Huaiyu swallowed a few mouthfuls of red bean porridge, feeling that her days had been too comfortable recently. It should have been a time of great turmoil, yet here everything was calm, even Qingxian’s daily reports of city affairs had dwindled.
“Living idly every day like this isn’t so bad,” she muttered softly.
The person beside her reached out to stroke her hair, his eyes unusually gentle.
For the past eight years, she had exhausted herself, while he knew nothing about it and hadn’t been able to help her, even opposing her several times. Now that he was by her side, it was time to make amends.
As she finished the bowl of red bean porridge, Jiang Xuanjin took the bowl away, called for Qi Jin to check her pulse, and then accompanied her for a walk in the courtyard. The two of them were so leisurely that it felt like they had retired to the countryside.
“Master.” Before long, Chengxu approached, whispering in his ear.
Jiang Xuanjin listened calmly, then said to Li Huaiyu, “Lü Qing has brought some documents. I’ll go to the study to check them. You go and chat with Madam Xu.”
“Alright.” His expression was so composed that Huaiyu didn’t suspect a thing and followed Qingsi to Xu Chuniang’s place.
Jiang Xuanjin watched her leave through the moon gate before his expression darkened, and he turned to ask, “How far have they reached?”
Chengxu bowed and replied, “Twenty miles outside the East Gate.”
Jiu Wu’s men encountered the reinforcements from Pingling in the eastern canyon. Originally, they intended to dissuade the reinforcements, as Li Fangwu had agreed to put on a show. However, an unexpected incident led to a battle with significant casualties on both sides.
Such a conflict would inevitably draw attention from all directions, solidifying the accusation of rebellion against Yixian City.
Jiang Xuanjin pondered, repeatedly fiddling with his sleeve, his dark eyes devoid of light.
As soon as Huaiyu entered Xu Chuniang’s room, she saw a pile of silk threads on a square table. Xu Chuniang was busy working on a complex pattern. Hearing Huaiyu, she looked up and smiled, “Why has Your Highness come?”
“To see you.” Huaiyu curiously picked up a few threads. “What are you making?”
“Something new,” Xu Chuniang said, lowering her head. “I’ve never seen this kind of intricate knot before.”
Knotwork was usually simple, but the pattern from the shop was exceptionally elaborate, depicting a pair of dragons and phoenixes. It was so large that it could probably hold a person.
Chuniang estimated that it would take about a month to complete.
“Why does this pattern look familiar?” Huaiyu murmured, examining the design.
Not hearing her, Xu Chuniang asked, “Where did Lord Ziyang go?”
“To the study.” Unable to recall where she had seen it, Huaiyu gave up and, holding her belly, sat beside Xu Chuniang, marveling at her nimble fingers. “You’re skillful.”
Xu Chuniang smiled. “I have nothing else to do, so I fiddle with these things.”
Thinking of Jiang Shen, Huaiyu suddenly remembered, “I almost forgot. Lord Ziyang said Second Master Jiang left a message before he left and asked me to relay it since he didn’t have time.”
Xu Chuniang paused her knotwork, lowering her gaze. “What did he say?”
“I think it was just one sentence,” Huaiyu recalled Jiang Xuanjin’s words. “He said, ‘There are plenty more fish in the sea.'”
Xu Chuniang laughed softly. “That makes sense.”
She had wondered what he would say, but it turned out to be just that. It was fitting; as carefree as Second Master Jiang was, there were plenty of women for him, and she was merely a regret.
Any lingering resentment in Xu Chuniang’s heart melted away upon hearing this.
She and Jiang Shen were fated but not destined. Since he had let go, so should she. Remarriage was difficult for a woman, and she had no desire for it. Once the situation in Yixian City was resolved, she would return to Danyang’s main city to accompany her elders and spend her remaining years peacefully.
A newly arrived maid came in to serve tea. After overhearing a couple of sentences, she pursed her lips and left.
Several maids gathered together, gossiping in low voices, “Everyone says Madam Xu is wonderful, but I don’t see what’s so good about her. She’s plain-looking and, worse, a discarded woman. What does Lord Chi Jin see in her?”
“Exactly, I can’t stand her weak and pitiful act, pretending to be miserable to gain sympathy. Our main master must be blind to keep someone like her.”
“Don’t you say, our main master isn’t such a good person either.”
“What do you mean?”
Looking around, a maid whispered, “Look at how many men are around her. Lord Ziyang is one thing, supposedly the father of her child, but I’ve heard she’s also close with Shopkeeper Lu. And those other officials, aren’t they all fawning over her? A woman should marry one man, but even though she’s married, she’s still so indecent. Lord Ziyang must have a good temper.”
Gossip like this, when shared, seemed to become fact. The young maids were enthusiastically condemning these two, their faces showing disdain, fearing they might be seen as similar if they didn’t express their contempt fast enough.
