Thirteenth Lady's Comback: Her Everyday Life as a Bystander-Chapter 71 - 1: Do Not Judge by Birth

In the afternoon, Old Madam and the five young ladies had just returned from the palace. Various emotions aside for the moment, Yang Liu privately said to Susu, "The Lady doesn’t look like someone in her thirties at all. Not only is she beautiful, but she also lacks the airs of an Imperial Concubine. She personally met with Nanny Qin and me, and offered quite a few gifts. The Little Princess, though young, is already a beauty in the making, with an aura befitting a daughter of heaven!"

Susu was curious about the Lady and the Princess as well, but the idea of entering the palace was something she would never consider!

Old Madam came out of the palace appearing pleased, but in reality, she had shed many tears in private, only speaking of the palace as a "place unfit for people to see," and then she perked up to handle household matters.

The family had already agreed with the Wenchang Marquis Mansion that August 16 would be the day to send the betrothal gifts. The gifts were prepared long ago, and Old Madam carefully arranged them again upon her return, adding many items.

Susu was also very busy, as the 15th was the Little Princess’s birthday. Despite the gifts selected from the storehouse being a token from Old Madam, the palace certainly had more than what the Song Family could offer. Thus, Susu suggested a specially crafted incense to Old Madam.

Old Madam was naturally pleased, allowing Susu to use the spices from the storehouse freely. Susu worked tirelessly to complete the incense by the 14th, showing it only to Old Madam before carefully packing it in a specially made green jade box. On August 15, the day of the palace banquet, it was sent to the Lingxiu Palace of Consort Xi along with the festival gifts.

The palace banquet on the 15th was also the first public appearance of Old Madam since she came to the capital.

The origins of Old Madam had quietly spread among the noble circles through the two daughters-in-law, but her debut restored her reputation.

When faced with intentional distress from others, Old Madam maintained dignity as she spoke.

"No one can choose their birth, and I am not ashamed of mine. Although I cannot achieve what the Holy Ancestor Emperor proclaimed, ’What matter the lineage of Kings and Marquises?’, I have not failed in my duties as a wife and mother. It is by the grace of His Majesty that I hold a super rank title today, and if I had belittled myself back then, it would have truly brought shame to my ancestors!"

These words were immediately praised by Princess Changlong (the emperor’s only surviving aunt), the Imperial Concubine of the Prince Gong Mansion (the emperor’s aunt), and the Old Madam of Duke Zhen Guo, with additional support from the Old Madam of the Wenchang Marquis Mansion. Who would dare pose challenges?

It should be known that these four—two from the royal family and two from noble merit families—represent the topmost circle of nobility in the capital.

Previously, the two wives from the Shun’an Earl Mansion had never received invitations from these four households, yet now it appears that the winds were beginning to shift!

Susu was unaware of the intrigues at the palace banquet, but upon hearing Nanny Qin recount the scene, she couldn’t help but cheer for Old Madam’s words. For a time, these words quickly spread among the noble circles.

The Song Family celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival joyfully, with Old Madam awarding the servants a month’s additional salary, and a large shipment of festival gifts also arriving from the palace.

Susu and the other three maids received many good things too. Because of the incense prepared for the Little Princess, Old Madam privately rewarded Susu with a set of internal jewelry.

On August 16, the entire Shun’an Earl Mansion donned new clothes, and the young servants carrying the betrothal gifts were especially delighted. Each member of the main family rewarded them with five taels of silver, and they would receive another reward upon reaching the Wenchang Marquis Mansion.

Sixty-four trays of betrothal gifts emerged one by one from the front gate of Shun’an Earl Mansion, stirring the entire capital. No one had ever heard of a family whose bridal gifts were counted by the tray like this!

The betrothal gifts encircled half of the capital, tray after tray entering the Wenchang Marquis Mansion. Upon hearing the steward announce the congratulatory contents at the door, the onlookers were excited, imagining how wonderful it would be if their daughter were the one being married!

