Chapter 128: Kindred Spirits from Long Ago Are Hard to Find (5)

Three days before Nie Peixiao arrived in Yanlan City, Chuxiu received a letter sent by Yun Xian. Judging by the date marked on the letter, it must have been written before he was imprisoned.

The letter stated that his younger sister, Yun Muge, was now fourteen and of an age to be betrothed. He hoped that Chuxiu, acting as a sister-in-law in place of a mother, would find a good match for her. Finally, he did not forget to apologize once more for the heinous deeds committed by his mother, the Third Concubine Wen Xian, hoping that the sins would not be visited upon the children.

In truth, Wen Xian had always kept her actions hidden from her second daughter, Yun Muge, including the cause of her own death. To this day, Yun Muge remained a delicate, innocent girl who believed her mother had simply died of illness.

Had Yun Xian made this request when Wen Xian first died, Chuxiu certainly would not have agreed. But now, the grudges had faded, and the Yun household had weathered so many storms that Chuxiu was weary. She believed that the spirit of Yun Ci, were he looking down from heaven, would also wish to see the entire household in harmony.

Therefore, Chuxiu readily agreed. Even if a satisfactory husband could not be found for Yun Muge immediately, she was still young; there was plenty of time to look slowly. A year or two would not be too late.

Chuxiu knew the Old Madam held a deep hatred for the Third Branch, for her husband and beloved son had died at the hands of Wen Xian, causing her to suffer in vain for so many years and to harbor such resentment for just as long. However, the Old Master, Yun Li, had been dead for a long time and had no connection to Chuxiu; thus, in her heart, she hated Wen Xian only for the sake of Yun Ci.

Compared to the Old Madam, Chuxiu’s hatred was halved. She guessed that the Old Madam would certainly not want to trouble herself with Yun Muge’s affairs, and that Yun Xian had likely considered this, which was why he had written to her instead of reporting directly to the Old Madam.

For this reason, Chuxiu went to the Rongjin Hall and reported the matter of selecting a husband for Yun Muge, framing it as her own idea.

After hearing this, the Old Madam remained silent for a long time before saying only: "Marrying her off is fine, lest she stand in the house and be an eyesore."

This meant she had given her approval. Chuxiu felt relieved and began to exert herself for Yun Muge’s marriage, even specifically visiting the Qinyin Pavilion to speak with her. She did not know if Wen Xian had been too partial to her son while she was alive, but Chuxiu found that the children of the Third Branch were very different.

The Third Master, Yun Xian, was mature, steady, and handled matters appropriately; the Second Miss, Yun Muge, knew nothing of the world. Her understanding of calligraphy and painting was superficial at best, and she knew nothing of the zither or chess. She spent her days reading poetry and scripts borrowed from Danxin.

Chuxiu knew that the Old Madam would certainly not intervene in the upbringing of the children of the second and third branches, but... Yun Xiangrong was cunning and manipulative, while Yun Muge was naive and ignorant; these two young ladies of the Yun household hardly lived up to their reputation. Therefore, Chuxiu did not expect to find a particularly prestigious family for Yun Muge, especially since, in the eyes of the world, the Yun household was no longer what it once was, and Yun Muge was merely a concubine's daughter.

However, there was one point upon which Chuxiu was adamant: a daughter of the Yun household must never marry into the imperial family. To be locked away in the deep palace, engaging in schemes among the powder and rouge, only to wither away as a beauty—this was the last thing Chuxiu wanted to see. She would rather Yun Muge marry into an ordinary life, where she could live in mutual respect with her husband. Even if the husband’s family were poor, it did not matter; she would simply give Yun Muge a larger dowry.

Just on the day she went to the Prince Mu’s mansion, news came from Quzhou that the Ye family wished to seek Yun Muge’s hand for their eldest legitimate son. Chuxiu heard of this upon her return from the Prince Mu’s mansion. She knew the Ye family had produced a Noble Consort, who was also the foster mother of Prince Mu and the biological mother of Prince Hecheng. If nothing unexpected happened, Noble Consort Ye would eventually become the Empress Dowager, and the Ye family would soar to new heights, becoming even more prominent.

Not marrying into the imperial family was one thing, but marrying into the imperial kin was another. Chuxiu guessed the reason the Ye family wanted the marriage was likely through their connection to Noble Consort Ye; they knew that the current decline of the Yun household was due to their support of Prince Mu, and they understood this decline was only a temporary illusion.

