Zhan Chun

Kapitel 45

Seeing Qiu Ye standing next to his wooden plank, with one foot on one of his tangram pieces, Wu Ge wiggled in Cheng Mutian's arms and said, "Bad, hit her." Qiu Ye quickly took a step back, waved the account book in her hand, and laughed, "Wu Ge, I've come to ask your father about the accounts." Cheng Mutian looked up and saw that she was still far away from him before coldly saying, "Wu Ge is not the young master you call him."

Qiu Ye listened attentively and immediately changed her address to "Young Master," then asked, "Young Master, may I ask where the money for household expenses comes from?"

Cheng Mutian then realized that Xiaoyuan had only handed over an empty account. He was secretly pleased that they were husband and wife, thinking the same thing, but his face remained cold as ice as he said, "You're in charge of the household, why are you asking me?" Qiu Ye understood that it was a power struggle between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. One was using her as a gun, and the other was using her as a raft. She was afraid that no matter which side won, she would only end up in a miserable state. After thinking it over carefully, she decided to surrender to the faction in front of her. She knelt down with a thud and said, "Young master, do you think my clothes look familiar?"

Cheng Tian still needed her these next few days, so he patiently looked up and asked, "The clothes worn by the servants of the Qian family, were they a gift from Madam?" Qiu Ye cried, "I only wanted to serve the young mistress well, and I never thought about managing the household. It was Madam Xin who forced my parents to become slaves, threatening them with their lives to force me to oppose you. She is Madam's own mother, what can I, a mere concubine, do?"

Cheng Mutian laughed instead: "Who told you to be a concubine? In our family, a concubine's fate is sealed like this. You dare to serve the young mistress? Don't you even know if I've allowed you to? You have no right to do so."

Qiu Ye was completely stunned. So this wasn't a battle between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, but rather a battle between stepmother and stepson? She suddenly remembered what she had said at the kitchen door earlier. Although she had said it to avoid being humiliated by the servants, if the young master in front of her was only using her, and those words reached his ears, would she still be alive?

The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became. Just as she was breaking out in a cold sweat, Sister-in-law Yu and Madam Sun came upstairs after finishing their meal. Seeing her there, they were terrified. One of them pulled her up and dragged her out, saying, "Don't kneel and break Wu-ge's things. You couldn't afford to pay for them even if you sold them." The other said remorsefully, "We forgot that the young mistress wasn't here. We shouldn't have all gone down to eat. She frightened the young master."

They were certainly putting on an act for Qiu Ye's benefit. Cheng Mutian, however, felt uneasy. "We've frightened you, young master." Was he really the kind of person who would hide behind his wife in such situations? Perhaps his expression betrayed his thoughts. He saw that Sister-in-law Yu and Madam Sun both looked deeply convinced, causing him to blush unconsciously. He said he would take his son to see his mother, and hurriedly carried Wu Ge downstairs.

Xiao Yuan had taken several doses of medicine and was feeling much better. She leaned against a large pillow, reaching out her arms to hug Wu Ge. Cheng Mutian, afraid of tiring her, only allowed her to sit with their son on the edge of the bed. Xiao Yuan noticed his flushed face and asked if he had been drinking.

We weren't eating together just now. How could she not know whether we drank or not? She was clearly asking on purpose. Cheng Mutian's face darkened further: "Wife, I'll handle this matter. You don't need to worry about it." Xiao Yuan asked curiously, "I'm lying here; even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to. Why are you suddenly saying this?"

Cheng Mutian took the small biscuit from Wu Ge's hand and slipped it into his mouth, secretly thinking how thoughtful his mother was. Xiao Yuan, seeing him using their son as an excuse, clutched her stomach, claiming a stomachache. Cheng Mutian, seeing the smile on her lips, knew she was bluffing, trying to trick him into telling the truth. But he didn't want her to worry about anything, so he omitted the part about seeing Qiu Ye earlier, saying only, "From now on, if any concubines or maids come knocking, I'll handle them. You just need to hurry up and give me a son." After thinking for a moment, he couldn't help but ask, "Wife, do you also feel that whenever I encounter something like this, I only know how to shield you from the danger?"

Xiao Yuan laughed and said, "No, it's because you stood in front of me. If you hadn't made it clear in front of others that you wouldn't take a concubine, I wouldn't have been able to use any of my schemes and tricks. Do you know what I love most about you? It's that you run away when you see a woman. If you ever dare to speak to them openly, see how I deal with you."

Her unintentional remark startled Cheng Mutian, turning his flushed face pale. He frantically tried to recall if he had spoken openly upstairs. Suddenly, Ding Yiniang's voice came from outside. He frowned, got up, and went out to scold the maid: "Isn't anyone guarding the downstairs? How can the young mistress have a peaceful pregnancy with all this noise?" Ding Yiniang pointed to the room at the very end and said, "I didn't come to disturb the young mistress. I went to see Qiuye and congratulate her on finally marrying you, young master."

