89: Chapter 89 Wrong Marriage (6)
Chapter 89: Mistaken Marriage (6)
Consort Mu's courtyard was quite spacious, with a bluestone path winding through it and dozens of flower varieties planted in the beds on either side.
Whenever the blooming season arrived, the scenery was breathtaking.
A small kitchen was tucked away behind the moon gate on the west side.
Green vines climbed over its blue-grey tiles, and the delicate fragrance of jasmine-scented tea often wafted from the stove.
Several bamboo birdcages hung under the veranda, where thrushes hopped about.
Their crisp chirping intertwined delightfully with the buzzing of bees among the flowers.
The stone table and stools were wiped spotlessly clean, holding a set of celadon tea ware.
Maidservants often dried petals here, preparing to make scented balm for their mistress.
The interior furnishings were elegant in every detail.
A sandalwood screen stood in the center of the hall, its inlaid mother-of-pearl landscape shimmering with delicate light.
With its depiction of distant, dark-green mountains and misty waters, it seemed to gently filter out the clamor of the outside world.
A half-rolled Su embroidery curtain hung before the window.
Magnolias and paradise flycatchers were embroidered on its pale green base; the stitching was so fine that every feather was clearly defined, and when the wind blew, the fabric rippled like flowing green clouds.
On the wenge wood table beside the screen, a celadon vase held two budding flowers.
Even the horseshoe-back armchairs under the window lattice were covered with lake-blue cotton-linen cushions, the legs carved with Greek key patterns that complemented the blue-brick floor underfoot.
A breeze drifted through the curtains, causing the hooks to tap lightly against the wooden frame with a tinkling sound.
The room contained nothing superfluous, yet every detail revealed exquisite craftsmanship.
Consort Mu had long anticipated that her son would come to see her, and she had been waiting for him in the room.
"Mother."
In private, Mu Huaixi called her Mother.
Consort Mu set down her book, and seeing her son arrive, the corners of her mouth curled up.
"You're here!"
Mu Huaixi sat on the chair beside Consort Mu, who smiled immediately.
"Why didn't you get some proper rest? It wouldn't have been too late to come over after resting. Mother isn't in a hurry."
After what happened last night, Consort Mu figured her son must have been up all night.
Mu Huaixi said affectionately to his mother, "I was just worried that you might be anxious, so I rushed over as soon as I finished dealing with Wanwan's dowry. However, Wanwan was tired, so I took the liberty of letting her rest first. I'll bring her over to have dinner with you this evening."
If it were anyone else, hearing their son speak so highly of his wife to his own mother might have caused some resentment.
But Consort Mu knew her son was telling the truth; it wasn't that her daughter-in-law was being coy or unwilling to come.
"Mother knows. That girl seems wonderful; not only is she beautiful, but she has a very forthright personality. She doesn't let slights go unpunished, and I quite like that about her."
Jiang Wan's performance this morning had instantly made Consort Mu see her in a new light.
A girl who appeared so delicate and weak, yet she wouldn't let herself be taken advantage of at all.
That was excellent!
Mu Huaixi smiled along with her. "Wanwan's personality is just like yours, Mother—she does things decisively."
Consort Mu watched her son's expression and smiled. "Son, you like her, don't you?"
Consort Mu had never heard her son speak of Tao Siru in such a gentle tone before.
Mu Huaixi had nothing to hide from his mother.
"Yes, I have feelings for her."
Then, Mu Huaixi told Consort Mu everything that had happened the previous night.
He recounted how he had realized from the very beginning that Jiang Wan was not Tao Siru, and he also told her about him and Jiang Wan being together.
"Mother, I do not wish to take any concubines in the future!"
Mu Huaixi said this with a look of solemn determination.
Consort Mu gazed at her son steadily for a moment, then laughed and nodded.
"Very well. Since you have already decided, Mother will support you."
In this day and age, it was normal for men to have many wives and concubines, but if this was her son's own decision, then as his mother, she would certainly support it.
To be honest, having many women in a household was not a good thing.
Even in their Prince Mu's Mansion, where there were only she and Princess Consort Mu, they couldn't avoid competing with each other.
An unstable inner courtyard also negatively affected the men.
Because Jiang Wan had made Princess Consort Mu pay a heavy price today, Consort Mu was very satisfied, so she had Mu Huaixi take back all the jewelry and trinkets that Tao Siru had returned.
