◎Now they even want to skimp on the heating charcoal? This is too much!◎

The next day, after asking the younger daughters about their matters, Madam Wu kept Chu Jinhe aside.

She sat on the couch, resting one arm on a soft pillow, and recounted the events from the dining table yesterday. To her surprise, as soon as the words left her mouth, Chu Jinhe’s face turned pale, and she exclaimed in a rush, “Mother, I don’t want this!”

Her daughter had been raised by her since childhood; Madam Wu had expected such a reaction. She therefore spoke gently: “Your father does have some reasoning in what he said. Perhaps you should calm yourself and think it over carefully.”

Chu Jinhe felt aggrieved. The Pei family was indeed respectable, but what about Pei Yue? The Pei family were scholars—how influential could a military officer be among them? And besides, how many people truly treat someone else’s child as their own? How could she gamble on such an uncertain future? What if Pei Yue remained only a minor military officer? Would her life be ruined?

“Mother! Think about it! Secretary Pei has his own biological son. Why would he invest his attention in a nephew? And how many people in the world truly treat others’ children as their own? You always tell me to marry into a good family to bring honor to you, but how can Pei Yue be considered a suitable match?”

Madam Wu clenched her handkerchief in silence. She had devoted herself entirely to her daughter’s upbringing. Such a match with a military man felt like a pity, yet according to Master Chu, the Pei family’s connection was extremely important, crucial for future officialdom—so it was hard to decide.

Seeing her mother hesitate, Chu Jinhe set her jaw, twisted the handkerchief in her hand, and whispered, “Mother, I… I already have someone in my heart!”

Madam Wu straightened, surprised. “Who is it?”

“…The Mingxuan Marquis House, Crown Prince Zhao,” Chu Jinhe said, a faint blush rising to her cheeks.

Madam Wu’s lips twitched. She had indeed hoped her daughter would marry well to bring honor to the family, but a marquis house was far beyond the Chu family’s reach. She took a deep breath and said, “Crown Prince Zhao? Huo’er, you’re being naive! Do you know how high the threshold is at a marquis house? Your father is only a fifth-rank Ministry of Works official, you…”

“Mother!” Chu Jinhe stepped forward, interrupting her, eyes stubborn. “That day at the Li family, I heard Crown Prince Zhao talking with someone. He said that choosing a wife has nothing to do with rank, as long as hearts are in accord!”

“Our Chu family may not be noble, but we are a large household. In terms of appearance and talent, I am confident I am not inferior to anyone. Even the tutor said I have a gift for poetry—why can’t I try? Didn’t you, Mother, make my father remember you at a poetry gathering with just one poem, Clear Lotus? The upcoming Cold Dispelling Gathering is the opportunity!”

“‘Hearts in accord’?” Madam Wu sneered. “Your father also once said he loved my talent in verse, but later—”

“But Mother, you don’t regret it, do you? How much benefit did your maternal family gain because of you? Without you, your uncle could barely have been appointed a clerk, let alone a county magistrate! In the end, you became the matron of the Chu household, and Father still spends every day in your room!”

Looking at her daughter’s face, so much like her own, Madam Wu was momentarily taken aback. Eighteen years ago, standing before the Wu family hall, hadn’t she also argued with her mother in the same way? Thanks to her own stubbornness, she had the life she now enjoyed, didn’t she?

Her gaze fell on her golden-threaded skirt. She suddenly smiled and reached out to adjust her daughter’s clothing. “All right, you are a determined child. I will help you fight for this future.”

Chu Jinhe threw herself into her mother’s arms, tears falling freely.

Half an hour later, she washed her face again, put on makeup, and stepped out of Yunxi Hall with her head held high. Madam Meng brought freshly brewed tea, whispering, “Madam, the matron of a prestigious house isn’t easy to become, especially a marquis house…”

Madam Wu brushed aside the tea leaves, shook her head, and blew lightly. “Nothing in this world is easy. Huo’er is right—if after all the hardships the result is good, then it will be worth it.”

With Huo’er’s looks and talent, if she put in the effort, she might just win over Crown Prince Zhao. One day, she could truly become the wife of the Mingxuan Marquis—bringing glory to the Chu family. Even if Madam Wang is Secretary Pei’s cousin, I, Wu Wanzhi, could become the mother-in-law of a marquis! Forget a fifth-rank Ministry of Works position; in the future, even if Junze enters the court, the family will benefit. Status is something one can earn.

