“Who’s there?” The gatekeeper was more cautious than usual.
“I’m Mo Zi, a maid from Third Miss’s courtyard.” Mo Zi responded from outside the garden gate.
The lantern glowed red and festive, yet the people in the mansion had no festive spirit. After all, the household’s matriarch was currently in a rage—how could the servants below who read expressions be happy? Though Qiu Sanniang’s marriage was as good as it could possibly be, she was marrying out, actually becoming distant from those who needed to continue making a living here.
“What time is it, and you’re still outside?” An old woman’s voice from inside the gate was coldly impersonal. “Don’t you know? These past two days, maids from the inner garden aren’t allowed out. The garden gate locks after noon. Except for the masters and their personal attendants and stewards, not a single person can enter.”
Mo Zi didn’t recognize the voice, so she used a general term of address. “Matron, I left the garden seven or eight days ago. Someone in my family fell ill, and the young miss was considerate, allowing me several days to go home and care for them. I just returned today and didn’t know the locking time had changed. Matron, please be flexible and let me in.”
“That won’t do!” The person inside refused outright. “Madam’s orders—who dares disobey? Besides, if I accommodate you, then someone else comes, do I accommodate them too? If Madam blames us, will you help me bear the punishment? Go on, tell a steward in the outer garden, find somewhere to sleep, and come back early tomorrow.”
“In this pitch darkness, how can I stay in the outer garden alone all night? I told Third Miss I’d return today. If I go back tomorrow morning, won’t I still get punished by the young miss? My young miss is about to marry—she’ll need help.” Mo Zi absolutely had to get in tonight, so she wheedled and coaxed at the gate. “Good matron, please let me in. I’ll certainly show my filial respect to you. I won’t forget your kindness.”
“…” The old woman inside the gate, hearing these words, was clearly somewhat moved. She opened a door crack as wide as a face. “Let me see how you’ll show this filial respect?”
It seemed giving too little silver wouldn’t work. In special times, even toll fees rose with the tide. Mo Zi lowered her head to search at her waist for the pouch containing loose silver pieces, but couldn’t find it for a moment. Then she remembered the skirt she’d just changed into—the pouch was still in her bundle.
So she set the red lantern aside and squatted on the ground to untie her bundle. As she did so, she said, “Matron, wait while I find—”
Before she finished speaking, bright light suddenly appeared before her with a clanging sound. The garden gate flew open, and she immediately heard the gatekeeper crying out in pain inside.
“Insatiably greedy old hag, acting like a master at a mere gate! Blind eyes and deaf ears—hurry up and buy a coffin board for your funeral arrangements. Don’t pollute the masters’ faces here. Look clearly—who are you demanding filial respect from?” Someone behind Mo Zi cursed viciously.
Mo Zi hurriedly grabbed her bundle and stood up straight, looking back.
Three bright lanterns. Four shadowy figures. The one who kicked open the gate was a burly man. The one speaking was a middle-aged steward. The one watching with a grinning face was the young servant Qi Shu. The one being attended to like the moon surrounded by stars was Fourth Master Qiu of Qiu Mansion.
She’d encountered the person she least wanted to see. Mo Zi howled miserably in her heart.
The gatekeeper half-crawled, half-knelt to the threshold, her old face full of bitter misery. “This old woman just drank a small cup and the alcohol must have clouded her vision. I didn’t see clearly it was Fourth Master returning to the garden. Please spare this old woman just this once, Master.” As she spoke, she slapped herself repeatedly.
To Mo Zi’s ears, those sounds were solid and real, much heavier than the slap she’d received from Zhang Shi back then. It didn’t seem like the woman was taking shortcuts at all. Though insolent servants deserved to be beaten, seeing such an elderly person kneeling and hitting herself was unbearable. She turned her face slightly away.
Fourth Master Qiu had been staring at Mo Zi all along. Seeing she seemed unable to bear it, he said to the old woman, “Enough, I’ll spare you this time. If there’s a next time, pack up your things and leave the mansion yourself.”
The old woman kowtowed, repeatedly saying she wouldn’t dare, then retreated to the side trembling.
Actually, speaking of wrongdoing, slipping silver for favors in Qiu Mansion was human nature and couldn’t be considered a great offense. That old woman had merely encountered an unlucky star tonight and was particularly unfortunate.
The three glowing glass lanterns passed by, and the four people passed by too. Mo Zi waited in place, wanting them to walk a bit farther before she continued with her red lantern illumination, proceeding in small steps.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as she wished.
“Aren’t you following?” Fourth Master Qiu urged once.
Hearing him call her, Mo Zi’s scalp tingled and her whole body stiffened. Follow him for what? He was going back to Chungui Courtyard, she was going to Sanniang’s small courtyard—completely different paths.
“Fourth Master…” She hugged her bundle with both hands, her mind spinning like a windmill, trying to come up with an excuse. “Mo Zi has already returned late today and needs to hurry back to the young miss’s quarters. Fourth Master, you go your way.”
“Your young miss is at my mother’s place, and I’m heading there now. Let’s go!” Fourth Master Qiu turned around, carefully examining the person who wanted to hide in the shadows.
Undeniably, Mo Zi first caught his attention because of her talent. But now, he discovered he was also very satisfied with how she knew propriety. In front of others, keeping her head down and being careful, not attracting attention. That way, she wouldn’t stray like red apricots blooming over the wall, would she? Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but burn with rage.
That woman Ai Lian—though he didn’t particularly dote on her, he’d treated her reasonably well. Who would have thought she’d do such a degrading thing with his own younger brother, even trying to foist a child on him? He didn’t mind if the few he kept outside played around with other men, because they were originally courtesans. But those in his own quarters had to be loyal to him alone, even if he rarely touched them, or almost never touched them. He didn’t like women who couldn’t recognize many characters and had no talent. His wife was very clever and capable, but at managing the inner household—completely unrelated to refined pursuits. Forget zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting—she struggled even reading a book of surnames. His concubine was a vixen who had pleased him in bed for a period, but her ignorance also made him quickly tire of her.
