CHAPTER 20

Old Madam Zhao eavesdropped again last night, but after waiting for two full quarters of an hour, she heard nothing. After all, she was already in her sixties—keeping watch every night was exhausting. Unable to endure, she tiptoed back to her room and went to sleep.

The elderly often sleep lightly. Before dawn, Old Madam Zhao woke up, neatly folded her quilt, and sat for a while in her room. Soon, she heard Cui Niang heading to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Still feeling uneasy, Old Madam Zhao walked to the kitchen doorway and reminded Cui Niang, “Just make some rice porridge this morning. Reheat six meat-filled pancakes, two vegetable-filled ones, and four steamed buns. You and your brother can eat them with sauce.”

Cui Niang already knew—Old Madam had given these instructions the day before.

As Old Madam Zhao turned to leave the kitchen, she glanced back and saw two wooden basins under the eaves of the eastern room—one yellow for washing faces, the other brown for washing feet. Remembering how her grandson had been the one to empty the foot-washing water last night, she couldn’t help but wonder—why wasn’t it A-Jiao? Her grandson had remained silent when questioned. But in that moment, a glimmer of hope flashed in Old Madam Zhao’s heart.

If her grandson was willing to spoil A-Jiao, it meant he was finally showing some understanding.

Most grandmothers and mothers feared their sons would be utterly bewitched by their concubines, but Old Madam Zhao’s only worry was that her grandson wouldn’t fall for A-Jiao at all.

In the Eastern Room. 

Zhao Yanping woke up, got out of bed, and dressed before heading straight outside to wash his face.

Old Madam Zhao spotted him and frowned. “A-Jiao isn’t up yet?” Was this concubine too lazy? Unless her grandson had exhausted her too much last night, Old Madam Zhao could think of no acceptable reason. The purpose of taking a concubine wasn’t just to pull her grandson away from that pretty-boy, but also to have someone tend to his daily needs. How could she sleep in later than him every day?

Zhao Yanping remained expressionless as he picked up the face-washing basin and said, “I’m used to doing these things myself. I don’t like being waited on.”

Old Madam Zhao’s eyes widened.

Did her grandson even realize what he was saying? Poor families dreamed of having someone to serve them, yet he found it uncomfortable?

She didn’t believe it for a second. Clearly, he was still hung up on that pretty-boy!

A-Jiao had already woken up. As soon as Master had left, she had sat up as well. Hearing the conversation between grandmother and grandson, she silently warned herself—she had to wake up earlier than Master from now on. Even if he didn’t need her to serve him, she couldn’t leave Old Madam Zhao with an excuse to scold her. Being reprimanded over trivial things like pouring water was simply not worth it.

After dressing, A-Jiao stepped out of the room with some guilt.

Old Madam Zhao was already furious at her grandson, so she didn’t say anything to A-Jiao.

In the backyard, Zhao Yanping washed his face. A-Jiao stood at the doorway and saw that he was nearly done. Lowering her head, she walked over and waited to take the used towel so she could wash and dry it.

Zhao Yanping didn’t even glance at her. He tossed the towel to her and walked past without a word.

At breakfast, Zhao Yanping’s expression was cold—looking, in Old Madam Zhao’s words, as if someone owed him a great debt.

After eating, he mounted his horse and left.

Old Madam Zhao called A-Jiao over for a private conversation. “What’s with that expression of his? You didn’t serve him properly last night?”

A-Jiao’s long lashes lowered slightly. She felt a faint disappointment but still explained softly, “I… I wanted to serve him, but Master said he was too tired…”

Old Madam Zhao nearly spat out a mouthful of blood!

Back in her day, she had been the village beauty. When her husband first married her, he had clung to her like a starving wild dog—insisting on holding her every night for half a month straight. A single night with only one round was considered little!

Now her grandson, even stronger than his grandfather had been in his youth, was paired with a woman even more beautiful than she had been—yet after just three nights together, he was already saying he was too tired?

Who was he trying to fool!

A-Jiao might not understand, but Old Madam Zhao certainly did—her grandson was asking for a beating!

She was furious not only at him but also at those charming young men outside, especially Magistrate Xie Ying, whom she found most suspicious. But he was a proper official, and his father was some marquis in the capital. She didn’t dare storm into the county office to scold him, no matter how much she wanted to.

“If Master says he’s tired, can’t you coax him? Didn’t the brothel madam teach you how to seduce a man?” In her frustration, Old Madam Zhao blurted out the words without thinking.

A-Jiao knew Old Madam Zhao meant no harm, so she remained calm and quietly clenched her fingers. “You may not know this, but at Huayue Brothel, before a girl’s virginity is taken, she is only taught artistic talents. The real lessons start afterward. I… I was fortunate to be rescued by the authorities before that could happen, so I never learned those things.”

Old Madam Zhao was utterly disappointed.

No wonder A-Jiao didn’t have that air of seduction about her—she hadn’t even been trained in it!

