“What happened?”

Jiang Yan frowned as he inquired. Suomian said: “According to the household women, it’s that young lady the Master brought back causing a commotion at Xiuyan Pavilion.”

“Go to Jiang Xing’s chambers and find a maid, find an excuse to go take a look.”

Suomian acknowledged and went to Lanting Courtyard.

Many maids and women in Lanting Courtyard had gathered in front of Xiuyan Pavilion. Originally Lin Jiayue had learned that Huai Su had also been elevated to concubine status, and her rank was even one level higher than hers, which caused the uproar.

“Is this how the Marquis household treats a lifesaver? Inexplicably marrying in a widow, and now finding a servant to slap my face?”

“Concubine Lin’s words are quite interesting—where exactly do you get your face from?”

The speaker was Qi Shun’s wife, the steward from the attendant department. Originally she had been quite pleased to be assigned by Old Madam Jiang as an instructing nanny for Lin Jiayue.

Jiang Xingjian inheriting the title was inevitable, and his bringing Lin Jiayue back despite pressure from both households showed this young lady was extremely favored. Someone like Song Wan from a noble family would certainly be matched with Song household personnel when she married—it was difficult for people like them to get close and become the mistress’s confidants. She had originally thought it better to build good relations with Lin Jiayue so she could benefit in the future. How could she know this person was actually a fool?

“A daughter from a small, insignificant family—if she were pure and innocent, we could still show her some thin courtesy and look favorably upon her. But what are you? Even the rough-work maids in our household know to avoid male family members. You, at such a young age, went and threw away your chastity without a care—truly bringing complete disgrace to your ancestors’ face.”

“You’re talking nonsense! When did I lose my chastity?”

Lin Jiayue was so angry tears spun in her eyes.

These days, whether masters or servants in the household all looked down on her. That contemptuous look in their eyes couldn’t be hidden. If they weren’t saying she eloped with Jiang Xingjian, they were saying she was involved in promiscuity. She didn’t know how many times she’d heard such unpleasant words. Heaven knows she and Jiang Xingjian hadn’t even kissed.

“Heaven and ancestors above! How else do you want to lose it? An unmarried girl without matchmaker or betrothal mixing together with a man—how else do you want to lose it?”

“What mixing together? When did I mix with him?”

As soon as these words left her mouth, all the women in the room plus the little maids watching the excitement collectively pursed their lips, and some even secretly covered their mouths to sneer.

Lin Jiayue’s heart panicked. Only then did she understand where the problem lay.

Thinking of the phrases she’d heard most these days—”without matchmaker or betrothal,” “not properly introduced by name,” and such—Lin Jiayue suddenly realized that what was ordinary interaction in her eyes was, in these people’s eyes, losing one’s chastity and promiscuous behavior.

In this era, these women of noble households probably considered even meeting a man face-to-face and saying a word to be promiscuity and loss of virtue.

Lin Jiayue felt a buzzing in her head, a wave of dizziness making her barely able to stand.

Seeing this, Jiang Xingjian’s wet nurse, Nanny Li, came out to mediate: “Enough! What kind of spectacle is this making? Everyone go about your business.”

After driving away the onlookers, she stepped forward and looked Lin Jiayue up and down.

“Although Concubine’s great mistake has been made, you are now after all a woman of the Marquis household. In the future, learn the rules well and properly serve the Master and the Mistress—you can still make amends.”

“Make me serve people? In your dreams.”

She was a person with hands and feet who had received education—make her bow and scrape?

Lin Jiayue had no intention of obediently listening. Just as she was about to retort, Nanny Li pinched her waist and viciously twisted it. She had never suffered such humiliation. The severe pain at her waist made her unable to hold back her anger any longer.

Unable to bear it and unable to endure it, Lin Jiayue rolled up her sleeves and backhanded Nanny Li a slap.

Heng Wu, who was secretly crouching behind the artificial mountain at Xiuyan Pavilion watching the excitement, nearly dropped her jaw at this scene.

She covered her mouth, looking at Nanny Li, then at Lin Jiayue, and suddenly tiptoed away in a flash, running back to Lanting Courtyard’s main residence.

“Miss, Miss…”

“Why so flustered? Mistress is taking her midday rest.”

Heng Wu held up one finger to her lips, pulling Heng Zhi quietly into the brocade curtained bed chamber where Song Wan was resting.

“Miss, are you asleep?”

Song Wan lifted the pomegranate red patterned bed curtain and said gently: “Not yet asleep. What’s happened?”

Seeing her rise, Heng Zhi crouched down to help her change into thick-soled soft shoes for indoor wear, then found a crabapple-colored gauze jacket to help her put on. Song Wan smiled and opened the jade and gold-painted inlaid color grooming box on her vanity, selecting from it a lotus-patterned crescent comb and a round-headed fine comb to hand to her.

Heng Zhi took a small bit of osmanthus oil, dabbed it on her palm and gently rubbed it in. Before long, the room was filled with a faint floral fragrance.

Song Wan, seeing Heng Wu panting, told her to drink some tea to catch her breath.

Once her breathing steadied, Heng Wu said: “Miss, that Concubine Lin is remarkable. Just now she was like this…”

Swinging her arm, Heng Wu mimicked Lin Jiayue’s actions for Song Wan to see: “Whap! Right across Nanny Li’s cheek—such a big slap it scared this servant into running right back.”

“What?”

Heng Zhi was so shocked she dropped the comb in her hand, and even Song Wan was momentarily stunned.

Truly this matter was too shocking—for a moment one couldn’t find words to describe it.

“Aside from those rough-work women in the household, the last time this servant heard of someone slapping someone’s mouth, it was ten-some years ago when that actor the concubine-born Third Master of our household took in got jealous and beat a little maid in the household.”

“This servant originally only thought Concubine Lin’s origins were undistinguished. Now thinking about it, I’m afraid they’re quite disgraceful.”

Song Wan also frowned, somewhat puzzled as to how exactly Jiang Xingjian had gotten involved with Lin Jiayue.

In wealthy, ritual-observing families like the Marquis household and Song household, whether male or female, legitimate or concubine-born, none could possibly do such uncouth, brawling things. Elite official families valued reputation most. From the time their ancestors established the clan and household, what they most avoided was producing those violent, life-cheapening calamitous individuals.

Anyone who was a master, no matter how filthy their heart, would never openly berate servants or brazenly slap people’s faces in public.

Noble ladies who had long dwelt in the inner quarters always showed servants more kindness than severity, never degrading them. Even in the least accomplished families’ ancestral instructions, there would certainly be a rule to treat subordinates with leniency and gentleness.

If one branch produced someone who acted tyrannically, all the daughters of the entire clan would be implicated.

Today’s matter was truly rare.

Moreover, Nanny Li’s status was quite different. Never mind that she was part of Mother Jiang’s dowry—just the fact that she was Jiang Xingjian’s wet nurse, with that nursing grace and quasi-maternal bond, meant even she and Jiang Xingjian would need to restrain their demeanor when speaking and acting around her, let alone raising a hand.

Even when the Marquis was alive, he wouldn’t dare put on such airs!

Song Wan, Heng Wu, and Heng Zhi all looked at each other, none knowing what to say.

After a good while, Song Wan finally said: “That Concubine Lin acts outrageously. Don’t get involved with her. From today on, whatever commotion comes from Xiuyan Pavilion, don’t go near.”

Huai Su was staying at Xiuyan Pavilion. If there were any problems, she would naturally tell Jiang Xingjian herself.

The marital affection between her and Jiang Xingjian was already thin. If because of Lin Jiayue even this bit of surface harmony couldn’t be maintained, it would likely make the Jiang and Song households even more awkward.

The master and three servants were conversing in the room when Lv Zhu inquired, then quietly walked in.

Lv Zhu said: “Madam has sent over a dozen maids and women, all heading to Xiuyan Pavilion.”

Song Wan pressed her lips together, thinking to herself that Lin Jiayue was probably going to suffer some hardship.