Back in her yard, Yurong sat on the stool in a daze.
The corners of Old Woman Chen's eyes were a little sore. The Lady had gone for more than half a year, and Miss still hadn't come out of her grief. "Miss, if the Lady sees you like this, she will definitely be very sad."
Tears fell from Yurong's eyes as soon as Old Woman Chen spoke of Wu Shi. "When Mother was here, I didn't pay proper filial respect to her. Now that she's gone, I want to be filial to her, but I no longer have the chance." There was no greater sorrow in life than when a child needed support and his parents were not there.
Old Woman Chen gently patted Yurong's back and said comfortingly, "You see, the Lady is watching Miss from heaven! Only when Miss is well can the Lady be at ease."
After crying for a while, Yurong wiped her tears and asked a question, "Mama, do you think Father will marry again? San Jie and Si Jie's mothers passed away less than a year, yet Father already remarried. Do you think Father will remarry again?" If Father remarried, then she would have a stepmother too.
Mama Chen said, "Miss doesn't need to worry. Even if the Third Lord remarries, it won't have any effect on Miss and the young masters." In the past, Mama Chen felt that the Old Lady was like a big mountain, weighing down her Lady. But now, her Miss and Young Masters had to rely on the Old Lady because she was the only one who could pressure her son. Even if the Third Lord remarried, there would be no worries.
Yurong smiled bitterly and did not speak again.
It had only been six months since Han Jingyan's wife died, so even if he wanted to remarry, it wouldn't be so soon. And the matter of Han Jianming taking a second room was finally on the agenda.
Only when Yuxi went to pay her respects to Qiu Shi did she find out about it. The girl that Han Jianming was interested in did not have any deep background, or it could be said that she had no background at all. The girl's surname was Jia, and she was also a girl from an official family. Her father used to be a fourth-ranking official, but he died five years ago. She had a younger brother who fell into the water and died a year after her father's death. The clan took away the family's assets on the grounds that there was no male heir and tried to embezzle Madam Jia's dowry as well.
The girl had a falling out with her clan before she got her mother's dowry back. Mother and daughter had no choice but to go back to the capital and buy two houses in the commoners' street with Madam Jia's dowry. Although Madam Jia's dowry was returned, they were not a lot, and not much was left after they bought the houses. So, during the week, mother and daughter lived on embroidery work, washing, and starch jobs.
Yuxi wondered, "Mother, where did Dage find such a person?" The fact that this girl could defy her clan members showed that she was not a person who would resign herself to adversity. She even supported her mother by doing embroidery work, so she was a girl who could put herself down and understand how to adapt herself. When Yuxi put them all together, this girl was actually pretty good.
But Qiu Shi was not satisfied. "Her temperament is too strong." It would be fine if she would be her daughter-in-law, but she would be a concubine. If she accepted such a strong girl as Han Jianming's high-ranking concubine, the family would turn into chickens flying and dogs jumping situation.
Yuxi smiled. "Since Dage has chosen this girl, he must have his reasons. Mother shouldn't overthink it. If Mother is not keen on her, Mother doesn't have to meet her that day."
Mama Li came in and announced, "My Lady, Miss, the yapo has brought over some people. They are waiting in the yard."
The yapo walked in with about twenty young girls. Since she knew Yuxi would choose, she had picked the best ones to be sent over.
Yuxi looked carefully. She didn't want those who looked prettier than her, who were inarticulate, nor those who had eyes that were too vivid. After eliminating the unsatisfactory ones, she asked the remaining nine people some questions. When they had finished answering, Yuxi only kept seven of them. The oldest of the seven was around ten years old, and the youngest was six or seven.
Yuxi's courtyard had been cleansed. All those who had evaded their job when she was not in the capital were driven out. That was why there was a significant shortfall in Yuxi's personnel.
