“What else have you to say?” The old madam demanded sharply.
Advanced in years yet vigorous in voice—watching too many operas, did she think herself a righteous magistrate? Mo Zi was a modern soul who felt that mobilizing such forces just to extract from her mouth information about Qiu Sanniang doing business—wasn’t this making a mountain out of a molehill?
“Old Madam, Mo Zi truly has nothing to say. The matters Si Niang spoke of—Mo Zi has never done. Since last time when I angered Old Madam, Mistress punished me to guard the bamboo grove. Third Master loves bamboo, and the grove is dense and extensive. I’m busy all day without rest—the bamboo cottage is merely a place to sleep. Usually I have no time to tidy the house. If Old Madam doesn’t believe me, just ask Hong Mei and Lu Ju and you’ll know. Before Bai He left, she made the meals, and several people took turns delivering them.” Having nothing to say was modesty—she actually had a belly full of words.
“Naturally Lu Ju and Bai He would help you. How can their words be trusted?” Jin Si said lightly.
“If their words can’t be trusted, how can Si Niang’s words be trusted? You were once a favorite before Third Master. Since Third Madam entered the door, anyone with eyes can see you’re no longer favored as before. Mistress fell suddenly ill—we found two former imperial physicians outside who diagnosed it as poisoning upon examination. Surely Mistress didn’t poison herself. Now you point at Mo Zi’s improper behavior, insinuating that Mistress instigated it, with witness and evidence. But we also have witness and evidence conclusively pointing to your godmother threatening maids at Mozhi Courtyard to put drugs in Mistress’s food. So can I say everything was at your instigation? Third Master knows of this matter too. Mistress, for Third Master’s sake, didn’t mention it to Old Madam and Her Highness. Not long ago Her Highness wanted to place your pair of children in Mistress’s courtyard to raise, yet now you fabricate rumors about Mistress—motive aplenty.” Mo Zi curled one corner of her mouth.
Then she said to that cold-faced old lady, “Mo Zi dares speak frankly—this evidence was certainly arranged by Si Niang beforehand. Old Madam and Her Highness cannot trust her one-sided words. Many people come and go from Mozhi Courtyard daily—young misses, First Master and Second Master, stewards, maids and servants. Just summon them one by one to ask whether any among them saw Mo Zi climbing walls. Also, Si Niang, tell us—which day, what hour, what moment did you come to the bamboo grove seeking Mo Zi?”
“You…” Jin Si’s composure finally broke as her eyes widened.
“By reason and emotion, witness and evidence should be collected by an impartial third party. The conflict between Si Niang and my mistress is plain for all to see—insufficient for testimony.” Though Mo Zi’s words came from modern forensic concepts, through her explanation they were simple and easy to understand.
“Mother—” The princess consort thought Mo Zi made sense. Yong Er had long neglected Jin Si, her daughter-in-law’s illness came fiercely, and Mo Zi said they had proof—it didn’t seem like lies.
The old lady had made up her mind—no matter how reasonable Mo Zi’s words, she would disregard them. She knew Jin Si had her own purposes, but it simply provided her a good opportunity. After using her, she’d settle accounts.
“Impenitent thieving maid, look clearly at the bamboo ladder before you. This wasn’t something Si Niang randomly brought to frame you—I sent people to find it in your house. Look at you, crafty and silver-tongued, daring to speak so righteously before your masters. Si Niang had one thing absolutely right—Third Madam has spoiled her dowry maids to outrageous excess.”
Mo Zi lowered her head, as if examining those ladder sections, or as if not daring to meet the old lady’s gaze directly. She said, “Before Mo Zi moved in, this ladder was already in the bamboo cottage’s storage room, usually used to repair bamboo and trim branches. Old Madam probably misunderstood. The ladder is so short—how could it reach over the wall?”
The old lady hadn’t expected Mo Zi to react so quickly. When she first saw these ladder sections, she’d been half-believing Jin Si’s words—only then did she truly believe. Such crucial evidence—she wouldn’t allow Mo Zi to overturn it. Sneering coldly, she said, “Don’t think you can fool people this way. There are several sections of ladder here. I had people measure—section by section added together, they’re exactly the height of the wall.”
“Section by section added together?” Mo Zi tilted her head as if pondering feasibility. “How would they be added? Mo Zi doesn’t understand. Old Madam might as well have someone demonstrate for Mo Zi to see.”
“Won’t shed tears until you see the coffin.” The old lady called in two strong women, instructing them to carry the ladder outside and use rope to bind and erect it.
After quite a while, no one came back to report it was ready. The old lady sent a trusted old servant to look. The woman returned saying they’d bound it but couldn’t erect it—the servant women were trying different tying methods. So they waited another good while. But this time the report was that the ladder could stand, but fell far short.
The old madam and princess consort personally went out to look.
Maids came up, pulling Mo Zi along to follow outside.
On this frigidly cold night under bright lamplight, the four ladder sections were bound together but could just barely clear the walls of this courtyard.
Jin Si’s godmother scoffed dismissively. “Bind the ladder feet and won’t the ladder be taller?”
She thought herself clever, and the old madam also considered herself no fool, having the servant women do as Jin Si’s godmother suggested.
After binding, this time the total height was naturally very satisfactory.
The old madam was just about to rebuke Mo Zi when Mo Zi’s light words blocked her mouth.
Mo Zi said, “The ladder is tall enough, but how does one climb it?”
