After returning from the sister-in-law's house of the Jiang family, she cried for a long time. The sister-in-law would rather choose some unknown daughter from the Wu family than Ziyi. Wouldn't she prepare a generous dowry for Ziyi?
Marrying within the family was clearly the best possible arrangement.
But she knew she could only cry like this; even if her husband echoed her complaints for a few words, nothing would change. The sister-in-law's heart was made of stone, always unyielding. She would never compromise for the sake of her natal family.
These words could only be spoken to her own mother back at her maiden home.
Seeing her daughter crying so bitterly, as if venting years of pent-up frustration, Madam Zhang had no choice but to console her: "Your brother-in-law is about to leave for Bingzhou. Who knows, he might be promoted immediately upon his return. Their family has already reached such a status; how could it be easy for ordinary people to climb so high?"
"You can't put it that way. We are, after all, relatives," Zhang Pingjun muttered.
Madam Zhang shook her head: "That's not the right way to think. Precisely because you are relatives, your brother-in-law can now serve as a senior official of the fifth rank. That's no small feat. Don't be willful."
Zhang Pingjun was of course aware of this reality, and it was precisely why she often felt stifled.
"To tell the truth, sister is just two-faced. Back then, the Wei family's status was considerably higher than the Jiangs'. How come the sister-in-law spared no effort to marry her daughter into that family, yet when it comes to her own niece, she's suddenly afraid of others gaining an advantage?" said Zhang Pingjun.
Madam Zhang lowered her eyes: "But what can be done about it?"
Zhang Pingjun dried her tears with a handkerchief and said blankly, "Yes, what can be done? Must my daughter remain beneath others her whole life? When I married Wei Yang, I thought I would be different from others from then on."
"You are indeed different. You are a Lady of the fifth rank, with sons and daughters, a husband who is honest and diligent, and parents-in-law who often live separately. What more could you be dissatisfied with?" Madam Zhang could only try to point out the positives.
Zhang Pingjun was born into a declining official family; her father already held a hereditary post. Therefore, they chose a poor scholar for her. This scholar did have decent family connections, at least his brother-in-law was a Jinshi graduate and the family was well-off. The initial thought was that the Jiang family would surely offer some support. She didn't even care much about the betrothal gifts sent by the Wei family.
It was only after marriage that she realized this match was merely Sister-in-law Jiang's way of offloading her burdensome younger brother.
After her husband took up a provincial post, they went with his parents. Originally, it was to serve them—partly for companionship on the journey, and partly because she felt that since she had married in, it wasn't proper for her in-laws to continue living with the sister-in-law.
Little did she know this was the beginning of a disaster.
Her mother-in-law often spoke loudly, spittle flying everywhere. Her father-in-law acted quite ridiculously, his mouth working faster than his brain. At first, they could maintain composure during meals, but later they became completely unrestrained.
The mother-in-law liked to prop one leg up on a chair. No matter how many times he was told, the father-in-law still wouldn't spit fish bones into the designated small dish, leaving the table filthy.
These were minor issues, but the more trivial they were, the more they angered her.
Then there was her husband. Initially, there was some passion between them, but after the honeymoon period, she discovered many problems. Her husband seemed mild-tempered and honest, but in reality, his social skills were very ordinary, not even comparable to her own father's. Moreover, he was passive in everything.
Even on matters of great importance, if she didn't remind him, he would completely neglect them.
Fortunately, his administrative performance was quite good, and he had connections above, so he could still get promoted.
But she wasn't very happy, because she dreaded the thought of having to continue being reverently obedient to her in-laws after returning, yet there was no way out.
Thankfully, the sister-in-law took her in-laws to live with her. Both she and her in-laws felt relieved when they left her home. Yet, she worried others would point fingers and accuse her of being unfilial.
So, she often had to invite her in-laws back.
She knew she invited them only for fear of gossip. Her in-laws came for fear of people saying their son was unfilial. They all knew this, so they maintained appearances for each other's sake.
Each time, after just a few days, her in-laws would find excuses to go live at the estate or at the sister-in-law's house.
She felt regretful, yet also relieved.
This inner conflict constantly plagued her, leading to a growing imbalance in her feelings towards the Jiang family, long since different from before.
A few years ago, upon hearing the news of her aunt's death, she was greatly shocked. Her aunt had accompanied her uncle through his demotion, enduring immense hardship all the way. Yet, after her uncle returned home, not only did he favor Concubine Guo the most, he even abandoned his career prospects.
Her aunt died of anger.
Her father had been closest to this aunt. Now, he only said to her: "You mustn't learn from your aunt. She was too stubborn, thinking that because she accompanied someone through hardship, they would value that favor. She wanted everyone to act according to her wishes, and couldn't bear it when things didn't go her way immediately."
After returning home, Zhang Pingjun, for some reason, thought of her aunt and suddenly realized: wasn't she just like her aunt? She would get angry and upset whenever others failed to meet her expectations.
No, she couldn't be like this.
In truth, compared to her younger sister who married into an official family as a concubine and now merely lived off farmland, she was already a Lady of rank, better off than many.
After adjusting her mindset, she still needed to arrange a marriage for her daughter.
For this match, she did not seek help from the sister-in-law. She owed that family too much; her own family would always be inferior.
After Dingge'er got married, everyone praised the sister-in-law for finding such a good daughter-in-law, even more filial than the elder one. The sister-in-law, however, was indifferent: "Don't say such things. Both daughters-in-law live with their husbands, not with me."
She truly lived by these words. The elder daughter-in-law lived in another part of the compound, the younger one in a side courtyard of the garden. She didn't demand much from her daughters-in-law, but she controlled the family finances, and her husband held the position of Chief Councillor. No one dared offend the couple.
But her envy was useless. Even ten years later, when Jiang Xian finally retired, her eldest nephew Jiang Ning had already entered the Grand Secretariat, also serving as Commissioner of Finance, holding a high and powerful position.
Zhang Pingjun also let go of her obsession. She overheard people saying: "This Jiang Ning truly is Jiang Xian's son. Father and son both served as chief ministers; a famous minister's son also becomes a famous minister."
"Yes, and it's remarkable that Chief Councillor Jiang served with such integrity, leaving his post cleanly upon retirement. I hear he has now retired to Luoyang. The Emperor, mindful of him, often sends envoys to inquire after his health. Even the Empress personally hung a portrait of Madam Jiang in her bedchamber. Such exceptional honor!"
...
Returning home, Zhang Pingjun saw her husband doing woodwork in the courtyard. She heard the sister-in-law had asked him to make something called a "wheeled chair" to push elderly people around. He was diligently working on it. In that moment, she began to appreciate her husband's skillful hands.
In the past, she had lived too exhaustingly!
