Prince Jinying’s manor had become even more somber these days, almost more desolate than before Jiang Ruan’s marriage. The servants all wore worried expressions on their faces. Anyone unaware of the reason might think some terrible calamity had befallen Prince Jinying’s manor.
In fact, something terrible had indeed happened to Prince Jinying’s manor. Though Prince Jinying Xiao Shao usually conducted himself with a low profile, his naturally striking appearance and rather conspicuous background meant that any disturbance would quickly spread throughout the capital. Moreover, this wasn’t some trivial matter of chasing cats or teasing dogs. Once it involved romantic affairs between men and women, people’s interest was piqued. Add in an element of using power to bully others, and oh my—it became the prime topic of discussion in teahouses.
Lu Zhu probably never imagined that in her lifetime she would become a topic of street corner gossip, though this certainly wasn’t a good thing. The people of the capital all said that Prince Jinying’s consort Jiang Ruan was truly no soft persimmon. She had managed to rise from being an unfavored legitimate daughter to become Princess Hong’an, personally acknowledged by Empress Dowager Yide, then married into Prince Jinying’s manor, and finally even brought charges against her own birth father—her methods were truly forceful enough. Unexpectedly, the maid beside her was no less formidable. Indeed, Prince Xiao had a capable subordinate who was already engaged to someone in his hometown, but the princess consort’s maid happened to take a fancy to this guard and actually had the princess consort arrange a marriage for her. Now that the guard’s fiancée had come seeking him out, the guard proved to be someone who valued affection and loyalty, stubbornly refusing to bow to the princess consort’s pressure and insisting on canceling his engagement with the maid to fulfill his promise and marry the girl from his hometown.
People always spread rumors, and after passing through many mouths, the story had become completely distorted—like a bully taking a fancy to an innocent woman and forcing a marriage, except the genders were reversed. Eventually, Lu Zhu’s image in people’s mouths became that of a crude, shrewish, unreasonable, and ugly woman, while Miss Liao was portrayed as gentle, considerate, beautiful, and gracious.
When this talk reached Prince Jinying’s manor, everyone was furious. Lu Zhu had always treated everyone well, so to be slandered without cause like this—but now every person in the capital was talking about it. Even clarifications wouldn’t be heard, and if they wanted to protect their own by teaching all these gossipers a lesson, there were simply too many to handle.
When Jiang Ruan heard this, she said nothing, only instructing Tian Zhu to continue monitoring Miss Liao’s movements. As for Lu Zhu, after hearing these words, she merely laughed them off. Perhaps the greater the blow to her, the more it seemed to make her grow up overnight. Her conduct became much more steady, but seeing a formerly carefree, cheerful girl become like this was hard on everyone’s hearts. As for Jin Er, perhaps feeling too ashamed to face Lu Zhu or for some other reason, he became even less inclined to stay in the manor. He gradually became more taciturn, almost becoming a second Jin Yi. Only from Steward Lin’s mouth did they vaguely hear that he seemed to have written home to discuss marriage with Miss Liao with his parents, though the specifics were unknown.
Lian Qiao felt indignant for Lu Zhu and sought out Jin Er once, cursing him for being heartless and saying Miss Liao was no good person, spreading such dirty water to splash on Lu Zhu. Lu Zhu was ultimately an unmarried woman. Originally, only people within Prince Jinying’s manor knew about her and Jin Er’s affairs, but now that it had spread, the impact on Lu Zhu’s reputation could be imagined. It would be very difficult for Lu Zhu to find a good family in the future.
Jin Er only listened silently as Lian Qiao finished scolding him, stating that this matter certainly wasn’t Liao Meng’s doing and that he would definitely find the person behind it to give Lu Zhu an explanation. He refused to say anything more. Lian Qiao was angry and said she’d wait to see who Jin Er could find as the mastermind.
…
On this day, there was a rare bit of sunshine in the east of the river, with hints of early spring in the air. In the teahouse, the waiters ran back and forth serving tea to customers. It was afternoon, and the tea-drinking patrons cracked sunflower seeds while chatting about the recent rumors in the capital.
