Unparalleled Beauty

Chapter C004

Cao shi's words were like opening a floodgate of bitterness, a torrent of grievances pouring out. Even Mei Wuxia, who prided herself on her intelligence, couldn't help but feel her eyelids twitch and her scalp tingle.

"Mother, don't buy the fan if you don't want it. Just talk to Father properly. As for our family's title... there will be a way."

Seeing her daughter trying to comfort her, Cao shi felt even more heartbroken.

She leaned against Mei Wuxia's shoulder and wept, "It's not that I'm truly angry with your father. I know he's troubled, but who knows my troubles? It's just that these two things happened at once, and I said a few extra words. Who knew he would turn on me like that? I'm truly chilled to the bone."

Mei Wuxia sighed and gently persuaded, "Father was probably just angry for a moment. He'll come to apologize to you in a couple of days. Don't be angry with him. You two should talk things over properly. Otherwise, if Grandmother finds out about this..."

Mei Wuxia didn't finish her sentence, but Cao shi understood the gravity of the situation.

Though she held the title of Marchioness, the true head of the household was her mother-in-law, Old Madam Mei.

At this point, Cao shi had already made up her mind. No matter how much they argued, they had to stop. If they took it to her mother-in-law, she would be the one to suffer the consequences.

With her mind settled, she turned her attention to her daughter.

"You went to Third Miss's room again?"

Mei Wuxia nodded.

Cao shi pondered for a moment, then said, "This must succeed. If it does, our family will have a princess consort. We won't have to worry about whether our title will be passed down anymore..."

Hearing Cao shi mention this, Mei Wuxia subtly signaled with her eyes.

Without her needing to say anything, Chunyan, Cao shi's senior maid, dismissed the other maids, leaving only her and Mei Wuxia's maid, Hupo, to attend to them.

"An outsider marrying into the royal family always brings benefits to her family. If His Majesty is pleased, he might even change our family's title from a diminishing title to a permanent one. Your brother and Cheng'er won't have to worry about their future anymore."

Cao shi grew increasingly excited, her face betraying a hint of joy. But seeing her daughter's slightly furrowed brow, she quickly changed her expression, taking her daughter's hand and saying with tenderness, "It's just that I feel sorry for you. Prince Wei's status may be noble, but he..."

...had a bad reputation. He was known for his unpredictable temper and violent nature. And then there were the two princess consorts who died in Prince Wei's mansion...

Initially, no one in the Marquis Changyang's mansion had considered this. It was only after Mei Wuxia proposed that if she took Wushuang's place as Prince Wei's princess consort, perhaps the family's predicament could be resolved.

Cao shi and her mother-in-law, Old Madam Mei, thought about it. It was true. If others had it, why not them? Third Miss wasn't even their own daughter. How could she be qualified to be a princess consort?

This led to the subsequent events of Mei Wushuang learning about Prince Wei's imminent return to the capital and the rumors spreading throughout the mansion.

It made sense. After all, this was a Marquis's mansion. How could the servants be so disrespectful as to gossip about a prince? Someone must have instigated it.

It was just that if this really happened, it would be a great sacrifice for the eldest daughter. She would be sacrificing so much for the family.

Mei Wuxia naturally saw through her mother's thoughts, but she said nothing, allowing Cao shi to hold her hand and express her guilt.

From Mei Wuxia's perspective, Prince Wei's reputation was indeed frightening, but some of the stories might not be true.

Having been born into a noble family, she knew that the more prestigious the household, the dirtier the infighting. Who could say for sure whether Prince Wei was truly violent or if his reputation had been maliciously tarnished?

After all, she had seen countless instances of people ruining others' reputations out of fear.

Moreover, Mei Wuxia was also aware of her own family's situation. The Marquis Changyang's mansion appeared prosperous on the surface, a noble family, but the noble titles in Great Liang were divided into different categories, including hereditary titles and diminishing titles.

As the name suggests, hereditary titles were passed down from generation to generation without interruption, while diminishing titles could only be passed down for one or two generations at most.

Hereditary titles were rare, usually bestowed upon founding heroes. Most titles granted later were diminishing titles. The Marquis Changyang title was a diminishing title.

The Marquis Changyang title was only meant to be passed down for three generations. It should have ended with the old Marquis. But after Mei Zhan died in battle, the old Marquis couldn't bear the grief and passed away shortly after. The current Emperor, out of respect for the past, granted the Marquis Changyang's mansion one more generation.

In other words, this generation of Marquis Changyang, Mei Zong, was nearing its end. Whether it could be passed down further depended on whether Mei Zong and his descendants have made contributions to the court.

Having grown accustomed to a life of luxury and fine dining, who would willingly embrace hardship?

Don't be fooled by Cao shi's complaints about Mei Zong being a deadbeat who lived off the government's grain allowance. A marquis received 4,000 shi* of grain annually, which translated to several thousand taels of silver. Moreover, with his title came accompanying land grants, and the annual yield from these lands was substantial.

TN: a measure of volume for grain (1 shi of milled rice weighed approximately 175–195 pounds)

This combined sum of silver far exceeded the annual salaries of high-ranking officials by several times. In essence, as long as the title remained, the Mei family could secure their livelihood for generations to come.

