Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 73 Ancestral Hall Couplets

Now, let's turn to the second young lady's side. It was because the 'chrysanthemum' and 'peony' began to take form on this day. A somewhat absurd yet seemingly reasonable arrangement was laid out before her for the first time. As someone involved in the situation, perhaps only the second young lady herself could truly understand the feelings involved.

After exiting the gates of the Tang residence, seven or eight carriages from the Tang residence slowly left Lin'an City.

The old lady leaned back on the couch covered with thick mink fur, closing her eyes to rest. Her two head maids, Suwen and Huaying, accompanied her. Huaying took out a gilded beast-head incense burner from a hidden compartment on the left side of the carriage, intending to burn agarwood according to the old lady's preference.

Hearing the noise, the old lady waved her hand and said, "If the mind is not calm, even if Aunt Lu makes the best incense, it will be useless."

Suwen quickly helped the old lady sit down and said gently, "Old lady, you haven't been feeling well lately. You should rest for a couple of days once we get to the estate."

Hua Ying also said, "Sister Suwen is right. The mountains are high and the sky is vast in the village. Staying for a few days is especially pleasant."

The old lady perked up a bit upon hearing this, and said with a nostalgic tone, "Back then, my daughter and I had no one to rely on. Fortunately, Xian'er's father had set up this estate in Lin'an years ago, which gave us a place to stay after leaving the capital. Time flew by, and almost twenty years have passed since then."

Thinking of her deceased husband, the old lady felt a mix of emotions.

Her early life was not smooth. She married a son of a collateral branch of the Marquis's family and lived cautiously between the first and second branches of the family, fearing the dissatisfaction of her elders and the legitimate branch.

Fortunately, she married the right person and gave birth to Tang Xian. After the family separated, she moved to Lin'an and finally lived a peaceful life. Most of the misfortunes in recent years came from her two daughters. She had neglected to raise her daughters because she was struggling to survive in her early years. However, children are debts in this life, so the old lady did not care.

What worried her was that the peaceful days were probably coming to an end. Ever since Tang Xian decided to go to the capital, the old lady's heart had been in turmoil.

As she got older, she could easily reminisce over any one of her past events. Before getting off the bus, the old lady asked, "Has Qiu Sang (Zheng Dongjia) written to me recently?"

Suwen shook his head and replied, "The last letter came before the Mid-Autumn Festival. Sister Qiusang mentioned that the master had sent a message to Zheng Shan to meet him in the capital."

After getting out of the car, the old lady looked in the direction of the capital. She knew that once the arrow was released, there was no turning back. She said in a deep voice, "After everything is settled, have your wife come to see me."

Suwen responded and went to tell Wei Mama that the head of the village, along with his wife and young son, had been waiting for a long time. They knelt down to greet the old lady before she got out of the car. The old lady, supported by Huaying, slowly walked into the village.

Half an hour later, Madam Yun arrived at the main courtyard where the old lady lived, accompanied only by Wei Mama. They stayed there for an hour and came out looking perfectly normal.

The actual day was the second day. Although it was called ancestor worship, there were only the ancestral tablets of the old master and the two generations above him in the ancestral hall. The Tang family branch did not have the rule that women could not enter the ancestral hall to worship their ancestors. Yu Zhuangtou had prepared the sacrificial offerings of three kinds of meat and wine according to the rules, and Steward An took out the pastries such as steamed cakes and mochi that had been prepared in advance.

The young ladies in the mansion were still young. On this day, according to custom, the second young lady only needed to kneel at the ceremonial gate with the fifth and sixth young ladies to wait. This time, it seemed that Madam Yun had made a spur-of-the-moment decision. She personally stepped forward, took the second young lady's hand, and followed the old lady into the ancestral hall to offer incense and pray.

The second young lady recalled that this was her first time entering the ancestral hall. She saw that the main hall was three bays wide and quite deep. The beams and rafters were carved with auspicious patterns of fortune, prosperity, longevity, and happiness, and were complemented by colorful painted auspicious patterns of descendants. There were seven or eight memorial tablets placed on the square offering table in the center. Warm smoke flowed from the gilded bronze incense burner with mythical beast patterns. The floor was paved with large blue stone bricks with clear and straight joints. On the left and right sides, two rows of white candles were burning neatly on the peach wood shelves.

To the second young lady's surprise, her second uncle was wearing a black robe with wide sleeves and was standing solemnly to one side of the offering table.

The old lady nodded to her second uncle and led Madam Yun and the second young lady to offer incense. The second young lady suppressed her doubts and followed her mother to offer incense according to the rules. After that, they knelt and prayed, and then burned gold and silver paper money. There was an inexplicable eeriness and silence in their actions.

