Nightwatcher-Chapter 440: Wang Simu’s Shock

# 440. Wang Simu's Shock

Little Pea had been driven out of the main hall by Auntie and could only play alone in the courtyard, feeling a bit lonely.

Auntie gave a light cough and smiled at her nephew. “So, Ningyan, I remember you made a few dishes in the kitchen last time. They looked and tasted quite unique. Mm, I just thought, Miss Wang is the Prime Minister’s daughter, she’s used to all sorts of delicacies, so having something different now and then might be...”

“Oh, alright, I’ll go to the kitchen and teach the cook.”

Xu Qi’an was full of anticipation for the show about to unfold. Right now, no matter what Auntie asked of him, he’d agree to it.

Elsewhere, after being kicked out of the main hall, Little Pea played in the courtyard for a while. Bored, she ran off to her sister Xu Lingyue’s room.

With autumn approaching, Xu Lingyue was making autumn clothes for her beloved elder brother, using brocade bestowed by Emperor Yuanjing.

Her needlework was outstanding. The robes she made were more beautiful and refined than those bought in shops.

Li Miaozhen had brought the ghost Susu along to help. As the Holy Maiden of the Heaven Sect, she of course had no talent for needlework, but Susu, when alive, had been a well-educated noble lady.

Calligraphy, qin, painting, and embroidery, those were all expected skills.

In recent years, even Li Miaozhen’s clothing, including her undergarments, had been made with the help of Susu and her ghostly attendants.

Xu Lingyue glanced at her little sister who had climbed onto the table to grab some pastries. As she embroidered, she said softly:

“Lingyin, do you want a sister-in-law?”

“What’s a sister-in-law?” Xu Lingyin replied, munching again.

“A sister-in-law is Second Brother’s wife, the one who’ll manage the family’s money,” Xu Lingyue said gently.

Xu Lingyin gave an “Oh” and didn’t think much of it. She wasn’t yet old enough to understand the importance of controlling the family finances. Susu, on the other hand, gave a cold snort.

“Miss Lingyue, that’s quite a thing to say. Do you really think your Second Brother’s measly stipend can support the Xu family’s expenses? All those expensive flowers your mother buys cost tens of taels of silver at a time, who do you think earned that money?”

Xu Lingyue pursed her lips and gave a faint smile. “Big Brother did.”

The Xu family had risen to fortune three times. The first was when the mad spirit dragon went berserk, Xu Qi’an had saved Lin’an and was rewarded by Emperor Yuanjing. The second was when he was granted a title of nobility, which came with a large sum of silver and fertile land.

From the gains of those two events, Xu Lingyue had purchased several shops: beauty parlours, silk and satin stores, general goods stores, and more. Nominally, Auntie was managing them, but in truth, Xu Lingyue was in control.

The third windfall was the huge profit from the chicken essence workshop earlier this year, a staggering fortune, enough to make the Xu family feel as though they’d struck a mountain of gold.

If the silver hadn’t been so abundant, a frugal woman like Auntie would never have splashed money on extravagant flowers.

Of course, the family’s apparent wealth didn’t include Xu Qi’an’s private stash hidden in the Earth Book fragment:

Official silver, gold ingots, and treasures once hoarded by the Duke of Cao, enough to pile up into a small mountain of treasure.

Susu gave a couple of snorts and declared confidently, “So, if anyone’s to manage the household’s money in the future, it should be Xu Ningyan’s wife.”

A sharp glint flashed through Xu Lingyue’s eyes, and she smiled sweetly. “Then Miss Susu, of the people you know, who do you think best matches my brother?”

Susu skilfully dodged the deadly question and muttered,

“How should I know? Your brother is such a romantic, willing to spend eight thousand taels to redeem the Oiran from the Jiaofangsi…”

That hit a sore spot for Xu Lingyue.

*This girl, Xu Lingyue, suspects there’s something between Susu and her brother, what sharp intuition... and Susu’s no slouch either, striking straight at Lingyue’s heart with that eight-thousand-tael jab…* The Heaven Sect Holy Maiden sat nearby, calmly eating pastries and enjoying the drama.

