Qiu Yelan waited for almost two hours. Huang was still out of sight.
It was time Jiang Yashuang was off work. She felt frustrated, “That’s it. As the eighth branch is not a trueborn, Madame Tao won’t tell Huang to stay away from the trouble. She may tell Huang only about how and what to do as a housekeeper. In this way, Madame Tao won’t provoke Madame He, and meanwhile, Huang will appreciate her instruction!”
Hence, Qiu Yelan was the one perceived to pick up Chu Chunxiao!
Qiu Yelan went back to her house listlessly. While she was walking into the room, she saw Jiang Yashuang, who had changed into a light green dress, strolling in the yard with his hands in sleeves. Nianxue and Whitey were chasing the tail of his robe, playing with it. Qiu Yelan remembered that the dress was a new one and this was his second time to wear it. However, the tail of the robe had been scratched by the two Persian cats.
It seemed that he was not bothered by the cats at all. He wasn’t annoyed, though, and smiled down at them, watching them playing at his heels.
“You went to see He Shuijin?” asked Jiang Yashuang. Seeing his wife coming back home, he stopped circling. When he stopped, Nianxue and Whitey seized the chance to grab the tail of his robe, trying to climb up. It was not unexpected that the light and soft robe was reeled off raw silk by them.
“You are too nice to them. Look at your robe. It is a new one but it was scratched by them. How can you dress it to meet people next time?” said Qiu Yelan. She walked forward to drive the cats away. And then she resumed, “After seeing He Shuijin, I also met grandmother.”
She continued walking inside while talking with him, “Grandmother asked me to run an errand for her. I need to go out now.”
“Oh? Go where? Need me to go with you?” asked Jiang Yashuang, following her steps. He quickly took out his hands hidden in the sleeves and suddenly put a thing into her hair.
Qiu Yelan felt his move. She raised her hand and touched it, “What’s this?”
“Perfect, I know this one is perfect for your color of skin!” Jiang Yashuang hailed. “When I reported the business to Empress Jiang this afternoon, I saw some new hairpins offered by Sibao (A title for a person who was responsible for distributing gold, jades and coins in the imperial palace). I thought that as I saw them, I must get one. So, I asked for Empress Jiang to give me one.”
At the moment, Qiu Yelan pulled the thing out of her hair. It was a hairpin with a red diamond. The thumb-sized diamond was bright and transparent. It was all comforting to look at it. The tulle Mandala-shaped hairpin had three strands of red-gold silk tassels underneath. It was a delicate, elegant and beautiful hairpin. It was worth the name as a treasure to be offered to the Empress.
Qiu Yelan was satisfied with it. She asked Jiang Yashuang to put it back into her hair. And then she smiled, “Among the gifts offered by Sibao to Empress Jiang, if it is not the best one, it must be the second-best. Thanks to the love of the Empress to you, you got the chance and nerve to take it away from her.”
“I know my aunt loves me. But I love you!” Jiang Yashuang stretched his finger, touching her cheeks. “You need to think carefully how to repay me,” he smiled.
Qiu Yelan pursed her lips, “I am going to Prince Qiyang’s house to pick up Duanrou. She is supposed to have dinner with grandmother tonight… As an award for the hairpin, you don’t need to escort me for the job!” County Princess Duanrou was a girl from the same family but she was in the younger generation. Hence, in terms of generation, she was the niece of Qiu Yelan and Jiang Yashuang; in terms of ranks, she was lower than Qiu Yelan because she was a Commandery Princess. Madame Tao and Empress Jiang wanted her to marry Xiao Su. Qiu Yelan, as an older generation with a higher rank, had to be polite to her. So, she needed to invite her in person.
Let alone Jiang Yashuang and Qiu Yelan went there together. Qiu Yelan was about the same age as County Princess Duanrou’s. Qiu Yelan’s presence over there could be explained that the new married one needed to contact the relatives frequently; If Qiu Yelan and Jiang Yashuang went there together to pick up County Princess Duanrou. Prince Qiyang must be astonished. She might guess something big occurred and they must go and help deal with it. Or why Qiu Yelan and Jiang Yashuang showed at their gate at the same time?
The fact that Qiu Yelan needed to invite Duanrou shocked Jiang Yashuang, “Duanrou? Send a maid to go and inform her if grandmother wants to have dinner with her. Why you?”
“She is the girl grandmother want,” said Qiu Yelan. They had been in the inner chamber. Qiu Yelan took out the dress she used to wear for meeting people, walked to the other side of the screen and changed her dress. “Grandmother and Empress Jiang intended to let her marry Xiao Su,” said Qiu Yelan at the other side of the screen. She added, “Honestly, I am unwilling to go there but grandmother was angry just now!”
