A deathly silence fell over the crowd. Then, like an explosion in a military camp, everyone began whispering among themselves. Xiang Lan was stunned, her eyes fixed straight on Xia Yun like two deep pools, exuding an imposing dignity that could not be violated. Their eyes met briefly, but Xia Yun, feeling guilty, slightly averted his gaze.
Xiang Lan spoke in a clear voice, slowly saying, “Scholar Xia, there are deities three feet above one’s head – speak with your conscience. You’re a learned man who has studied the classics for so many years. Do you want to follow the example of filthy, despicable people and splash dirty water on an unmarried woman’s reputation?” She stepped forward, “Since you’ve said these words today, I’ll fight to the death to clear my name. Do you dare to go with me to the Lin residence right now and clarify things with Master Lin face-to-face? If I’m not pure and innocent, I’ll immediately bash my head in and die. But if you’re spewing venomous lies, you must pay with your life as well!”
Xia Yun was stunned. Xiang Lan had already walked down the steps, her gaze sharp like an unsheathed sword, demanding, “Do you dare? Do you dare?”
Xia Yun hadn’t expected such a delicate girl to challenge him so fiercely. He stumbled backward awkwardly. Yin Die suddenly scrambled up from the ground, positioning herself in front of Xia Yun, roughly shoving Xiang Lan and sneering, “My, what big words! Do you still want to find Master Lin? Pah! Which fox spirit are you? I know exactly what you are! Previously in the mansion, you were painting your eyebrows and batting your eyes at the men, you damned harlot! Setting fires at one end and flooding at the other, acting so wanton, trying every day to climb into the master’s bed – why else would the First Madam drive you out? Now you’re pretending to be virtuous and putting on an act of being a chaste woman. Who doesn’t know you’re just a loose woman!”
As Yin Die cursed, she reached out to grab at Xiang Lan. She had long hated Xiang Lan, believing all her current misfortune was Xiang Lan’s fault. Seeing Xiang Lan living so well made her heart ache even more, and she wanted nothing more than to scratch that jade-like face. As she reached out to claw, Xiang Lan grabbed her wrist. Amid their struggle, a voice from the crowd suddenly shouted angrily: “Shameless, worthless shrew, how dare you bully my daughter! You beggar’s spawn, you rouge-faced gossipmonger, you whore, I curse your ancestors!”
Before the words finished, Chen Wan Quan burst through the crowd like a gust of wind, rushing to Yin Die and immediately striking her. Two slaps landed squarely on her face, causing it to swell as she screamed and covered her head.
Chen Wan Quan pulled Yin Die’s hair while hitting her, cursing continuously: “My daughter is pure and precious, worthy of being worshipped like Guanyin – how many families have sought her hand in marriage! You’re the shameless woman who climbed into men’s beds and got thrown out by your master. Because of you, your whole family should be sold off! Instead of quietly staying in your corner with your tail between your legs, you dare come make trouble at my doorstep. If I don’t teach you a lesson today, you won’t know how high the sky is or how deep the earth is!”
It turned out Chen Wan Quan had been out drinking at noon. Returning home in a daze, he saw the crowd gathered at his door. Pushing through, he learned what had happened, arriving just as Yin Die was grabbing at Xiang Lan and saying those awful things. Though Chen Wan Quan was usually timid and cowardly, he deeply loved his daughter. With the liquid courage from drinking, he charged forward. Coming from a common background, he could curse with the worst of them, and his slaps left Yin Die unable to tell east from west.
Seeing things getting out of hand, Xia Yun hurriedly grabbed Chen Wan Quan’s arm saying, “Let’s talk this through – there’s no need for violence.”
Chen Wan Quan didn’t dare hit Xia Yun but shouted curses: “Bullshit! Why didn’t you stop her when she was clawing at my daughter? Scholar Xia, have all your classical studies gone to the dogs?”
Madam Xue also rushed forward, grabbing Xia Yun: “Scholar Xia, when you were down and out, our family helped you considerably. Later when you found success, we never came around begging for favors. You’ve forgotten all our past kindness like an ungrateful wolf, and now you speak such vile words, allowing that whore to slander my daughter and ruin her life – what kind of heart do you have!”
Xia Yun’s face turned bright red. Though he regretted his words, he thought to himself: “If Xiang Lan hadn’t humiliated me, would I have said such things!”
Yin Die burst into loud sobs, throwing herself at Chen Wan Quan, crying out: “Beat me to death! Beat me to death! I don’t want to live anymore!” She scratched at Chen Wan Quan’s hands while kicking wildly.
Xiang Lan wouldn’t let her father be hurt. She held both of Yin Die’s hands and signaled Hua Shan to grab Yin Die’s legs, while saying, “Father, stop beating her, stop beating her.”
Seeing Xia Yun standing there helplessly, Yin Die cried out again: “My master, you see me being beaten and cursed, yet you won’t help me – how wretched my fate is!”
Xia Yun gritted his teeth and grabbed Chen Wan Quan’s arm: “Uncle Chen, let’s talk this through, please let go first…”
Chen Wan Quan’s arm hurt. He released Yin Die and shoved Xia Yun away, saying: “Get lost!”
Xia Yun lost his balance, slipped, and fell, his head hitting a doorstep brick. He immediately lost consciousness. Yin Die screamed, calling out: “Master! Master!” Seeing Xia Yun unconscious, she shrieked: “Help! Murder! Murder!”
