Zhenshu got up and opened the door halfway. She saw Leng Lu, who had lit the lamp earlier, still holding the lantern in her hand. She replied, "Miss Leng Lu, my eldest young lady has already retired for the night. Please apologize to Madam Hou. I will definitely go to pay my respects to her first thing tomorrow morning."
After saying that, he was about to close the door when Leng Lu kicked it open and said, "Not only Miss Song, but also Miss Song and Madam Hou are invited. Since it concerns my fifth young master, please get dressed quickly so we can go together."
Since she called Zhenshu "Third Miss," she must have known about tonight's events. It's just unknown whether the Lady Hou went there to silence them or to apologize.
Hearing this from inside, Jung-won was already restless, so she got up and came over, saying, "In that case, let's go together."
Leng Lu led the two of them to the door of the room where the Lady of Bei Shunhou lived. She did not go into the room herself, but only glanced at the door a few times. Dou Mingluan opened the door herself with a solemn expression. Without even greeting them, she let the two of them into the room and then lowered the door sheath.
Zhenshu went into the inner room first and saw Lady Nie, the wife of the Marquis, sitting in a round-backed chair. Several small tables were placed beside her, where Zhenyu and Zhenxiu were also seated. She first curtsied and said, "This servant greets Madam!"
Zhang glared and waved her hand, saying, "Miss Song has willingly lowered herself, but I cannot break the rules of etiquette. I cannot accept your bow. Get up."
Upon seeing this, Zhenyuan gave a slight curtsy and asked, "May I ask what brings you here, Madam?"
Madam Zhang glared at Zhenyuan and sneered, "What is it? You've seduced my fifth young master time and time again. You really have no good intentions!"
Upon hearing this, Zhenyuan took two steps back in surprise and said, "Where did you hear this from, Madam...?"
Madam Zhang glanced at Zhenyu and Zhenxiu, who were sitting down, and sneered, "If it weren't for the fact that you two sisters knew some proper etiquette for women and told me early on, I would still be in the dark and you would have corrupted my perfectly good son!"
At this point, Madam Zhang slammed her hand on the table and pointed at Zhenshu, saying, "And you, you country bumpkin, you stomped on my son's waist and gave him a big bruise. If you had hurt my son's waist, I would have skinned you alive and smashed your face to pieces."
Zhenyuan had never seen the Lady of the Marquis so furious. She was so frightened that she collapsed to the ground, covered her face, and began to cry.
Zhenshu remained standing, trembling with anger. She forced a smile and asked, "May I ask, Madam Hou, who told you that my sister was seducing your fifth son?"
As she spoke, her gaze was like a knife, constantly piercing Zhenyu and Zhenxiu's faces. Seeing this, the two girls turned their heads away, one blushing and the other lowering her head, refusing to speak. This Madam Zhang, however, still had some sense of justice, retorting, "If you weren't intentionally trying to seduce him, why would you ask my son out in the dead of night?"
Zhen Shu said, "Just now, my eldest sister was reading scriptures in her room when my fourth sister came in and invited her to go out for a stroll. She said that my second sister and Miss Dou were together, so my eldest sister felt at ease and went with her. I was right there at the time and heard and saw everything clearly. I can guarantee that there was absolutely no seduction as you described, Madam."
After listening, Madam Zhang curled her lips into a cold smile and said, "Your whole family comes from a poor, remote village. I only held a banquet at the Marquis's residence to find you a suitable family for marriage because of Consort Rong's reputation in the palace. I never expected that you would dare to try to climb the social ladder and make a move on my son. Now you're trying to get away with it because of sisterly affection. Unfortunately, Zhenyu has already told me everything about your despicable behavior. Furthermore, you kicked my son and left a bruise on his waist. Don't think you can get away with this. Tomorrow I will report this to the authorities and have the Yingtian Prefecture bring you to the main hall, strip you of your pants and humiliate you, you country bumpkin."
Upon hearing this, Zhenshu glanced back at Zhenyu and saw that she looked somewhat embarrassed, sitting there biting her lip in silence. Zhenshu wondered what Zhenyu was thinking. But for the sake of Zhenyuan's reputation, and for her own, she had to argue her case.
Before Zhen Shu could even defend herself, two strong old women suddenly appeared out of nowhere, pushed her forward, pinned her hands behind her back, bent her legs and kicked her, forcing her to kneel on the ground. One of the old women shouted, "Where did this lowly servant come from? Why don't you kneel down and answer in front of the Lady of the Marquis?"
Madam Zhang said, "First, give this arrogant little hussy a good slap and smash her mouth open."
