Chapter 543: Chapter 532: The Marchioness’s Maid
Some people, once they’ve had a first time, there will undoubtedly be a second. Aunt Wei demonstrated weakness at every turn, continuously showing Mr. Zhong her fragility, timidity, tenderness, and thoughtfulness; eventually, half of his heart settled with Aunt Wei.
The mother-in-law’s reproaches, the husband’s betrayal, and the concubine’s duplicity gradually made Mrs. Ying walk on thin ice in the Zhong Residence, but none of these were the reasons for her early demise.
Mrs. Ying’s health did not falter overnight; the most severe episode was during Zhong Lan’s birth, which coincided with the New Year when few doctors in the capital were available for consultation. After much difficulty, a doctor was summoned, but then Aunt Wei caught a chill while pregnant and suffered unbearable headaches.
And Mr. Zhong believed both his mother’s and Aunt Wei’s claims that childbirth couldn’t be so swift, thus he prioritized the doctor’s visit to Aunt Wei, unaware that Mrs. Ying was struggling with a difficult labor. If it weren’t for the young Zhong Jue bursting into Aunt Wei’s courtyard at the time, perhaps Mrs. Ying might have perished then and there.
Eventually, Mrs. Ying successfully gave birth to Zhong Lan, but her health was ruined thereafter. She suffered from constant illnesses and persevered for over a decade for the sake of her children before finally succumbing three years ago, leaving Zhong Lan to be constantly accompanied by a bowl of medicine.
But it’s laughable that Zhong Lan, of all people, was the prematurely born one, undeniably frailer in health, yet Zhong Yin and her white-lotus-like concubine mother adeptly feigned weakness and grievances before their father, as if the legitimate Eldest Lady had committed unforgivable sins against her half-sister.
At first, Zhong Lan would cry and complain to her father, but after being met with accusations of her lack of kindness and inability to accommodate her sister, her heart grew cold.
Forget it, in this world, only her mother and brother genuinely cared for her. Now with her mother gone, the only relative she had left was her brother.
Thus, no matter what schemes Aunt Wei and her daughter played afterward, Zhong Lan no longer responded; after all, she was the legitimate daughter who could not be harshly treated by them within the residence, nor did they have the power to tarnish her reputation outside.
As for the affection of her grandmother and father, she became indifferent after repeated disappointments.
Therefore, faced with her grandmother’s blame and the instigations of that mother-daughter duo, Zhong Lan remained unmoved.
"Like a block of wood, who knows if she’ll offend Marquis Weiyuan after marrying over, and bring disaster upon our Zhong Residence," Old Madam Wei said, before sorrowfully taking Zhong Yin’s hands, "If only our Yin’er had such a fine marriage proposal, everyone would be overjoyed."
Zhong Yin forced a smile upon hearing this, truly not envious of Zhong Lan’s marital prospects. Who is Marquis Weiyuan? He’s about to go to war. The Emperor’s decree for marriage within three months means he wants Marquis Weiyuan to have an heir. She certainly doesn’t want to marry and become a widow like Zhong Lan so soon.
She has already decided that she will marry a scholar in the future. A scholar won’t go to war, there’s no risk to their life, and scholars are more considerate and caring. A person like Marquis Weiyuan who is often in the military, how could he understand gentleness and affection?
"Hah, she thinks she has the merits to marry? A concubine daughter daring to covet the Marquis?" An elegant and handsome man walked into the room, but his tone was exceedingly cold, especially when his gaze fell on Aunt Wei and Zhong Yin. When he looked towards Zhong Lan, a doting smile instantly appeared on his face.
"Eldest Young Master!" The maidens in the room, including Aunt Wei, all bowed in greeting to the man.
"What are you talking about, Yin’er is your sister." Seeing Zhong Jue be so disrespectful, Old Madam Wei’s face fell.
Tears formed on Zhong Yin’s face, and with sobs, she said, "Big brother, Yin’er knows you’ve disliked me since we were young, but how could you speak of me this way? When did I ever express a desire for the Marquis? This is simply too unreasonable of you."