“I heard that maid Lu Zhu beside the princess consort is quite domineering. Not long ago, didn’t we hear that the guard had already discussed marriage with his original fiancée from his hometown? That maid still made a big scene and took it before the princess consort. I think this matter isn’t over!” said a thin man in a felt hat mysteriously.
The fat man talking with him made a dismissive sound: “You don’t understand this. Even when beating a dog, you must consider its master. No matter how worthless that maid is, she’s still someone beside the princess consort, so naturally the princess consort would favor her own people. But to make such a fuss over nothing—I heard that young lady is from a wealthy family and is very reasonable. Such a beautiful, gentle woman—how did she encounter such an unreasonable servant? Ah, heaven truly has no eyes. These days, good people get no good rewards.”
These two continued talking, not noticing the strange expressions of a man and woman sitting at a nearby tea table. The man’s fists were clenched tight, his face quite dark, as if he was forcibly suppressing his anger. The woman hesitated, then was about to stand up. The man grabbed her arm, stopping her movement, and said quietly, “Miss Liao, what are you going to do?”
“Naturally, I’m going to clear things up for Miss Lu Zhu.” Liao Meng seemed somewhat surprised, then smiled: “Surely Second Young Master isn’t going to just watch as Miss Lu Zhu gets slandered by people’s nonsense? You clearly know Miss Lu Zhu isn’t that kind of person. Allowing someone to defame a woman’s reputation like this is not the conduct of a gentleman.”
Jin Er was startled, then said in a low voice: “This matter hasn’t been clarified yet. Even explaining now would be futile. Let it be. Once I find the person stirring up trouble behind the scenes, the truth will naturally come to light.”
Liao Meng also paused, hesitated for a while, then sat back down, looking at Jin Er: “But this matter arose because of me regardless. Second Young Master, things needn’t have developed to this extent. I… I think I should visit another day and personally explain this matter to Miss Lu Zhu. I want to apologize to her. That you two have reached such a state is all because of me.”
“This matter has nothing to do with you,” Jin Er lowered his head, his voice somewhat low: “It’s that she and I lack the fate to be husband and wife. With her temperament, if you go to the manor, not only won’t things be resolved, they’ll become even worse. I’ve wronged her, and I’ve wronged you too. Even if someone must atone, it should be me.”
Liao Meng lowered her eyes, looking at Jin Er’s tightly clenched fists on the table, and finally patted the back of his hand: “It’s alright, Second Young Master. Everything will be fine.”
That night, after Xiao Shao had bathed, he saw that Jiang Ruan wasn’t reading on the bed as usual, but was staring at the screen in front of her, lost in thought. He walked to the bed and sat down, asking quietly, “Why do you look so unwell?”
Jiang Ruan pushed away his hand: “You’ve been busy running around these past days, gone without a trace all day long. You’ve finally deigned to come back and check on the manor?”
Xiao Shao noticed the anger in these words. Slightly startled, he looked at Jiang Ruan uncomprehendingly and asked, “Has something happened in the manor?”
“It’s all because of your good subordinate,” Jiang Ruan sat up straight, looking at him with great displeasure: “I entrusted my maid to him in vain—he turned out to be such an unreliable person, doing such heartless things. If he weren’t still working under you, I definitely wouldn’t spare him.”
This made Xiao Shao even more confused. He frowned: “Who are you talking about?”
Jiang Ruan rolled her eyes at him and told Xiao Shao everything that had happened in the manor these past days. When Xiao Shao was busy, he left early and returned late. Even when Imperial Guards reported to him, it was about court affairs—how would they mention these romantic entanglements? So he truly knew nothing about Jin Er and Lu Zhu’s situation. Finally, Jiang Ruan asked, “What do you plan to do now?”
“What do you mean?” Xiao Shao’s frown deepened. He had never interfered in his subordinates’ domestic affairs before, so he looked at Jiang Ruan: “What do you want to do?”