Zhenshu struggled against the two old women's iron grip, but when one of them raised her hand to slap her face, she ducked sharply and then charged straight into the old woman's arms with all her might. Zhenshu was used to hard labor at Caijia Temple and was quite strong. The old woman, though plump, had always worked as a lowly servant in the Marquis's mansion and was no match for Zhenshu's strength. Zhenshu easily knocked her to the ground, pulling the other old woman down with her.
Zhenshu crawled out from under the two women and rushed to Lady Zhang, the wife of the Marquis of Beishun, asking, "May I ask, Madam, who told you that my sister had a secret rendezvous with Young Master Dou last night?"
At home, the servants were terrified of Zhang Shi. A single cold glance from her would send them tumbling to their knees, and a slam on the table would leave them paralyzed with fear. They had never seen such a fierce and unruly woman before. Seeing her rush straight to their feet, they shrank back in fright, pointing a trembling finger at Zhenshu and saying, "You...you step back!"
☆, Chapter 14 Mutual Destruction
Zhenshu had only taken two steps back when the two old women pounced on her again and twisted her arms behind her back. Zhenshu struggled and said, "If Madam Hou wants to interrogate us, then she should tell me who filed the complaint. When the government conducts a trial, doesn't it also allow the accused to see witness testimonies? Otherwise, how will we know where we went wrong, and how will we be able to accept the verdict?"
In reality, even if Madam Zhang had immediately ordered the two old women to smash Zhenshu's mouth, what could anyone do to her? However, she had always handled things smoothly, and today, being pressured by such a young girl, she was somewhat flustered and wanted to extricate herself. So she pointed at Zhenyu and said, "It was your second sister who told me, otherwise I would not have known about your despicable behavior."
Zhenshu glanced at Zhenyu, noticing her flushed face and lip-biting gaze, her eyes seemingly fixed on something unseen. She then coldly chuckled, "Well, I also have something good to tell the Lady of the Marquis. When my sister and I first arrived at the Marquis's residence, my second sister invited Young Master Dou to chat in the garden woods..."
Zhenyu jumped up and pointed at Zhenshu, saying, "Shut up!"
Zhen Shu also stared intently at Zhen Yu and said, "She said she was willing to marry the Fifth Young Master and bring a concubine with her. And the concubine she wants to bring is none other than my eldest sister..."
Snap!
Upon hearing this, Zhenyu flew into a rage and slapped Zhenshu across the face. Only then did she straighten up and say to Madam Zhang, "My sister has always been a bit eccentric, and what she says is all nonsense, Madam..."
"It was because of such a promise that Young Master Dou intercepted my eldest sister on the garden path at the Marquis of Nan'an's residence last time, and told her some lies about Yingying and Hongniang. Madam, who do you think is the one who corrupted your son?"
Dou Keming was the youngest son and quite handsome, so Lady Zhang had high hopes for him. Therefore, she was very strict about his relationships with men, refusing to assign him even the most attractive maids, let alone young ladies of good looks. As for Zhenyu, she had a generous dowry and was the niece of Consort Rong, so Lady Zhang was willing to accept the marriage and allowed Dou Keming to associate with her. Dou Keming had always disliked Zhenyu's appearance and delayed the marriage. Lady Zhang only hoped that Zhenyu could win him over with her gentle charm, but unexpectedly, she seduced him with a beautiful concubine and even secretly betrothed her elder sister to him.
No wonder Dou Keming has been urging her to propose marriage to the Song family every day these past few days; it turns out that Zhenyu has given him such a sweet treat.
Thinking of this, Zhang looked at Zhenyu with a hint of hostility in her eyes.
Upon seeing this, Zhenyu grabbed Zhenxiu and said, "Good sister, quickly testify for me that Second Sister must have gone mad to say such things."
Seeing this, Zhenxiu nodded and said, "That's right, Madam. My second sister's statement is only one side of the story. Whether my third sister promised to be a concubine or not can be found out by asking Young Master Dou. You must believe my third sister's words."
After hearing this, Madam Zhang hesitated for a long time before beckoning Dou Mingluan over and whispering in her ear, "Go ask next door!"
Zhenyu knew that Dou Keming was an honest fool, and fearing that if he exposed her, it would only confirm her suspicions, so she quickly said, "I'll go and take a look too!"
Madam Zhang said gently, “Good child, you just wait here quietly. I believe you didn’t say such a thing. But if we want to punish these lowly maids, we need some evidence to convince them. When Mingluan arrives, I will have someone send these two to Yingtian Prefecture overnight, and have the Marquis publicly punish them with a beating tomorrow morning.”
