Being a second wife is difficult

A breeze picked up in the early morning, rustling the pomegranate tree in the corner of the yard.

The gatekeeper had already prepared two vehicles, one for luggage and the other for passengers.

Dong Sinian's belongings had already been loaded onto the car. He stood under the eaves to say goodbye to the old lady. He was wearing a moon-white long gown, and his hair was neatly tied up. He had grown a little taller than when he arrived.

The old lady sat in the main hall, took a sip of tea, and put it down. Her gaze lingered on Dong Sinian for a moment: "I've been staying at your residence for a month, and I haven't been able to properly entertain you. I wrote a letter to your uncle; take it with you. If anything happens in the capital, just send someone to send a message back."

"You're too kind, ma'am. I've had a very comfortable stay." Dong Sinian bowed. "I will remember your kindness."

Standing beside him, Madam Fang smiled and chimed in, "Young Master Dong, take care on your journey. Remember to write when you arrive in the capital. The capital is bustling, but don't let the excitement dazzle you. When it's time to study, you should still concentrate."

She glanced at Jiang Wan as she spoke, the smile still lingering on her lips, "After all, you're from the Dong family; so many people are watching you."

Upon hearing Fang's words, the old lady did not respond, but simply added, "You travel with Huaiyu. When you arrive in the capital, have him show you the way. He spent two years at the Imperial Academy and knows the area better than you do."

His tone was casual, but he lightly brushed aside Fang's words, as if he hadn't heard them at all.

Dong Sinian responded with a "Yes".

Lu Huaiyu stood at the door and only spoke when he heard the old lady call his name: "Si Nian will come with me. It will be good to have someone to look after him on the way. When we get to the capital, I will take him to the Imperial Academy to register. It won't cause any problems." His tone was flat, just like usual.

Then Madam Fang added, "Huaiyu, you too, when you get to the capital, don't just focus on your studies. Young Master Dong is new here, so please take good care of him. The Imperial Academy has strict rules, so don't let him stumble into places he shouldn't be."

Her words sounded like she was concerned about Dong Sinian, but she emphasized the words "where he shouldn't have bumped into" a little too much. Jiang Wan stood to the side without saying anything, picked up her teacup, lowered her head and took a sip, as if she hadn't heard.

The old lady glanced at Fang Shi, then turned to look at Dong Sinian: "Your uncle has some old friends in the capital. If someone sends you a letter when you get there, just go and see them. Although our family's social standing is not as high as it used to be, we still have the proper connections."

The old lady spoke with concern, but Fang suddenly fell silent. Her hand, which was holding a teacup, paused slightly, and she left the teacup on the table without picking it up. Dong Sinian smiled and replied, "Yes," taking the old lady's words to heart.

Dong Sinian then turned to Jiang Wan and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, saying, "Auntie, your nephew is about to leave."

Jiang Wan looked at him and said, "Be careful on the road. Once we get to the capital, settle down first. Don't rush."

"Nephew, I'll remember that." Dong Sinian smiled and lowered his voice. "Aunt, my uncle used to say that when a person walks around, they rely on their two legs, but to stand firm, they rely on the people behind them. Aunt, you naturally have people behind you, so there's no need to worry too much."

He didn't look at Fang Shi, but his words, spoken cleanly in the main hall, were like a pebble thrown into a lake, causing ripples in the hearts of those who heard them.

Fang paused again, holding the teacup. This time, she put the teacup on the table and didn't pick it up again. The old lady's gaze shifted from Dong Sinian to Jiang Wan, and then looked away.

When Dong Sinian said those words, Jiang Wan's heart skipped a beat.

She could tell, of course, that these words weren't spoken without reason.

Over the past month, Fang has made things difficult for her both openly and secretly. Sometimes she would say that her household expenses were excessive when she paid her respects to the old lady. Other times, the kitchen staff would say that someone had taken away her allowance. On another occasion, when Qiu Tang went to collect her monthly allowance, she heard that Fang had already given prior notice that "Madam's allowance will be withheld for now."

These are all minor matters, not worth mentioning, but each and every one of them feels like a pebble on the sole of your shoe, rubbing against you with every step. It doesn't hurt, but you know it's there.

The two of them had clashed openly and secretly several times in the past few months, but in the end, they always managed to resolve things amicably on the surface, without ever escalating the conflict to the old lady's face.

But Dong Sinian probably saw all this. Although he was young, he was very perceptive. After living here for a month, he probably knew more about the relationships between everyone in the mansion than Lu Zhao did.