In her sister’s room, Xu Lingyin ate pastries for a while, then got bored since she couldn’t understand the grown-ups’ conversation. She grabbed a measuring stick used for cutting fabric and ran outside, waving it about in the courtyard like she was a sword-wielding heroine roaming the martial world.

She played all the way to the front gate of the Xu residence, where she found the usually shut main gate wide open. Tossing aside the stick, she climbed up the tall threshold, arms stretched out, playing at balancing on it.

“Miss Lingyin, come down now, come down, there are guests arriving soon,” called Old Zhang the gatekeeper, waving at her.

Xu Lingyin stood on the threshold, trying her best to keep her balance, tilting her head as she asked, “Is it my Second Brother’s wife?”

“…” Old Zhang was at a loss for words and just waved again.

Xu Lingyin tilted her head again and tumbled off the threshold. She patted her bottom and ran off cheerfully.

…

Meanwhile, wheels clattered as Wang Simu’s luxurious carriage slowly came to a stop at the door of Xu Manor.

Her maid took out a stool from beneath the carriage to help her alight.

Wang Simu glanced at the gate and nodded slightly. Though it couldn’t compare to the imperial-granted estate of the Wang family, buying such a large residence in this prime inner city location meant the Xu family was indeed quite wealthy.

Having managed the Wang estate’s finances for years, Wang Simu estimated at a glance that this property was worth at least seven thousand taels.

Old Zhang, realising the esteemed guest had arrived, hurried forward to greet her and led Wang Simu and her personal maid into the estate.

Wang Simu took a deep breath to steady herself and stepped over the threshold…

Suddenly, her foot stepped on something. Looking down, she saw it was a measuring stick.

*A measuring stick symbolises rules. The mistress of the Xu family had thrown it at the gate, clearly meant for me, a declaration of house rules…* Wang Simu’s expression changed slightly.

She thought, _This Xu family mistress must be terribly domineering. Not easy to get along with._

The maid, seeing her pause, asked, “Miss, what is it?”

“Nothing,” Wang Simu replied calmly. “The stick just happened to fall here. Pick it up and return it.”

It might not be a warning. Perhaps it was a test. After all, her father was the Prime Minister, if she really married Erlang, it would be a step down in status. The mistress might be worried she was wilful or domineering, and threw the stick to test her.

If she were a truly arrogant and spoiled young lady, she’d be furious. But of course, she was not so shallow…

Today, she had no intention of clashing with Mistress Xu. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. Today, she came to gather intelligence.

First, she would get a read on Mistress Xu’s methods and temperament, then she could decide how best to get along in the future. As expected, this woman was every bit as shrewd as she had imagined, a true master of the game.

Old Zhang, while guiding the honoured guest inside, also sent a servant to inform Miss Lingyue.

Just as Wang Simu crossed the outer courtyard and stepped into the inner grounds, she saw Xu Lingyue coming out with a smile to greet her.

The Xu family girl wore a pale lotus-coloured dress, her hair in a simple and elegant style. Her oval face was delicately beautiful, her features striking yet with a gentle fragility that stirred protective instincts.

“Sister Wang, ever since the poetry gathering, I’ve wanted to invite you over, but never had the chance. I’m so glad we could finally make it happen today.” Xu Lingyue’s smile was pure and sweet.

“Talking about that, I’ve felt bad ever since I caused you to fall into the water at the poetry gathering,” Wang Simu replied gracefully with a warm smile.

The two girls held hands like affectionate, close sisters.

Once inside the main hall, Wang Simu finally met the legendary Xu family mistress. She was seated at the head, smiling kindly and gazing at her.

She was stunning, with a sharp, oval face and exquisitely beautiful features. At first glance, she didn’t look like Xu Lingyue’s mother at all, more like an elder sister.

