Wen Qiao satisfied everyone.
Jiang Xuesui drank three cups of milk tea in one go. If Hailan hadn't stopped her, she would have asked Wen Ying for a fourth. By the time dinner was served in Old Madam Wen's courtyard, Jiang Xuesui only ate a few bites. Old Madam Wen worried that her granddaughter might be ill, which was why she had no appetite. After hearing Hailan's explanation, Old Madam Wen smiled and said, "The tea in Dalang's room isn't something anyone can drink. It's good that the cousins can get along so well."
Moreover, with Lady Sang pregnant, Old Madam Wen favored her even more than before. Lady Zhu and Lady Yu didn't mind; they were open-minded and held deep respect and affection for their elder sister-in-law. However, Concubine Miao began to cause trouble. That day, she insisted that Wen Yuanhuan, Wen Yuanle, and Wen Yu were all sick and refused to let her children come to Penglai Study for dinner. The implication was clear: she was challenging Old Madam Wen and Lady Sang.
After dinner, everyone returned to their own courtyards. Duke Xiangguo was kept behind by Old Madam Wen for a private conversation.
"The Miao family has moved back to their hometown Xianyang. With no family to back her up in the capital, and seeing how close you've grown to Lady Sang, it's understandable that she's throwing tantrums," Old Madam Wen said flatly.
Duke Xiangguo hastily apologized. "It's my fault for not keeping my household in order, causing Mother unnecessary anger."
"If you can see Concubine Miao's true nature through this, then this bit of anger is worth it," Old Madam Wen said, offering her son a suggestion: close the small kitchen in Luanfeng Pavilion and deliver meals to the pavilion according to the standard rations for a concubine. The three children, unused to ordinary dishes, became so thin that their cheeks caved in within half a month. Yet Concubine Miao still sulked, forbidding the children from eating at Penglai Study or greeting Old Madam Wen. The snacks Lady Sang kindly sent over were also thrown out by Concubine Miao.
Duke Xiangguo's sympathy for Concubine Miao gradually wore thin. Every time he stepped into Luanfeng Pavilion, Concubine Miao would cry and make a scene, demanding that he find a way to restore her brothers' official positions, elevate her to the status of principal wife, and legitimize her children. She repeatedly emphasized how she had given up being the wife of an official to become his concubine. Duke Xiangguo grew tired of hearing it. "Before I married Lady Sang, my father tried several times to pass the title to my younger brother, but your family refused to betroth you to me. After I married Lady Sang, my father finally gave me the title before he died. You couldn't find a suitable match, and you agreed to be my concubine—I suspect you had your own calculations."
"I'm an honest person. Others scheme against me, but I never scheme against anyone," Concubine Miao sobbed, dabbing her eyes with the corner of her handkerchief.
"Dare you swear by the wealth and honor of the entire Miao family?" Duke Xiangguo looked at her.
Concubine Miao's eyes darted away. "I told you, I never scheme."
Duke Xiangguo snorted coldly. "Then when Lady Sang was pregnant with Sister Ai and Brother Qiao, why couldn't you wait until she safely delivered? Why did you have to tell her, when she was seven months along, the real reason I married her? That caused Sister Ai and Brother Qiao to be born prematurely. If that isn't scheming, what is?"
Concubine Miao laughed bitterly, tears in her eyes. "Was it me who caused their premature birth? You were the one who was fickle and unfaithful. Lady Sang was greedy and brought shame upon herself. I am the most innocent and blameless—I, Miao Suxin. My family background is better than Lady Sang's; I'm just not as pretty. We grew up together, childhood sweethearts with twenty years of affection, and now you've changed your heart and dare to accuse me."
"Suxin, if you stop sulking with Mother and get along well with Lady Sang, I won't mistreat you," Duke Xiangguo said, still remembering old ties.
"I regret becoming your concubine. Write me a letter of release, and let me marry better," Concubine Miao finally spoke her mind. All these years as a secondary wife, groveling, she had worn down her pride.
Seeing the determination in her eyes, Duke Xiangguo went to the desk and wrote a letter of release in one breath, handing it to her. That night, Concubine Miao packed up her gold, silver, and valuables, and together with the servants she had brought from the Miao family, she took a carriage to Xianyang.
The children, separated from their mother, woke up the next day and cried their eyes out. Lady Sang couldn't bear it and arranged for Wen Yu, Wen Yuanhuan, and Wen Yuanle to stay at Fuxi Pavilion, treating them the same as her own children. Even Lady Zhu and Lady Yu admired Lady Sang's magnanimity and kindness.
Only Jiang Xuesui noticed that Wen Qiao was unhappy. Although Wen Qiao always had a stern expression, with cold light in his dark eyes, at least when she visited his room, she could sense some warmth. Ever since Wen Yu, Wen Yuanhuan, and Wen Yuanle moved into Fuxi Pavilion, the already meager share of maternal love Wen Qiao received became pitifully small. And Lady Sang had another child on the way. Jiang Xuesui had enough self-awareness to avoid Lady Sang's presence as much as possible, so that Wen Qiao could at least have some warm moments alone with his mother. Concubine Miao was truly an irresponsible mother. Later, Jiang Xuesui heard from Hailan that Concubine Miao had married Marquis Wuying, Chen Guang, who was twenty years her senior, as his second wife. Within a month of entering the marquis's mansion, she became pregnant and threw her weight around as the mistress of the household.
