Yeux charmants

Chapitre 15

When Mu Qing rushed in, Chen Yu released Qian Shi's hand, smiled awkwardly, and asked Mu Qing, "Qing'er is back. What did you eat at the Old Madam's for lunch? Did you eat your fill?"

Pfft~ My dad's skill at rambling and trying to find topics to talk about is so clumsy! Sigh, I guess I came at the wrong time; it seems I've interrupted my parents' sweet moment!

"Qing'er went to her third brother's place and dined with her eldest brother, third brother, Young Master Ma, and Doctor Shu. The snow-infused plum blossom wine that her third brother made was really delicious!"

"What are you running around like that for? I could hear you shouting in the yard from far away. You don't act like a proper young lady at all!" Madam Qian's eyes were slightly red and swollen. As she spoke, she took out a handkerchief to wipe the fine sweat from Mu Qing's forehead.

"Mom, what's wrong? Did Dad bully you?"

Upon hearing her daughter's words, Qian's tears, which she had just stopped, welled up again.

Mu Qing did it on purpose! She knew perfectly well why Qian Shi was heartbroken.

Mu Qing hurriedly grabbed Qian Shi's hand and stood on tiptoe to wipe away her tears. Of course, her small eyes would occasionally glance at Chen Yu. Seeing her cheap father's embarrassed and miserable appearance, she found it both funny and satisfying.

After temporarily dealing with her grandmother's gifts, Mu Qing was actually more interested in her father's reaction. The matter of taking concubines ultimately depended on the man's wishes. In these times, women were always the weaker party. A mother could find a pretext to send a beautiful woman to her son, effectively arranging for him to take a concubine; the son, on the other hand, would probably appease his wife on the surface, but then secretly embrace young and beautiful mistresses. This kind of thing was commonplace here, and in the end, it was the legitimate wife who suffered.

Mu Qing said she wanted to integrate into ancient times, but this was something that was really hard for her, having received a modern education, to accept. She had finally managed to settle into a happy and fulfilling family, and Mu Qing really didn't want to have an openly acknowledged mistress in her home, and not just one... and her own mother smiling and greeting everyone on the surface, but secretly shedding tears until dawn.

She might have some ways to deal with a mistress with ulterior motives, but to solve the fundamental problem, she still needed to figure out her father's thoughts. Was he willing to submit to his grandmother's "tyranny" or was he absolutely devoted to only one person? Only her father's attitude could determine her mother's future. No matter how many tricks she played, how could she stop the fickle heart of her beloved?

"Father, why did you upset Mother? Mother cried, and Qing'er wants to cry too..." Mu Qing took advantage of a moment when no one was looking and pinched her thigh hard. It really hurt! For Mother's sake, she was willing to risk it all!

Seeing his daughter's tearful and flustered expression, and his beloved wife crying sadly, Chen Yu felt even more guilty! Life was going well, why did his mother have to go looking for trouble and bring in a maidservant! Now look what's happened, he's made two women in the family cry.

Chen Yu was at his wits' end. He tried to comfort Qian Shi on one hand and coax Mu Qing on the other. As a result, Qian Shi looked at her daughter and thought about how her daughter would be disliked if she brought a concubine into the family and had another son. She cried even harder.

Mu Qing pressed her advantage and wanted Chen Yu to state his position.

"Mother... are you crying because of the four older sisters that Grandma in the front yard always gave to Father? Does Father, like Uncle and Uncle, also want those sisters to become concubines?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Qian paused for a moment, then, having just finished crying, began sobbing uncontrollably again, almost fainting. Chen Yu quickly went over and gently patted Madam Qian's back, sighing, "Yue Niang, don't cry anymore, it's bad for your health..."

"Qing'er...you...you..."

Madam Qian couldn't even speak a complete sentence properly, so Mu Qing interjected, "Qing'er understands! Father wants those four older sisters, not Mother, and not Qing'er either! Mother, don't cry! Then Qing'er wants Mother, and Mother will go with Qing'er to live with Great-Grandma. When Qing'er grows up, Qing'er will take care of Mother!"

"Qing'er..." Upon hearing her daughter's childish declaration, Madam Qian's tears fell uncontrollably again.

"Qing'er, that's not what I meant!"

Chen Yu stepped forward to pull Mu Qing to his side, but Mu Qing shook her hand and dodged away.

"Qing'er only wants her mother, not any concubines. Qing'er is unlike her family and her second uncle's family, where there's constant arguing!"

Chen Yu looked at his daughter, who was glaring at him with a troubled expression. He felt a mix of emotions, and the feeling was truly unbearable.

He was not interested in women and had a deep friendship with Madam Qian. He only reluctantly accepted the four maids because he didn't want to embarrass his mother. He didn't expect that his youngest daughter would remember the quarrel between Madam Zhou and her aunt so soon after she returned.