Wang Simu was both surprised and not surprised by her beauty. One only had to look at Xu Lingyue and the dashing Xu Erlang to guess what kind of grace the mother might possess.

What surprised her was how well she had maintained herself, she didn’t look like a mother of three children at all.

“Lady Xu!”

Wang Simu gave a graceful bow.

This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.

“Miss Wang, no need to be so polite. Please, do sit.”

Auntie wore a modest smile and gestured for Wang Simu to take a seat.

She naturally couldn’t appear overly enthusiastic, after all, this was her future daughter-in-law, so she had to maintain a mother-in-law’s demeanour.

After Wang Simu sat down, she glanced at her personal maid with a gentle smile. “When I entered the residence earlier, I saw a ruler at the gate, so I asked the maid to pick it up.”

Once the maid placed the ruler on the table,

Auntie was taken aback. “Eh? Lingyue, isn’t this your ruler? How did it end up at the gate?”

Xu Lingyue took a closer look and sure enough, it was hers. She gave a little gasp and said, “It must’ve been Lingyin who dropped it. She was playing with my ruler earlier.”

*What a clever trick, leaving me without a word to say…* Wang Simu forced a smile. She couldn’t exactly criticise a child.

Then, she had her attendants bring out gifts. Since she was staying for a meal, she had prepared some fine pastries, along with jewellery for Auntie and Lingyue.

These weren’t ordinary pieces, they were crafted by artisans in the Imperial City who made jewellery exclusively for the imperial consorts.

Of course, Wang Simu wouldn’t mention that explicitly. That would be too crass and would make her seem like a shallow, showy woman.

She merely said they were made by craftsmen from the Imperial City. Anyone with a bit of sense in aristocratic circles would know what that implied.

“Miss Wang, how thoughtful.”

Auntie was quite pleased to receive the jewellery.

Seeing this, the Wang family’s young lady realised her little tactic wasn’t enough to impress the mistress of the Xu household.

…

Outside the hall, Xu Lingyin saw her elder brother sitting on a bench along the corridor, tilting his head as though listening intently. She scampered over, beaming, “Big bruvver, what are you doing?”

“Watching a play, no, listening to one,” Xu Qi’an said as he patted her head.

“I wanna listen too!” Xu Lingyin waved her arms enthusiastically.

Xu Qi’an picked her up and placed her on his lap.

She also mimicked him, tilting her head to listen.

*So the Wang family’s lady has this much fighting power? Hmm, well, she isn’t married in yet, being polite and reserved is understandable. But this is a bit too genteel for my taste…*

*From what I know of her, she’s someone with strong opinions and a dominant personality. No way she’d skip probing Auntie’s capabilities…*

*Why hasn’t she made a move yet? I’m waiting for her to shut Auntie down…*

…

Inside the hall, Wang Simu chatted with the Xu family’s mistress and Xu Lingyue without a single misstep.

After a period of probing, Wang Simu was surprised to find that the Xu family’s mistress wasn’t as inscrutable as she had imagined.

Wang Simu was something of a master of household intrigue, with a keen nose for her kind, but here, she sensed no kindred traits.

This woman seemed straightforward, unaffected by her testing, as though she didn’t understand manipulation at all. In fact, she was even particularly courteous to her, perhaps because of her status as the Prime Minister’s daughter, almost anxious not to offer poor hospitality.

For instance, when they spoke about cosmetics, the older woman immediately dropped all airs and chattered on like a young girl.

She even complained about not being able to understand the shop ledgers and having to rely on Xu Lingyue to manage them, openly admitting her own shortcomings.

No matter how one looked at her, she didn’t seem like someone with any remarkable cunning.

Wang Simu was deeply puzzled.

Later, Auntie suggested that Xu Lingyue take Wang Simu for a tour around the residence.

Since she still couldn’t get a read on the depth of the Xu family mistress, Wang Simu welcomed the chance to clear her head and adjust her mindset, ready to try again when the opportunity arose.