She had carefully selected these items previously, and she told Mu Huaixi to inform Jiang Wan that if she minded them, she could sell them off.
As for new jewelry, she had already placed an order and would have it delivered to Jiang Wan once it was ready.
She told him to let Jiang Wan treat the items Tao Siru had returned as extra gifts—whether she wanted to sell them or reward them to servants was entirely up to her.
In Princess Consort Mu's room, Prince Mu was throwing a fit of rage, not just at Princess Consort Mu, but even more so at Mu Chonghua.
"Tell me, what were you thinking! Did you think you'd done it seamlessly and no one would know? If you had told me in advance that you didn't want to go through with this marriage, I could have put aside my pride and called it off. Look at the stupid things you've done! If this isn't resolved properly and word gets out, what will people think of you? What will they think of me?"
Truth be told, Prince Mu was quite disappointed in his legitimate son.
Just because he looked down on the girl from the merchant Jiang Family, he had pushed her onto his younger brother.
What if his second son hadn't wanted her?
What then?
And that Tao Siru—looking down on his second son because he was born of a concubine, and then acting recklessly with the eldest son?
It was absolutely outrageous!
If she didn't want to, she should have said so earlier!
A son of Prince Mu didn't need to hang himself on her crooked tree.
She was like someone occupying a latrine without actually using it!
She used his second son's name to flirt with his eldest son.
If it weren't for her father's sake, Prince Mu truly wouldn't want such a daughter-in-law.
She had too many petty schemes; marrying her into the family would only cause unrest.
Mu Chonghua knelt obediently and admitted his fault.
"Father, I know I was wrong. I thought about it the wrong way. Siru and I are in love, and I didn't tell you before because I was worried you wouldn't agree to us being together, which is why I did such a foolish thing. Father, I am sorry. I have let you down."
Prince Mu rolled his eyes.
"You're only sorry to me? You've wronged that girl, haven't you? What if she hadn't been willing to let it go? How would you have solved it? By using the Mansion's power to oppress others? Have I ever taught you to bully people with our status?"
Seeing that Prince Mu was angry, Princess Consort Mu hurriedly tried to explain on her son's behalf.
"Oh, my Prince, look at you—is it really that serious? Didn't that girl from the Jiang Family agree to be with the second son? If you ask me, this result is actually quite good. Although the second son is born of a concubine, he is still a member of our Prince Mu's Mansion, and she did successfully marry into our family, didn't she?"
As the daughter of a merchant, being able to marry into a Prince's Mansion was already a stroke of immense good fortune.
Marrying an illegitimate son was already climbing above her station; as for her daring to covet her son—the legitimate heir—was the Jiang Family even worthy?
Prince Mu felt that his wife had become a bit arrogant, forgetting where they had come from.
His Mu Family had also been merchants in the past.
How many years had she been Princess Consort that she had already forgotten that?
By her logic, he, Mu Songquan, would also have been unworthy of her, a landlord's daughter!
However, this wasn't the time to dwell on that; the matter of the gifts was more important.
Prince Mu turned his fire on Princess Consort Mu.
"He has issues, and you have issues too! The Jiang Family sends gifts every year, so why don't you two ever send return gifts? Is it because you think your status is higher, so you look down on others? If you look down on them, why accept their gifts? Is this how you manage the household? Without any sense of etiquette?"
Princess Consort Mu lowered her head, listening obediently to Prince Mu's lecture, but she didn't feel she had done anything wrong.
Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—merchants were at the very bottom of the social hierarchy.
For the Jiang Family to be able to marry into their Mansion was already a tremendous honor.
Wasn't it only right for them to send gifts to curry favor?
Why should she have to send return gifts?
Wouldn't that lower their status?
A merchant family—did they deserve a return gift from Prince Mu's Mansion?
Although Princess Consort Mu thought this way, she still obediently admitted her fault in front of Prince Mu and promised him that she would treat the second son's wife well in the future.
The matter of the bride swap was eventually discovered by outsiders.
The people were right there, so it couldn't be denied.
However, the explanation given by Prince Mu's Mansion was that the two couples had taken a liking to each other, and after discussing it, they had made this decision.
It was entirely voluntary on the part of the two couples; there was no misunderstanding.
The excuse was out there, and as for whether people believed it or not, that would be left to time.
There were so many dignitaries living in the capital, and new rumors emerged every day; the Mu Family's affairs would soon be forgotten by everyone.