Chapter 264: Interfering in Others’ Affairs, Talking About the Grandmother

Although Lady Gu’s health was far from what it used to be, she still had a solid foundation from years of taking care of herself. Thus, even though her illness progressed rapidly at first, she gradually recovered day by day. It went without saying that the younger members of the family visited her morning and evening, and they took turns caring for her at her bedside or bringing her various snacks. Though Lady Gu couldn’t eat much, most of these were given to the maids in the household. True filial piety lay in sincerity, and the eldest and second branches of the family often competed in showing their devotion. Only Zhang Yue, lacking parental support, didn’t bother competing with his two aunts in this regard.

In the vast Zhang household, Lady Gu occupied the north courtyard, which had the best sunlight, while the eldest branch lived in the east courtyard. Lady Dongfang, however, refused to stay in the second-best west courtyard and chose instead a courtyard to the northeast of the north courtyard. As the second branch had more members, their courtyard was more than half the size of those of the eldest and third branches. After Zhang Chao got married, Lady Dongfang even made room in a small courtyard next to her own for her son and daughter-in-law. Including servants, the second branch outnumbered the combined members of the eldest and third branches in the Zhang household.

Li Yun was the biological sister of Lord Xiangcheng, Li Long. She had been raised by her brother and sister-in-law since childhood. Even after marrying into the Zhang family, she never acted like a noblewoman and thus enjoyed better relationships with the servants than the shrewd and cruel Lady Dongfang. These days, unable to find faults with the new concubine, Lady Dongfang often picked holes in her dowry maids, saying they were overly fancy and always trying to be seductive—using extremely harsh words.

These maids wore the same clothes and jewelry as the others in the household. Even if they had better items, they were too afraid to wear them out of fear of offending others. Wasn’t this just making things up? Several times, Li Yun tried to defend herself, but seeing Lady Dongfang too absorbed in venting her anger, she had to swallow her words.

Only after fully venting her frustration did Lady Dongfang cough satisfactorily. Seeing her daughter-in-law standing silently aside, she felt even more empowered as a mother-in-law. She glared fiercely at Huixiang and scolded in a stern voice, “As a concubine, you must follow the rules. Your eldest wife cares for you, but that doesn’t mean you can treat her equally. Don’t think just because you’re pregnant you can act arbitrarily, criticizing food and remedies—without considering your own status!”

Hui Xiang, who was already pregnant, had no way to avoid it. She turned pale after being scolded by Dong Fang Shi, tears welling in her eyes, yet she could only swallow her anger and keep agreeing. She thought Dong Fang Shi would be done after venting her anger and leave, but instead, she sat down at the east end of the kang, took a sip of tea to moisten her throat, showing no sign of leaving.

This put Hui Xiang in a difficult situation. Although she was just a maid, Li Yun was usually gentle with those around her. Since Hui Xiang became pregnant, no strict rules had been imposed on her. Now, she had to stand there for fifteen minutes, and it seemed like it would continue. She felt increasingly heavy, as if her feet were on cotton, while still having to listen attentively to the instructions from the mistress above, not daring to neglect anything. Just as she could barely hold on, a voice came from outside.

“Second Madam, First Lady, Miss Lingxi has arrived.”

Upon hearing this announcement, Dong Fang Shi’s eyebrows raised involuntarily. Previously, when Lingxi served Lady Gu, she had to be polite because Lingxi was considered the most capable maid trained by her mother-in-law. But now that Lingxi belonged to Zhang Yue, how could she still be called a “miss”? When she saw the figure in a blue dress stepping over the threshold, she sat motionless on the kang, a cold smile on her lips.

Lingxi had returned yesterday with Qiu Hen, along with many people from the Meng family and her own attendants. Only the Cui and Li families, along with two senior servants, remained in Qingzhou to take care of the house. As soon as she entered the room, she sensed something was off—Dong Fang Shi sat domineerously on the kang, Li Yun stood beside her, while the clearly pregnant maid looked pale, and the other maids were all silent as mice. Though puzzled, she still stepped forward first to greet them and ordered her attendant maid to bring a carved lacquer box and a bundle.

“Second Madam, this is donkey-hide gelatin that the young master brought back from Shandong. The bundle contains honey dates, a specialty from Shandong. I heard that Miss Hui Xiang is pregnant and has a cold constitution, so eating a little donkey-hide gelatin during the second trimester is very nourishing. That’s why the young master specifically instructed me to bring it over.”

