“If we don’t plan some retreating route early, I’m afraid life will be even more difficult from now on.” Sanlang’s wife continued, her voice heavy. “Not to mention the high cost of the private school, the two of them, together with the Third Old Lady, went to Yunjin Courtyard to beg Madam. Wei and reluctantly sent the children from the Third Branch into it. Now the child is useless and has been sent back without learning a word.” How could Erlang’s wife, who had always been so conceited, not be angry at having lost face in front of the people in Yunjin Courtyard?
“Second Sister-in-law, don’t worry too much. The children, left and right, are still young, so you can’t decide their future yet. If there’s truly no other path, why don’t you go talk to Sixth Sister-in-law and ask her to whisper a word to Liulang? Send the children to the military camp to gain some experience; they don’t really have to go to the battlefield. In the future, if they can secure a mid-level official position in the Imperial Guard of Sui’an City, or in the Gyeonggi Department, wouldn’t that be a stable life for a lifetime?”
Sanlang’s wife had a good idea, but unfortunately, Erlang’s wife swiftly rejected it. Erlang’s wife looked sideways at Sanlang’s wife, then said coldly, “Have you forgotten what happened on the day he received the imperial edict? That Du family woman isn’t easy to get along with. Look at how she talks. Isn’t it just because her maternal family is rich and her husband has power? She looks like a pheasant, and I don’t even know what kind of creature she truly is. Does she really think she’s flown onto a branch and turned into a phoenix? Bah!”
Erlang’s wife’s harsh words left Sanlang’s wife a little speechless. Although her own family had minor official status, their actual lives were not as comfortable as wealthy merchants like the Du family, who were well-known in Sui’an City. They lived a bitter life clinging to their official titles, while Du Jingyi was truly pampered and raised with luxury, evident in her daily expenses on food and clothing. They were all women who had married, so how could they not envy or be jealous of Du Jingyi’s ten-mile-long dowry?
But what good was envy? What good was jealousy? It simply meant your life wasn’t as good as others. What else could be done? So, compared to Erlang’s wife’s deep resentment, Sanlang’s wife harbored less ill will towards Du Jingyi; she merely wished to gain some benefits from her.
The two sisters-in-law were still talking when they heard someone approaching from outside. “Is Second Sister-in-law in the house?” The voice was light and lively, with a hint of a young woman’s flirtatiousness. Erlang’s wife and Sanlang’s wife exchanged glances, then instinctively looked outside. Their expressions brightened slightly, and Sanlang’s wife murmured, “As soon as I heard that sound, I knew it was Liuniang who was back.”
Sure enough, the person outside the door pulled back the curtain and walked in. It was indeed Shang Liuniang. She was the youngest daughter of the Third Branch, and her only given name was “Fei.” As her name suggested, she was born truly beautiful. Now twenty-four, she had been married for six or seven years. Her husband was Jia Weiyou, the second son of the Jia family, a renowned rice and grain merchant in Sui’an City. To marry her, the Jia family had sent a considerable dowry, making Shang Liuniang the favored one in the Third Branch. Not for any other reason, but simply so she could always find a way to get money from her husband’s family to support her natal family.
Shang Liuniang saw her two sisters-in-law as soon as she entered, and she smiled, saying, “Oh, Third Sister-in-law is here too. I pay my respects to both sisters-in-law.” Shang Liuniang had a lively temperament and was generous in her dealings. So, when Erlang’s wife and Sanlang’s wife saw her, they momentarily forgot their worries and greeted her with smiles. “Why did you come here on such a hot day?”
Though Shang Liuniang was over twenty, her face was exceptionally well-preserved; she looked no different from a maiden still in her boudoir. The petal jade butterfly hairpin made of southern red agate in her bun was particularly dazzling—a birthday gift from her husband, Jia Weiyou.
“This autumn weather feels wonderful; it’s not actually that hot anymore. Besides, I walked on the veranda all the way here, so I didn’t get much sun.”
Seeing her innocent smile, Erlang’s wife was filled with envy. Everyone else lives a good life, she thought, but I married into this Duke’s Mansion and suffered the consequences. Thinking this, the good mood that had just flickered disappeared once more.
Noticing her face darken, Shang Liuniang asked with a hint of concern, “Second Sister-in-law, what’s wrong? Is my second brother in trouble again?” Shang Liuniang had known what her second brother was like even when she was still at home. Thus, her second sister-in-law spent most of her days either angry with him or dealing with the aftermath. That’s why she asked this question immediately.
Erlang’s wife was upset but didn’t want to complain about her private matters in front of others, so she quickly changed the subject. “It’s all trivial matters, so let’s not talk about it. Why do you have time to come here today? Is there something you need?”
“How clever my Second Sister-in-law is! She knew my purpose right away.” Shang Liuniang then took a sip of tea before continuing. “Do you two sisters-in-law know that Pingliang Temple is going to build a golden body for it’s Buddha?”
“Your Third Sister-in-law was just talking about it . What’s the matter?”
“The Jia family has heard some rumors, saying that the Crown Prince and several other princes from the palace will also be present to preside and participate in this event . This is a great opportunity!” Shang Liuniang spoke seriously and mysteriously, which left her two sisters-in-law a little confused.
“Here, come here, we can just join in the fun or something. Is it possible that we can also let the girls from our third brother’s family go and put on a show?” Erlang’s wife said jokingly. She herself had only given birth to three sons. Apart from the two who were studying, she still had a baby in the house. But Sanlang’s wife had two sons and two daughters. However, these two daughters were only six and three years old respectively; how could they realistically be considered for marriage? So, as soon as these words came out, Sanlang’s wife also laughed and said jokingly, “I would rather have a shizi of some official househoild , or some imperial grandson, so that the two daughters in my house can have a chance. But it’s the crown Prince and other princes, so let’s forget it. The royal family is rich, and we simply can’t climb that high.” After saying this, she looked at Erlang’s wife. Both had sarcasm in their eyes, as if they meant something else entirely.
Although Shang Liuniang had been married for several years, she was still well-informed about the affairs of her natal family. Speaking of which, this family lineage was truly sprawling. The Duke of Shang had two brothers and two sisters. Not counting the descendants of the sisters, there were many people named Shang who lived in the Duke’s Mansion. There were four brothers in the same generation as the current Duke Shang Yukuan: the Second Master Shang Yuding (the eldest son of the Fifth Branch), the Third Master Shang Yurong (the eldest son of the Third Branch), and the Fourth Master Shang Yuan (the second son of the Fifth Branch). There were also four married aunts, but for now, they could be disregarded. The four brothers together had children collectively known as the “Seven Sons and Eight Niangs.” Among these, the children born to Shang Yukuan and Madam. Gu were (Dalang) Shangxian, (Liulang) Shangji, and (Banniang) Shangxue.