After Duke Chu’s wife and the Mo family women finished receiving the imperial edict, they returned to chat and laugh with the female guests for a while. Then Ma Shi led the female guests on a stroll through the gardens.
Though it was winter, the paths were swept clean and the scenery had its own unique charm, so everyone was in high spirits. However, some elderly female guests still chose to remain in the banquet hall. Those who followed were mostly young ladies and married women.
With so many people today, only some followed the matron on the tour. How could those young ladies tolerate such restraint? They had long since formed their own small groups to play together in twos and threes.
As they walked, Xu Shi saw Nanny Liu nod at her from afar. Xu Shi smiled with pursed lips and, seemingly casually, pointed at a small path in the distance and said to Ma Shi: “Madam Heir Apparent, I wonder where that little pathway leads? It has quite the elegant charm of a winding path to a secluded place.”
Ma Shi smiled as she explained and led everyone onto the small path. They chatted as they walked and soon arrived in front of that house.
Everyone continued walking at a leisurely pace. Just as they were about to pass the house, Xu Shi again seemed very curious as she brought up: “Madam Heir Apparent, there are no other buildings around here, yet this one house with its flying eaves and bracket sets has quite a bit of Jiangnan character.”
With this comment, everyone’s eyes turned toward the house. By now, the lock on the main door had somehow disappeared.
“Madam Qin has excellent taste. This house was indeed built imitating Huizhou architecture, and the furnishings inside are mostly from Huizhou as well. Why don’t we all go in and take a look?”
Everyone naturally had no objections. Someone came to push open the door, Ma Shi led the way, and the others entered in small groups. Upon entering, they encountered a screen. Before they could walk further inside, everyone heard strange sounds—a man’s heavy breathing, a woman’s low moans…
Many present were already married and immediately understood what was happening. They couldn’t help but look at each other, not knowing what was actually occurring inside.
Ma Shi’s face changed. Who would dare be so bold! No matter what, such a thing naturally couldn’t be known to the guests.
She was about to retreat, but Xu Shi acted as if she hadn’t heard the sounds inside at all and walked straight forward. After taking a few steps, she suddenly cried out: “Seventh girl! You, how could you…”
Now it could no longer be hidden. Some busybody wives had already followed inside, and seeing this, except for the unmarried young ladies, all the married women entered.
Inside the room was a bed with a pair of naked, pale figures entangled together—a scene too unseemly to behold.
Xu Shi’s scream didn’t interrupt the man’s actions. The scene was too appalling—everyone only took a quick glance before going out, unable to see his face clearly.
The woman had turned her face toward the inner side, making it even more impossible for people to see her features.
But Xu Shi’s voice was so loud, and after the women quietly inquired among themselves, they learned that the woman was likely the Seventh Miss of the Qin residence’s third branch who had gained fame throughout the capital a month ago—Qin Shuying, who had made her fortune with sugar.
Xu Shi turned around while supporting someone’s arm, covering her face and weeping: “How, how can I explain this to Old Madam! Seventh girl, Shuying…”
The women looked at each other, all with excitement they couldn’t suppress in their eyes.
Ma Shi was so angry her head throbbed. To have such a thing happen on this wonderful day—what was to be done? Being the matriarch of a great household, she made a quick decision: “Someone! Go to the front courtyard and fetch the young master!”
If it were only a woman, she could handle it, but with a man involved, the family’s men needed to deal with it. Currently, with father-in-law and husband both guarding the frontier, the man in charge was her legitimate son, Mo Yiting.
Servants hurried away. Ma Shi’s face was iron-blue as she called over two old servants: “Go in and tie up that man! To dare run wild in Duke Chu’s residence—he truly doesn’t know the height of heaven and earth!”
Ma Shi stood outside the door, and the guests also stood outside. With things having come to this point, Ma Shi could only wait to become others’ laughingstock.
Xu Shi sobbed at the side, wiping her tears, looking incredibly sad: “This child—my husband and I, thinking of her losing both parents at a young age and being helpless and alone, feared she might have troubled thoughts, so we spoiled her somewhat, treating her even better than our own daughters. Who would have thought she’d be so willful and unruly, going her own way? It’s all my fault. How can I face my late third brother and sister-in-law underground?”
No one doubted anymore that the woman was Seventh Miss Qin.
Before long, the old servants had tied up the man, who was still shouting filthily: “Young master was just getting to the good part—what are you doing? Young master still wants to love her properly…”
Ma Shi had already seen the man’s appearance clearly, and blood rushed to her head. She barely managed to steady herself, pointing at the man almost unable to speak. Wasn’t this Sun Qingping, the wife’s brother of the concubine-born son Mo Wuren?
Technically she shouldn’t recognize him, but Sun Qingping was a drunkard who shared the same tastes as Mo Wuren. Several times when he’d been carried back dead drunk, Ma Shi had dealt with the situation and seen him once or twice.
Moreover, Sun Qingping bore seven or eight parts resemblance to the concubine-born daughter-in-law Sun Shi. Now facing him directly, it was almost certainly Sun Qingping.
She already had a poor relationship with Concubine Jin, and was suspected by her husband. If she dealt with Sun Qingping today, Sun Shi would surely complain to Concubine Jin. Though she wasn’t afraid, still…
This family connection brought nothing but frustration and no benefits!
Ma Shi’s teeth itched with hatred, yet she was quite helpless. But with Xu Shi at her side, she couldn’t very well not give Xu Shi an explanation, could she? Truly caught between a rock and a hard place.
Xu Shi continued wiping tears at the side, lamenting Qin Shuying’s misfortune: “Seventh girl, you, you, how can I explain this to your deceased parents? You… you really don’t take our Qin family’s reputation seriously. Your Fifth Sister, Sixth Sister, and Eighth Sister will all be implicated by you…”
All the women in the room craned their necks toward the back, wanting to see what this girl named Qin Shuying looked like.
Some noble ladies greatly disapproved of Xu Shi’s behavior. Others would be too busy covering things up, but she was making such a fuss! Wasn’t she worried about her own daughters’ reputations being implicated?
Ma Shi quickly had the old servants wrap Sun Qingping in clothes, tie him up, gag his mouth, and drag him outside.
While this side was busy with all this commotion, suddenly a woman’s clear voice rang out: “First Madam, what’s wrong with you?”
Hearing this voice, Xu Shi jerked up her head, her eyes wide with shock, as if she’d seen a ghost—Qin Shuying?
The others also looked at Qin Shuying in astonishment.
Earlier, to maintain her image as a good sister-in-law, Xu Shi had extensively introduced Qin Shuying to everyone present. Therefore, many people recognized her.
Qin Shuying was half-leaning on Ziteng, her legs somewhat inconvenienced as she limped forward two steps. She touched her head, then her face, looking completely bewildered: “What’s happening? Ziteng, is there something on me? Why is everyone looking at me? Oh, my leg—it’s unsightly to look at. I twisted it just now.”
A shared thought: Some dignity, once lost, is very difficult to pick up again, and may never be recoverable. Therefore, don’t bow your head easily, and don’t give others the chance to shit on your head.