The Red Mansion

Chapter 298 Seizing the Initiative, Second Sister Breaks Off Engagement

Old Lady You and Madam You had been secretly planning to betroth You Erjie to Yuan Yi as a concubine. But when she suddenly heard that the Qin family's daughter from the eastern suburbs had moved into the backyard of the Duke's mansion, and that she was Yuan Yi's chosen concubine, she was immediately filled with anxiety and rushed to Madam You's courtyard to look for her.

Madam You was tidying up the accounts in her room when she saw Old Madam You rushing over. She was puzzled but got up to greet her.

Old Lady You held Madam You's hand and said, "My child, have you heard the news? That Miss Qin has moved into the mansion! She's in a two-courtyard house nearby!"

Madam You sighed, "I've already heard about it. That Miss Qin was originally the concubine personally chosen by the Duke, and this relocation was also arranged by the Duke himself." As she spoke, she ordered her maid Jinhua to pour some cool tea, "Mother, please moisten your throat first."

Old Lady You couldn't possibly drink her tea. She couldn't help but say angrily, "Back then, the reason Master Zhen's affairs went wrong was closely related to this Miss Qin. It was because Master Zhen had his eye on her that the Duke and the Qin family complained to him, alarming the Emperor Emeritus, and he was severely punished. Now that her mourning period is over, the Duke is preparing to take her as a concubine..."

Before she could finish speaking, Madam You interrupted her, saying, "Mother, be careful what you say! These are all things of the past. Now we are living under the roof of the Duke's mansion. How can we bring up such things? If it gets to the Duke's ears, we may lose even our place of residence."

Old Lady You realized she had spoken out of turn and sighed, "I know, but I just couldn't help mentioning it to you. Of course, we can't go and provoke that Miss Qin now. On the contrary, I came here today to visit Miss Qin with you and see what she is really like."

After a brief discussion, Madam You instructed her maid to prepare two gifts: a pair of sachets embroidered with lotus blossoms and a pair of exquisitely crafted embroidered shoes. Pretending to be visiting a new neighbor, she headed towards Qin Keqing's courtyard.

Upon arriving at Qin Keqing's courtyard, Old Madam You saw that this courtyard was not only better than her own residence, but also more exquisite than Madam You's courtyard. Her heart burned with jealousy, but she forced herself to suppress it and still put on a smile.

When Peng Jizhong's wife saw that a guest had arrived, she hurriedly announced his arrival and went inside. A short while later, Qin Keqing personally came out to greet him.

Old Lady You scrutinized Qin Keqing closely and saw that she possessed an exceptionally beautiful face, graceful and charming, and secretly marveled: "What a stunning woman! Her appearance is even more captivating than those depicted in paintings. No wonder Master Zhen was so fond of her, and the Duke valued her so highly!"

After entering the room, Madam You looked around and saw that the furnishings were elegant. She sighed inwardly, but smiled and said, "Sister, this is a nice place. It is decorated so elegantly."

Qin Keqing said modestly, "It was just a hasty tidying up, please forgive me, sister."

She poured tea herself, her demeanor elegant and her responses appropriate.

Old Lady You was restless and barely managed to say a few words before saying it was inconvenient to disturb her any longer and taking her leave with Madam You.

As soon as they stepped out of the courtyard gate, Old Madam You hurriedly said to Madam You, "My child, did you see that? Such a person has already seized the opportunity! If we had delayed any longer, I'm afraid your second sister wouldn't even have a place to stand!"

Back in the You family courtyard, Old Madam You said repeatedly, "We must arrange for your second sister to marry into the family as soon as possible! The Duke only has two concubines in total. If this Miss Qin is officially promoted to concubine and other women are added, even if your second sister squeezes in, what good position will she get?"

As she spoke, she paced back and forth in the room: "I've observed her closely, and this Miss Qin is no ordinary person. Your second sister is already quite beautiful, yet she's outshone by her. Looking at the furnishings in her room and her demeanor, she's clearly a woman of great insight. If she gains a foothold, I'm afraid all those who come after her will be overshadowed by her."

After listening to her mother's words, Madam You frowned and pondered for a long time before saying, "Mother is right. But this matter concerning Second Sister is really difficult to handle. Putting aside everything else, Second Sister is engaged to Zhang Hua. First of all, we must get Second Sister to break off the engagement."

It turns out that Sister You Er was already engaged to Zhang Hua.

Zhang Hua's grandfather was once the head of the imperial grain depot, a respectable position. After his death, Zhang Hua's father, Zhang Shouye, inherited the job.

Because Zhang Shouye was in a relationship with Old Lady You's ex-husband, he arranged for Zhang Hua and You Erjie to marry before they were even born. However, Zhang Shouye later faced legal trouble, lost his position as head of the imperial grain depot, and his family fortune declined, leaving him destitute and unable to afford to marry You Erjie. Meanwhile, Old Lady You, having lost her first husband, remarried into the You family, bringing her two daughters with her. The two families had not been in contact for over ten years.