“Your own subordinate—naturally you should discipline him yourself.” Jiang Ruan made as if to hit him: “Regardless, he bullied my people, which means he bullied me. Leave Miss Liao’s matter to me. As for Jin Er, you’d better give him a warning. This matter absolutely cannot be settled so easily.”
Xiao Shao touched her hair and pulled her into his arms to coax her: “Alright, I’ll find an opportunity to warn him. But Ah Ruan, Jin Er has followed me for many years and has always been measured in his actions. Don’t act rashly against Miss Liao—there should be some misunderstanding in this matter.”
Jin Er had followed Xiao Shao for many years, and Xiao Shao was also someone who protected his people. He would definitely protect Jin Er too. Jiang Ruan was too lazy to argue with him, though still somewhat displeased. After a few more words with Xiao Shao, she let the matter rest.
However, before Xiao Shao could find the opportunity to warn Jin Er as promised, another incident occurred.
The next day, Lu Zhu had just finished instructing the small kitchen about a new medicinal meal for Jiang Ruan and was preparing to return to the courtyard after careful instructions. Lian Qiao was serving Jiang Ruan in the study. Just as Lu Zhu reached the small courtyard, she heard a gatekeeper rushing over to inform her: “Sister Lu Zhu, there’s a young lady outside looking for you.”
“A young lady?” Lu Zhu was puzzled: “What young lady?”
The gatekeeper scratched his head: “I don’t recognize her either—she looks quite unfamiliar. But the young lady said she’s Sister Lu Zhu’s friend. She doesn’t seem like a bad person. Sister Lu Zhu, please go have a look.”
Though Lu Zhu didn’t know how she could have acquaintances in the capital, she thought that if there was some urgent matter, it wouldn’t be good to delay it. So she patted her skirt and said, “Alright, I’ll go take a look.”
When she reached the manor entrance, she indeed saw a blue-clad woman standing at the gate. She had a delicate, graceful appearance with refined features. Even if burned to ash, Lu Zhu would recognize her—it was none other than Miss Liao, Liao Meng.
Though Lu Zhu had appeared calm on the surface these past days, how could she not feel wronged and angry having such a basin of dirty water thrown on her? She had always been someone who couldn’t bear injustice. These days, fearing everyone would worry, she had to force smiles. Now seeing Liao Meng, all that suppressed anger was immediately stirred up. Everyone said the person spreading rumors behind the scenes hadn’t been identified, and perhaps it really wasn’t this Miss Liao. But in Lu Zhu’s view, even if it truly wasn’t Liao Meng who spread those slanderous words, this matter ultimately arose because of her. Immediately, the smile on her face completely disappeared, and she looked at Liao Meng coldly: “What are you here for?”
“I… I came to apologize to Miss Lu Zhu.” Liao Meng seemed not to have expected Lu Zhu to change expression so quickly and appeared somewhat intimidated. However, perhaps being a young lady from a wealthy family after all, she quickly regained her composure and bowed to Lu Zhu: “These days I’ve also heard the rumors outside. Liao Meng feels deeply apprehensive, as this all arose because of me. If not for Liao Meng’s wrongdoing, Miss Lu Zhu and Second Young Master would still be a loving couple. Liao Meng… it’s all Liao Meng’s fault.”
“I don’t deserve this,” Lu Zhu said icily.
Liao Meng thought for a moment, then suddenly reached to untie her purse and pulled out a thick stack of bank notes. She looked at Lu Zhu: “I ruined your marriage. In this life, I don’t hope for your forgiveness. These bank notes are the only thing I can do for you. Please… please take them.”
That thick stack of bank notes was probably worth two thousand taels of silver. Lu Zhu was first startled, but after hearing her words, she suddenly turned around, her expression already quite angry. To her, this was naked humiliation. Though she was a servant, truthfully speaking, Jiang Ruan had never treated her like other masters treated servants, ordering her about. Lu Zhu had always been very comfortable following Jiang Ruan. From the time she began following Jiang Ruan until now, this was the first time she had suffered such insult. She took a deep breath and instead of getting angry, she laughed: “Truly a young lady from a wealthy family—you certainly know the proper etiquette for apologizing. However, showing only this much sincerity seems rather stingy.”