When the yapo saw Yuxi had, at last, picked seven people, she was so happy that others couldn't even see her eyes. Yuxi was indeed the daughter of the Lady of the State, where she would make her choices in such a big way. The yapo took the pair of tablets and went out with those who had not been chosen. The few girls who remained were also led out. They had to learn the rules well first before they could be sent to Yuxi's yard.
Yuxi asked Mama Li, "What's Tian Ju's progress in learning the rules? If she had learned it well, ask someone to send her to Taoran House." Tian Ju was only six years old this year, and she could do some errands in Taoran House. Yuxi felt that if she pulled over a maid, who was still at a young age, to her side, that maid would be more loyal to her. [T/N]
Mama Li answered with a smile, "That child was a bit scared when she first arrived, but she is much better now. When these maids have also learnt the rules, she will be sent over together with them then." It was their good fortune to be able to attract Miss' attention. [+]
In the next few days, the residence was busy with Han Jianming taking a second room. The second room was a high-ranking concubine. Hence, she was different from any ordinary concubines. She wouldn't be carried in through the small door but through the side door instead. For this occasion, more than ten tables were set up in residence. Even some relatives and friends were invited over to drink the wedding wine. With the continuous sound of banging, the second room girl was carried into the residence.
For whatever reason, it was not appropriate for a girl who stayed in the boudoir waiting to be betrothed like Yuxi, getting involved in a matter like concubinage. So on this day, Yuxi was quietly reading in her courtyard.
In the afternoon, Zisu came over and informed her, "Miss, I heard from the other low-level maids that this Concubine Jia is average looking, not really that pretty." Everyone thought that if Han Jianming took a fancy on Concubine Jia, it must be because she was as beautiful as a fairy. However, when the veil was removed, everyone was disappointed. Even the maids around Da Nainai were much better looking than her.
Yuxi was not surprised by this. "As long as she's smart, that's already pretty good." As long as Dage wanted, how difficult would it be for him to find one that was beautiful? Instead, it was not so easy to find a girl who was altogether intelligent, determined and well-educated.
Zisu's viewpoint was different from Yuxi's. "Miss, Master Shizi is taking a high-ranking concubine, not a wife. So what is the point of her being so clever? For this high-ranking concubine to be too intelligent would only bring harm, not a blessing."
Yuxi swept a glance at Zisu and countered, "Marrying someone with a face but no brains will give birth to a child who will follow his birth mother's example. By then, there will be no place to find a place to cry." Concubine Jia's son was going to inherit the State Residence in the future. If he ended up as a foolish person, even if Dage had revitalised the family, he would still fail in the future. Therefore, the heir's intelligence was crucial.
Zisu gave a cry of understanding as she said with a smile, "Miss is truly smart." As far as Concubine Jia's beauty was concerned, anyone in the mansion was more beautiful than her. Everyone couldn't figure out why Master Shizi would marry such a second room.
When Han Jianming married his second room, Ye Shi was the one who had the hardest time. The most challenging part for her was when she still had to put on a smile on her face when her heart was dripping with blood.
It was good to have her daughter with her, and there was always some comfort in looking at her childish, innocent face. But when Qiqi had fallen asleep, Ye Shi sat in her chair and stared blankly. Just at that moment, a man lifted the curtain and walked in.
Ye Shi sensed something and turned her head to see that it was Han Jianming. Not knowing why Ye Shi's tears rolled down. She was moved, but at the same time, she felt aggrieved.
Han Jianming froze for a moment. He had married Ye Shi for more than four years and had seen so much of her intelligent and capable side. Yet, he had never seen her cry before. In the end, he couldn't bear it and walked over to her and gently patted her shoulder while consoling her, "Don't be sad."
Hearing these words, Ye Shi turned around and hugged him as she cried even more. To share her husband with others was tantamount to digging out her heart.
Han Jianming sighed slightly. If it wasn't for Ye Shi's inability to have more children, he wouldn't have taken a second wife. He was not one to coax people, and when he saw Ye Shi crying, he did not say anything to cheer her up but only patted her back gently.