For now, it was best not to speak to Master Chu about this. She would wait until after the Cold Dispelling Gathering next month.

The room filled with lingering incense. Madam Wu set down her tea cup and picked up the account book nearby. After a moment, her brow furrowed. She closed the book, frustrated.

The threshold of a marquis house was no trivial matter. In the Great Yan, it was customary to send lavish betrothal gifts; the bride’s family had to prepare an equally grand dowry, sometimes even more.

If Huo’er could truly marry Crown Prince Zhao, the Chu family would need to spare no expense to match the dowry.

Opening the account book, Madam Wu saw line after line of meticulous notes—expenses for lamp oil and charcoal, household maintenance, repairs to the ancestral hall, social obligations. It was overwhelming. Just earlier in the month, charcoal had been offered to Secretary Pei and Vice Minister Hu, and soon, with the Spring Festival approaching, another substantial expenditure for gifts would arise. The sheer sums made her head ache.

These are all distractions. Let’s talk about the immediate matter: every year, the wife of Minister Luo from the Ministry of Rites holds the Cold Dispelling Gathering. Before attending, Madam Wu must prepare new clothes and hair accessories for herself and her daughters. Wearing last year’s outfits this year would surely invite ridicule.

After careful consideration, she beckoned Madam Meng: “Tell the storeroom that any expenses for Second Miss and Madam Bai’s side should be minimized. How they save is up to them.”

Thinking of the silly Second Miss, Madam Wu winced at the thought of preparing her dowry and added, “Especially for Second Miss’s courtyard—if she asks, just tell her that marrying into the Li family requires a dowry to uphold her status. Everything must be prepared with money, but otherwise, let daily expenses be frugal!”

Madam Meng nodded in acknowledgment.

By early October, temperatures dropped sharply. Even the short morning trip to pay respects could freeze a person stiff, so Madam Wu spared the younger girls from the recent daily visits, saying they could wait until it was warmer.

Chu Yufu finally had a chance to sleep in. She lay in bed until the Chen hour, unwilling to rise—not purely out of laziness, but because after a night of burning charcoal, the bedding had grown extremely cold.

She wrapped herself tightly in the quilt and sighed. A winter without central heating or stoves was unbearably harsh. Before she could dwell on it further, Lan Zhu barged in, storming through the door. A gust of cold wind followed, whipping up the layers of gauze curtains inside the room.

“This is infuriating!”

“Has Granny Liao gone mad? The First Miss’s room already received five baskets of silver-threaded charcoal, but we only get two! Can people survive in this freezing weather?”

Chu Yufu, who had spoiled a few of the maids recently, could not believe that Lan Zhu had even barged in without knocking. She scolded, “Have you forgotten the manners of knocking on a door?”

Then she asked more carefully, “Are you certain you asked Granny Liao? Only two baskets of charcoal?”

Lan Zhu’s eyes were red with anger, her hairpins bouncing as she bit her lip and bowed slightly. “I didn’t see Granny Liao myself. It was her maid who said it. Granny Liao said this is the allotted amount for our Zhuyu Courtyard.”

A few days ago, she had worried about the girl’s life after the broken engagement. Now, things had become difficult even before any engagement was canceled!

Chu Yufu turned over to sit upright, her beautiful brows knitted into a small mountain, her face tense.

Recently, her relationship with her cousin had eased considerably, but her stepmother and half-sister had not relaxed. Because Yun Sui knew she had bought many medicinal herbs, they had specially prepared several sachets to send over, putting on a show of obedience and gentleness. And yet, even with this, her stepmother would not allow her to have a proper winter?

From seven days ago, the candles sent to the courtyard had been changed from white to yellow wax, the Xuan paper replaced with soft-milled paper, and even the dishes were reduced from two meat and two vegetable dishes to one meat and two vegetables.

She had thought that she could endure for the time being, planning to wait until she had fully secured her grandmother’s favor before making any moves. But now, even the heating charcoal was being skimped on—this was too much! If Madam Wu was acting like this, what was the point of her recent polite compliments and morning greetings?

Was she supposed to be stupid, too easily bullied?

Chu Yufu didn’t stir up trouble but wasn’t afraid of it either. Skimping on the charcoal was not a trivial matter—it was life and death in this bitter winter. If she caught a cold, all future arrangements would be ruined.

Thinking this, she no longer felt the cold. She threw off the quilt and called Lan Zhu and Yun Sui to help her dress and groom. She needed to confront Granny Liao directly and get to the bottom of this.

The storeroom was near the south corner gate, while Zhuyu Courtyard was in the far north. By the time she arrived with the two maids, the girl, who had been exposed to cold wind along the way, had regained her composure and put on a polite smile, speaking in a clear, crisp voice:

“Our courtyard’s little maid was indeed careless. She forgot to count the charcoal properly when collecting it earlier, so I must trouble Granny Liao to inform your staff.”

Granny Liao, standing under the storeroom corridor with her hands folded, bowed slightly, then calmly replied with a smile, “That’s correct, Second Miss. According to the Zhuyu Courtyard account book, it is only two baskets of charcoal.”

The Second Miss froze for a moment. She blinked her big eyes and hesitated: “But I remember last year we had four baskets per month. Why is it suddenly halved?”

“I heard over at the First Miss’s side, things remain as before…” Lan Zhu’s voice trailed off, tinged with helplessness.

Granny Liao chuckled: “My dear, you are about to marry out. How could it compare to the First Miss?”

“What do you mean, Madam?” the Second Miss asked, puzzled.

“Miss, when a girl marries out, she must have a dowry to uphold her status—gold and silver, linens, screens, and curtains. Everything must be prepared with money. If you are not frugal in daily expenses, how will you manage when the time comes?”

Granny Liao counted carefully on her fingers, then lowered her voice: “Madam Wu only wants what’s best for you. Enduring some hardship now is nothing. But if your dowry is too meager, how will you face the Li family?”

When she reduced the expenses for Zhuyu Courtyard a few days ago, she had prepared this explanation, ready in case the Second Miss came to question her. She had not expected the girl to endure it for so long, only confronting the issue on the day the charcoal was distributed.

Chu Yufu’s eyelashes trembled. After clutching her handkerchief for a moment, she let it go and forced a difficult smile. “So it is Mother’s concern for me. I was foolish not to understand the reasoning. Thank you for letting me know, Granny Liao.”

“But Miss, with weather this cold, two baskets of charcoal really won’t be enough!” Lan Zhu stomped in worry. She didn’t understand dowries, but the girl’s body was weak. It was so cold this year—how could she endure it?

“Lan Zhu, enough!”

Chu Yufu scolded her, though she suddenly inhaled a gust of cold air and began coughing. “Cough, cough—you don’t understand. Mother and Mother Wu only want what’s best for me. Future reputation is more important than anything else, cough!”

She then lifted her tearful, shining eyes and smiled again at Granny Liao, stepping through the creaking snow toward the storeroom courtyard.

Once she had walked a distance, a small maid peeked her head out of the storeroom and whispered, “Madam, should this basket of red silk charcoal in the room be sent to Zhuyu Courtyard?”

Granny Liao tucked her hands back into her sleeves, shot the girl a glance, and smiled: “Send what? Just carry it to my room for now.”

Madam Wu instructed her to be frugal, but did not care how she practiced frugality. Any leftover silver had to be recorded in the accounts each month. So she devised a “compromise” plan.

If she had started by giving Second Miss three baskets of charcoal, the girl would have demanded four, leaving her in a difficult position.

By giving her two baskets of silver-threaded charcoal, and then adding an extra basket of cheaper red silk charcoal if she protested, both sides could make concessions. No one would leave empty-handed, appearances would be kept, and no one’s pride would be hurt.

Unexpectedly, Second Miss turned out to be delicate and meek—a soft target to be easily managed. She didn’t even utter a second refusal. She simply walked off with her maid, saving them words and effort while gaining the advantage for free!

On the way back, the three—mistress and maids—walked in silence. Only when they passed the small garden, noticing the winter plum blossoms in bloom, did Chu Yufu smile faintly: “The snow came early this year, so the plum blossoms bloomed early too. Go pick a few fine branches; I’ll send them to my cousin later.”

Lan Zhu bit her lip, watching her: “Miss, you still think of others.”

Chu Yufu giggled but didn’t respond, gently nudging her: “Go on, quickly.”