Liao Meng was startled, then said: “Miss Lu Zhu, this is all the silver I have with me in the capital. If Miss Lu Zhu feels it’s not enough, then…” Liao Meng paused, then slowly knelt down.
A beautiful, gracious-looking young lady kneeling in the street at the entrance to Prince Jinying’s manor before a maid-dressed girl—people couldn’t help but think of the recent rumors. Moreover, some people had been watching the excitement from the side. Though they couldn’t hear exactly what was being said, they could see the young lady looking wronged while the maid appeared aggressive. Immediately someone said: “Ah, this young lady is so pitiful. This maid is really using her power to bully others. How could anyone humiliate someone like this? Making a perfectly good young lady kneel in the street.”
“Yes, yes, I just saw that young lady give her silver too. Look at that thick stack of bank notes—taking someone’s money and still making them kneel. That’s really too cruel.”
“I think this is that maid Lu Zhu from Prince Jinying’s manor that people have been talking about lately, and this kneeling young lady must be that guard’s fiancée. Truly, hearing about it isn’t the same as seeing it. This maid really is as unreasonable and domineering as people say, while that young lady is indeed pitiable. Ah, what did a perfectly good young lady do to deserve such trouble?”
Standing dozens of meters away from the manor gates, Lian Qiao and Jiang Ruan watched from afar. These past days, Jiang Ruan had instructed that if anyone came looking for Lu Zhu, they should immediately report it. When they heard someone was looking for Lu Zhu, Lian Qiao and she came to observe, and sure enough they witnessed this scene. Lian Qiao was already furious. Though she couldn’t hear what the two were saying, seeing that woman’s actions revealed her intentions. Now the people outside were all pointing fingers at Lu Zhu—Lu Zhu was really suffering this injustice. Thinking of this, Lian Qiao looked at Jiang Ruan somewhat anxiously: “Young Madam, how much longer must we wait? Lu Zhu is being badly bullied now.”
Lian Qiao didn’t understand why Jiang Ruan had already arrived but was watching everything happen without saying a word, not even going forward early to support Lu Zhu. She only heard Jiang Ruan say indifferently: “Let her learn a lesson. Lu Zhu is naturally innocent. Since this matter is already unavoidable, she should use it to see some things clearly. Some women in the world use methods that are cruel and vicious, showing their evil on the surface—such people are easy to deal with. But some women are accustomed to gentle facades. The more vicious their methods, the more pure they appear outside. In struggles between women, Lu Zhu will inevitably encounter such situations in the future. She needs to witness this so she won’t be deceived by such pretty knives later.”
After hearing this, Lian Qiao said nothing more and silently stood aside.
This was Lu Zhu’s first time encountering such a situation. Even in the past, Jiang Ruan had always been there to take charge. This was also her first time facing someone as skilled in manipulation as Liao Meng. The surrounding people looked at her as if she were a villain. Lu Zhu felt very wronged. Normally, she would definitely have swallowed this anger for the sake of the manor’s face. But looking at Liao Meng’s expression of sincere pain and regret, making herself appear like the victim, anger rose in her heart. Thinking of how Jiang Ruan would certainly not endure such treatment if she encountered this situation, and since everyone outside said she was using power to bully others anyway, she shouldn’t bear this bad reputation for nothing.
Before anyone could react, Lu Zhu quickly walked to the kneeling Liao Meng and raised her hand. Three sharp slaps rang out—”slap, slap, slap”—and clear finger marks immediately appeared on Liao Meng’s face.
The guards outside who had received orders from Jiang Ruan not to intervene were all dumbfounded by Lu Zhu’s violent action. Even Lian Qiao was somewhat shocked. Though Lu Zhu had a sharp tongue, she had always been someone who fought with words, not fists. For such a delicate, pretty girl to deliver three slaps without blinking left everyone stunned.
