"Does Grandmother mean that the Lu family will use my mother's leaving with us as an excuse to break off the engagement?" Qi Zhenzhen asked.
"Yes," the Old Madam nodded. "If you had merely lived on the estate for a few years, our Marquis's manor could have smoothed this over. But your mother took you away from the estate. Regardless of the reason, in the eyes of the Lu family, your mother is an escaped concubine. An escaped concubine, legally speaking, is an act of extreme impropriety. The Marquis's manor could even disavow you, and could even take your mother's life."
"I know you feel it's unfair, but such matters have never been about fairness. Grandmother knows that the people on the estate mistreated you. Grandmother also knows that without someone's instigation, they wouldn't have dared. But what use is knowing? Without concrete evidence, even if there were, with the Prince's manor as a backer, your father and I would be powerless."
"Therefore, you will not receive fair treatment in this matter."
The Old Madam spoke with complete candor. "The Lu family won't use the fact that you are a concubine's daughter as an excuse, but they will use your mother's status as an escaped concubine. Regarding this matter, I initially wanted to keep it a secret, but the Lu family knew about it before you returned."
How easy it was to keep such a thing a secret. They had lived in Apricot Blossom Village for so long; a little inquiry would reveal it.
So, if the Lu family minded this matter, she would definitely be looked down upon. As a noble family that valued its reputation, how could the Lu family not care?
In the past, she might have had a sliver of expectation for Lu Chen. But now, she had an agreement with Gu Sinian, and after gaining a deeper understanding of the rules of noble families, for her, a concubine's daughter, to oppose the family was essentially wishful thinking.
Seeing her silence, the Old Madam thought she was displeased with the situation. Indeed, anyone would be displeased by such a matter. Moreover, what she had said so far were just her speculations; the Lu family hadn't openly brought it up. Besides, Mingzhu's actions were too immodest and excessive. The engagement wasn't finalized yet, how could she run to her sister and provoke her like this?
"Don't worry, Zhenzhen. Grandmother will find a marriage for you that is suitable in every way. There are many good men in this world; Lu Chen of the Lu family isn't the only one," the Old Madam comforted. "For a woman's life, status and position are secondary. The most important thing is to live comfortably."
This last sentence was truly heartfelt.
While wealth and status were desirable, for women, a comfortable and contented life was more important.
"Grandmother, I... I am still displeased," Qi Zhenzhen mumbled, her head lowered.
The Old Madam drew her into her embrace and gently patted her back, saying nothing more.
After leaving Chaohui Hall, the slight dejection on Qi Zhenzhen's face vanished instantly. She had already let go of the engagement with the Lu family after Gu Sinian had analyzed the benefits with her. Her words today were merely to subtly criticize Madam Qin and her daughter in front of the Old Madam, to prevent them from always acting so high and mighty. Now that the Old Madam knew about this matter, she would surely say a few words when the opportunity arose.
Being able to make them unhappy made her very happy.
Qi Zhenzhen didn't know how the Old Madam would reprimand Madam Qin and Qi Mingzhu, but later, seeing the resentful look in Qi Mingzhu's eyes, Qi Zhenzhen knew she had likely been scolded.
Life as a young lady of a noble family, though leisurely, was also too boring.
They truly stayed within their own courtyards, and apart from the unshakeable routine of paying respects, there was nothing else to do. Fortunately, there was Qi Xuanyuan, a girl who visited her almost every day. Seeing that she knew nothing besides embroidery, Qi Xuanyuan took it upon herself to teach her to read.
Qi Xuanyuan had never received formal education before, and now that she had the opportunity, she was truly eager to learn.
Whatever Qi Zhenzhen taught her, she would remember it firmly, and she would even complete more than the required amount of calligraphy practice each day.
She was a good candidate for studying.
The sixteenth of June was the Old Madam's full birthday.
As soon as June began, the manor became busy, with decorations everywhere, creating a festive atmosphere.
Madam Qin also put in great effort to make the celebration outstanding, to shine in front of the Old Madam and the guests who came to offer congratulations, thus appeasing her recent discontent. For this, she specifically summoned Qi Mingzhu, Qi Zhenzhen, Qi Xuanyuan, and Qi Yi, instructing them to prepare thoughtful birthday gifts for the Old Madam.
Qi Zhenzhen rarely saw Qi Yi, so she took this opportunity to speak with him more, and also allowed Qi Xuanyuan and Qi Yi to get acquainted.
"Regarding the birthday gift, has Second Sister prepared anything? My father gave me many good things. If you don't have anything, I can help you prepare it as well," Qi Yi said.
"We only returned to the manor not long ago, and Grandmother is surely aware that we don't have many good things on hand. Therefore, I believe the birthday gift doesn't need to be overly valuable, but it must be thoughtful," Qi Zhenzhen said. "We are Grandmother's grandchildren, and a thoughtful gift will surely please Grandmother more than expensive gifts beyond our means."
Qi Yi nodded. "Second Sister's consideration is indeed thorough."
"On the birthday, families in the capital who have dealings with our Marquis's manor will come. Holding a birthday banquet can also be considered a gathering. The front courtyard will host the men, while the back courtyard will be for the ladies of the various households," Qi Yi said. "We haven't appeared in such a scene before, and our presence this time might attract many gazes."
Qi Zhenzhen smiled. "Are you afraid your sister won't be able to handle it?"
"People from the Qin Prince's manor will also come; they are the Madam's maternal family. Others might not know about our situation, but her maternal family certainly will. I'm afraid they might corner you then. My姨娘 is better off; she doesn't need to show her face on such occasions," Qi Yi said calmly.
"Don't worry, those people from there, even if they want to say something, they won't say it in front of everyone. At most, they'll say it in Madam's courtyard, and they can't do anything to me," Qi Zhenzhen smiled. "Madam is not a rash person. She won't let her maternal family expose what our Marquis's manor has painstakingly tried to conceal in front of everyone. If they did, it would be difficult to explain to Grandmother and Father."
"In short, you need to be careful," Qi Yi cautioned.
"I will remember."
The three siblings parted at the垂花门. Qi Xuanyuan looked on with envy. "Second Sister, Brother Yi truly cares about you."
"Don't look so envious. You have Second Sister to care for you. That brat isn't familiar with you yet, but once he gets to know you, he'll care about you too," Qi Zhenzhen poked Qi Xuanyuan's nose and smiled.
Qi Xuanyuan smiled shyly. "Second Sister, I've almost finished tracing the ten 'Shou' characters you wrote for me. Could you come and see if there's anything that needs improvement? If not, I'll write them onto the Hundred Shou painting. Then you can write ten more 'Shou' characters for me to fill into the Hundred Shou painting."