Chen Wan Quan was immediately dumbstruck. Madam Xue and Xiang Lan hurried to check on Xia Yun. Though his head wasn’t bleeding, a large bump had formed on the back of his head. Xiang Lan quickly told Chen Wan Quan: “Hurry and get a doctor!”
Chen Wan Quan finally came to his senses, though his legs felt weak and he stumbled as he ran to fetch help.
People gathered around, some suggesting pressing acupuncture points, others suggesting chest massage, but because Xia Yun was a scholar, no one dared to touch him. After a while, Xia Yun groaned and regained consciousness. Xiang Lan finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to herself: “This isn’t good. The Xia family isn’t easy to deal with – we’ll probably need to spend money to buy peace.” She called Hua Shan to fetch water for Xia Yun from the house.
Soon the doctor arrived, applied medicine to Xia Yun’s injury, wrote a prescription, and provided some pills, saying: “The injury isn’t serious, but rest is essential. Avoid moving around carelessly. There will be nausea and dizziness with weakness for the next few days – just rest well. Dissolve these pills in yellow wine and apply to the affected area – the swelling will gradually subside.”
Chen Wan Quan repeatedly agreed, borrowed a door panel from a familiar neighbor, laid bedding on it, and had Xia Yun carried home on it.
Before the doctor arrived, Yin Die had quietly slipped away. Coming to make trouble at the Chen household had been her private scheme – firstly to ruin any possibility between Xia Yun and Xiang Lan, cutting off Xia Yun’s hopes; secondly to blacken Xiang Lan’s name and vent her spite. She never expected things to reach this point. Thinking that if anything happened to Xia Yun, the dozen or so members of the Xia family would tear her apart, she grew increasingly frightened. She decided to hurry back and be the first to complain, crying and pushing all the blame onto the Chen family.
Lost in worried thoughts as she walked back, she didn’t notice an approaching sedan chair and collided with its accompanying maid. The maid exclaimed “Ah!” and scolded with hands on hips: “Who is it? Walking without watching!”
Yin Die looked up and saw the maid had a round face like a silver plate, small eyes and nose, heavy makeup, and a plump figure dressed in fine silks and satins. With her chest thrust out, her ample bosom was even more prominent. Their eyes met, and Yin Die was startled, calling out: “Sister Hui Er?”
Hui Er was also stunned, looking for a good while before saying: “You’re Yin Die? Your face… what happened to it?”
Just then, the sedan curtain lifted, and Cao Li Huan impatiently asked: “What’s going on? Are we moving or not?”
Hui Er quickly said: “Madam, we just ran into Yin Die who used to work at Knowledge Spring Chamber.”
It turned out that when Hui Er was at the Lin residence, she was also fond of networking up and down, being familiar with all the maids at Knowledge Spring Chamber. Previously when Yin Die wasn’t influential, she still loved to boast about herself. Hui Er knew Yin Die came from a hereditary servant family with parents in respectable positions, and had a cousin who was favored by Lin Dong Ling, so she deliberately befriended her, occasionally showing kindness. Yin Die being young, got along well with Hui Er, and they shared some history.
Yin Die bowed: “Greetings, Miss Cao.”
Hearing she was a maid from the Lin household, Cao Li Huan ordered the sedan bearers to set down the chair and smiled, saying: “Oh, it’s Miss Yin Die. What brings you here? Oh my, let me see, what happened to your face?”
Yin Die endured her shame and sighed: “It’s a long story.” She then tried to leave.
Hui Er and Cao Li Huan exchanged glances, and Hui Er grabbed Yin Die, smiling: “Sister Yin Die, are you still working at Knowledge Spring Chamber?”
This question hit Yin Die’s sore spot, but she forced a smile and said: “No longer. Last time when the master entertained officials from Jinling, Master Lin saw that Master Xia Yun had achieved his scholarly degree at such a young age. Taking a liking to his talent, he bestowed me upon him.”
Both Huan and Hui Er were startled and exchanged another glance. Cao Li Huan stepped out of the sedan chair and warmly took Yin Die’s hand, saying: “Oh, I heard that the clerk Xia at the magistrate’s office took a beautiful concubine. My husband even specially sent congratulatory gifts to celebrate Clerk Xia’s small achievement. Who would have thought that fate would turn so, and it was you, sister, who had such good fortune. Clerk Xia even said he’d hold a grand feast for you at the end of the month, showing how special you are. Clerk Xia is young, handsome, and full of talent – truly a match you couldn’t find even with a lantern. When he becomes an official in the future, you’ll live a life of luxury with him.”
Yin Die was naturally vain, and Cao Li Huan’s words pleased her. She smiled and said: “How could it be so good… Ah, no matter how much luxury I enjoy, I’m still just half a servant.”
Cao Li Huan said: “You shouldn’t say that. I see you have great fortune ahead – who knows, you might even become the primary wife in the future.”
These words made Yin Die even more comfortable, and she grew closer to Cao Li Huan. Seeing Yin Die’s mood improve, Cao Li Huan asked: “But… what happened to your face, sister?”
Yin Die said hatefully: “It’s all because of that little cheap thing Xiang Lan! The one who used to serve the young lady. Somehow she bewitched my master, and he wants to marry her – as if she’s worthy! That cheap thing refuses to marry a man with a concubine. I was afraid my master would be confused and divorce me, so I went to the Chen house to confront that cheap thing. Who knew her father would beat me and even cause my master to suffer a head injury with blood!”
Cao Li Huan was greatly shocked and exclaimed: “Xiang Lan? Clerk Xia wants to marry Xiang Lan?”