Born of the Second Wife

As they approached the capital city, the official road became broad and flat, and the carriage picked up speed. This was quite a torment for Yu Xinlan, who was traveling by carriage for the first time. This two - wheeled vehicle without shock absorbers was already bumpy. Even the flattest ancient official road was made by compacting gravel and clay, with plenty of bumps. With the increased speed, she felt as if her bile was about to be shaken out. Finally, when it was time to stop for a break, before the carriage came to a complete stop, Yu Xinlan yanked open the carriage door, propped herself up with one hand on the shaft, and jumped out. She gently stretched her stiff and cramped legs in a ladylike, small - scale manner. The coachman, Li Fuquan, was stunned by her deft movements. In his long life, he had seen many young ladies in the mansion and other manors who were dignified and graceful. He had never seen such a... such a lively young lady from a wealthy family. Mrs. Wen was so shocked by her daughter's behavior that her face lost its color. Since it was inappropriate to scold her daughter in front of the servants of the mansion, and by coincidence, Yu Xinrui also jumped out of the carriage imitating his sister. Finally, she found the opportunity to rebuke, "Ruir! Why don't you let others support you? Such impulsive behavior, what kind of propriety is this?" Yu Xinrui's excited little face immediately fell. With a wronged and helpless look, he first glanced at his sister, and then apologized to his mother in a low voice. Yu Xinlan could clearly understand the underlying meaning of her mother's words. However, she thought her mother was being too strict, so she pretended not to notice and pleaded for her younger brother, "Mother, brother is only ten years old..." "Don't say any more. Come with me." Yu Xinlan's words were interrupted by Mrs. Wen. She led her children to a secluded place and then began to teach them, "We'll arrive in the capital at noon. Once we enter the mansion, how can you act so unrestrainedly? Do you think the Shilang Mansion is the small courtyard in Rongzhen, and the Yu family is a country bumpkin? The Yu family is a noble family with a century - old foundation. Your father is the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, a high - ranking official of the second rank. If you don't know proper etiquette, others will surely accuse your father of poor teaching. Moreover, the mistress is the daughter of the Prime Minister's Mansion, and she is extremely strict in running the household. How can she tolerate your willful behavior? In a large noble family, every move has its rules. You must be cautious to avoid giving others a chance to find fault..." Yu Xinlan lowered her eyes and seemed to be listening carefully, but in her heart, she sighed. Her mother was too honest. In such a large family, no matter how well one behaved, there would always be someone who would nitpick. So, the most important thing was to please her father. With the protection of those in power, why should they be afraid of others finding fault? After Yu Xinlan finished murmuring to herself, Mrs. Wen's instruction came to an end, "... Remember to observe more, listen more, and speak less. When the mistress teaches you, never talk back. You must make the mistress happy." Yu Xinlan nodded gracefully and demurely, and Yu Xinrui nodded steadily, "Got it, mother." Seeing her children's proper manners, Mrs. Wen smiled with satisfaction and added, "From now on, you should call her Concubine Mother." Yu Xinlan obediently agreed, but Mrs. Wen still worried secretly: Ruir was fine. He was intelligent since childhood and excellent in his studies. The master loved him very much. Moreover, a boy could always seek an official position based on his knowledge, and his future was promising. But what about Lan'er... She used to be too wooden and taciturn. Since she fell and was in a coma for a few days, she has become more generous and lively. However, the mistress herself had four daughters. If the mistress vented her anger on Lan'er because of her, what should she do? Lan'er's future was in the mistress's hands. Just then, a carriage marked with the Yu Mansion's sign came over. After a while, Li Fuquan led a woman in her forties, who was dressed very decently, over. The woman curtsied to Mrs. Wen and her children and introduced herself as Nanny Xu. Her husband's family name was Xu. She was a steward of the mistress. She was ordered by the mistress to invite Mrs. Wen and her children to pay respects to the gods at Jingyue Nunnery on Baiyun Mountain, to cleanse away the filth of the journey before entering the capital city. Yu Xinlan thought the mistress's arrangement must have some ulterior motives. She wanted to stop her mother from agreeing. Then, she "secretly" asked Li Fuquan in a voice loud enough for others to hear, "Uncle Li, if we go to Baiyun Mountain now, can we still enter the capital city today?" Li Fuquan hesitated for a moment and then said, "I'm afraid we can only enter the mansion in the evening." Hearing this, Mrs. Wen hesitated, "Since the mistress has given the order, I shouldn't disobey. But considering the time..." Nanny Xu sneered and her expression turned severe, "The mistress made this arrangement out of kindness. She was worried that you might have unknowingly offended something on the way, bringing misfortune to yourselves and the mansion. If you don't want to follow the order, I can't stop you. I'll just go back to the mansion and report to the mistress." With that, she pretended to turn around and leave. Mrs. Wen was shocked. In a family, the relationship between a wife and concubines was like that between heaven and earth. The crime of disobeying the wife's order was no small matter. She quickly grabbed Nanny Xu and said with a flattering smile, "Nanny, you misunderstood. How dare I disobey the mistress's order? We'll go to Jingyue Nunnery to pay respects to the gods right away. Please put in a good word for me in front of the mistress." As she spoke, she took off a jade bracelet from her wrist and put it on Nanny Xu. Nanny Xu glanced at the quality of the bracelet and then showed a bit of a smile, "That's very good. I still need to go back to the mansion to report. I'll leave now." Mrs. Wen curtsied politely, "Nanny, take care." Yu Xinlan frowned slightly. Her mother was too submissive. In the future, she would surely be severely suppressed by the mistress. It would not only make her mother suffer, but also drag her and her younger brother down. So, after Nanny Xu left by carriage, she gently advised, "Mother, it's not convenient to enter the mansion too late. Didn't father also tell us to enter the mansion before noon? In my opinion, we can set up an incense table here to offer sacrifices and pray to the gods. This way, we can fulfill both father's and mother's instructions. Uncle Li is an honest person and he surely won't gossip." Mrs. Wen shook her head, "No, it's the mistress's grace to allow us to enter the capital city. If we act against her order, how can we get along in the future?" Mrs. Wen didn't care about herself. If she didn't follow the mistress's instructions today, she would surely be hated by the mistress. At that time, it would be her two children who would suffer. Yu Xinlan tried to persuade her mother a few times but failed. She could only tell Li Fuquan to ask the accompanying coachmen to send the supply carts back to the mansion first and report to the master by the way. So, the group rushed to Baiyun Mountain. After paying respects to the gods at Jingyue Nunnery, they set off again and finally entered the capital city before sunset. Li Fuquan drove the carriage to the west side - door of the Yu Mansion. He Xi, a young servant who was answering the door, rushed forward and whispered, "Uncle Li, when Nanny Xu returned to the mansion, she said that the mistress had given the order. This lady should enter the mansion through the west corner - door." Li Fuquan's small eyes widened immediately. Since ancient times, when taking a concubine, the concubine entered through the side - door, and maidservants, concubines, and singing girls entered through the corner - door. When the master sent him to pick up people, he clearly said it was "Concubine Wen". Why did the mistress not recognize her? However, as a coachman, he didn't dare to talk too much. He could only feel sorry for this kind and honest Concubine Wen in his heart. Dreame