He himself had witnessed countless instances of vying for favor within these mansions. It turned out his father had concubines, but in the end, well, his mother had dealt with them all! During those times of commotion, he suffered along with them. After all that, how could he have any desire to take a concubine after he grew up? He and Yue Niang had felt an instant connection upon first meeting, vowing to grow old together! Moreover, Yue Niang was quite talented, yet she chose to marry him, an unknown merchant. How could he betray her deep affection?

Thinking of this, Chen Yu said with a serious expression, "Qing'er, don't worry! Father hasn't abandoned Mother, much less Qing'er! The three of us will live together as a family, and I'll kick out all those irrelevant people in a little while! I don't care who sent them in!"

"My lord, how can that be? Mother meant well. Even if... they did nothing wrong, there's no need to kick them out." Madam Qian recovered her strength, her voice hoarse from crying.

“You know what I’m thinking. I have a wife and daughters! Those few are always a nuisance if left in the yard!” Chen Yu saw that Qian’s expression had softened and her earlier frustration had eased considerably.

“Sigh, if we do this, Mother will probably be unhappy again… I’m not one to tolerate others, so let’s keep it in the courtyard for now, to avoid gossip! Besides, if you ever really have feelings for someone, I can keep an eye out beforehand, and maybe there’ll be someone I like…”

"Moon Maiden! I would never have such thoughts! If I were to have even the slightest disloyalty towards you, then..."

Chen Yu stopped Qian Shi from speaking with a firm hand, but before he could finish expressing his determination, Qian Shi covered his mouth with her hand, smiling through her tears, and said, "Don't talk nonsense, my husband! Yue Niang understands your feelings! Understands..."

Mu Qing was completely ignored. Although the scene was very "Qiong Yao" (a popular Chinese romance novel), she could finally see clearly that Chen Yu's concern for Qian Shi was not fake. She was immediately relieved: Father, you refuse temptation and never touch it. Well done!

Mu Qing coughed twice, interrupting the deep gaze between Qian Shi and Chen Yu. It was time to offer some hindsight.

"Father, Mother, please don't be troubled! Since you have a mother, I'll take my four older sisters! They can serve me in Great-Grandma's courtyard... is that alright?"

﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡

Chapter Thirty-Five: Firefighters in Action

Chen Yu didn't want to be cold to his wife and daughter anymore, so he quickly agreed to Mu Qing's suggestion. Madam Qian didn't say anything, but she also thought the idea was feasible. It was rare for her daughter to be so considerate, and her heart warmed as well.

However, the fire at Chen Yu's house didn't start, but a real fire broke out elsewhere.

The family had barely settled down when a maidservant rushed in from outside. She was Yingluo, who served by the side of Fifth Sister Qin.

"Fourth Master, something terrible has happened! Our Fifth Master went to find the Second Madam, and they ended up arguing. The Second Madam fainted from anger... Fifth Master is still kneeling in the courtyard right now! Fifth Madam is worried and sent me to invite Fourth Master to come and take a look."

Yingluo was panting heavily from running, and her words were incoherent, leaving Chen Yu's family completely confused.

"Explain yourself! Why did your Fifth Master go to argue with Madam?" As Chen Yu asked this, Madam Qian had already gestured for Biyan, who had followed in, to pour Yingluo a glass of water and hand it over.

Yingluo's throat was parched. She gulped down the drink, patted her chest to catch her breath, and said, "It was those four that Second Madam sent... Fifth Madam is still bedridden and can't get out of bed. Fifth Master didn't mention it yesterday because he was afraid of upsetting his wife. This morning, Fifth Master went out to meet friends, and those four went to pay their respects to Fifth Madam. You know how fiery Fifth Madam is; when her temper flares, she gives him a good scolding, and as a result, she bled again. When Fifth Master was brought back, Fifth Madam was still unconscious. In a fit of anger, Fifth Master beat those four out of the courtyard, and then went to argue with Second Madam..."

"What? Spotting? What's going on?" Qian asked hurriedly when she heard that Wu Niang was in trouble. A woman who has miscarried and then spots is ultimately a life-threatening situation, and even Mu Qing was anxious when she heard this.

"The doctor just stopped the bleeding, and the lady has already woken up. She regrets her impulsive actions earlier and is worried about Fifth Master, so she asked me to come and invite Fourth Master to come and take a look."

"My lord, you should go to Mother's place as soon as possible. I'm going to Fifth Sister's courtyard right now!" Hearing that Fifth Sister was temporarily safe, Madam Qian's panicked emotions calmed down a bit.

Mu Qing sat to the side, thinking to himself, "Dad just put out his own fire, and now he's going to put out someone else's. He's definitely going to be the firefighter."

