Chapter 761 – Has the Lady Returned? (Part Three)
Although there was some initial friction, the conversation turned out to be quite pleasant.
Mrs. Qi noticed that the sky outside was getting a bit dim and laughed, “I’ve been chatting so happily with the governor that I’ve lost track of time! If I don’t leave now, it might delay the governor’s important business. If you’re free, I shall take my leave.”
“Please do, Lady. With the city’s security being unstable, if something goes awry on your way, I wouldn’t be able to explain it to Bo Gao.”
Jiang Pengji arranged for someone to escort Mrs. Qi back.
“That Huang Bo Gao fellow is quite lucky to have married such a good wife.”
Hui Jun received the gift and was initially pleased, but upon learning that it was sent by Huang Song’s wife, her mood soured.
“A good wife? I don’t see it. If it weren’t for the Young Master’s generosity not to bicker with this vulgar woman, she would have brought trouble to Huang the Governor!” Hui Jun frowned, “She claims she’s here to thank the Young Master for saving her husband, but her actions don’t match. Who comes to express gratitude fully armed? Those maidservants looked like they were trained, perfectly capable of handling one or two big men.”
Jiang Pengji couldn’t help but laugh, reaching out to poke Hui Jun’s tightly furrowed brow.
Seeing her yelp and cover her forehead, Jiang Pengji said, “So, you think Huang Song’s wife lacks courage?”
“Not reckless, but not worthy of the Young Master’s praise.”
Hui Jun’s frown deepened at the thought of those expensive gifts.
The Young Master was different from ordinary women and even more exceptional than ordinary men; why should he bother with cosmetics?
“I can see you’re quite jealous,” Jiang Pengji said with a helpless smile, shaking her head. “As for the rouge and powder she sent, it depends on how others interpret it. Don’t forget, it’s currently fashionable for men to wear powder too; it’s not just for women. Strictly speaking, she made no mistake with her gifts; the error lies in the fact that your Young Master is female, rather than male, which has caused this stir.”
Hui Jun huffed lightly, feeling aggrieved. “Is she sure that the Young Master wouldn’t retaliate?”
“And why not?” Jiang Pengji replied, “If I insisted on viewing her gift of cosmetics as an insult, wouldn’t that imply I care about her identity as a woman too? Why else would I be so angry? Moreover, in this day and age, even men exchanging cosmetics is considered elegant. If I were to get angry, it would only make a joke of myself outside…”
Handling it this way was indeed for the best.
“I still don’t like her,” Hui Jun said, upset.
“She is Huang Song’s wife; of course, she will support him,” Jiang Pengji chuckled. “You’re my kin, naturally, you would support me as well. Come on—let’s see what treasures Mrs. Qi has brought. If they’re not good, I’ll have Huang Song compensate me later.”
News of this quickly reached Feng Zhen and Yang Si.
“A guest with weapons? Who exactly is Mrs. Qi to be so bold?”
Feng Zhen frowned but relaxed secretly upon hearing how well the Young Master had handled the situation and started to pay attention to the gossip.
Yang Si pondered for a moment and said, “With the surname Qi, could she be from that Qi family that produced two Grand Commanders in the past?”
Grand Commanders were in charge of military matters, with a salary of ten thousand stones and distinguished titles.
The Qi family was a martial household, having produced two Grand Commanders during the Great Xia Dynasty.
Towards the end of the Great Xia, the Qi family got involved in a succession struggle; one wrong move led to their defeat, resulting in the entire clan being purged by the new emperor.
The Qi family decisively chose to cut ties to save themselves; though severely weakened, they managed to preserve their lineage.
However, it was said that the Qi family had become thin in numbers in these two generations, making their succession difficult.
Feng Zhen chuckled, “Who knows? If it really is a Qi woman, this wouldn’t be surprising.”
Yang Si lit the oil lamps in the hall and added two more to his table, to avoid straining his eyes with documents.
“Huang Song sure is lucky…” Yang Si brought forth a bamboo scroll, “What a pity, our Lord can’t take that shortcut.”
While others can enhance their strength through marriage, their Lord was already a woman, and to pull that off, she’d have to allow someone to enter her family—a very formal decision. Would a decent family even consider it? Even regular families wouldn’t easily let someone in unless they were starving. Although the Young Master had done well, being a woman still presented a drawback, so she needed to excel to smooth over the injustice.
Justice had never been a favor from outsiders; one could only strive for it themselves.
Feng Zhen stroked his nascent beard with a sigh.
“She doesn’t need it.”
Relying on Liu Zhi, she was able to rise from nothing to where she was now, restored to her rightful status and ruling Wanzhou. Was it really more difficult than before?
Meanwhile, Huang Song happened to learn about the gifts his wife had prepared for Jiang Pengji, and he nearly fainted.
“Rouge… powder… fabric and jewelry?”
Huang Song contained himself, barely holding back the impulse to lift her by the collar.
“Is this your wife’s idea, or was it you scheming servants behind her back?”
What servant dared say they were the ones plotting?
The entire back courtyard was Mrs. Qi’s domain; not just Huang Song, but all other servants were too terrified to utter a word.
“It… it was Madam’s decision.”
Huang Song deflated like a balloon, feeling utterly limp.
“Get out, all of you.” Just as he was about to dismiss them, he thought of something and called them back, “How long has Madam been gone?”
“About two hours.”
Two hours?
Huang Song glanced at the nearly darkening sky, his face suddenly clouding over.
“She still hasn’t returned?”
The servant answered, “Not yet.”
Huang Song grew anxious, saying, “Prepare the horses immediately.”
He had confidence in Jiang Pengji; she was broad-minded and had confidence in his wife too, although her temperament was a touch fiery, but she wouldn’t go overboard… Still, if the two of them were to cross paths, Huang Song felt he would have no confidence whatsoever.
As soon as the groom brought over the horses, Huang Song hadn’t even mounted yet when Mrs. Qi’s carriage rolled leisurely to a stop in front.
“Madam, are you all right?” Huang Song rushed to meet her.
“What could happen to me? That Liu Xi isn’t a wolf or tiger; he’s not going to eat me.”
Mrs. Qi shot him a glare laced with youthful sharpness.
“I…” I am worried you might harm each other, Huang Song swallowed his words and said, “Isn’t it a worry for Madam? I heard that you sent a pile of rouge and powder to Lan Ting; I nearly broke into a sweat.”
Mrs. Qi rolled her eyes at Huang Song, “I’m not sending her menstrual supplies; just some fine rouge and powder that both genders can use without offense. Accepting it gracefully not only preserves dignity for both sides, but will also become a delightful tale. If outsiders know about it, they would only say that I am a petty woman, but praise her for being broad-minded. If she fusses over even this, you can see her true character.”
A petty woman, regardless of her starting point, would find her future development extremely difficult.
As long as Jiang Pengji didn’t do something foolish, she would definitely take the right steps.
Huang Song was rendered speechless.
For some reason, he felt his wife was quite fiery today.