Cheng Mutian scolded, "Don't talk nonsense." Seeing his anger, Aunt Ding quickly told him about the "wound and birthmark," saying, "She said it herself. Sister Liu and the maid can testify. I'm not making this up." Cheng Mutian turned to look at the curtain and asked in a low voice, "Who else knows about this?"

Aunt Ding felt that Qiu Ye had climbed into the young master's bed again and was now in charge of the household, which was a relief for concubines. This was a happy thing, and there was no harm in telling everyone about it. But the young master was acting all hypocritical, so she said with dissatisfaction, "Young master, this is a happy occasion. You don't even have to set up a banquet, and you won't let people talk about it?" Cheng Mu was so angry that he wanted to punch her, but he was afraid of disturbing Xiao Yuan. He gritted his teeth and dragged Aunt Ding to the top of the stairs, then kicked her down. Cai Lian, being the quick-witted person she was, ran over immediately and cried out, "Oh dear, Aunt Ding, how did you slip? A Yun, A Cai, hurry and help her up."

Cheng Mutian felt that his hands were dirty from pulling, so he went to the bathroom to wash them before returning to his room to be with Xiaoyuan.

Aunt Ding was crying out in pain outside. With such a loud noise, Xiao Yuan naturally heard it and asked him what had happened. Cheng Mutian was afraid that others would find out about this, but he didn't intend to hide it from her. Therefore, although his face turned red again, he still honestly told her what had happened and defended himself, saying, "It must have been at the perfume shop. When I was lying in the pool, she saw my birthmark."

Xiao Yuan said regretfully, "It's all my fault. What kind of person is Jin Jiushao? How could he take you there? I'm afraid even Gan Shier has been corrupted by him." Involuntarily, the image of her most shy husband lying naked at the bottom of the pool for the scrubbing girls to admire flashed through her mind, and she couldn't help but laugh again: "She saw the birthmark, but what about the injury?" Cheng Mutian touched her stomach: "You scratched it, don't you remember? It was probably when you were pregnant with the second child."

Wu Ge blinked his big eyes and reached out to touch Xiao Yuan's belly, clearly calling out, "Pregnant, second child." Xiao Yuan was so surprised that she forgot to correct Wu Ge and first pinched Cheng Mutian hard: "You're getting more and more improper, you're corrupting your son."

Cheng Tian was also afraid that the child's unintentional imitation would spread outside, so he hurriedly grabbed a handful of biscuits to coax Wu Ge, saying, "Good son, you can't say things like that." Wu Ge didn't understand at all. Seeing that he was giving him biscuits to eat, he thought it was encouragement. He added a title before "pregnant with the second child," turning it into "Dad, pregnant with the second child." While munching on the biscuit, he turned his head and saw Xiao Yuan, adding another word: "Dad, Mom, pregnant with the second child."

Cheng Mutian and his wife were so frightened by their son that they put everything else aside and spent half an hour coaxing, cajoling, and threatening him to finally get Wu Ge to temporarily forget what he had said.

Cheng Mutian dared not leave his son inside any longer. He handed him over to the maids at the door and then returned to Xiaoyuan, saying, "My lady, this concubine is too vicious. She actually dared to slander me. Once I've given up on her idea of becoming a stepmother, I'll definitely sell her to Jin Gou."

"My lord, I think your idea is quite wicked," Xiao Yuan thought to herself, but couldn't help laughing. "Second Brother, if you really sell someone like this, I'm afraid even if you force someone to come to our house as a concubine, no one would dare to do it." She laughed happily, but didn't miss the details, and asked, "Second Brother, how do you plan to put an end to your stepmother's thoughts?"

Cheng Mutian pointed to her belly: "Take good care of yourself and don't think about anything else." Xiaoyuan smiled at him: "We still have to consider appearances, otherwise we'll look bad." Cheng Mutian couldn't help but laugh: "I've always been more filial than you, so I naturally understand this principle."

Chapter 133 Behind the Scenes (Part 2)

While Xiaoyuan and her husband were chatting and laughing easily, Qiuye was on pins and needles. She was worried that she wouldn't be able to afford groceries and would be ridiculed. She tossed and turned all night and couldn't sleep. The next day, she got up early, dressed neatly, and went to pay her respects to Master Cheng, urging him to bring Madam Qian back.