However, Chen Yu remained calm and did not rush to leave. He gently shook his head and said, "I'll leave Fifth Sister to you, Madam! As for Fifth Brother, with his impulsive and hot-tempered nature, even if he passes the imperial examination, he'll have a hard time establishing himself in officialdom. Let him kneel down first! I'll go to Fenglan Courtyard first. Fifth Sister's matter can be big or small. I'll go and see if I can persuade Doctor Shu to come and examine Fifth Sister!"

"Dr. Shu?"

Shu Hong was tricked by Ma Mingyuan halfway there. Apart from the old lady and the people who helped Shu Hong, no other relatives in the Chen family knew the details. So when Chen Yu mentioned it, Qian Shi learned that another "distinguished guest" had moved into Fenglan Courtyard.

Chen Yu had no time to explain, only saying that it was Ma Mingyuan's friend, and hurriedly went to Fenglan Courtyard. Madam Qian didn't linger either, going straight to Wulang's courtyard.

Mu Qing was left alone in the room, staring blankly. Her grandmother's unintentional arson had ended up burning people and causing trouble. However, she couldn't and didn't want to get involved in these matters. She might as well take a break and go back to her room to comfort the newly acquired beauties. So, Mu Qing went back to her room.

...

"Sister Nuanxiang, what kind of child do you think our young master is? I don't think his personality is much like that of Fourth Master and Fourth Mistress?"

The one who asked the question was Danzhi, whom Mu Qing had just renamed. She was the youngest of the four and had a cheerful personality. Her earlier well-behaved behavior in the courtyard was just an act because she was unfamiliar with the environment. Now that no one was around, she was chatting with Yilan.

"Danzhi, your name is Yilan now, don't call me that again!" Yilan said sternly, solemnly admonishing Danzhi, "If you call me that wrong in front of your master, wouldn't that be slapping your master in the face? Also, don't gossip about your master, if someone with ulterior motives talks about it, you'll get a beating!"

"Oh! Sister, don't be angry, I'll remember this! I definitely won't do it again next time!"

Danzhi pouted, looking somewhat aggrieved, and muttered, "They're just used to calling me that. They've been calling me that for so long, they can't change it overnight. Besides, I don't think you're the type to hold grudges..."

“Our master may not mind, but we servants must remember this. Better safe than sorry. We’ve moved to a new place, and who knows what kind of temperament our masters will have? Young lady, don’t let your young age fool you, you’re quite shrewd. You should rein in your impulsive nature, lest you say something wrong and get a beating.” Yi Lan gave Dan Zhi a reproachful look and continued packing.

"It's just a little kid, why are you making such a fuss? Besides, we were allowed into this courtyard by the Second Madam, wasn't it all for the Fourth Master? When the First Madam and the First Master were choosing people, they paid special attention and only selected a few of us with good looks. The Fourth Master is, after all, one of the masters in charge of the Chen family. How can we let this opportunity slip by so easily? Do you want to serve a little kid for the rest of your life?"

Furong held a handful of melon seeds in her hand, pinched one with her slender, white fingers, put it in her mouth, bit it with her teeth, making a slight crunch, and deftly spat out the shell with a flick of her tongue. She smiled and glanced sideways at Yilan, who was also beautiful, her bright eyes full of charm and alluring.

Danzhi disapproved of Furong's seductive appearance and scoffed, "This isn't the Cuihong Pavilion. You're selling your smiles, but we can't afford to pay to see you."

Furong sneered, "What's wrong with selling smiles? Yongxu and I are also courtesans. Although we can't compare to your respectable families, we're still servants now. What's this about class? Besides, who knows who will serve whom in the future?"

The room suddenly filled with tension. Furong and Danzhi were on the verge of exchanging blows. Yilan tried to intervene, but Danzhi retorted with "Sister, don't interfere." Yongxu only raised her eyelids slightly when Furong mentioned her, then continued reading in silence.

"Hmph! You? Who sneaked back to the study last night to do those shameless things? Not only did you miss it, but you were also caught red-handed. Today, the truth came out, and you even dragged others into it and almost got punished!" Danzhi retorted, looking down on Furong's arrogant attitude based on her beauty.

Furong, thick-skinned as ever, laughed even more unrestrainedly, saying, "What's the big deal? Second Madam's meaning couldn't be clearer. She bought us in here to be Fourth Master's concubines. You don't really think Second Madam sent you here to be maids, hehe! If that were the case, wouldn't Second Madam have made a losing deal? Besides, there are no men in this world who aren't lustful, they just haven't had the chance. I was just going to test the waters, hehe!"

"What you want to do is your business! Don't drag us into it!"