Therefore, in the capital, any family with a title cling to it with all their might, desperate to preserve it.

Hereditary titles were rare, while those granted for merit were more common. The sword hanging over the heads of these noble families was the constant threat of their title being ended.

Among these nobles, there were different levels based on the age of their titles. The lowest rung was occupied by families holding the last generation of a title. While they still maintained the outward appearance of nobility, they were not truly considered part of the inner circle.

Among these last-generation noble families, those without outstanding descendants were considered the lowest of the low.

Imagine, their title was about to be revoked, and their descendants were all good-for-nothings. It meant the family is about to be stripped of their noble status and return to their original state.

The Marquis Changyang's household was precisely this type, which explained why Cao shi made those complaints earlier, blaming her husband for not being concerned about the family's future.

For families like the Marquis Changyang's, the biggest challenge they face was not the impending end of their title, after all, wasn't this generation still holding onto it? Given Mei Zong's current age, with proper care, he could maintain the title for another twenty years.

Their greatest challenge, however, lay in the marriage of their children.

Consider this, noble families typically seek alliances with other high-ranking families. But with your family in such a state, no noble family would be willing to become your kin.

Mei Wuxia's elder brother, Mei Ying, married the daughter of a poor imperial censor.

And Mei Wuxia, seventeen years old, remained unmarried.

Most women her age were already married, some even mothers. Mei Wuxia's unwed status was a testament to her unwillingness to settle.

She refused to simply marry a concubine-born son from a noble family, or the legitimate son of a minor official, or someone from a so-called wealthy and prosperous family.

She knew that if she didn't find a solution, her fate would be to choose from one of these three options, and that was her "great future."

So, while it appeared that Mei Wuxia was sacrificing herself for the family by marrying Mei Wushuang to Prince Wei, in reality, she understood that this was her only chance.

It was her greatest opportunity.

If this failed, she would be swallowed by the mundane world, lost in the crowd. If it succeed, her circumstances would change forever, and she would become a high-ranking princess consort.

Therefore, this must succeed, no matter what!

***

A flurry of thoughts raced through Mei Wuxia's mind, creating a sense of urgency. She even felt she shouldn't have left Mei Wushuang's residence so quickly, that she should have done something more.

With this thought, she instructed Hupo, "Send Third Miss a copy of the newly published 'Yacheng Poetry Collection.'"

"But…"

Hupo looked hesitant, glancing at her mistress and then at Cao shi.

This "Yacheng Poetry Collection" was not just any book. It contained the poems and lyrics written by Zhao Jianzhi over the years, compiled and printed by someone with a keen eye.

As it had been privately printed, the book was extremely rare. It was specifically marketed to noble ladies in the capital, using high-quality paper and ink. It was more of a collectible than a book, costing fifty taels of silver for a set.

The monthly allowance for the young ladies in the household was only fifteen taels, and this book cost fifty. Mei Wuxia came to Cao shi hoping to get money to buy the book, but she ended up being pulled aside by her mother for a long complaint session. Now, she finally remembered about the book.

Cao shi knew her daughter didn't have much money. This time, she didn't dismiss her daughter's request, but immediately instructed Chunyan to fetch the key and open the chest to retrieve the silver.

Chunyan hesitated, ultimately saying nothing. She took the silver and handed it to Hupo.

All this entanglement, though seemingly insignificant, was clearly observed by Mei Wuxia. She pondered for a moment, then said, "It's almost the fifth month. Every year, they send the silver around this time. Hasn't it arrived yet this year?"

At the mention of this, Cao shi's face immediately turned sour.

"I heard she's ill."

"Ill?"

Cao shi nodded and said, "Her health has been poor these past few years. She's been ill more often than not. This time, it's said her illness worsened from the second month. I asked your grandmother the other day, and she scolded me, saying I was rushing around like a beggar, as if I were begging for alms. But you see, the agreement to send silver every year was made from the start. It's not like we're the ones who approached them."

Cao shi was full of complaints.

Mei Wuxia, however, knew her grandmother well. She understood that her grandmother was concerned about appearances and thus scolded her mother. But her grandmother wouldn't have scolded her mother for no reason. There must be something else she didn't know.

Just as Mei Wuxia was thinking this, a young maid came to report that Liuzhu, the senior maid from her grandmother's courtyard, had arrived.

Liuzhu was the senior maid in her grandmother's service, her status far from ordinary. Cao shi hurriedly had her ushered in.

"Old Madam requests the presence of Madam and Eldest Miss."

Mei Wuxia and Liuzhu were somewhat acquainted. Noticing the unease on Liuzhu's face, she couldn't help but ask, "Has something happened?"

Liuzhu hesitated, but knowing that Eldest Miss was favored by Old Madam, and that she would find out anyway, she decided to be helpful and said, "It seems Great Aunt is failing."

Upon hearing this, Mei Wuxia shuddered, exchanging a look with Cao shi.

In that brief exchange, she saw a flicker of hidden joy beneath her mother's anxiety. At that moment, she finally understood why her grandmother had scolded her mother, finding her frantic demeanor unbecoming.

If that woman truly passed, then the household would no longer have to worry about a shortage of silver.

Meanwhile, this news also reached Wushuang. However, the order she received was not to go to Old Madam's courtyard, but to prepare herself to visit Great Aunt.