It was said that the Ye family had been scholars for generations, producing several Hanlin academicians or court historians in every generation. While these positions might not seem like the highest of official ranks, they were extremely important—especially the historians, who held the power of the "Spring and Autumn" pen, writing the rise and fall of dynasties; such a position could not be underestimated.

Chuxiu was very satisfied with the Ye family of Quzhou and had sent people to inquire about the character of their eldest son; he was seventeen, well-versed in poetry and books, and seemed like a good candidate. For this reason, Chuxiu specifically went to the Rongjin Hall to report to the Old Madam, but to her surprise, when the Old Madam heard that the proposal came from the Ye family of Quzhou, she refused on the spot.

Chuxiu was bewildered, not knowing the history, and was rebuked by the Old Madam in her anger. As if by some stroke of luck, the very next day after this, the Xie family of Quzhou—the Old Madam’s own maiden family—also came to propose.

Chuxiu knew the Old Madam would be annoyed again. The Xie family, thinking of their connection through the Old Madam, saw this as a way to strengthen ties through marriage. But the Xie family did not understand the secrets of the Yun household, and thus had no way of knowing the Old Madam’s resentment toward the children of the Third Branch.

On the day the Xie family’s matchmaker arrived, Chuxiu had just reached the hanging flower archway of the Rongjin Hall when she heard the faint sounds of angry scolding from within. By the time she reached the reception hall, she happened to see the matchmaker exiting, looking dejected. Seeing Chuxiu, the matchmaker smoothed his expression and said quite awkwardly, "I have come at an inopportune time, so I shall not stay longer."

It seemed they were retreating. Chuxiu smiled and replied, "Safe travels. I shall have a carriage sent to escort you." With that, she instructed Danxin to prepare it and went alone to see the Old Madam.

The Old Madam’s face was flushed, likely still from the intensity of her anger. Before Chuxiu dared to speak, the Old Madam already said: "You have come at the right time. Isn't the Ye family of Quzhou interested in marrying Yun Muge? Have someone ask them again; if it is true, then grant it."

Grant it? She had changed her mind so quickly?

The Old Madam let out a long sigh and said to Chuxiu, "You do not know the inside story. Our Xie family and the Ye family have been rivals for generations; it is well known that we do not get along. Now that the Ye family wants to marry her, I originally did not want Yun Muge to marry into their family, but the mere thought of her becoming a daughter-in-law of the Xie family makes me feel even more stifled. By comparison, I would rather let her marry into the Ye family."

The Old Madam sneered and added, "Let the Ye family pick up what my Xie family doesn't want! I fear that with Yun Muge’s naive nature, she won't be able to manage a household, and the Ye family will regret it!" After saying this, she put on an expression of someone waiting to watch a show.

"I understand, Mother."

Three days later, the Ye family of Quzhou did indeed come to propose, and while they praised Chuxiu, they did not mention the Old Madam at all. As it happened, the Old Madam also claimed to be unwell and avoided meeting the guests.

Whatever the Old Madam’s motives were, the marriage was settled; all that remained was to take Yun Muge’s birth data to compare with the groom’s, and if there were no conflicting signs, the marriage process could proceed.

Yun Muge’s marriage was decided within a few days, so quickly that it felt somewhat unbelievable to Chuxiu. Thinking that Yun Xian was currently in the capital’s prison, Chuxiu wrote a letter and sent it to the leader of the secret guards in the capital, instructing him to present the letter as soon as the Third Master was released.

For several days, Chuxiu was busy with Yun Muge’s marriage, having long since cast the news of Nie Peixiao’s arrival in Fangzhou to the back of her mind. Moreover, this Prince Hecheng had not mentioned coming to visit the Yun household. After the Old Madam spoke of the feud between the Xie and Ye families, Chuxiu could roughly understand that Noble Consort Ye must be on bad terms with the Old Madam.

If so, it was natural that Nie Peixiao would not favor the Yun household. Chuxiu began to worry about the future of the Yun household again. What if this future Empress Dowager Ye held a grudge against the Old Madam Xie? Would she vent her anger on the entire Yun clan?

"Madam, Miss Muge requests an audience." Danxin interrupted Chuxiu’s thoughts at the right moment.

Chuxiu gathered her composure: "Let her in."