He said, "My aunt has powerful connections," and took advantage of the old lady's presence to reveal the truth.

Although these words weren't spoken directly to Madam Fang, Madam Fang could understand them, and so could the old lady.

In the future, if the Fang family wants to create any more obstacles like those small pebbles, they'll have to think twice before doing so, because Jiang Wan has more than one person standing behind her.

When Dong Sinian said this in public, he was essentially revealing her true intentions.

Just then, a sound came from the courtyard gate, breaking the rather somber atmosphere inside the house.

The children then walked in from the gate of the courtyard.

Lu Wan ran ahead, clutching a cloth bag with crooked stitching at the edges and an embroidered flower on the front. As she entered, she called out, "Big brother, this contains food for the journey! It's all famous local snacks; we got up early to buy them for you!"

Dong Sinian squatted down to take it, glanced at the knot tied at the top of the bag, and said thank you. As Lu Wan stepped aside, she looked up and added, "My mother and I sewed this bag together! The embroidered flowers on it are camellias, and I spent a long time embroidering them."

Lu Zhao followed behind, holding the annotated book he had borrowed for a month. "Big brother, here's your book back."

Dong Sinian didn't take it, but smiled at him: "It's yours. I've already read it all. You're still studying, so it's more useful for you to take it and read it than for it to just sit there with me."

Lu Zhao held the book in his hand for a while before saying, "Thank you, big brother."

Lu Hui stood by the threshold, holding a small wooden eagle in his hand. He waited until Lu Zhao and the others finished talking before stepping forward and handing the wooden eagle over: "Brother Si Nian, this eagle took a bit more effort to make than the bird I made last time. See if you can fly it."

Dong Sinian took it and weighed it in his hand. He held it up to his eyes and examined it carefully. The wooden eagle's wings were thinly cut and shaped like outstretched wings, with the wingtips slightly upturned. It was much more refined than the little wooden bird from last time.

He tested its weight and chuckled, "It can fly." He put the wooden eagle into his bundle, "When I get to the capital, I'll definitely show it off to the students at the Imperial Academy."

Lu Hui stood by the threshold, a slight smile curving his lips, and whispered, "Take care."

The carriage started moving, and Dong Sinian got in, lifting the curtain to wave to the person standing at the door.

When the carriage curtain was lowered, his gaze lingered on Jiang Wan for a moment before falling back down. The carriage turned the corner of the alley and disappeared from sight.

Lu Wan took two steps to catch up but was pulled back by Lu Zhao. She tiptoed and looked towards the alley entrance again. At the end of the alley, there was only a crooked willow tree swaying in the wind.

Lu Zhao stood beside her without urging her, while Lu Hui stood by the threshold without going in, as if the carriage had taken something away, or perhaps left something behind.

Jiang Wan was still standing outside with the children. The old lady had just been helped back to the inner room by Granny Gui, and Madam Fang had also returned to her own courtyard after the carriage departed.

Dong Sinian's carriage traveled along the official road for two days. On the evening of the third day, it entered the outskirts of the capital and found an inn in the east of the city to stay in. The next morning, he went to the Imperial Academy to report for duty.

Since Lu Huaiyu was a student at the Imperial Academy, he did not stop at the inn and the carriage headed straight for the school buildings in the city.

The next morning, Dong Sinian took a carriage to the Imperial College to report for duty.

The main gate of the Imperial College faces south, with a row of green bamboos standing at the entrance. Dong Sinian was standing at the entrance, about to walk in, when he bumped into someone he knew.

A young man in an indigo long robe came out from the side door, paused for a moment when he saw him, then smiled broadly: "Si Nian? It really is you! When did you arrive?"

It was Zhou Yanzhi, his childhood playmate in Nanjing. Zhou Yanzhi was three years older than him.

In Nanjing, because they were of similar age and Zhou Yanzhi's grandfather and his uncle were old friends, they played together since childhood.

Zhou Yanzhi entered the Imperial Academy as a student last year, and now that I heard he was coming too, I was naturally very happy.

Zhou Yanzhi strode over and patted him on the shoulder: "I heard you were coming when I was in Jinling. Why didn't you write a letter in advance? You could have had someone come and pick you up."

"I just arrived, I haven't had time yet." Dong Sinian laughed, "You found out before I did."

"Your great-uncle's reputation is well-known," Zhou Yanzhi said, gesturing with his hand. "He's grown quite a bit taller. Come on, let me show you the way. This place is winding and twisting; it's easy to get lost the first time you come here."