Someone whispered, “Has our main master done anything wrong?”
The girl next to her glared, “People like them, even if they did something wrong, would we know? Just look at how many people are criticizing her. If she’s being criticized so much, there must be a reason. People can’t all be wrong!”
That seemed logical. With the majority on their side, they felt justified. Surely someone everyone thought badly of must indeed be a bad person!
Thus, the maids with slightly higher status began to show less respect toward Xu Chuniang, sometimes even talking back and being unwilling to serve her.
One maid set the example by showing a bad attitude, and the others watched secretly, cheering her on. Xu Chuniang, with her mild temper, wouldn’t punish anyone, so the maids in her courtyard grew bolder. After talking back to her, they would return to their quarters to be praised and admired by the others, becoming even more insolent.
Seeing this, the maids in the main courtyard decided to try the same. While serving dinner, one maid mishandled a bowl of soup, spilling it all over Huaiyu.
Li Huaiyu looked up at her.
“I deserve to die,” the maid said, “I didn’t hold it steady.”
Though she admitted her mistake, her attitude was far from humble, her face showing an arrogant satisfaction, as if she had done something righteous.
Curling her lips, Huaiyu stood up and changed out of her wet clothes, then asked, “When did you start working here?”
The maid glanced at her and replied, “Three days ago.”
Three days, that explained it. A person with nothing to lose wouldn’t fear the edge. Huaiyu smiled, “It’s fine, just an accident.”
The maid was delighted, thinking she could go boast about this. But then Huaiyu continued, “Just wash this garment and bring it back within an hour.”
The maid was stunned, thinking of the cold weather outside, with the well almost frozen over. She said, “I’ll send it out to be washed.”
After all, farm women were willing to wash clothes in winter for a living.
“No, that won’t do.” Smiling, Huaiyu tapped the table. Qingsi stepped forward with an expressionless face.
“You spilled the soup. How can you let someone else clean it? Qingsi will accompany you and draw the water. You will wash it.”
The maid turned pale, thinking the main master was being petty over a bowl of soup.
But she had no choice. Under the roof, she had to obey. She left reluctantly, clutching the garment.
“Madam,” Qi Jin whispered, “there have been many rumors in the manor lately. Be careful.”
Huaiyu sneered, “In my own house… Ahem, I mean in my manor, such nonsense has never happened. Rumors? I think they’ve had it too easy.”
During the toughest times, not a single traitor emerged in her Feiyun Palace. These little maids probably hadn’t done their research and didn’t understand why.
Indeed, unaware of the consequences, the maid who was forced to wash clothes ended up with chapped hands from the cold. Back in the servants’ quarters, they cried together, feeling indignant, believing the main mistress to be cruel. Encouraging each other, they attempted to stage a strike or feign illness.
However, at midnight that same day, all the maids in the manor were dragged out of their beds and expelled from the princess’s residence.
“What’s happening?” someone cried, clutching their blanket. “What did we do wrong?”
Qingsi stood at the door, her voice cold. “You’re being too presumptuous.”
“But… where’s the evidence?” the most respected maid spoke up. “We haven’t said anything!”
“That’s right, we’re being expelled for no reason. If it were daytime, we might understand, but to do this in the middle of the night, in this freezing weather, where are we supposed to go?”
Complaints filled the air, but Qingsi listened calmly. When they quieted down, she spoke again, “The mistress ordered that anyone who can expose the troublemakers behind the scenes can return to the manor with double pay.”
Immediately, someone said, “Those who spoke ill of the main mistress and Miss Xu a few days ago were all named by Sister Qiongtai. What does it have to do with me?”
Qiongtai, called out, replied coldly, “You didn’t speak up? You were just as eager to curse as anyone!”
“But it was Seeking Plum and Autumn Water who cursed the most fiercely!”
“YeAh and Wangmei too!”
They had been united just a moment ago, but now they were arguing loudly at the door.
Watching with Xu Chuniang at her side, Li Huaiyu sighed. “See that? You can’t be too kind to people who don’t deserve it. You show them kindness, they’ll take advantage. They’re not good people. Better to save your kindness for someone else.”
Xu Chuniang sighed. “What they said isn’t wrong. My reputation isn’t great, after all. I took the divorce papers but didn’t go home. It’s normal to be talked about.”
“Why should it be?” Huaiyu glared at her. “You didn’t steal, you didn’t rob, you didn’t do anything wrong. Why should you suffer these slanders just because you’ve had some bad luck? Let me tell you, if you don’t fight back, people will think you’re guilty. People’s hearts are inherently wicked. Since you can’t save the world, at least save yourself.”
Silence was never a good thing. Rather than waiting a hundred years for justice to be served, she preferred to see good people stand up for themselves on the spot. That was the right path in the world.