Second Madam had also been invited by Mama Liu. Upon entering and seeing Jia Fu standing in the room without Madam Xin, she assumed it was Madam Xin who had summoned both of them and smiled, “What is your mother-in-law planning to do, calling me here as well? Is this to be a three-panel tribunal?”
Jia Fu greeted her with respect: “Aunt, please don’t misunderstand. It was I who took the liberty of inviting you here.”
Second Madam was slightly startled and glanced at her. At this moment, Madam Xin also entered. Seeing Madam Meng there, she cast a couple of glances, then looked at Jia Fu and said coolly, “The maid said you were looking for me. What is it?”
Jia Fu asked both women to send away their accompanying maids and servants first. Second Madam immediately agreed, smiling as she dismissed her people. Madam Xin showed slight displeasure but eventually sent her people away as well. Jia Fu thanked both of them, then went before Madam Xin and, without further words, knelt and performed a deep kowtow, her expression solemn.
Madam Xin was momentarily stunned.
Such a formal salutation had last been performed on the morning after the wedding when paying respects to her parents-in-law. Usually, only ordinary courtesy was observed.
“What is the meaning of this?”
Madam Xin seemed to finally notice something unusual about Jia Fu and frowned slightly.
Jia Fu raised her head and said, “There are no outsiders here, and Aunt is family, so I’ll speak plainly. I haven’t come for anything else, but only to ask my Mother-in-law about the incident when my husband was sixteen and was accused of disrespecting his late father during the mourning period. What is Mother-in-law’s view on this?”
Madam Xin’s face froze, and she stood rooted to the spot. Second Madam also slowly lost the smile on her face and stared at Jia Fu without uttering a word.
Jia Fu continued, “I know that incident caused quite a stir at the time and became widely known, so it’s not something that can’t be mentioned now. It’s not that I’m blindly defending him, but I’ve never believed that someone of my husband’s character would do something so shameless. I’ve been puzzled, and as they say, ‘no one knows a son better than his mother,’ so I simply couldn’t resist, even at the risk of being scolded, wanting to seek confirmation from you, Mother-in-law.”
After speaking, Jia Fu raised her eyes to look at Madam Xin before her.
Madam Xin initially looked down at her, and after a moment of mutual gaze, seeing that she showed no sign of retreating, Madam Xin’s eyes gradually began to flicker, shifting from side to side as she said unhappily, “So much time has passed, why do you bring this up again?”
“For outsiders, the past may be the past, but for me, it’s a matter of shared fortune and misfortune. My husband’s honor is my honor, my husband’s fault is my fault. This applies not only to me but also to you, Mother-in-law, and the entire ducal household. Therefore, I ask Mother-in-law for clear guidance.”
Madam Xin vaguely said, “Of course, I don’t believe You’an would be such a person…”
She coughed slightly and stopped.
“With Mother-in-law saying this, I am relieved!”
Jia Fu kowtowed to her again.
“What caused that Concubine to hang herself in front of my husband’s residence, resulting in him bearing this stigma, is not what I seek today. What I seek is just such a statement from Mother-in-law. I ask Mother-in-law to identify those who still dare to privately discuss this matter today and have them disciplined according to family law.”
Madam Xin reluctantly asked, “What do you mean by this?”
Jia Fu’s eyes reddened slightly, “My husband has been gone only a few days, yet rumors have arisen in the household, saying that crying sounds can be heard at midnight from the room where the Concubine once lived and that some have seen a female ghost with a noose wandering outside my husband’s childhood residence. My mother-in-law, having experienced the past incident, should hate these rumors even more than I do. My husband has been entrusted with an urgent mission, carrying out the Emperor’s orders to resolve a crisis. At this critical moment, if our household becomes lax and allows servants to spread wild tales, and if, like before, these spread outside, the damage to my husband’s reputation would be a minor matter, but it would be difficult to account for it before His Majesty who has placed such trust in him!”
Madam Xin paused.
“This is outrageous! There’s such a thing happening? We must get to the bottom of this!” Her tone carried anger as she approached Jia Fu to comfort her, “Your grandmother is unwell, and I’ve been busy attending to her, other matters have kept me occupied, so I was unaware that things below had become so lawless. Rest assured, now that I know, I will certainly pursue this and find the rumormonger!” Saying this, she called loudly for someone and ordered the steward to immediately summon all the maids, servants, and managers from the inner quarters of the household.
