Returning from the main courtyard to Hengwu Courtyard, Yun Zhi was already waiting at the door. Seeing Wen Ye, she asked, "Miss, would you like to rest for a while?"
It was already past Chen hour, the time she usually woke up. Wen Ye stepped into the room, half-closed her eyes, and let out a silent yawn before nodding, "Yes, I'm still a bit sleepy."
Yun Zhi helped Wen Ye remove her outer robe and then asked, "Did Madam punish you?"
Wen Ye lifted her eyelids and replied, "I haven’t done anything wrong. Why would Mother punish me?"
She sat back at the dressing table, letting Yun Zhi help her remove her hairpins and loosen her hair. As she did so, she added, "Mother just asked about my marriage plans."
Yun Zhi paused for a moment, a hint of worry in her voice, "Which family has Madam chosen this time?"
Wen Ye’s past affairs were mostly known to Tao Zhi, while Yun Zhi was aware of only a small part. For instance, the incident where Wen Ye sabotaged the marriage proposal with the Liu family, whose son had impregnated a concubine during the national mourning period, had not been hidden from the serious-minded Yun Zhi.
Yun Zhi was now worried that Wen Ye might encounter another Liu family.
Wen Ye lowered her gaze to her reflection in the mirror—a round, delicate, and youthful face. What a waste, she thought, to enter the tomb of marriage at such a young age.
"Nothing’s been decided yet," she sighed. "Mother said she’ll draw up a list of candidates and let me choose one."
Tao Zhi entered the room with a tray of tea, just in time to hear Wen Ye’s words, and immediately laughed. "Miss, choosing a husband sounds like the Emperor selecting his concubines!"
Wen Ye shot her a glance, subtly relaxing her stiff shoulders, and joked, "Indeed. When the time comes, you, my dear Tao Gonggong, will have to help me scrutinize them carefully~"
Tao Zhi put down the tray, flustered, "Miss, you’re teasing me again!"
Yun Zhi also smiled, turning to Tao Zhi, "Who told you to speak without thinking?"
In this courtyard, no one could outwit their lady. After all these years, Tao Zhi still hadn’t learned her lesson.
Tao Zhi huffed and poured a cup of tea for Wen Ye, handing it to her. "But Miss, it seems Madam is determined to find you a husband this time."
Having been subtly influenced by Wen Ye’s views over the years, Tao Zhi no longer believed that women must marry.
Wen Ye took a few sips of the sweet tea. She had eaten quite a few refreshing side dishes in the morning and was now feeling thirsty.
After finishing the tea, she said leisurely, "Yes, so the time has come."
Tao Zhi didn’t understand, "What time has come?"
As soon as she finished speaking, hurried footsteps could be heard outside.
Wen Ye was just about to lie down for a nap when a figure appeared at the door.
Without a doubt, it was Concubine Chang.
The Wen family residence had been expanded from three courtyards, making it more spacious than many official residences in the capital. Moreover, the young ladies of the family were each given their own small courtyard after the age of ten.
Of course, the legitimate children were an exception. Their future courtyards were usually decided before their first birthday.
Before the age of ten, Wen Ye had lived with Concubine Chang in Xicui Courtyard.
Now, she had lived in Hengwu Courtyard for ten years.
Wen Ye sighed and gestured for Yun Zhi and Tao Zhi to leave.
Yun Zhi moved a soft stool to the bedside for Concubine Chang before closing the door and leaving.
Concubine Chang hurried forward, not even sitting down before anxiously asking, "What did Madam say?"
Her bright eyes were fixed on Wen Ye, leaving no room for evasion.
"It’s exactly as you wished," Wen Ye replied, truly feeling sleepy now. She covered her yawn with her hand. "Mother said she’ll select a few candidates for me to choose from in the coming days."
Concubine Chang’s eyes immediately welled up with tears, and she repeated "Good" several times. She gently stroked Wen Ye’s soft hair, "In the blink of an eye, you’ve grown so much."
Wen Ye responded calmly, "Yes, thank you for your hard work all these years."
She wasn’t being cold; it was just that Concubine Chang had said this three to five times every month since Wen Ye’s three failed marriage proposals.