Zhenyu was pounding with anxiety, secretly resenting Zhenxiu's terrible idea, and could only wait uneasily.
It turned out that Dou Keming had been kicked by Zhenshu earlier, and upon entering the room, he started shouting and cursing at Zhenshu. At that moment, Zhenyu and Zhenxiu were waiting for Dou Mingluan in the room. When Nie Shi heard that Dou Keming said Zhenshu had kicked him, she asked Zhenyu if she knew about it. Zhenyu disliked Zhenshu and wanted to tarnish Zhenyuan's reputation so that she could make her her concubine, so she fabricated many stories about Zhenyuan's promiscuous behavior and seduction of Dou Keming. With Zhenxiu adding fuel to the fire, Zhang Shi was angered and had Zhenshu and Zhenyuan arrested for interrogation.
Zhenyu thought that Madam Zhang would only scold Zhenyuan and Zhenshu a few times and then drive them away. Who knew that Zhenshu had such a fiery temper that she offended Madam Zhang and made things get out of control, dragging herself into the mess as well.
A moment later, Dou Mingluan came in from the outer room, followed by Madam Shen.
Seeing the two eldest members of the second branch of the family kneeling on the ground, and Zhenshu's disheveled hair and loose clothes, and having just heard Dou Mingluan's words of advice, Madam Shen was not particularly alarmed. She simply walked over, squatted down, straightened Zhenshu's clothes, and said softly, "Quickly apologize to Madam Hou. We are, after all, the younger generation. How could we offend Madam?"
Seeing that Madam Shen kept giving her meaningful glances, Zhenshu didn't know how much Madam Shen knew, nor did she know how Dou Keming had answered earlier. However, since Madam Shen had come to her rescue, how could she not back down? So she kowtowed and said, "My daughter has offended Madam Hou and deserves to die. Please punish me, Madam!"
Just now, when Madam Zhang looked at her daughter and saw the solemn expression on her face, and the way her daughter pointed at Zhenshu and waved her hand gently, she knew that she might have really wronged Zhenshu. She was already 70% convinced that Zhenyu had lied just now, but Zhenyu was Consort Rong's niece and had been loved by Consort Rong since childhood. Moreover, she could not make a scene in front of Madam Shen.
Thinking of this, Madam Zhang waved her hand lightly and said, "Let it go tonight, but my son is still crying in pain. I must tell Consort Rong about this. Your Song family must also give our Marquis's family an explanation."
Madam Shen hurriedly said, "Aren't you going to thank the Lady Marquis?"
Zhenshu and Zhenyuan kowtowed in unison and said, "Thank you, Madam."
Madam Zhang waved her hand and said, "Go down, everyone. I'm tired too. And we're in a temple. If we keep making such a fuss, we'll be ashamed of ourselves and others will feel ashamed for us."
Zhenyuan and Zhenshu withdrew and saw the stars shining brightly in the sky and the temple lanterns twinkling with a cold light. They were speechless, not knowing where to begin. That night, Zhenxiu actually clung to Zhenyu's leg and did not come to sleep with them.
Given this situation, without even a word, Lady Zhang, the wife of the Marquis of Beishun, and her children hitched up their carriages and returned to the Marquis's residence early that morning. Zhenyu, without informing Lady Shen, instructed the driver to prepare the carriages and, along with Zhenxiu and the other two, to also drive back to the Song residence. Lady Shen, upon waking early and finding only one carriage left, had no choice but to squeeze in with Zhenyuan and Zhenyi, slowly making their way back to the residence.
As soon as they returned to the manor and entered Suihe Residence, they saw that the maids and servants all had frosty expressions on their faces, and each of them shook their heads and frowned when they saw Madam Shen. Madam Shen was thinking about the negotiations with the Marquis's mansion last night. Since she did not know much about it, she was wondering how to reply to Madam Zhong when she saw Mama Lü, who was beside Madam Zhong, lift up the curtain and say loudly, "Since Fourth Madam has returned, why don't you come in?"
Madam Shen bowed and smiled, leading Zhenyuan, Zhenshu, and Zhenyi into the main room. There they saw Zhenyu kneeling at Madam Zhong's feet, sobbing uncontrollably. Madam Su, who was standing behind Madam Zhong, looked embarrassed, apologetic, and uneasy. When she saw Zhenyuan and the others come in, her gaze swept over them with a look that seemed to want to kill them.
Madam Shen, along with Zhenyuan and several others, knelt on the ground and said, "Ancestor, we're back."
