Chapter 11 – Lovesick Beans

At the Xining Count’s residence, upon hearing that she had to move back to Baishao Courtyard, Cui Dai threw a huge tantrum at the Momo1 beside her mother. “Nonsense! I’ve lived here for over ten years. Mother would never make me move back!”

Momo looked troubled. “Third Miss, it is indeed the Countess’s order. I, I wouldn’t dare lie to you.”

“You wouldn’t dare lie to me.” Cui Dai sulked for a while, but considering that Momo was someone her mother trusted deeply, she looked suspicious. “Did Mother only say to move back to Baishao Courtyard? Nothing else?”

Momo hesitated to speak.

“Just say it.”

“Well…” she struggled, “The one from the south courtyard is getting married. She is marrying the legitimate son of the Chancellor, the current Zhuangyuan. According to the Countess, it’s not appropriate for her to stay in the shabby small courtyard. So, the Countess ordered that once Third Miss moves out, that one will move in.”

“I don’t agree!”

“What can disagreement achieve?” The Countess of Xining came over, surrounded by servants.

“Mom?”

Seeing her, Cui Dai felt as if she had seen a savior. She rushed over, holding her mother’s arm. “Mom, wasn’t this courtyard promised to me? I’ve just moved here, and now she wants to get married, so I have to move out first?”

The Xining Count’s residence is so big, there are plenty of places to live. Cui Ti is blind, why can’t she live somewhere else?

“She really can’t. She is now not only your eldest sister but also the future wife of the Zhuangyuan, the daughter-in-law of the Chancellor. The best courtyard in the residence must be given to her, or else the Chancellor will be displeased.”

“If the Chancellor is displeased, then I have to move? What kind of logic is that?”

The Countess looked at her spoiled daughter and sighed helplessly. “If the Chancellor is displeased, not only will you have to move, but the entire Cui Family will have to move.”

Cui Dai was stunned. “Is it that serious?”

“Be good, don’t be willful.”

Her words subdued the spoiled daughter. The servants living in the North Courtyard, seeing that third miss had no choice but to move, lowered their heads and began to pack.

Cui Dai sat on the swing, jealousy distorting her features.

She knew that Cui Ti’s marriage was a high one, but she never imagined it would be this high. Gripping her handkerchief, she asked, “Mom, does this mean we all have to cater to her from now on?”

The Countess of Xining said nothing.

Before a daughter gets married, she is still a daughter; after marriage, she becomes the legitimate Young Madam of the Pei Family. The Zhuangyuan’s bright future has just begun, and who knows how far he can go?

Her father is the Chancellor of the entire nation; how bad could his son turn out to be?

“Does that mean I’ll be beneath her for the rest of my life? I won’t accept it! Mom, I won’t accept it!”

She clung to her mother, acting spoiled.

“Alright, alright. She marries her way, and you marry yours. Having a higher social status in the husband’s family doesn’t necessarily mean a better life.”

Cui Dai’s tantrum was getting on everyone’s nerves, and even the Countess of Xining was feeling overwhelmed. She had no time to comfort her daughter. After tidying up the courtyard and moving her younger daughter back to Baishao Courtyard, she made sure the two groups wouldn’t clash. Without a moment’s rest, she swiftly turned her attention back to handling Cui Ti’s wedding preparations.

“Miss, we have arrived at Chenxiang Courtyard.”

The memories of childhood had long faded with time. Returning to this place, Cui Ti felt neither happy nor sad. It had always been a place of heartbreak for her. No matter how beautiful or grand it was, she couldn’t see it.

Bai Ge supported her as they entered. “Miss, be careful of the steps.”

The elegant and spacious Chenxiang Courtyard was a place Cui Dai had stubbornly refused to leave. Cui Ti, however, had no interest in living in a room her sister had occupied. To accommodate her feelings, the Countess of Xining had all the furniture and items replaced. At least, Bai Ge couldn’t see any traces of previous occupants.

It was one good thing a mother could do for her daughter.

It was still within the first three months of the year. Moving from the dilapidated house in the south courtyard to here, all Cui Ti had to do was stay peacefully in Chenxiang Courtyard and wait for her wedding day.

Cui Ti grew weary of dealing with the constant flattery from visitors and retreated to the study to daydream.

The study had a window that let in the spring sunlight, illuminating her fair face. The maids on either side of her watched coldly, harboring disdain in their hearts.

