Chapter 53
Setting a trap

Before getting married, Song Wan had read all the books in Song Fu’s study. She thought managing the Chengyang Marquis’s residence and handling household affairs would be as simple as drinking tea and tasting dishes. However, she didn’t expect that managing even a simple household would exhaust her so much.

In the past, she prided herself on her calm temperament, but after meeting Lin Jiayue, she became increasingly irritable and unstable.

“You two can go back now. I will register Xiang Mei tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Eldest Young Madam…”

Jiang Xingjian’s earlier demeanor had frightened Madam Zheng and Xiang Mei. Seeing their major issue resolved, they fled Lan Ting Courtyard as if escaping.

Lin Jiayue wanted to stop them but was scared off by a single look from Jiang Xingjian.

“As for Madam Zhou and Third Sister… The Lan family has already chosen a new bride. You don’t need to insist on the Lan family anymore. I can’t help with Third Sister’s marriage, but in a few days, I will ask Madam to help find a match for her.”

Madam Zhou was about to cry, but Song Wan said, “Heng Wu, see the guests out. I won’t see Madam Zhou again until Third Sister’s marriage is settled.”

Only Jiang Xingjian and Lin Jiayue remained in the room. Song Wan thought for a moment and said coldly, “Taking someone into the household for the male members is an old tradition. It has nothing to do with the character of the Fourth Young Master. In the household, whether it’s the young masters, young ladies, aunts, or maids, everyone has a fixed monthly allowance. The sooner someone is taken as a concubine, the sooner Madam Zheng’s courtyard can receive an additional share of the household allowance.”

“Once the request is made, as long as it’s not excessive, any mistress of any household would agree.”

“As for your accusations of mistreatment, they are baseless.”

Song Wan frowned, and after a moment, her face turned slightly red as she said, “In noble families, once a boy reaches puberty, they arrange for him to have a concubine or a personal maid.”

“Firstly, this allows the men in the household to understand matters of desire and pleasure, preventing them from indulging in courtesans and romantic affairs outside the household in the future. Secondly, it ensures that they can continue the family line.”

“Thirdly, once a boy has a concubine, he is no longer seen as a child but as a young man.”

“What you are obstructing is not just a concubine but Jiang Ang’s right to take on family and household responsibilities.”

These matters are known to any girl from a noble family, even if she is an illegitimate child or a favored maid.

If Lin Jiayue hadn’t dodged quickly, Madam Zheng’s hairpin would have pierced her arm. If they argued further, Madam Zheng might have turned her into a pincushion.

After saying these words, Song Wan felt utterly exhausted.

Lin Jiayue had wasted her entire day, but the household’s various trivial and chaotic matters would not disappear. Just thinking about it made her feel extremely frustrated.

“Whether Concubine Lin is dissatisfied with the Fourth Young Master taking someone into the household or with the Fourth Young Master assuming household responsibilities, it is not something I, as a woman of the inner chambers, can comment on. Now that the Marquis is here, you can ask him yourself.”

“Today’s matters are pressing. You two should return to your quarters and rest early.”

Bowing to Jiang Xingjian, Song Wan entered her dressing room.

Outside, Lin Jiayue’s sharp voice continued to echo. Song Wan removed the jade hairpin from her head and threw it onto the dressing table.

“Miss, I had the small kitchen prepare some lily soup for you. Would you like to have a bite and rest?”

Heng Zhi brought over the dessert, but Song Wan silently shook her head, indicating she had no appetite.

Lv Zhu, feeling sorry for her, helped her undo her hair. Song Wan, with her eyes closed, said, “I don’t want to spend every day cleaning up the messes Lin Jiayue creates or explaining the so-called ‘rules’ and ‘household regulations’ to her.”

“Spending all day being dragged down by others not only wastes time and energy but also adds a lot of frustration. With this energy, I might as well plan more for my brother and aunt.”

Pressing her temple, Song Wan said, “I need to find a way to make Lin Jiayue cause a bigger disaster…”

It would be best to bring down that person in the palace as well to ensure the safety of the Song family.

With the Song family safe, she wouldn’t have to worry about the Marquis’s residence. As long as her father and brother are around, the Marquis’s residence would have to support her, so why suffer unnecessary hardships?

Heng Zhi bit her lip and said, “But after these few disturbances, the Marquis probably won’t trust Concubine Lin anymore. With the Marquis watching over her, it will be difficult for her to cause a major disaster.”

“That’s reasonable.” Tapping her slender fingers on the dressing table, Song Wan said after a moment, “Existence and non-existence give rise to each other, difficulty and ease complement each other, length and shortness shape each other, height and depth lean on each other…”

“All things in the world are interdependent.”

“Strength and weakness, advance and retreat, attack and defense, fortune and misfortune are interrelated and cannot be considered in isolation.”

“Everything is born from existence, and existence is born from non-existence. Fortune and misfortune are intertwined. To make Lin Jia Yue cause a major disaster, we must first elevate her, raise her to a high position, and let her soar to the clouds. The higher she climbs, the harder she will fall.”

“Her flamboyant nature, once she has power and influence, will make her even more arrogant and complacent. But when a person is complacent, they become dangerous.”

Resting her chin on her hand, Song Wan lazily said, “I’ll find an opportunity or an excuse to hand over the household management to her and let her have her moment of madness.”

Nanny Zhao worriedly asked, “If you have no power left, won’t it be…”

“Don’t worry.” Song Wan said, “Lin Jiayue is a worldly person who values profit. Although she has some crooked talents, her ambitions are high. She has never regarded me highly. I don’t know where her confidence and certainty come from, but I know that even if she holds great power, she won’t do anything to me.”

“After all, she has never respected me.”

Lin Jiayue’s arrogance and sense of superiority puzzled her. She had previously thought that Lin Jiayue’s behavior was a facade to deceive others, but now she was certain that Lin Jiayue was simply stubborn and conceited.

“Once she gains power, she won’t regard me at all and will likely make drastic changes to the Marquis’s residence based on her own views.”

“Given her knowledge and temperament, along with her lack of reverence, who knows what disasters she might cause.”

If Jiang Man had only made things difficult for her, Song Wan wouldn’t have abandoned the Marquis’s residence so quickly. But Jiang Man had overstepped by interfering with the Ministry of Personnel.

Moreover, today Jiang Xingjian had her, as the legitimate wife, explain household rules to a mere concubine, which was utterly ridiculous. If they couldn’t even show basic respect, such a family wasn’t worth staying in.

Song Wan casually tied up her long black hair and said indifferently, “I also want to see what chaos Lin Jiayue will cause once she gains power and how she will implicate those two in the palace.”

Nanny Zhao and Heng Zhi exchanged worried glances, but they trusted their mistress.

“Miss, do whatever you want. Even if the sky falls, we will support you.”

Song Wan smiled charmingly, “How could I let you bear the burden? Even if trouble arises, I still have my father and brother. At worst, I’ll cut my hair and return to the Song family’s ancestral temple. What can the Marquis’s residence do to me?”

“Don’t say such things, Miss,” Nanny Zhao lightly pushed Song Wan, feeling a pang of sadness.

How did such a good lady end up marrying into the Chengyang Marquis’s residence?

Unaware of Nanny Zhao’s thoughts, Song Wan focused all her energy on finding an excuse to hand over the household management to Lin Jiayue.

Unexpectedly, within half a month, an excellent opportunity presented itself.