Master Cheng thought to himself, his daughter-in-law's pregnancy was no longer in danger, and Madam Qian still had some money. He couldn't afford to offend her too much, so he decided to accept this as a way out. He said, "Now that you're in charge of the household, I'll give you some face." Qiu Ye thanked him happily and went downstairs to look around. Seeing that there was only one servant, Cheng Fu, she asked him to go to the Qian family to fetch her. Cheng Fu didn't refuse the task, but said, "Since we're bringing Madam home, we should at least have a sedan chair. It would be too inappropriate for the Qian family to send one. If I have to walk to fetch Madam, I can't bear the embarrassment. You should find someone else." What he said made perfect sense, but Qiu Ye had no money. She had no choice but to make the trip herself. Fortunately, Madam Qian had been eager to go home for a while. Not only did she not blame her for not having a sedan chair, but she also invited her to ride in the same sedan chair.

Qiu Ye was a little flattered and huddled in a corner, keeping a distance from Madam Qian. Madam Qian, however, was afraid that if she talked about it at home, others would overhear, so she beckoned Qiu Ye to sit closer and asked her how things were at home. Qiu Ye brought the account books and presented them to her, saying, "Madam, I don't have the ability. The young master doesn't like me. I'll leave this household to you."

Having been instructed by Madam Xin, Madam Qian intended for Qiu Ye to be in charge of the household while she operated behind the scenes. That way, if there were problems with the accounts, someone would take the blame. Therefore, upon hearing this, she hurriedly said, "Why are you giving up over such a small difficulty? Is it because Erlang is not going to hand over the shop that earns the family income to you? Let me go back and seek justice for you." Remembering Madam Qian's initial promise, Qiu Ye said, "Young Master doesn't even come into my room. What's the point of him being a steward? Madam, you might as well sell me to someone else."

Yesterday, Madam Qian finally realized that whether Qiu Ye won Cheng Mutian's favor or could give birth to a son, she wouldn't benefit from it. So she thought to herself, "Even if I were to sell you, I'd have to wait until I've made enough money." While she was thinking about using Qiu Ye, her face showed concern: "Young Madam's pregnancy is unstable, and the young master has no one to serve him at night. You have plenty of opportunities, so why are you in such a hurry?"

Qiu Ye replied, "Young Master is willing to go up to the third floor and squeeze into my room with Brother Wu." Madam Qian did not expect her to be so difficult. She deeply regretted that she had chosen someone smarter than herself to be used as a pawn. Unfortunately, the important matter had not yet been accomplished, so she had no choice but to be patient and coax her by saying, "I will help you manage the household first, and then I will find some good medicine for you."

Qiu Ye had overheard the women in the perfume shop gossiping about drugs that could make men lose control, and a smile appeared on her face. Madam Qian said, "Even if I get the money, I dare not make decisions on my own. I will definitely consult you on everything."

The two hypocrites, though seemingly genuine, managed to get along well on the surface. Back home, after alighting from the sedan chair, the lady of the house, along with Qiu Ye, went to find Master Cheng and complained to Cheng Mutian: "The gentlemen only wanted their wives to have a safe pregnancy, which is why they asked Qiu Ye to manage the household affairs. Erlang didn't even thank them, and now he's making things difficult for them, refusing to hand over the shops that generate income for the household? Do they intend to use the public shops to amass private wealth?"

The Cheng family's accounts consist of two parts: an outer account and an inner account. The outer account records the income and expenses of the maritime business and large shops and estates, managed by Cheng Mutian, and reported to Master Cheng at the end of the year. The inner account only records the income from a few small shops, with the profits used to cover the daily expenses of the inner courtyard. The account books that Qiu Ye had in her hands only showed a portion of the inner account's expenditures; the accounts that recorded income were kept secret by Xiao Yuan, which is why Madam Qian asked about it.

Master Cheng hated anyone who challenged the authority of the family head. When he heard that Cheng Mutian dared to turn the public shops into private property, he was furious and immediately sent someone to summon him for questioning.

Upon hearing the maid's report, Cheng Mu dared not delay. He hurriedly grabbed a few account books and rushed to Master Cheng's room. He explained, "A few days ago, my wife had a miscarriage. Everyone in the house was in chaos, and we completely forgot that we hadn't handed over a few account books." Master Cheng, naturally prioritizing his grandson in his daughter-in-law's womb, calmed down and suppressed his anger. He first inquired about Xiao Yuan's condition before scolding Madam Qian for her impatience. Madam Qian, suppressing her anger, took the account books and flipped through a few pages. She said, "These do record several sources of income, but why don't I see any shops?"

Cheng Mutian smiled and said, "Mother, you don't know. My wife's heart is with the Cheng family. All your food, clothing, and daily necessities come from her dowry money." Master Cheng was moved and said, "My daughter-in-law is so virtuous?" Cheng Mutian took an account book from Madam Qian, who was stunned, and presented it to Master Cheng, showing it to him. Page after page, it indeed recorded the income of Xiaoyuan's several dowry shops.

