll just have to taste the whip again!”

Wen Qi’s words were sweet, but her body remained rooted behind Wen Zehan, not moving to help Wen Qiao.

Wen Qiao did not resist, bowing her head in acquiescence.

“Third Young Master, Sixth Miss, Seventh Miss, palace emissaries have come with gifts... Oh? What happened? Sixth Miss isn’t feeling well? Why are you sitting on the ground?”

Lan Qin, Li Yanlan’s chief maid, arrived, startled.

“What? Gifts from the palace?” Wen Qi’s face changed, nearly screaming.

“But Sixth Sister said she felt dizzy and weak, so she fell. How can she receive the gifts like this?”

Lan Qin hesitated, knowing Li Yanlan disliked Wen Qiao and suggesting, “Sixth Miss, the palace guests must be treated well. You really shouldn’t go out like this. How careless to hurt yourself. If you can’t go, have Seventh Miss receive the gifts for you. You’re sisters; it won’t lose face. Otherwise, with your appearance, anyone would think you have suffered great mistreatment!”

Lan Qin’s tone was full of disdain, though she addressed her as Sixth Miss. Outsiders might assume she was the legitimate Sixth Miss, considering how she stood arrogantly before her.

“It was my own carelessness. Fine, since it’s the same whether it’s me or Seventh Sister, I’ll trouble Aunt Lan Qin,” Wen Qiao said, rising from the ground and hiding her injured hand behind her back.

“Hmph, that’s better. The palace gifts are all fine things. A country bumpkin like you wouldn’t even know their names. Where do you deserve such treasures? I think you should send those things to Seventh Sister, so they won’t be wasted under your care!”

Wen Zehan, idle and unstudious, with abysmal grades and a pitiful vocabulary, spoke. Wen Qiao lowered her head, stifling a smile.