Madam Yu wasn't exaggerating when she said marrying into the Wei family was reaching above their station. The other sons in the Yu family had also married people from martial families. The man Yiying was engaged to, Kai, also came from a family that ran an escort agency.
That made their match well-matched in status, but the Wei family was different. The Wei family had been a scholarly household for hundreds of years. Every generation had someone pass the imperial exams and become an official.
Some even rose to the rank of top ministers. Although in recent years, they hadn't produced any great talents, their heritage still held weight. Everyone who mentioned the Wei family did so with respect and admiration.
So it was surprising that they had formed a marriage alliance with a martial arts family like the Yu family. There was a story behind the engagement between the two families. Back when Madam Yu and Priland were traveling, they came across Ruwena's parents being robbed on the road after carelessly showing their wealth.
Priland easily saved them, and the four of them continued traveling together, getting along very well. At that time, both Madam Yu and Ruwena's mother were pregnant. They jokingly agreed that if one had a boy and the other a girl, their children would marry.
They kept in touch through letters after returning home. Later, Madam Yu gave birth to Jax, and Ruwena's mother had a daughter. So the engagement was set.
The Yu family lived in Feng City, and the Wei family was in Ningshui. The two places weren't far apart, a day's ride by horse. After the engagement, both families would often visit each other with their children.
But after Ruwena turned eight, she never visited the Yu family again. The Wei family valued education deeply. Ruwena was born bright, far better than her two older brothers, and her family had high hopes for her success in the imperial exams.
The Yu children also studied but only learned basic literacy. They were nowhere near the same level as the Wei family. Ruwena was a bit proud and never really played with Jax and the others.
After starting her studies, she claimed visiting the Yu family would interfere with her learning and stopped going. Later, when Jax went away to train, the connection between the two families grew weaker. Except for sending gifts during the four seasons, most of the visits were from the Yu family to the Wei family.
Whenever the Weiwu Escort Agency passed through Ningshui, they would usually send someone with a gift to the Wei family. Ruwena was doing well for herself. At twelve, she passed the entry-level exam.
At fifteen, she earned top marks in the prefecture exam and became a recommended candidate. She gained fame at a young age. She originally planned to go to the capital at eighteen to take the national exams and bring honor to her family.
But her mother passed away. According to current laws, one must mourn their birth mother for three years, technically twenty-seven months. For the father, it's one year or nine months in practice.
Jax and Ruwena were the same age. When they turned eighteen, the Yu family privately asked the Wei family when the wedding could happen. The Wei family replied that they would choose a good day once Ruwena returned from the exams.
But then her mother passed, so the wedding had to be delayed until the mourning period ended. Now that it had ended, there was still no word about the marriage. Madam Yu wanted to send someone to ask again but worried it would make Jax look desperate.
She also thought that the spring exams were approaching, and Ruwena probably planned to take part. Maybe she wanted to wait until after the exams to marry. But even then, they should've said something.
Still, since Ruwena's mother died, her father's health had declined every year. Without someone steady to handle these matters, it was understandable. Thinking this way helped Madam Yu feel less anxious.
But Yiying had never liked Ruwena. She remembered when they were young, before her older brothers got married. They would take her to train and play, while Ruwena always stood off to the side with a disgusted look.
Whenever there was something tasty or fun, it all had to be given to Ruwena. That was annoying enough, but what really made Yiying decide against letting Jax marry into the Wei family happened when she was thirteen.
It was right after Ruwena's mother passed. Madam Yu and Priland were shocked when they heard about the death. Ruwena's mother had been younger than them, not yet forty.
Though her health was always poor, her sudden death came too fast. Madam Yu and Priland went to the funeral and brought Yiying along, thinking she needed more experience since she would one day take over the Weiwu Escort Agency.
Ruwena's father was devastated and bedridden. Most of the secondary husbands didn't know how to handle household affairs. The servants each had their own agenda, thinking only of how to benefit themselves.
The funeral was a mess. Guests couldn't even get a cup of tea. Ruwena knelt in front of the altar with her three younger brothers, crying bitterly.
Madam Yu and Priland immediately took out money to get things sorted. The couple were both kind and worked hard to help with the arrangements. Priland even visited Ruwena's father to check on him.
When the funeral finally ended, they were completely exhausted and decided to rest a few days before returning. The house was too chaotic, so they took Yiying to stay at an inn. Yiying got bored at the inn and went out exploring alone.
By noon, she was tired and went to the best restaurant in Ningshui, Shuiyuntian, for a meal. Shuiyuntian was built by the water. From its upper floor, you could see the lake blending with the sky and clouds, which is how it got its name, "Shuiyuntian blends with the sky."
