So it turned out that Qiu Sanniang had schemed to make Qiu Wu interested in Bai He, so he would go to Zhang Shi to ask for her. Either the two maids would be split between the two sons, one each, or neither would get anyone. This was the groundwork laid in her strategy.
Poor Bai He—or was she unlucky Bai He? Mo Zi sighed. “Bai He, you really shouldn’t have said you’d help me. What if the madam doesn’t change her mind? Then we two would be sisters in misfortune.”
“How could there be a ‘what if’?” Qiu Sanniang was very confident in herself. “If there really is a ‘what if,’ at worst I’ll just tear up both your servitude contracts and you can make your own decisions.” That was the last resort when forced into a corner—best not to use it if possible. If she used it, her loss would be the greatest.
Mo Zi was perceptive and clear-headed, but she didn’t argue with Qiu Sanniang. She only asked her second question: “Miss, how did Ai Lian’s words come out so perfectly timed? Whether directly or indirectly, she made it sound like Bai He and I are more capable and shrewd than her, deliberately trying to scare the madam and Fourth Madam away from their original intentions.”
“I taught her what to say.” Qiu Sanniang’s expression turned cold. “After what happened to her, who wouldn’t stay far away from her? Only I found a doctor for her and paid for her medicine with my own silver. She was definitely going to be driven out anyway, so why not have her do something for me before leaving? Mo Zi, you helped me give three hundred taels in incense money to Cinian Nunnery, so I helped you give three hundred taels in rumor-spreading fees. How about that?”
“If Ai Lian knew that it was you, Miss, who exposed her affair with Fifth Master, would she still help you?” Having a child forcibly aborted, losing half her life to blood loss—Mo Zi disagreed with Qiu Sanniang on this point.
“I didn’t expose it. Blame Xiao Yi. She took the golden ball you gave her but couldn’t remember where she put it. Who knew it would end up on someone’s roof beam? And just so coincidentally, it happened to fall right under Fourth Madam’s nose.” Qiu Sanniang felt no guilt whatsoever. “As for Ai Lian and my fifth brother’s affair, we weren’t the only ones who knew about it. You can escape the first day but not the fifteenth. The only thing I miscalculated was how quickly and ruthlessly Zhang Shi would strike. I had Xiao Yi take those abortion medicine dregs to the pharmacy to ask about them—the dosage was double the usual amount, and it was for a formed fetus. You can’t blame me for that, can you?”
Yes, you couldn’t blame Qiu Sanniang. If anyone was to blame, was it that Ai Lian’s fate was bad? Mo Zi looked at Qiu Sanniang’s indifferent expression. At least she wasn’t smiling anymore—otherwise it would truly be cold-blooded.
At this moment, Xiao Yi walked in wearing black clothes and black pants, dressed entirely for night activities. Seeing Mo Zi, she said “You’re back,” then reported to Qiu Sanniang.
“Ai Lian and her parents just left through the northern side gate. Her father pulled a large cart. Her mother cried endlessly, and Ai Lian didn’t move at all. Following the young lady’s instructions, I exchanged the banknote for smaller denominations. After they left the mansion, I threw it from the rooftop into her mother’s arms. I saw her mother open the bundle and heard Ai Lian say thank you before I came back.”
“Well done.” Qiu Sanniang yawned. “Everyone’s had enough excitement tonight. Mo Zi is on night watch. The rest of you go to sleep.”
Bai He led Xiao Yi and Lu Ju downstairs.
Without washing her face or tidying up, Qiu Sanniang was going to sleep? Mo Zi stared blankly with wide eyes.
“You lavish sympathy on people who have nothing to do with you—why not work hard for the sisters who’ve been running around exhausting themselves for you? How about keeping me company through the night?” Qiu Sanniang wasn’t sleepy at all. She took out a box from a chest and unlocked it. With a series of rustling sounds, she had her little treasury in hand. Smiling with narrowed eyes, seeing gold ingots in both eyes, she beckoned: “Come, come, come, Mo Zi. Hand over the account book and that water-something pearl. Don’t forget the three hundred taels from the escort customer either. I won’t count whatever private benefits you got—consider that your hardship fee.”
