Wang Qingyao couldn't help but laugh as she got into the carriage.
"You came at just the right time. Any earlier or later, and it wouldn't have had the same effect. Did you see our old madam's face? It was like a palette, truly a spectacle."
Xiao Yun was quite pleased. "Of course, we're telepathically connected, you and I." He added, "You don't need to give that old woman any face. You're a Princess of Ding'an, do you still need to worry about her moods?"
Wang Qingyao certainly wouldn't stoop to demeaning herself by caring about Old Madam Wang's moods. However, Old Madam Wang was her grandmother, and in the context of ancient times, parents and elders always held the moral high ground.
"I know," she said. "It's precisely because she couldn't get the better of me that she dislikes me more and more."
"Your old madam is rather strange," Xiao Yun remarked. "Your granddaughter is the Princess of Ding'an; this title alone can bring so much honor and benefit to the family. Not to mention flattering her, but getting along well with her would surely be advantageous. Instead, she picks on you at every turn. Truly, the older she gets, the more muddled she becomes."
"The old woman has been stubborn her entire life. She never paid any mind to me, her granddaughter, who lost her parents and has an inauspicious destiny. Now that I've unexpectedly soared to prominence, she still thought she could control me. But I turned the tables on her, and she's been holding a grudge ever since. She's happy when I'm embarrassed."
Xiao Yun: "Will she get so angry that she dies?"
Wang Qingyao burst into laughter. After she had laughed her fill, she gossiped with Xiao Yun about seeing Pang Yan's favorite concubine at the wedding hall that day.
Xiao Yun frowned and sneered. "The rules of the Jinxiang Earl's manor are truly eye-opening."
The Jinxiang Earl's manor was currently managed by the Madam of Jinxiang Earl. The concubine of a concubine, lacking discretion, had appeared at the wedding hall of the legitimate wife disguised as a man. Such a significant matter, Wang Qingyao couldn't believe the Madam of Jinxiang Earl was unaware of it.
Yet, she chose to turn a blind eye, letting them have their way.
Either she was disheartened, or she wished for something to happen to Pang Yan.
If that favorite concubine's identity were exposed in the wedding hall, tsk tsk, who knew what trouble would have ensued.
Fortunately, the favorite concubine didn't give herself away, and the wedding proceeded smoothly.
Wang Qingyao wondered if her dear fourth sister could outmaneuver her husband's favorite concubine.
Wang Qingzhu had never felt more triumphant in her life than on this day.
Since childhood, she had been Wang Qinglin's follower. After Wang Qinglin died, she became Wang Qingzhen's follower. She had also followed Han Suiqin for a while.
In any case, she always trailed behind others, like a shadow, never seeing the sunlight.
But today was different.
Today, she was the bride in the spotlight.
Although she was marrying out alongside Wang Qingzhu, Wang Qingzhu was marrying a mere official in the Ministry of Works, while she was marrying the sole son of the Jinxiang Earl.
She would be the future wife of the Jinxiang Earl's heir, the Madam of Jinxiang Earl.
She would finally stand in front of everyone, looking down upon those who had once despised her.
Wang Qingzhu had experienced the most wonderful day of her life.
However, she never expected that on the very first day after her marriage, she would be set up by Lian Yiniang, Pang Yan's favorite concubine.
On their wedding day, after Wang Qingzhu paid her respects to her father-in-law and mother-in-law, according to custom, the concubines and other consorts in Pang Yan's courtyard were supposed to come and pay their respects to her, acknowledging her as the mistress of the household.
Besides this cousin, Lian Yiniang, Pang Yan also had another concubine, Hua Yiniang, who was plain in appearance and similar to Wang Qingzhu's mother. She was not favored and was merely there to serve the man.
During what should have been a simple tea ceremony, Wang Qingzhu fumbled and failed to hold steady the teacup passed by Lian Yiniang, spilling the entire cup of tea onto Lian Yiniang's hands and sleeves.
In the late autumn chill, the warm tea immediately turned Lian Yiniang's delicate fair hands red.