Leaning in, Old Madam Zhao whispered a suggestion: “If Master isn’t interested in that, you have to make him interested. Here’s what you do—once he’s asleep, take off all your clothes and slip into his bed…”

A-Jiao’s left ear burned from Old Madam Zhao’s words. Her face turned bright red as she turned away. “T-That’s far too shameless!”

Old Madam Zhao nudged her shoulder. “You’ve already slept together. What’s there to be shy about? Listen to me—our Zhao family has been farmers for generations. We don’t care about all those fancy rules. A man sleeping with his wife is natural. If a wife wants her man, she just climbs on top of him. What’s the point of being embarrassed?”

A-Jiao couldn’t argue with her, so she covered her face and mumbled, “But… but what if I really do it and he gets angry and scolds me? If he truly scolds me for this, I won’t be able to show my face again…”

Of course, A-Jiao had no intention of actually doing it—she just wanted Old Madam Zhao to give up on the idea.

But Old Madam Zhao insisted, “Just try it! If he dares scold you, I’ll back you up.”

A-Jiao’s almond-shaped eyes flickered with thought. She had only one solution—to act again tonight.

---

Feeling triumphant over her brilliant scheme to deal with her stubborn grandson, Old Madam Zhao was in high spirits. Cui Niang carried a bundle of clothes to the river to wash, while Old Madam Zhao went off to a neighbor’s house for some gossip and a game of cards.

As a concubine, A-Jiao wasn’t allowed to go out freely. Given her past, she had no desire to anyway. Instead, she sat at Master’s favorite desk, fully focused on sewing a robe for him.

“Cousin! Cousin!”

Suddenly, a cheerful voice rang out from the courtyard.

Peeking out from beneath the window, A-Jiao saw her younger cousin, Zhu Shuangshuang, leaning over the wall between their houses, waving her handkerchief with a grin.

Frowning, A-Jiao put down her sewing and walked out.

The Zhao family’s courtyard was long. Guo Xing and Cui Niang lived in the side rooms, and Guo Xing clearly hadn’t heard Zhu Shuangshuang calling—he hadn’t come out.

Standing by the wall, A-Jiao looked up at her cousin and scolded, “Get down from there! This is improper. If you have something to say, come in properly.”

Zhu Shuangshuang thought to herself: You were a courtesan and now a concubine. How could I, a scholar’s daughter, lower myself to visit you?

Standing on a stool, she looked A-Jiao up and down from her higher position. Seeing how her cousin’s complexion was radiant, far better than when she had lived in their house, Zhu Shuangshuang’s feelings were complicated. With a half-smile, she said, “Judging by your glow, Zhao Yanping must treat you well. You’ve liked him for a long time, haven’t you? Now that you’ve gotten what you wanted, no wonder you look so stunning.”

A-Jiao furrowed her brows and said, “What exactly are you trying to say? If there’s nothing, I’m going back to my room.”

Zhu Shuangshuang sneered, “That night when Old Madam Zhao scolded you, the whole house could hear it. Father kept worrying about you, and I got tired of hearing it. So I came straight to ask how you’re doing. But I suppose there’s no need to ask anymore. Being taken in as a concubine by Master Zhao is already the best outcome for you. So what if you get scolded a little? People should learn to be content. While Master Zhao hasn’t taken a wife yet, you should do your best to please him. Once the legitimate wife enters the household, you’ll suffer plenty.”

A-Jiao laughed.

In the past, she endured her cousin’s taunts because she was living under someone else’s roof—causing trouble would only make things difficult for her uncle. But now, she had Master Zhao backing her and no longer needed to rely on her uncle’s household. Why should she continue to endure it?

“Master Zhao is courageous and intelligent, respected by the people. Being his concubine, I am indeed satisfied. But cousin, these past two years, you’ve neither aimed high nor low. You wanted to marry a wealthy young master, but none of them wanted you. Next year, you’ll be sixteen. If you keep delaying, you’ll become an old maid. In the end, you might have no choice but to become someone’s concubine yourself.”

Zhu Shuangshuang was furious. She slapped the wall and pointed at A-Jiao, shouting, “Say that again, I dare you!”

But A-Jiao simply refused to repeat it. Instead, she called toward the side room, “Guo Xing!”

Hearing this, Zhu Shuangshuang panicked. She didn’t want the Zhao family’s servants to see her in the undignified position of clinging to a wall and spread rumors about it. In her hurry to jump down, she tripped over her own skirt. A-Jiao heard a loud thud and knew Zhu Shuangshuang must have taken a nasty fall.

“You called, young mistress?” Guo Xing stepped out from the side room, looking puzzled.

A-Jiao pointed at the base of the wall. “I think I just saw a weasel here. It disappeared in the blink of an eye. You should look carefully—it might steal the chickens.”

Old Madam Zhao cherished her egg-laying hens more than anything. Upon hearing this, Guo Xing immediately rolled up his sleeves, grabbed a shovel, and started searching for the weasel.

Meanwhile, under the wall next door, Zhu Shuangshuang clutched her sprained ankle, gritting her teeth in fury.

---

After giving Zhu Shuangshuang a tongue-lashing, A-Jiao was in a great mood. She had just finished sewing a robe when Old Madam Zhao returned from visiting the neighbors.

