The steward from the Ministry of Rites Undersecretary’s mansion was the one who brought back the maid Hong Yue.
Standing in the reception hall of the Marquis of Dongping’s mansion, the steward spoke eloquently: “It was quite a coincidence. My good-for-nothing son went to the Golden Water River last night and encountered Miss Hong Yue on a pleasure boat. She was crying for help, saying she was a maid from the Second Madam’s household. My son, softhearted as he is, redeemed her. If she truly is a maid from your esteemed household, it could be considered a good deed…”
The steward glanced around at the masters in the hall and smiled, “Would the Old Madam and Madam like to verify if she is indeed your maid?”
Second Madam Xiao’s expression was extremely unpleasant. If the steward from the Ministry of Rites wasn’t present, she would have beaten the trembling young woman kneeling on the ground to death and thrown her body in a mass grave.
This accursed maid, how dare she show her face after falling into such a sordid place as the Golden Water River? She should have drowned herself in the river to keep things clean. Now that someone had brought her back, what would people think of her?
A noblewoman’s maid ending up in a brothel – one could imagine how malicious the gossip would be.
What if they also dug up the fact that she had been kidnapped before… Madam Xiao shuddered, fear rising from the depths of her heart.
This year had been plagued with bad luck, everything going wrong.
Old Madam Feng’s expression was even worse than Madam Xiao’s. Through the steward’s smiling face, she seemed to see endless mockery and schadenfreude.
It seemed the trouble from Madam Xiao’s kidnapping wasn’t over yet. No, perhaps this was just the beginning…
This thought suddenly flashed through Old Madam Feng’s mind, further strengthening her resolve.
She reached for the colorful teacup beside her, blew away the floating tea leaves, and took two sips. Slowly placing the cup back down, she spoke in a displeased tone: “You believe the ramblings of a prostitute from a pleasure boat? We don’t know this person. Our marquis’s household can’t have a maid sold to the Golden Water River. Please take this young woman away quickly.”
It wasn’t uncommon for servants who committed serious mistakes to be sold off through a matchmaker, but respectable families would never sell people to such sordid places. Doing so would be both improper and immoral, inviting gossip. Moreover, Hong Yue’s situation wasn’t as simple as being sold to a brothel; it was related to Madam Xiao’s reputation.
In any case, they couldn’t acknowledge her!
As soon as Old Madam Feng spoke, Madam Xiao’s anxious heart temporarily settled.
Indeed, they couldn’t acknowledge her, but it wasn’t appropriate for her to say so.
The matter was directed at her in the first place. She should be avoiding suspicion, let alone the fact that Hong Yue was Old Madam Xiao’s only daughter. If she spoke up today, Old Madam Xiao, who had been her confidante for many years, would likely become estranged.
The young woman kneeling on the ground suddenly looked up, staring at Old Madam Feng in disbelief. What she saw was an expressionless old face, every wrinkle exuding coldness.
She stared blankly for a while, then, as if realizing something, she crawled on her knees towards Madam Xiao: “Madam, this servant is Hong Yue—”
Madam Xiao maintained a stony face without saying a word.
Old Madam Feng heavily tapped her cane on the ground: “Throw this nonsense-speaking woman out!”
Two old women immediately rushed forward, covering Hong Yue’s mouth and dragging her away.
Hong Yue struggled desperately, her large eyes fixed intently on Madam Xiao.
Madam Xiao silently turned away.
The steward from the Ministry of Rites smiled, “It seems there was a misunderstanding. This lowly one apologizes to the Old Madam.”
“It’s fine. Your young master was doing a good deed,” Old Madam Feng knew the other party had come to embarrass them, but she couldn’t show it on her face.
The other party was holding Hong Yue over their heads; if this matter escalated, it would be a sword hanging over the Marquis of Dongping’s household.
“I wonder where your servants have taken that young woman? My son bought her, and since she’s not from your household, this lowly one should take her back. To be honest, my son quite likes her. Given her background from the Golden Water River, she’s not suitable to be a concubine, but keeping her as a bedwarmer wouldn’t be improper…”
Old Madam Feng forced a smile and said to a nearby old woman, “Go and bring that young woman back. Since she was bought by the Undersecretary’s household, it wouldn’t be good if she got hurt in our mansion.”
Receiving a meaningful look from Old Madam Feng, the old woman’s heart sank, and cold sweat immediately covered her back.
“Hmm?”
The old woman came to her senses and quickly walked out with a word of acknowledgment.
The steward from the Ministry of Rites waited with a smile, which in Old Madam Feng’s eyes was mocking the marquis’s household.
Old Madam Feng laughed coldly in her heart.
Thinking they could use Hong Yue to manipulate the Marquis’s household and mock them – they were being too presumptuous!
After an uncertain amount of time, the old woman came back in a panic, her face pale: “Old Madam, that young woman suddenly broke free and jumped into the garden pond. By the time we fished her out, she was already not breathing…”
Old Madam Feng shook her head repeatedly and sighed to the steward from the Ministry of Rites: “This is truly unfortunate. I don’t know how much your young master spent to redeem her, but since the incident happened in our mansion, let’s consider it as if we had bought her…”
The steward thought to himself, “This old woman is ruthless enough,” but smiled insincerely and said, “Old Madam is too kind. This lowly one cannot accept the money, nor will I take the person away. Let it be considered as funeral expenses for that poor young woman. This lowly one takes his leave.”
“Take care on your way.”
After the steward from the Ministry of Rites left, there was a sound from Madam Xiao’s direction – she had accidentally knocked over her teacup.
Old Madam Feng glanced at Madam Xiao, frowning deeply: “Handle the rest yourself, and don’t cause any more embarrassment!”
This Madam Xiao was becoming increasingly inauspicious. The misfortunes of the eldest grandson and second granddaughter might well have been caused by her. It seemed the household management could no longer be left to her.
Old Madam Feng didn’t even consider handing over the household management to the Third Madam, Madam Guo.
As bad as Madam Xiao was, at least the second son was her flesh and blood, while the third son was born of a concubine. It seemed the matter of finding a new wife for the eldest son could no longer be delayed.
This thought arose again in Old Madam Feng’s mind, and she instructed her trusted old woman to summon all the masters of the household to the Hall of Kindness.
Amane was well-informed, and Jiang Si had already learned of what had transpired earlier. She arrived at the Hall of Kindness with a calm exterior, but her heart was troubled.
This turn of events would delay her plans to go out.
Seeing that most people had arrived, Old Madam Feng spoke: “There have been many disputes in the household recently. From today onwards, all of you are to stay at home and not go out. If there’s truly an urgent matter, consult with me first.”
Jiang Si silently thought “This is bad,” as she and Jiang Qiao acknowledged the order along with the others.
The Hong Yue incident still sparked rumors outside, but with no one to confirm the truth, people treated it as a joke.
Some believed it, while others scoffed at the idea.
Although Old Madam Feng was annoyed that the marquis’s household was once again the subject of gossip, she knew this was already the best outcome. In her heart, she blamed Madam Xiao once more.
When the Second Master Jiang returned to the mansion and heard about this matter, he first became angry with Madam Xiao, then with the eldest branch of the family.
It was all trouble brought on by Jiang Zhan. It seemed that the households led by the Ministry of Rites were now viewing the marquis’s household as a thorn in their side.
In an extremely bad mood, the Second Master Jiang went directly to his study.
Meanwhile, Madam Xiao’s confidante, Old Woman Xiao, finally learned of her daughter’s death.