Chapter 13, Chapter 13: Aunt Qin

A crescent moon hung in the sky, casting its cool, clear light. The green tiles and flying eaves of Songfeng Courtyard cast shadows in all directions under the moonlight.

Meng Yutong walked through the hall, which was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, stepping on the moonlight-strewn floor.

Upon entering the main hall, Madam Meng, Jiang Yunshang, was sitting upright on a large rosewood armchair inlaid with jade at the head of the table.

Jiang Yunshang wore a dark embroidered jacket, her silver hair styled into a flat bun, secured with a single plain silver hairpin. The old scar that ran diagonally across half her cheek was sometimes visible and sometimes hidden in the flickering candlelight.

Her eyes were slightly closed, her thin, bony fingers tapping lightly on the armrest. The imposing aura emanating from her was like an invisible net, enveloping the entire hall in silence.

On the pear wood armchair at the lower end, Aunt Qin and Meng Yurou felt extremely uncomfortable.

Aunt Qin, dressed in a slightly worn lotus-root-colored fine silk skirt with wide pink satin sleeves that completely covered her wrists, sat respectfully.

Meng Yurou clutched the hem of her skirt tightly, feeling somewhat uneasy, and secretly glanced up at the cold and stern figure above.

"Greetings, Grandmother." Meng Yutong curtsied, her dark purple skirt spreading out like water as she moved.

Jiang Yunshang's gaze fell on the dazzling large golden peony flower on her waist. Her pupils contracted slightly, and she raised her hand slightly, gesturing for her to sit on the rose chair on the east side.

"What happened today?" Jiang Yunshang's voice was icy. "As soon as my sedan chair arrived at the hanging flower gate, I heard the gatekeeper report that the news about the Ji residence had spread like wildfire outside."

She sat upright, her gaze seemingly carrying an invisible pressure. "Qin, you tell us."

Aunt Qin hurriedly stood up, subconsciously adjusting her wrist, and said, "Mother, don't listen to outsiders' nonsense. The two children went to the Ji family to attend Madam Ji's birthday banquet today. What happened? If anything did happen, it was just the two sisters arguing a bit. There's no need to alarm you, Mother."

Seeing this, Meng Yurou also stood up, and suddenly raised her voice, "Today... I don't know what's wrong with my sister today. She cried and sobbed in front of all the ladies. They probably think my aunt mistreated her..."

"Rou'er! Shut up!" Aunt Qin pinched her arm in her haste, and the two heavy gold and kingfisher feather bracelets on her wrists collided violently, making a series of ear-piercing "clanging" sounds.

Meng Yurou winced in pain, pouted in grievance, glared at Meng Yutong resentfully, and finally fell silent, her chest heaving violently with anger.

Jiang Yunshang slowly stroked the pine and crane patterns on the armrest of the armchair, her expression becoming even more inscrutable in the flickering candlelight.

Meng Yutong vaguely sensed a hint of displeasure from her grandmother.

"Grandmother," she said slowly as she rose from the rosewood chair, curtsied to Jiang Yunshang once more, and as she moved lightly, a small gourd of mutton-fat jade hanging from her waist bumped into another jade double fish pendant, producing a clear, tinkling sound like shattered ice, which was particularly distinct in the quiet hall.

Her fingertips swiftly traced the jade gourd, and after moving the ornament to her waist, she looked up and continued, "Today is Madam Ji's birthday banquet. My granddaughter and sister Yu Rou went to offer their congratulations. After presenting her gift, my sister seemed to feel unwell and returned home first. Nothing serious happened."

Before she could finish speaking, Meng Yurou suddenly rushed forward, snatched the jade gourd from her waist, and angrily said, "Isn't this the congratulatory gift I gave to Madam Ji? How did it end up with you?"

She clutched the gourd tightly in her hand, her chest heaving. When she looked up at Jiang Yunshang, her eyes instantly filled with tears, and her voice was trembling with sobs and accusation: "Grandmother! Look, this is the congratulatory gift I carefully selected for Madam Ji! How could it be with my sister?"

"It must have been her...it must have been her who secretly took it back when no one was looking! Grandmother! You must do justice for your granddaughter! No matter how much my sister hates me, she shouldn't have done such a despicable thing in the Ji family, making a fool of the Meng family's reputation!"

Jiang Yunshang's eyes remained calm, and she did not speak.

Upon hearing her daughter's tearful account, Aunt Qin had no suspicions and immediately stepped forward to embrace Meng Yurou, causing the gold bracelet on her wrist to jingle once more.

Her face instantly filled with heartache and indignation, and her voice became choked with sobs: "Even if Tong'er is envious of Rou'er's congratulatory gift being favored by Madam Ji, she shouldn't have done such a petty theft. It has truly disgraced the family."

Meng Yutong did not utter a word in defense of the accusations and cries of the mother and daughter. She only bit her lower lip slightly, her slender shoulders and back taut as if bearing an invisible weight.

