Chapter Nine: First Encounter

“Your nephew greets you, Aunt.”

Upon seeing Madame Cui, Madam Cui first offered a respectful greeting.

“Enough of that, we’re all family here. No need for such formalities,” Madame Cui replied.

Despite being called the Dowager, Madame Cui didn’t look very old—at most in her forties. She was the second wife, over ten years younger than her husband. When she entered the family, the legitimate eldest son from the first wife—Lou Jin—was already twelve or thirteen.

However, Madame Cui was nothing like Madam Cui in terms of arrogance or brazenness. Or rather, the Lou family was not a place where Madame Cui could wield dominance. Although the Cui clan held royal connections, the Lou family was a long-established local power in the northern regions, ranking among the top three of the Eight Great Houses, and generation after generation, they were pillars of the state as grand marshals.

In the Lou household, Madame Cui truly did not have the same confidence as Madam Cui had in the Wang family. Being a second wife and having no claim over the upbringing or education of the legitimate eldest son, and surrounded by a host of concubine-born sons, Madame Cui faced many difficulties in her early years in the Lou family. Only after bearing two children in succession and proving herself diligent and dutiful did the old General Lou begin to entrust her with some household authority. With the reins of household management, Madame Cui finally gained a firm foothold in the Lou family.

However, in the past two years, life had become difficult for her again—the old general had passed away, and Lou Jin, as the legitimate eldest son, having honed himself for many years at the frontier, took over command of the Lou family’s hundred thousand troops. From then on, the Lou family was under Lou Jin’s control.

Madame Cui had to count herself fortunate that Lou Jin had not yet married. As his stepmother, she could still rely on her status as Dowager to act as mistress of the house. But once Lou Jin took a wife, regardless of her willingness, Madame Cui would have to relinquish her authority over the household. Yet, arranging Lou Jin’s marriage was beyond Madame Cui’s influence. At most, she could only maneuver in secret.

For example, by indulging the eldest young master.

“Aunt, where is the eldest boy? Why don’t I see him?”

“I know you dote on him most, and surely you wouldn’t travel all the way to Hedong without bringing him along.”

“In fact, I specially brought my ninth daughter as well; they’re about the same age and could play together!”

Madam Cui glanced around but did not spot the illegitimate child. Yes, an illegitimate child! The so-called eldest boy was Lou Jin’s only son, but he was not born of the legitimate wife. Rumor had it that his mother was merely a chamber maid of Lou Jin’s. It was said that Lou Jin was once infatuated with this maid. At that time, the old general had already arranged a marriage with a noble daughter of the Dugu family, but because of this maid, Lou Jin turned down the match.

Even the Cui family had once considered another alliance with the Lou family; among Madam Cui’s many sisters, there were some of suitable age for Lou Jin. But for the sake of a maid, Lou Jin nearly broke with his father. The old general was furious, and Lou Jin “volunteered” to join the army, taking only two hundred personal guards to the frontier.

Lou Jin was born to be a general—skilled in command and leading from the front. With his guards, he struck a heavy blow against a thousand Rouran invaders at the border, capturing many horses. In a single battle, he made his name and proved himself the most suitable heir to the Lou family.

Seeing his son’s excellence, the old general’s anger gradually faded: “It’s only a woman—let the boy have his way.” In a military family, there was little patience for excessive ritual and rigid rules. The family’s foundation was the army and victorious generals, not advantageous marriages.

Of course, even with such lax rules, the old general could not permit his son to marry a servant. The greatest compromise he made was not to force his son to marry at that time. His plan was that, after a few years, when the infatuation faded, he could arrange a suitable match from a noble house—there would be no rush. After all, his son was a man—time was on his side.

Unfortunately, the old general did not live to ask for a noble bride for his son. After the old general died, Lou Jin did not elevate the maid to wife, either. Perhaps, as the old general had foreseen, after a few years Lou Jin’s passion cooled. The maid vanished from the Lou household, leaving only the eldest boy behind.

Lou Jin did not marry, nor father any other children, legitimate or otherwise. Thus, the eldest boy remained his only son, and Lou Jin cherished him dearly. The entire Lou household took their cues from Lou Jin; since he doted on his son, everyone treated the boy as a little prince.

Madame Cui, eager to win over her stepson, volunteered to help care for the boy. However, Lou Jin never fully trusted his stepmother and never left his son in her care. Only in the last two years, with the country in turmoil and Lou Jin marching with his army to make his mark amidst the chaos, did he, for the sake of safety, temporarily entrust his son to Madame Cui.

Madame Cui lavished every attention and indulgence on the boy, granting his every whim. In less than two years, the once merely mischievous child had been spoiled into a terror—unruly and universally disliked. For a seven or eight-year-old illegitimate son to be so unmanageable—well, no matter how powerful Lou Jin was, no respectable family would wish to marry their treasured daughter to him.

Madame Cui thought to herself:…This could hardly be called scheming. As a grandmother, loving her grandson is only natural. How could this be accused of being “killed with kindness”? There were countless doting grandmothers in the capital—could they all be called wicked?

