Chapter Thirteen: Success

Wang Lin’s thoughts surged tumultuously, though outwardly he still wore an expression of deep affection and concern for his wife. Even as he played the role of a devoted husband, he did not neglect to greet Lady Dowager Cui.

He bowed respectfully, expressing his apologies with courteous humility. “Jiuniang is still young. If she has behaved improperly in any way, I beg your ladyship’s forgiveness.”

Lady Dowager Cui fixed her gaze on Wang Lin. This was not the first time she had met him. When the women of the Lou family first arrived in Hedong, all the local officials, great and small, had come out of the city to welcome them. From her carriage, Lady Dowager Cui saw Wang Lin, the county magistrate, standing at the forefront in his official robes.

To be fair, Wang Lin’s appearance and bearing were both exceptional. Even with her discerning eye, Lady Dowager Cui struggled to find fault with him. The only real shortcomings were his status as a widower and the existence of a legitimate eldest daughter from his first marriage.

Yet, her niece had married into the family, and among noble houses, marriages were never about the wishes of the young but about the exchange of interests between two great clans. The Cui family needed the Wang family’s illustrious name, and the Wang family needed the Cui family’s marital connections to the northern nobility. Each side had its needs; neither was truly marrying above itself.

Lady Dowager Cui’s so-called “picking faults” was merely the last vestige of affection from an elder who doted on her niece. In her heart, her niece deserved a flawless husband, not to become, like herself, a second wife and stepmother.

Alas, perhaps this was their fate—she and her niece alike, destined never to marry their first love.

Lady Dowager Cui sighed inwardly, but her face remained marked by dignified kindness. “As you say, the child is still little. A bit of mischief is only natural.”

Her words seemed to follow Wang Lin’s lead, spoken casually, but Wang Lin felt a jolt of unease. As Wang Heng’s father, he called his daughter “improper” merely out of politeness. But for Lady Dowager Cui, an outsider and the hostess of this gathering, to call Wang Heng “mischievous” was to affix a label upon her.

Were this aunt and niece conspiring to pin the crime of “offending an important guest” on Wang Heng?

A glint of coldness flashed quickly in Wang Lin’s eyes, but he regained his gentle, scholarly demeanor just as swiftly. He said nothing more, instead bowing deeply as a gesture of apology.

Seeing Wang Lin’s humility, Lady Dowager Cui felt a wave of satisfaction. Good, he still knows his place and how to weigh familial affection against personal interest.

She believed that a clever man like Wang Lin, with a little more persuasion from the Cui family, would know what he must do.

“It grows late, and I am an old woman easily tired. Wang Lang, you should go now.”

Her words were not a brusque dismissal, but the gentle urging of a close elder. She did not address him as Magistrate Wang or Young Master Wang, but simply as “Wang Lang,” a term reserved for those considered family.

Wang Lin, understanding, replied promptly, “Your son obeys.”

Though he did not call Lady Dowager Cui “Aunt,” referring to himself as “son” was, in itself, a gesture of intimacy.

Lady Dowager Cui was further pleased. She waved her hand, signaling for Wang Lin to leave.

Wang Lin had arrived on horseback, but for the sake of appearances, he climbed into the Cui family’s carriage to return home together.

Nurse Fu and Baizhi hurried to bring Wang Heng into the following carriage.

The party traveled without pause and, after half an hour, entered the city. They spent another quarter hour rolling over the stone-paved streets before reaching the rear courtyard of the county yamen.

The carriage came to a steady halt at the courtyard gate, and the servants quickly brought a stool.

Wang Lin disembarked first, then stood beside the carriage to help Cui Shi alight.

“My lady, are you sure you’re well? Perhaps we should summon a physician,” Wang Lin asked with genuine concern.

He had already called for a doctor at the Lou family’s estate, but Cui Shi had refused the consultation.

Wang Lin understood her concerns: pregnancy was, for now, a “secret” that even he, her husband, was not to know. By not seeing a doctor, she avoided any public congratulations and thus kept the secret intact.

Wang Lin had already guessed the truth, but he continued to play his part. After all, a loving husband should be attentive to his wife’s health and happiness.

“My lord, I am truly fine,” Cui Shi quickly declined.

Her aunt had told her that the first three months of pregnancy are the most delicate and caution was best. What’s more, her plan to send Wang Heng away had yet to be completed. She did not want her pregnancy revealed and linked to Wang Heng’s departure.

Though Cui Shi was not afraid of people knowing she could not tolerate Wang Heng, she had listened to the advice of Zhenzhu and her aunt. She was a wife, not to be overly forceful or domineering, unless she no longer cared for marital harmony.

It had only been a month since their marriage, and Wang Lin was gentle and attentive. Of course, she did not wish for their relationship to become as cold as ice. She would be tactful, for their bond was what mattered most.

Rejecting her husband’s offer to call a physician brought to mind the very reason for her refusal—Wang Heng.

“Sigh, what worries me is—” Thinking of Wang Heng, Cui Shi deliberately put on a sorrowful expression.

Wang Lin’s eyes flashed, but his tone remained gentle. “What troubles you, my lady? If anything weighs on your heart, tell me. I will find a way to ease your worries.”

“Thank you, my lord. But it is not for myself I worry, but for our Wang family.”

Hearing Wang Lin’s tender words and his willingness to share her burdens filled Cui Shi’s heart with sweetness.

“Our Wang family? Is something amiss?” Wang Lin asked.

“There is nothing wrong with the Wang family, but today at the Lou residence, Jiuniang, she—”

Cui Shi instinctively wanted to place the blame on Wang Heng, for offending the notorious young master of the Lou family.

