Chapter 29
Distribution of Silver

“Miss, this is an invitation from the Qi family.”

“Which Qi family?”

Heng Zhi looked down at the invitation in her hand and replied, “The current head of the family is Qi Lun, the grandson of the former Duke Li. This invitation is from his eldest grandson’s wife.”

Song Wan took the invitation and carefully recalled the person in her mind. After a while, she said, “No wonder the name sounds familiar. I met her before I got married.”

“If I remember correctly, she is a concubine’s daughter from the Zhongjing County Prince’s residence, right?”

Song Wan frowned slightly and nodded.

Heng Zhi said, “The Qi family is of noble origin, but after the old Duke passed away, there were no outstanding descendants, and the family gradually declined. Now, the eldest grandson has married a concubine’s daughter from the Zhongjing County Prince’s residence. It’s quite lamentable.”

Heng Wu chimed in, “She sent the invitation today because you mentioned a few days ago that you were looking for marriage prospects for the young masters and ladies in the residence, right?”

“That should be it.”

Song Wan smiled, “Although the Qi family has a high status, they are not suitable now. Even though the second master is a concubine’s son, he is still not a match for the Qi family. Please find an excuse to decline the invitation for me.”

“I remember the Qi family has a legitimate daughter who just came of age this year…”

Nanny Zhao, who was tidying up Song Wan’s clothes in the inner room, said, “Even a legitimate daughter won’t do. No matter how good her character is, she can’t be a match for the second master.”

“Why not?”

Heng Wu was puzzled, “Isn’t it said that one should marry down and marry up? The girl you liked before, Miss Sun, her father was just a fifth-rank academician, which is much lower than the Qi family.”

Song Wan propped her chin and laughed, “Silly Heng Wu, it’s different.”

“Although Mr. Sun is only a fifth-rank official, Miss Sun’s legitimate brother became a scholar before he turned twenty, and her legitimate uncle is now in the Ministry of War.”

“And although the academician’s rank is low, he belongs to the inner cabinet and is a close minister to the emperor. Miss Sun’s tutor is a scholar from the Wang family of Taicang Prefecture, which means the Sun and Wang families have connections.”

Song Wan blinked, “This Wang family…”

“Oh, Miss, I can’t keep up with all this. It’s making my head spin,” Nanny Zhao said, holding a freshly dried quilt. “Even if I don’t understand these things, I know that the Qi family’s daughter can’t be a match for the second master.”

“Why? Is there something wrong with the Qi family’s daughter?”

Nanny Zhao patted her on the back, “Nonsense, how can you slander a young lady’s reputation like that?”

“You can’t even understand this simple matter. Go ask your sister.”

After being scolded by Nanny Zhao, Heng Wu went to ask Heng Zhi for an explanation.

Heng Zhi smiled and said, “The Sun family may have a low status, but they hold real power, while the Qi family only has a prestigious background. If Miss chooses such a family for the second master, people outside will either say our lady has poor judgment or that she is maliciously mistreating the second master.”

“Oh…”

“No wonder Miss has been looking through family records these past few days. She has been thinking deeply about this.”

Seeing the dark circles under Song Wan’s eyes becoming more pronounced, Heng Wu couldn’t help but feel indignant, “Miss shouldn’t be so concerned. The first master doesn’t treat her well at all. Why should she suffer and work hard for the Marquis’ residence?”

“Hey, you little rascal, you haven’t been beaten for a few days, and you’re getting cheeky,” Nanny Zhao said, her hair standing on end with anger. Seeing Song Wan’s smile fade, she quickly grabbed a rod to discipline Heng Wu and chased her around the room.

Nanny Zhao, while chasing, said, “If you keep talking nonsense all day, I’ll tear your mouth apart.”

“What did I say wrong?”

“The first master doesn’t do his duty, but there’s still the madam and the old madam in the house. Even if we don’t talk about that, if the young lady really lets go of everything, should we hand over the authority of the household to that little harlot?”

“Why are you so short-sighted? You only see the immediate gains and losses. Don’t you think that if the young lady doesn’t care about anything and only seeks her own peace, she can stay out of it if the Marquis’ residence falls into chaos? Haven’t you heard the saying… something about a nest… something about eggs?”

“Under a fallen nest, how can there be intact eggs?”

Behind the table, Song Wan covered her mouth and laughed, adding, “Yes, that’s the saying.”

“Since the young lady married into the Marquis’ residence, her honor is tied to its honor, and her loss is tied to its loss. Do you think I don’t feel sorry for the young lady? But have you ever heard me say anything?”

As she spoke, Nanny Zhao’s eyes turned red. She raised Song Wan from a young age, protecting her in her arms since she was a baby. Now, after all the care, she had grown into such a beautiful woman, only to marry someone like Jiang Xingjian. If she had known Jiang Xingjian would be like this, she would have preferred her young lady to remain a widow.

It’s hard to say which life is more torturous.

The more Nanny Zhao thought about it, the angrier she became. She thought about how Song Wan maintained the dignity of the household in front of others but laughed carelessly like a little girl behind their backs, and her heart ached. Her young lady had been a widow since she was twelve, confined in Long Xiang Zhai for six years. In the end, she was still an innocent child.

Heng Wu saw Nanny Zhao chasing her, then suddenly falling onto the embroidered couch, burying her head in the quilt.

Song Wan and Heng Zhi were startled and quickly went to check on her. Heng Wu laughed foolishly behind them until she heard low sobs from the room, and then she hurriedly closed her mouth.

“Good Nanny, I won’t talk nonsense anymore.”

“Which of the married girls doesn’t have to be self-disciplined and cautious, planning every step? A woman’s whole life is for a good reputation. Seeing the young lady work hard every day, who wouldn’t feel sorry for her? In our household, I don’t even let the young lady touch a drop of water.”

“Not to mention the times when she has to use the abacus until her nails break.” Nanny Zhao held Song Wan’s delicate fingers, sobbing with heartache. Her young lady had only touched needlework a few times in her childhood and had never done any hard labor. Now, using the abacus every day, the edges of her nails were cracked and bleeding.

“If your mother knew this in the afterlife, how much pain would she feel…”

Song Wan, tightly held by Nanny Zhao, also felt a bit of sorrow, not because of Jiang Xingjian, but for those who cared about her.

Thinking about it, she lay in Nanny Zhao’s arms like a child, murmuring, “What are you saying, Nanny? I have it quite easy in the Marquis’ residence. Managing the household accounts is not difficult. Isn’t this how all the family women live?”

“I’m not talking about managing the household. I’m talking about your future.”

Song Wan sighed inwardly but smiled and said, “My husband and I grew up together. With our childhood friendship, he won’t always be like this. After a few days, he might remember my good qualities.”

Heng Zhi and Heng Wu also felt sad. Just as they were feeling emotional, Lv Zhu came in with a household ticket, angrily saying, “Miss, the first master has gone mad. He allocated two thousand taels to Concubine Lin of Xiu Yan Pavilion to open a shop. Doesn’t he know how hard you worked to save this money for the Marquis’ residence? Now, he’s giving it all to that woman. It’s really too much.”

“What? Has the first master gone mad?”

Nanny Zhao stood up suddenly, making Song Wan’s head spin.

Song Wan held her head and said helplessly, “Watch your words… watch your words…”