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Minglan, born in an official family who sought the way through imperial exams, had thought that title of nobility was unshakable and wealth guaranteed as long as the one holding it would not committee highly dangerous crimes such as getting involved in the power struggles for thrones between princes. Minglan had discussed it many times with Changbai, who only threw her a scornful glance.
To reward those capable ministers, valiant generals, and advisors, Taizu, the first emperor who founded the dynasty, in total, conferred the titles of 5 special princes with different surnames, 19 dukes (guogong), 42 marquesses (houjue), 115 earls (bojue), as well as countless hereditary generals. As a suspicious emperor, Taizu, within no more than a generation, deprived and killed three special princes, half of dukes, marquesses and earls. Later, Taizong, the late emperor, succeeded to the throne, who hit the Tatars in the north, struck the savages in the south, thus exploring limitless seas and lands from all four directions. Therefore, he conferred some others with titles of marquesses and earls in succession, which were divided into “floating” (nonhereditary) and “hereditary” titles. Not all of them were hereditary.
After the emperor, Taizong quelled the frontiers afar, the first titled advisor Cabinet Zhang (Gelao) took the lead to advise, “Reward those with limitless achievements with supreme wealth and nobility”, which was seconded by Duke Ying, also General of Jingguo (pacifying the nation), the leader of those military officers. With this opportunity, the emperor Taizong deprived most political power from those military nobles. Since then, the argumentative power was possessed more by those civil officials.
Generations would be passed on and on endlessly yet wealth and nobility were limited. After three or four generations among those families with titles, there would be too much population to control. It would be safer if the family was still quite powerful, in the army, or in the court, or had cultivated a lot of talents. If the family was disintegrating, or had broken too many rules during filial piety period, gone beyond the principles in dressing, seized the possessions of the mass, etc., all of these, one after another, could be accused by supervisors and censors in the court. As to the possible judgment results, it all depended on the emperor.
The First Emperor had many offspring. When the previous emperor took the throne, Prince of Ruyang gathered many other imperial lords and nobles trying to take over the throne with forces, the Nine Prince Regents. However, a tough fighter and resourceful politician he had been, the previous emperor led by himself three thousand elite cavalrymen and attacked Prince of Ruyang’s base camp in Shanxi at night. His home was crashed down and a dozen of imperial lords who had been involved in this event were deprived of their titles afterwards. Among them, one was Marquis Zhongqin who followed them in an attempt to share a slice of the cake.
The previous emperor didn’t sit on the throne for long and died shortly after his Empress Jingan passed away. The current Emperor was so benevolent as to forgive and recover the titles of some of the imperial lords who weren’t the principal initiators of the event. However, these families had been greatly damaged and became as timid as alert birds, no longer daring to make further moves.
The first time Minglan visited the Mansion of Marquis Zhongqin, she exclaimed about the size of it. It was a courtyard of five rows of houses with two small gardens on each side, just a little bigger than Sheng Mansion yet located in a position no better than the latter. It was later that Minglan was told by Changbai that the original Mansion of Marquis Zhongqin had been confiscated and granted to other nobles as rewards. The current one was bestowed by the Emperor much later.
Today, Mansion of Marquis Zhongqin threw a one-month birthday dinner party for the second grandson. There were altogether, inside and outside, thirty-six feast tables, in hope that the number, which equaled six multiplied by six (6 is a lucky number in China), would bring the children a lucky and smooth life.
Sheng family, as the maternal relatives, was of course guests of honor. Minglan got off her carriage and stepped onto a palanquin and only began to walk on her own after reaching the second door. Passing a screen wall carved with patterns of wealth and auspiciousness, she entered the guest hall when a girl in peach-pink coat with golden thread stitching came over to greet her with a smile, “You’re here finally. I’ve been waiting for you since early morning and you’re a little late!”
Molan went first to greet her, all smiles, “If we have known you’ve been waiting for us, we should fly here!” Rulan half-smiled, “Wenying my sister, you’re the host and we’re guests. Are you expecting us to wait for you?”
Yuan Wenying had a round fair pretty face and generous nature. Ignoring Rulan, she held Minglan who was behind and smiled, “Minglan my sister, you rarely visit us. Ever since you moved to the capital, your two sisters came often, but you were only here twice!”
Minglan rubbed her forehead, still feeling dizzy, and apologized honestly, “Sis Wenying, don’t blame me for being lazy. Though I didn’t come, I beg my fifth elder sister to bring the pouches of four-season and fan pendent to you.” Then she spread a smile that enchanted Yuan Wenying for a while.
They just didn’t meet each other for a few months, but Minglan’s skin got much better as if water could be squeezed out from it. A touch of rosy color appeared on her fair face against which the light-pink lips looked as if champagne splashed on snow-white paper. The peach-blossom-like face made people couldn’t help but love her from heart. The thick black hair was coiled up loosely into a slant moon shape which was fixed by a green jade flower hairpin. Near her temples pinned a flower made of white pearls threaded with gold lines. By one sight, among the flowers teeming the room, it seemed that only she was visible for her fresh and beautiful look.
“…We haven’t seen each other for too long, but you look more and more beautiful.” Yuan Wenying praised sincerely, “You should get out of home more often.”
Molan’s face turned gloomy but recovered immediately, “My sister is most lazy. She only likes staying at home and chanting Buddhist scriptures with our grandmother. Don’t bother to persuade her.”
Yuan Wenying chuckled and turned to Minglan, “Second sister-in-law said that you were in poor health as a child. I assume you’re much better now. Today, it’s quite cold, otherwise we could go fishing.”
Since Yuan Wenying was so sincere and polite, Minglan couldn’t continue to play shy, so she also held her hands, saying, “Thanks for being so considerate. I’m very well now, yet…I didn’t have enough sleep last night.” Then she spat out her tongue to show her regret.
Yuan Wenying burst into laughter, “That’s right. I was wakened up very early this morning and have been yawning until just now!”
Having been ignored for quite a while, Rulan could stand it no more, “Are we going in or not?”
Yuan Wenying was familiar with Rulan’s temper, so she only raised her eyebrows a bit and led the three sisters into the inner room where was already filled with laughter and chitchatting.
Hualan looked joyful today, wearing a red outerwear stitched with golden threads and embroidered with butterflies among flowers. On her head was a gold beam hairpin in shape of five-phenixes. Next to her stood a plump old wet nurse who was holding in her arms a red brocade swaddle. The three young ladies hurriedly walked over to take a look. What they saw was a fair chubby delicate baby in sleep. His mouth, as gender as a flower-bud, was spitting milk bubbles, looking very adorable.
The group of ladies congratulated to Hualan one after another. Even a few old women wearing diamond rings touched the baby’s little face, making it cry soon, so Hualan ordered the wet nurse to take him back for rest.
Wang shi was ravished with joy and her face were shimmered with pink color. She had already taken a seat in the main position. At the sight of Rulan, she called her daughter up by a wave and held her to chat among a group of noble ladies. Madam Yuan, wife of Marquis Zhongqin, looked indifferent because she felt uncomfortable seeing her second daughter-in-law’s status rising as her maternal family prospered. During this year, Hualan learned to be tactful, shifting the task of managing domestic affairs back through either pretending to be ill or showing submission. Naturally, Madam Yuan and her big daughter-in-law grudged using their own money to pay family expenditure.
Moreover, recently, Madam Yuan’s son had been not as obedient as before.
“My father’s and my wages are all handed over to you, mother! And you also control the family’s lands and shops. In the past when Hualan took charge of domestic affairs, she had wanted to take over those, but mother found all excuses to refuse. Then what’s good about managing domestic affairs?” Yuan Wenshao was a military officer. He had been the most filial child and didn’t get angry easily, but Madam Yuan’s over-bias towards others irritated him, so he threw out such words unhappily, “If you want Hualan’s dowry, just say so. If our family expenditure is really hard to cover, I will offer the dowry with both hands even if I’d be looked down upon by others and father-in-law. Why bother to find all excuses and cause all the hurt feelings?”
After this was known to Marquis Zhongqin, he severely scolded his old wife, “In a large family like ours, no secret can be kept. You thought you did everything without leaving any traces, but in fact that was known to and laughed at by everyone! Our family can still survive and has no big expenditure. Please think about my face before you calculate our daughter-in-law’s dowry! Before Wenshao’s wife married to our family, the big daughter-in-law was so healthy that she could eat five meals a day. Now she becomes vulnerable and easily falls ill? If she couldn’t manage affairs, you take over! If you insist Wenshao’s wife be the manager, then you hand over the lands and shops!”
Madam Yuan flew into a fury but had no other choice. Later, when Hualan got pregnant, she kept cramming women into her son’s house. All of the women were of sexy and provocative type. Hualan managed to hold back and only ordered mama to prepare contraception soups for them until she gave birth to a son. Seeing this, Madam Yuan felt threatened and should start to introduce concubines to Yuan Wenshao.
Hualan cried in front of the old marquis, “Although it’s normal for a man to have a few concubines, but mother should act fair. My sister-in-law’s house has no concubines at all, but she put strong eight women into my house, claiming to serve my husband. Is she saying that I’m not good enough to serve my husband? Now she’s going even further and give him concubines. If father and mother are really dissatisfied about me, then I’ll just leave!”
Yuan Wenshao had just got a chubby cute son and loved him very much, so he also hated his mother’s action, “My big brother has only one wife and one concubine, but my place is full of women. For those who don’t know the real situation, they must think of me as a sex obsessionist!”
Marquis Zhongqin was shocked. They just came over a big trouble and were trying to build connections for the children, how could they start a feud with Sheng family? Therefore, he comforted his son and daughter-in-law in a hurry and turned around to curse his old wife, forbidding her from intervening with their affairs any more.
Hence, how could Madam Yuan be happy right now? She only fake-smiled her way among all guests. Wang shi didn’t talk with her and only enjoyed refreshment and tea happily. All present knew that nowadays the second young lord of Mansion of Marquis Zhongqin had a promising future and his wife Hualan gave birth to a son, so everyone was willing to befriend with them.
Madam Yuan got more and more infuriated and only talked with a middle-aged woman who wore a silver dangling hairpin of wealth and nobility. Next to them was a girl in a slanting-lapel apricot-colored long gown with silver stitched threads. She had a pretty face and quiet elegant bearing. At the sight of her, Molan, in a low voice, asked Yuan Wenying who was then telling Minglan the twelve ways of stewing grass carp soup, among which Minglan had tried out eight. The two were exactly at the point of peak saliva-secreting, and hearing Molan’s question, Wenying looked up and answered, “They are from the maternal family of my big sister-in-law, my aunt and cousin, family-name Zhang.”
Then she pouted her lips and turned around to resume the conversation with Minglan.
Molan was not interested in the topic of grass carp. Listening for a while, she finally complained impatiently, “How could you girls keep talking about food all day? You two big eaters!”
Wenying turned around and laughed, “Last time you talked with me about cosmetics!”
“How is this the same?” Molan frowned.
Minglan shook her head, “Yes, they are the same. As the saying goes, you’re what you eat. If you want to have fair complexion, it’s better to take food rather than herbs as the promoting factor. Having good food does more good to skin than any kind of cosmetics.”
Molan was tempted. Looking at Minglan’s skin smooth as porcelain, she hesitated, “Really?”
Just as she finished asking, noises came from front. Two middle-aged ladies in luxurious clothes came in. Madam Yuan welcomed them all smiles and invited them to sit on the main chairs. She served tea to them in person, looking quite obsequious. Wenying at once explained to Molan and Minglan that the woman with an amiable smile was Madam Huang, wife of Marquis Shoushan and eldest sister of Marquis Zhongqin and the other woman sitting next to her with light makeups and clothing was Madam Liang, wife of Marquis Yongchang. She barely talked and just let Madam Yuan made conversations on her own.
“Then she is your aunt? Having your aunt as mother-in-law, Wenying you’re really lucky.” Molan made fun of Wenying, eyes shining with envy.
Wenying flushed due to shyness and didn’t answer her. Minglan quickly help her out by starting another topic, “Is Madam Liang one of your relatives?” Today’s one-month birthday dinner party wasn’t prepared in an extravagant way. Only a few families close to the host were invited. Though little knowledge Minglan had, she knew Marquis Zhongqin and Shoushan were no match for Marquis Yongchang. Though they didn’t have high-ranking officials, the descendants were in large number and many of them had forged marriages with a wide range of noble families, which helped form a solid foundation of family background.
Wenying was relieved, replying, “My third cousin, aunt’s daughter, married to Mansion of Marquis Yongchang.”
Over there, Madam Yuan had brought Zhang Xiumei to the two madams, smiling, “This is my niece. Xiumei, show your curtesy.” Zhang Xiumei respectfully lifted up her gown and bowed to them with a gentle elegant smile. Madam Yuan, sitting next to them, started to brag about Zhang Xiumei in an inexplicit way, from exterior, character, family origin to needlework and writing ability, to such an overstated extent that made even Yuan Wenying frown.
Minglan could tell it, laughed and asked her in a low voice, “Does your aunt have another son?”
Looking at her mother’s inappropriate behavior, Wenying felt very embarrassed. She pulled her handkerchief unhappily, “Not my aunt, but Madam Yongchang who has a youngest son. He is now coached by my second elder brother and will soon fill the vacancy of vice commander of Five Armies.”
Molan’s ears moved and she turned around to ask attentively, “What kind of person is that young lord?”