But Wang Lin interrupted her swiftly, “I arrived late, it seems, but I saw A Jiu and Lou Dalang getting along quite well.”

“Dalang is a well-mannered child. When A Jiu was leaving, he made a special effort to bid her farewell and even gave her a ‘gift’.”

Wang Lin mentioned this deliberately, hoping Cui Shi would stop plotting against A Jiu.

First, A Jiu was the child of the woman he loved most—A Jiang’s legacy to him.

Second, A Jiang was now in Yang Chong’s rear court. Though she had not yet gained favor, as long as she remained, there was hope.

Why had Wang Lin offered A Jiang as a beauty? Was it not to forge a connection with Yang Chong, the most formidable man of their time?

A Jiang was the bridge between Wang Lin and Yang Chong. If Wang Lin wanted A Jiang to work for the Wang family’s benefit, A Jiu was the key.

He knew A Jiang loved her daughter dearly and would try to please Yang Chong for her sake, thereby seeking fortune for the Wang family.

A Jiang was clever and understood the principle of “flourish together, fail together.”

Therefore, as long as Jiang Shi remained with Yang Chong, Wang Lin would hold on to Wang Heng as a pawn.

He could not allow Cui Shi’s petty jealousy to destroy all his previous plans and the Wang family’s future.

Cui Shi wanted to use the Lou family as leverage against the Wang family, and Wang Lin was wary of that. Yang Chong was Lou Jin’s superior, but as A Jiang had not yet gained favor, Wang Lin could not rely directly on the Yang family’s power. Lou Jin, for now, was the immediate authority, and Wang Lin still had to defer to the Lou family.

Even so, this time Wang Lin would not let Cui Shi control him so easily.

After all, Lou Dalang was just a child, and most importantly, he had not truly been angered by Jiuniang.

Wang Lin saw no need to make a fuss.

Cui Shi had not expected Wang Lin to cut her off or to bring up the “gift.”

A snake—a green bamboo viper! She herself had been so frightened she tumbled off her sedan chair in front of everyone, making a fool of herself.

And Wang Heng, only six years old, dared to grasp the snake calmly and call it a gift. That was the composure and poise of a true noble daughter, while Cui Shi had become nothing but a foil to Wang Heng’s dignity.

“What a hateful little wretch!” Cui Shi had always intended to get rid of her, and after returning from the Lou family, her resolve only strengthened. In her eagerness, a flash of inspiration struck her, and she quickly went along with Wang Lin’s words.

“My lord is right. Dalang has always been mischievous, and Jiuniang is the only little girl who can joke and play with him.”

Such words were hardly praise.

Wang Lin’s gaze sharpened, though he kept his smile in place, waiting for Cui Shi to continue.

“But, my lord, Dalang is a boy. A reputation for mischief does him no harm. Jiuniang, however, is a girl. If word spreads that she and the Lou family’s little tyrant are close companions, it would damage her reputation.”

“Jiuniang is already six years old, no longer a mere child. As her parents, we must think of her good name.”

This realization had come to Cui Shi in a flash, but the more she spoke, the more sense it made.

She put on a sincere, earnest demeanor and said earnestly to Wang Lin, “You yourself said Dalang knew Jiuniang was leaving and made a special effort to say goodbye and give her a gift!”

“This shows he likes playing with her.”

“Dalang is bold and willful. If he wishes to see Jiuniang again tomorrow, he will come to our home without hesitation.”

“Our Wang family’s daughter is noble and reserved. How could she lower herself to entertain Dalang?”

“Even if we extend hospitality and treat our guest well, Jiuniang would have to accompany him. If word of this spreads, her reputation will be ruined!”

Cui Shi had put thought into her words, and some of her arguments struck a chord with Wang Lin.

Indeed, Lou Dalang was a notorious brat. In only a few days since arriving in Hedong, his wild behavior was already known throughout officialdom. If his own daughter became associated with such a little rogue... But to simply acquiesce to Cui Shi was hard to accept.

He lifted his head and gazed steadily at Cui Shi, his eyes tender and affectionate on the surface, though inside he felt a surge of vengeful impulse.

Fine, this time he would go along and send A Jiu to the estate for now.

But she should not think he, Wang Lin, was so easily manipulated.

“My lady is right! I did not consider all aspects. You are always so attentive and thoughtful.”

“This matter, I shall leave to you.”

“To send A Jiu to the estate?”

Wang Heng stood obediently before Lady Dowager Xie, tilting her small head, her innocent face filled with confusion and perplexity at the news.

She seemed not to understand why, without cause, her grandmother and father were sending her away.

Behind her, Nurse Fu and Baizhi were anxious.

How could Jiuniang be sent to the estate? She had done nothing wrong!

But before Lady Dowager Xie, the servants dared not say a word.

“Yes, to our Wang family’s estate east of the city...” Though she disliked Wang Heng, facing this bewildered little granddaughter, Lady Dowager Xie felt a rare pang of pity.

Alas, still just a child, and yet Cui Shi could not tolerate her.

And now, the Wang family depended on Cui Shi and the Lou family behind her.

“Jiuniang, this is all because...” The Wang family owed her. For once, a trace of guilt softened Lady Dowager Xie’s usually hard heart. In an uncharacteristically gentle tone, she said, “Jiuniang, if you have any requests, just tell Grandmother. As long as I can do it, I’ll certainly grant it.”

At these words, Wang Heng’s eyes lit up. She looked earnestly at Lady Dowager Xie and asked, “Grandmother, if I go to the estate, will I have enough to eat?”