At the mention of the eldest boy, Madame Cui’s thoughts grew turbulent, though she betrayed nothing on her face. She remained the very image of a dignified and kindly matron.

Meanwhile, Madam Cui had pushed Wang Heng forward.

“Ninth daughter, come and greet Madame Cui!” she urged.

Wang Heng did not hesitate. Though plump, her bearing was excellent. With her little fists pressed together, she respectfully said, “Ajiu greets the Dowager.”

“Very good! You may rise!”

“So you are the Wang family’s ninth daughter? You are truly a lovely child!” Indeed, as the daughter of the famed beauty Lady Jiang, she was plumper than most girls her age, yet not awkwardly so—rather, it gave her a sweet and charming appearance.

To tell the truth, such a fair, plump, and tender little girl was every grandmother’s dream granddaughter. With her own son soon to marry, Madame Cui looked forward to having such a granddaughter herself one day. But it was a pity—this wonderful child belonged not only to another family, but was also the adversary of her own niece.

Having spent half her life in the women’s quarters and weathered the intrigues for over twenty years, Madame Cui could see through Madam Cui’s calculations at a glance.

“…Well, she is my own niece. If I can help her out of trouble, it’s only right to do so. And if things turn chaotic, I might bring down that little wild bastard as well, adding to his offenses—should the time come for reckoning, this will be further evidence against him!”

Two birds with one stone—and best of all, she need not dirty her own hands. Madame Cui was content to sit back and watch the spectacle.

Though her thoughts were anything but kind or virtuous, Madame Cui’s smile grew ever warmer and more affectionate. Not only the children, but even the ever-watchful Fu-mother and Baizhi, who stood at Wang Heng’s side, could not help but praise her: Madame Cui was truly unlike her niece, a gentle and benevolent soul.

Only Wang Heng herself, though outwardly docile, felt an inexplicable sense of unease. The Dowager’s kind smile seemed to her like that of an old fox, eyes narrowed in cunning delight.

Suppressing her dread, Wang Heng continued to play the part of the obedient, almost wooden child.

When Madame Cui praised her, Wang Heng bashfully lowered her head, her ears and cheeks flushing red.

“How old are you? What do you like to do? What are your favorite foods?” Madame Cui inquired with more patience and subtlety than Madam Cui ever had. Even as she steered the conversation according to her schemes, she betrayed not the slightest haste, chatting amiably with Wang Heng.

Wang Heng replied dutifully, “Ajiu is six! I like to eat! I love all kinds of delicious food!”

At the mention of food, Wang Heng’s eyes sparkled with delight.

Madame Cui could not help but think:…Is this truly the Wang family’s daughter? Even at such a young age, she shouldn’t be so fixated on food. Even if she said she loved games, or enjoyed playing with her maids, one could call her lively—but loving food, how was one to praise that?

Though caught off guard, Madame Cui controlled her expression flawlessly. “Wonderful! A hearty appetite is a blessing. Ninth daughter is truly a fortunate child!”

She forced a smile, offering “good fortune” as her compliment.

Since food had come up, Madame Cui deftly steered the conversation: “Have you ever tasted lotus seeds? Lotus root? Or fried lotus flowers? The lotuses on our estate are blooming beautifully this year, with plenty of pods and fresh seeds…”

Madame Cui was a true mistress of the inner court—not only shrewd, but knowledgeable in many things. When it came to food, she spoke with such relish that she whetted Wang Heng’s appetite.

“I’ve never had lotus seeds! I want to try! And fried lotus flowers too!” Wang Heng answered eagerly, showing none of the restraint expected of a guest.

Fu-mother and Baizhi exchanged helpless glances—how they wished they could hide their faces in their sleeves. Ninth daughter, they had told her time and again not to show her gluttony in public—it was most undignified! Even without Lady Cui’s scheming, if word of her greed reached home, her strict grandmother would surely punish her severely.

“Go play over by the pavilion, and someone will bring you lotus seeds and fried lotus flowers,” Madame Cui said, sending Wang Heng off to the lotus pond with her maids.

The eldest boy was nowhere to be seen, but after two years of raising him, Madame Cui had learned his temperament well. By the water, among the rockeries—wherever children were forbidden to play, that illegitimate rascal was sure to sneak off to! Even if he wasn’t at the pond yet, such a spectacle as sending Wang Heng there would surely draw him out.

And then…two birds with one stone!

…

Wang Heng obediently followed the maids to the pavilion and, seated at the stone table, began to eat her fill from the spread before her.

Suddenly—bang!—something was thrown onto the table.

“Ah!”

“Frogs!”

“They—they’re jumping out! Ahhh!”

The elegant pavilion was suddenly filled with the shrieks and cries of the maids.

PS: Little Theater—

Lou Yu: Folks, can you believe it? The first time I met her, I “gifted” her a pile of frogs!

Wang Heng: Folks, can you believe it? The man who now stands as Prince Regent and Grand Preceptor—the terror of the court—was once a little menace who loved playing with frogs!