Chun Hua and Bi Yue were chosen by the Countess of Xining to be the dowry maids for her eldest daughter. In her previous lifetime, Cui Ti had suffered a lot from these two.

Bai Ge had argued with them more than once. The worst argument had even disturbed Pei Xuan, who had returned late. Without saying a word, Pei Xuan sent them off to an unused manor of the Pei Family, leaving them to fend for themselves.

Going to that manor meant a short life.

Cui Ti had no intention of bringing those two into the residence again.

This was a heaven-sent opportunity for her and Pei Xuan to achieve a perfect union, and she didn’t want any imperfections to enter their new home.

“Miss, close the window, a bird flew in.”

A beautifully feathered bird landed on Cui Ti’s shoulder, making her smile. “For dowry maids, having Baibai alone is enough. You two should go to my mother and find other arrangements.”

Chun Hua and Bi Yue couldn’t believe their ears. They gathered their skirts and knelt down, their eyes red with tears. “Miss, what did we do wrong?”

“I’m not your miss. Crying to me won’t help since I can’t see it. Better not cry.”

“Miss, have mercy, please!”

Cui Ti thought to herself: By doing this, she was actually saving their lives. As maids in the Xining Count’s residence, they could still eke out a living. Following her to the Pei Family, their ambitions would grow.

She was blind, but she could sense a lot with her heart. At the very least, she knew these two had designs on climbing into Pei Xuan’s bed.

Pei Xuan had tolerated her maids’ insolence time and again for her sake, but when she could no longer bear it, she had them disposed of.

This time, she didn’t want Pei Xuan to suffer any more grievances for her.

“I don’t want you. If you don’t leave, I’ll speak to my mother.”

She leaned on her bamboo cane and felt her way to the door. Chun Hua, eyes red with panic, grabbed her wrist with such force that Cui Ti nearly fell.

Just then, Bai Ge returned and saw this scene. Furious, she shouted, “How dare you! How many heads do you have to be disrespectful to the Miss?!”

Chun Hua was flustered, and Bi Yue turned pale. “M-miss, please don’t send us away…”

A red mark appeared on Cui Ti’s wrist where Chun Hua had gripped her. Bai Ge stepped forward to inspect it, then kicked Chun Hua in anger. “My Miss is the Zhuangyuan’s Niangzi. Even the Zhuangyuan himself hasn’t treated her poorly, and yet you dare to bully her?”

“I see no other option. I was gone for just a moment, and you tried to use brute force against your miss. What about when I’m not around?”

In her life, Bai Ge had never so decisively asserted her authority, and Cui Ti didn’t stop her.

In their previous lifetime, Chun Hua had smashed a vase over Bai Ge’s head. Bai Ge kicking her this time was mild in comparison.

Before half a day had passed, the Countess of Xining looked at the two maids who had been sent back. Her temples throbbed as she tried to contain her irritation. She asked Cui Ti, “What happened this time?”

Cui Ti raised her hand to show her, revealing a ring of red marks that hadn’t yet faded. The Countess’s expression changed slightly. “Who did this?”

Chun Hua knelt on the ground, trembling.

There was no need for Bai Ge to explain further. With her rich imagination, the Countess pieced together the whole story. Her face grew rigid with anger. “Someone, come here!”

The maids who had been exceptionally promoted to first-class maids were demoted to the lowest-ranked laundry maids within a few hours. After this incident, none of the servants in the residence dared to look down on anyone again.

Times had changed. The once insignificant blind girl had truly risen.

The Countess still wanted to assign more people to Cui Ti, but Cui Ti gently declined.

Rather than bring unrelated people into the Pei Residence to cause trouble, it was better to take only Bai Ge.

Compared to the cold and unfamiliar Xining Count’s residence, Cui Ti felt she was more suited to life in the Pei Residence.

She didn’t know how to stop while she was ahead, and this attitude frustrated her mother to the point of giving her the cold shoulder.

However, giving her the cold shoulder might work on others, but it had no effect on Cui Ti. Whether it was a cold face, a smiling face, or a forced smile, it made no difference to a blind person.

Out of sight, out of mind.

In Baishao Courtyard, when Cui Dai heard that her mother had dealt with the servants for Cui Ti, she slapped the table in anger. “Look at how arrogant she’s become!”

She had been planning to bribe those two maids to give Cui Ti a hard time.

