Being a second wife is difficult

When Qinghe went to invite Aunt Zhou, Jiang Wan was in the inner room reading a letter sent by Manager Chen of Juxian Teahouse.

The letter said that Physician Sun had already set off and would arrive at the Yongchang Marquis's residence in about eight or nine days. Calculating the days, it would coincide with the birthday of the Dipankara Buddha a few days later.

Jiang Wan had inquired about that date.

Every year on this day, the old lady would take her whole family to a temple in the south of the city to stay for a whole day, offering incense and lamps, eating vegetarian food, and seeking peace and tranquility.

The entire household followed suit and ate vegetarian food, even changing their tea to light lotus seed porridge and red date cake.

Besides the Earl's Mansion, several other prominent families in the city would also bring their families to the temple on this day, ostensibly to worship Buddha, but also to use the occasion to socialize.

During the day, the adults listened to sutras and lit lamps, but the children couldn't stay still. They would go in twos and threes with bamboo baskets to "gather autumn produce" in the fields near the temple.

It's called "picking up autumn crops," but it's just that some corn and potatoes are deliberately left in the field after the autumn harvest for the children to pick up. This is both to fulfill the auspicious wish of "every grain returning to the granary" and to give them some fun.

Those fields either belonged to the temple or to the Earl's family or other prominent families. The farmers had been informed in advance that they should leave some things on the land.

Several families' children gathered together; whether they could pick up anything or not was not important, the main thing was to run around and have fun.

There were also older nannies and servants around to take care of her, so nothing went wrong.

Jiang Wan used to live in Jinling and had never seen such a custom before. When she first heard about it, she found it quite interesting.

Speaking of which, her father was serving as an official in Nanjing at that time. He happened to meet Dong Ge Lao, who had retired and returned to his hometown. By chance, Dong Ge Lao was taken in as a disciple and received some favors. Later, thanks to this connection, her father was transferred from Nanjing to the capital and took a leisurely job in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

Less than a year after their family moved to the capital, Jiang Wan married into the Yongchang Earl's family in Huzhou.

Huzhou is not far from the capital; it takes about half a day to travel from the prefecture.

But she didn't have the mind to think about these things right now. If Dr. Sun came to her house on the day when her whole family went to the temple, there would be no one to greet him or anywhere to put him, which would be troublesome.

She needs to plan ahead and make sure everyone is settled before saying goodbye.

As she was making plans, Qinghe announced through the curtain, "Madam, Aunt Zhou has arrived."

Jiang Wan folded the letter twice and put it in the drawer. She got up, straightened her clothes, walked to the door of the inner room, lifted the curtain, and peeked out.

Aunt Zhou was standing in the center of the main hall, with her personal maid Cuiping following two steps behind her.

After leading the person in, Qinghe didn't go any further inside. Instead, she stood under the porch, her gaze fixed on Cuiping.

Cuiping was quick-witted; without anyone saying a word, she retreated to the threshold of the main hall, stood with her hands at her sides on the veranda, three or four steps away from Qinghe.

"Please come in, Auntie," Jiang Wan said, stepping aside to let the door to the inner room open.

Aunt Zhou stepped in, her steps lighter than the last time she came. After entering, she first bowed to Jiang Wan and said, "Greetings, Madam."

"Sit down." Jiang Wan pointed to the round stool next to the table, and then sat down on the edge of the tatami mat.

"It was cool just a few days ago, but it's become hot and humid again these past two days. So I had Qinghe brew some lotus seed tea to cool you down and quench your thirst. Aunt Zhou, have a cup to moisten your mouth first."

Aunt Zhou took the teacup naturally, took a sip, and smiled as she put it down: "The lotus seed tea here, Madam, is much sweeter than the one I brew in my room. Perhaps it's because Miss Qinghe is so skilled."

As she spoke, she picked up the cup of tea with a smile and took a sip, as if she were truly savoring its flavor.

Jiang Wan waited until she finished drinking before placing the teacup back on the table and speaking slowly, "You've heard about what happened to Granny Ding."

Aunt Zhou's smile faded slightly as she put down her teacup. "I've heard the rumors circulating outside that Granny Ding was expelled from the manor for embezzlement. But I think... things might not be that simple."

After she finished speaking, she looked up at Jiang Wan.

"You guessed right." Jiang Wan nodded. "On the surface, Granny Ding was expelled from the manor for accepting bribes and privately transferring personnel, but in reality, the old lady didn't really drive her away. Instead, she was sent to a manor in the suburbs to be kept under supervision. Because of that old matter related to Lianxin, as you know, she is still useful for the time being."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhou fell silent for a moment, and the smile on her lips vanished completely.

Her hand, holding the teacup, paused in mid-air. After a long while, she whispered, "So... the old lady believed it?"

"Whether the old lady believes me or not doesn't depend on what I say," Jiang Wan said, looking at her. "It depends on the evidence. As long as the evidence is there, the old lady will naturally believe it."

Aunt Zhou's lips moved, as if weighing the weight of her words. After a few moments, she spoke, her voice more steady than before: "Then what does the old lady intend to do? I mean, this matter happened several years ago, is it still possible to find out?"

"Since the old lady said she would investigate, she won't just talk the talk; she'll dig deep and find out the truth."

Jiang Wan spoke calmly and reassuringly, "Don't worry, Aunt Zhou. This concerns Madam Gu, so this matter won't just pass by without clear explanation."

Aunt Zhou sensed the certainty in her words, turned her head away, and quickly pressed her sleeve to the corner of her eye. When she turned back, her eyes were already a little red, and her voice was not as steady as before: "Then, Madam... did the Old Madam say anything else?"

Jiang Wan put down her teacup, looked into Aunt Zhou's eyes, and said in a tone that was a few degrees more serious than before: "There are some details I can't explain to you yet. First, the investigation is still ongoing, and second, there are many people involved. If the news leaks out, it won't be good. Aunt Zhou, please stay calm. I'll handle the rest."

When Aunt Zhou heard her say this, the thing that had been weighing on her heart for many years finally seemed to have a place to rest.

She nodded repeatedly, her tone a mixture of urgency and restraint: "I understand. I am not the kind of person who doesn't know what's important. Don't worry, Madam. I just want to know... to know the result, even if it's just in private. I can wait."

"There will be a result," Jiang Wan said. "Mrs. Gu will not have died in vain."

Aunt Zhou gripped her sleeve tightly with her fingertips, her knuckles turning white. She loosened and tightened her grip repeatedly, as if she had many words stuck in her throat that she couldn't say for the time being.

She took half a step back and gave Jiang Wan a deep bow, much more profound than the one she had given when she entered. Her voice was slightly hoarse: "On behalf of my late wife... I thank you, Madam."

Jiang Wan stood up and helped her up: "Go back and rest. It's best if you and I know about this, don't mention it to anyone."

She paused for a moment, her tone softening slightly, "I know my aunt's temperament; she's always been calm and collected, and doesn't speak carelessly, but I still have to remind her of something."

"I know," Aunt Zhou straightened up. "Don't worry, Madam, I won't reveal a single word."

After she finished speaking, she turned and walked out. Cuiping was waiting under the corridor. When she saw her come out, she came up to greet her. The two of them, mistress and servant, went out of the courtyard gate one after the other.

Qinghe walked back to Jiang Wan's side, and the two of them watched Aunt Zhou's figure cross the courtyard and disappear at the gate.

"Madam, Aunt Zhou seems much more relaxed than when she came," Qinghe said.

"Mm," Jiang Wan responded, "Now that Aunt Zhou has settled a matter of concern, I naturally feel more at ease."

Qinghe brewed another pot of tea and replaced the cold cup on the table. As she poured the tea, she said, "Madam, there's some news from Wang Mama's side."

"Just now, when Granny Qian came over to deliver something, she mentioned to me that Granny Wang called several of the stewards into her room, closed the door, and talked for almost half an hour, going over all the new rules that Madam had established one by one."

"Those old women down there are much more efficient today than they were the past two days. Even the maids who sweep and clean walk a little more briskly."

Jiang Wan looked up, her expression filled with curiosity: "What did she say?"

"Old Lady Qian said that Wang Mama brought up the old rules that Ding Mama had set up, crossed out most of them, and said that from now on, they would follow Madam's rules."

"What are you saying to those old women down there? The madam is giving you face, so don't take advantage of her. Just do what you're supposed to do. If you do well, you'll be rewarded; if you don't, you'll have to think twice." Those old women all lowered their heads and listened like quails, none of them daring to talk back.

As Qinghe spoke, there was a hint of surprise in her tone, "This servant didn't expect that Madam Wang would act so decisively this time."

Jiang Wan thought for a while before saying, "She's moving faster than I expected. I thought it would take some more time, but it seems I was overthinking it."

"She came to us before saying that her subordinates didn't respect her, which was somewhat of a sob story. But I gave her the rules and regulations, so she naturally had to make a good impression when she got back."

"Those people below may not have been disobedient to her before. In the end, she was originally the second-in-command, but Ding Mama suppressed her and she couldn't stand out. Now that Ding Mama has fallen, she can take this opportunity to use the power that couldn't be used before."

"Let her move around for now. As long as she can manage her subordinates, we don't need to interfere."