Wen Ye had grown numb to it and couldn’t muster any extra reaction.
Concubine Chang wiped her tears and smiled happily, "You’re my daughter. It’s my duty to take care of you. It’s not hard at all."
Having her nap interrupted, Wen Ye sighed inwardly. Her eyes, which had been nearly closed, now opened wide, looking watery and innocent at first glance.
Wen Ye looked at Concubine Chang, who was so happy for her, and a hint of clarity returned to her drowsy eyes. She suddenly asked, "If I marry, when you come to Hengwu Courtyard in the future, you’ll only have the flowers and plants to talk to. Will you be able to bear it?"
Concubine Chang’s eyes widened for a moment, showing nothing but honesty as she replied, "There’s still your little sister. Besides, Madam has always been kind to us. When you return after your wedding, we’ll be able to meet. In the future, with births and weddings in both families, there will be visits. As long as you’re happy in your husband’s home, I’ll be fine."
Looking at Concubine Chang, who appeared to be only twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, Wen Ye had to admit that there was some truth to the saying, "Ignorance is bliss."
Wen Ye recalled the time before Concubine Chang gave birth to Wen Ran, when her second brother, Wen Congan, was growing up but still ranked at the bottom of his class, causing Father Wen and Madam Shen much distress.
Father Wen’s generation had suffered from having few brothers—only one legitimate younger brother, who didn’t care for studying and now lived in the ancestral home in Suzhou, managing the family’s properties and maintaining relations with the Wen family’s branch relatives.
Therefore, when it came to his own sons, Father Wen hoped that the two brothers could support each other in their official careers. Who would have thought that the second son would turn out to be so unruly?
After several attempts to discipline him, Father Wen realized that his second son was hopeless and discussed with Madam Shen the idea of having another son, whether legitimate or not.
At the time, Madam Shen was also frustrated with the second son and agreed to Father Wen’s suggestion, though she was already busy arranging a marriage for their eldest son and didn’t have the energy to raise another child.
As for Father Wen, Madam Shen might not have had deep feelings for him, but if she were to marry again, Wen Ye guessed she would still choose him.
Compared to other families, at least Father Wen respected Madam Shen’s opinions and wasn’t the type to dote on concubines at the expense of his wife or lose his senses over beauty.
In fact, he even disliked concubines who competed for his favor.
He might have some of the common flaws of men in this era, but within those limitations, Wen Ye thought her father could rank in the top five in Sheng Jing City.
Back then, when Madam Shen didn’t want to have another child, she suggested taking in another concubine for Father Wen. To her surprise, Father Wen refused.
At the time, another concubine, Concubine Bai, was still alive. With her as a cautionary example, Father Wen didn’t want any more turmoil in the household, so he chose between the two existing concubines.
Not long after, Concubine Chang became pregnant and, after ten months, gave birth to their fifth child.
Initially, Father Wen was disappointed, but shortly after the birth of his youngest daughter, Wen Congan suddenly became motivated. Though his focus shifted from the imperial exams to martial arts, he at least stopped being so unruly.
The ancients were superstitious, and since the youngest daughter resembled Father Wen and excelled in her studies, she was soon compared favorably to the eldest son, Wen Congan, who had been the most promising.
As her teacher said, it was a pity she had been born a girl.
Madam Shen somewhat believed that her second son’s sudden change of heart was due to Wen Ran’s influence. Additionally, Concubine Chang had only grown older over the years, but her mind remained as simple and gullible as it had been in her teens.
For a dutiful concubine, Madam Shen was quite tolerant.
Perhaps the only stumbling block was Wen Ye herself.
Reflecting on this, Wen Ye realized that she had enjoyed too much freedom these past few years, and Madam Shen’s leniency was likely due in part to her younger sister and Concubine Chang.
Ah well, she’d just have to steal fewer pastries from her sister’s room and tease Concubine Chang less often in the future.
After all, they were family.
Wen Ye sighed again and looked up.
Concubine Chang was now talking about saving any fine fabrics Madam Shen might give her in the future to make clothes and shoes for her future grandchildren.