But Concubine Miao's departure had its benefits. The inner residence of Duke Xiangguo's Mansion became very peaceful.
Jiang Xuesui practiced tea whisking intensely for nearly a month. On the day of the competition with Xie Nongyu, they tied. But in the eyes of the onlookers, Xie Nongyu had lost, because Jiang Xuesui was younger and had studied tea whisking for a much shorter time. Afterwards, Xie Nongyu pestered Jiang Xuesui to find out who her teacher was. Jiang Xuesui, of course, would not betray Wen Qiao.
By the following year, on the fifteenth day of the eighth month—the day of the fullest moon—Lady Sang gave birth to a son. Duke Xiangguo was overjoyed and named the youngest son Wen Yu. Wen Yuan'ai's dementia also improved with acupuncture; apart from speaking slowly, she was now almost like any other girl her age. Lady Sang and Duke Xiangguo both believed that their youngest son had brought good fortune. At Wen Yu's first birthday ceremony, he was appointed heir of the Duke Xiangguo. The one who should have received the appointment was Wen Qiao, but he yielded the position to his younger brother. Wen Qiao satisfied everyone. Duke Xiangguo and Lady Sang held little Wen Yu and accepted congratulations from the guests, who praised the baby as blessed and adorable. But Jiang Xuesui thought that Wen Yu's blessing lay in having a brother like Wen Qiao, who was willing to yield.
*
This year, Taichu Academy was recruiting one hundred students. This foremost academy in the world had a history of three hundred years. If a Grand Secretary had studied at Taichu Academy, historians would praise him as an "Upright Pillar"; if he hadn't, they would dismiss him as a "Rustic Minister" or "Partial Minister." Jiang Xuesui's father had been a student at Taichu Academy since his early schooling. Thousands of scholars—including many from noble and official families—competed for the hundred spots. If recommended by an official who had once won first place in the Taichu examinations, one could enroll directly. Duke Xiangguo had one recommendation spot and was hesitating whether to give it to his eldest or second son. He asked for Lady Sang's opinion. Lady Sang, thinking that Wen Yu was shallow in learning and would benefit from the academy's environment, while Wen Qiao could excel anywhere, decided. Duke Xiangguo agreed. Together, they decided to give the only recommendation to Wen Yu. But unexpectedly, Taichu Academy already had enough students with recommendation letters to fill the hundred spots, so they didn't hold an additional examination. Fortunately, Jiang Shaohua learned that Wen Qiao had no recommendation and voluntarily became his sponsor. And how did Jiang Shaohua know? Naturally, Jiang Xuesui had written about it in her home letter. However, that recommendation letter for Wen Qiao was used by Lady Sang to curry favor with the second branch, given to Wen Yang to please Lady Zhu. In the end, Wen Qiao still missed out on entering Taichu Academy. Jiang Xuesui only found out when she saw Wen Qiao at the family school. Furious, after class she returned to Jiangxue Residence and wrote a dozen pages of a letter to her father. After reading it, Jiang Shaohua was so incensed that he set off immediately, traveled to the capital, and went directly to the family school of Duke Xiangguo's Mansion to take Wen Qiao away.
*
At Taichu Academy, Headmaster Li Chun was in a meeting with the deputy heads and academic supervisors when the door curtain moved. Li Chun saw his most outstanding former student leading a stunningly handsome youth to pay respects. "Master, this is my nephew. Please accept him as your student." Jiang Shaohua's tone left no room for negotiation. Li Chun, who valued talent and knew Jiang Shaohua's temper when a pearl was mistaken for a fish's eye, immediately asked the deputy heads and supervisors to test Wen Qiao with one question each. Wen Qiao quoted classics, answered fluently, and showed his own original ideas. "The student is teachable," Li Chun nodded in approval. The other officials also admired Wen Qiao's uncommon brilliance. Noticing that Wen Qiao seemed frail, Li Chun took his wrist, felt his pulse, and asked about his usual medication. "This cold disorder is hard for others to cure, but I have a prescription that works. However, it requires some effort to prepare." Jiang Shaohua took the prescription and saw it wasn't some rare, miraculous medicine, but it required collecting ingredients according to the seasons and traveling far and wide—just a matter of effort. Thinking that Duke Xiangguo and Lady Sang were entirely focused on their youngest son and unlikely to have time to gather the ingredients, Jiang Shaohua decided to hire someone to do it himself. On the carriage ride back, he advised Wen Qiao on things to pay attention to at Taichu Academy and assured him that the prescription was taken care of. Wen Qiao bowed deeply to thank him, his eyes reddening. Jiang Shaohua said, "Yuanyuan told me that thanks to you teaching her tea whisking, she didn't lose the competition and have her face painted. Your uncle-in-law thanks you for indulging her. She's a thin-skinned yet competitive girl. You saved her face. The little help I give you today is nothing."
"You are better than my father," Wen Qiao said calmly.