Yiying was generous. She picked the best window seat to enjoy the view while eating. As someone who trained in martial arts, her senses were sharp.
She overheard a conversation from the next table without meaning to. "Looks like Sister Ruwena won't be going to the capital to take the exam with us. What a shame," said a male voice.
Yiying turned to look. There were two men and two women, all dressed like students from the same academy as Ruwena, something like White Deer Academy.
The one who spoke was the older of the two men. "There's nothing to feel sorry for. Enzo is only eighteen. If he prepares well for three more years, he might even come out on top," said the younger boy, who looked about fifteen or sixteen.
Yiying noticed he was quite good-looking and glanced at him a few more times. Enzo was Ruwena's courtesy name. Only close people would call her that, so this boy must be close to her, she thought.
The junior brother is right, the man who spoke earlier said with a smile. "Being first is fine, but this way, Enzo can't get married either," a woman among them said, laughing. The young man frowned.
"That's right," another woman laughed too. "Enzo's fiancé is actually quite decent and suits her well. It's just a pity."
"Pity what?" asked an older man. "Pity that he's a vagabond. How can someone like that be worthy of the Wei family's century-old reputation?" the young man said angrily. Yiying couldn't help clenching her fists.
"A vagabond?" the older man asked in surprise. "Junior sister Ruwena's fiancé is a vagabond? I only heard she got engaged early and assumed it was to someone from a good family. How come..."
"You wouldn't know, Brother Guan. You joined our academy later. You don't know how much Enzo has suffered," the woman sighed. So the woman vividly retold the events of that year. What had originally been a mutual engagement between two families was now told as the Yu family forcing the engagement out of gratitude for saving a life, and she kept belittling the Yu family throughout.
Yiying was seething with rage and wanted to rush up to beat her up, but then she heard the man say, "It really is unfair to Junior Sister Ruwena. With her talents, she'll definitely enter the court in the future. If her husband is just a vagabond, he won't be any help at all."
"Exactly," another woman added. "I heard Enzo wants to break off the engagement, but her parents insist on repaying the life-saving debt and won't agree to it." Brother Guan sighed, "They keep their word. That's the Wei family for you."
"Uncle and Aunt are just too confused," the young man said. "Back then, if they wanted to thank him, they could have given him the position of a secondary husband. But now he's taken the main position. In the future, Enzo might not find a good husband."
Brother Guan nodded at that. "With a main husband from such a background, it would be hard to find a man from a better family to be a secondary husband. Who would want to humiliate themselves like that?"
A woman sighed. "Now that Aunt Wei is gone, and since Enzo has always been filial, she'll surely marry that man in the end. She'll be stuck with that brute for the rest of her life. Truly pitiful."
The young man bit his lip and said nothing. They started talking about other things. Yiying heard them say the young man's father worked in education and the rest had titles already.
After struggling for a while, she gave up the idea of beating them up. Ordinary people shouldn't go against officials. Their escort agency always tried to maintain good relations with government officers, hoping to build connections.
No matter how angry she was, Yiying had been taught to prioritize the agency's well-being and didn't want to bring trouble to it just because she lost her temper. But as soon as Yiying returned to the inn, she told her parents everything she heard without leaving out a single detail.
Madam Yu and Priland didn't look too pleased either, though not as furious as Yiying. The next day, they began their journey back. Later, the Yu family considered that Jax would marry into the Wei family, so they specifically set up a branch of the escort agency in Ningshui City so he would have something to manage in the future.
This was also because they saw how tight the Wei family's finances were. The main members of the Wei family were all scholars with academic titles. The court gave them some stipends each month, but because they had no official positions, they didn't get much extra money.
Still, they owned two shops with decent business. If they lived frugally, they could still get by. But the Wei family had a prestigious reputation, and their household still followed the old ways.
Their clothing and daily expenses followed past standards. The ancestral home was huge and needed many hands to manage. The masters also had the usual quirks of scholars.
When they saw a painting or antique they liked, they often bought it without thinking. They also had frequent social visits with friends and relatives, which cost a lot. Gradually, the Wei family's income couldn't cover its expenses.
The Yu family had always been generous with gifts. Later, they would often use the excuse of visiting Father Wei to bring along some silver, hoping it would help him recover. After Mother Wei passed, Father Wei remained bedridden year-round.
Yiying was more cautious. She instructed those staying at the Ningshui escort branch to keep an eye on Ruwena and report back regularly. Every time news came about her, Yiying disliked her even more and felt she wasn't good enough for her fifth brother.
"If he married her... hmph. That must not happen."
Minnie explored Feng City from end to end with Yiying and Kai accompanying her. She thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of being a powerful woman and found life very pleasant. She thought being a woman here was quite nice.
