Chapter 24: Baochai as a Concubine

A subtle, ominous foreboding crept over Aunt Xue. She sensed that Jiang Nian might indeed demand a reward concerning Xue Baochai. At the same time, she felt that this young Master Jiang was truly overbearing. He had rendered the Xue family a monumental service that day, and while she had intended to offer a generous financial reward, Jiang Nian had preemptively insisted on a different form of compensation.

What could Aunt Xue do? She could only respond with awkwardness: "What Master Jiang says is quite right; it is only fitting that the Xue family should repay you."

Terrified that Jiang Nian might make an embarrassing demand, she hurriedly added, "I am willing to offer ten thousand taels of silver. I hope Master Jiang will not find it beneath him to accept."

Jiang Nian merely shook his head, his expression detached. "I am not in need of money at present. Moreover, ten thousand taels of silver are insufficient to repay the immense favor I have just bestowed upon your family."

Aunt Xue fell silent, struck dumb and increasingly uneasy.

Jiang Nian’s gaze shifted to Xue Baochai. Her heart trembled; she lowered her head in haste, her pulse racing. It was the very thing she had feared.

Sure enough, Jiang Nian spoke: "When I first saw Miss Xue on the Qinhuai River, I said that I was quite fond of her and had set my heart on her at first sight. I was not joking. That I should meet your family here today and save you from the river bandits—I believe this is fate, a sign that Miss Xue and I are destined to be together. Since this is so, I want Miss Xue to serve as my maid, and when I marry in the future, she shall become my concubine. This is the reward I require from your family."

His tone was as calm as water, as if he were discussing the most trivial of matters. Yet, his words struck the rain-slicked deck like a thunderclap. Even though Aunt Xue and Xue Baochai had anticipated something of the sort, they were nonetheless stunned.

How could he be so shameless? To speak such words so bluntly and indifferently.

Xue Pan was the first to lose his composure. "Master Jiang... you have indeed done my family a great kindness today. Name any sum of silver you wish, and you shall have it. But you cannot take my sister as a maid, nor as a concubine. She is, after all, a daughter of the Xue family!"

Aunt Xue quickly chimed in, "Yes, that is impossible! Master Jiang, just name your price in silver. If ten thousand is too little, we can add more!"

Xue Baochai kept her head bowed, her fair cheeks flushed with shame and indignation. She clenched her hands so tightly that her nails dug into her palms, leaving deep indentations.

Jiang Nian remained composed, his tone steady. "Do not think me overbearing; I am simply ensuring you pay the reward that is due. I saved your entire family today and preserved your cargo. For such a vast favor, having Miss Xue serve as my maid is a reasonable repayment, not an unreasonable demand."

Though his tone was level, it carried an air of unquestionable authority, as if he were simply finalizing a fair transaction.

Seeing Jiang Nian’s resolve, Aunt Xue thought that she had no choice but to invoke her powerful connections to pressure him. She sighed deliberately and said, "Even if I were to agree, her uncle would not, nor would her aunt’s husband. Her uncle is..."

Jiang Nian interrupted in a flat tone: "I know. Her uncle is Wang Ziteng, the Commander of the Metropolitan Garrison, and her aunt’s husband is Jia Zheng of the Rongguo Mansion. And so what? I do not fear these two men. Even if they were both standing here right now, I would still put forward this request for the reward I am rightfully owed."

Upon hearing this, both Aunt Xue and Xue Baochai became increasingly convinced that Jiang Nian possessed an extraordinary background.

Xue Pan sighed and suggested, "How about this? You... you take my sister as your wife."

He felt that since the Xue family truly owed Jiang Nian a debt, and since Jiang Nian refused money but wanted his sister, letting her marry him would serve as repayment. Furthermore, he reasoned that Jiang Nian was handsome, physically robust, and capable, and clearly had a formidable background. It would not be a bad match.

When Aunt Xue heard this, she no longer felt inclined to oppose it. Even Xue Baochai, though still shy, did not react with anger. Both mother and daughter shared Xue Pan’s sentiment. Moreover, even if she were unwilling to admit it, Xue Baochai’s growing fondness for Jiang Nian had quietly begun to outweigh her resentment.

After all, she was a young lady who had rarely interacted with men outside her own circle. This was their third meeting; when she had seen him in the Jiang family garden, she had already found him heroic and extraordinary. Today’s rescue, appearing like a savior from the heavens, had only deepened her favorable impression.

Jiang Nian shook his head. "Taking Miss Xue as my wife is not possible. In matters of marriage, one must follow the orders of parents and the arrangements of matchmakers; my own marriage is not for me to decide."

In this era, the commands of parents and matchmakers were paramount, especially among the nobility. Even if he had not yet been acknowledged by the Taishun Emperor as a prince, he was, in fact, the Emperor’s son. He was not so naive as to believe he could choose his own wife upon entering the capital. Furthermore, he was confident in his eventual recognition, and Xue Baochai’s background was not befitting for the primary wife of an Imperial Prince of the Great Qing.

Jiang Nian gazed at Xue Baochai again and continued in the same calm tone: "Although Miss Xue comes from a respectable family, should you become my concubine in the future, it will not be a grievance to you."

Aunt Xue grew increasingly suspicious. She pondered, "Could his origins be truly exceptional? I had heard that no one knew who his father was; he took his mother’s surname and was raised by her, and she has already passed away. Why does he speak this way now? Could it be... could it be that he knows who his father is, and that his father is some great noble in the capital?"

Aunt Xue was somewhat clever and had actually deduced the truth, though she could never have imagined that the "great noble" was the Emperor of the Great Qing himself.

Finding it improper to ask directly about his parents, she asked circuitously, "Might I ask what Master Jiang’s background is?"

Jiang Nian shook his head again. "Once Miss Xue becomes my maid, you will know in time. Enough idle talk; I should not linger here. I fear those vicious river bandits might return. I must return to my own ship to secure my weapons for defense. I ask you only this: today’s immense debt—does the Xue family intend to repay it or not?"

He thought to himself: "Since I have already secretly decided Xue Baochai’s fate, she will be my woman. Since I have come to this 'Dream of the Red Chamber' world, possess an extraordinary identity, and have my own 'golden finger,' if I cannot even secure Xue Baochai, how am I to compete for that supreme throne?"

The atmosphere felt suffocating for Aunt Xue, Xue Pan, and Xue Baochai. It was as if the drizzling rain had stalled in mid-air. It seemed as though even the rain itself were waiting for the outcome of this impasse.