The First Jasmine - Chapter 3
Chapter 3: Maternal Aunt Arrives
"Miss, Lady Xu has arrived."
Ye Li raised her head just in time to see her Second Maternal Aunt walking in from outside. She rose immediately to greet her. "Second Aunt."
Lady Xu was only around thirty-six or thirty-seven this year. Her well-maintained features could only be described as delicate and pleasant, but the natural elegance that exuded from her entire being clearly reflected her upbringing from a distinguished, noble clan.
Knitting her brows, she surveyed Ye Li's room before poking her on the forehead, unable to resist chiding, "Your uncle and I told you long ago to move into our manor, yet you stubbornly refused to listen. Now look at the state of your living quarters! And look at your marriage arrangement... Are you intentionally trying to keep your mother from resting in peace in the netherworld?" Ye Li massaged her forehead and pulled Lady Xu down to sit. "Uncle has not had it easy these past few years either. Besides, with my grandmother and father both here, there is no precedent for an unmarried daughter to move into her maternal uncle's estate. It would only invite outsiders to mock my mother for failing to raise her daughter with proper etiquette." Ever since the current Emperor ascended the throne, he had exerted every effort to suppress the veteran officials of the late Emperor's reign. Her maternal grandfather, her Eldest Maternal Uncle, and the rest of the Xu clan had successive retired from the political arena. Today, only her Second Maternal Uncle remained in the Hanlin Academy, serving as a Hanlin Academician of the Third Rank. To outsiders, the century-old noble Xu clan had long since fallen into decline.
Hearing Ye Li's explanation, Lady Xu could not help but sigh. "It's just that seeing you wrong yourself like this... if your grandfather knew, his heart would break." For generations, the Xu family had been blessed with many sons and few daughters. By the time of Old Master Xu's generation, Ye Li's mother was the sole daughter, naturally receiving boundless love and pampering. If he learned that his only maternal granddaughter was living under such grievances, Old Master Xu's temperament would likely drive him to storm into the capital and give his son-in-law a furious scolding. Ye Li smiled and said, "What grievances are there? Your Li'er is not someone who will let herself suffer a loss." Lady Xu looked at her with deep anxiety. "But your marriage... Prince Ding is truly not a good match. And that younger sister of yours is utterly shameless—stealing her own elder sister's betrothed, is that the kind of behavior expected from a young lady of a reputable household?" Ye Li's eyes flickered with a subtle gleam, entirely devoid of the frail, yielding demeanor she usually displayed within the estate. She offered a shallow smile. "Prince Ding has his own advantages. Aunt and Uncle need not worry over me." The status of the Prince Ding Estate within Great Chu was transcendent; unless Prince Ding chose to commit treason and usurp the throne, even the Emperor would not dare easily destabilize their position. Furthermore, due to his physical condition, the current Prince Ding was entirely detached from court politics. Marrying him meant she would naturally be spared from those chaotic, vexing affairs. To Ye Li, it was merely the difference between moving from the Ye Estate to the Prince Ding Estate. In her previous life, she had been far too exhausted; in this life, she merely wished to peacefully coast along and wait for retirement.
Indeed, to coast along and wait for retirement was the life goal Ye Li had set for herself in this reincarnation. In her previous life, she had been a soldier—a soldier of a special forces unit. Having braved life and death for her country, dying in the line of duty was a fitting end. She held no overflowing tragic resentment, nor did she harbor world-shaking ambitions. She believed she had done right by her country, and her country had not failed her. Returning home wrapped in a shroud was a soldier’s duty and responsibility, but after a decade of blood and wind, she had experienced too much and felt genuinely tired. Therefore, in this life, she only desired peace and tranquility.
Seeing her so untroubled, Lady Xu felt both relieved and worried, but her emotions ultimately dissolved into a single sigh. Even if she was dissatisfied, what could be done? The Emperor had personally issued the marriage decree; who could defy it?
"This is what your grandfather left with your uncle and me before he departed the capital; it is the dowry your grandfather prepared for you. We couldn't legally give it to you in a grand, public manner, so we converted all of it into bank notes to line the bottom of your dowry trunk." Lady Xu handed over a stack of bills into Ye Li's hands. Ye Li unfolded them and saw that there was a single gold note worth one thousand taels, ten silver notes worth five hundred taels each, and several smaller denominations of gold and silver notes, totaling roughly twenty thousand taels of silver. Preventing Ye Li from speaking, Lady Xu continued, "I heard that Madam Wang actually wanted to withhold the dowry your mother left for you? Rest assured regarding this matter; your aunt will certainly settle it for you. Humph, which daughter of my Xu family has ever married without grand pomp? Even if we have declined, we would never tolerate the vulgarity of using a first wife's dowry to subsidize a concubine's daughter. Haven't they squandered enough of your mother's assets over the years? Those manors and shops—your aunt will definitely claw them back for you." Ye Li frowned slightly. "I can handle this matter myself. Aunt, you shouldn't..."