Wen Ye shivered slightly. She couldn’t let Concubine Chang continue like this, or she’d be facing not just pressure to marry, but also to have children.
"Concubine Chang, has my sister gone to school?" Wen Ye quickly interrupted Concubine Chang’s fantasies, steering the conversation toward her younger sister.
Concubine Chang finally stopped and said, "Today is your sister’s day off. Have you forgotten? But her teacher assigned some difficult homework, so I didn’t let her come over."
The family school had been running for many years, and now only Cheng, Wen Ran, and the eldest and second grandsons of Madam Shen’s brother attended.
It took more than two quarters of an hour to walk from Xicui Courtyard, where Concubine Chang lived, to the school. When Wen Ye was young and lived in Xicui Courtyard, she had to get up at Mao hour every day, a memory she never wanted to revisit.
Fortunately, from the very beginning, she was considered "slow-witted." While the other two young ladies in the household could complete the same lessons in an hour, it took her three days. Gradually... Father Wen stopped having any expectations of her, and as long as she behaved properly as a daughter of the Wen family, Madam Shen didn’t bother with her either. It was only then that her life began to improve.
At this moment, Wen Ye blinked, pondering whether she should tell the truth.
Concubine Chang, seeing her expression, tapped her forehead helplessly and said, "If only you were half as composed as your younger sister, I wouldn’t be so worried."
Sometimes, Concubine Chang wondered why, despite being sisters, they were polar opposites.
One had inherited her looks and her aversion to books—just the thought of reading gave her a headache.
The other, except for being her daughter, was so accomplished that there was hardly any resemblance to her.
Wen Ye casually remarked, "I stayed up half the night reading yesterday."
Concubine Chang was stunned, hardly believing her ears. "Really?"
Wen Ye looked sincere. "Of course. If you don’t believe me, ask Yun Zhi."
She had indeed stayed up half the night reading.
Concubine Chang was almost convinced. If Wen Ye had told her to ask Tao Zhi, she might have suspected that the two had conspired beforehand.
But Yun Zhi, that girl, never lied about such things.
Feeling sorry for her daughter, who had stayed up reading and then risen so early in the morning, Concubine Chang didn’t linger long in Wen Ye’s room.
For the first time, she didn’t object to Wen Ye’s "sleeping in," something she had always disapproved of. Instead, she even happily took over Tao Zhi’s task and personally drew the bed curtains for Wen Ye.
Wen Ye snuggled contentedly into the soft bedding, her eyes closing in satisfaction. Finally, she could catch up on some sleep.
After instructing Tao Zhi to take good care of Wen Ye, Concubine Chang left the bedroom. As she passed the small kitchen in the courtyard, she noticed Yun Zhi inside, directing the preparations.
After a moment’s thought, she went in.
Hengwu Courtyard, aside from the two personal maids Yun Zhi and Tao Zhi, also had a cook and three serving maids. This was the standard arrangement for the Wen family’s daughters.
Yuan Zhi, seeing Concubine Chang, asked, "Is there something you need, Madam?"
Concubine Chang smiled warmly. "Your young lady stayed up half the night reading. Add a pigeon soup to today’s lunch. The cost will be covered from Xicui Courtyard."
As a concubine, Concubine Chang received ten taels of silver each month, which she usually spent on her two daughters. Whatever was left, she saved for their future dowries.
Yun Zhi, understanding Concubine Chang’s intentions, suddenly looked uneasy.
"Madam, you approve of the Fourth Young Lady reading those books until late at night?"
Concubine Chang didn’t catch the odd tone in Yun Zhi’s voice, too pleased that Wen Ye was finally showing some diligence.
Though it was late, at least there was a hint of her father’s studiousness in her.
Concubine Chang said, "Yun Zhi, you should keep an eye on your young lady. Reading is good, but she shouldn’t stay up all night."
Yun Zhi fell silent.
She thought of the bookshelf in her young lady’s room, filled with "Four Books" and "Five Classics" with their covers replaced, then looked at Concubine Chang’s proud yet concerned expression.
All she wanted to say was: Madam, you’ve been fooled again.
