Where the Mask Ends - Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Who wouldn't hope for their own daughter to make a good match? If it were possible, Old Madame Shou’an would also have wanted her eldest granddaughter, Zhou Huizhen, to marry into a high-ranking family as she wished. But when it came to unreliable high-ranking families—families that required one to swallow their pride and compromise one's dignity just to secure a place—Old Madame Shou’an had no interest in them, no matter how prestigious they were.
The Marquis of Xiting’s household, the Han mansion, was nothing but a bottomless pit!
Were there no beautiful, noble young ladies in the capital? There were, but no one was willing to let their precious daughters go to the Han family to be squeezed in the middle of domestic strife. They were unwilling to form an alliance with the Han family. With the heir, Han Liao, in his prime at thirty-something and needing a wife to manage his household, he couldn't find a suitable match in the capital. Then, he happened upon a beautiful, desperate-to-marry young woman while out and about. Smitten by her beauty, the lecherous Han Liao immediately entrusted someone to make a proposal.
Old Madame Shou’an regarded the Han family’s proposal as an insult. Had the Zhou family possessed even a shred of actual power, she would have directly chased the matchmaker out the door.
Leaving no room for Mrs. Wang to hesitate or rethink, Old Madame Shou’an sent Nanny Liu the very next day to reject the matchmaker.
"Forget it. It’s no longer a possibility." When she arranged this task for Nanny Liu, Old Madame Shou’an specifically called Mrs. Wang over to listen in.
Mrs. Wang felt a deep sense of torment. On one hand, she felt the Marquis of Xiting’s mansion was the highest branch her eldest daughter could hope to climb, and it was a pity to miss it. On the other hand, she also felt her mother-in-law was right; Han Liao had an overbearing and shrewish mother above, a swarm of legitimate and illegitimate children below, and a house full of concubines. The inner courtyards were a chaotic mess, and if her eldest daughter married in, she would easily be bullied.
The elders kept this matter under wraps. Since Wei Rao already understood her grandmother’s intentions, she was even less likely to blabber about it in front of Zhou Huizhen.
With only three days left until the end of the month and their return to the city imminent, Wei Rao couldn't bear to remain at odds with her grandmother any longer, and she trotted off to Fu'an Hall all on her own.
"So, Rao'er has finally decided to come see this old woman?" Seeing her granddaughter after many days, Old Madame Shou’an asked with a smile.
Wei Rao deliberately replied, "In the blink of an eye, I’ve stayed here for over half a month. I’ve missed you a bit, Grandmother, so I’ve come to bid you farewell."
How could Old Madame Shou’an not see that the young girl was putting on an act?
She beckoned Wei Rao to her side, took her small hand, and said, "You are not allowed to go. Stay and keep me company for two more days. You spend ten or eleven months a year dutifully serving your grandmother in the city; these two days, you must accompany me."
Wei Rao pouted, unable to hold back any longer, and leaned against Old Madame Shou’an’s shoulder, laughing.
Speaking privately, Wei Rao asked out of curiosity, "The Han family’s proposal, did you really reject it?"
Old Madame Shou’an raised an eyebrow: "Who told you that?"
Wei Rao hummed: "Grandmother may not miss me, but I miss you. On the day the matchmaker came to propose, I snuck over to check on you."
Old Madame Shou’an tugged at her delicate earlobe: "You climbed over the wall, didn't you? Are you a monkey, always jumping up and down?"
Wei Rao gasped and cried out in pain.
Old Madame Shou’an let her go and smiled: "Yes, I rejected it. Your aunt was actually obedient this time and didn't let the news leak to your Cousin Zhen."
Wei Rao thought to herself, given the conditions of the Marquis of Xiting’s mansion, how could her aunt bear to let her cousin marry into that?
Even she, as a cousin, found it hard to accept. Han Liao was fifteen or sixteen years older than her cousin—a bona fide old man. Her cousin deserved better!
Those in the know kept their lips sealed, and Zhou Huizhen had no way of knowing the news. Furthermore, she was still hung up on the immortal young master she had encountered earlier. She would dream of him in her sleep, thinking of him day and night, and for the time being, she had even forgotten her frustration over the lack of noble suitors coming to propose.
Until the day Wei Rao took her leave, Zhou Huizhen remained in the dark.
"Grandmother, are you really not going to allow me to come over again?" As the parting drew near, Wei Rao held Old Madame Shou’an’s hand and pleaded in a low voice.
Old Madame Shou’an stroked her head and said in a voice only Wei Rao could hear, "Grandmother is waiting for the Earl’s mansion to send someone to announce the good news."
The implication was clear: until Wei Rao was betrothed, she could forget about coming back to the leisure estate to run wild.