A-Jiao brought the robe over for her to see.

A-Jiao’s needlework was no less skilled than professional seamstresses. She had even undone Cui Niang’s stitching and resewn it. The new winter robe featured subtle cloud-pattern embroidery. Though it was made of cloth, it had an elegant sheen akin to silk, making it look far beyond what ordinary people could afford to wear.

The more Old Madam Zhao looked at it, the more pleased she became. She was about to praise A-Jiao when a loud voice suddenly rang out from the doorway—

“Grandmother!”

Old Madam Zhao’s hand trembled.

A-Jiao thought Master Zhao had returned and looked toward the entrance, only to see a sturdy young man dressed in rough linen standing there. His skin was tanned from the sun, but his features were well-proportioned, bearing a slight resemblance to Master Zhao.

“It’s my third grandson. Go back to your room. Don’t come out unless necessary,” Old Madam Zhao returned the robe to A-Jiao, her expression displeased.

A-Jiao already knew about the grievances between Master Zhao and Second Uncle Zhao’s family. As the saying goes, “When the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam is slanted.” Second Uncle Zhao and his wife had sold off Miss Xiangyun in cold blood—what kind of decent children could such a couple possibly raise? Old Madam Zhao’s clear disdain for her own grandson was proof enough.

Obediently, A-Jiao returned to the east room.

Guo Xing led Zhao Liang inside, while Cui Niang peeked out from the kitchen, eyeing him warily.

Standing at the entrance of the main hall, Old Madam Zhao glared at Zhao Liang and asked, “What are you doing here?”

Zhao Liang, the second son of Second Uncle Zhao, was twenty years old. He was strong and burly, but lazy and unwilling to farm. He often came to town to pester Old Madam Zhao for money. After years of this, she had long since lost any affection for him.

Instead of answering, Zhao Liang glanced toward the east room. His eyes lit up as he asked, “Grandmother, is that the concubine you got for my eldest brother? She’s really quite the beauty!”

Old Madam Zhao spat at him. “And is that any of your business? Speak! Why are you here? If it’s nothing, get out of my sight!”

Zhao Liang wiped his face and sighed dramatically. “Grandmother, I really had no other choice but to come to you. Our harvests have been poor these past few years, and we spent all our savings marrying off my second brother. Now, I’ve found a girl I like, and she likes me too. But her parents insist on a ten-tael bride price. My parents have no money. If you have it, lend it to me. I swear I’ll pay you back once I start making money!”

Old Madam Zhao’s eyes flickered. “Which family’s daughter?”

Zhao Liang did have a sweetheart—a girl from a neighboring village of Shenjia Valley named Li Guihua.

Old Madam Zhao knew the Li family. The parents were notorious for being greedy social climbers. Their first two daughters had married into wealthy families. Given how poor and insignificant the Zhao family’s second branch was, if the Li family was only asking for ten taels, they were either toying with Zhao Liang or, more likely, there was something wrong with Li Guihua herself, making her hard to marry off.

Either way, there was no way Old Madam Zhao would give him the money!

“I don’t have it. If you want a wife, earn it yourself. If you can make ten taels, you won’t have trouble finding someone to marry.”

Zhao Liang panicked. “But I just want to marry Guihua! Other men have already proposed. If I don’t come up with the money soon, she’ll be gone!”

Old Madam Zhao scoffed. “Then go figure it out. Whoever has money, go ask them. This old woman has none!”

Zhao Liang’s eyes flashed with anger. He pointed toward the east room and shouted, “Grandmother, you’re too biased! You were willing to spend ten taels on a concubine for my eldest brother, but now that I want to marry a proper wife—my one and only marriage in this lifetime—you refuse to help me!”

Old Madam Zhao spat again. “Pah! The money for your eldest brother’s concubine was earned with his own blood and sweat! What does that have to do with you? Your parents owe him a fortune, but instead of facing him themselves, they send you? You’re a grown man, strong and able-bodied. If you want a wife, go ask your parents—not your brother!”

Zhao Liang stubbornly retorted, “I—”

Old Madam Zhao cut him off with another spit. “You what? Get lost! If you don’t, I’ll have someone call your brother back. If he beats you, don’t expect me to step in!”

Zhao Liang’s face turned red with rage as he breathed heavily, glaring at her.

Seeing this, Cui Niang rushed over and shouted angrily at her brother, “Why are you just standing there? The old madam is about to faint from anger! Go to the county office and call Master Zhao back!”

Guo Xing looked to Old Madam Zhao for confirmation.

Worried that Zhao Liang might actually resort to robbing her, she nodded.

Guo Xing immediately ran out.

Seeing this, Zhao Liang hesitated, fear creeping into his eyes. But he was unwilling to leave empty-handed. He rushed into the kitchen, shoved Cui Niang aside, grabbed a few stuffed pastries, and stormed off as Old Madam Zhao cursed at him.

Furious, Old Madam Zhao fumed, “This morning, I scolded my eldest grandson for being as stubborn as a mule. But compared to that mangy dog of a third grandson, he’s a goddamn dragon among men!”