Pang Yan was distressed and hastily called for a doctor. He then turned to Wang Qingzhu with anger, "I thought you were usually gentle, weak, and simple. How can you be so wicked in secret? Yu'er is my beloved concubine, and I've doted on her for so many years. Do you have to show her who's boss the moment you arrive?"
Wang Qingzhu was suddenly stunned. The ingrained sense of inferiority, which she could never shake off, slowly resurfaced.
"I..." She opened her mouth, wanting to explain. She didn't understand how she could have failed to catch Lian Yiniang's teacup.
Just then, she caught a glimpse of Lian Yiniang leaning into Pang Yan's embrace, giving her a provocative glance with a charming and seductive expression.
She instantly understood everything.
Lian Yiniang had done it on purpose.
But even if Lian Yiniang had done it intentionally, how could her new husband, the man with whom she had been so intimate just last night, condemn her without even asking a question?
Wang Qingzhu felt wronged and miserable, her eyes gradually reddening.
This was only the first day of their marriage!
Wang Qingzhu never dreamed that yesterday Lian Yiniang had disguised herself as a man and accompanied Pang Yan to the Wang family.
Lian Yiniang's intention in coming was twofold: first, to prove how much Pang Yan doted on her, and second, to sow seeds for future conflicts with Wang Qingzhu.
She had told Pang Yan, "I discreetly inquired, and this fourth daughter of the Wang family... seems to have a poor reputation. The maids say she's a little white rabbit in public but a man-eating wolf in private. Cousin, I'm so scared. I'm just a concubine; will she bully me using her status as the main wife?"
With such a preconceived notion, the moment Lian Yiniang and Wang Qingzhu clashed, Pang Yan's first reaction was that Wang Qingzhu had bullied Lian Yiniang.
Pang Yan had a hero complex; he liked the weak.
In the Wang family, the庶女 Wang Qingzhu was the weak one.
But after marrying into the Pang family, Wang Qingzhu became the legitimate wife, the mistress of the household.
A mistress of the household was never weak.
A concubine was weak.
Pang Yan was a son born of a concubine. His mother was the head maid of the Jinxiang Earl's manor and was considered a thorn in the side of the legitimate wife.
The Jinxiang Earl had repeatedly tried to have him adopted by the legitimate wife, but she refused.
That was why he remained the eldest son of a concubine.
For a son of a concubine to request the title of heir apparent would be another hurdle in the future.
Even though Pang Yan's own mother had borne the Jinxiang Earl's only son, she still could not defeat the legitimate wife. Four years ago, she fell gravely ill and never recovered...
Therefore, how could the mistress of the household be weak?
Even without a son, the status of the mistress of the household was inherently nobler than that of a concubine. How could a concubine contend with the mistress of the household?
Pang Yan did not understand that it wasn't the mistress of the household who was powerful; power never lay in status, but in a person.
He doted on Lian Yiniang, showering her with gold, silver, jewelry, houses, and land deeds, all because he feared she would be at a disadvantage after he took a legitimate wife.
Wang Qingzhu bit her lip and looked at Pang Yan, on the verge of tears from her grievance.
This was their first day of marriage!
Like most women, Wang Qingzhu's first target of blame was not Pang Yan, but the vixen Lian Yiniang.
She glared resentfully at Lian Yiniang. Lian Yiniang cowered and hid in Pang Yan's embrace, saying fearfully, "Madam, it's my fault. I wasn't careful. Please don't be angry..."
Wang Qingzhu was no match for Lian Yiniang.
In the Wang family, although she had witnessed the tactics of Bai Shi and Wang Qinglin, thanks to her birth mother's demure and obedient nature, these tactics had never been directed at them.
Facing Lian Yiniang, she was bound to suffer.
Later, although she had subtly complained to her mother-in-law, the Madam of Jinxiang Earl had always disliked Pang Yan and was even less inclined to interfere in the affairs of his courtyard.
The Earl's wife had only one daughter, who had long been married and had established herself in her husband's family. She had no desire to meddle in such matters now and was even pleased that Pang Yan's inner court was in turmoil.
This vast Jinxiang Earl's manor had nothing to do with her.