There weren't many restrictions between men and women. The customs were open and free. Because women held high status and men had to work hard outside, though there were expectations for male purity, there were no strict rules like "men and women shouldn't sit together."
Men worked hard to earn money or titles to increase their value so they could marry a woman they liked. Women couldn't just be freeloaders either. If they wanted to find a good man, they needed to have something to attract him.
Naturally, in any era, there were always people who relied on family background. With a strong enough background, even if you were illiterate, you could still marry a scholarly man.
The only thing Minnie minded was Jax's father, Priland. She felt he didn't like her much. Her instincts were sometimes sharp.
For example, she knew from the start that Jax could be relied on, and she was right. Sometimes she felt Priland was watching her, but when she looked over, he seemed fine, already looking elsewhere.
But she could still feel his stern and distant gaze. After this happened a few times, she couldn't help asking Yiying. Yiying was surprised. "Minnie-jie, why would you say that? My dad, how could he not like you? Haha... you must be overthinking it."
"Sometimes I feel like he's glaring at me," Minnie said with a bit of concern. "Is it because I've been living and eating at your place for free?"
"Minnie-jie, what do you mean? Do you think our Yu family is that petty?" Yiying was a little upset. "No, no. On our first day here, Sanruwi gave a gift when we met. I didn't prepare anything. I felt it was rude to show up empty-handed, even a few fruits would've been better."
"Hmm, Yiying, let's go buy some gifts today. What do your elders like?" Minnie asked. "You mean gifts for my mom and dad?" Yiying's eyes widened. "Yes!" Minnie nodded and smiled.
"I still have some money, and a few pieces of jewelry I don't use. I can sell them. If you like anything, I'll give it to you too." Yiying grinned. "You should keep your jewelry. We women can never have too much. Come on, let's go buy gifts now. Don't worry, it won't cost much to please my parents."
Yiying always followed through. She took Minnie to buy gifts for the elders and called Kai along to help carry the stuff. They bought a few boxes of Wenxianglou pastries for Madam Yu, a pair of soft black boots and a jar of ten-year Shaodaozi for Priland, a block of Huizhou ink and two brushes for Nicolas.
A new outfit for Vincent, and just a folding fan for a secondary husband who hadn't returned yet. All together it cost less than five taels of silver. "Isn't this too plain?" Minnie worried her gifts would get her thrown out.
"Relax. You've got me helping you. They'll love it," Yiying patted her chest confidently. On the way, they passed a tea shop. Minnie thought for a moment and asked for five taels of Biluochun.
"What do you need tea for? No one in my family drinks tea," Yiying asked. "Bai laoshi likes Biluochun," Minnie explained. "Oh, it's for Sanruwi?" "Since you got something for him, you should get something for my fifth brother too."
That made sense. Ever since she came to this world, she had relied on Jax's help. Otherwise, she might be surviving in some alley by now. Minnie nodded. "What does your fifth brother like?"
"Fifth brother..." Yiying laughed. "He'll like whatever you give him." "Oh, he doesn't have a tassel on his sword. You can give him one." "That's too cheap."
"It's fine, it's the thought that counts." A sword tassel may not be expensive, but it's something he'd keep close. That makes it meaningful. Yiying thought she was quite the genius.
Yiying really was a reliable strategist. Madam Yu's eyes lit up when she saw the pastries. "Oh, Wenxianglou has a new flavor. Come, Minnie, let's try it together."
Priland's expression softened a bit when he received his gift. Minnie's anxious heart finally relaxed. Nicolas smiled. "I just ran out of ink. You're very thoughtful, Miss Minnie. I also really like these brushes."
"As long as it's useful to you," Minnie said, feeling pleased. Vincent was thrilled when he got the new clothes. He held them up to himself and then said a little shyly, "I've always wanted something in this color, but thought I was too old..."
"You're not. Really, you're not. This suits you well." Minnie meant it. Vincent was just in his early thirties and looked quite handsome.
In modern times, he could totally be a playboy. Wearing something colorful wasn't a problem. Shuran made tea, poured a cup each for Minnie and Sanruwi, and watched Minnie frown and scratch her head while playing a game with Sanruwi.
She thought Miss Minnie really needed to fix her hair. There was no way she could ask Piya from Miss Yu's room to help. She herself wasn't good at it.
Yno couldn't do it either. "What a headache." But she had remembered her words. Seeing there was no good tea in the Yu household, she bought Biluochun for the young master.
"Hopefully, better days are coming." Jax was slightly surprised when he got the sword tassel. "You don't like it?" Minnie quickly asked.
"No. Um, does it fit on your sword?" Jax smiled. "Of course it does."
He tied it on and spun his sword a few times with a smile. "Perfect fit." "As long as you like it." Minnie felt a bit happy inside.