Everyone looked at the ladder again, each one stunned. Four ladder sections, each six chi long, with only three horizontal bamboo rungs clustered in the middle—a chi and a half to nearly two chi at head and tail had no footholds. Between one section and another, the distance between horizontal rungs exceeded three or four chi.
“How can it not be climbed?” Though it looked odd, three or four chi wasn’t that great a distance. The old madam found a taller servant woman and had her climb up to show them.
The woman struggled past the first section. When climbing to the second section, the ladder suddenly began sliding down. The woman panicked, hands and feet at a loss. The entire person brought the ladder crashing down in a sprawling heap, crying out in pain.
Mo Zi’s ladder sections had their tricks. The bamboo poles at head and tail were waxed, extremely slippery, and without crossbars—binding only the two ends meant they’d naturally slide down when force was applied. If the crossbars were bound together, the height would be insufficient. To connect several ladder sections required the specially designed ladder clasps she’d made. Unfortunately, things that could be found by searching the bamboo cottage wouldn’t include these. In other words, whatever people could see and find were things she didn’t care about—everyone was welcome to view and borrow them.
Now the only piece of evidence had become useless.
The old lady was just considering what to do next when an old servant came hurrying from that side of the garden.
“Old Madam, Second Master has come to pay his respects.”
“Mother, it wouldn’t be good for Wei Er to know of this matter. Besides, we must leave Yong Er some face—after all she’s his wife.” The princess consort maintained a soft attitude throughout. “Why not let this matter rest for now? Another day we can summon Sanniang to question. Before elders, she shouldn’t dare lie.”
But the old madam wouldn’t relent. To the servant bringing news she said, “Tell him I’ve retired. Please ask Second Master to come early tomorrow morning instead.” Having said this, she ordered people to bring Mo Zi back inside.
Jin Si’s godmother, fearing the world wouldn’t be chaotic enough, said upon entering, “Old Madam, this servant was bringing this wretched maid Mo Zi into the mansion earlier when we encountered Second Master in front of Weifeng Residence. Second Master showed this old woman no favor, but treated this maid well—asking her personally to tell him what matter Old Madam wanted her for.”
“I saw long ago you’re a hoofed creature harboring designs. Just for this, I cannot easily let you go.” The old madam beckoned with one hand. “Bring me the thorn paddle. Beat her twenty strokes—see if her mouth remains hard, see if she still dares harbor fantasies of climbing into her master’s bed.”
The thorn paddle was a type of private punishment instrument used by great households to discipline servants—the paddle had half-cun long wooden knobs that when striking flesh were like thorns, piercing painfully. Without using much force, it achieved the effect of tormenting people.
Mo Zi was Qiu Sanniang’s dowry maid—logically speaking, the old madam should ask Sanniang before personally disciplining her. But Great Zhou observed Confucian benevolent propriety—ruler as ruler, subject as subject, father as father, son as son. Sanniang was this family’s daughter-in-law. Once married in, she was the Xiao family’s person. The Xiao family’s people must listen to their elders. Never mind a dowry maid—even Sanniang’s life and death, staying or going, weren’t they decided by these people? At the Qiu mansion Sanniang still had her father to stand behind her, topped with the title of legitimate eldest daughter—Zhang Shi didn’t dare be too vicious. But now that she’d become a wife, her husband was heaven, and her husband’s parents and grandparents were heaven above heaven. What indenture contract or no indenture contract—in Prince Jing’s mansion, killing anyone’s maid was a very simple matter.
Therefore, Mo Zi didn’t produce that set of arguments. Speaking them would only result in being beaten more severely.
“Speak the truth truthfully and I’ll spare you this beating.” The thorn paddle already stood behind Mo Zi. The old madam’s gaze was cold as frost. “I ask you—did you help your mistress manage Wangqiu Tower and the shipyard, these two businesses outside?”
Mo Zi raised her eyes, steadfast in her gaze. “Since Old Madam asks about my mistress’s affairs, why not summon Mistress here? My master’s matters—even if Mo Zi could speak of them, I cannot speak behind my master’s back.”
“She is your master—are we not also your masters? Sanniang is our Xiao family’s person. From the day she entered the mansion, you also became a maid of my Xiao family.” The old madam’s voice was extremely cold, without the slightest intention of showing mercy.
Who said dowry maids couldn’t be handled by the husband’s family’s masters? If dowry maids weren’t maids, could they perhaps be noble young misses? In this world, human relations meant distinctions of rank and age. If dowry maids were obedient, if wives were compliant, naturally it wouldn’t be these matriarchs’ turn to step forward and manage things. Otherwise, beat when beating was due, scold when scolding was due—not the slightest ambiguity needed.
“Mo Zi, we all know your mistress followed her father in trade since childhood. Coming to the capital and opening some businesses isn’t any great crime. It’s just that the prince’s mansion has many rules. She’s young and doesn’t understand—if she does wrong, we as elders must naturally teach her. You needn’t be afraid. Just say whether Sanniang has these two businesses or not. She’s my daughter-in-law, Old Madam’s granddaughter-in-law—all family. Could we possibly devour her? Speak. Say it and you’ll be spared physical suffering.” The princess consort persuaded gently.
“Mo Zi requests to see my mistress.” Everything else, she wouldn’t mention at all.
“Beat her.” The old madam waved her hand.
The thorn paddle fell mercilessly.
The junior maids outside, hearing the smacking sounds, couldn’t help feeling alarmed, yet found it strange the person being beaten made no cries. What they didn’t know was that inside wasn’t calm, and outside was even less calm.
Everything proceeded in orderly fashion, waiting only for dawn.