After burning the gold and silver paper offerings, the second uncle lit another incense stick, then carried the sacrificial snacks out of the ancestral hall. The second young lady knew that the sacrificial snacks were to be distributed to the younger generation of the family so that they could receive the blessings of their ancestors.

After the second uncle left, the old lady knelt on the prayer mat with her eyes closed, holding prayer beads. Madam Yun, seeing this, knew exactly what her mother-in-law meant. She sighed heavily in her heart and formally began to discuss the arrangements for the second young lady's future with her.

When should we begin? Madam Yun wondered.

It probably begins with the discovery that her husband harbors the same ambition and resentment as she does, starting with how the Tang family rose to prominence, and then with the phoenix hairpin at Wan'er's first birthday celebration, which led to a scheme that spanned more than ten years.

But none of this should be said aloud. Should I tell my daughter that her gentle and refined father is secretly committing heinous acts that could lead to the extermination of nine generations of his family?

No, my daughter doesn't need to know about these schemes; all she needs to do is eventually sit comfortably in that position.

"In four years, you will become the Ninth Prince's concubine."

In the end, Madam Yun simply uttered a sentence in a soft voice that was enough to stir up a storm in the Second Miss's heart.

The second young lady knelt on the prayer mat, unsure of what expression to make. If she hadn't had some self-control, she probably would have jumped up and thought her mother was daydreaming.

Although she had secretly wondered why she was suddenly assigned to be taught by the retired palace maid, she only thought that her father and mother wanted to marry her into a noble family like a marquis's mansion, and that she would eventually marry a son of a concubine.

The old lady slowly opened her eyes. "Wan'er, there's no need to belittle yourself. Although our family's social standing isn't high enough for the position of the principal wife, once Lin'er passes the imperial examination and with the combined influence of our Tang family's numerous businesses, no one can even dream of having a concubine position for a currently unfavored prince."

Tang Lin has consistently topped the list in both the provincial and prefectural examinations. If he passes the imperial examination in the spring, the Tang family's social standing will indeed be different from what it is now, and the marriages of the young ladies in the family will all benefit.

However, the Ninth Prince's maternal clan has declined, and he has never been favored by the current emperor. Why then does his father insist on betting on him so early? "I've heard Mr. Lin mention in his history lectures that the Ninth Prince is only a teenager now. Why does his father...?"

Madam Yun said slowly, "Those with a broad mind never judge others by their age. Choosing him is the result of your father's and the Marquis of Huai'an's mansion's power struggle with the Yun family. You only need to know that we have benefits that he cannot give up in his pursuit of the world. The Ninth Prince has promised him the position of a concubine, and the Tang family's numerous businesses, nearly a thousand shops and influence will all be at his disposal."

Those things were enough to give the Tang family of Lin'an the right to cooperate with those in power.

"Mother, if your daughter doesn't..."

Madam Yun shook her head, "You were born as the eldest daughter of the Tang family, and the die is cast; you have no other choice."

The old lady patted the second young lady's shoulder and gently advised, "Don't be afraid, Wan'er. Marrying into the royal family is an honor. The Tang family will protect you."

A sudden rush of light filled the second young lady's mind, and the flickering candlelight and phantom images spun before her eyes. She thought back to how she had comforted her eldest sister while playing chess at Fu'an Residence on Mid-Autumn Festival, and now she realized how ridiculous it all seemed.

She should have realized long ago that, regardless of whether they were legitimate or illegitimate children, her elder sister and she were merely pawns in their father's game. The phoenix hairpin might have been a coincidence, but her father's ambition was just the beginning.

"But why didn't you tell me a few years later..." The second young lady said each word with sadness welling up in her heart. Did even her mother think she should be happy to marry into the royal family?

She had always known that women were not free to choose their own path, but she refused to accept it.

I had always thought I was a caged bird, just like the maidservants around me, but only today did I realize that I wasn't. Even a caged bird can one day spread its wings and fly high once it's freed. I am a splendid thrush with bright feathers, nestled within a brocade screen inlaid with gold, silver, and jade—a gift that can be given away to gain benefits.

Madam Yun still felt sorry for the second young lady and hugged her in her arms. "Silly girl, this is a situation you can't escape as the legitimate daughter. Given your personality and cunning, if I hadn't explained it to you beforehand and nurtured you properly, you would have faced a life-or-death situation in the future."

You are your mother's daughter. With the support of your father and brother, you will surely become the most noble woman in the world.