Jia Fu turned to Madam Meng: “I invited Aunt here as well because I wanted to ask for your help. If no one is spreading rumors in your area, that’s best, but if there are also whispers, I ask Aunt to take charge together and prevent trouble before it starts.”
Second Madam said solemnly, “A-Fu, why didn’t you say so earlier? It’s my fault for being negligent and not noticing. Don’t worry, I’ll call all my people immediately and question them one by one! They’re like grasshoppers on a string, tied by their legs—they won’t escape!” She also ordered in quick succession for all her servants to be summoned.
Jia Fu wiped away her tears and thanked Madam Xin and Second Madam again: “Whether or not we can identify the culprit when my husband returns, I will relate this matter to him in detail, and then together with him, express our gratitude to Mother-in-law and Aunt.”
Madam Xin’s face showed a slight embarrassment: “You’an is my son, how could I tolerate such insolence from the servants? Please get up.”
Only then did Jia Fu rise from the ground.
The maids and elderly female servants of the Pei household, along with various managers, more than a hundred people in total, were gradually summoned to Madam Xin’s courtyard. They stood shoulder to shoulder, packed tightly, filling the entire courtyard. Initially, not knowing what had happened, they whispered among themselves. When Madam Xin, with a cold face, explained the situation and ordered the identification of the first rumormonger, the courtyard fell completely silent.
With rumors passing from one to another, who would admit to being the source? Those who were pointed out accused others in turn. Some, wanting to appear meritorious, pointed fingers, while others, who harbored grudges, took this opportunity for private revenge, singling out specific individuals by name. Those who were accused naturally refused to admit guilt, crying injustice and implicating still others. In the chaos, some wept, and some protested their innocence. Madam Xin ordered slaps to the face, and the interrogation continued until midnight. Finally, about a dozen people remained. Both Madam Xin and Second Madam were exhausted and instructed the managers to continue the investigation through the night, demanding results by morning.
Jia Fu had left earlier than Madam Xin and Second Madam. After a night passed, the next morning, she learned that the culprit had finally been identified. The person who first spread the rumors turned out to be Xiang Mei, a maid from Zhou Jiao’e’s quarters.
It was said that Xiang Mei had been quietly summoned that night without Zhou Jiao’e’s knowledge. When Xiang Mei learned she had been accused, she denied everything, but the female manager was relentless. After several rounds of questioning, Xiang Mei confessed on the spot and signed a statement saying she had acted on Zhou Jiao’e’s instructions. Upon hearing this news, Madam Xin rose in the night and summoned Zhou Jiao’e for confrontation. Zhou Jiao’e naturally denied it, and Madam Xin didn’t say much at the time, only comforting her with a few words. The next morning, she again gathered all the servants, publicly ordered Xiang Mei to be dragged out, had her pants stripped down, and administered a beating. The charges were twofold: first, spreading rumors and causing unrest; second, falsely accusing her master, an aggravated offense.
Some of the maids and servants who had already suffered the previous night, their mouths still swollen this morning, now seeing Xiang Mei’s state, were all terrified into silence. Zhou Jiao’e was also ashamed and hid away, only saying it would be best if Xiang Mei were beaten to death.
When she heard the news, Mama Liu was indignant, wishing she could personally give Xiang Mei a few strokes herself, but Jia Fu merely smiled.
When she had confronted Madam Xin and called Second Madam to join in the investigation, she hadn’t really expected to identify the original rumormonger.
The source of the rumors seemed unclear, but it was either one or the other—the Pei household had only so many people, and what outsiders didn’t know was clear to those involved, just like the incident that falsely accused Pei You’an years ago.
What she wanted was to promptly stop this wave of rumors, cutting off potential problems before more gossip emerged, while also making clear her household’s stance. She wanted the other party to know that she was aware of what had happened years ago, but since Pei You’an had accepted it then, there would be no further pursuit now—yet she would not tolerate anyone trying to stir up trouble in Pei You’an’s absence.
Her goal had been achieved.
Just yesterday, the servants were vividly describing ghost stories, but after one night, not a single maid or elderly female servant dared to mention a word, and the entire ducal mansion fell into complete quiet.
