Yue Quan hurried to Fourth Young Miss’s Danye Pavilion, carrying Grandmother’s orders.
The afternoon had grown languid, and in Fourth Young Miss’s courtyard, the pomegranate flowers were in full bloom, their red petals gathering like a sea of flowers beneath the steps. The latticed window of the main room was wide open, facing the pomegranate tree, which partly obscured the figure within—only thick black hair and half of a lovely profile were visible.
“Sister Yue Quan has arrived?” Chun Tai came out smiling. “What wind has blown you here?”
Yue Quan pressed her hand gently and looked back toward the study window. “I’m looking for Fourth Young Miss.”
Hearing their conversation, Qing Yuan put down her brush and stood up. Bao Xian went out to welcome the visitor and asked in a low voice, “Has something happened?”
Yue Quan, who was loyal to Fourth Young Miss, had come to deliver the message personally to give her early warning. She stepped forward to pay her respects to Qing Yuan and said seriously, “The Old Madame sent me to summon Young Miss to Huifang Garden. Young Miss shouldn’t delay—quickly fix your hair and go.”
Qing Yuan found this strange. Seeing Yue Quan’s unusually solemn expression, she said, “Sister, if you have something to say, please don’t hide it from me.” She called Chun Tai over to comb her hair near her temples and change into an outer garment.
Yue Quan glanced outside and said in a low voice, “The Old Madame just sent off the Inspector’s wife. The Inspector’s wife came because the Danyang Marquis’s son mentioned to his mother about wanting to propose to Fourth Young Miss. Now the Marquis’s household is in an uproar, and there’s bound to be trouble. The Marchioness asked the Inspector’s wife to mediate with the Old Madame. This fire can’t be avoided—it’s certain to burn Young Miss. Young Miss should quickly think about how to handle the Old Madame’s questioning.”
Qing Yuan’s mind buzzed. When Li Xin had spoken those words, she had anticipated things might develop to this point. But at the time, she had held onto hope, thinking that the Young Marquis wouldn’t act so impulsively. Who knew she had overestimated him?
Being only fourteen years old, facing such a situation inevitably made her flustered, and her complexion wasn’t good. Bao Xian hurried to comfort her: “Young Miss, stay calm. If the Old Madame questions you about this, you needn’t be afraid—just tell the truth.”
Qing Yuan steadied herself and sighed, “I didn’t seek trouble, but trouble came looking for me. If I had known this would happen, it would have been better not to have met that Young Master—it would have saved so much trouble.” Her words revealed her intention to withdraw; such a young master from a marquis’s family who only thought of himself and didn’t care about her welfare—this small incident was enough to show they weren’t compatible.
Since there was no way to avoid it, she would accept whatever came. After preparing herself, she went to Huifang Garden. No sooner had she entered than Madame Hu and Qing Ru arrived.
The Old Madame sat straight in the main seat. When Qing Yuan paid her respects, the Old Madame’s face showed no warmth. She asked angrily, “Let me ask you, what exactly is going on between you and the Danyang Marquis’s eldest son?”
Qing Yuan lowered her head and replied, “Grandmother, your granddaughter has only properly spoken with him two or three times. I don’t know what specifically you’re asking about.”
The Old Madame’s face was full of anger, clearly dissatisfied with such a light response. Beside her, Madame Hu sat like a stone statue, her face hard, only her eyes alive as they turned to examine Qing Yuan like one might examine a cat or dog.
“Didn’t I tell you not to get involved with the Danyang Marquis’s eldest son? Why did you deliberately disobey? Now they’ve come to our door, and I’ve had to put my old face on the line to smooth things over for you. Where should the Xie family put its face?” The Old Madame struck the kang table so hard it thundered, even those outside could hear. Her straight voice when angry was like cymbals, continuously lashing at Qing Yuan with words. “Don’t think I don’t know what’s in your mind. When I warned you before, you thought I was trying to block your marriage prospects. You agreed verbally but must have been unwilling in your heart. I’ve lived to this age and seen everything—you’re still a daughter of the Xie family, how could your grandmother harm you? The Danyang Marquis’s household would make a good marriage match, true, but it’s not suitable for you. As they say, make a hat to fit the head—do I need to explain in detail whether you could wear that hat? I usually think you’re quite clever, who knew you’d become so foolish in matters concerning yourself? Now look what’s happened—they’ve sent a mediator to our door to clear things up. I ask you, how can you still be human?”
Qing Yuan was rendered speechless, feeling partly wronged and increasingly resentful of Li Xin’s meddling.