His gaze was fixed on the jade gourd that Meng Yurou was clutching tightly, and his eyes gradually reddened.

Just then, Granny Wu hurriedly entered from the outer room, lifted the curtain, walked to Jiang Yunshang's side, leaned close, and whispered a few words to her with her handkerchief over her mouth.

Jiang Yunshang's eyes turned slightly cold as she suddenly focused on the Qin mother and daughter below the steps. "Is this jade gourd part of Liu's dowry?"

This question was like a bucket of cold water poured over their heads, instantly silencing the mother and daughter below who were sobbing and putting on a pitiful act.

Aunt Qin tightened her grip on the plain silk handkerchief, lightly pressed it against the corner of her eye twice, and her voice suddenly weakened by three points, carrying a deliberate uncertainty: "This... is actually Madam's dowry?"

She hurriedly took the exquisite white jade gourd from Meng Yurou's hand and examined it carefully from left to right in the bright candlelight of the room.

The candlelight flowed across the warm, smooth jade, highlighting the striking floral and wood patterns on the gourd's outer ring.

She suddenly flicked her handkerchief and gave a dry laugh, which sounded particularly abrupt in the silent hall: "Oh dear, all the food, clothing and daily necessities in the mansion have been managed by me over the years, and the items in the storerooms of all the rooms have long been mixed together."

"I can't even remember which corner I locked my own dowry box in, how could I possibly tell which one belongs to you, Madam?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she changed the subject, looked at Meng Yutong, and her tone became firm again: "Besides," she raised her voice a few decibels, "even if this is Madam's thing, it's a congratulatory gift that our mansion has officially sent out. There's no reason for Tong'er to secretly take it back! This is a matter of face!"

"It was bestowed upon me by Madam Ji herself." Meng Yutong raised her head, her voice low and soft yet clear, two lines of clear tears sliding down her fair cheeks at just the right moment.

Like pear blossoms in the rain, she looked so pitiful and aggrieved, making people want to pity her.

Meng Yurou refused to believe it. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she scolded in a coquettish voice, "Sister, don't make things up! When I presented this gift to Madam Ji, she clearly praised it highly and liked it very much. How could she turn around and give it to you? Since you dared to do such a thing, how could you not accept it!"

Meng Yutong wiped away her tears and calmly asked, "May I ask you, sister, where did Madam Liji put this after she accepted it?"

"Naturally, it should be placed in the center of the most conspicuous eight-immortal table in the main hall!" Meng Yurou replied without hesitation, her tone tinged with pride.

“That’s right,” Meng Yutong nodded slightly, her tone still calm. “Today, the main hall was filled with guests celebrating the birthday, and I didn’t even get close to that table. If Madam Ji hadn’t personally bestowed this item upon me, how could I have taken it away without anyone noticing under the noses of all these distinguished guests?”

"This...you...you must have used some underhanded tricks to steal it!" Meng Yurou was speechless for a moment, her face flushed red, and although she was fierce, she was clearly in the wrong, but she still stubbornly insisted.

She simply couldn't believe that the gift she received, which was praised by Madam Ji, had ended up in Meng Yutong's hands in the blink of an eye.

"Alright!" Jiang Yunshang bent her knuckles and tapped the small rosewood table beside her twice, neither too lightly nor too heavily.

The voice wasn't loud, but it carried an air of authority, and the group immediately fell silent; the hall became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Seeing that things were not going well, Aunt Qin immediately put on a kind smile.

She quickly stepped forward, took Meng Yutong's hand, and solemnly placed the jade gourd back into her palm. She then gently patted the back of Meng's hand and said softly:

"It was all a misunderstanding! Since Madam Ji values ​​it and has bestowed it upon Tong'er, Tong'er should keep it well; it's a respectable thing to do."

She smoothly changed the subject, lightly brushing aside the responsibility, "It was also my oversight. I will be more careful in the future and will never dare to mix your mother's old things into the storeroom again."

Meng Yutong took the jade gourd and grasped Aunt Qin's hand in return. She looked up at her with teary eyes and her voice was choked with emotion: "Tong'er thanks Aunt for her kindness."

Aunt Qin's heart skipped a beat when she saw that look, and she felt inexplicably guilty, and was stunned for a moment.

As she moved, the lotus-colored Hangzhou silk wide-sleeved shirt slipped down half an inch, revealing a pair of bright red gold and kingfisher feather inlaid ruby ​​bracelets, which reflected dazzling light under the candlelight filling the room.

Meng Yutong's gaze fell on that golden and jade-like color. She leaned forward slightly and reached out to gently lift Aunt Qin's wrist.

Her fingertips didn't actually touch the gold bracelet; her voice held a hint of surprise, but her eyes remained icy cold.

“Aunt, this bracelet… Tong’er vaguely remembers it being one of Mother’s most cherished possessions, something she often wore on her wrist. How come…” She looked up, her eyes clear and filled with doubt, “it’s ended up in your hands, Aunt?”

A note from the author: