Spring Message in the Snow – CH 058

Chapter 58

Tonight, she would sleep peacefully. She had originally planned to go to the Prince’s Mansion the next day, but when she arrived at Suihua Garden, she encountered the Grand Madam of the Wang family visiting. This time, she was stopped again.

The Grand Madam of the Wang family, upon seeing her, was still overjoyed, still deeply regretting that she could not marry her off as her granddaughter-in-law. Taking her hand, Grand Madam Wang led her to sit beside her, looking at her intently. “It’s been quite a while since we last met at Yang Tower. How have you been, Second Young Lady?”

Surou smiled and said, “Everything is fine. The girls’ school is running smoothly. Thank you for your concern, Grand Madam.”

Grand Madam Wang nodded. “And the wedding? How are the preparations?”

Surou replied, “My grandmother and my mother are handling everything at home, so I do not have to worry about it. They said the other day that everything is almost ready. I am so grateful to my elders; I am quite content with my leisure time.”

Grand Madam Wang smiled. “Indeed, your elders care about you, and you are busy running the girls’ school. We cannot let you worry about it anymore.” Turning to Grand Madam Zhang, she sighed, “To be honest, the more I look at Surou, the more I like her. I was even telling my eldest daughter-in-law a few days ago that I regretted hesitating back then. If I had been more decisive, this marriage would have been arranged long ago. Now…” She forced a smile. “However, the Heir Apparent is also a good match, of noble birth and upright character. Giving Surou to him is not an insult.”

Grand Madam Zhang still tried to smooth things over, saying gently, “Fate is something you cannot force; even a slight mishap will do. Take my fifth young lady, for example; she just broke off her engagement with the Jin family the other day. Did you hear?”

Speaking of this, Grand Madam Wang was also surprised. “I vaguely heard something; rumors say the Jin family’s young master fell in a wrestling match. How did it come to the point of breaking off the engagement?”

Madam Shen, standing nearby, chimed in, “Auntie doesn’t know, but he fell from such a high platform on the roof and twisted his leg. The imperial physician said he’d be living with one leg longer than the other and might not even be able to keep his career. The Jin family was quite understanding; they said they were afraid of delaying Fifth Young Lady’s life, so they sent a matchmaker to break off the engagement. The two families didn’t have a falling out, and it was a peaceful separation.”

Grand Madam Wang, holding her teacup, sighed, “What a pity such a good marriage was ruined. But it’s better to cut things short than to drag it out and cause more anxiety. Now, where is the Fifth Young Lady? Which family does she plan to marry next?”

Grand Madam Zhang smiled slightly. “Let’s just wait for the right person… Stop talking about us. Where’s your Fourth Young Master? Has he gone back to Quanzhou to report for duty?”

Grand Madam Wang said, “He went back at the beginning of the month. He’s had such a long leave; he was worried about his work.”

“And what about the marriage?” the Grand Madam Zhang asked. “Have you arranged a match with any girls?”

Grand Madam Wang sighed at the mention of this, shaking her head. “We talked about the young lady from the family of the official in charge of criminal justice, but she was delayed by her previous marriage and had not married by the time she turned twenty. Everything was going well, but unfortunately, after exchanging the birth charts, their horoscopes clashed, and she would have to move to Quanzhou after the marriage. Her family was not happy with that, so we had to give up. Our fourth son is already twenty-seven this year, and it’s not easy to propose to a girl who’s too much younger. The elders in the family are very anxious, and he even jokes about it. Last time he said that if all else fails, he could marry a divorced woman, which made his mother cry. She’s raised such a precious son; how could she bear to settle for someone so low?”

Grand Madam Zhang was delighted. She feigned politeness, saying, “With Fourth Young Master Wang’s talent and looks, how could he be so…old? Twenty-seven is the prime of his life, is it not? Besides, older men tend to be more caring. I think anyone who could be a match for Fourth Young Master Wang would be blessed.” She winked at her daughter as she spoke.

Madam Shen understood immediately and said to Grand Madam Wang with a smile, “I have a good idea. Jirou just broke off her engagement, and Fourth Young Master Wang’s marriage is not settled either. They are both unmarried. If we could pair them up, would that not be perfect?”

After listening for a while, Surou finally understood. So that was her grandmother’s plan.

Turning to look at Grand Madam Wang again, she saw a slight pause in surprise. “You mean Jirou and our Fourth Young Master? That’s wonderful, but they are about ten years apart. I am afraid it would be unfair to Jirou.”