"Jue, what have you done to make your sister cry again?" Just then, a middle-aged handsome man walked into the room; it was Mr. Zhong Huaiwen, the head of the family.
Mr. Zhong Huaiwen was a handsome man in his youth; otherwise, Mrs. Ying wouldn’t have taken a fancy to him. The sons and daughters of the Ying family nicely inherited his looks; all were quite attractive, especially Zhong Lan, who was the most outstanding.
"My lord, don’t blame the Eldest Young Master, it’s just that Yin’er is timid," Aunt Wei stepped forward at this moment, speaking indistinctly as if confirming that it was Zhong Jue who frightened and scolded Zhong Yin, which then led to her crying out of fear.
"Zhong Jue, won’t you apologize to your sister? And you, Zhong Lan, didn’t you see your sister crying so bitterly? As sisters, you don’t have a bit of sympathy. Why don’t you persuade your brother?" Mr. Zhong Huaiwen couldn’t stand Aunt Wei’s thoughtfulness, the more she said, the more he wanted to make decisions for her and her daughter.
Hearing Mr. Zhong Huaiwen’s words, Aunt Wei and Zhong Yin quietly curved the corners of their lips.
Zhong Jue suddenly became furious: "Why are you scolding Lan’er? What does this have to do with her? I don’t care if you feel sorry for them mother and daughter, but you can’t scold Lan’er for no reason."
"You..." Seeing Zhong Jue’s cold face, and Zhong Lan showing no expression, Mr. Zhong Huaiwen felt like he was about to be angered to death by this pair of siblings, "You two are simply unfilial..."
In this era, unfilial behavior by children is a grave accusation. Once these words came out of Mr. Zhong Huaiwen’s mouth, he knew he had misspoken, but he was stubborn and refused to apologize to his children, instead he felt that these children were giving him no way to step down gracefully.
"My lord..."
"Eldest Lady, your pearl hairpin is crooked. Let this servant accompany you to adjust it. It’s getting late, and I think the Marquis and his party will soon arrive." Just when Ye Qiu noticed that Aunt Wei was about to apply more flattery, Ye Qiu timely spoke up.
Old Madam Wei and Mr. Zhong also snapped back to reality because of this remark; indeed, today was the day Marquis Weiyuan would propose. It was a marriage personally bestowed by the Holy Emperor, which must not be ruined by any mishap.
Thus, however dissatisfied they were, they had to let it go for today. Aunt Wei glanced at Ye Qiu covertly. Ye Qiu lowered her eyes, pretending she saw nothing.
"Old Madam, Mr. Zhong, the Marquis Weiyuan’s entourage has arrived at Changning Street," coincidentally, a servant came in to report just in time.
So Old Madam Wei and Mr. Zhong hurriedly redressed themselves in a panic, fearing any breach of manners.
Marquis Weiyuan was a First-rank noble at the court, commanding an army of two hundred thousand, and received substantial favor from the Emperor. However, Mr. Zhong was merely an Assistant Minister of Rites; by convention, Zhong Lan wasn’t a suitable match for Marquis Weiyuan.
But the timing was too coincidental. With the border currently unstable, Marquis Weiyuan’s grandmother, fearing her grandson might go and never return, personally pleaded for the Emperor to bestow a marriage.
Clearly, this was a wife chosen for leaving behind an heir for Marquis Weiyuan. Which high-born Eldest Lady would be willing to marry and, at once, live like a widow? Being a widow was one thing, but perhaps even to live as one for a lifetime. Therefore, Marquis Weiyuan’s marriage prospects could only seek someone from a slightly lower standing.
After much selecting, Zhong Lan caught the eye of Marquis Weiyuan’s grandmother. Firstly, her age was just right; secondly, she was beautiful; and thirdly, the impression left by her mother, Mrs. Ying, was too favorable. As the daughter of Mrs. Ying, she surely would not be far off the mark.