The next day, while attending to the sick, Madam Xin reported her handling of the matter to Lady Pei. The old lady was silent for a moment, then nodded, “You’ve done well. The head of the household should handle things this way, preventing problems early. As they say, ‘three people claiming to have seen a tiger makes it real,’ and ‘public opinion can melt metal.’ You’an is handling matters for His Majesty, with countless eyes watching from outside. We cannot allow such disorder within the family.”
Madam Xin agreed.
Lady Pei never mentioned the matter again, and Jia Fu continued to attend to her diligently as before, staying by her bedside all day.
The weather grew increasingly cold. Before they knew it, deep autumn had passed, and they entered the depths of winter that year. Apart from that one incident, no other disturbances had occurred in the ducal mansion, but the atmosphere in each household grew increasingly oppressive.
The old lady’s spirits became worse and worse, sometimes remaining in a deep sleep all day. A few days ago, the imperial physician came to examine her and, from his tone, it seemed that like an oil lamp running out of fuel, there was no way to save her—it would likely happen this winter. Pei Quan had taken leave to attend to her at her bedside.
Jia Fu moved her bedding to Lady Pei’s chambers, attending her day and night without removing her clothes. This night, she told Yu Zhu, who had kept vigil the previous night, to go rest, while she would take over for the night.
After Yu Zhu left, Jia Fu sent the remaining maids and elderly female servants to rest as well, sitting by Lady Pei’s bedside alone.
The room was completely silent. After a while, the old lady slowly opened her eyes. Seeing this, Jia Fu quickly rose, brought a cup of warm water, and helped her drink a few sips.
In the past few days, the old lady had been in a stupor, but now her spirits seemed to be gradually improving. She instructed Jia Fu to help her sit up, leaning against the pillow. She gently patted Jia Fu’s hand and sighed, “You’an has been gone only this short time, and you’ve grown so thin from taking care of me. When he returns and sees you, he will surely be distressed.”
Jia Fu looked at the withered hand holding hers and, suppressing her sadness, said, “As long as Grandmother is well, your granddaughter-in-law doesn’t mind the hardship.”
The old lady smiled slightly, “How has You’an been lately? Is there any news?”
It had been four or five months since Pei You’an left the capital. Upon arriving at his destination, he first subdued the rebel migrant leaders, then went deep into the field. After investigating the local population and situation, he memorialized the court, recommending that they stop forcibly relocating already settled migrants, establish prefectures according to the circumstances, register the migrants in the official records, recognize the land they had already cultivated, have them pay taxes, and grant them the status of legitimate citizens to stabilize the situation. Xiao Lie had approved his memorial, and he should now be busy with the aftermath.
Jia Fu explained the situation.
The old lady nodded, “I knew You’an would handle it well…”
She stopped, gazing at Jia Fu, seemingly lost in thought, no longer speaking.
Jia Fu grew increasingly uneasy under Lady Pei’s gaze and softly asked, “Does Grandmother have something to say?”
The old lady seemed to come back to her senses and slowly said, “I know all about what you forced your mother-in-law to do last time, and you did very well. I remember during my birthday celebration before, you encountered two old women gossiping outside You’an’s former residence, and you were upset then, speaking up for You’an. I was puzzled—at that time, you and You’an should have had little interaction, so how did you believe in You’an’s innocence and speak up for him?”
Jia Fu said, “A-Fu met Elder Cousin when I was young. Although we had no contact afterward, I was certain that Elder Cousin was an upright gentleman who would never do such a thing. Now that A-Fu has the fortune to be his wife, even if I lack capability in other areas when encountering such matters, I cannot allow others to slander him.”
The old lady gazed at her without speaking further, her grip on Jia Fu’s fingers gradually tightening.
“Lady Pei, His Majesty, along with the imperial physician, has personally come to visit. The imperial procession is already at the door.”
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside, followed by Yu Zhu’s voice.
Jia Fu was startled and about to rise when she felt her hand tighten again, firmly held by Lady Pei who wouldn’t let go.
Jia Fu was confused and looked at the old lady, only to see her eyes moving slightly as if she were making some decision. After a moment, she said, “You need not withdraw. Go behind my bed to the green gauze cabinet, and don’t show yourself.”
Jia Fu was startled.
“Go now.” The old lady’s expression had turned calm.
“Remember, whatever you hear, keep it in your heart. This is Grandmother’s instruction.”
Lady Pei looked at her and said this word by word.