Since Hong Yue’s disappearance, Old Woman Xiao had been distracted. Madam Xiao felt uneasy around her and had given her time off to rest.
With idle time, one’s thoughts tend to wander, and her mental state deteriorates further.
Old Woman Xiao didn’t know about the steward from the Ministry of Rites bringing Hong Yue back, nor did she know about her daughter’s death.
Perhaps due to the bond between mother and daughter, she fell into a deep sleep without eating dinner and suddenly had a nightmare.
In the dream, her daughter was dressed as she had been when accompanying the Second Madam out that day, with a new silk flower pinned in her hair. Her daughter was floating up and down in the shimmering water, and each time she surfaced, she cried out, “Mother, Hong Yue is cold… Mother, Hong Yue wants to go home…”
Old Woman Xiao sat up with a start, cold sweat on her forehead, her heart pounding.
“Hong Yue, Hong Yue…” Growing more afraid, Old Woman Xiao slipped on her shoes and pushed open the door.
The sky darkened earlier than in summer. By now, night had fallen, the last orange glow at the horizon fading away. A crescent moon hung silently in the sky, its frost scattered on the ground.
The cool breeze blew against Old Woman Xiao’s neck, making her shiver and come to her senses. She stopped her steps towards the main room of Yaxin Court.
These days, the Second Madam’s mood hadn’t been good either. If she went and said too much, and the Second Madam became annoyed, wouldn’t it make it even harder for her daughter to return?
Although she knew the chances of her daughter’s return were slim, Old Woman Xiao still held onto a glimmer of hope. This dream, however, had unsettled her.
Her daughter had been chubby since birth, with a large round face that looked fortunate, which is why she was named Hong Yue (Red Moon).
Her Hong Yue was so blessed, surely nothing bad could happen to her.
Without realizing it, Old Woman Xiao had walked into the garden. She knelt by a flowering tree and began kowtowing to the moon.
“Moon Goddess, please bless my daughter Hong Yue to be safe and sound. No matter what she’s encountered, as long as she’s alive, that’s all that matters…”
After praying, Old Woman Xiao sat on the ground, leaning against the tree, lost in her thoughts.
Without her daughter, she didn’t want to return to that room at all.
Time passed, and the night grew darker. The garden was filled with deep shadows, like ghosts and spirits.
The sound of footsteps approached.
Old Woman Xiao came to her senses and instinctively hid deeper in the foliage.
Soon, the footsteps stopped not far from her, and a young girl’s choked voice drifted over: “Sister, I’m scared—”
Old Woman Xiao pricked up her ears.
“I saw… that person today was Sister Hong Yue…”
Another voice urgently interrupted her: “Shut up quickly! If the masters hear you discussing this, they’ll surely cut out your tongue!”
“Sister, I’m really scared…”
“What are you afraid of? No matter who it was, drowning in the pond was just bad luck. What does it have to do with you?”
The young girl’s voice trembled even more: “Sister, I saw it with my own eyes. It was Mama Feng, who serves the Old Madam, who brought people to hold Sister Hong Yue underwater until she drowned… What if, what if we make a mistake in the future, will we also…”
“Really?”
“R-really… Waa—” The young girl’s mouth was covered.
“You’ll be the death of us! Keep these words buried in your heart for life, don’t mention a single word to anyone else!”
A crisp sound rang out, particularly clear in the dark, quiet garden.
Soon, there was a flurry of hurried footsteps growing more distant.
Behind the flowers and trees, Old Woman Xiao’s jade bracelet had shattered into several pieces, clutched tightly in her hand. Her face was paler than the cold moon above.
Hong Yue was dead?
Held underwater in the pond by Mama Feng and others until she drowned?
How was it that she understood each word, but put together, they made no sense?
Those two damned little maids must be jealous of Hong Yue’s favor with the masters, so they spoke such heartless words to curse her daughter, right?
Old Woman Xiao wiped her eyes, and when she came to her senses, she was already standing at the entrance of the main room in Yaxin Court.
“Mama Xiao, it’s so late. Do you have a business?” The maid guarding the door saw it was Old Woman Xiao and her eyes flickered.
In the past, Old Woman Xiao could stride confidently through Yaxin Court, but today, Hong Yue’s death made the little maid uncertain.
Although most people in the Earl’s mansion believed Hong Yue had jumped into the pond and drowned herself, the news that the Old Madam didn’t acknowledge Hong Yue had spread. Currently, only Old Woman Xiao is being kept in the dark.
“I want to see the Madam.” When answering the little maid, Old Woman Xiao’s face showed no trace of emotion, but her hands hidden behind her back trembled incessantly.
The little maid quickly went in to report.
Madam Xiao’s first reaction was to refuse, but she quickly changed her mind.
No matter how the Earl’s mansion denied it to outsiders, Hong Yue’s death couldn’t be hidden within the household. Old Woman Xiao would find out sooner or later. Better for her to hear it directly from Madam Xiao’s mouth, to prevent a rift between mistress and servant.
When Old Woman Xiao entered, she immediately knelt before Madam Xiao.
“Mama Xiao, please get up.”
Old Woman Xiao remained kneeling: “Madam, I dreamed of Hong Yue…”
Madam Xiao’s expression changed briefly, and then she quickly sighed and personally went to help Old Woman Xiao up.
“Mama Xiao, I should have told you earlier, but I feared you couldn’t bear it suddenly, so I kept it from you for now…” Madam Xiao began to explain the day’s events, downplaying the severity.
“It’s most heartbreaking for the old to bury the young. Mama Xiao, I understand your feelings. Rest assured, I won’t let you be without support in the future. As for the Old Madam… don’t blame her. She was thinking of the mansion’s reputation and couldn’t acknowledge Hong Yue. The plan was to deal with the people from the Ministry first, then quietly settle Hong Yue. Who knew Hong Yue would be so impulsive—”
She had explained clearly. If Old Woman Xiao wanted to blame someone, she should blame the Old Madam.
This was a good thing. If Old Woman Xiao hated the Old Madam, she would be more devoted to serving Madam Xiao in the future.
Hearing Madam Xiao’s words, Old Woman Xiao burst into loud sobs, but in her heart, she laughed coldly again and again.
She hated the Old Madam who had ordered her daughter’s death, and she hated Madam Xiao even more for standing by and watching.
She had served Madam Xiao wholeheartedly for over twenty years, yet her only daughter met such a fate.
It was Madam Xiao who had taken her daughter out, and it was Madam Xiao the bandits had intended to kidnap. Just because her daughter was a servant, born with a lowly fate, everyone else was fine while only her daughter lost her life?
This wasn’t fair!
Old Woman Xiao used her sobs to conceal the immense hatred in her heart.
Just wait, she thought. One day, she would make Madam Xiao taste the bitterness of losing a daughter!
Naturally, she hadn’t seen her daughter’s final moments. Wiping her tears, Old Woman Xiao walked towards the garden pond.
Yu Jin climbed over the wall with Erniu. As soon as they landed, Erniu sprinted in one direction.
Yu Jin chased after him, cursing inwardly: Why run so fast? Doesn’t he know this is my first time sneaking in to see Ah Si? I’m feeling a bit shy…
Then the bashful Seventh Prince Yu was led by Erniu to the edge of the pond.
The moonlight was sparse, the shadows of trees heavy, and the pond reflected a cold, shimmering light.
Old Woman Xiao slowly turned her head, her ghastly pale old face suddenly coming into Yu Jin’s view.
Damn it, he was going to kill that dog Erniu when they got back!