Master Cheng was moved and excited. His beard trembled, and he couldn't speak. Cheng Mutian seized the opportunity and said, "Father, my wife is willing to use her dowry money, but how can a concubine manage the accounts of her dowry shops?" Master Cheng nodded, having made up his mind. He turned to Madam Qian and smiled, "It's unreasonable to have a son's concubine manage the household when the mother-in-law is still alive. Besides, she doesn't have any dowry money to use. Why not let you manage the accounts?"

Madam Qian didn't believe Xiao Yuan was truly that generous. She questioned, "Since it was the daughter-in-law who took out the money herself before, where are the shops in the public treasury?" Master Cheng was reminded by this. He also said, "Second son, give the household to your mother. She has her own dowry money to use. You should put those small shops back into the public treasury."

Cheng Mu knelt down, trembling with fear, and said, "Father, that day, when Wu Ge turned one year old, I was audacious and transferred him to his name. Please punish me, Father."

He only said "Please punish me, Father" but didn't mention returning the shops to the public. Madam Qian was so angry that she wanted to scold him again, but Master Cheng waved his hand generously: "This family will belong to Wu Ge sooner or later. It's just a few small shops. Consider it as my grandfather's gift to him for his first birthday."

Madam Qian couldn't understand why he forbade his son from saving money, yet was so generous to his grandson. Little did she know that Mr. Cheng's refusal to allow his son to save money wasn't because he was stingy, but because he feared that if his assets were transferred too early, his son would become disobedient. As for his grandson, he was a generation younger and naturally a different story. Cheng Mutian understood his father's thoughts perfectly, which was why he acted this way.

Watching the battle unfold for a while, Qiu Ye realized that Madam Qian would definitely lose to Cheng Mutian. She started plotting something, thinking to herself: "Why should I obey Madam? It's only because my parents are controlled. But if I can get on the good side of the young master and get him to ask the Qian family for the people, Madam Xin might not refuse. It's better to flatter Madam on the surface and secretly side with the young master. Although he doesn't think much of me now, people have hearts, and one day he will realize my goodness."

Having made up her mind, she handed the account book to Madam Qian and said with a smile, "Master said he wants to hire Madam to manage the household. Congratulations, Madam."

Accepting this account book would mean paying out of pocket. Madam Qian hadn't yet gotten any money from the Cheng family, so how could she accept such a loss? Seeing the account book as if it were burning hot coals, she quickly withdrew her hand and firmly replied, "I don't manage the household."

Qiu Ye wanted this effect. She secretly smiled at Cheng Mutian, wanting to show off her success, but Cheng Mutian ignored her completely, not even glancing at her. He looked at Master Cheng and said, "Father, the doctor said my wife will have to stay in bed for several more days. The future is the most important thing. If you insist on being lazy, I won't take the account book back. Who manages the household is entirely up to you, Father."

Uncle Cheng had a large number of sons, but Old Master Cheng only had one son, Cheng Mutian. Over the years, he felt inferior to Uncle Cheng and was determined to make up for it in terms of the number of grandsons. He hurriedly said, "Your mother will take care of the household herself. Tell your wife not to worry about household matters anymore and to focus on her pregnancy."

Cheng Mutian bowed in thanks, turned to leave, but turned back at the door and said to Madam Qian, "My wife needs to drink chicken soup every day during her pregnancy." He then pointed at Qiu Ye and said, "This useless concubine didn't bring back any chickens at noon today. I'll have to trouble you to make sure you have some for dinner tonight."

Qian watched helplessly as he stormed off, a surge of anger rising in her chest. She angrily questioned Master Cheng, "I never said I wanted to manage the household!" Master Cheng chuckled and replied, "You've always said you wanted to manage it. Now that your wish has been fulfilled, why are you blaming me?" Before Madam Qian could erupt in further anger, Master Cheng smashed a teacup, scolding her, "The dowry money is for my wife, why can't you? Besides, you're the only other wife in the household. Now that she's focused on giving me a grandson, it's naturally your responsibility to manage this household." After scolding Madam Qian, he remembered that his virtuous daughter-in-law had suffered a miscarriage, thanks to Madam Qian. He became even angrier, smashing all the broken utensils on the floor. Turning his head, he saw Madam Qian still glaring resentfully and roared, "What are you standing there for? Go and have someone buy a plump, tender black-boned chicken and stew it for your wife!"

Although Qianfu had the intention of remarrying, that would have to wait until Master Cheng passed away. He was still alive at the moment, so she had no choice but to listen to him. She endured her grievances, went back to her room, opened the chest, took out the dowry money, and gave it to Xiaotongqian, asking her to send someone to buy chickens.

Little Copper Coin clutched a hundred coins and went to the kitchen to find Sister Liu, instructing her to buy a black-boned chicken and the dishes for dinner. Sister Liu looked at the money in her hand but dared not take it, saying, "This money will only be enough to buy the black-boned chicken and a few side dishes. There are about ten people in the house, including the master and servants. How can it be enough?"

