Chapter 265

Yu Jingxiu could hardly conceal his astonishment as he looked at Lady Fei with a hint of surprise.

Lady Fei lowered her head with a smile, and within that smile was a touch of helpless bitterness: "Who wouldn't want to be liked? But one must have that kind of fortune!" As she spoke, she raised her head and smiled at Yu Jingxiu again, yet this time her smile held none of the earlier sorrow—only gentle, understanding warmth. "Let's not talk about such things! It's rare for you to come sit with me, and I wouldn't want to spoil your good mood." Then she smiled and said, "A few days ago, Zhen-jie'er had a bit of a cough. I haven't been out these past few days, so I don't know if she's gotten any better. I recall that my cousin at home was frail—a slight breeze would set him coughing. Whenever that happened, my aunt would instruct me to stew pears with chuanbei and rock sugar for him to drink. Perhaps we might try the same for the young miss."

With such household chatter, Yu Jingxiu felt somewhat uneasy. He said, "Zhen-jie'er is not like other children. Such remedies would have no effect on her!"

"I suppose I was thinking too simply." Lady Fei conceded the error readily.

A young maidservant entered to report: "Master, Auntie, it's time for the evening meal..." As she spoke, her eyes darted toward Yu Jingxiu, as if asking whether he would stay for dinner.

If she said a few words and then invited him to stay for a meal, and if he stayed for the meal, would she then invite him to stay the night?

Yu Jingxiu couldn't help but furrow his brow slightly.

Meanwhile, Lady Fei had already laughed and said, "You should hurry back, Master! If you're late, the First Young Mistress will worry."

This Lady Fei—at least she had some self-awareness.

Yu Jingxiu's expression relaxed.

But Lady Fei waved her hand at the young maidservant and said, "You may withdraw! I still have a few words to say to the Master."

The maidservant dared not linger and immediately bent her knees in a curtsey before retreating.

Yu Jingxiu, however, tensed his expression and asked, "What is it you have to say?"

Lady Fei stepped forward twice, knelt before Yu Jingxiu, and performed a proper, solemn bow of respect, saying, "Master, your concubine has had two words weighing on her heart for some time, hesitating whether to speak them to you. That you came today to sit with me—I wonder, could this be heaven's will?" As she spoke, her expression turned grave, and she looked at Yu Jingxiu with a solemn, righteous bearing. "I know this may be overstepping my bounds, but I can no longer hold back—I must speak!"

Yu Jingxiu opened his eyes wide in surprise.

Lady Fei continued: "Before I came here, I often heard the First Madam speak of you—how gentle and courteous you are with others, how sincere and forthright in character. I thought to myself then that you must be an easy person to get along with. But in the days since I arrived, I have rarely seen you laugh with joy; most of the time you seem rather cold and distant. I began to wonder—could it be that you carry some worry in your heart? So I found myself paying closer attention to your affairs. And in doing so, I truly began to feel concerned..."

Praise first, then criticism?

This Lady Fei was quite a character.

Yu Jingxiu raised an eyebrow. Though he said nothing, a flicker of disdain passed across his brow.

Yet she had also piqued his curiosity.

He was quite eager to hear what Lady Fei would say next.

Lady Fei seemed lost in her own thoughts, paying no attention to Yu Jingxiu's reaction. A hint of worry showed in her eyes and brows as she said: "Your knees are empty, Master—you have no heir. The Old Master and Old Madam are both past their fiftieth year, and they cannot help but feel anxious. And you, Master, hold the First Young Mistress in great esteem, so naturally you wish for a legitimate son to be born. The First Young Mistress is of a gentle and virtuous nature, with only you in her heart and eyes. Since you have such intentions, she naturally follows your wishes. In this way, friction inevitably arises between her and the Old Madam. No matter how carefully the First Young Mistress treads in the Old Madam's presence, the Old Madam's heart remains displeased..."

A concubine, daring to discuss such matters!

Yu Jingxiu could no longer bear to listen. With a sharp "smack," he struck the kang table: "You have quite the nerve!" His face darkened, revealing a murderous edge.

Seeing this, Lady Fei dropped to her knees with a "thud" before Yu Jingxiu and said in a firm voice: "I have spoken words I ought not to have spoken. If you wish to strike me, curse me, drive me out, or cast me away, I will bear no resentment—I only beg that you let me finish." Then, without waiting for Yu Jingxiu to respond, she continued: "As the saying goes, harmony in the family brings prosperity in all things. To outsiders, this appears entirely the First Young Mistress's fault, but in your concubine's view, it is entirely your fault, Master!"

Like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, Yu Jingxiu was left breathless for a long moment. When he finally caught his breath, his face flushed red with rage. Laughing in fury, he pointed at Lady Fei: "Fine, fine, fine! What a fine piece of alarmist talk! Truly a seed of discord in this household. I would very much like to hear—where exactly have I erred?"

After reading this, Lady Fei kowtowed heavily to Yu Jingxiu and said, "This concubine has displeased the master, and it is entirely my fault. But since I have entered the Yu family's door, I am a member of the Yu family, sharing in its glory and its decline. For the sake of the Yu family, and for my own sake, no matter how unpleasant the words, if I find them reasonable, I must speak them." Having said this, she boldly asked Yu Jingxiu, "The mistress wishes to enjoy her grandchildren and have heirs for the ancestral shrine—is that wrong?"

Yu Jingxiu looked at Lady Fei's face, which had grown somewhat stern due to her resolute expression, and instead calmed down.

