HomeA Cup of LoveYi Ou Chun - Chapter 42

Yi Ou Chun – Chapter 42

Baoqin, protective of her mistress, stepped forward and said, “Lvzhui, which of your eyes saw our young lady trying to harm Second Young Lady? Watch your words carefully! Our young lady is pure and innocent, yet in your mouth, she’s become something else entirely. Your intentions are too malicious!”

Lvzhui, pushed back by Baoqin’s words, was unwilling to back down and raised her voice, “If Fourth Young Lady hadn’t given that jade pendant, why would Commander Shen have shot an arrow at our young lady?”

“Then you should go ask Commander Shen. Are you suggesting our young lady instructed him to shoot Second Young Lady?” Baoqin sneered, “Besides, it was all in jest. The three young masters were present, and our young lady was standing to the side without saying a word. How can you blame this on our young lady?”

The two maids refused to yield to each other, causing Madam Hu to furrow her brow. She scolded, “You’re becoming more and more unruly! How dare you raise your voices in front of the Old Madam?” She turned to Qingyuan, “Fourth girl, why did you give your jade pendant to your second sister? If your sisters are close, don’t you have enough time at home? Why particularly choose to give it to her when we’re out?”

Qingyuan maintained her usual unperturbed expression and spoke slowly, “I gave that jade pendant with good intentions. I explained its origins to Second Sister, and she willingly accepted it.” She then called to Lvzhui, “You were present when I gave the jade pendant to Second Sister. Tell Old Madam and Madam exactly what I said.”

Lvzhui, feeling intimidated by all the eyes on her, stammered, “Fourth Young Lady said the jade pendant was from the Young Marquis, that she didn’t want it herself and was giving it to our young lady, asking her to keep it safe.”

Hearing Lvzhui tell the truth, Qingyuan felt at ease. She turned and curtsied, “Grandmother, your granddaughter was indeed improper in this matter. The jade pendant came with the register, and I should have given it to you. However, I thought since we used their register and relied on their status to enter the Commander’s mansion, we should show some respect to the Young Marquis. Giving the pendant to you might make people say we were only taking advantage. So I kept it, planning to return it to him privately when the opportunity arose.”

Madam Hu responded with cold laughter, “If that’s so, why did you suddenly decide to give the pendant to your second sister today? Were you expecting her to return it for you?”

Qingyuan fell silent for a moment, then slowly shook her head, “That’s not it. I know Second Sister’s heart. Though we have small quarrels between sisters, we’re still family, and there’s no reason to favor outsiders. So I gave the jade pendant to Second Sister, thinking that if she was willing, she might use this opportunity to properly discuss matters with the Young Marquis. Perhaps it could lead to a good marriage. As for me, I know my circumstances well. When the Observer’s wife visited last time, though I felt wronged, I couldn’t say much. Now that Second Sister has shown interest and seems well-matched with the Young Marquis, how could I not support my sister? But I never imagined Second Sister would be so hasty as to wear it… It’s a man’s Taotie pendant, and I suppose the Commander mistakenly thought Second Sister was trying to distance herself, using the pendant to signal his brother to back off, so he playfully shot it down.”

Even the Old Madam was at a loss for words now. This Qingru was truly single-minded – did she think Li Zunzhi would appreciate such a grand gesture? She failed to realize that losing a young lady’s dignity in public would never earn a man’s respect!

However, this Qingyuan wasn’t one to put minds at ease either. She harbored resentment over Qingru hitting her before and had set a trap for that foolish girl to fall into. Qingru, without scrutiny and eyes only for the Young Marquis, rushed in headlong without thinking. This was willing participation – the fourth girl couldn’t be blamed. This bitter lesson was learned, and nothing more could be said.

But Madam Hu wouldn’t let the matter rest. Seeing the Old Madam’s silence, she lowered her voice, “Mother, Second Young Lady nearly lost her life. As elders, shouldn’t we get to the bottom of how this happened and give her justice?”

Concubine Mei, hearing this, tried to mediate like a neutral party, “Coincidences happen all the time. It just so happened that the Fourth Young Lady gave the Second Young Lady the jade pendant, and the Second Young Lady happened to wear it. It just so happened the Commander’s mansion was playing archery games, and the Commander happened to shoot the Second Young Lady’s pendant. These are all coincidences – how can we determine right from wrong?”

Madam Hu, disdaining to argue with a mere concubine, haughtily turned away. Her attendant, Granny Sun, smiled and said, “Concubine, your words are incorrect. Leaving aside the archery incident, the Fourth Young Lady giving a man’s possession to the Second Young Lady was already improper. Our Second Young Lady is a legitimate daughter – her reputation is more important than anything.”