Little Copper Coin sighed and said, "Good sister-in-law, we're pretending to be poor anyway, so let's have vegetarian food tonight. We'll stew that black-boned chicken and divide it into three portions, and take them to the young mistress, Brother Wu, and Fourth Sister."

After receiving the money, Sister Liu went to the market and bought a small black-boned chicken the size of a fist, three radishes, and two bunches of greens. She tossed them to the maid to prepare, then rolled up her sleeves and began to stew the chicken soup. When Aunt Ding arrived at the kitchen to stir-fry the greens, she saw that Sister Liu had already finished all the work and exclaimed in surprise, "I arrived half an hour earlier! How did you finish so quickly?" Sister Liu brought her two plates of radishes and greens and said, "This is what we'll be having for dinner. Of course I'm fast!"

Chapter 134 Defection

The Cheng family was wealthy, and Xiao Yuan had always been kind to her servants. Even the rough men and the gatekeepers had never eaten a dinner consisting of only one radish and one green vegetable. Soon, the maids and servants in the courtyard were gossiping about how Madam Qian treated her servants harshly; the gatekeepers kept complaining that they hadn't eaten enough and were too weak to guard the gate.

Aunt Ding carried a tray and first went to Fourth Mistress's room to feed her chicken soup before serving Master Cheng and Madam Qian their meal. Master Cheng was staring blankly at the plate of radishes when he saw her and hurriedly asked, "Is this what you cooked? How can I eat this?" Aunt Ding glanced at Madam Qian but didn't say anything. Madam Qian picked at the vegetables in her bowl and said, "I'm a vegetarian, so this is fine. Master, you suffer from diabetes, so you should eat simple food."

Master Cheng's eyes widened. Even if diabetes meant avoiding lavish meals, surely he could still eat a single piece of meat? Aunt Ding stepped forward and placed a piece of radish on his plate, saying, "Master, please make do. It's already quite an achievement that Madam used her dowry money to supplement the household expenses." Her words implied that Master Cheng thought someone was too stingy, but this reminded Madam Qian, who said, "My daughter-in-law and I are different. Her dowry shops generate income every month, while my shops and estates were sold long ago. Now I only have some dead money, and every penny spent is one less. If we spend it all recklessly, the family will have to come up with money from the public treasury to support this large family. Is that what you want, Master?"

Master Cheng thought for a moment, picked up a radish from his bowl and took a bite: "The taste is light, but it's not bad." As soon as he said this, Aunt Ding knew that she would have to eat radishes every meal from now on. Her face immediately wilted like a frostbitten eggplant. Madam Qian, on the other hand, was extremely pleased. She thought to herself that as long as she could get through these few months, she would hand over the household to her daughter-in-law after she gave birth and spend her dowry money.

They ate, and Cheng Mu and his wife also ate. On the table was a bowl of tenderly stewed pork, a plate of steamed fish, and a large bowl of shredded chicken. Although it was just some home-style dishes, it was much better than the others' meals. Xiao Yuan already knew that Madam Qian was in charge and everyone was eating radishes, so she said, "If I had known there was black chicken soup, I wouldn't have bought shredded chicken. It's the same as everyone else's." Cheng Mutian said nonchalantly, "Back home, we never had a meal without some chicken. They really think they're poor."

Xiao Yuan took a sip of soup, tilted her head and looked at him with a smile: "Second Brother, I'm actually so virtuous, using my dowry money to supplement the household expenses. Where are those account books? Can I take a look at them?" Cheng Mutian blushed and buried his head in his rice bowl. A Yun, quick to speak, said with a hint of pride: "We made them up overnight. When we took them, the ink on the last few pages was probably not even dry yet, but Master and Madam didn't notice any flaws."

Cheng Mutian glanced at the closed door and reminded her, "Don't talk nonsense, the walls have ears." Ayun stuck out her tongue and said, "Young master, having another pair of ears and eyes around makes me feel uncomfortable. I'll find an excuse to have her move to the first floor."

Xiao Yuan tapped her chopsticks and scolded, "You lot, you've conspired to keep this from me, haven't you?" Cheng Mutian had already finished his business and wasn't afraid of her finding out. He said, "If my stepmother tries to put concubines in our house again, just tell her to manage the household and see if she dares to do it again." Xiao Yuan pondered and said, "From what you're saying, I'll be running this house sooner or later. But the shop that earns money for the household is registered under my son's name. Are we going to take advantage of his youth and spend his money, or do you really expect me to give up my dowry? Whether you use my son's money or not is up to you, but I'm going to be a stingy and wicked woman. It's fine to support you and my son, but do you expect me to support my stepmother who almost caused my miscarriage and that gossipy Aunt Ding?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Mutian became angry: "What do you mean 'it's fine with me and my son'? I'm a grown man, why should I need you to support me?" He was most sensitive to being called a gigolo. He threw down his chopsticks and refused to eat dinner. He rummaged through drawers and cabinets and found several account books, handing them to Xiaoyuan and saying, "Your money and our son's money don't need to be touched. I have the ability to support the family." Xiaoyuan took them and saw that they were accounts from several shops, as well as the profits from several ships. She was full of doubts and racked her brains for a long time before she realized that Cheng Mutian had stolen these from Master Cheng years ago. Although the deeds were kept with Aunt Chen, he was secretly managing the accounts.

