Song Jue’s eardrums were hurting a bit from listening in the partition. He raised his hand to cover his ears and instructed his servant to continue recording. “Write down every word they say without missing any. Tomorrow I need to send it to Sixth Miss in Jinzhong.”
The servant keeping watch felt somewhat frantic. This master of his really came up with one thing after another. Even when people were just talking, everything had to be written down. After recording all these words, they still had to be sorted and organized by category to send to Sixth Miss.
In the past, it was always Xiaoyi who sat in the partition listening. Song Jue rested his chin in his hand and patiently listened to Madam Fang and Third Madam Chen talking next door. He suddenly felt that inner chamber affairs were indeed things men couldn’t understand. One objective had to be drawn out through countless sentences. These women weren’t afraid of exhausting themselves to death. It was fortunate that Xiaoyi found it riveting every single time.
Third Madam Chen felt she was truly too foolish, really too foolish. Otherwise, how could she still feel guilty about this matter? The silver she and her husband had accepted altogether added up to no more than the amount of one finger compared to what Elder Chen had accepted. Recently, Third Master Chen had been unable to sleep every night because of guilt. Day by day his hair had turned white with worry, feeling he had wronged his birth father and pushed him into a pit of fire. But now, look at this!
Thinking about it, Third Madam Chen’s eyes became sour again, and tears fell patter-patter. She truly felt so wronged. The Chen family’s foundation had originally been quite substantial. After Elder Chen’s management over so many years, the Chen family’s shops and estates were countless. But these had nothing to do with their Third Branch. Their Third Branch was as if they didn’t bear the Chen surname at all—they were people completely excluded from the circle. All these years they had lived miserably outside, yet still had to consider Elder Chen’s official reputation. Even accepting a single inkstone from others required trembling caution. But in the end, they were all making wedding clothes for others. Third Madam Chen had finally seen through it all. If the Chen family did well, their Third Branch had nothing to do with it—no one would think of the Third Branch. But if the Chen family fell into misfortune, then the Third Branch suddenly had faults everywhere. Just like this time, when Elder Chen went into the Ministry of Justice prison, the First and Second Branches who usually occupied all the advantages had no problems at all, while it was their perpetually unlucky Third Branch whose engagement was immediately broken by the Tong family.
Third Madam Chen thought again of Old Madam Chen’s expression at that time—truly extremely indifferent, without the slightest fluctuation. She had directly decided the matter, telling her to go back and fetch the birth date document. When a person harbored resentment in their heart, even the simplest matters they could ponder out the nuances within and find some evidence favorable to themselves.
Madam Fang looked at Third Madam Chen with a surprised expression. She pulled out a handkerchief from her sleeve and handed it to her. “For no reason at all, when talking about this silver matter, why are you crying?”
Third Madam Chen truly had no solution. Holding back a chest full of resentment, she complained to Madam Fang. “I never imagined my father-in-law would be so bold. I won’t hide it from you, Sister-in-law Fang—before, I truly felt guilty, feeling that perhaps it was my husband and I who had caused my father-in-law to become like this now, making things so difficult for him. But now that you’ve said this, I finally know…” Third Madam Chen sniffed, her voice carrying a heavy nasal tone. “I finally know that we actually worried ourselves guilty for nothing. Who knew my father-in-law would be so ruthless? That’s two hundred thousand taels of silver, and that’s just what the Zhou family gave. The Lu family isn’t poor either…”
Lu Bingyu’s clan uncle was quite generous. He could give Third Master Chen so much—what about giving to Elder Chen? Naturally it would only be more, not less.
Madam Fang lowered her head. “So what of it? After all, Elder Chen is the one who could actually get things done. You’re this heartbroken just because of this?”
Third Madam Chen shook her head while crying. “You don’t know—my Qing’er had her engagement broken by the Tong family. My father-in-law kept the silver he accepted tightly concealed from us. We didn’t get even a bit of a share. But in the end, it’s my daughter who suffered…”
Madam Fang rubbed her brow, seeming somewhat irritated. “The broken engagement is probably still a small matter. Minister Tong is the Vice Minister of Justice. Previously, for Elder Chen’s sake, he declined the Emperor’s kind offer to have him serve as chief examiner. But now he suddenly ran to your household to propose breaking the engagement. I’m truly worried…”
Third Madam Chen was so shocked she hiccupped. She stared at Madam Fang with wide eyes. In her view, the broken engagement was already the most terrible calamity. Even if there were other misfortunes, how much worse could they be? But now, listening to Madam Fang’s meaning, it seemed this wasn’t the case?
Madam Fang saw Third Madam Chen’s completely blank expression and couldn’t help shaking her head. “My husband still says I’m foolish, but I see you’re no better than me. Since Minister Tong’s attitude changed so quickly, it must be because he received some news. Censor Tao has now uncovered that Elder Chen accepted silver, and he’s biting down on Elder Chen and won’t let go. Right now my husband is in the midst of terrible troubles.” She looked at Third Madam Chen and sighed. “So when I see you still only know to cry about Qing’er’s broken engagement, I think your heart is truly big. Compared to having your home raided and clan exterminated, what does this broken engagement amount to?”
Third Madam Chen was stunned by these four words—”home raided and clan exterminated.” She raised her head and stared blankly at Madam Fang, unable to say even half a word. If this crime was truly confirmed, Elder Chen, who was supposed to select talents for the nation, had privately accepted bribes—what difference was there from selling offices and titles? In the previous dynasty, those who got involved in such matters never escaped unscathed. Having one’s home raided and clan exterminated was truly not a joke.
But boundless unwillingness and hatred surged up in Third Madam Chen’s heart. Why should she have to take her children and be raided and exterminated together with the Chen family? For no reason at all—all the good things never came to her, but oh, when bad things came, when it was time to suffer calamity, their Third Branch had to be dragged along to fall into misfortune together? Her daughter’s broken engagement already made her feel as if she’d been stabbed with a knife. If her son and husband also had to… According to the laws of Great Zhou, male members over sixteen years old would all have to be beheaded together, and the lightest punishment was exile. Third Madam Chen thought of the Su and Wang families who had been raided before, and her whole person shook like chaff being sifted.
No! She absolutely didn’t want to die together with the Chen family. The Chen family had already harmed most of her life. From being the daughter of a refined Hanlin scholar, she had been forced step by step until now when she was unrecognizable—she had been wronged to the extreme. She couldn’t let her children be dragged down too.
She had to think of a solution, had to think of a solution. She couldn’t just sit and wait for death like this. Otherwise, when great disaster arrived, no one in the Chen family would care about them. They would be the first batch to die.