Under normal circumstances, Dong Fang Shi would have merely given a perfunctory thank you, but since Lingxi said it was specially brought for the pregnant woman, she immediately thought of Fang Shuixin, who was pregnant yet still held her husband’s full attention. She remembered that it was Zhang Yue who ordered that wench to be rescued from the water, and she also recalled the piles of tonics she had seen there last time.

Suppressing the urge to grit her teeth, she said with a forced smile, “Brother Yue really goes to great lengths—caring not only for the old lady but also for those in my brother’s household. I heard that my master’s concubine Fang was also rescued from the water by Brother Yue. He truly knows how to handle things; no one in this family can compare to him. I’ll take the items. Just go back and thank him for me.”

Lingxi didn’t expect Dongfang Shi to issue an order to send her away after just saying that. Seeing a maid beside Dongfang Shi hand the box and bundle to another maid, she felt even more uneasy. Yet, after all, this was the second wife’s family affair. She glanced at Huixiang and then bowed to take her leave. As soon as she left the courtyard, she quickened her pace and headed toward the northern courtyard, where Lady Gu lived.

Upon seeing her arrive, the two maids in front of Lady Gu’s door didn’t dare neglect her. One called inside to announce her arrival, while the other eagerly lifted the curtain. At that moment, Zhang Yue happened to come out to check if the medicine prepared for noon was ready. He was surprised to see Lingxi enter. After dismissing the two maids with a few words, he asked, “Weren’t you supposed to deliver something to the eldest wife?”

Lingxi knew it would be inappropriate to disturb Lady Gu over such a trivial matter, so she had come to see Zhang Yue in the first place. She quietly recounted what had happened at Li Yun’s place and then said anxiously, “It seems the second wife is displeased. She probably went to cause trouble with the eldest wife. It’s not a big deal, but I think Huixiang can’t hold on much longer. If anything happens, the family will be in chaos again. That’s why I had to come to ask the third young master for advice.”

“Is it Lingxi? Why doesn’t she come in?”

As Zhang Yue was pondering, he heard Lady Gu’s voice from inside. He quickly gestured for her to go in and keep her company. Knowing that Lingxi would never disturb her sick grandmother over such a matter, he lifted the curtain and left the room, calling over the maid Bai Fang and giving her detailed instructions in a low voice.

After Lingxi left, Lady Gu stopped paying attention to affairs, barely acknowledging the maids around her, especially Dongfang Shi. Bai Fang, who had filled Lingxi’s role, had long resented this. So when Zhang Yue spoke to her, she became eager to take part in this act of exploiting authority. After asking detailed questions, she agreed readily and selected two clever maids to accompany her before hurrying out of the courtyard.

After sending Bai Fang away, Zhang Yue saw that the medicine outside had been prepared and left in cold water for a while. He then instructed a young maid to carry it in with a red lacquered tray. Moving from the main room to the inner chamber, he saw Ling Xi kneeling on one knee by the bed, with Gu Shi holding one of her hands, as if she had just given her some instructions. Having spent over half a year together, he knew Ling Xi was always thorough in her tasks, so he wasn’t worried at all that she might say something inappropriate. Seeing her stand up, he nodded smilingly, took the medicine bowl from the tray, and sat down by the bed edge.

“Grandmother, it’s time to take your medicine.”

Gu Shi was sitting up supported by pillows, looking in high spirits. She waved her hand to indicate that Zhang Yue didn’t need to feed her the medicine; she took it herself, tested its temperature, and drank it all in one gulp. As she set down the bowl and frowned, Ling Xi handed her a piece of rock sugar from a small porcelain jar. After taking it, Gu Shi smiled and said, “It’s been so long since you’ve been around, yet you still remember. I’ve been taking medicine for so many years, but I just can’t break this habit.”

Seeing Gu Shi put the rock sugar in her mouth, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but smile slightly, thinking that his grandmother had lost all her authority at this moment and resembled a child afraid of taking medicine. He ordered the young maid to take away the empty bowl. Noticing some sweat on Gu Shi’s forehead, he quickly wiped it gently with a handkerchief and said with a smile, “It’s already hot in midsummer. Grandmother just drank a big bowl of medicine and covered herself with this gauze quilt, so she must be sweating. Since you fell ill, we haven’t even replaced the paper on the windows. We should replace it with gauze someday to let in some air.”

Since Zhang Chao and Zhang Qi had to go to the military camp on duty, and Gu Shi refused to neglect Zhang Jiu’s studies, it was mostly Zhang Yue who cared for her day after day at the bedside. Hearing this, Gu Shi smiled at Ling Xi and said, “Having been with Brother Yue for so long, you’ve managed to infect him with your meticulous nature—he even thinks about such trivial matters. But it’s true we should replace the window paper. Those young maids are always busy with one thing or another and somehow forget this.”