Grand Madam Zhang laughed. “What are you saying? I think Chenjin’s suggestion is excellent. If it really comes to fruition, it would be a wonderful marriage. To be honest, our Jirou is straightforward. If I were to marry her off to another family, I’d be a little worried. But if she and Fourth Young Master Wang were to become a couple, then I would not have anything to worry about. Our two families have always been on good terms, so we can speak frankly. You had your eye on Surou before, but unfortunately, Surou is already engaged to the Heir Apparent. In my heart, Jirou is just like Surou—equally obedient and well-behaved, equally sensible…” She patted Grand Madam Wang’s hand as she spoke. “Elder sister, in my opinion, it’s a perfect match. Now, we will leave it to you. What do you think?”

Grand Madam Wang was momentarily stunned, hesitatingly saying, “Fourth Young Master Wang is serving in Quanzhou, and he only spends a few days a year in the capital. If we send Jirou to Quanzhou, are you willing to let her go?”

Actually, there was still an excuse in her voice. Why was she completely unconcerned about this issue when it came to Surou?

Grand Madam Zhang said, “Our children have spent their entire lives in the capital, never truly leaving this circle. If they had the chance to see the outside world, it would not be bad. Besides, Jirou is the most lively of the sisters. If she could leave the capital, we’d be worried, but she’d be overjoyed.”

With that said, there was no need for hesitation. A smile returned to Grand Madam Wang’s face, and she clapped her hands, saying, “It was truly an unexpected turn of events; no one expected fate to be waiting here. Since we are family, there’s no need for formal betrothal or name-asking. I will give you Fourth Young Master’s birth date and time; have someone check them. If there’s no clash between the two, then proceed with the betrothal. Quanzhou is quite a distance from the capital, and the round trip will be time-consuming. As long as everything is settled, have Fourth Young Master return as quickly as possible. No matter how important official duties are, we cannot delay such an important matter as marriage.”

The matter was thus settled. The two Grand Madams had been close friends since childhood, and now that their children were to become in-laws, everyone was even more delighted. Grand Madam Zhang hurriedly instructed her maid to bring a pen and ink. They each wrote down their grandchildren’s birth years and exchanged them. Since their family backgrounds and character were already clear, and their birth dates did not clash, the marriage was essentially settled.

Grand Madam Wang smiled contentedly. “I only paid attention to my sister before and did not really give Jirou a proper look.”

Grand Madam Zhang quickly instructed Nanny Feng, “Quickly invite Fifth Young Lady over to pay her respects to Grand Madam Wang.”

Nanny Feng obeyed and went to Jirou’s courtyard herself. When she arrived, she found the sisters together, discussing how to make the most fashionable tassels. Nanny Feng chuckled, “Fifth Young Lady, stop playing around; the Grand Madam wants to see you.”

Jirou stood up blankly. “What happened now?”

Mianmian, hearing the cheerful tone in Nanny Feng’s voice, pressed on, “Has someone come to propose marriage to Fifth Sister? Goodness, such a bad temper, yet she’s so sought after! She just broke off her engagement the other day, and good news is already here?”

Jirou rolled her eyes at her. “Where’s my bad temper? It’s you, always teasing me!”

Zhirou also pestered Nanny Feng for information. Nanny Feng, exasperated, exclaimed, “It’s about a marriage proposal; it’s about the fourth son of the Wang family, the one in charge of the Maritime Trade.”

Everyone gasped. “The one who wanted to marry Second Sister before?”

Mianmian clicked her tongue. “I saw him at Yang Tower last time.” Turning to Jirou, she asked, “Did you see clearly that day? It turns out you were going to marry that dark-skinned son-in-law.” This earned her a shove from Jirou.

Nanny Feng quickly smoothed things over, “He was not originally dark-skinned. I saw him when he was little; he was a fair-skinned young master. But after working at the Maritime Trade Office, exposed to the wind and sun every day, if he went back to the capital for a month, he’d definitely come back pale. Besides, he’s now a fifth-rank official. Among our sons-in-law, besides the Heir Apparent, he’s the highest-ranking. Many people never reach that rank in their entire lives. If he receives an official title in the future, Fifth Young Lady will be a guaranteed Lady of the Imperial Decree. Such a marriage is hard to find even with a lantern, yet you call him a dark-skinned son-in-law. Be careful, if the Grand Madam hears this, she will definitely scold you.”

Mianmian stuck out her tongue, but when it came to Wang Pan’s official position, she could only feel envious.

“Did everybody not see Fourth Young Master Wang that day? His manners and appearance are in no way inferior to those of others. Besides, reaching the fifth rank in officialdom is not easy,” Zhirou nudged Jirou with her shoulder. “I think this marriage is excellent; we can agree.”