Cheng Mutian was stunned when he saw the considerable income in her ledger. He said smugly, "How about that? Much better than those shops you used to earn money for household expenses, right? Don't mention those low-class dowry shops to me again. My husband has land and money. I can support you." Xiao Yuan, hearing his nouveau riche tone, replied irrelevantly, "Just because of those shops, you got a good beating from Father. Thinking about it now, it still hurts."

These direct and concerned words, spoken in front of the maids, made Cheng Mutian blush again. He sat on the stool, feeling extremely uncomfortable. Cailian quickly came over, took the account book, and put it away. She smiled and said, "When the young mistress takes over the accounts again, it's fine to use this money to support the family. But the accounts that are taken out must still be from the young mistress's dowry money. We must see this through to the end."

Ah Yun and Ah Cai both said, "We're experts at bookkeeping. It's no problem for us." Xiao Yuan was still resting in bed and couldn't get up to bow. So she bowed slightly from the bed and thanked them, "Thank you so much for solving such a big problem for me." Ah Yun hid to the side and smiled, "Young Madam should thank Young Master. We were just helping out." Ah Cai nodded in agreement, "Young Master is very clever. From now on, Madam will never dare to make things difficult for Young Madam again."

Xiao Yuan listened to their praise of Cheng Mutian. Thinking that from now on, there would be no more worries about power struggles, nor concubines, the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up; a good mood leads to a good appetite. She hadn't eaten much due to morning sickness, but today she easily ate two large bowls of rice.

After dinner, Qiu Ye came to pay her respects. Standing at the door, she said many things to express her allegiance. Cheng Mutian and his wife, no longer afraid of offending Madam Qian, ignored her completely. They summoned A-Yun and sent her back. Qiu Ye couldn't get through the proper channels, so she had to resort to the crooked path. She found Madam Qian and asked her for aphrodisiacs. Madam Qian squinted at her. This slippery concubine was now useless to her. Should she sell her to recoup her investment, or keep her for her daughter-in-law? She squeezed the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand again and again, ultimately choosing the latter.

Qiu Ye received the medicine but refused to leave, pleading, "Madam, please help me to the end. I don't have the ability to lead the young master to his room." Madam Qian said with difficulty, "I can't help you with that. I can't very well tie him up and send him to your room, can I?" Qiu Ye thought for a moment. As a stepmother, she couldn't force her son to consummate the marriage like a biological mother, so she had no choice but to give up and go back to find a solution herself.

Before she could even devise a way to seduce Cheng Mutian, Madam Qian suddenly turned against her, bringing a large group of people to her room, claiming that she had secretly kept aphrodisiacs and intended to seduce the young master. She was a concubine with a title, and it was not wrong for her to seduce her own man, but aphrodisiacs were not like male enhancement drugs and would harm one's health if taken, so wealthy families were very wary of them.

Before Qiu Ye could explain further, Madam Qian waved her hand, ordering a search of the room. There was only a bed and no other furniture. Little Copper Coin personally took charge, easily finding the medicine packet under the pillow. Madam Qian clutched the aphrodisiac packet, first reporting the situation to Master Cheng, then summoning Cheng Mutian to claim credit: "Second Brother, I've been thinking of you all with all my heart, afraid you'd be tricked and upset your wife."

Upon seeing the medicine, Cheng Mutian's eyes flashed with surprise. He took it, smelled the aphrodisiac scent, and sincerely thanked her. He then asked, "This is top-quality stuff, quite expensive. Where did she get the money to buy it?" He immediately sent someone to bring Qiu Ye to ask. Madam Qian was startled and tried to stop him, but A-Yun was quick and ran out, returning with the woman in a flash. Qiu Ye, being a fickle person, worried that Madam Qian was testing her, so no matter how Cheng Mutian questioned her, she insisted that she had saved up to buy the aphrodisiac herself.

Cheng Mutian couldn't get any details out of her, so he had to let go and asked Madam Qian, "Mother, you bought this concubine. Now that there's a problem, please punish her personally." Madam Qian already had a way to get rid of Qiu Ye, and smiled, "Don't worry, I'll make sure you're satisfied. I heard that my daughter-in-law's pregnancy is stable, so why don't we let her manage the household again?"

No wonder she called me here; she was waiting for me here. Cheng Mutian found it amusing and said, "My wife isn't afraid of hardship, but Father forbids her from worrying or straining herself, so I can't do anything about it." He was too lazy to argue with Madam Qian, nor did he ask her what she planned to do with Qiu Ye. He turned and went straight downstairs.

Seeing that only Qian Fu and Xiao Tongqian were left in the room, Qiu Ye breathed a sigh of relief. After thinking it over, she realized that Madam Qian must be satisfied with her performance, so she smiled and said, "Madam, I only side with you."

Madam Qian stared at her for a long time, then suddenly asked, "What did Erlang give you to make you conspire with him to harm me?" Qiu Ye was confused and said, "I did not plot against you, Madam." Madam Qian glanced at Xiao Tongqian, and after she stepped forward and slapped Qiu Ye, she continued, "It's all the talk in these three buildings that I had to use my dowry money to pay for this, and it's all your doing. You dare say you didn't know?"

Qiu Ye was shocked. It was true she had secretly helped Cheng Mutian, but she knew nothing of the detailed planning. Who was this person who wanted to cause her trouble, cursing her with such blatant slander? She frantically tried to recall the events of that day, but Madam Qian couldn't wait and ordered Xiao Tongqian to slap her several more times. Her cheeks burned, and she cried out, "Madam, I'm innocent! I didn't do this!"

Madam Qian said bitterly, "There's no smoke without fire. Even if you weren't the one who orchestrated it, you're still involved." She had something else she dared not say: she absolutely refused to believe her daughter-in-law would use her dowry money to supplement household expenses; this must have been a scheme set up by Cheng Mutian. But what could she do? The Cheng couple controlled all the accounts, both internal and external, and even reconciling the books wouldn't reveal the details. She was destined to suffer this injustice in silence.

If she couldn't deal with Cheng Mutian and his wife, she could at least find a way to deal with this treacherous concubine. Her resentful gaze swept over Qiu Ye's swollen face as she instructed Xiao Tongqian, word by word, "Get the best ointment to reduce the swelling, then sell her to a brothel."

Chapter 135 The Fate of Autumn Leaves

After applying the ointment to Qiuye's face, Tongqian looked around and, finding nothing amiss, forced her to change into her bright clothes. He then invited a human trafficker to the house.

Unexpectedly, the slave trader circled around Qiuye and shook his head repeatedly: "Nowadays, the prostitutes in brothels are all trained from childhood. They must be proficient in singing, playing musical instruments, and dancing. More importantly, they must have a pair of three-inch bound feet."

Little Copper Coin glanced at the pair of large feet under Qiu Ye's skirt and negotiated with the slave trader, "She's a master at rubbing backs. We won't charge you a high price; we'll sell it to you cheaply, okay?" The slave trader asked, "She can rub backs? Is she from the perfume shop?" Little Copper Coin smiled and said, "That's right. Our lady bought her from 'Zhang Xiaoniang's Perfume Shop' for a full three thousand coins."

"Three thousand coins? Your lady is either too rich or not very bright," the slave trader thought to himself, then held up three fingers and said, "Your lady has been ripped off. A back-rubbing girl like that is worth at most thirty coins. I think her clothes are decent enough, so I'll give her thirty-three coins. If you're willing to sell, I'll take her away now; if not..."

Little Copper Coin knew that Madam Qian wanted to get rid of Qiu Ye as soon as possible, and was even willing to pay extra for her. So she interrupted the slave trader and said, "Thirty-three coins it is. Take her away quickly and sell her to a brothel further away." Upon hearing this, the slave trader knew that Qiu Ye had offended her master, which was why she had gotten such a good deal. Afraid that Little Copper Coin would change her mind, she quickly counted out the money, smiled, and pushed Qiu Ye towards the door.

As soon as they stepped out of the courtyard, Qiu Ye, who had been obediently letting her be pulled along, began to disobey. Relying on her strength, she pushed over the slave trader and tried to escape. The slave trader, however, remained calm and unperturbed. Without even calling for the thugs she had brought, she got up, dusted herself off, and said to Qiu Ye, who had already run a few steps away, "Your indenture is with me now. You'll be a slave no matter where you run. Besides, with your unpresentable appearance, even if I dragged you to a brothel, no madam would want you."

Qiu Ye sensed something was amiss, stopped, turned around, and asked, "You're not planning to sell me to a brothel?" The slave trader beckoned to her and said, "You used to work for the perfume shop, so I'll take you there, okay?" Given Qiu Ye's current situation, this was the best possible outcome. Overjoyed, she ran back to the slave trader on her own and climbed into the cart she had brought without needing to be pushed or pulled.