Jiang Ruan couldn’t help but laugh, her gaze also showing some approval.
Liao Meng also hadn’t expected Lu Zhu to act so suddenly. She was also dazed by Lu Zhu’s slaps and forgot what to do next. But Lu Zhu looked at her with a smile: “I originally thought that though this matter arose because of you, you might not be a bad person—just a coincidence of fate. But seeing you kneel just now, I finally understand that I was truly wrong. How could there be someone as rude and base as you in this world? You’ve probably used these methods to bully more than just me. You claim to be from a wealthy family—ptui! It’s enough to make people laugh their teeth out. This old lady beat you today on purpose, and I’m also seeking justice for those young girls you’ve bullied over the years!”
“Lu Zhu!” Just as she finished speaking, Jin Er’s voice rang out. He seemed startled by the scene before him and almost without hesitation walked to Liao Meng’s side to help her up, angrily saying: “How can you randomly hurt people? Apologize!”
“Apologize my ass!” Lu Zhu cursed casually: “Things come in threes. I told you long ago not to treat everyone like fools. You slapped me once back then—now I’ve slapped her three times. It’s not a loss!” Lu Zhu truly had the talent to be a wastrel young master. This speech left Jin Er somewhat speechless, and her disdainful expression was even more surprising—almost like a completely different person from usual.
Liao Meng pushed away Jin Er’s hand and smiled at Lu Zhu: “Miss Lu Zhu has resentment in her heart. However she treats me is deserved. This is what I deserve—even slaps are bearable.”
“How have I treated you?” Lu Zhu had been about to leave, but hearing this, she turned back with a cold laugh: “Miss Liao, what are you saying? Did I force you to kneel? Did I force you to give me money? These were Miss Liao’s own words about apologizing to me—Miss Liao’s own actions. Could it be that Miss Liao’s so-called apology is to put on false airs while having someone come to accuse me? This is the first time I’ve seen such a method of apology.”
“Enough!” Jin Er interrupted Lu Zhu’s words. His expression was already very angry as he grabbed Lu Zhu’s hand: “You’ve gone too far. If you have grievances, you can vent them on me. Why take it out on irrelevant people? Apologize!”
He was determined to make Lu Zhu apologize. After all, Jin Er practiced martial arts, and grabbing Lu Zhu’s hand with such force almost made her cry from pain. But she stubbornly stared at him without speaking.
“It’s quite lively out here. I didn’t know when any random cats and dogs could stir up trouble in front of my Prince Jinying’s manor.” A laughing voice came from inside the gate. For some reason, hearing it made people’s hearts tighten inexplicably, including Liao Meng. She looked up and saw a beautiful woman in red emerge from the manor gates, followed by many guards. She still wore a smile and her tone was very gentle, but when those clear, autumn-water-like eyes looked over, they seemed to carry blades, making people feel cold.
“Young Madam…” When Lu Zhu saw Jiang Ruan, her eyes reddened slightly. Jiang Ruan coming out at this time meant she was backing her up.
Before Jin Er and Liao Meng could speak, Jiang Ruan looked at the two of them and spoke first: “Jin Er, I don’t know what entanglement or grudges you have with this young lady. However, I did seem to hear the surrounding people saying my maid was using my influence to bully others. But this young lady came knocking on our door herself. I don’t care what the reason is—this young lady’s actions have made people gossip about my maid, which means gossiping about me, and gossiping about me means gossiping about Prince Jinying’s manor’s reputation. Do you want to tarnish the manor’s reputation for your private affairs?”
These words were gentle and soft but indisputable, clearly meaning “that’s right, I’m protecting my people.” Jin Er lowered his head and said heavily: “Jin Er doesn’t dare.”
“I know you understand the rules. Without rules, nothing can be accomplished,” Jiang Ruan smiled slightly: “Now, take this young lady who appeared from who knows where and get lost.”
Liao Meng’s hands trembled as she looked up at that woman, whose lips still curved in a smile, but whose upturned eyes revealed chilling coldness.