This proved once again that the Cen family’s loyalty was unwavering.
Damn it all! Three hundred taels handed over, two hundred taels in bribes, one Water Purification Pearl given away—where was this supposed private benefit? A hardship fee thrown into the water! This whole trip was completely for nothing!
Mo Zi ground her teeth. Other people made money, and she made money too. Others filled their coffers to overflowing with dowries worth tens of thousands of taels; she earned nothing but empty sleeves with eight-odd taels in her purse. Please don’t tell her that her destiny was just to make wedding clothes for others!
“Mo Zi? Mo Zi?”
“Huh?” Mo Zi looked back and saw she’d left the madam and the others far behind. Lost in her own thoughts, completely forgetting where she was, holding in her anger, she’d been walking ahead with her head down in frustration.
“Madam, I’m sorry. I got too anxious while walking.” She smiled sheepishly and stopped to wait for them to catch up.
“This girl—your young lady isn’t anxious, so what are you anxious about?” Wei Qiongyu couldn’t contain her laughter. “Don’t worry, don’t worry. We’ll definitely take you all away today.”
Mo Zi rarely blushed with embarrassment. She vaguely heard not only the maids of Aunt Wei laughing, but also a deep male laugh.
Xiao Erlang!
Just thinking about him gave her a headache—that fellow was also a major trouble. Although she was disguised as a man with darkened skin and an ugly birthmark added, spending a long time together, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t notice some clues. After all, eyes were eyes and noses were noses—facial features couldn’t be changed. Therefore, the farther away the better. But for now, she felt her performance was quite natural and shouldn’t be exposed immediately.
“Having Aunt Wei laugh at Mo Zi is not just good fortune but great blessing.” That’s right—Xiao Erlang disliked sycophantic people. Rather than her avoiding him, better to make him voluntarily disdain and avoid her.
“Let me tell you, this Mo Zi girl has a mouth so sweet it’s like it’s been dipped in honey—I just want to dote on her from the bottom of my heart.” Wei Qiongyu was still about ten feet away from Mo Zi when she turned back to tell her maids.
Mo Zi stole a glance and saw Xiao Erlang turn his head away to look at the flowers and trees in the garden. Indeed, this plan was working. Feeling pleased with herself, she turned and continued leading the way.
Upon entering Wild Goose Tower, Mo Zi curtsied to the person in the main seat, then reported to Master Qiu sitting beside them: “Master, this is Aunt Wei and her nephew.”
In Luo Zhou, Xiao Erlang interacted with people as a close nephew-in-law of Prince Jing’s mansion, addressing Wei Qiongyu as his aunt in public. Even the Wei family was kept in the dark. After all, Wei Qiongyu had been married to the capital for many years, and Prince Jing’s mansion’s Second Young Master held the official post of Junior General and was rarely at home, so no one had seen him.
Mo Zi now knew this, but had to pretend not to know and address Xiao Erlang according to the identity Wei Qiongyu claimed for him.
Master Qiu had been bedridden with illness before and had never met this aunt-in-law, so this was their first meeting. He quickly stood to greet them, clasping his hands: “Greetings to In-law Aunt Wei, greetings to Elder Nephew.”
“Greetings to In-law Master.” Wei Qiongyu saw that Master Qiu was thin as a skeleton, with sunken eyes and a face tinged with gray-green—the appearance of being terminally ill. Thinking that Qiu Sanniang had lost her mother young and now the father who doted on her would soon leave this world, she couldn’t help but feel pity for her. “When I came to visit the mansion earlier, I wanted to call on In-law Master, but your wife said you truly couldn’t receive guests, so I had to give up. Who knew our two families would have such a wonderful connection and become in-laws? They say joyous events cure illness. I see In-law Master’s complexion looks good, so I imagine you’ll recover fully before long.”
“Auspicious words, auspicious words.” Master Qiu took the kind words to heart and laughed heartily. “It’s because Sanniang is filial—she sought sincere prayers from the Buddha on my behalf, which is why I’ve improved so much.”
“Indeed, Sanniang is a filial child. They say daughters are devoted to their parents—I imagine you must be reluctant to part with her.” Wei Qiongyu greatly appreciated Qiu Sanniang’s filial devotion.