She told the truth to her husband. “County Princess Duanrou is the only child of the Prince Qiyang. I heard that her parents, Prince Qiyang and Princess, are not in good health recently. They depend on her care. Not long ago, I lived in the Summer Palace. Yongfu asked me to teach her how to cook. Duanrou was there too. She even chased after me, asking me to teach her how to cook too. She said she wanted to cook some delicious dishes for her parents. So, if she marries Xiao Su, she must have to shuttle between the two families. The families are in the capital, but she will be exhausted, I think… If so, it will be troublesome for both families. Poor Duanrou!”
Her analysis stirred Jiang Yashuang’s feelings. He frowned, “Their marriage will be good for no one. Is there an inside story?”
“Grandmother and Empress Jiang are concerned that Yongfu may want to marry Xiao Su!” said Qiu Yelan lightly while she was lacing up her shirt.
Jiang Yashuang paused for a while before he said, “How sure?”
“You know how much grandmother and Empress Jiang love Yongfu. They can’t tell her the truth. In case that Yongfu admits it, what can they do next? If Yongfu insists on it, the thing will go out of control!” Qiu Yelan adjusted her dress tail, walking out from the other side of the screen. She walked to the mirror to see if there was still something wrong with her makeup. She said slightly, “Judging from grandmother’s implication, it is not a groundless fear — By the way, because Yongfu and Ou Bicheng have been seeing each other frequently over the past days, Empress Jiang told me that she intended to let her marry Ou Bicheng… Do you know the message?”
Jiang Yashuang did not give her a reply immediately. He circled the room once and stopped, “Yongfu now is a little bit naive. She saw Xiao Su and Ou Bicheng frequently because they are her only male friends who are not from her family… Xiao Su is a delicate man who naturally needs more care of Ou Bicheng. No evidence shows that Yongfu likes Xiao Su. Strictly speaking, Xiao Su is her teacher!”
Qiu Yelan was combing her hair in front of the mirror. She smiled but said nothing. She thought, “In the imperial court since ancient times, plenty of people from the older generation marry the younger ones. It is not a big deal at all to marry a calligraphy teacher.”
“It is not a business that can be done in one or two days. You go and pick up Duanrou first,” said Jiang Yashuang after thinking for seconds. He added, “I will talk with grandmother and Empress Jiang in days. And then we will see what’s going on.”
He sighed, “Duanrou has suffered a lot over the past years!”
Qiu Yelan felt relieved, thinking, “Madame Tao and the Empress loved Yashuang very much. Even Princess Yongfu trusts him much. If he goes there and talks with them, he may have a chance to make a change!”
As Jiang Yashuang promised her to talk with them, Qiu Yelan felt frustrated about the job.
However, less frustration did not mean smoothness. After she arrived at the side yard where Prince Qiyang was living in the Summer Palace, she was informed of the absence of Chu Chunxiao.
“So, could you tell me where Duanrou is now?” asked Qiu Yelan. She did not meet Duanrou, but she felt thrilled. Considering she must reply to Madame Tao, she had to ask Princess Qiyang, who was coming out to entertain her, about Duanrou’s whereabouts.
Jiang Qizhuan, as the princess of Qiyang, did not know what was going on. She said apologetically, “Empress Dowager Ye is sick recently. Chunxiao went to the Summer Palace to take care of her. She will stay there for some days, I think.”
Empress Dowager Ye, the Empress of the former Emperor and the sitting Emperor’s official mother, was not a significant figure in the court as she was suppressed much by Empress Dowager Gu. Qiu Yelan once lived in her Ganli Palace for days but she did not remember her from time to time.
Her words shocked Qiu Yelan. She asked, “Empress Dowager Ye is here for summer vacation too?”
“Her Majesty takes Empress Dowager Ye every time,” said Jiang Qizhuan. Jiang Qizhuan understood that Qiu Yelan just got married not long ago. She must not be informed of the things that were well-known by everyone in the Jiang Family. She continued to explain, “Empress Dowager Ye is prone to live in quiet places. But the palace is too hot in the summer to live there for people.”
Her tone for her last words seemed weird. Qiu Yelan replied, “Thanks for your explanation. I see now… I never have a chance to meet her. I have thought that Empress Dowager Ye lives in seclusion in the Ganli Palace.”
Thanks to her living capacity, which enabled her to survive in the palace, and the protection of Empress Jiang, Empress Dowager Ye did not be stormed out of the palace and killed.