Jirou actually had some reservations and hesitated, “Fourth Young Master Wang originally wanted to marry my second sister…”

Nanny Feng said, “This time, it was the old lady who had your aunt invite Grand Madam Wang to our house; it was all for this matter.” Saying this, she pulled Jirou. “My little lady, do not delay; our distinguished guests are waiting in the garden. Let’s go.”

Now, except for the youngest Yingrou, all the other sisters were engaged, so everyone joined in the fun and went to Suihua Garden together. Upon entering, they saw their grandmother and Grand Madam Wang sitting at the head of the table. Nanny Feng led Jirou to them, smiling and pushing her forward.

Grand Madam Wang reached out and took Jirou’s hand, smiling as she looked her up and down. She said gently, “Your eldest sister has visited us with your mother, but you’ve never been. When you have some free time, come visit us with your grandmother and mother. We have five or six sisters, about your age. You can play with them and will not be lonely.”

Jirou blushed and glanced at Surou. Surou was very optimistic about this marriage. After all, the Wang and Zhang families were close friends, and such a close relationship among the older generations meant that after Jirou married into the family, she would be loved by her elders, minimizing any initial awkwardness.

After meeting the girl, Grand Madam Wang was quite satisfied. They had lunch and chatted for a while before she left for home.

After she left, Grand Madam Zhang called Jirou to her side and sternly asked her what she thought of the marriage. Jirou was indifferent, but she was wary of Surou’s near-affiliation with Wang Pan. Now that she was involved, she worried that it would be awkward when they met in the future.

The Grand Madam sighed, “Wang Pan and your second sister only talked about it; nothing was even remotely certain. It’s not worth taking to heart. Your thinking puts your second sister in a difficult position. This matter has nothing to do with her; why should she be involved in your marriage?”

Surou agreed, “I have my own destiny, and you have yours. When we were young, the elders always joked about marriages. If it does not work out when we grow up, does that mean we should not get married?”

Jirou breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the Grand Madam, saying, “I will leave everything to Grandmother and Father and Mother to decide.”

The Grand Madam agreed, already thinking to herself, “Tomorrow I will have to visit the Imperial Observatory to present the birth records. Send it over for confirmation.” Then she remembered to ask Surou, “When will the wedding room at the Prince’s mansion be decorated? Send two experienced nannies over to take a look. Also, your courtyard needs some renovations; you will be coming back to stay here occasionally.”

Surou knew her grandmother was currently busy with Jirou’s marriage and had no time to attend to much else. Since she was not busy herself, she said, “I will go take a look today. His household has people to manage things; they will not rely on us for everything. As for my little courtyard, it’s fine as it is now; there’s no need to bother repairing it. We can just change the curtains and bedding later.”

She sat for a while longer, then bid farewell to her elders and sisters and left Suihua Garden. Turning back, she instructed Nanny Fu to have Si’er prepare the carriage. After tidying herself up briefly, she took Quelan and headed towards the gate.

From Old Caomen Street to West Ji’er Lane, this road was familiar to her. The afternoon was still scorching, with not a breath of wind blowing; even the leaves on the trees seemed motionless.

Quelan looked outside and sighed, “This summer is so long. I am afraid there will still be an ‘autumn tiger’ in September.”

Surou, however, did not seem to care. In previous years, after the Mid-Autumn Festival, the heat would gradually dissipate, followed by a couple of rain showers—one autumn rain brings a cool breeze—and soon it would be the crisp, clear autumn season.

The carriage finally entered West Ji’er Lane. Since the Duke of Wen’s Mansion was the first house in the lane, Surou noticed servants in auspicious robes going in and out of the gate. Suddenly, Surou remembered, “Today is the County Princess’s betrothal ceremony, is it not? I completely forgot.”

Quelan said yes, “The County Princess mentioned it a few days ago. She said the Prince of Hubei’s Mansion has been urging them several times, as if they plan to marry this year.”

Surou smiled, a touch of melancholy in her heart. This year was an important one; her sisters and Sujie were all about to be married. A young girl’s time in her chambers was truly short. Before the age of eight, she lived a carefree and ignorant life; by fifteen or sixteen, she was to be betrothed. In truth, the joys of being a young girl lasted only seven or eight short years.

The carriage passed the Duke’s Mansion; ahead was the Prince’s Mansion. The two houses were very close, only about a hundred paces apart. Surou planned to visit Sujie at the Duke’s Mansion after finishing her business.

The gatekeeper of the Prince’s Mansion had changed today. Upon seeing her arrive, he bowed and inquired about her identity, saying, “Our Heir Apparent is not home. If it’s convenient for you, please leave your visiting card. I will certainly pass it on when our Heir Apparent returns.”

