Chapter 13: He Prepared to Seduce Her
“All day long, always talking nonsense.”
Qin Lang kicked Haitanghong off the chair.
However, this was actually a good strategy.
The highest form of warfare is to defeat the enemy’s plans; winning the heart is paramount.
In matters of love, seduction is the best weapon.
So… let’s try combining winning the heart with seduction.
...
Half an hour later, at the Prince of Zhenbei’s mansion.
As Shen Ruo Jin stepped down from the carriage, she saw someone lingering at the mansion’s gate.
“The old servant has urgent matters to discuss with Second Miss. Please convey this again — no matter what, she must come out to meet us.”
Speaking was Li Nanny, the most trusted maid of the old Madam Mu.
Upon seeing her, Shijian grew angry. “What’s Li Nanny doing? It’s one thing to act arrogantly at the Marquis’s mansion, but now she dares to come to the Prince of Zhenbei’s mansion and cause trouble?”
“Go ask her what kind of trouble she’s here to cause.”
Having just indulged in the thrill of spending lavishly, Shen Ruo Jin was in a good mood and was unaffected by the annoying Li Nanny. She proceeded straight into the mansion.
“My apologies, brothers on guard, the servants of the Marquis’s mansion are rude and have been disrespectful.” Shijian stepped forward to apologize, then turned to Li Nanny. “Come with me.”
She led them through the side gate into the mansion.
Li Nanny was usually quite influential at the Marquis’s mansion, often carrying the air of a mistress when visiting other households. She had never been stopped at a gate before.
Seeing Shijian accompanying Second Miss to the Prince’s mansion for just one day, she dared to show a cold face. She whispered in complaint, “It’s not our fault we were stopped by the guards. If Second Miss and Young Prince Qin were truly harmonious as husband and wife, how could the servants here treat us so disrespectfully?”
The maid behind her chimed in, “I’ve never heard of any noble family turning away their own relatives at the gate.”
The two echoed each other, almost blaming Second Miss for being unworthy and failing to win her husband’s heart, which also shamed the servants of the Marquis’s mansion.
“So you do realize you’re servants? Coming to the mansion without prior notice, no invitation, not using the side gate—what kind of servants do you think you are, acting so arrogantly!” Shijian was so angry she rolled up her sleeves, ready to chase them away.
Shen Ruo Jin had already turned toward the osmanthus tree. “Shijian, don’t bother getting angry with them. Go get some scissors and clip a few branches of the osmanthus to put in a vase.”
“Yes.” Shijian left in a huff.
Standing beneath the osmanthus tree, Shen Ruo Jin selected the best branches and casually said, “Say what you need to.”
“It is by the old Madam’s orders that this servant came to invite Second Miss back to the mansion. There is an urgent matter to discuss.”
Li Nanny recalled the matter and quickly bypassed Shijian, stepping before Shen Ruo Jin with a deep bow.
---
Shen Ruo Jin was too indifferent to engage in etiquette and decorum. Taking the scissors from Shijian, she clipped some osmanthus as she asked, “How urgent could it be to call back a newlywed just a day after her wedding?”
“Second Miss may not know, but there was a fire yesterday at Wang Family Village. Master Pei’s stepmother and younger sister were almost burned alive. Third Miss had a dream about it and feared no one would believe her. So she and Master Pei rushed back to the village to rescue them.”
Li Nanny explained rapidly, afraid Shen Ruo Jin would not let her finish. She spoke in one breath, nearly out of breath.
Another maid quickly added, “They have been saved now. Today, they both returned to the Marquis’s mansion to clarify the matter—they did not elope, nor was it a runaway marriage. Yesterday, Second Miss had already chosen Young Prince Qin as her husband…”
Their eyes locked on Shen Ruo Jin, signaling the crux of the matter.
She handed two clips of osmanthus to Shijian, keeping the scissors in hand as she gestured casually on a branch. “Why stop there?”
“Old Madam means…”
Li Nanny and the other maid took two steps back, fearing Shen Ruo Jin might swing the scissors and spill their blood on the spot.
Shen Ruo Jin turned, a faint smile playing on her lips. “Speak.”
“To make the best of a bad situation,” Li Nanny braced herself, “since Second Miss is already married to Young Prince Qin, Third Miss should be paired with Master Pei. The rumors outside about your sister-in-law eloping with her brother-in-law are damaging to the Marquis’s mansion and your reputation. Old Madam requests you return to discuss the marriage between Third Miss and Master Pei…”
“Has the old Madam of the Marquis’s mansion lost her mind? To put forward such an improper and presumptuous demand toward her own granddaughter?”
The Princess Consort of Zhenbei, hearing that her daughter-in-law had returned, came out just in time to interrupt.
“Greetings, Princess Consort.” Li Nanny and the maid who came with her immediately knelt and saluted.
The Princess Consort, in her early forties, was elegant and imposing, her presence so commanding that no one dared raise their head.
“One is a faithless man who fled marriage, the other a little harlot trying to seduce her brother-in-law. If the Marquis’s mansion wishes to harbor such filthy people and affairs, that’s none of anyone else’s business. But you have no right to come to my Prince of Zhenbei’s mansion with such shameless nonsense. How dare you expect my son to go back and save face for them?”
The maids from the Marquis’s mansion were scolded into silence.
Li Nanny pressed on, “We did not trouble Young Prince to come personally. Old Madam only asked Second Miss to return...”
“Do you think when I say ‘my son,’ I mean him?” The Princess Consort frowned deeply, glaring fiercely, “Return for what? Does your old Madam expect my daughter-in-law to help that concubine add dowry?”
Li Nanny dared not reply.
Wasn’t Second Miss disliked by Young Prince Qin? She had even been left alone in the bridal chamber on the wedding night.
Yet the Princess Consort treated Shen Ruo Jin so kindly, calling her “my son’s wife” repeatedly.
“Go back and tell your old Madam that if she has business, she can come find me directly. If she dares to bully my son Ruo Jin again under the guise of seniority, I’ll make her regret it!”
The Princess Consort’s fury made her order the servants to drive Li Nanny and the others out on the spot.
Once they left, the atmosphere brightened considerably.
Shen Ruo Jin was stunned for a long moment before collecting herself. She handed the scissors to a nearby maid and softly called, “Mother.”
---
Since returning to the capital, everyone at the Marquis’s mansion expected her to be obedient and compliant.
The weight of filial piety pressed down like a thousand-pound burden. No matter how biased old Madam Mu was, she was never wrong.
Even if she was wrong, it was always Shen Ruo Jin’s fault.
Shen Ruo Jin was never afraid of trouble; such minor matters didn’t require anyone’s help. But she dearly missed the feeling of having family to protect her.
She thought she would never have that again in this life.
The Princess Consort of Zhenbei took her hand and said as they walked, “I’ve heard that the old Madam of the Marquis’s mansion is clueless, but I hadn’t expected her to become more muddled with age. If she really wants to pair that concubine with a Pei, she could have arranged it quietly at the mansion herself. Why drag you back? That’s hardly something honorable.”
Shen Ruo Jin thought for a moment. “Maybe she wants me to add dowry for Mu Yun Wei?”
After all, she had taken Mu Yun Wei’s dowry yesterday and emptied old Madam’s private treasury.
The Princess Consort was first stunned by her serious tone, then couldn’t help but laugh. “You silly girl… how could you actually believe that?”
“You are wise, Mother. You saw right through their intentions.”
Shen Ruo Jin liked talking with the Princess Consort this way. It reminded her of the time when her eldest aunt had raised her like a daughter.
“You’re quite the sweet talker.” The Princess Consort and Shen Ruo Jin got along well. After chatting a while, she suddenly remembered and asked, “Weren’t you out looking for your husband? Why did you come back alone?”
Shen Ruo Jin said, “I found him at the Fanghua Stage. I talked to him a bit, bought the theater troupe, and came back first… I kind of forgot about him.”
“You left your second brother at the theater? You bought the theater but left your husband there?”
The Princess Consort truly laughed at Shen Ruo Jin this time.
This daughter-in-law was quite a character.
Half testing, half joking, Shen Ruo Jin told the Princess Consort about buying the Fanghua troupe.
The Princess Consort was unconcerned. “It’s just a theater. If you like, buy ten or twenty; it’s no big deal.”
Shen Ruo Jin knew the Princess Consort was the eldest daughter of the wealthiest family in Jiangnan and was rich, but she hadn’t realized she was this wealthy.
Spending tens of thousands of taels without batting an eye.
The Princess Consort patted her hand with deep feeling, “Ruo Jin, you’re smart. Remember, youth fades, love is fleeting; only money lasts.”
Shen Ruo Jin nodded. “I’ll remember, Mother.”
“Let’s not worry about your second brother for now.” The Princess Consort led Shen Ruo Jin toward the accounting room. “Come, I’ll take you to count money.”