Days passed, and after the ceremonies of formal proposal, name exchange, and betrothal blessings, it was time for the betrothal gifts. The so-called betrothal gifts were when the groom’s family sent gifts to the bride’s family, also known as the “grand gift ceremony.”

The marriage of the chancellor’s legitimate son involved cartloads of betrothal gifts being sent to the Xining Count’s residence, putting immense pressure on the Count and Countess.

The Pei Family valued this marriage so highly that the Countess of Xining had been losing hair over it these past few days. In the end, the couple discussed and decided to allocate the shops originally prepared for Cui Dai to Cui Ti instead.

In those days, it was customary for a bride to marry into a higher-status family, but marrying into the Chancellor’s Residence with insufficient dowry would invite gossip, and the chancellor would be displeased.

Not only would the chancellor be dissatisfied, but the Zhuangyuan son-in-law would also hold a grudge.

The dowry list grew longer and longer. The Count and Countess of Xining, feeling guilty, extended the list from its original one foot to two feet three inches. Every glance at the lengthy list made the Countess’s heart ache.

Count Xining laughed at her, calling her short-sighted. What was there to be dissatisfied about? Having an in-law relationship with the Chancellor’s Residence was something many in Xi Jing envied.

After the betrothal gifts came the selection of the wedding date. This involved consulting a fortune teller to choose an auspicious day and then informing the bride’s family.

This step was dismissed by a single word from the chancellor.

When Pei Rufeng proposed on behalf of his ‘son,’ he casually set the wedding date for May 5th. When a chancellor spoke, whichever date he chose became the true auspicious day.

By the time the entire process was completed, March had ended, and the crabapple flowers bloomed in April.

Pei Xuan cherished the jade Ruyi sent by the bride’s family, her face beaming with joy. “Mother, look at this Ruyi. Isn’t it of excellent quality?”

Madam Pei cast her a reproachful glance. “You’ve forgotten your mother now that you have a wife. How long have you been holding that? It doesn’t even seem like it was sent by A Cui.”

As the legitimate child of the chancellor, Pei Xuan had seen plenty of fine things. Yet, she still clung to this jade Ruyi as if it were the most precious treasure. “I know, Mother. The Cui Family wouldn’t dare slight me. This jade Ruyi was a gift you sent to A Cui last time. She returned it during the betrothal blessing. Mother, do you think she might like me, even just a little?”

This ‘son’ was hopeless.

Madam Pei couldn’t bear to watch her foolishness any longer and closed her eyes.

Unable to find someone to share her pre-wedding joy with, and unwilling to bring the jade Ruyi to drink with Song Zizhen and Zheng Wuji, Pei Xuan decided to return to her room to admire it further.

“I wonder if she’s wearing the bracelet I sent her. She’s so fair-skinned; it would definitely look beautiful on her wrist.”

…

In Chenxiang Courtyard, Bai Ge glanced at her serene and beautiful miss, feeling a twinge of jealousy.

“Miss, you’re going to wear out that string of red beans. You should give it a rest.”

“…”

Cui Ti’s face flushed slightly, and she used her sleeve to cover the string of red beans on her wrist. She feigned indifference, saying, “I was just checking to see if it’s sturdy.”

“It’s sturdy, definitely sturdy.”

It was only April, and Bai Ge, with nothing better to do, had somehow found a palm fan and was fanning herself with an air of importance. Her contented expression made it easy to understand the saying, “When one person achieves success, even their chickens and dogs rise to heaven.”

She had a habit of being glib, and at first, Cui Ti didn’t want to respond. But after a moment, she ran her fingers over the smooth, plump red beans and asked uncertainly, “Did I really wear it out?”

This was a gift from Pei Xuan.

If the jade Ruyi she had given Pei Xuan remained in perfect condition, but the red bean bracelet was worn out, it would be quite embarrassing.

Bai Ge paused in her fanning and then burst into laughter. “Oh, Miss, the wedding is in May, but your heart has long left Chenxiang Courtyard.”

“Stop talking nonsense.” Cui Ti’s face turned even redder, and she instinctively reached for the string of red beans on her wrist.

She only touched it twice before quickly restraining her restless hand.

She couldn’t touch it anymore.

If she wore it out and Pei Xuan misunderstood, what would she do?

Cui Ti clutched her sleeve, her cheeks burning: she didn’t really, really like her that much, did she?

Footnote:

1. Momo(嬷嬷): In ancient Chinese imperial palaces and noble households, elderly maidservants were responsible for etiquette education and child care.