Even so, You Erjie and Zhang Hua were still engaged. In You Shi's opinion, if she wanted to arrange for You Erjie to become Yuan Yi's concubine, she had to get the Zhang family to break off the engagement first.

When Old Lady You heard about this, she didn't take it seriously and said, "What's so difficult about this! The Zhang family has already fallen into ruin. Tomorrow, you can send someone to summon Zhang Shouye and give him one or two taels of silver. He will be willing to write a letter of annulment. If he is unwilling, we can use the name of the Duke to put him in the cold. He's a penniless man, and he won't dare to refuse."

Madam You sighed, "Even if Zhang Shouye writes the annulment document, what should we do next? We can't just go directly to the Duke and say that we want to give our second sister to him as a concubine, can we?"

Old Lady You leaned closer and whispered, "Didn't I already tell you? Next, we'll find a way to let your second sister meet the Duke. Make sure your second sister dresses up nicely; with her looks and charm, it won't be hard for her to win the Duke's favor. Then we can propose to the Duke that your second sister become his concubine. Wouldn't that be a natural progression?"

Upon hearing this, Madam You picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and said, “I have thought about it carefully, and this method is not appropriate. If we act behind the back of the principal wife, even if we succeed temporarily, we will ultimately suffer a loss. The lady of this household is virtuous and magnanimous. It would be better to ask her openly and speak tactfully, so that we will not incur resentment regardless of whether it succeeds or not.”

Old Madam You lowered her head in thought. Although she wasn't shrewd, she knew that Madam You's words made sense. After all, they were just guests in the Duke's mansion, and they had received a great favor from Yuan Chun. If they acted too much and angered Yuan Chun, even if the Duke took a liking to Second Sister You and was willing to take her as a concubine, Yuan Chun would not treat Second Sister You well, and might even drive them out of the mansion.

Thinking of this, Old Lady You sighed and said, "What you said makes sense. In that case, tomorrow we will have Zhang Shouye write the annulment document, and the day after tomorrow we will take your second sister to pay our respects to the Lady of the County.

Once the two had reached an agreement, they immediately sent a maid to summon Sister You.

Soon, Sister You Er entered gracefully.

Old Lady You pulled Second Sister You to sit down beside her and explained in detail what they had just discussed.

Second Sister You had always resented being wrongly betrothed to Zhang Hua. Whenever she looked in the mirror and saw her own beauty, she felt depressed that she was to be matched with a poor man. Now, hearing that the Zhang family was to break off the engagement and that she would be given to the Duke she admired as a concubine, she was immediately overjoyed, her face flushed. Fearing that she would appear too eager, she lowered her head, fiddling with her sash, and said softly, "It is entirely up to Mother and Eldest Sister to decide."

Seeing her like this, Madam You knew that she was absolutely willing.

With the plan settled, Sister You returned to her room, primped in front of the mirror, and lost in thought about how she would be able to stay by the side of that handsome and noble Duke in the future.

……

……

The next morning, just as the sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn, Madam You was already awake. Gazing at the gradually brightening light outside the window, her heart was pounding with anxiety. She pondered the matter she had discussed with her mother the day before, wondering if the Zhang family was willing to annul the engagement, and even more so, whether Yuan Chun would agree.

After breakfast, she summoned her trusted steward, Yu Lu, and whispered, "Go out of the city today and find Zhang Shouye of the Zhang family. Tell him you have important matters to discuss and that you must invite him to come."

Yu Lu was a quick-witted man. He understood Madam You's meaning in a flash. He bowed and said, "Don't worry, Madam. I will take care of it. I will make sure to bring the person here safely."

In less than two hours, Yu Lu led Zhang Shouye to the backyard of the Duke's mansion.

Zhang Shouye was in his forties. He was wearing a faded blue cloth robe, which, although washed clean, could not hide his shabby appearance. He was also wearing a pair of worn cloth shoes with some mud stains on the uppers.

Although he entered the mansion through the back gate, he was still impressed by the grandeur of the vermilion gates, deep courtyards, painted beams and carved pillars. He dared not be negligent and kept his head down to watch the way.

Upon arriving at the courtyard where the You family resided, Old Madam You and Madam You were already seated in the main hall, with Yu Lu's wife and Jin Hua standing in attendance. Yu Lu led Zhang Shouye into the hall and then stood respectfully by the door.

After inviting Zhang Shouye to sit down, Old Lady You looked him up and down. Seeing his disheveled state, she felt even more contempt for him. She said indifferently, "I invited you here today because there is something I want to discuss."

As he spoke, he gave a wink, and Yu Lu's wife brought out a package, which, when opened, revealed gleaming silver inside.

Old Lady You continued, "Here is twenty taels of silver. Please accept it, in exchange for writing a letter of annulment for my second daughter."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shouye's expression changed drastically. He gripped the hem of his clothes with both hands and said, "This...this engagement was made between your ex-husband and me back then. Although my family is not as good as it used to be, how can this engagement be canceled so easily?"

Old Lady You said, "Don't be confused. Now that we live in this Duke's mansion, we are naturally close to the noble people in the mansion. Isn't my second daughter good enough for a better family? Why don't you take the money and find another marriage for your son? Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"

Zhang Shouye's face flushed red: "Although we are poor, we are an honest family. Back then, I was in love with your ex-husband, and we were betrothed since we were children..."

Before she could finish speaking, Madam You suddenly said, "Add another twenty taels."

As she spoke, she nodded to Yu Lu's family.

Yu Lu's wife understood and placed another twenty taels of silver on the table.

So, forty taels of silver were laid out on the table, which dazzled Zhang Shouye.

As Madam You gazed at the gleaming silver ingots, a pang of pain shot through her heart. For her in the past, forty taels of silver, let alone four hundred, would have been a small sum. However, now that the Jia family's eldest branch had been confiscated, leaving her with only a meager amount to sustain her, these forty taels of silver felt like a piece of her own flesh being torn from her bones.

Zhang Shouye stared at the pile of silver, speechless for a long time. He thought to himself, "The You family is so eager to break off the engagement; they must have climbed the social ladder by marrying into the Duke's family. If I insist on refusing, I'm afraid I'll offend a powerful person and find it even harder to establish myself in the future. Besides, my family is poor, and my son is idle and spends his days loafing around..." After much deliberation, a mix of emotions welled up inside him, and he finally sighed, "Fine, fine! Since that's how it is... I'll agree to your terms!"

Lady You immediately ordered Jinhua to prepare the Four Treasures of the Study.

Zhang Shouye picked up his pen, the hilt feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds. He recalled the days when he and Old Lady You's ex-husband had shared drinks and chatted happily about their children's marriages—how close the two families had been then! Alas, times have changed, and people's hearts are no longer what they used to be. He sighed deeply and began to write:

"Zhang Shouye, the person who hereby writes this letter of annulment, had arranged a marriage between his eldest son, Zhang Hua, and his second daughter, Zhao Gong, since they were children. However, due to financial difficulties, he is now unable to attend the wedding and wishes to annul this engagement. From this day forward, the marriages of the two people will be separate matters. To prevent any future disputes, this letter of annulment is hereby written as proof."

After finishing writing, he threw the pen onto the table with a soft "snap".

Madam You gave a wink, and Yu Lu's wife immediately pushed the silver over and took the still-wet ink document away.

Zhang Shouye carried a heavy bag of silver, but felt an emptiness in his heart. He staggered to his feet, bowed to Madam You and her daughter, and then turned to leave.

As Madam You watched his departing figure, a pang of pity swept through her heart. She thought that she was now also living under someone else's roof, just like Zhang Shouye. But then she thought of her younger sister's future and her family's position in the Duke's mansion, and she hardened her heart, suppressing that pity.

After Zhang Shouye left, Old Lady You immediately put the annulment document into a box and patted her chest, saying, "Amitabha, this matter is finally settled!" She then hurriedly said, "Go and call Second Sister over so she can know this good news."

Soon, Sister You Er and Sister You San arrived together.

Upon hearing that the engagement had been annulled, Second Sister You was initially taken aback, then lowered her head to fidget with her sash, a slight smile involuntarily playing on her lips. Third Sister You was also secretly delighted. She was delighted that her second sister had finally escaped that impoverished family, and even more delighted that since her second sister had been betrothed to the Duke, she no longer had to become a concubine, and perhaps could finally fulfill her wish to marry Liu Xianglian, whom she had longed for day and night…

Old Lady You held Second Sister You's hand and laughed, "My child, from now on you are free. Just waiting for the Duke and his wife to nod their heads, even as a concubine, it's a hundred times better than that impoverished family." Then she sighed, "You didn't see just now how poor the Zhang family was. If you really marry into that family, wouldn't it be like a beautiful flower stuck in cow dung?"

Sister You said softly, "It's all up to Mother and Sister to decide." Though her voice was soft, her eyes and brows radiated an undisguised joy, like ripples on spring water.

The mother and her daughters immediately began to discuss in detail their plans to pay their respects to Yuan Chun the next day.

Madam You said, "When you go to see the madam tomorrow, you must dress simply. I think your moon-white silk dress is very nice. You don't need to wear the gold hairpin in your hair; just a white jade hairpin will do. You should look dignified, but not too stiff."

Old Lady You nodded repeatedly: "That's exactly right. Too flashy, and it will seem frivolous; too plain, and I'm afraid the lady will find it unfestive." She then instructed, "When you see the lady, you must be very respectful. This lady values ​​etiquette. If you can win her favor, the matter will be mostly settled. Speak softly and be dignified and graceful in your greetings. Do not lose your composure."

Sister You wrote everything down, her heart filled with both anticipation and trepidation...

(End of this chapter)