The two walked along the corridor.

As they walked, Zhou Yanzhi pointed out which room was the lecture hall and which was the dining hall. When they reached the second courtyard, he suddenly changed the subject: "By the way, Sinian, I heard someone mention something the other day that has something to do with your side."

He lowered his voice as he spoke, "It's that Yongchang Marquis's mansion. I heard their eldest son recently offended someone at the Ministry of Personnel and was even impeached. Do you know who it is?!"

"The people who impeached him are from Grand Secretary Wang's faction. You know Grand Secretary Wang, right? He's a veteran official who served three emperors and is highly regarded by the emperor. I don't know how the eldest son of the Earl's family offended them, and someone submitted a memorial to the emperor. The Earl's family used to be very prestigious, but it has declined in the end. I'm afraid they won't be able to withstand this."

Only after he finished speaking did he notice that Dong Sinian's smile had faded a bit. He then turned his head to follow Dong's gaze and saw a person in a light green robe standing not far away, holding a scroll in his hand. The person's expression was not good, as if he had just heard something he shouldn't have heard.

Zhou Yanzhi paused, then coughed lightly: "Do you know Si Nian? And this is...?"

Dong Sinian spoke up, his tone unusually slightly embarrassed: "This is Lu Huaiyu, the second master of the Yongchang Marquis's mansion."

Zhou Yanzhi opened his mouth briefly and then closed it again. He glanced at Lu Huaiyu, then at Dong Sinian, as if quickly trying to confirm how much of his words had been heard.

He cupped his hands in greeting to Lu Huaiyu, his voice a few decibels lower than before: "Second Master, please don't be offended. I was just hearing it casually, it's not to be taken seriously. You're lucky if you believe three out of ten things that are said outside, Second Master, you don't need to take it to heart."

As he spoke, he patted Dong Sinian on the shoulder again, "I'll go over there first, we'll talk another day." He walked faster and disappeared after turning the corner of the corridor.

The corridor fell silent for a moment.

Lu Huaiyu stood still, gripping the book in his hand even tighter than before. After a long while, he finally said, "The person he's talking about, is he my older brother?"

"It should be," Dong Sinian said. "Grand Secretary Wang is a veteran of three reigns. His faction wouldn't target someone who's been appointed to an outside post for no reason. Uncle Huaijin was probably just dragged into this by someone else."

He paused, "I've heard that although Grand Secretary Wang is a Grand Secretary, he's not very combative. It's not uncommon for his subordinates to use his name to do their own things. It might not be targeting the Earl's Mansion. It's possible that Uncle Huaijin was taken advantage of by someone while he was in office."

Lu Huaiyu didn't reply, looking down at the book in his hand, the words on the cover were wrinkled from his grip.

Dong Sinian then said, "Uncle Huaiyu, don't be anxious. You should write a letter back to tell the old lady and your aunt about this so that they have some idea of ​​what's going on. But don't say anything too serious. Just say that someone submitted a memorial to the Ministry of Personnel, but the specific details are still unclear."

He paused for a moment, "I'll also write a separate letter to my aunt and tell her what I know. She needs to know what's going on outside so she can keep track of things."

Lu Huaiyu was silent for a moment, then nodded: "I'll write it tonight."

Dong Sinian nodded: "I'll write tonight too."

The sound of the bell from the Imperial College came from not far away, and the wind under the corridor stopped and then rose again.

That night he wrote two letters under the lamp.

A letter was sent to the old lady, politely stating that she had settled in at the Imperial College and would visit again another day to express her gratitude.

The other letter was addressed to Jiang Wan, and it was written in more detail.

In addition to what Zhou Yanzhi said, he added a few of his own thoughts: Wang Ge Lao's faction is currently in the limelight, and Uncle Huai Jin is probably just a fish caught in the crossfire. He won't be in any major trouble for the time being, but it's better for the mansion to know first than to know later.

Finally, he added a line: "Auntie, take care of yourself. You can write if you need anything."

The letter arrived about five days later; the old lady's letter arrived first.

When Granny Gui brought the letter into Songhe Hall, the old lady was copying scriptures. She put down her pen, took the letter, opened it and read it once. After reading it, she did not speak immediately, but spread the letter on the table and read it again. Then she folded it and put it in the box.

Granny Gui stood by for a while, and seeing that the old lady didn't speak, she tentatively asked, "Old Madam, what did Young Master Dong say?"