A moment later, Yun Muge’s delicate and innocent face appeared before Chuxiu. At fourteen, she had shed her childishness, and her features had blossomed. Perhaps due to inheriting Wen Xian’s genes, Yun Muge was not a top-tier beauty, but her temperament was quite decent. Chuxiu made up her mind that when Yun Muge married, she would not choose overly beautiful maidservants to accompany her, so as not to overshadow the mistress.

"Sister-in-law." Yun Muge held a jade flute, bowing gracefully to Chuxiu: "I have heard from the servants at Qinyin Pavilion... My mother is no longer in this world, and my brother is far away in the capital, so this marriage depends entirely on your care and decision."

She was quite sensible. Chuxiu smiled and nodded: "If it is only to thank me, why did you need to make such a special trip? As the eldest sister-in-law, I am like a mother to you; this is my duty."

Yun Muge lowered her head bashfully and presented the jade flute: "This is a jade flute I found outside the wall of our backyard. I noticed it was very precious and wondered if it was misplaced by one of our distinguished guests, so I specifically brought it to you."

Chuxiu took the jade flute from Yun Muge’s hand and examined it. It was smooth, translucent, and warm to the touch; even without hearing its sound, one knew it was a fine flute. Chuxiu felt a moment of doubt, suddenly thinking of Prince Hecheng, Nie Peixiao, who happened to be in Yanlan City at this very moment.

"You say this flute was found outside the backyard wall? When was it found?" Chuxiu asked, puzzled.

Yun Muge thought for a moment, reported a date, and added: "It was my maid, Ewei, who found it by chance while picking fruit outside the backyard."

Chuxiu heard the date Yun Muge reported; it was the very morning after Nie Peixiao arrived in Yanlan City. In that case, it probably was not Nie Peixiao. He had arrived in Yanlan City the day before, and Prince Mu had held a banquet for him; the brothers must have been drinking and talking late into the night, so how could he have come to the Yun household?

Furthermore, the Prince Mu’s mansion was in the south of the city, and the Yun household was in the north.

Such a precious jade flute, even if not an imperial item, was likely a private possession of a noble family. Out of caution, Chuxiu decided to keep the flute for the time being and deal with it later: "I will keep this flute for now; you may go back."

Yun Muge nodded but did not show any intention of leaving, hesitating.

"Does the Second Miss have anything else?" Chuxiu asked.

Yun Muge clutched her sleeve and stammered: "Sister-in-law may just call me 'Muge'. In truth, I do have a request... Now that the marriage is settled, and my accomplishments are not refined, I wonder if you could arrange to delay the marriage for two years, allowing me to study a skill diligently during this time."

Yun Muge’s voice grew lower as she spoke: "I was spoiled by my mother and third brother in the past, and I never had the patience to learn anything. I... I do not want to be looked down upon by my husband’s family."

Hearing this, Chuxiu was somewhat surprised. She had thought Yun Muge was ignorant of the world, but she did not expect that, young as she was, she knew how to plan for herself.

"This is a good thing. The Ye family of Quzhou has been scholars for generations, and the young Master Ye is also a man of refinement. You should indeed learn a skill so that you can be in harmony with your husband in the future." Chuxiu smiled and asked her: "What do you want to learn?"

Yun Muge’s face turned even redder. She glanced at the jade flute in Chuxiu’s hand and said: "I want to learn the flute..."

Learn the flute? Chuxiu lowered her eyes to look at the precious jade flute and smiled: "Learning the flute cannot be done quickly. If nothing else, it has very high requirements for 'breath control.' If your breath is short, you will not be able to learn it." She then assessed Yun Muge’s figure and continued: "You are so thin and weak that you would lack the stamina to play."

Being refused, Yun Muge looked somewhat disappointed: "Then... it is all up to you, Sister-in-law. Is there any skill that can be mastered quickly?"

Mastered quickly? In truth, nothing can be mastered quickly. Chuxiu looked at the jade flute again, and an idea struck her: "How about this? Since ancient times, the zither and flute have been paired. You might as well learn the zither. I know a little about it; I will ask a teacher to instruct you first, and when I have free time, I can also give you some pointers."

Yun Muge was overjoyed at these words and nodded repeatedly. She thought for a moment and then asked with difficulty: "Sister-in-law... could you teach me the basics first? Otherwise, if we invite a teacher and I don't even know the proper fingerings, wouldn't that be very embarrassing?"

Chuxiu laughed crisply and readily agreed: "That is fine too. However, I am busy during the day, not only managing the business but also the household... How about this: starting tomorrow, after dinner each evening, I will go to the Qinyin Pavilion to teach you for an hour."