Seeing the Old Madame so angry and Qing Yuan as silent as a sealed gourd, Madame Hu tried to calm the Old Madame, “Mother, please calm down. It’s not worth harming your health over this.”
Qing Ru stood to the side, adding her sarcastic drum beat, “Fourth Sister is capable. All our marriages must follow our parents’ commands, but Fourth Sister quietly found herself a son-in-law on her own.”
Qing Yuan wanted to retort but held back. At this moment, there was no other option—the more said, the more it would be like pouring oil on fire. She said softly, “Grandmother, don’t be angry. Your granddaughter truly has no relationship with the Young Master of the Marquis’s household. Grandmother must believe me.”
This response seemed quite dishonest to both Old Madame Xie and Madame Hu, but before they could address it, Qing Ru jumped in to refute her: “No relationship? You might fool a three-year-old! No relationship, yet he sends you shortbread? No relationship, yet he writes you private letters?”
This outburst made the Old Madame and Madame Hu quite uncomfortable. Qing Ru was straightforward to a fault and loved to speak out of turn. Everyone had deliberately never mentioned that letter before, but now that she had exposed it, it was clear that everyone from top to bottom had conspired against Qing Yuan once, preventing her from meeting the Danyang Marquis’s son.
Supporting such a stubborn person was truly the hardest thing in the world. Qing Yuan suddenly felt some sympathy for the Old Madame and Madame Hu, so she lowered her head and fell silent.
Indeed, the older ginger is spicier. After a brief silence, the Old Madame returned to the matter at hand: “The way the Danyang Marchioness handles things is quite improper. If there are issues in their household, they should handle them behind closed doors. There’s no reason to come to someone’s house demanding explanations. Their son is a young master who’s seen much of the world, while our family has unmarried girls—coming to our house to demand explanations, isn’t that laughable!”
Madame Hu responded in a drawn-out voice: “Mother speaks truly. There are many foolish people in this world; how can we expect everyone to be proper? In any case, things have been made clear today, and we know where we stand—the matter between Fourth Miss and the Danyang Marquis’s eldest son is impossible now.” As she spoke, she looked at Qing Yuan, her eyes showing pity while her lips held a smile. “Fourth Miss, you should understand the situation. Now that you know, withdraw in time and give up this idea completely.”
Qing Yuan looked at Madame Hu’s smiling lips, that smile sharp as a knife, probably calculating that since this possibility had failed, there was hope for Qing Ru’s prospects. She didn’t know why, but all the grievances stuck in her throat nearly burst her heart. Biting her lip, she suddenly blurted out, not without regret: “In that case, it seems our family and the Danyang Marquis’s household will never be able to form a marriage alliance.”
Qing Ru froze, staring at her fixedly, and sneered: “Where does Fourth Sister get such confidence, thinking the Xie family needs you to uphold its reputation?”
The Old Madame lowered her eyes and sighed quietly. In terms of intelligence, the Fourth Miss was indeed far cleverer than the Second Miss. The Second Miss only knew how to fight for advantages, not even understanding common principles—if she got her wish and entered the Marquis’s household, she probably wouldn’t even have bones left.
Qing Yuan was determined to poke at Qing Ru’s sore spot. Perhaps hurting the enemy a thousand would wound herself eight hundred, but in her anger, she couldn’t care less.
“Second Sister hasn’t heard the saying, ‘Leave a thread of human feeling for future meetings.’ Since the Marchioness won’t even leave that much, directly sending someone to our door, the meaning is clear—the Danyang Marquis’s household won’t ally with the Xie family through marriage, whether it’s a concubine’s daughter or a principal wife’s daughter, whether guilty or innocent, they won’t marry any of us.” She smiled, as if uninvolved. “Second Sister, think about it—we’re all respectable great families. If there’s no salt, even brine will do, but wouldn’t this make us laughingstocks? I truly knew nothing about today’s incident, and I have no regrets about things not working out with the Young Marquis. I only feel sorry for Second Sister—with Second Sister’s background, marrying into a Marquis’s family shouldn’t have been difficult, but now that path is closed. Second Sister should also give up hope.”
After she finished speaking, Madame Hu couldn’t maintain her composure and stood up abruptly. Qing Ru might not be good at anything else, but she excelled at hitting people. Without another word, she raised her hand and slapped Qing Yuan.
The slap cracked like thunder and lightning across her cheek, causing everyone present to cry out in shock. Qing Yuan was stunned by the blow, taking a long time to recover her senses.
Bao Xian was both angry and anxious, protecting her mistress while turning back to say: “What are you doing, Second Young Miss? If our Young Miss has done something wrong, the Old Madame and Madame will discipline her. Second Young Miss raising your hand yourself—be careful not to lose your dignity as a young lady!”