Crying out all her mental grievances and sorrows, Ye Shi felt much better. After she finished crying, Ye Shi wiped clean her face and looked at Han Jianming, who was still sitting on the stool and said, "Husband, I'm fine now. You can go over there. Jia Meimei must be waiting!" She was somewhat comforted by the fact that her husband had come here, proving that she was still the one he valued most.
Han Jianming stated, "Don't worry. You are my wife, the one I will spend my life with and grow old together. No one can get past you. When Concubine Jia gives birth to a son, he will be put under your name and given to you to raise." Because Han Jianming had seen Qiu Shi being bullied by Concubine Rong since he was a child, he had made up his mind back then that he would treat his wife well when he married her. Even if Ye Shi had deceived him and did things that annoyed him, she was still his wife in the end. He was unwilling to let Ye Shi be bullied and stepped on her head by a concubine, just like his mother. [+]
The tears that Ye Shi had managed to stop almost fell again, and she said, "With this word from Master, it would be worth dying for."
Hearing Ye Shi's words, Han Jianming frowned a little and rebuked, "Don't repeat such words. It's unlucky." Since his childhood, Han Jianming had been taught to revitalise the State House. Therefore, his mind was preoccupied with it, making him not really interested in women. On ordinary days, he even rarely went to his two concubines' courtyard. If Ye Shi had not been unable to have more children, he would certainly not have married a second room.
Ye Shi nodded, "Okay, I'll never say such unlucky words again."
After talking with Ye Shi for a while, Han Jianming got up and went to Guihua Courtyard.
As Old Woman Hua looked at Ye Shi standing dumbfounded at the door, her heart also felt distressed. Still, she pointed out, "Da Nainai, Master Shizi also has you in his heart."
Ye Shi wiped the tears from her eyes and said, "I know. I already know that." With those words from her husband, she was also much more at peace.
Sometimes, a little thing like a person could change the course of many things. Ke Minjie could become Han Jianming's second room in the previous life through Ye Shi's means rather than the standard procedures. This made Han Jianming very angry, and cracks started to appear in their relationship. In this case, how could Han Jianming say such warm words to her? Later, when Ye Shi confronted Qiu Shi, his wife was important but not as much as his mother. Furthermore, Qiu Shi wasn't an unreasonable person. Thus, all the faults fell on Ye Shi. Therefore, the more fierce Ye Shi quarrelled with Qiu Shi, the more Han Jianming hated her. Mother-in-law's dissatisfaction towards her intensified her husband's dislike. This made it difficult for Ye Shi to continue living inside the residence. This was also the actual reason Ke Minjie was able to mix like a fish back in the water inside the Han residence in her previous life. In this life, Ye Shi had done something wrong, but it was also for a reason. The most important thing was that she had not violated Han Jianming's bottom line.
Old Woman Hua urged, "Da Nainai, it's time for you to sleep! You still have a lot of things to take care of tomorrow. You won't have enough energy if you don't get a good night's sleep tonight."
Ye Shi nodded briefly and walked to her bed. After looking at her daughter's quiet little face, she gave her a kiss and went to sleep.
When Old Woman Hua saw Ye Shi was asleep, she blew out the lamp and went out softly.
Noob Translator's Musing
I've just noticed how both Han Jianming and Han Jianye treat women are entirely affected by how their father treats their mother.
Han Jianming wanted to treat his wife better than his concubines because he had seen how badly his father treated his mother from when he was still a child. He didn't like seeing his mother being bullied by Concubine Rong, so he decided he would never give any face to his concubines.
While for Han Jianye, since he always saw his Mother cry, he became easily swayed by women's tears. I believe his mother cried in front of him more than she ever did in front of Han Jianming since Han Jianming was raised by his grandmother more than his mother. That was also why Han Jianming didn't even know how to console a crying woman. This novel is really an embodiment of yin and yang.
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi