Lady Du’s brother, Du Qian, was notably absent, having sent only women and younger family members. While they appeared to be acting out of distress and misunderstanding, their real intention was to keep Jiang Zhong cornered. Why was Du Qian hiding?
Jiang Zhong, regaining his composure after the initial shock, gathered his thoughts. He turned to Lady Du’s sister-in-law, Dugu Shi, with a dark face and angrily said, “Someone is trying to harm my eldest legitimate son. Sister-in-law, by blocking my path with a group of nephews, are you also hoping to witness the Jiang family’s downfall?”
Dugu Shi was so frightened that her tears dried up instantly. Their intention had indeed been to delay him, to slow his departure, or prevent him from leaving altogether. But Jiang Zhong had been pushed to his limit, speaking so recklessly. If they continued to obstruct him, they would overstep and reveal their true intentions. She burst into tears, saying, “Brother-in-law, how can you say such things? You’re hurting our family ties…”
Seeing that he had silenced her, Jiang Zhong coldly continued, “I will discuss today’s events with your husband later. The rights and wrongs will be settled then. Since you and the nephews are here, go and advise her not to throw away decades of her reputation in a single day.”
Dugu Shi was still crying when Jiang Zhong added, “Our household’s chief steward, Yan Biao, will be sent to your family from now on. Your husband and you can assign him any role – doorkeeper, sweeper, or if you find him disloyal and don’t want him, you can throw him out.”
Jiang Zhong no longer cared to investigate who had sent the message to the Du family or who was involved in this chaos. Lady Du had plenty of side chambers; if it wasn’t one, it was another, or perhaps all of them had a part. If they couldn’t stay with the Jiang family, they could return to the Du family or live on Lady Du’s dowry estate. They wouldn’t suffer. But there was one person he wouldn’t let off – the mansion’s most important steward, Yan Biao.
Although Yan Biao wasn’t part of Lady Du’s dowry staff and had joined later, he had long been trusted by Lady Du and the Old Madam, often handling crucial matters. If he had been present and loyally carried out his duties, this chaos wouldn’t have occurred. But since the beginning of the incident, he had been nowhere to be seen, clearly having abandoned his post on someone’s orders. Jiang Zhong believed Yan Biao would have countless righteous reasons for his absence and that he must have played a significant role in this event.
Jiang Zhong, no longer willing to let the chaos continue, knew he had to make an example to change the situation. So he bluntly offered up Yan Biao, and sure enough, Dugu Shi immediately stopped crying and asked uncomfortably, “Why send him to our family?”
Jiang Zhong knew his guess wasn’t far off. He replied coolly, “If you don’t want him, I’ll hand him over to the authorities. My family has no use for such a disloyal servant who incites his masters to misbehave.” Then, in front of Lady Du’s relatives, he loudly ordered the household staff to arrest Yan Biao while he rode out on horseback toward the imperial city. He knew he couldn’t stop Yun Xiaozi, but he could present his case to the emperor immediately. After settling this matter, he could then deal with the family issues.
Jiang Changyang and Mudan had just missed him.
Lady Du was in a cold sweat, panicking. According to her original plan, the Old Madam should have suddenly fallen ill this morning in her room, in front of Jiang Zhong and others. She had been working towards this for so long and was just one step away from completely ruining Jiang Changyang. If the Old Madam hadn’t collapsed but instead came out to testify for Jiang Changyang, all her previous efforts would have been in vain.
But when Bai Xiang returned, she said that Hong’er, that damned girl, had been watching too closely and wouldn’t let her approach, giving her no chance to act. Then, the Old Madam came storming in, saying with a stern face, “Daughter-in-law, I heard you’re too ill to get out of bed and can’t even eat or drink. I’ve come to see you.”
This was hardly a visit to a sick person; it was more like coming to demand an explanation. At that moment, she wanted to lie still and ignore the old hag’s ranting. But Jiang Zhong hadn’t come, and according to Bai Xiang, his attitude seemed very firm. After twenty years of bitter work, having done everything she could, she couldn’t afford to lose the Old Madam’s heart as well. After painful reflection, she decided to “struggle” to get up and continue to please and flatter her.
With disheveled hair, she knelt before the Old Madam, crying pitifully. She first apologized for the morning’s events, and after the Old Madam’s anger subsided, she recounted everything that had happened the day before, including what Jiang Zhong had said and how he suspected her.
Then, gathering her courage, she said, “Mother, you’re a mother too, and a woman. You must understand my feelings. It would be a lie to say I’m not aggrieved – how could I not be? Da Lang is his son, and Zhong’er and Yi’er are his sons too. He can’t be so biased. Every time Da Lang causes trouble and displeases him, he takes it out on me. Everything becomes my fault.
After twenty years of hardship, is this what I deserve? This time, such a serious accusation is placed on my head. My heart is cold… Even a clay figure has some spirit; how can he not see my devotion to him? He accuses me of harming Da Lang, but did I make Da Lang do those things? Would Da Lang even listen to me? Da Lang hates me thoroughly. I’ve lost my parents, and only you care for me now. You must stand up for me. If this family continues like this, it will fall apart.”
The Old Madam listened with a stern face. Although she didn’t fully believe Lady Du’s words, she did feel sorry for her and thought that Jiang Changyang was too troublesome, many of his problems being self-inflicted. Her heart softened a bit, but she still scolded Lady Du with a stern face, “Even so, you shouldn’t have caused such a scene. You should have come to me directly, and I would have stood up for you. Making such a fuss this morning doesn’t just tarnish his reputation, but yours as well.”
Lady Du agreed with everything the Old Madam said, maintaining her usual obedient demeanor and promising to start managing household affairs immediately. This was in front of the concubines and illegitimate daughters, satisfying the Old Madam’s sense of authority and vanity as a mother-in-law. Her voice gradually softened, and her attitude became more amiable: “Daughter-in-law, you start managing the household affairs. I’ll sit here and keep you company, chat with you a bit.” Then she deliberately scolded, loud enough for Lady Du to hear: “That Yun Xiaozi, that mad dog, won’t succeed in using an old woman’s name to harm people. Dream on! How my family is treated, beaten, or kicked, is our family’s business. Outsiders shouldn’t think they can interfere just because they have power.”
It sounded like a threat, deliberately said for Lady Du to hear. Things were indeed different from before. Lady Du’s heart froze instantly. She immediately signaled to Bai Xiang with her eyes, indicating her to act.
Bai Xiang was shocked. She thought they had escaped danger, that Lady Du wouldn’t choose this dangerous time and place to act. It was well known that this was Lady Du’s territory. If the Old Madam collapsed here right after coming to see her, especially after what had just happened, the risk to Lady Du afterward would be enormous.
But Lady Du could no longer care about that. She couldn’t bear to watch Yun Xiaozi’s efforts go to waste. If the Old Madam were gone, Xiao Xuexi wouldn’t be able to marry into the family within three years. After three years, who could say what would become of Jiang Changzhong? Or Jiang Changyang? And what about Jiang Zhong? Hadn’t Jiang Zhong said her actions were too flawless to be believable? Well, then today she would create a flaw. She calmly looked at Jiang Yunqing and Concubine Xue, who was attending nearby, and said, “Yunqing, your grandmother loves the tea you brew. Go make some for her.” Then she instructed Bai Xiang, “Bring my favorite Yuezhou porcelain set.”
“Yes,” Bai Xiang trembled. Having Jiang Yunqing brew the tea meant clearing suspicion from everyone else; no one would suspect her. But the final executor would still be herself, and she might die in a few days, perhaps from a sudden illness. What could she do? Could she refuse? She hurriedly went to fetch the porcelain, her mind racing for a solution. Perhaps she could hint something to Jiang Yunqing, or maybe engineer a situation where Jiang Yunqing would trip and break everything. Spill it all? Delay as much as possible?
But then she heard Hong’er say with a smile, “Old Madam, you’re taking medicine. You can’t drink tea.”
The Old Madam nodded repeatedly, “That’s right. Don’t bother.”
Thank heavens, what a heavenly sound. Bai Xiang suddenly found Hong’er adorable. Lady Du smiled faintly, “Then just some water perhaps?”
The Old Madam shook her head, “I’ve had too much medicinal soup these past two days. My stomach gurgles when I walk. I won’t drink anything.”
Lady Du’s face turned terrifyingly dark. But the worst was yet to come. The Du family members had arrived but failed to detain Jiang Zhong. Jiang Zhong’s words had been harsh, showing no respect for her family. His heart was like iron. He had decided to protect that woman’s son. Before she could finish feeling upset about this, the Old Madam, upon seeing Dugu Shi and her nephews, had once again darkened her recently brightened face.
To make such a fuss over such a small matter, bringing in her natal family without regard for the mansion’s face – was this an inquisition? Wasn’t it just a few harsh words, with Jiang Zhong pushing her once? Had she lost an arm or a leg, or suffered any real injury? Not even a scratch on her skin. She had just been claiming her innocence, but now it was clear she was a troublemaker too.
The Old Madam immediately stood up, coldly greeted Dugu Shi, and then said she was tired. In front of everyone, she scolded Lady Du in a reproachful tone: “You’re decades old, yet you make a life-and-death drama out of everything, forcing me, with one foot in the grave, to worry about you despite my illness. Think about whether it’s appropriate for your sister-in-law to be here. Advise her well.” Then, supported by Hong’er, she walked away with heavy steps.
Lady Du was so angry she nearly fainted. Seeing Dugu Shi’s sympathetic gaze, she was overcome with grief and almost burst into tears in front of everyone. She had to swallow her anger and force a smile to entertain Dugu Shi.
When they were finally alone, Dugu Shi said softly, “You were too hasty. Your brother didn’t approve, but since you’ve already acted, he had no choice but to go along with it.”