Qinghe gave a soft laugh, “Please don’t speak like that, Granny Sun. Whether legitimate or born of a concubine, whose reputation isn’t important? Since Lvzhui is here, there’s no need to ask others. Just ask her – did Fourth Sister tell Second Sister to wear the pendant on her chest? That would settle it!”

Concubine Lian, having completely fallen out with Madam Hu and relying on her daughter’s eventual marriage into the Duke’s family, no longer showed her former submissiveness. She covered her mouth and muttered, “In my opinion, the Fourth Young Lady must have forced the Second Young Lady to wear it. Otherwise, how could the Second Young Lady, a young lady from a noble family, not know to avoid suspicion and deliberately display it on her chest in public? Seeing this, not only would the Commander and Captain misunderstand, but even the Young Marquis wouldn’t know how to react, and it would embarrass the three young masters. Could Second Young Lady, being so intelligent, not understand such simple reasoning?”

This round of obvious praise and subtle mockery left onlookers blinking, wanting to laugh but unable to do so, forced to suppress their reactions.

Madam Hu’s expression darkened, angry at Qingru’s foolishness in falling for others’ schemes, and at Qingyuan’s craftiness in harming Qingru while leaving no evidence to grasp.

After half a year, it was time to properly assess this Fourth Young Lady. Previously seeing her quiet and self-preserving, she now appeared to be a formidable character. That letterless message received earlier at Hengtang, which never led to meeting the person demanding money, had made her suspect Qingyuan’s involvement. She had planned to send someone to investigate in Huzhou, but unfortunately, that coincided with the master’s return, followed by the Third Young Master’s wedding and Old Madam’s birthday, causing the matter to be forgotten. Now that everything was settled, it was time to settle this account. A fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl thinking she could escape her palm was still too early.

“Second Young Lady is straightforward. If she hadn’t been so frightened today, she would deserve a harsh lesson. But speaking of which, Fourth Young Lady, as a maiden in the inner chambers, is it proper to secretly exchange items with men? At such a young age, instead of consulting elders about uncertain matters, you’re making your own decisions. In two more years, who knows what scandal you might cause.” Madam Hu coldly looked at Qingyuan and said, “You say this jade pendant is the Young Marquis’s, but is it? How do we know it’s not some man’s tainted possession?”

The two concubines internally criticized Madam Hu’s hypocrisy. She usually maintained the image of a proper main wife but was more prejudiced than anyone. Earlier, when the master was in trouble and they used the Fourth Young Lady’s register for connections when Old Madam took the Fourth Young Lady to visit the Commander’s mansion, there was no mention of improper interactions. Now that the master’s position was secure, she turned around and bit back, putting on a facade of propriety – how nauseating! However, these thoughts couldn’t be voiced. From a moral standpoint, her words seemed reasonable. So everyone turned their attention back to the Fourth Young Lady, feeling pity for her – dealing with that fool Second Young Lady, even clever people could be ruined.

Qingyuan lowered her head, thought for a moment, and said, “I’m motherless, and when things go wrong, no one has ever protected me. If Madam insists on saying this, I cannot argue. At this point, there’s no way to prove myself. Even if we invited the Young Marquis here, he certainly wouldn’t admit to it.”

Qingrong, long irritated by Qingyuan’s affected manner, sneered, “Why is that? Fourth Sister, if you’re innocent, why fear confrontation?”

Qinghe also laughed, “Third Sister, are you confused? Second Sister wore that jade pendant around the Commander’s mansion all day. If the Young Marquis were to acknowledge it, wouldn’t he have to take responsibility for Second Sister’s reputation? The Danyang Marquis’s household is imperial nobility – they care most about face and propriety. With Second Sister flaunting a man’s item like this, even if the Young Marquis agreed, the Marquis and his wife would never approve. If they sent someone to speak with us then, the words would be even harsher than the Observer’s wife’s. Second Sister is the legitimate daughter of a Military Commissioner – if she gives up the Danyang Marquis’s household, how many good marriage prospects would be lost? To hang herself on one tree would not only be humiliating but once word spread, future marriage prospects would be difficult to arrange. Third Sister, don’t you understand this reasoning?”

Thus, Qingru’s shock and illness became everyone’s example for moral instruction. Madam Hu found herself in an awkward predicament – suppressing the matter left her unsatisfied, but seeking proof would only invite embarrassment. Her anger continued to rise, and her expression grew increasingly unpleasant.

Looking at these people’s faces, each watching the main wife’s predicament with amusement, she suddenly felt a sense of betrayal and isolation. These insignificant people were all raising their heads in rebellion. It wasn’t like this before – the two concubines had lived by her expressions for twenty years. But now, with the children grown, some married and some betrothed, they truly dared to stand as equals with her. Madam Hu gave a cold sneer – if she couldn’t handle even them, what had her years of managing the household been for?