Lady Fan did not win the mistress's favor. If one said it was because Lady Fan was not the daughter-in-law the mistress had favored, well, Lady Fan had entered the household, had tried to please the mistress in every way, and had even borne Zhen-jie'er—yet why did the mistress still reject Lady Fan so deeply at heart? He truly could not understand.

He said nothing, wanting to hear what Lady Fei would say.

A faint smile that was hard to detect flickered through Lady Fei's eyes.

"The eldest young mistress regards the master as her heaven and is obedient in all things—is that wrong either?"

Yu Jingxiu still remained silent.

Lady Fei's tone softened: "There is a distinction between legitimate and concubine-born. For a family to prosper and flourish, one cannot break the rules. Even I know of the master's concerns, let alone the mistress and the eldest young mistress. Since that is so, why does the mistress place the blame on the eldest young mistress?"

Yu Jingxiu could not help but listen with rapt attention.

Lady Fei said slowly, "In the end, it is because the master used the wrong method!"

Within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, this was already the second time Lady Fei had reproached him!

Yu Jingxiu regarded Lady Fei with great interest.

Lady Fei said unhurriedly, "I do not know about other matters, nor am I in a position to comment. Take the matter of the master taking concubines! What the elders bestow cannot be refused. Since the first mistress and the third mistress sent me and Sister Chen here, by all rights, this is a matter of the inner quarters, and the master should not have intervened—he should have left it entirely to the eldest young mistress..."

Yu Jingxiu seemed about to speak but stopped.

If it were left entirely to Lady Fan, with the mistress being such a forceful person and holding the authority of a mother-in-law, how could Lady Fan possibly refuse!

"If the master was unwilling, he could have discussed it privately with the eldest young mistress—directly refusing the mistress, although it was the master's intention, would inevitably burden the eldest young mistress with the ill repute of being unfilial and jealous. It would have been better to accept the women first," here Lady Fei's face flushed slightly, "Can the mistress really control where the master spends his nights? Even if she asked, the eldest young mistress could simply say the master did not care for them. Then, taking the opportunity, she could discuss with the mistress and select a few young, pretty, and well-mannered senior maids to place in the master's chambers. If the master took a liking to any of them, he could take her into his rooms. This way, the master need not take concubines, and the mistress's mind would be put at ease. In this manner, the mistress would naturally come to feel that the eldest young mistress shares her sentiments, and would be willing to discuss matters with her. Over time, the mistress would come to know what kind of person the eldest young mistress is, and when the eldest young mistress occasionally disagreed with the mistress, the mistress would be able to sympathize with her difficulties."

"Rather than as it is now. The master charges ahead of the eldest young mistress in everything. The mistress does not know this and thinks the eldest young mistress has said something to the master, which naturally displeases her and leads to misunderstandings about the eldest young mistress. And the eldest young mistress, being of a pure and kind nature, cannot utter a single word of complaint before the master, which only causes her to suffer much grievance." Having finished, Lady Fei said tactfully, "Master, in this matter, you truly meant well but did harm!"

Lady Fei's words set Yu Jingxiu to silent reflection.

It really was just as she said.

Sometimes he feared Lady Fan would suffer injustice under the mistress's hardness, and wanted to help her out of difficulty, but instead he only made things worse—the mistress felt that Lady Fan was complaining to him, and the more he explained, the more the mistress believed it. Over time, he grew tired of explaining, and the mistress's view of Lady Fan grew worse and worse.

But if he did not shield her, Lady Fan was simply no match for the mistress.

Lady Fei seemed to know his thoughts, and said gently, "The mistress acts for the master's good, and the eldest young mistress also acts for the master's good. In the end, the mistress and the eldest young mistress share the same intention. Since that is so, what is there that cannot be discussed together? The master should try to let go and allow the eldest young mistress to learn to get along well with the mistress."

Could he truly let go?

Yu Jingxiu was deeply hesitant.

Lady Fei, however, said, "If the Elder Master does not believe me, why not let the Eldest Young Madam urge you, in front of Madam, to go and sit with Concubine Wu for a while? I think Madam would be very pleased to hear that. As for whether you go or not, as long as you have made up your mind, I believe Madam will not blame you." With that, she rose with a smile and said gently, "Elder Master, it is getting late. The Eldest Young Madam must be waiting for you to have dinner with her! Though what I have said is but one-sided, I have been observing from the sidelines. Why not go back and discuss it with the Eldest Young Madam? Perhaps my suggestion may prove useful!"

Yu Jingxiu wanted to try it.

Over the past few years, caught between his mother and Lady Fan, he had felt nothing but suffocating distress, yet with no one to confide in, his mind could not be wholly devoted to his official career.

He sorted out his thoughts and returned to discuss the matter with Lady Fan.

Lady Fan knew that her husband was trying to help mend the rift between his mother and herself. She also considered that her husband did not care for Concubine Wu, and even if he truly went to her, Concubine Wu had injured her body from the miscarriage and might not necessarily conceive again. At first, she felt a little awkward upon hearing it, but after thinking it over, she let go of her reservations. She whispered with Yu Jingxiu for a while, then carried Zhen-jie'er and went to see Madam Yu.

Unexpectedly, no sooner had they sat down than Madam Yu brought up the matter of elevating Lady Fei to the rank of concubine.

If it had been any other day, Yu Jingxiu would have refused outright, but this time he cast a meaningful glance at Lady Fan.

Lady Fan, too, knew that her mother-in-law had made up her mind. Coupled with what she and her husband had just discussed, she smiled and agreed, even asking Mozhuan to fetch the almanac. Lowering her posture, she asked Madam Yu, "Which day do you think would be auspicious?"