Chapter 28: Calculating Individually

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Wang Ziyu respectfully saluted Madam Ye and paid his respects.

He had never expected Madam Ye to receive him in the main quarters of the inner courtyard. By all rights, Dantai Shanchang should have met him in the study of the outer courtyard. After all, he was an outsider—a man unrelated to the household—and no matter how one looked at it, he should not have crossed the second gate and entered the inner compound.

The Dantai household still had three unmarried young ladies. Madam Ye truly did not regard him as an outsider at all.

Wang Ziyu could not help recalling the words of the older maid from earlier.

The Third Miss’s maternal family was the Dong family, and he could not afford to provoke them. Leaving aside the Dong family’s influence in Ze City, the Dowager Madam Dong alone was enough to crush him completely.

Hadn’t the Fifth Miss mentioned earlier that some relative from a branch of the Dong family had come? That person even held office in the capital. If he truly angered the Dong family, he feared he would never again be able to leave the borders of Ze City.

But Madam Ye’s maiden family was another matter entirely.

Madam Ye’s father had been a merchant. Only after accumulating considerable wealth had he purchased an official distinction and obtained a minor ninth-rank post. In the end, he came from a merchant household; their manners and etiquette were utterly unpresentable. To think they would actually allow an unrelated man into the inner courtyard—Madam Ye really had the nerve!

What Wang Ziyu did not know was that Madam Ye had been confined to her quarters by Dantai Shanchang. Though she still dared to interfere in household affairs, she did not dare openly defy him.

Even regarding the matter of allowing Wang Ziyu into the residence to speak with her, Madam Ye had already prepared her excuse. Wang Ziyu had stood at the side gate for three hours. If anyone found out, it would be the Dantai household’s reputation that suffered. With Dantai Jing absent from the residence, it was only proper for her to take charge, resolve the matter, and preserve the family’s dignity.

Wang Ziyu was a licentiate. She could not simply have him beaten and thrown out. With no other choice, she had been forced to invite him inside.

Madam Ye glanced at Wang Ziyu. After standing at the side gate for three hours, his appearance was somewhat disheveled, but there was no denying that he possessed a refined, gentle beauty. It was no wonder Dantai Xuan spoke of “Brother Ziyu” this and “Brother Ziyu” that every day.

A young miss in the bloom of youth naturally favored these fair-faced scholars.

Remembering her purpose, Madam Ye smiled lightly and said, “Young Master Wang, please sit.”

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Wang Ziyu did not stand on ceremony. After remaining on his feet for three hours, he was already utterly exhausted. He would have been glad to sit not only in an armchair but even on the steps.

Lüliu brought tea and stole a glance at him, secretly delighted. This Young Master Wang was truly handsome. No wonder both the Third Miss and the Fifth Miss had become entangled with him.

Since Madam Ye did not speak, Wang Ziyu did not speak either. His matter with Dantai Jing had already fallen through, and he had yet to decide what to do next. If he rashly opened his mouth, he would only put himself at a disadvantage.

Wang Ziyu devoted himself to drinking tea. Standing for three hours had not only left his waist and knees aching; his mouth was parched as well.

Because Wang Ziyu was an unrelated man, even though the matters Madam Ye wished to discuss with him were private, she could not dismiss all the maids around her. Otherwise, people would certainly accuse the household matriarch of improper conduct.

Seeing how quickly Wang Ziyu finished his tea, Lüliu refilled his cup twice. Since it was summer and the weather was stifling, the tea was served warm, making it especially pleasant to drink.

Madam Ye was growing increasingly vexed. She had originally hoped that Wang Ziyu would bring up the matter of the Third Miss first, allowing her to take advantage of the subject and continue the conversation. Unfortunately, he refused to say a word, leaving her no choice but to speak herself.

“I hear that Young Master Wang waited outside the Dantai residence for three hours. May I ask what brought you here?” Madam Ye looked at him with a kindly smile.