Lady Xu smiled and countered, "Do not worry. Your father's official rank is indeed higher than your uncle's, but if the Emperor still desires to maintain his royal dignity, he will absolutely not make things difficult for your uncle again." The Xu family was, after all, the descendants of founding meritorious officials and the undisputed leaders of the empire's scholars and literati. Even if they were no longer active in court, their influence was not something a mere Ye family or Wang family could match. Following the Emperor's ascension, his overt and covert pressures had already forced the Xu clan to resign from office, which was highly unseemly. If anything were to happen to her husband now without a profoundly critical justification, the saliva of the world's scholars would drown the Royal Family. Ye Li pondered it briefly and realized it was indeed not a major issue, so she nodded and thanked her aunt. Lady Xu then smiled with satisfaction. "In the future, I fear this maiden home of yours will not stand up for you. After you marry, visit our house more often. It will also put your uncle and grandfather's minds at ease."
"Madam has arrived." A flurry of footsteps sounded outside the door, and Madam Wang appeared at the entrance accompanied by her maids and older maidservants. Standing at the threshold, she arched an eyebrow at Lady Xu and said, "Since Lady Xu has arrived, why was no word sent? I didn't even have time to arrange for people to welcome you."
Lady Xu had always detested Madam Wang's conduct. She gave a faint snort and replied coldly, "I have merely come on my husband's orders to check on Li'er. The Ye family's threshold is high; how would I dare trouble Madam Ye to welcome me?"
The Xu family was a lineage of noble ministers and literary scholars, a clan that had never permitted the practice of elevating a concubine to the status of a primary wife. Lady Xu had always looked down upon Madam Wang's identity, especially since her sister-in-law's untimely death from a broken heart was largely due to this woman. Consequently, she harbored no intention of offering a pleasant countenance. Madam Wang likewise harbored a deep resentment toward Lady Xu's condescending attitude. She herself was a noble lady of the Second Rank, while this Xu woman was merely a lady of the Third Rank; on what basis did she look down on her? Madam Wang cast a disdainful look around Ye Li's room, walked straight to the side to seat herself, and addressed Lady Xu: "We have already dispatched the Third Miss's birth charts to the Prince Ding Estate. The wedding date should be finalized in a few days. As her primary stepmother, I will naturally ensure the Third Miss marries with immense grandeur. Lady Xu need not worry." Lady Xu offered a serene smile, also seating herself to the side as she remarked, "If it is truly a grand and honorable marriage, that would naturally be excellent. Although Li'er bears the surname Ye, she carries the blood of our Xu family. If a daughter of the Xu family suffers a grievance in her marriage, even our Old Master will not consent to it. By the way... your Master Rong is still studying, is he not? I wonder if he will participate in the imperial examinations next year?"
Lady Xu's casual remarks caused Madam Wang's heart to tighten instantly. Her Master Rong was currently studying at the clan's academy. She had actually forgotten that although the Xu family had declined in political office, they still controlled the Lishan Academy—one of the four greatest academies in the empire, and undisputed as the finest institution in Great Chu, bar none. Master Rong wished to enroll in Lishan Academy this very year to guarantee better prospects for next year's imperial examinations. If she tampered with Ye Li's dowry, she feared... Thinking up to this point, she could not help but glare resentfully at Lady Xu. Lady Xu remained entirely unbothered, maintaining her tranquil smile. Madam Wang replied with a frosty face, "Our Master Rong is the birth brother of Consort Ye; what difficulty could a mere imperial examination possibly present?" Lady Xu nodded in agreement and smiled. "It is best that Master Rong possesses such confidence. On the other hand, the brother of Noble Consort Liu—who clearly swept the local examinations back-to-back in the capital—still lacked confidence in himself. He traveled thousands of miles to Lishan to seek guidance from our Old Master. That seems rather excessive. Presumably, your esteemed son has no need for such measures, and will undoubtedly secure the top score across all three tiers of the examinations to bring honor to Consort Ye."
Hearing this, Madam Wang's expression turned even uglier. Noble Consort Liu had been hailed as the number one talented woman of the capital during her maiden years, and she had enjoyed continuous imperial favor since entering the palace. Furthermore, having given birth to two princes and a princess, she was bestowed the title of Noble Consort, heavily suppressing Madam Wang's own daughter. The young master of the Liu family was also renowned for his brilliant talent, leaving her own son completely overshadowed in the capital. If the Liu family lad were to secure the top rank of Zhuangyuan next year, Consort Ye would surely be infuriated.
Madam Wang gave a soft snort, casting a disgruntled look at Ye Li before saying, "If he could receive guidance from Old Master Xu, Rong'er would naturally possess greater certainty." This sentence amounted to a confession of defeat. Lady Xu did not explicitly state her stance either, merely smiling as she replied, "I was simply speaking in passing. Madam Ye's virtuous reputation is widely known; surely you would not mistreat the daughter of the original wife. Upon my return, I shall request my husband to submit the original dowry registry of our late eldest sister to the government offices for official re-filing, so as not to delay Li'er's wedding date."
Ultimately, Madam Wang's face turned ash-green as she swept her sleeves and stormed out, earning nothing but a disdainful, cold snort from Lady Xu.