Wei Rao bit her lip, let go of her grandmother, and boarded the carriage without looking back.
Mrs. Wang and Zhou Huizhen were oblivious to the underlying meaning, while Zhou Huizhu and Huo Lin, who were in the know, kept their heads down and stifled their laughter.
On the road back to the capital, Wei Rao sat in the carriage, feeling dejected.
Huo Jue rode his horse alongside them. Hearing no sound from within, he cleared his throat and took the initiative: "Cousin, I have already sent people to scout for chefs from various regions. Over the past half-month, I’ve also been keeping an eye out for suitable shops for you to rent. However, good locations are hard to come by; you’ll have to wait a little longer. It’s not something we can rush."
Wei Rao had been so busy battling with her grandmother that she had nearly forgotten about the plan to open a restaurant.
She lifted half of the curtain and looked at her calm and handsome cousin on horseback with a restored smile: "I understand. Cousin, please take your time looking. There’s no rush. By the way, how is your branch store doing? Have the local bullies been giving you trouble?"
Doing business in the capital was no simple matter; it required maneuvering through all sorts of powers.
Huo Jue smiled: "Everything is going smoothly so far. Cousin, you don't need to worry."
The Huo family had their own connections, and because Emperor Yuanjia respected Old Madame Shou’an, before the Emperor grew cold toward her, those competing forces were wary of him and dared not use overly malicious tactics. As for ordinary tricks, the Huo family did not fear them.
"Your face didn't look right when you got on the carriage earlier, Cousin. Did something happen at the estate?" Huo Jue looked at the half-face of the beauty revealed in the carriage window, tightened his grip on the reins, and asked with the concern of an older brother.
Wei Rao sighed lightly, not fearing her cousin’s mockery: "Grandmother has given me an ultimatum: until I find a good match, I am not allowed to see her."
Upon hearing this, Huo Jue suddenly felt as if a piece of his heart were missing. An unprecedented feeling of loss and bitterness began to spread upward from that void.
He feigned lightness, smiling and teasing: "With your background, virtue, and appearance, Cousin, wouldn't it be easy to find a good match?"
Wei Rao said with worry: "Grandmother has conditions. Unless it is a powerful and wealthy family, she doesn't think much of them."
Huo Jue was an intelligent man; with a little thought, he understood the deep meaning behind his grandmother’s intentions. With his cousin’s appearance, ordinary families might not be able to protect her.
Beyond that, Huo Jue thought even further ahead.
The Zhou family had no male heirs, and their grandmother only held the empty title of a noblewoman. While his mother and aunt had both remarried in ways that made others jealous, the Huo family was merely a merchant clan with wealth but no political power. As for his aunt, both mother and son had been cast away to the Western Mountain Palace for two years. Emperor Yuanjia’s attitude was unclear; if they couldn't recover their former favor, they would be as good as hopeless.
Among their generation of cousins, Huizhen and Huizhu were destined not to marry into high-ranking families. He and his sister, Huo Lin, were limited by their status as merchants, and their future prospects were capped. Of their entire group of relatives, the only one with a chance to make a mark was Wei Rao, the daughter of an Earl’s mansion.
For her own good, she had to marry high.
To protect their relatives—and even to support his aunt and her son—she must marry high.
Compared to the heavy burden on his cousin’s shoulders, what did the romantic feelings hidden in the depths of his heart matter?
"Cousin, do you understand Grandmother’s painstaking efforts?" Huo Jue asked, probing.
Wei Rao understood.
The Empress Dowager was a mad old woman who grew more destructive as she neared death. Because her grandmother and mother had respectively received the respect and favor of Emperor Yuanjia, the Empress Dowager viewed them as thorns in her side. Her mother and brother were far away, and the palace was not a place where assassins could simply wander in. Her grandmother lived on the estate and rarely went out these days. If assassins were to break directly into the estate, their intent would be too obvious, making it easy for Emperor Yuanjia to suspect the Empress Dowager.
Therefore, plotting against her had become the easiest way to succeed and the most satisfying way for the Empress Dowager to vent her anger.
If she married into a high-ranking family, that family would become her protective umbrella.
If she married into a high-ranking family, her cousins would also benefit.
"I understand. I’m just afraid of disappointing her," Wei Rao smiled, not wanting her cousin to see her distress.
Huo Jue comforted her: "You are still young, Cousin. Take your time; there is no need to be anxious."
Wei Rao nodded. Hearing a carriage rushing toward them from the front, she signaled to her cousin and lowered the curtain, sitting properly.
Huo Jue escorted Wei Rao all the way back to the Chengan Earl’s mansion and, at Wei Rao’s insistence, went to pay his respects to Old Lady Wei.