Zhong snorted coldly and said, "You actually have the nerve to come back!"
She slammed her hand heavily on the octagonal table, and a Hetian jade bracelet that she always wore on her wrist shattered into several pieces, which flew around in all directions.
Madam Shen naturally knew that Zhenyu's early return was a preemptive accusation, a case of the wicked blaming the innocent and misrepresenting the true nature of the tiger. Madam Zhong, however, favored Zhenyu and would never punish her, even if Zhenyu was at fault. As for the girls of the second branch of the family, not only had they become scapegoats, but their reputations would likely be ruined as well.
Thinking of this, Madam Shen looked up and asked, "I wonder what the old ancestor is referring to?"
Zhong pointed at Zhenshu and said, "How dare you ruin your second sister's reputation and gossip about her! I'll cut off your tongue!"
Zhenshu looked up and said, "Reporting to the Ancestor, your granddaughter has not."
Zhong found a cup of tea on the table, threw it at Zhenshu's head, and angrily cursed, "You ill-mannered little hussy, how dare you talk back..."
Suddenly, Madam Su rushed out from behind Madam Zhong, slapping Zhenshu's back wildly with both hands, saying, "You disobedient brat, I'll teach you to talk nonsense..."
Seeing this, Zhenyuan crawled to Zhenshu's side and stopped Su Shi, saying, "Mother, please stop hitting her. It's my fault."
Madam Su feared that Madam Zhong would ruin Zhenshu's appearance in her rage, so she pretended to beat her severely, but in reality, although the slaps were loud, they were not hard. Zhenshu knew Madam Su's intentions, but she didn't know how Zhenyu had just fabricated stories about her, so she lowered her head and cried, "Last night, not only my sisters and I, but also the Lady of Beishun Marquis was present. If I had done something wrong, why didn't the Lady of Beishun Marquis punish me?"
Madam Zhong pointed at Zhenshu and said, "Sisters killing each other is your greatest sin. Zhenyu's words about making Zhenyuan a concubine were just a child's joke, but you took that joke as a flaw and revealed it to the Lady of the Marquis. That is your greatest sin. It's one thing for sisters not to reciprocate each other's feelings, but to do this to each other is disgraceful."
It turns out that Zhenyu was telling Zhong that what she said to Dou Keming was just a joke, but Zhenshu took it seriously and told the Lady of Beishun, causing her to lose face in front of the Lady.
That's actually a plausible argument.
Aside from Zhenyu herself, who could know whether it was a joke or the truth?
Zhenshu knelt on the ground, speechless for a long time, when Zhong suddenly said, "I didn't invite you here, and it wasn't my idea to inquire about your marriages. It was Consort Rong in the palace who gave you these favors because she remembered the good things your father did for you back then, but now it seems that you are not worthy of these favors. Very well, tomorrow I will write a letter to Consort Rong, reporting everything that you two young ladies have done since coming to the capital, and let her make a decision."
Upon hearing this, Madam Su hurriedly knelt down and said, "Mother, Ancestor, Zhenshu was just confused for a moment and misspoke because she was ignorant. She is still your own granddaughter after all..."
Zhong had already stood up, but upon hearing this, she slammed her cane heavily on the ground and said coldly, "She's sixteen now, and she still doesn't understand? When will she ever understand? If she stays obediently at home from today onwards, that's fine. But if she continues to cause trouble everywhere, you don't need to wait here to celebrate her birthday. Just hitch up a carriage and go back to Huixian."
Hearing this, Madam Su was both angry and disappointed. She slapped Zhenshu several times until her hands hurt. She crawled on her knees to try to stop Madam Zhong, but a group of old women and maids surrounded Madam Zhong, so she could not keep up.
The second family returned to the small west courtyard, all with long faces, looking as if they had lost their parents. Madam Su lay on the bed for a long time before sitting up again and asking Zhenyuan, "Did that Fifth Young Master Dou really come to embarrass you?"
Zhenyuan slowly extended one hand, her arm and wrist covered in bruises, all from Dou Keming's strenuous pulling the previous night. Upon seeing this, Madam Su gasped in anger, covering Zhenyuan's sleeve and saying, "Why did you go to the outer room in the dead of night? Aren't you deliberately tempting someone to commit a crime?"
Zhenyuan covered her face and wept silently. Zhenshu couldn't help but interject, "It was Zhenxiu who dragged the eldest sister out. Who knew she would have such intentions..."