First, came the betrothal money: two thousand taels of gold, sixty thousand taels of silver; then ten mu of land, five shops; following that were foods including wedding cakes, seafood, sacrificial meats, fish wine, dried fruits, sugar tea, etc., not detailing each one; six trays contained aromatic sachets, gold bangles; and there were fabrics, jewelry, and decorations; finally, antiques and calligraphy paintings. The gift list alone was a full eighteen pages long!

Not to mention what outsiders were saying, the people inside the Wenchang Marquis Mansion looked at Zhao Lanxi, who was about to marry into the Song Family, with envy!

Such importance from the family she was marrying into, and her future husband was very promising. What’s more, the Old Madam of the Shun’an Earl Mansion had sent word, assuring that as soon as the granddaughter-in-law entered the household, she would be managing the household.

Such a marriage was likely a dream come true for any woman in her lifetime!

The Old Madam of the Wenchang Marquis Mansion saw all her grandchildren gathered, glanced at the gift list, and said, "We knew before that the Song Family was wealthy, but we didn’t realize they would value Lan Zhi so highly. This betrothal gift is estimated to be worth two hundred thousand taels at least. While gold, silver, and lands are significant, those antiques and calligraphy are truly considerate. Since our in-laws are so generous, we are not ones to sell our daughters. Let’s keep the silver, return half of everything else to our in-laws and add what remains to Lan Zhi’s dowry."

Even if there were dissatisfaction, at this moment no one dared voice it, and the matter was settled thus.

When Zhao Lanxi and her mother and sister-in-law returned to their own quarters, Princess Wu Yue, as the sister-in-law, teased, "Sister, you have great fortune! I observed that the fabrics and jewelry were all styles you like, clearly showing your future brother-in-law’s sincerity."

Zhao Lanxi blushed, but she was indeed very happy in her heart. Princess Wu Yue teased a little more before leaving her mother-in-law to return to the Princess Mansion, leaving the mother-in-law and sister-in-law to have a private chat.

The Marchioness Wenchang gently tucked a lock of hair behind her daughter’s ear, gazing at her graceful and gentle daughter, a sixteen-year-old girl in the blooming of youth, who had inherited her parents’ good looks—not breathtakingly beautiful, but unforgettable once seen.

Under her mother’s gaze, Zhao Lanxi felt slightly bashful. "Mother, what are you looking at?"

Mrs. Zhao smiled, "I’m looking at my little girl all grown up, soon to become a wife and a mother herself, and I’m happy. I was not initially in favor of this marriage, not because their family isn’t good enough, but because having met their two madams, they truly weren’t impressive. Along with matters of concubines and illegitimate sons, along with hearing that their Old Madam used to be a servant, I thought their household was chaotic. But your father was optimistic about the Song Family, and since the young man was indeed good, I reluctantly agreed! Now seeing Old Madam Song, she’s not at all like the rumors suggest. Upon returning to the mansion, she promptly organized everything, even promised that you’d manage the household upon entering. Most importantly, there’s no concubine around your husband-to-be. Even if your mother-in-law is unreliable, with Old Madam Song in charge, it should pose no problem! Just have a son after you enter the family, and then Mother can rest easy."

Zhao Lanxi, rarely childish, leaned into her mother’s embrace and said, "Mother, don’t worry!"

Mrs. Zhao stroked her daughter’s hair and said, "I’ve taught you all I could, and you have Nanny Li and Nanny Qian by your side. Even if you suffer grievances, our family isn’t insignificant and will support you."

At this point, Mrs. Zhao paused, seemingly reluctant, but she had to make matters clear to her daughter.

"There are some things I’ll only say once: don’t put your heart entirely in a man’s hands, and don’t bother comparing yourself with concubines or concubine children. Have a broader perspective! The Holy Ancestor Emperor once said to the Empress Shengren, ’For life, a couple should be,’ but later there were also Consort Zhenzhen, Consort Chen, and others."

Though Zhao Lanxi felt a bit heavy-hearted, she nodded, "Mother, I understand!"