Nanny Fu and Quelan exchanged glances, but since the young lady had not visited this place in a long time, they could not very well blame the gatekeeper for not recognizing her. Nanny Fu stepped forward and said, “This is the second young lady of the Zhang family. It’s alright that the Heir Apparent is not home; the young lady has business to attend to inside.”

But the gatekeeper was quite strange, seemingly unconcerned about who the second young lady of the Zhang family was. He continued to block her way, forcing a smile. “With the master not here, I am afraid there’s no one to entertain your honored guest. Perhaps you could come again tomorrow, or I could convey to the master that he would return the visit.”

Surou frowned, finding the Prince’s Mansion rather odd. Could it be that someone did not approve of this marriage? This obstruction at the gate was clearly an attempt to intimidate her. Quelan was naturally annoyed and said in a harsh voice, “My lady is engaged to your Heir Apparent, and they are getting married next month. She came to the manor today to inquire about the preparations. What’s wrong with you? Are you just going to stop her like this?”

This time, the gatekeeper seemed to soften a bit. He glanced at Surou with surprise but still did not invite her in, only saying, “Then please wait a moment, madam. I will have someone inform Governess Wu.”

Quelan was unconvinced and was about to speak again, but Surou stopped her.

Surou smiled good-naturedly, “Then I will trouble you.”

The gatekeeper bowed, went inside, and sent someone to the back courtyard to deliver the message.

Quelan was furious. “It was the Heir Apparent who invited you three times to come and inquire, and now that you are here, he will not even let you in!”

Nanny Fu glanced at her mistress and said softly, “It seems there are other people in charge of this household besides the Heir Apparent.”

Surou turned and looked towards the gate, her lips slightly twitching, but she said nothing.

A moment later, Governess Wu came out from the courtyard gate, bowing repeatedly as she approached. She scolded the gatekeeper, “That scoundrel! He did not even know to invite you in, leaving you standing here!” She then apologized to Surou, “The gatekeeper’s mother fell ill and went home to visit her, so we had someone else guard the gate. Who knew he was so oblivious? He did not even know you were here! Please do not be angry; please come in.” Still not satisfied, she spat at the gatekeeper twice more before finally welcoming her inside.

Surou remained calm as she listened to Governess Wu’s repeated apologies, casually replying, “He’s new; we cannot blame him.”

Governess Wu then chimed in, “This young lady had never been here before. The people in the manor only knew that the Heir Apparent was engaged but had no chance to see the young lady, so they did not recognize her.”

Nanny Fu smiled. “Our mistress has been busy lately and has not had time to come. But the manor’s security is really tight; even after introducing herself, she was stopped at the gate. Are you worried someone might impersonate her?”

Governess Wu’s face darkened slightly at Nanny Fu’s sharp rebuke, but she managed a weak reply, “That boy was unruly; I will naturally punish him severely later, so please do not take it to heart, young lady. As for impersonation, it’s not that serious, but it’s just that without a mistress to manage the household, things are not proper. Our Heir Apparent is busy with official duties and cannot take care of things at home… From now on, things will be better. With you in charge, young lady, we servants will have someone to rely on.”

Surou did not want to get involved in the gossip between the old women, so she politely replied, “I do not know the usual rules of the household. I will need your help in the future, Nanny.”

But this was a trap. If Governess Wu truly meant it, she should have immediately indicated that the rules of the household would be set by the mistress, not that the mistress would enter the household and act according to the so-called rules.

Unfortunately, Governess Wu did not notice, or rather, deliberately ignored it, smiling and saying, “This is simply my duty; how could I dare to offer any assistance in front of you, young lady?” She led her into the main room, gesturing with her hands, “This was arranged according to the style popular in the capital; I do not know if it suits your taste, young lady. Please take a look, and if there’s anything you do not like, just tell me, and I will have it corrected.”

Surou looked around. After all, such a large household and a princely title naturally had more exquisite furnishings than ordinary high-ranking families. Actually, the elegance of the furnishings was secondary; the most important thing in the inner chamber was the bedding. She glanced through the hanging curtains; a rosewood bed sat before a folding screen, empty and unmade.

Governess Wu, tucking her sleeves in, replied, “The auspicious time for setting up the bed will be calculated by someone, young lady; do not worry. Besides, regarding the matter of having a Golden Boy to turn the bed, I’ve already spoken to Madam Cao, the Magistrate’s wife.” She smiled and, without consulting her, added, “They have a boy born in the Year of the Dragon, clever and handsome. We can bring him over then, and you will not need to trouble yourself with anything.”

T/N: Everything was going too smoothly. There was bound to be some trouble ahead.