Old Lady Wei lived in Zhengchun Hall.
As the cousins walked over, Wei Rao’s eldest aunt, Lady Guo, and third elder sister, Wei Chan, were also there.
A little maid arrived first to announce them.
Lady Guo said with a fake smile: "Rao’er, this girl, is finally willing to come back. I thought she was so happy staying at Old Madame Shou’an’s estate that she had forgotten to come home."
Wei Chan stood up with great disdain and said to Old Lady Wei: "Grandmother, Young Master Huo is a man from outside the family. I will go to the side room to avoid him."
It was true that Huo Jue was an outsider to Wei Chan, but there was also a family connection. If Wei Chan had truly wanted to see him, there was no need to avoid him; it was merely because she looked down on Huo Jue’s merchant background.
"Go ahead," Old Lady Wei said with a faint smile. After all, she was her own granddaughter; she couldn't force her to see someone she didn't want to.
Soon, Wei Rao and Huo Jue stepped into the hall side-by-side.
"Junior Huo Jue, I have presumptuously called upon you. Please, Old Lady and Madam, forgive my intrusion." Huo Jue saluted Old Lady Wei and her daughter-in-law with composure and grace. Naturally, the gifts had been prepared in advance, guarding against the possibility of having to enter the mansion to pay respects; to arrive empty-handed would have been a breach of etiquette.
Old Lady Wei smiled as she scrutinized Huo Jue, and she sincerely praised: "Worthy of being cousins; Rao’er is beautiful, and Jue-ge'er has such a dignified appearance. Why, he looks even more handsome and outstanding than Rao’er’s eldest brother."
The eldest brother mentioned was the heir of the Chengan Earl’s mansion, Wei Zizhan.
Old Lady Wei’s praise was sincere. Huo Jue humbly indicated that he did not dare accept such a compliment. Wei Rao’s aunt, Lady Guo, pursed her lips slightly; in her heart, she thought Huo Jue wasn't even worthy of being a servant for her son.
Behind the curtain of the side room, Wei Chan, who had been peeking, felt her contempt vanish quietly. For a moment, she looked at Huo Jue’s handsome facial features, and the next, she stared at the beautiful jade pendant at his waist. It was said that the Huo family was the wealthiest in the Jin region. With such elegant posture and an immense family fortune, her brother—aside from his background—truly didn't seem as good as Huo Jue.
It was a pity that a merchant was just a merchant. If Huo Jue had an official position, with his wealth and looks, he might have been a suitable match.
Feeling a sense of regret, Wei Chan dropped the curtain.
Huo Jue did not stay long. After drinking a cup of tea and chatting with Old Lady Wei, he took his leave.
Wei Rao saw her cousin to the gate. When she returned, Lady Guo was still there, and Wei Chan had also come out.
Wei Rao had no choice but to bite the bullet and sit beside her grandmother.
Lady Guo had been waiting for her to return; some words had been bottled up in her heart for over ten days, and now she could finally speak them with satisfaction.
"Rao’er, I heard that not long ago, you and the two cousins from the Zhou family often went to play in the mountains and had encounters with quite a few aristocratic young masters?"
Zhou Huizhen and Mrs. Wang making fools of themselves on Yunwu Mountain had been witnessed by many, and the news had long since spread among the official wives of the capital—only some had deliberately included Old Madame Shou’an’s other granddaughters and cousins, such as Zhou Huizhu or Wei Rao.
Lady Guo mocked Wei Rao with her words while secretly glancing at Old Lady Wei.
Old Lady Wei sipped her tea slowly.
Wei Rao thought for a moment and said with a smile: "We did indeed go into the mountains to admire the snow and hunt. We didn't see any aristocratic young masters, but we did happen upon two wild boars."
With a "pfft" sound, even someone as dignified and proper as Old Lady Wei sprayed her tea from laughter.
Young masters and wild boars—that was quite a discrepancy!
Wei Rao considerately walked behind Old Lady Wei’s chair. While helping her pat her shoulders, she instructed Bitao: "Go get that wild boar hide and show it to Grandmother and Aunt."
Bitao boastfully brought out the freshly cured wild boar hide and a red fox skin: "Old Lady, our Young Miss not only hunted a wild boar, but she also bagged a fox! It’s a pity that after just one hunt, Old Madame Shou’an wouldn't let the Young Miss go into the mountains anymore, fearing that she might be injured by wild beasts. She kept the Young Miss confined to the estate and wouldn't let her go anywhere."
By the way, she also clarified the rumors spread by Lady Guo.
Old Lady Wei smiled and patted her young granddaughter’s hand. She knew it; Rao’er would never do anything so foolish.