Chapter 14: Events (Part 1)

The room became quiet and the movements around them were magnified. After an incense stick of time, they heard footsteps coming from the staircase.

"Go and have a look." Eleventh Lady, who had been wearing a veil with her head down, suddenly raised her head and told Dong Qing, "Go and see what Tenth Sister is doing!"

Dong Qing had been thinking about the arrival of the aunt, and she didn't know what to say since Shiyi Niang hadn't made any move. Now that she saw Shiyi Niang asking her to go get the news, she was immediately delighted, replied "yes" with a smile, and walked out quietly.

After a while, she came back and said, "Miss Eleven, it's the eldest aunt - she just left."

Eleventh Lady paused as she tied her brocade belt and asked, "What was the expression on the eldest aunt's face when she left?"

Dong Qing groaned and said, "It's the same as usual. I can't see any difference!"

He is indeed a master.

Eleventh Lady pondered secretly in her heart.

There were light footsteps coming up the stairs again.

The two looked at each other.

Eleventh Lady whispered, "Go and have a look!"

Dong Qing immediately responded and went away, but soon returned: "Miss Eleven, it's Miss Ten. Accompanied by Zhu Tao, she came downstairs wearing a gray crane-colored brocade cloak."

Eleventh Lady looked thoughtful.

When Shi Niang went up and down the stairs, she would always make a loud "dong dong dong" sound with her footsteps. But today, she was acting out of character and her footsteps were so gentle... Also, since she was going out, why did she bring the little maid Zhu Tao with her instead of Bai Zhi and Jiu Xiang? Or maybe it was related to the arrival of the eldest aunt!

As the thought flashed through her mind, Eleventh Lady said, "Go and see where Miss Ten is going!"

Holly nodded and walked out quietly.

Dongqing came back only after Shiyi Niang had finished hitting a bat.

"Miss Eleven, Miss Ten went to the Fourth Aunt's place." Her expression was a little solemn. "I wanted to follow them and listen to what the Fourth Aunt and Miss Ten said, but the maid next to the Fourth Aunt was guarding outside the house, so I didn't dare to get close..."

Three years ago, Shi Niang pushed Shiyi Niang to the ground. In front of people outside, the first wife said that "the ground was slippery and Shiyi Niang accidentally fell down", but in front of the eldest master, she lost her temper. She said that the eldest master indulged concubines, and several young ladies not only developed arrogant and domineering personalities, but also had no feelings of sisterhood, let alone the manners of young ladies. The eldest master did not dare to refute.

The fourth concubine Yang was given to the eldest master by his superiors when he was a councilor in Shaanxi. When the first wife knew about this person, the fourth concubine was not only pregnant, but also managed the eldest master's salary and the personal money sent by the family. The first wife thought about it and sent the most beautiful maid Lu to the eldest master. The eldest master liked her as soon as he saw her. Lu soon became pregnant. Before the child was born, the first wife promoted Lu to be the fifth concubine. Who knew that although the fifth concubine was beautiful, she was a cowardly person. After a few encounters, she was suppressed by the fourth concubine. When the first wife saw this, she found the young and beautiful Lu from the maids and sent her to the eldest master, and gave birth to the twelfth concubine. At that time, the eldest master had already been appointed as the governor of Fujian, and the three of them had all grown up with their father in office. Because of this incident, they were placed in the Luyun Tower, and the eldest wife sent capable maids and old women around her to discipline them personally. The fourth concubine Yang, who was not strict in educating her daughters, was punished by the eldest wife to kneel in the ancestral hall. The weather was cold, and after kneeling on the open space paved with blue bricks in front of the ancestral hall for a night, the fourth concubine fell ill and was moved to a two-room wing next to the Shuangxing Courtyard to recuperate. This recuperation lasted for three years. During these three years, the number of times Shi Niang visited the fourth concubine could be counted on one finger. Unexpectedly, as soon as the eldest concubine left, she would actually go to the fourth concubine.

If you say this is a coincidence, Eleventh Lady would never believe it.

What's more, the fourth concubine even asked the maid to guard outside the door while the two of them were talking...

Her fingers flew quickly: "Go find a flat square box and put the two ropes I made into it later."

Dong Qing was slightly startled: "You are going to personally deliver the baby to the first and second aunts?"

Eleventh Lady answered irrelevantly: "I am going to pay my respects to the First Madam, and I am sending this silk thread by the way."

When Eleventh Lady arrived, there was already laughter and joy in the First Lady's room.

Ziwei and Ziyuan stood in front of the eldest wife, holding a calligraphy and painting. Wu Niang sat beside the eldest wife and pointed at the calligraphy and painting: "... Look, isn't this calligraphy beautiful? It's my imitation of ancient seal script. And this one is an imitation of Wang Xizhi's cursive script..."

The eldest wife smiled and nodded, nodding continuously, as if she was very satisfied with the work in front of her.

Seeing Eleventh Lady walking in, the eldest wife waved at her and said, "Come, take a look at this picture of a hundred years of longevity that your sister drew."

It’s finished so quickly!

Eleventh Lady was secretly surprised. She greeted the First Lady with a smile and then greeted Fifth Lady: "Is this for embroidery? Sister, you are so fast!"

Wu Niang returned the gift to Shiyi Niang and said with a smile, "I was thinking of sending a birthday gift to my eldest sister's family, so I rushed out this. I was afraid that if I didn't write well, it would affect my younger sister's embroidery."

"I don't see anything wrong with it." Eleventh Lady smiled and looked at the words written by Fifth Lady.

On a six-foot square piece of rice paper, there were regular script, li script, seal script, running script, cursive script... all in different styles and sizes, so dazzling that she couldn't help but be secretly amazed.

Regardless of the quality of the calligraphy, the effort put into it alone is admirable.

