Chapter 22: Mother-in-Law and Daughter-in-Law
Originally, after the Nuptial Wine Ceremony was completed, the young couple should have gone to Brocade Prosperity Hall to serve tea to Madam Ning. Then, led by Madam Ning, they would proceed to Crane Longevity Hall to pay respects to the Old Madam.
Early in the morning, Madam Ning had sent several elderly matrons to inquire whether the young couple had consummated their marriage.
But as soon as they entered the gates of Phoenix Ripple Courtyard, they sensed something amiss. When they asked the dowry maids, none would speak. It was only after going to the Tranquil Study to ask Granny Zhou that they learned of the previous night’s events.
These matrons hurried back to Brocade Prosperity Hall and reported everything truthfully to Madam Ning, even repeating Shen Shi’s resentful words from the night before.
Upon hearing that the young couple had quarreled again over a maid, Madam Ning felt utterly exasperated.
At this point, no matter how much she cherished Shen Shi, she couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of displeasure.
Three years ago, when Shen Shi married into Ningguo Mansion, both her mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law had doted on and indulged her to the fullest. They had never imposed strict rules on her, let alone subjected her to any hardships.
All matters, big or small, in Phoenix Ripple Courtyard were left entirely to her discretion. Even when she drove her husband’s chamber maid to her death, the Ning family had not said a word against her.
Now, having finally waited for her son’s return, Madam Ning only hoped that the young couple would bear children and revive the Duke of Ningguo’s household.
But Shen Shi, this daughter-in-law, was being unreasonable. She insisted on quarreling and causing trouble with her son, and to this day, she still refused to consummate the marriage.
After hearing the matrons’ report, Madam Ning waved them away. She sat alone, fuming for a long while, before washing her face, rinsing her mouth, and sitting before her dressing case, summoning Hong Rong to style her hair.
Hong Rong was a first-rank maid in Brocade Prosperity Hall and Madam Ning’s most trusted confidante. She had already warmed her hands with hot water and was now attending to Madam Ning’s hair.
Seeing Madam Ning’s stern expression in the mirror, Hong Rong understood the reason. As she combed the hair, she said softly, “Phoenix Ripple Courtyard sent two maids to say that the Young Madam is unwell and will not come to pay her respects this morning. She begs for your forgiveness.”
Since marrying into the household three years ago, Shen Shi had often been plagued by illnesses and misfortunes, frequently missing morning and evening visits.
On ordinary days, even if Madam Ning knew it wasn’t serious, she would summon the Manor Physician to examine her or send maids to visit as a gesture of care.
But today, she was impatient and merely nodded in acknowledgment.
Hong Rong, observing her expression, guessed her thoughts and deliberately glanced into the mirror. “Young Master has been back for a few days, yet you seem to have lost weight, Madam. Is your appetite not good?”
Madam Ning couldn’t tell herself, so she went along with the topic. “I had thought that with Yuan Jun’s return, the eldest branch of our Ningguo Mansion would finally have a reunited couple. Yuan Jun’s stubborn temper is one thing, but Shen Shi is also sharp-tongued and difficult. Neither of them gives me any peace of mind!”
Hong Rong quickly smiled and tried to console her. “The Young Lord and the Young Madam are young. Isn’t it said that foes are destined to meet?”
Though she spoke lightly, Madam Ning took her words to heart and frowned, complaining further.
“They always say Shen Shi is young, but she’s already nineteen this year. When I married into this household, I had just come of age—only fifteen when I became a bride. In those early days, I dared not take an extra step or speak half a word out of turn. That was truly walking on thin ice. Back then, our Ningguo Mansion was at its peak, with three generations of elders above, many sisters-in-law in between, and countless concubines and chamber maids below. If I had been as delicate as she is, could Ningguo Mansion have endured to this day?”
These words already carried a tone of reproach toward her daughter-in-law. Having served her for many years, how could Hong Rong fail to understand?
“What kind of person you are, Madam—others may not know, but we do. In the years since the Duke has been away, the household has relied entirely on your support. The Young Madam is the eldest legitimate daughter of the Shen family, raised with every luxury, talented and beautiful, skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. But when it comes to managing household affairs, showing filial piety to elders, and caring for her husband, how could she possibly compare to you?”
Upon hearing the words “Shen family daughter,” Madam Ning revealed a trace of disdain.
“The capital praises the Shen family daughter for her talents, but in my view, it’s overrated. Who in the world marries a wife not for bearing children and serving her husband? What use are empty reputations in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting if a bride cannot assist her husband and raise children? To this day, I blame the Duke. If he hadn’t been so determined to form a marriage alliance with the Shen family, my son wouldn’t have suffered such grievances. Yuan Jun, a young and accomplished noble general, ended up marrying such a wife, with not a single thing going smoothly!”