"Stop pretending to be high and mighty! You're just a hypocrite, making people think you're taking money and doing nothing. What will happen then..."

Upon hearing this, Danzhi was so angry that her teeth itched, and her men started rolling up their sleeves, as if they were about to fight.

"Enough! Furong, you've talked too much!" Yilan shouted sharply at Furong, then turned and pulled back Danzhi, who was about to rush forward. "Shut up, all of you! Don't you know where you are? Making such a racket, are you looking for death?"

"Wow! The fire in this room is really intense! Qing'er almost shouted 'Fire!' twice to call for help to put it out, hehe—"

Mu Qing's silvery laughter rang out, causing the person standing inside to sway involuntarily. Why did this little girl run in at this time?

﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡

Chapter Thirty-Six: Don't Treat Children Like They're Not Leaders

Furong and Danzhi stared blankly as Mu Qing lifted the curtain and entered the room. They were somewhat surprised that Mu Qing had suddenly appeared outside the servants' room. They felt uneasy, after all, what she had just said was not a kind word.

Yi Lan was the first to react. She curtsied to Mu Qing and asked, "Young lady, this room is quite a mess. If you have any orders, you could have just called out. Why did you come all the way here in person?"

Mu Qing glanced around quickly and saw that, apart from a few clothes scattered on the bed, the four of them had packed everything else. Mu Qing patted her head and said, "Oh! It's all my fault for being careless! I forgot to tell my sisters something. Look, you've almost finished packing!"

Yi Lan seemed not to understand and asked, "I wonder what you mean, young lady...?"

"When I return to the Old Madam later, my sisters will probably be moving to the central courtyard. I should have informed them first, so they wouldn't be in such a hurry to pack their bags. It was my fault; please don't blame me if we move later!"

Mu Qing pouted, her eyes full of apology. No one noticed the sly glint in her eyes, so the double meaning in her last words to Furong went unnoticed.

The four maids had different expressions. Mu Qing grabbed a handful of melon seeds from the table, sat down on the stool, and slowly started eating them.

Yi Lan and the others knew that Mu Qing was staying in the central courtyard. Every day after noon, when the Old Madam was chanting scriptures, Mu Qing would return to the west courtyard to pay her respects to her grandparents and parents, staying there until dinner before returning to the central courtyard. Therefore, the west courtyard didn't assign a head maid to serve Mu Qing, but the central courtyard did. The four of them had assumed that Mu Qing was keeping them in the west courtyard, but they hadn't expected that Mu Qing intended for them to go to the central courtyard.

Furong, who had just confidently declared her intention to seduce the Fourth Prince, was now feeling down.

Danzhi, on the other hand, was much happier. She glanced at Furong, whose face was unpleasant, and sneered twice: "Now someone's little scheme is going to fail, hehe!"

"Oh, could it be that Qing'er's request is putting the older sisters in a difficult position? Are the older sisters unwilling to come to the Central Courtyard with me?"

Mu Qing put down the melon seeds, pouted her lower lip to cover her upper lip, and looked aggrieved and tearful as she said, "I thought that when the sisters agreed in the courtyard, they really wanted to follow Qing'er."

Yi Lan, with her hand hidden by her clothes, tugged at Dan Zhi, signaling her not to cause trouble. Then, she smiled and said to Mu Qing, "What are you saying, young lady! It's our honor to serve you! How could we be unwilling, let alone complain about you!"

"Hmm! Sister Yilan is willing, that's great! What about the other sisters?" Mu Qing regained her composure and looked at the remaining three with a smile.

When Mu Qing asked, Danzhi glanced at Furong and stepped forward to say, "Since I have been given a name by the young lady, it is my duty to serve her wholeheartedly. If you say go east, I will not go west."

"Hehe! I'm so happy that my sister plays with me, how could I bear to make her run around everywhere?"

Mu Qing found Danzhi's righteous and loyal expression amusing. Although there was an element of spite in it, Mu Qing liked Danzhi's straightforward nature. Such a person was easy to understand. Moreover, people who easily revealed their emotions were more likely to expose their wrongdoings, and even if they were to go completely astray, they wouldn't be truly evil. Therefore, it was much easier to maintain a proper balance in the relationship with Danzhi than with someone who had no emotions.

Thinking of the emotionless girl, Mu Qing couldn't help but glance at Yongxu. After making a fuss for a while, the girl was still quietly reading her book without showing any emotion.

Mu Qing had been pretending to be a child for some time, so her behavior and speech couldn't possibly be completely like a real child. Because she hid it well, in everyone's eyes, she was a little smarter than the average child, and no one viewed her as almost demonic. With her modern understanding, she considered the maids and servants in the household simply as hired help, laborers earning money by selling their labor. However, this young lady today was the most arrogant working girl she had ever met.