Unexpectedly, Wu Niang's calligraphy has reached such a level.

The first wife also laughed: "I think it's well written too!"

"Thank you for the compliment, mother." Wu Niang smiled and said modestly.

The eldest wife asked Ziwei and Ziyuan to draw the calligraphy for Shiyi Niang: "Just embroider it according to this!"

Eleventh Lady bent her knees and replied "yes", and Amber hurried forward to collect the calligraphy and painting.

The first wife pointed at the box in Amber's hand and said, "This is..."

Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "That's the knot I tied for Brother Xiu."

The eldest wife's eyes lit up when she heard this, and she said, "Bring it here for me to see."

Amber listened, opened the box and handed it over.

Two colorful silk coins representing the five elements of white, blue, black, red and yellow lay quietly in a large red velvet box. When I looked closely, I found that the two silk coins were woven into a knotted plum blossom with five bats as big as dates in the middle.

"It's really exquisite." The eldest wife praised it with a click of the tongue. "If nothing else, just based on these two threads, Eleventh Lady's needlework is one of the best in Hangzhou Prefecture."

Wu Niang's eyes flashed when she heard this.

Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "My daughter can weave such a knot because mother invited a master from Hangzhou Prefecture for us."

The eldest wife listened, and her eyes showed some relief: "Go and send it to the two concubines! Before it gets late!"

Eleventh Lady agreed with a smile and was about to kneel down to greet and leave when a little maid came to report that Tenth Lady had arrived.

Everyone showed surprise, even the eldest wife raised her eyebrows.

Ever since she caught a cold and developed asthma while kneeling in the ancestral hall with Fourth Aunt three years ago, the eldest wife would exempt her from the morning and evening visits every winter.

When Shiyi Niang thought about what happened before she came, she couldn't help feeling a little uneasy. She always felt that Shi Niang's sudden arrival was not such a simple matter.

"Let her in quickly, otherwise she will be blown by the cold wind and start panting again!" The eldest wife ordered the little maid, but her tone was full of contempt.

Everyone in the room looked around and pretended not to hear.

Soon, the little maid led in a person wearing a gray crane-colored brocade cloak.

Eleventh Lady was slightly stunned.

She came directly from the Fourth Aunt to the First Madam without even changing her clothes...

The maidservant carefully helped her untie her cloak, revealing a half-new grass-green silk jacket with a persimmon-calyx pattern.

"Your daughter greets you, mother." She knelt down in front of the eldest wife with a figure as light as a willow.

The eldest wife accepted her full gift and raised her hand: "Why are you here in such cold weather? How can I feel at ease if you freeze to death?" Then she told Aunt Xu beside her, "Prepare a cup of ginger soup for Miss Ten. She is weak, not like Fifth Lady, who is a monkey that jumped out of a crack in a stone and is not afraid of wind and rain. She is also not like Eleventh Lady, who has put on her cotton coat and skirt before the north wind blows, so I don't need to worry about her."

She was smiling when she spoke, and her tone was very caring, but to Shiyi Niang, it sounded strange.

Wu Niang listened and pulled the eldest wife's sleeve and said coquettishly: "My daughter has grown up now, and mother still scolds her with these words. My daughter will not agree - how come I jumped out of the cracks of the stone? You hold my tenth sister in your palm, and I am well-behaved so that you don't have to worry about me."

"Look, it's shaking me so hard that I feel dizzy. If it's not a monkey, then what is it?" The eldest wife smiled and held her forehead.

Everyone laughed in response to the situation.

However, Eleventh Lady stepped forward and greeted Tenth Lady.

A smile appeared on Shi Niang's usually tense face, making her beautiful features bloom like summer flowers, with a breathtaking and stunning charm.

Eleventh Lady felt nervous as she watched.

I thought of the first time I met Fourth Aunt.

It was winter then, too. The fourth concubine was wearing a bright grass-green silk jacket with a persimmon-calyx pattern and a scarlet-red sable cloak on the outside. She walked over leisurely, holding a royal-blue enamel hand warmer with flowers and birds in her hand.

She had just woken up and was half-conscious, thinking she was confused and dreaming of a beauty from an ancient painting of a lady walking down. It was not until the warm and tender hand of the Fourth Aunt gently touched her forehead that she felt the reality.

Shiyi Niang still remembered that her face was full of pity at that time: "Poor child, it's all our Shi Niang's fault. I will let her come and apologize to you later."

When she said this, Fourth Aunt's willow-leaf dark eyebrows slightly frowned, as if she was very worried.

However, before Fourth Aunt left her yard, Mother Xu called her to the First Madam's room. Since then, she has never seen Fourth Aunt again... and she doesn't know what she looks like now.

The thought flashed through her mind and she shuddered.

The dress that Shi Niang was wearing was the same one that Fourth Aunt had worn before, but it was already old...

Eleventh Lady didn't dare to think too much, as Tenth Lady had already greeted her: "Sister is here too!"

"I'm just about to go to Aunt Duan and Aunt Yuan." In front of the eldest wife, Eleventh Lady never called Duan the eldest aunt.

Shi Niang smiled and nodded.

Eleventh Lady had taken the opportunity to say goodbye to the First Lady: "Mother, the child will go to my aunt's place."

The eldest wife's attention was completely attracted by Shi Niang, and she nodded absentmindedly.

Eleventh Lady felt relieved and hurriedly retreated with Amber.

When the door curtain was lowered, she heard Shi Niang laugh and say, "...My daughter thought it was cold and didn't know how mother was feeling, so she came to check on her."

She couldn't help but quicken her pace.

Amber remained silent and followed Shiyi Niang to leave the eldest lady's place in a hurry. Then she called Shiyi Niang: "Miss, you should put on your cloak!"

Only then did Eleventh Lady slow down her pace and go to the two concubines.