Just as Ling Xi was about to speak, Bai Fang excitedly pulled back the curtain and entered, holding a box in her hands. “Old Madam, the eldest madam sent me with a box of almond cookies. She said they were just made and that if Old Madam could digest them, it would be good to try something new.”

Seeing Zhang Yue looking at her, she winked playfully and added, “The eldest madam also said that since Old Madam kept sending things over, she should have sent Miss Hui Xiang to pay respects, but her pregnancy isn’t stable yet. Once the first three months pass and everything is fine, she will definitely send her to express her gratitude.”

Hearing this, Zhang Yue and Lingxi both breathed a sigh of relief, while Lady Gu nodded slightly: “Since she is already married, there’s no need to rush with the formalities. There will be plenty of time to show sincerity later… Hmm, did you just come from Chao Ge’s wife’s courtyard?”
Bai Fang had pretended to be someone important to regain her face in front of the second madam, Dong Fang. Still feeling pleased, she instinctively nodded and only left after seeing that Lady Gu had nothing more to say. Lady Gu, being extremely perceptive, noticed something was amiss and glanced at Zhang Yue and Lingxi. Seeing that they both seemed relieved, she vaguely understood what had happened and felt both annoyed and amused. Recalling the occasional hints from the maids and girls, she gradually frowned.
“Brother Yue, when the emperor summoned you before, did he say he would send you back to Qingzhou soon, and then call you back again?”
Zhang Yue was taken aback by Lady Gu’s sudden mention of this and quickly nodded, explaining, “It seems the court has already decided on it. I’m just going to run some errands. After causing such a big uproar before, and now having to embark on another major mission, I doubt the emperor will keep me there.”
Thinking of this, he felt quite regretful. After all, Liu Da had previously introduced him to a two-to-three-year cultivation method and even shown him an ancient recipe for making sugar. He wondered where that guy got so many ingenious ideas and so many ancient recipes that others dismissed.
“In that case, your marriage should be arranged soon.”
Hearing the word “marriage” suddenly, not only was Lingxi greatly surprised, but Zhang Yue was also shocked. Remembering what Zhu Ning had said to him that day, he knew this was the best opportunity, so he decided to be bold and said, “Grandmother, I know many families have come to discuss marriage with us before, but our family previously favored the Du and Meng families. Now, both Mr. Du and Lord Meng are in the Jinyiwei prison. Their futures are uncertain, and everything else is also unpredictable. But…”
“But you have your eye on the daughters of those two families, right?”

After all, Lady Gu was of an advanced age. If she couldn’t see through Zhang Yue’s little schemes, then she wouldn’t deserve to be a grandmother. She put away her smiling face and studied Zhang Yue’s expression for a long time before finally sighing. “Although marriage should follow the wishes of parents and matchmakers, I also know that a virtuous woman is a good match for a gentleman. When I gave you that fan box, you immediately gave it to those two ladies—back then I already knew what you felt. At first, I thought that one from a family of meritorious officials and the other from a scholarly family—either one would be suitable. But who would have thought things would turn out like this?”

She paused briefly, her tone turning somewhat stern. “You come from a prominent family, so this marriage isn’t just your personal matter. Moreover, you should know that marrying either of them might not be beneficial for your future! Lord Du is another matter—he’s an upright man; who knows, he might get by just like Yang Shiqi, but his career prospects would still be greatly affected. As for that Meng Xian… he’s too obsessed with career advancement. Today he might eye a prince, and tomorrow he might eye the emperor. If he becomes your father-in-law, you’ll surely be dragged down by him in the future!”

Zhang Yue admitted in his heart that Lady Gu’s words made perfect sense. Yet he strongly disliked arranged marriages and naturally refused to give up the chance to persuade her. He gritted his teeth and said, “I understand what Grandmother says. But the emperor doesn’t necessarily choose people based solely on kinship. Besides, since the emperor already suggested that we discuss marriage again after I returned from Shandong, he must be aware of what happened before. If I abandon past commitments for career advancement, the emperor will surely think our Zhang family is too materialistic and lacks integrity.”

Lady Gu was moved but said nothing more. She glanced at Lingxi and calmly ordered, “Since you put it that way, I won’t try to persuade you further. The Son family’s young master is coming today. Lingxi, stay and talk with me. You go ahead and get ready.”

It wasn’t until Zhang Yue left the room that she showed a pleased smile—since her grandson valued loyalty so much, she could rest assured now.