Chapter 4: Sisters

The Lady Wanyan, much like the Ninth Lady before her, seated herself unhesitatingly at the head of the table. However, this time, Yan Yan did not simply stand demurely to the side; instead, she also took a seat at the lower end. After all, there was a difference between the head of the household and a mere concubine.

Still, Yan Yan sat with utmost caution, deliberately feigning a meekness as if she were deeply in awe of her elder sister. Lady Wanyan casually glanced around Yan Yan’s living quarters, then, as if inadvertently, covered her nose before putting on a show of affectionate concern. “It’s all my fault for being so busy with the Third Young Lady that I neglected you,” she said with a practiced warmth. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been sent to live here, nor would you have offended the Master and ended up dispatched to the manor.”

As she spoke, Lady Wanyan pretended to dab at imaginary tears, assuming the air of one sincerely aggrieved for Yan Yan’s plight. Yan Yan drew a deep breath to quell the urge to retch, and replied softly, “Thank you for your concern, Sister. We each have our fates; as long as I don’t bring you any trouble, I consider myself fortunate.”

Lady Wanyan gave a smile brimming with practiced allure, sending another chill down Yan Yan’s spine. She continued, “You’re too formal with me. Even if Mother never acknowledged your true status, Father and I have always been perfectly clear in our hearts. I’ve always hoped you might have a good outcome with the Master—at least that would repay Father’s efforts in arranging things for you.”

Yan Yan gave Lady Wanyan a look of feigned wisdom—she didn’t know the full story, and saying too much was dangerous. But Lady Wanyan was clearly a talker, and she began to prattle on about the affairs of the Wanyan household. Only then did Yan Yan piece together the backstory: she had always believed herself to be an illegitimate daughter of the Wanyan family, but now she realized that her mother was not merely a servant girl but the younger sister of the main wife of the Wanyan household.

Heavens, this was melodrama at its finest.

Of course, Yan Yan didn’t believe Lady Wanyan had come to make small talk. Sure enough, just as Yan Yan was about to drift into a bored slumber, Lady Wanyan suddenly remarked, “Don’t worry about going to the manor—I’ll speak to Father on your behalf. It so happens that Du Feng’s opportunistic brother-in-law is in charge of purchasing there; you should look after him when you can.”

Yan Yan had no idea who Du Feng was, but she doubted he had anything to do with her. On paper, she was nothing more than a maid in the Wanyan household; even if she had met this Du Feng before, what deep connection could there possibly be?

So, despite her internal derision, Yan Yan replied with a modest smile, “Sister, you flatter me. I’m only going to pray for blessings; how could I possibly look after him?” Lady Wanyan’s face stiffened as she scolded, “You’ve always been like this—so cold to others. Even if Du Feng is from the Shumulu clan and has nothing to do with you, if you take good care of him, Father and Mother will certainly think well of you. It would surely earn you some favor with Mother!”

Now Yan Yan surmised that Du Feng was from the family of Lady Shumulu, the main wife of the Wanyan household. With a sheepish smile, she replied, “Yes, it was my own shortsightedness. Thank you for the reminder, Sister. Should the opportunity arise, I’ll certainly look after him—and I’ll tell him you keep him in your thoughts.”

At this, Lady Wanyan’s expression softened, and she smiled. “Living here has tempered your nature quite a bit. Tell me, what exactly did you do to offend the Master? He used to love hearing you sing, and would often come to my quarters just to listen.”

Yan Yan pursed her lips and muttered, “You know me, Sister—I’ve never been good with words. I must have inadvertently offended him somehow.” Lady Wanyan sighed, “Honestly, I even taught you what the Master likes. If you’d only done a bit better, we sisters could have whatever we wanted in this household.”

Yan Yan knew these were empty words. Some women simply lacked perspective—they cared little for the well-being of others, but focused solely on besting their own sisters. Should she outshine her elder sister, she could return to her family with her head held high. Lady Wanyan was the prime example. Of course, as a concubine, Lady Wanyan had no right to return home, but letting her family know she had a place in the Ninth Prince’s household was achievement enough.

Seeing Yan Yan remain silent, Lady Wanyan, though secretly pleased, put on a look of exasperated concern. “Just pray for blessings while you’re at the manor. I’ll do my best to plead with the Master and try to bring you back as soon as possible.”

Yan Yan was startled, thinking, Please, dear sister, don’t trouble yourself. You may think this is a golden nest, but I have no desire for it. She offered Lady Wanyan a sheepish smile. “Please don’t worry about me, Sister. If I’ve truly offended the Master, I’ll have no one to blame but myself.”

Lady Wanyan sighed, “We’re sisters—how could I stand by and do nothing?” Yan Yan replied with a smile, “Your kindness is enough for me. I fear that if I return, I’ll be more of a burden than a help. Please let me cultivate my character at the manor.”

Lady Wanyan nodded with affected reluctance. “Yes, you could use some tempering.” Yan Yan accepted this with humility, and after a bit more small talk, Lady Wanyan left behind a small box and took her leave.

Only when Lady Wanyan had disappeared from the courtyard did Yan Yan eagerly open the box. Her eyes widened at the dazzling sight of gold within. “How generous! Two large ingots of gold!” she exclaimed, calling Cui’er over to marvel with her.

Cui’er was speechless. How had she never noticed her mistress was so easily pleased—delighted over a mere two gold ingots? Little did she know that Yan Yan was busy calculating the weight in modern terms; these two hefty ingots would be worth at least a hundred and fifty thousand in today’s money. Since when had anyone ever been gifted so much for a simple housewarming?

Yan Yan, oblivious to Cui’er’s scorn, cheerfully asked, “Do you know why my sister was so generous as to leave this for me?” Cui’er replied perfunctorily, “What does the Lady say?”

Yan Yan smiled knowingly. “Because she thinks my circumstances are worse than hers. Even though I dressed properly and wore fine makeup today, she must believe I’m just putting on a brave face. By perfectly satisfying her conceited vanity, she was moved to be so generous.”

Cui’er tilted her head, beginning to understand Yan Yan’s meaning. Still, she couldn’t help but douse the mood: “I understand why you dressed up, but I don’t see why you’re so happy to accept her gold.”

Yan Yan laughed. “Silly girl, why wouldn’t I accept a windfall? I’m no stoic sage to refuse gold for principle’s sake.” She tossed one of the ingots to Cui’er. “Take this to Wu Tong—have him find out which suppliers provide to the capital’s largest restaurants and how those arrangements are made. The rest, buy yourselves some trinkets!”

Cui’er stared at Yan Yan, wide-eyed. She might have thought her mistress a bit undignified for coveting the gold, but to share it so freely with her and Wu Tong—this was generosity indeed.