“Enough. Today’s incident was primarily Second Young Lady’s impropriety. As for Fourth Young Lady, good intentions led to bad results – we can’t blame her entirely.” Madam Hu’s expression changed to one of serenity, even showing a slight smile as she turned to Old Madam, “Mother, how do you think we should handle this matter?”

Old Madam heaved a deep sigh and lowered her eyes, “The children are all grown now – we can neither scold nor reprimand them. What can we do? Regardless, let’s have the doctor properly treat Second Young Lady first. Shock can be serious or minor – we don’t want it to become a chronic condition of fright that affects her whole life. As for Fourth Young Lady, though her initiative was too great, at root she was supporting her sister – her basic intentions weren’t bad. Most infuriating is that Shen Run, treating our inner chamber young ladies like the rough men at their training grounds, shooting an arrow like that – forget a teenage girl, even a battlefield veteran would be frightened half to death. These newly rich officials with their high positions and generous salaries have no regard for others. When our Xie family was first rising, his Shen family ancestors were still herding sheep in the Southern Mountains!”

Madam Hu went to calm Old Madam, “The doctor has prescribed Second Young Lady. After taking some medicine and resting for a few days, being such a young child, her thoughts aren’t so deep – it shouldn’t become a chronic condition. As for Commander Shen, Old Madam, don’t take it to heart. Young people can be playful sometimes. The master’s reinstatement relied heavily on their help after all – let’s consider this hardship as repaying their kindness. Next time when the Zhengze brothers meet them, they can speak about it then.”

Old Madam nodded, looked at Qingyuan, then averted her gaze.

Madam Hu’s hands formed fists beneath her wide sleeves, thoroughly suppressing her anger as she smiled, “It’s getting late, and this commotion has disturbed everyone’s peace.” She then said to Yuejian, “I need to look after Second Young Lady and can’t leave. Please attend to Old Madam’s return.”

Yuejian acknowledged and helped Old Madam up. After walking a few steps, Old Madam turned back, still concerned, “When the Second Young Lady recovers, send someone to let me know.”

“Once she’s better, she’ll come to pay her respects to Grandmother herself – no need to send word.” Madam Hu smiled as she saw Old Madam out, adding earnestly, “It’s dark now. I’ll have them light extra lanterns to guide the way. Mother, please be careful.”

So the group from Huifang Garden escorted Old Madam back, leaving Qilan Garden suddenly half empty. The remaining people, finding no more entertainment to watch, grew listless. As Concubine Lian was about to lead Qinghe away, Qinghe turned to Qingyuan, “Fourth Sister, you should go too. You’ve had a tiring day – go back and rest well. We’ll come to see Second Sister tomorrow.”

Qingyuan hesitated, then carefully said, “Madam, let me stay and attend to Second Sister! After all, today’s events were partly due to me.”

Madam Hu replied with a cold smile barely masking her true feelings, “Amitabha, we dare not trouble your honored presence. Your Second Sister would recover tomorrow normally, but with your attendance, she might need to lie in bed for two extra days. Strictly speaking, since you caused today’s trouble, if I were more partial, punishing you to kneel in the ancestral hall wouldn’t be excessive. But considering your dead mother, I won’t hold it against you. I believe her death anniversary is approaching. You should take this time for self-cultivation. When the time comes, I’ll inform Old Madam and allow you to stay at Bijin Temple for two days to accumulate merit and atone for your mother’s sins.”

These words about accumulating merit and atoning for sins felt like daggers to the heart. But for now, she could only endure. Whether in the Xie family or any other great clan, the tolerance shown to the main wife exceeded the common imagination. Those past sins, as long as they didn’t shake the Xie family’s foundation, who would care? Even after being a Xie family daughter-in-law for twenty years, with her prominent natal family behind her, Madam Hu’s position was unshakeable. So digging up the past would have no effect now – they could only wait for her to commit new, unforgivable mistakes.

Qingyuan showed patience beyond her years, able to handle both direct and indirect attacks. She gave another curtsy before withdrawing from Qilan Garden.

At the garden gate, Chuntai had already come with a lantern to meet her. Seeing the young lady safe, she finally relaxed, “Granny Tao has prepared your favorite snacks. You must be exhausted after being out all day. Just now I heard the little maids saying Second Young Lady was carried into the garden horizontally – I was so frightened, fearing you might be implicated.”

Qingyuan said, “Perhaps it was my mother’s blessing!”

But Baoqin remained worried, “Madam wants to send the young lady to stay at the temple for a few days – who knows what scheme she’s plotting.”

Whatever it was, it couldn’t be good. Qingyuan smiled slightly, “Without destruction, there can be no construction. Everything needs a beginning.”

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