When mentioning her handsome young son, Madam Ning was filled with pride.
But the more she took pride in her son’s future, the deeper her resentment toward Shen Shi grew.
Madam Ning vaguely felt that if the Duke had followed her wishes back then and arranged a lower-status marriage for their son, things would have been better.
If only the wife had been gentle and compliant, the young couple wouldn’t have quarreled, and she herself could have enjoyed peace and comfort earlier.
Madam Ning was full of grievances but couldn’t express them deeply to Hong Rong. Seeing the breakfast laid out in the side hall, she fell silent.
It had been over three years since the Duke of Ningguo passed away, yet Madam Ning still dressed plainly: a lotus-gray brocade robe with wide sleeves, her hair tied in a dignified low bun, adorned with simple silver hairpins and a casual pearl crown.
This attire was easy to manage. Once Hong Rong had everything in order, she helped Madam Ning out of the dressing room.
On the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, Madam Ning observed a vegetarian diet. The dining table held a bowl of refined congee, four delicate side dishes, and two types of vegetarian pastries.
Beside them was a gilded lacquer food box. Hong Rong hurriedly opened it and added a plate of tofu skin buns.
Recognizing it as a food box from Phoenix Ripple Courtyard, Madam Ning assumed it was sent by Shen Shi and frowned, ordering it to be taken away.
“She hasn’t shown filial piety in three years. What’s the point of such empty gestures? Tell her to focus on recuperating and not worry about me.”
Hong Rong quickly smiled and explained, “This was sent by the Young Lord. In the small kitchen of Phoenix Ripple Courtyard, there’s a maid originally from our Ningguo Mansion who makes exquisite pastries. The Dongting Spring Dumplings you had the other day were also made by her.”
This reminder jogged Madam Ning’s memory. “A few days ago, Granny Cao mentioned sending a young maid to Tranquil Study to brew tea? Was it the same one who sent the Dongting Spring Dumplings and the mountain-sea delicacies?”
Hong Rong pursed her lips and smiled. “Exactly. Her name is Xiao Yue, and she’s only twelve. Just now, when she delivered the food box, I saw she was neatly dressed and carried herself steadily. Seeing her pitiable state, I gave her a pouch on your behalf, Madam.”
Hearing the name Xiao Yue, Madam Ning connected it to the earlier conversation and pointed to her temple, asking, “Didn’t that old woman just say that the young couple quarreled over a maid last night? Was it that Xiao Yue?”
Hong Rong nodded and whispered with a smile, “Don’t blame her, Madam. It must be that during the Nuptial Wine Ceremony, the Young Master spoke too harshly, and the Young Mistress couldn’t retaliate against him, so she took it out on the young maid. I saw injuries on her face—her nose and temple were bruised. I don’t even know what she was hit with; it nearly ruined her appearance.”
Upon hearing that Shen Shi had beaten a young maid in the bridal chamber, Madam Ning’s brow furrowed tightly, her anger growing even more.
Ningguo Mansion had always been lenient toward its servants, showing more kindness than severity. Punishments, when given, were minor admonishments, and there was absolutely no practice of directly striking someone’s face.
This tradition, passed down through generations as a rule set by their ancestors, was known and upheld by everyone in the mansion.
Yet Shen Shi was an exception. She treated maids with a double standard, showing kindness only to those who came with her from the Shen family as dowry attendants, while disregarding the maids and matrons of Ningguo Mansion entirely.
Feeling displeased, Madam Ning set down her fine porcelain spoon.
“Xiao Yue is just a coarse maid, not someone the eldest young mistress would normally notice. I suspect it’s because this child is close to Jade Ink, and those in Phoenix Ripple Courtyard who bully the weak and fear the strong deliberately targeted her. Poor sisters Yu Zhu and Jade Ink have endured three years of mistreatment, and now even an innocent little maid like her is caught up in their troubles.”
Hong Rong stopped speaking at this point, picking up a tofu skin bun and placing it before Madam Ning.
Yu Zhu, who had been driven to her death by Shen Shi three years ago, was a thorn in Madam Ning’s heart, and her pent-up anger had been simmering for a long time.
She took a bite of the tofu skin bun, drew a deep breath, set down her chopsticks, and ordered:
“Have Steward Sun Cai’s wife withdraw silver and go to Phoenix Ripple Courtyard to distribute rewards. Every coarse maid in Ningguo Mansion is to receive an extra bolt of ramie cloth. Tell these children to rest assured in their duties, and say that Madam knows they have been wronged!”