For avoiding being killed by Empress Dowager Gu during the summer vacation, Empress Jiang had to take the former Empress with her to Mount Dizi — Although the former Empress did not have her own kids, she was the official aunt of the former crown prince who was abolished later. In terms of the family blood relationship, she was the official grandmother and nominal grandmother of Chu Chunxiao. Now she was in bad health. Chu Chunxiao, as her only relative in the younger generation, was obliged to take care of her.
Generally speaking, the sick elderly people would lie on the bed and rest for days before recovery.
“Sure enough, County Princess Duanrou was a lucky girl!” thought Qiu Yelan. The time Empress Dowager Ye got ill was perfect. Qiu Yelan would not hurry Jiang Qizhuan up. Instead, she spoke highly of her for her filial piety. She then told Jiang Qizhuan that Empress Dowager Ye’s health was the top priority. As for the meeting of Madame Tao and Chu Chunxiao, they were family members. It was fine that Madame Tao would understand her absence!
She said good-bye to Jiang Qizhuan and went back to the Jiang’s residence, reporting to Madame Tao. But she reported what she thought was useful. After hearing her report, Madame Tao frowned with a complicated expression. She said after a while, “Okay, I have known it. That’s okay. You retreat!”
“Yes, Madame!” replied Qiu Yelan, walking out of the hall happily.
Her happiness stopped when she happened to meet a man on her way home — Jiang Yadan. He had not realized he was not welcomed yet and took the initiative to greet her warmly, “Yelan, are you way home? What a coincidence! As your sister-in-law is sick and nobody in my branch is in charge now. My man sent me two boxes of lychees. They were from the south days ago. I am thinking of sending Yashuang and you a box just now. Okay?”
Qiu Yelan was angry at him because of the sufferings of Madame Tao Junior. She would not smile at him for a box of lychees. Before she mocked him, Jiang Yadan resumed, “Oh, I almost forget. I also need to give some to the ninth sister and Qizheng. All right, anyway, I wouldn’t say I like lychees. Give you one box and you share with Yazhu and Shishui. And I will give the other box to the ninth sister and Qizheng!”
“What about others?” asked she, after hearing his distribution plan promptly and shockingly.
“Putting aside your dislike of lychees and your concubines, sons and daughters of your concubines, you did not take Marquess Qin and Madame Tao into consideration? What about uncles, aunts, sisters and brothers?”
“If you asked me to have some in private, it would be fine. But you asked me to get some in public. Did you ever think about how the rest branches think after hearing what you asked me to do?”
Sure enough, Jiang Yadan did not care what others thought. He waved, “If they want some, they should get it by themselves!”
His words shocked Qiu Yelan. She said nothing but watched him off in the distance. She immediately told Jiang Yashuang what he said to her after arriving at her house, “Although I know two boxes of lychees are not enough to share with so many people in the Family, he should have told me in private, right? Yadan said to me loudly in the corridor. I think everyone has known about what we were talking about already!”
Her description did not shock Jiang Yashuang, “It’s okay. He has been like this all the time… But one box for us? That’s too many. And the lychees can’t be kept for a long time. So, tell the man who goes there to give some from our box to nieces and nephews. The rest will be divided as Yadan said.”
Seeing Qiu Yelan being in the puzzle, he had a dry cough and continued, “Since his childhood, he would like to share things with the members of our branch. He seldom thinks the rest…”
“What about the seniors?” asked Qiu Yelan before she thought: Jiang Yadan was always a troublemaker in the family. The seniors would feel relieved and happy if he did not make trouble for the family. So, the seniors would not fret with him for the small things like food sharing.
But there were stories, “In the old days, Yadan offered grandfather a basket of autumn pears which cost grandfather eight thousand taels of silvers at last; He then offered a basket of cherries to our eldest brother, which cost him three thousand taels of silver. Since then, the seniors told him that if he had something special, kept it for himself. No need to offer to them!”
A basket of autumn pearls cost eight thousand taels of silver and a basket of cherries was worth three thousand taels of silver!
Even He Shuijin, who was responsible for the account book of the family, could not stand the frequent blackmail like this. No wonder that the seniors in the Jiang Family did not dare accept Jiang Yadan’s offer! Maybe after they heard how to distribute the lychees, they felt lucky that they did not receive his lychees!
Qiu Yelan simply could not understand Yadan now, “How about nieces and nephews? Not give some to them either?”
This guy could not be as far as a scum who, on the one hand, did not give his kids the fruit, but on the other hand, wanted to confiscate his kids’ allowance. Right?