Having struck someone, Qing Ru was also frightened, but relying on her higher status than Qing Yuan, she wouldn’t soften her words at all. “I’m disciplining her on Grandmother’s behalf. What did she just say? What does she mean by ‘if there’s no salt, even brine will do’? Who’s salt, who’s brine? Who has a face, and who doesn’t?”
Sisters fighting—this had never happened in the Xie household since its establishment. The Old Madame was furious, banging the table: “I’m not dead yet, and now everything’s turned upside down!”
Madame Hu, seeing the situation deteriorating, kept signaling to Qing Ru with her eyes. Meanwhile, Qing Yuan covered her face and began to sob. Madame Hu, like all mothers eager to smooth things over when their children cause trouble, dealt out fifty strokes to each side openly and secretly: “Sisters in the same family, even teeth sometimes bite the tongue. Your sister didn’t respect you and hit you—I apologize on her behalf. But you’re a young lady in the inner chambers; some things should be said, some shouldn’t. You should know what’s appropriate.” She wiped Qing Yuan’s tears roughly with a handkerchief. “There, there, stop crying. So many eyes are watching—don’t let the servants laugh at you.”
After being hit, it was she who feared being laughed at—such twisted logic could only come from Madame Hu. Qing Yuan gently struggled free from beneath the orchid-scented handkerchief and curtsied to the Old Madame: “Grandmother, how the family has treated me since my return, Grandmother has seen with her own eyes. I was raised outside and haven’t learned the Xie family’s rules. Now that I must be disciplined by Second Sister’s hand, thinking about it, I truly can’t bear it. Please take pity on me, Grandmother, and let me return to the Chen family. From now on, I won’t associate with the Xie family—just pretend I don’t exist, and that will be that.”
After speaking, she curtsied again and turned to leave without waiting for the Old Madame’s response, forcing her to take a stance. The Old Madame hurriedly had the doorkeepers stop her and said with furrowed brows: “You are a descendant of our Xie family and have nothing to do with the Chen family. Even if there are some unpleasant things at home, you shouldn’t talk about leaving at every turn. The Chen family only raised you for a few years—the Xie family is your root. I called you here today intending to give you some advice, who knew it would end in such chaos…” She glanced at Qing Ru, who shrank half a size in fear. The Old Madame said angrily, “What are you still crouching there for? Quickly go apologize to your sister.”
The Old Madame wanted to minimize the incident—she neither wanted to let Qing Yuan leave nor wanted to uphold justice. After all, she had watched Qing Ru grow up, and that emotional bond couldn’t compare with an outsider’s. If Qing Ru were truly willing to lower her head, Qing Yuan would forgive this matter, but Qing Ru wouldn’t. She glared at Qing Yuan with hatred, resenting her persistence, wishing she could bore holes through her with her eyes.
Qing Yuan became calm. Madame Hu had harmed her mother, and now Qing Ru bullied her—when the time came to settle both old and new grudges, no one could blame her.
She stepped back half a step. “Since Second Sister is unwilling, Grandmother needn’t force her. I’ll bear this slap from Second Sister—thank you for the lesson, Second Sister. It’s getting late, I’ll return to Danye Pavilion now. Grandmother, please calm down. Your granddaughter takes her leave.”
Walking out of Huifang Garden, it was approaching dusk. Bao Xian supported her as they walked back, but unlike usual, she didn’t say a word.
Qing Yuan found this strange and turned to look at her. Bao Xian quickly turned away, wiping tears from her eyes against her shoulder.
Her heart, previously hard as iron, suddenly softened. The world was truly mysterious—none of her blood relatives showed her any care, yet her servants gave her the love she couldn’t get from her family. She smiled gently and comforted Bao Xian: “It’s alright. There are many days ahead—today she had her way, but tomorrow I’ll make her pay it back double.”
Bao Xian gave a bitter smile. “I know, Young Miss let her have this moment, and she’ll owe Young Miss for this slap her whole life. I just… I just feel wrong for you, such a good girl…”
Qing Yuan gently pressed her lips. “I’m not precious—what’s one slap!”
Bao Xian gripped her hand tightly and said: “Young Miss will one day be someone else’s treasure. Today’s sufferings are clearing away misfortune for future great wealth and honor.”
So you see, those who suffer must learn to comfort themselves. Qing Yuan was about to joke with her when she suddenly saw the Master hurriedly entering Huifang Garden. Unlike usual, he wasn’t alone—several officials followed behind him. With such an urgent manner, it was very likely something had happened in his official position.
Eu quero queimar essa família.