As the carriage began to move, it bounced up and down. Ye Huo said, "The roads in the city are all paved with large stones, how could there be an uneven road?" The slave trader lifted the curtain to let her see clearly and said, "This is outside the city, so the road is naturally a bit uneven. Don't worry, we're almost there." Qiu Ye was startled. Her first thought was to jump out of the carriage. There was a fierce-looking thug sitting inside, which frightened her so much that she dared not make a move. After thinking for a moment, she forced a smile and asked the slave trader, "Since things have come to this, I can only leave it to fate. Please tell me, where are you taking me?"

The slave trader sneered, "You dared to push me just now, but now you're scared? Let me tell you the truth, I'm sending you to a 'private den.' If you know what's good for you, behave yourself or I'll tell Mother Zhen that you're disobedient and you'll get whipped as soon as you enter the door."

As the car stopped, a woman in her fifties, referred to as "Mother Zhen," came forward and said with a smile, "Don't frighten the children. What's the point of using a whip? If it leaves marks, the guests won't like it. Now we'll use needles instead, which will keep them in line and leave no visible marks."

Madam Zhen smiled warmly. Qiu Lan, however, was terrified and broke out in a cold sweat. It turned out that a "private brothel" was similar to a regular brothel, except one was open and the other clandestine. In her panic, she didn't have time to think things through. She knelt before Madam Zhen and pleaded, "I'm our young master's most favored concubine. I offended the madam and was sold. Madam, please send me back. Our young master will reward you handsomely."

She was the one who received the aphrodisiac from Madam Qian. She wanted to exchange it with Cheng Mutian for a better outcome. That's why she fabricated this story. Unfortunately, Madam Zhen didn't believe it at all. She made her stand up and take a few steps. Covering her mouth, she laughed at the slave trader, "Look at her. She's still a girl, yet she dares to say she's slept with that young master. Aren't she afraid of being laughed at?"

Qiu Ye's face flushed red, then turned pale. She made a final, desperate struggle, saying, "I am a legitimate concubine with a legally binding marriage contract. If our young master finds out that his concubine is working as a prostitute, he will be ridiculed. Therefore, he will definitely buy me back. You can earn extra money without much effort. Why are you unwilling?"

The slave trader was swayed by her words. He discussed it with Madam Zhen, saying, "Her husband is Young Master Cheng, a maritime businessman. He's a man who values family reputation. Why not do as she says and go to the market, raising the price high? It'll be better than having her work for you as a prostitute." Madam Zhen hesitated, "I heard the Cheng family has fallen on hard times?" Hearing this, the slave trader knew she had a lot to say. He laughed, "Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. Do you know how much their mistress paid for this unassuming concubine—a full three thousand coins. That's four strings of cash!" Madam Zhen was dispelled by this extravagant offer and happily said, "We won't overcharge him. Four strings will do."

Qiu Ye got back into the carriage with the slave trader. Her mind raced. There were three possible outcomes. One was that Cheng Mutian would lie and say that the aphrodisiac incident was forced upon her by Madam Qian, and that Cheng Mutian would arrange a better place for her because of her informant role; the second was that Cheng Mutian would buy her back to save face and then resell her to another family as a concubine; the third was… Before she could finish, the slave trader, eager for money, had already urged the carriage to the Cheng family's building: Qian had sent a gatekeeper in to report the news.

Before long, the servant brought A-Yun to the door and welcomed them inside. Qiu Ye was overjoyed that Cheng Mutian was willing to see her. Once inside the room, before anyone could ask her anything, she hurriedly told them about the aphrodisiac.

She underestimated Cheng Mutian. He could figure out who owned the medicine without even realizing it. He didn't need her to inform on him. He only let her in for the sake of his reputation—he didn't mind selling Qiuye, but he didn't want to sell her to a brothel and lose face.

Who should he sell it to? He had planned the whole thing ingeniously, but he was stumped on such a small matter. The broker waited for half a day but still couldn't come up with a solution. In the end, Cailian couldn't bear to watch any longer and secretly went next door to ask Xiaoyuan for advice. She came back and said to him, "Young Master, if it weren't for Young Master Jin hiring a back-rubbing girl, there wouldn't be so much trouble. As the saying goes, it's only fair to reciprocate. Young Master doesn't need to bother the broker anymore. Just buy Qiuye and send her directly to the building in the middle. Young Master has already taken two concubines, and the room is empty."

Cheng Mutian secretly praised the idea and followed the method. He asked the slave trader to name a price, and the slave trader asked for three thousand coins. He did not haggle and took him directly to find Madam Qian, saying, "Mother sold Qiuye to a brothel. This has disgraced the Cheng family. If Father finds out, he will definitely not let it go. Fortunately, I was quick and stopped the slave trader on the way."

Madam Qian, unaware that the secret had been leaked, broke out in a cold sweat and bought Qiu Ye back with her money. She pleaded with Cheng Mutian not to tell Master Cheng. Cheng Mutian simply smiled and said okay, without saying no. He took Qiu Ye downstairs and asked A Yun to take her to Jin Jiu Shao's place.