Wang Ziyu slowly raised his eyes and glanced at her. She had once possessed willow-leaf brows and peach-shaped eyes, an alluring beauty by nature. Now that she was older, she still applied her makeup like a girl of sixteen, while putting on the airs of a household matriarch with great enthusiasm. Unfortunately, she could never imitate the dignity and virtue of a proper mistress of the house.

Wang Ziyu answered respectfully, “I was discourteous to the Third Miss and the Fifth Miss at the academy. I came especially to offer my apologies.”

He had deliberately mentioned the Fifth Miss as well. He wanted to test Madam Ye’s limits and determine whether there was any chance of continuing his entanglement with the Dantai household.

At the mention of the Fifth Miss, Madam Ye’s brows drew together slightly. Her attractive willow-leaf brows briefly twisted into something resembling a pair of caterpillars before smoothing out again.

Dantai Shanchang had already made his position clear. Yesterday, he had plainly stated that he no longer wished her to manage the household accounts and affairs. How could that possibly be acceptable? How would she ever have the face to leave the residence afterward?

Because she was a second wife, she had long been mocked by the wives and daughters-in-law of other households. If word spread that she had been stripped of authority over the household while the legitimate eldest daughter of the former wife was placed in charge of the inner compound, she might as well never step outside again.

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Therefore, she could not lose. Before Dantai Jing returned from the Dong residence, she had to seize this opportunity and catch her off guard once more.

Madam Ye concealed her displeasure and said gently, “I have heard all about what happened at the academy. To be fair, our Third Girl was also in the wrong. No matter what, she should not have struck Young Master Wang. You are the pride of Ze City, and your future is boundless.”

Madam Ye naturally had to flatter Wang Ziyu a little. She wanted him to understand that he was fully capable of marrying Dantai Jing. She meant to encourage him to put more effort into the matter. As long as Wang Ziyu refused to let go, the affair would already be half settled. Madam Ye very much wished to see what Dantai Shanchang and the Dong family could do if the relationship between Dantai Jing and Wang Ziyu became the talk of Ze City. How would they manage to keep Dantai Jing’s reputation spotless then?

Hearing this, Wang Ziyu felt considerably reassured. The hopes that had previously been extinguished began to flicker back to life. He modestly replied, “Madam, you give me too much credit. I was overcome by the summer heat that day, and my mind was muddled. I spoke without due consideration. It is enough that you and the two young ladies do not take offense.”

Madam Ye inwardly cursed him. Why did he insist on dragging Dantai Xuan into the matter?

After thinking for a moment, Madam Ye sighed. “Ah, when all is said and done, this cannot entirely be blamed on the Third Girl. She suffered a serious illness, and when she awoke, she had become mute. The disparity between her former life and her present circumstances was simply too great. Whatever affection she once held for Young Master Wang had all turned into feelings of inferiority. When you said those things at the academy gate, in front of so many people, did you not push the Third Girl’s sense of inferiority to its extreme? It is no wonder she lashed out.”

Wang Ziyu lowered his head slightly. He had entertained the same thought yesterday. But even if Third Miss Dantai Jing truly felt that way, it no longer mattered. That older maid had been right: with the Dowager Madam Dong supporting Dantai Jing, even if she could not become a legitimate wife in the capital, she would have no trouble becoming a second wife.

Now it was not Dantai Jing who felt inferior. It was he who felt inferior.

Seeing that Wang Ziyu remained silent, Madam Ye knitted her brows slightly and continued persuading him. “Ah, it pains me to say this, Young Master Wang, but you handled the matter most inconsiderately. After making such a scene, how is the Third Girl supposed to marry? If you do not come to the Dantai residence to propose, how will she ever be able to show her face? Why, she fled to her maternal grandmother’s residence first thing this morning!”

Madam Ye no longer bothered to hold back and said the words plainly. If Wang Ziyu still refused to declare his intentions after hearing that, she would throw him out herself.

Just as Madam Ye waited for his reply, the curtain at the doorway was suddenly lifted, and Fifth Miss Dantai Xuan burst inside. With her brows drawn together angrily, she pointed at Madam Ye and said, “Mother, what are you saying? Aren’t you forcing Brother Ziyu to marry that little slut?”