Chapter Forty-One: The Invitation

Seeing Minglan’s air of secrecy, Xue Fanzhi widened her bright eyes in curiosity. “What is it?”

It was an invitation to the Wang family’s banquet, not one, but five of them, all given by Xiao Yi.

Minglan, naturally, did not reveal that Xiao Yi was the source. She simply said, “The Wang family invited me, but I dislike such occasions. If you go, I’ll go too.”

Xue Fanzhi was equally uninterested in such gatherings. For young ladies, such events usually meant searching for a suitable husband. She had already decided to make a life with Qin Jianyu, so these banquets held little appeal for someone already betrothed.

“Why so many invitations? Who else is the Princess planning to invite?”

Minglan smiled. “They’re for you. Arrange them as you wish!”

Arrange them as she wished?

A plan began to take shape in Xue Fanzhi’s mind. Having lived once before, she could ill afford to be as thoughtless as in her past life. Though engaged to Qin Jianyu, that did not guarantee a life free of worry. In her previous life, she had always relied on Xiao Yi. Was she not capable, in this life, of standing tall on her own?

She must learn to live well, even with no one to lean on.

First, she must help her family gain a solid footing.

The family did have the support of Second Grandfather, and her eldest brother was a man of talent. If not for his early death in her previous life, she might never have needed to depend on Xiao Yi. Yet, her brother had matured too slowly, and apart from Second Grandfather, only her maternal grandfather could offer some financial help—the family had little else to fall back on.

There were many daughters in the Xue family. What if they all married well?

Xue Fanzhi’s thoughts lingered on her cousins in the fourth branch.

In such large families, the fortunes of one affected all; they had split households, but not the family name. The fourth branch had always relied on the first and second, and with no particularly capable descendants, their daughters’ good marriages would most benefit her eldest and second brothers for now.

Having reasoned this out, Xue Fanzhi smiled. “Thank you, Princess. Please, let me keep them!”

Minglan, entrusted by Xiao Yi to assist Xue Fanzhi—who, according to Xiao Yi, was a bit simple and might not think of such things—watched Xue Fanzhi’s sweet smile and worried she might simply stash them away for safekeeping, as the silk covers were so soft. So she gently reminded her, “You could give them to your sisters. I don’t have sisters myself, but I see others always playing together. Just don’t bring Xue Qiniang along!”

The third branch must not be included. In her previous life, when the second great-uncle was ill, the third branch had tried to seize the inheritance, even kidnapping the old man to force him to adopt a grandson for them. After his recovery, the second great-uncle had driven them out of Wuyi Lane, and they’d sided with other powerful families, always opposing their kin. The third branch were ungrateful wolves, impossible to tame.

Xue Fanzhi laughed. “Thank you for the advice, Princess. That was just what I had in mind!”

Minglan felt a wave of relief—perhaps Xue Fanzhi wasn’t as foolish as Xiao Yi claimed, at least she’d thought of this much.

Xue Fanzhi wanted to distribute the invitations among her other sisters, but her status made it awkward to do so directly, and she couldn’t go through Lady Jin either. Just as well, she wanted to gauge the attitude of the Xue Matriarch. So, after chatting a while longer with Minglan, she took her leave and headed to the main house.

The matriarch was in the midst of sorting flower seedlings with Nanny Jiang and discussing the recent arrogance of the third branch.

Without raising her head, the old lady separated the autumn chrysanthemums from the orchid seedlings, her voice cold. “Qiniang’s heart is crooked and she deserved a lesson, but the third madam’s greed must be curbed. If I do nothing, won’t others think the main branch is easy to bully?”

Though she cared little for Xue Yang, the main branch was still her home.

Nanny Jiang agreed; only with a strong mistress would the servants not be looked down upon.

“What is your plan to discipline the third branch, Madam?”

The old lady shook her head. “I haven’t decided yet. It can’t be too harsh—we’re family after all—but if it’s too lenient the third madam will learn nothing.”

A tricky situation indeed; one couldn’t simply send someone to beat the third madam.

As they spoke, a second-rank maid reported, “Madam, Eighth Miss is here!”

Both the old lady and Nanny Jiang looked up; the latter gave the old lady a questioning glance.

The old lady said quietly, “Do you think the Eighth Miss can be trusted?”

After Xue Fanzhi’s return, she’d knelt before the old lady to recount her hardships—a clear bid for support.

But could a daughter of Xue Yang truly be without his coldness and stubbornness?

She had watched this granddaughter grow up, and the child seemed honest and naïve, nothing like Xue Yang.

But innocence alone was not enough; Qiniang had always outfoxed her, and even a mountain of gold would slip through her fingers. How could she expect the girl to respect her and handle affairs properly?

Out of pity, she had sent some cloth for the child, but since then, things seemed to have changed.

The Eighth Miss had begun using her to check Qiniang—she had learned to resist.

And more than that, she was now making use of the third branch’s madam as well.

Though Xue Yang managed the family, what could escape the old lady’s notice in the inner quarters?

The Eighth Miss was no longer the simple girl she had been, yet the old lady feared she might one day slip back into her old ways.

Nanny Jiang whispered, “It takes time to see a person’s true heart. Isn’t it too early to tell? I think filial piety is most important.”

True enough. Whether clever or foolish, a child must know to be filial—otherwise any help would be wasted.

With this in mind, the old lady was more than willing to see this granddaughter more often. She had watched the child grow, and though she was slow, she was dutiful.

“Invite her in.”

Soon the maid returned with Xue Fanzhi, who found the old lady and Nanny Jiang busy with the seedlings. Smiling, she said, “Grandmother, are you tending to the flowerbeds again?”

The old lady’s greatest pleasure was gardening. Back home she’d had a grand garden, and though many flowers couldn’t be brought south, she was persuaded to come by Xue Qiu’s letters that southern flora were even more abundant. Upon arrival, she found it was no exaggeration.

A gentle smile lit the old lady’s face. “Indeed. I’m just an old woman, with little else to do.”

In her past life, Xue Fanzhi had also found solace in tending flowers during hard times—how else could one pass those dreary days?

She had learned much about grafting from the palace gardeners. Approaching the window where the old lady sat, she picked out the rarest seedlings and gave a few pointers on their cultivation.

Since these were southern plants, the old lady was unfamiliar with them and listened with delight. “Can this pot of orchids really bloom? I’ve never seen it flower.”

Orchids were Xue Fanzhi’s specialty. She asked for a pot to tend herself, promising to show it to her grandmother when it finally blossomed.

Though reluctant to part with her precious plant, the old lady relented, seeing the expectation in her granddaughter’s eyes.

After talking flowers, Xue Fanzhi remembered her purpose. Before the old lady could ask, she took out the five invitations and presented them with both hands. “Grandmother, I don’t have any particularly close friends among the young ladies. Perhaps you would be best to decide how these invitations are distributed.”