“What can I do about being reluctant? Sanniang is ultimately a young lady who must eventually marry. She can’t stay with her old father for a lifetime, can she? At my age, I don’t know what tomorrow will bring. If my daughter can marry into a good family, I’ll be at peace. Sanniang is marrying far away to the capital. In the future, it will be difficult for us father and daughter to meet. I ask that Aunt Wei look after this child.”
Master Qiu was truly a loving father to Qiu Sanniang.
“In-law Master, please rest assured—I’ll treat Sanniang like my own daughter. Not only are we from the same hometown, but your wife and I grew up together like sisters. Your daughter is my daughter.” Wei Qiongyu transformed her pity into a promise. “In-law Master must take good care of your health. Come to the capital in a couple of years—who knows, you might be holding your grandchild.”
Master Qiu’s cloudy eyes flashed with a glimmer of light—that was indeed a very good hope to hold onto.
Because of this hope, Master Qiu actually did live two more years, buying precious time for Qiu Sanniang and the others to establish themselves in the capital. This could also be considered a medical miracle of that era, or perhaps a miracle of faith.
At this moment, Mo Zi regarded it as a final burst of energy before death.
“I heard from Mo Zi that the person escorting Sanniang to her wedding has changed?” After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wei Qiongyu asked about Master Qiu’s purpose in summoning her.
“Look at my muddled old mind—let me make the introductions.” Master Qiu tremblingly stepped aside so they could see the middle-aged couple in the main seats, as well as a young man in his early twenties seated below them.
Wei Qiongyu saw that the middle-aged couple had noble bearing. The man had a graying beard, and his eyes were both dignified and kind. The woman had an elegant and distinguished bearing. Though her dress wasn’t extravagant, it showed excellent taste. Her eyes held a smile—clearly someone easy to get along with. The young man wore a scholar’s blue robe, had refined and elegant manners, and his gaze was upright and direct.
“These two are Governor Tang Shu of Luo Zhou and his wife, Li Shi. They are also Sanniang’s godfather and godmother.” This was why Master Qiu sat in the secondary position.
He then pointed to the young man and said to Wei Qiongyu, “This is my distant nephew. By seniority, he’s Sanniang’s cousin—Qiu Xin.”
Wei Qiongyu and Xiao Erlang exchanged greetings with each of them.
“Actually, I should personally escort the bride, but as In-law Aunt Wei knows about my health, that’s impossible. My wife needs to care for me and handle a mountain of household affairs, so she can’t get away either. We’d already decided to have Sanniang’s two younger brothers escort her, but who knew that at this critical moment, the rice and salt shop in Hui Zhou had a major problem, and the brothers rushed there overnight.” Master Qiu appeared helpless. By the time he learned of this, they had already left.
“In-law Master means—” Wei Qiongyu didn’t know about recent events at the Qiu Mansion and assumed Zhang Shi disliked Sanniang and was therefore making difficulties.
“My husband and I recognized Sanniang as our goddaughter. Usually we only receive her filial devotion but have never done anything for this daughter. Now that Sanniang’s joyous day has arrived, after consulting with my husband, I’m willing to serve as her mother and escort her to her wedding. I wonder if In-law Aunt Wei would agree?” As soon as Madam Tang spoke, one could tell she was well-educated and from a good family. “As it happens, my natal family is also in the capital, so I can consider it returning home for a visit.”
“In-law Aunt Wei, I’ve always regarded Sanniang as my own younger sister. Please allow me to escort her to the capital on behalf of Fourth Brother and Fifth Brother.” Qiu Xin bowed deeply as a junior—also a well-mannered young man.
Two insincere people had left, but two very sincere ones had come, and their status, position, and learning were all superior to Qiu Si and Qiu Wu. As wedding escorts, they brought Qiu Sanniang tremendous face.
How could Wei Qiongyu refuse? In truth, the Qiu family’s change of wedding escorts didn’t require consulting her at all, yet they’d specifically invited her here. This respect made her very happy.
Master Qiu beamed with joy and told Mo Zi to go to the garden and bring Sanniang out.
Mo Zi sighed with feeling—this time they were really leaving.