Su pointed a finger at Zhenshu's eye socket and said through gritted teeth, "You troublemaker! You've already done something shameful, and you're too busy trying to cover it up, yet you still make a scene. If your sister's reputation is ruined in the future, I won't let you off the hook."
Zhenshu said, "It was Zhenxiu who forcibly dragged my eldest sister out and sent her to Dou Keming's side. Mother didn't blame her, but blamed me instead?"
Madam Su twisted Zhenshu's arm hard and said, "She's a stubborn wretch, a sinful child born to repay her own sins. But you're different. You're usually the most sensible, reasonable, and understanding of your mother's suffering, the child who would never make a mistake. Yet today you've caused such a disaster."
Do you know that when Zhenyu returned home, every word she uttered was a denunciation of you? She said you and your sister killed each other, that you insulted her in front of the Lady of Beishun, and that you slandered her. Although your heart is in Huixian and you don't want to stay in the capital, what about Zhenyuan and Zhenyi? I had hoped that if I served the Old Ancestor well this time, she would take pity on us and allow us to stay in the capital for a long time, and slowly find suitable families for them. But with the trouble you've caused, at least I have no hope of staying in the capital.”
☆ Chapter 15: Purpose
Zhenyuan poured a cup of tea and served it to Madam Su before slowly saying, "I don't want to marry into this capital city now. There are many wealthy families and scholarly families in Huixian. If Mother spreads the word, people will naturally come to propose marriage. How about I marry in Huixian? I can still take care of my parents and won't have to marry far away from home."
Su took a sip of tea, and when she heard Zhenyuan say such unambitious things, she threw the teacup back into Zhenshu's hand and said, "Since you were born, how much effort and money have I spent raising you? So that one day you would marry in the capital and I could also benefit from it and escape the poverty of Huixian County. Now that you are saying such disheartening things, I might as well be dead!"
Zhenshu also gathered around the bed and said, "Mother, Huixian is vast and open, with the Wei River flowing gently, and the scenery is beautiful all around. It's so much better than this cramped capital. You usually don't like to go out, so if you..."
Madam Su snapped, "Enough! Stop spouting your nonsense. If it's true, as the Lady of Beishun Marquis said, that I've spoiled you too much and raised you to be a rude and uncouth girl from Lu, then that's my fault too. From now on, I'll correct you properly."
Unable to persuade each other, the mother and her daughters remained silent, holding their breath. Zhenyi, still young, dared not interrupt when she saw their anger. But now that they had finally stopped talking, she came over and said timidly, "Mother, Sister Zhenyu's cloud-shaped shoulder piece is so beautiful. I want to buy a few pieces to use too."
This cloud-shaped shoulder cape was only for women who had reached the age of marriage. Although beautiful, young girls couldn't fully support its weight, and besides, it was originally used by women to shield themselves from the dust and wear as a covering when going out to visit guests or offer incense; it wasn't usually used at home. Furthermore, the cloud-shaped shoulder cape was made of luxurious materials and involved intricate embroidery techniques; even a skilled embroiderer would need at least six months to complete one. Even Zhenxiu, who intended to win over Zhenyu, only dared to embroider a simple cloud-shaped shoulder cape with a willow leaf and spring-like pattern. A single cloud-shaped shoulder cape in the embroidery workshop could easily cost ten or more taels of silver, enough for an ordinary family to live on for a year; no one would buy one to wear.
At this moment, Madam Su was heartbroken with disappointment. Looking at her three daughters, only Zhenyi resembled her the most, most eager to pursue fine clothes and beautiful ornaments, and most wanting to live in a luxurious and wealthy place. Meanwhile, her older daughters were all competing to break her heart. She thought it best to invest her money in her youngest daughter, who might be able to fulfill her dream of returning to the capital.
Thinking of this, Madam Su put her arm around Zhenyi and said, "Good child, if you like it, let's go to the embroidery shop tomorrow and buy you two to wear alternately, how about that?"
Zhenshu couldn't help but advise, "Mother, we spent all our money when we came here. Now that we have some left, we still need to use it for the cost of our carriages and lodging on the way back."
Madam Su turned around and said angrily, "As long as I am in this family, you have no right to speak."
She turned around and hugged Zhenyi, saying, "I should also get you some more fashionable mother-of-pearl inlays and hairpins..."
Zhenyi interrupted Su Shi with a smile, saying, "I also want a phoenix-tail dress like Sister Zhenyu's, and a necklace with gold and jade like hers, and..."
Madam Su nodded and said, "Okay! Okay! I'll prepare everything for you."
Zhenshu and Zhenyuan looked at each other, neither knowing what to do.