The little maids entered the garden to pick flowers. Chu Yufu turned, her expression turning cold as she cast a glance toward the storeroom.

In the Yan Dynasty, a woman’s dowry was divided into two parts: one, the bride price given by the groom’s family; two, the additional dowry prepared by her own family.

Madam Wu wanted to maintain appearances in front of the Li family, showing her daughter as virtuous and generous, yet did not want to spend extra silver on her. So she required her to be frugal herself, all while claiming it was for her own good—a masterful calculation indeed.

Of course, this was only the surface.

Chu Yufu pinched a clump of cold snow, grinding it between her fingers. The chill ran straight to her chest.

Years ago, Aunt Wan married into the family as a concubine because her father had offended someone powerful. Her daughter was sent to the Chu family for protection. Unlike ordinary purchased concubines, she brought some private property with her. Later, she died from illness, and all of it fell into Madam Wu’s hands.

Now it seemed Madam Wu had no intention of returning that property. Instead, she expected Chu Yufu to pinch silver from her own teeth to add to her dowry.

In the Yan Dynasty, the more extensive a dowry a woman brought, the higher her status in the household. The higher the groom’s family rank, the richer the bride price, and correspondingly, the more dowry the bride’s family needed to prepare. Madam Wu was determined to marry her biological daughter into a prominent family, putting thought and effort into her dowry. And what about Chu Yufu? Was she meant to be ridden over, bleeding under the pressure?

When she had read novels or watched films, she never understood why everyone fought for power and status in such a small household. Why not live peacefully like a contented, lazy person?

Now, she finally understood. Resources were limited. If you refused to compete, there would always be people stepping over you to climb higher.

Her visit to Granny Liao earlier was precisely to make sure Lan Zhu, Yun Sui, and even the maids and boys in the storeroom all heard Granny Liao’s words for themselves!

Once the flowers were picked, the two returned with two handfuls of pink plum blossoms: “Miss, is this enough?”

“It’s enough.”

Chu Yufu bent down to smell the blossoms, taking the flowers from Yun Sui with a bright smile: “Yun Sui, come with me to Cishou Hall. Lan Zhu, you go back and trim the flowers, put them in a narrow-necked vase, and place them on the vanity box.” Both girls agreed in unison.

Lu Jia’an lived with Grandmother. All her meals, clothing, and daily necessities were handled by the people of Cishou Hall. Naturally, no one dared to cut corners. When the maid opened the door to the east wing, Chu Yufu immediately felt a rush of warmth.

Lu Jia’an was leaning on the couch, holding a storybook and carefully reading. Seeing her enter with the plum blossoms, her eyes brightened. She put down the book and smiled: “No wonder my left eyelid kept twitching—Second Miss has come to deliver plum blossoms.”

Chu Yufu handed her the flowers, her almond-shaped eyes curved in a smile: “I knew Sister would like them.”

Last month, Grandmother said that fragrant sachets helped with sleep, so she had been asked over to talk. On the way, she happened to meet Lu Jia’an. Already sweet-talking, and with the previous conversation easing tensions, within moments, Lu Jia’an was laughing, agreeing to read storybooks together in her leisure.

Lu Jia’an had few friends in the capital and often felt bored at home. Now, having a peer to play with, the two grew very close in just a few meetings.

Today, Lu Jia’an wore a light orange jacket and skirt, her hair styled in double buns, adorned with a gilded peony hairpin. Each petal was layered exquisitely. Chu Yufu glanced at it, praising: “Sister, your gold hairpin is truly beautiful.”

Lu Jia’an took the plum blossoms, her cheeks slightly flushed. Shyly, she touched her hairpin, then pulled Chu Yufu to sit beside her on the couch. Slightly awkward, she changed the subject: “Sit down. I’ll tell you about this new book I got, The Wise and the Foolish. It’s fascinating—stories of feeding oneself to a tiger, cutting flesh for hawks…”

Chu Yufu pressed her lips and smiled, looking down at the book: “The Wise and the Foolish? Sounds like it’s related to Buddhism. Grandmother would surely be interested. I recently learned a method in a book for improving sleep and circulation. Let’s go together so you can tell the story to both me and Grandmother.”

“Alright!” Lu Jia’an closed the book and called out repeatedly, “Sanglu, fetch me a cloak!”