Unlike his unambitious Fifth Brother, he had seriously studied and taken the child scholar examination, but those sage texts couldn’t be transformed into abundant talent just through interest. When he realized he lacked the ability to study, he began befriending scholars, visiting brothels with them, drinking and sleeping with courtesans who understood poetry, appreciated music and chess, learning how the literati kept those talented women as if that made him one of them.
Not knowing whether the matter of taking her as a concubine had been announced, Mo Zi looked at Qi Shu and the other two ahead who seemed to deliberately maintain distance from her and Fourth Master Qiu, secretly smiling bitterly.
Fourth Master Qiu in Qiu Mansion was a master who never smiled frivolously. From his outward appearance, one absolutely couldn’t tell his lifestyle was extremely dissolute.
Qiu Sanniang had once described her two younger brothers this way: Fourth Brother has a scholar’s mind but pretends to be a merchant; Fifth Brother is an embroidered pillow stuffed with straw.
Truly hitting the nail on the head.
“Is your family well?” He’d heard from Jiang Shi days ago that she’d gone home to care for someone ill.
Mo Zi had no way out now. She “honestly” lied. “Thanks to Fourth Master’s blessings, quite well.”
“I heard they’re adoptive relatives?” Understanding was just beginning.
“Yes.” What shouldn’t be elaborated on, she didn’t elaborate. To avoid saying more and making more mistakes, unable to cover them later, turning into disaster.
“What books do you usually like to read?” Fourth Master Qiu himself had no ability to study, but he liked others to study.
Like Grandmother Jia questioning Lin Daiyu, Mo Zi felt awkward inside. She certainly couldn’t satisfy him. “In response to Fourth Master, Mo Zi doesn’t read books—I only recognize a few characters.”
What a standard, safe answer.
“Zither, chess, calligraphy, painting? Poetry, lyrics, songs, rhymes?” Who knew Fourth Master Qiu would continue pressing, like forcing a duck onto a perch.
“Completely ignorant of all.” He liked talented women—then she absolutely didn’t belong to that category.
Mo Zi discovered the person beside her was approaching when it was already too late. Before she could cry out in alarm, Fourth Master Qiu pushed her against the white wall of the corridor. The lantern in her hand fell to the ground and was quickly consumed by flames, bright red turning to scorched black. Sparks floated upward.
Qi Shu turned his head and saw, then quickly turned back sensibly, but told the other two to quicken their pace, as if his master was about to do something unseemly. The three lanterns swayed in panicked haste.
Forget those three—even Mo Zi herself suspected whether Fourth Master Qiu was going to emulate his younger brother. If that were the case, she’d have to be prepared.
What kind of preparation?
The minimum awareness of being a maid who beats her master! The maximum awareness of being an escaped slave!
Mo Zi didn’t speak, but her face tilted slightly upward, no longer able to keep her eyes lowered submissively. Only by looking directly at the other party could she know their intentions.
Fourth Master Qiu gripped Mo Zi’s shoulder with one hand and lightly lifted her chin with the other. There were no stars or moon in the sky, no light in the corridor, but he could vaguely make out the contours of her features.
“Mo Zi, you not only tell stories well, you’re also very beautiful.”
Mo Zi wanted to tell him that she only knew one story, and if we’re talking about beauty, his wife was very beautiful. His concubine was also very beautiful. But before she could open her mouth, her hand had already grabbed Fourth Master Qiu’s wrist, forcefully moving his paw from her chin. She also ducked down half an inch and moved sideways, freeing her shoulder.
“In the pitch darkness, Mo Zi can’t even see Fourth Master’s front or back clearly. Fourth Master shouldn’t joke with Mo Zi.” Good, she’d used a move of acting oblivious and playing dumb. If he tried anything more excessive, she’d throw him.
Fourth Master Qiu suddenly laughed and truly stepped toward the direction Mo Zi was dodging. “Girl, don’t be shy. In the future, Master will pamper you well, as long as you can always amuse Master like this.”
Damn his grandmother’s bear! Who was shy? Who wanted his pampering? Also, who was so idiotic as to constantly amuse him? What she said—any normal person wouldn’t find it funny at all. Mo Zi turned to run but was caught by the sleeve by Fourth Master Qiu.
Molestation? Molestation!
Mo Zi lifted her foot, planning to kick him so hard the first Buddha would emerge from the world and the second Buddha would ascend to heaven. (Uh? Is that how the saying goes? Is it?)
“Fourth Master, Madam is urging you to come quickly. Ai Lian’s mother is making a huge scene.” Qi Shu encountered a steward matron sent from the main courtyard midway and had no choice but to turn back and interrupt his master’s “good deed.”
“What’s her mother making a scene about? Her daughter has lost all virtue and ruined my face—I haven’t even asked how her mother raised her.” Fourth Master Qiu was furious upon hearing this.
Mo Zi took the opportunity to withdraw her sleeve and hide in the pitch darkness.
Qi Shu echoed, “Exactly so. Her father is more sensible about things, kneeling there without a sound. Her mother is a complete shrew throwing a fit—somehow she broke into Madam’s courtyard, sitting on the ground crying and wailing. Whoever goes to persuade her, she threatens to dash her head against stones and seek death.”
“Qi Shu, did you bring my whip?” Fourth Master Qiu strode toward the main courtyard.
“Master, I brought it.” Look how clever he is.
Mo Zi tiptoed, having just assumed her position.
“Mo Zi, come watch the excitement with me.”
Who would have thought—he hadn’t forgotten her at all!