"He said he's settled in at the Imperial College." The old lady picked up her teacup, took a sip, and said in a flat tone, "He's sensible; he knows to let us know he's safe once he arrives."

She said this as if nothing was wrong, but Granny Gui had served her for over twenty years and knew that she had glanced at the box again after putting down her teacup.

That one glance wasn't much, but it was enough for her to guess that the letter contained more than just a simple message of reassurance.

Fang arrived at Songhetang that afternoon.

She came in carrying a plate of freshly made pastries, smiling broadly: "Grandma, the kitchen just made a plate of osmanthus cake. It looks quite nice, so I brought some over for you to try."

She placed the plate on the table, her gaze lingering on the black lacquered box. "I heard Young Master Dong wrote a letter? This child knows his manners; he knows to greet his elders as soon as he's settled in."

The old lady was reading by the window, not even looking up: "A letter arrived saying that I've settled in at the Imperial College."

Fang took half a step forward, seemingly casually mentioning, "Didn't the letter mention anything else? The Imperial Academy in the capital is quite different from our schools here. He's a newcomer; I wonder if he'll be able to adapt."

The old lady turned a page of her book: "His uncle has old friends in the capital. He'll get used to it eventually. Why are you worrying about it?" Her tone was indifferent, as if it were just an ordinary sentence.

Fang's smile remained unchanged, but after standing for a moment, she stepped back and sat down. She picked up her teacup, took a sip, and didn't ask any further questions. However, her gaze drifted towards the black lacquered box for a moment before returning to her seat, and she said, "The old lady is right. I was overthinking it."

Then she ate half a piece of osmanthus cake, chatted for a few moments, and got up to say goodbye. When she reached the door, she paused for a moment, and the curtain fell down, obscuring her back.

That evening, Lu Huaiyu's letter arrived; it was for the old lady, and his personal seal was affixed to the seal.

When Granny Gui brought the letter in, the old lady was already preparing to rest. She lit the lamp again, opened the letter and read it once. This time, she didn't put it in the box, but left it on the table and looked at it for a while.

Granny Gui waited nearby, and seeing that she sat under the lamp for a long time after reading the letter, she finally spoke: "Old Madam, what did the Second Master say?"

The old lady folded the letter and said in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, "He said that everything was fine at the Imperial Academy. He studied with the Dong family's child for a few days and was keeping up with his studies."

She didn't look at Granny Gui; her gaze was fixed on the lamp on the windowsill, as if waiting for the candlelight to swallow the shadow of the letter, or as if wanting it to linger a little longer.

Jiang Wan received Dong Sinian's letter the next day, when Qinghe retrieved it from the gatehouse.

She knew yesterday that the old lady had received Dong Sinian's letter, which was delivered by express horse. The whole mansion was talking about it, saying that the young master of the Dong family knew to report his safety to his elders as soon as he arrived in the capital. He was such a polite child. She didn't think much of it at the time, assuming that Dong Sinian had only written that one letter.

But now I've received another letter from Dong Sinian, so I'll give it to her separately.

She thought about it and understood. It was probably because Dong Sinian deliberately sent the letter on a different day. He postponed the letter to her by a day so that she wouldn't have to send the letter to the old lady.

With her thoughts returning to normal, Jiang Wan opened the letter.

The letter was longer than the one written to the old lady.

Dong Sinian wrote down Zhou Yanzhi's words in full, in more detail than when he told Lu Huaiyu the day before.

He then added two more paragraphs of his own opinion, saying that Uncle Huaijin was probably taken advantage of by someone while in office, or that he was outshone by someone in the Ministry of Personnel's evaluation, the latter being more likely.

He also mentioned that there was an old gentleman in the Imperial Academy who had some dealings with Wang Ge Lao's staff, and he planned to visit him in a few days. If he could find out anything, he would write back.

Finally, she added, "Aunt, please take care of yourself. If there are any changes in the household affairs, please stabilize the situation first."

Jiang Wan read the letter once, then read it again, then folded it up and put it back in the envelope, placing it in the hidden compartment of the dressing case and pressing it down on top of the token.

The white petals of the orchid outside the window trembled slightly in the evening light.

She stood up and walked to the window for a while, not thinking about anything else, but just wondering if Lu Huaijin himself knew about this, whether he had heard about it outside, and whether Fang Shi's pace in the mansion would be faster these days.

Dong Sinian told her about the situation in Beijing in his letter so that she would have a general idea, but his last sentence, "Let's stabilize the situation first," was the most important.