The Xu residence wasn’t as large as the Wang estate, but it still had a three-tiered courtyard layout, with gardens and ponds in both the inner and outer courtyards. Auntie was very fond of flowers.

The flowerbeds were filled with many rare and valuable plants.

As a young lady from a top-tier household, Wang Simu knew that only truly wealthy families could afford the leisure and expense of cultivating such flora.

So she revised her assessment of the Xu family’s financial strength upward.

In the courtyard, the little bean was practising her forms while Lina sat on a stone chair, gnawing on a pork knuckle and offering guidance.

“That’s my younger sister, Lingyin,” Xu Lingyue said with a smile.

*She’s only been mentioned by Erlang, and he didn’t seem keen to say much about her…* Wang Simu gave a slight nod. “Lingyin is learning martial arts?”

“Yes,” Xu Lingyue sighed.

“Only our second brother is a scholar, but he’s so busy with his studies he doesn’t have time to teach her. We tried sending her to a private school, but she was bullied, and Mother couldn’t bear it. In the end, we just let her learn martial arts.”

Wang Simu frowned. That wouldn’t do. A girl ought to be educated and well-mannered, the more cultured she was, the better chance she had of marrying into a good family.

After some thought, she said, “If you don’t mind, I can help give Lingyin some basic education.”

Xu Lingyue smiled sweetly. “Thank you, Sister Simu.”

Wang Simu returned the smile faintly. If she could become Lingyin’s first teacher, she might gain some respect from the Xu family, and show off her talents while she was at it.

Xu Lingyue added, “In this house, Mother’s biggest headache is Lingyin. She’s at her wits’ end with her.”

*So Xu Lingyin is Mistress Xu’s weak spot…* Wang Simu quickly picked out the key point.

*Still, Mistress Xu doesn’t seem quite as ‘formidable’ as I thought.* Wang Simu wore a relaxed smile.

Just then, she heard Lina scolding her pupil. “You’re so daft. You still haven’t learned a few basic sets. When will you be able to lift the stone table?”

Lift the stone table? A child that small is expected to lift a stone table?

Then she watched as Lina casually “pinched” the stone table, and lifted it up without a care.

“……”

Wang Simu forced a smile. “And that young lady is…?”

“Oh, her name is Lina. She’s from the shaman clans in the Southern Marches. She’s staying with us for now and teaching Lingyin martial arts,” said Xu Lingyue.

“A strict teacher with real skills, then,” Wang Simu remarked.

The two turned a corner and saw Xu Qi’an and Zhong Li sitting on the eaves, basking in the sun and chatting softly.

Wang Simu’s gaze shifted, and she casually probed, “I heard Silver Gong Xu lost his parents at a young age. His mother must have racked her brains and worked so hard to raise him.”

“Indeed.”

Xu Lingyue sighed. “When we were little, Father insisted on having Elder Brother learn martial arts. But Mother disagreed, she wanted him to study like Second Brother. They argued for years over it.”

*Incredible!!* Wang Simu was shocked.

All of Great Feng knew Xu Ningyan was a born scholar, even her father, Wang Zhenwen, once lamented, “If only that boy were a student…”

But because the second uncle of the Xu family insisted he train in martial arts, such a brilliant scholar was wasted.

Yet Mistress Xu had seen his potential years ago.

Xu Lingyue went on, “When he was young, Elder Brother and Mother didn’t get on. They argued often. In a fit of anger, he moved out of the house to the nearby small courtyard, and stayed there for five years. It wasn’t until we moved into the inner city that the family lived together again.”

*What?!*

*Even Xu Qi’an couldn’t stand up to the Xu family mistress?*

*Even that man, the one who scolded ministers at the Meridian Gate and beheaded two Dukes in the public square, unruly and unyielding, even he had been driven out by her as a youth?*

Only now did Wang Simu realise: everything before had been an act. That straightforwardness, that supposed lack of guile, it had all been deliberately put on by the Xu family mistress for her to see.

Wang Simu’s breathing hitched sharply, her expression turning solemn for the first time.