Chapter 63 The Prodigal Brother (Part 3): The Merchant's Son's Path to Becoming a King of a Different Surname...
Late at night, at the Song residence.
Madam Song blew out the candles in the room early on, then lay on the bed and waited quietly.
Around midnight, a soft footstep sound came from the courtyard. Madam Song held her breath and stared intently at the door. A dark figure carefully pushed open the door and tiptoed towards Madam Song's bedside.
The shadowy figure carefully opened the hollow compartment on the left side of the bedpost, revealing a box with dark patterns lying inside.
The dark figure pressed up twice, then moved the wooden piece on the right side of the box. With a soft "click," the box opened. Just as the figure was packing its contents and preparing to leave, Madam Song suddenly sat up and hissed, "Who? Who's there?"
The shadowy figure trembled in fright, and the patterned box in its hand fell to the ground with a thud.
Hearing Madam Song's angry shout, the dark figure suddenly turned around, as if to rush out the door. Meanwhile, Li Mama, who was crouching inside, swiftly grabbed a pre-prepared firewood stick and began to beat the dark figure mercilessly.
"You damned thief, you've even dared to steal from Madam! I'll beat you to death today!" Madam Li yelled as she hit him.
Hearing the commotion, the maids sleeping in the back room immediately got up and rushed to the courtyard, shouting at the top of their lungs, "Help! Help! There's a thief in the madam's courtyard!"
On the other side, Steward Wen, who had already received instructions from Song Ce, immediately summoned the guards in the mansion and arrived at Madam Song's courtyard at an extremely fast speed.
"Are the thieves still in Madam's courtyard?" Butler Wen asked, pulling on a young maid.
"Yes, yes, Steward Wen, please hurry over!" the little girl said, her voice trembling with tears.
Upon hearing this, Steward Wen immediately summoned the guards to the main hall. There, they saw the dark figure dodging and weaving under the attacks of Madam Li's firewood stick, suffering countless blows and crying out in pain.
"What a bold thief! Get him!" Steward Wen immediately ordered the guards to swarm forward and pin the shadowy figure down in the main hall. The shadowy figure, seeing that his scheme had been exposed, still refused to give up and struggled desperately.
"Wait, this voice... why does it sound so familiar?" Mrs. Li asked, feigning confusion.
Madam Song took a cloak from the inner room and carefully draped it over herself. She coughed twice and said weakly, "Mother Li, light the lamp."
Soon, the candlelight in the main hall was lit, and everyone could see the face of the dark figure clearly. It was none other than Zhao Mama, who had been serving Madam Song.
Everyone present was taken aback by what they saw.
Madam Song frowned, and Li Mama quickly stepped forward to support her: "Zhao Mama, what are you doing in the middle of the night?"
Zhao's mother couldn't help but tremble, and the "contract and silver notes" and other items that she had hurriedly put into her arms fell to the ground.
"Madam, I... I was just thinking of you and wanted to check if you were sleeping well and if you were having nightmares," Zhao's mother stammered, a smile that looked more like a grimace on her face as she tried to appear calm.
Madam Song sneered upon hearing this, "Oh? You've come to see me? Do you need to break into my dowry chest to come see me?"
"Madam... I, I, this isn't..." Zhao's mother's face turned deathly pale. She tried to calm herself, but her hands kept trembling. She knew that tonight, she was probably doomed.
Li's mother, who had long been unable to contain her anger, strode forward and swung the firewood stick she was holding heavily at Zhao's mother's back. "How has the madam treated you all these years? Don't you know? You traitor! It's a shame the madam trusted you so much!"
Zhao's mother cried out in pain and fell heavily to the side, knocking over nearby tables and chairs with a loud crash. Ignoring her own pain, she knelt on the ground with a thud, her face filled with terror, and trembled as she pleaded, "Madam, Madam! Please forgive me this time! My daughter has suddenly fallen seriously ill, and the doctor says she needs several expensive medicinal herbs to recover quickly. I... I simply can't afford the medicine. In a moment of confusion, I made this terrible mistake. Madam, please have mercy!"
As she spoke, she repeatedly kowtowed on the ground, and the sound of her forehead hitting the ground showed that she was using considerable force. Soon, bruises appeared on Zhao's mother's forehead.
"You old hag! Even at this point, you're still spouting nonsense! Where did you get a daughter? Do you think Madam doesn't know about your family's affairs? Two years ago, Madam bestowed upon you a favor and gave you twenty taels of silver to go home and arrange your son's wedding. Have you already forgotten all about it?" Madam Li stood beside Madam Song and said fiercely.
Just then, upon hearing the commotion, Master Song rushed over from Concubine Wen's room in the backyard, not even properly dressed.
When he saw Zhao Mama kneeling on the ground, trembling, his already cold expression instantly turned horribly gloomy: "Zhao Mama, back then, Madam decided to keep you by her side to serve her because she saw that you were quick and efficient and hardworking. How can you repay kindness with enmity like this?"
"So, sir, you already know the whole story?" Madam Song's expression was calm, and her tone was indifferent, revealing no emotion.
"Well... when Master arrived just now, I heard a rough outline from the servants." Master Song's expression changed slightly, his eyes darting around, and he replied perfunctorily.
"I see. I didn't know that such a clever servant had appeared in the manor." Madam Song smiled coldly: "Master, since there is a thief in the manor, and it is my capable maid, you don't need to worry. Go and rest. I will handle it."
“This matter should be handled by Madam, but… Madam, Zhao Mama is an old servant of yours, and her whole family works in our household. I’m worried that if we deal with her rashly, it might cause dissatisfaction among the servants.” Master Song frowned and pretended to ponder.
"So, what does the master mean?" Madam Song asked calmly.
In my opinion... this matter needs to be considered carefully.
Upon hearing this, Madam Song did not speak, but simply took Li Mama's hand and sat down on a chair to the side.
"Let's take a long-term view? Father, can't we deal with this treacherous villain?" Song Ce strode into the main hall from the courtyard with Mo Yan, his loud voice breaking the silence inside.
"It's so late, why aren't you sleeping in your room? What are you doing out here making a scene? Go back to your own courtyard!" Master Song was annoyed by Song Ce's words and scolded him without any politeness.
"My son was just worried after hearing that the manor had been robbed, so he came out to see what was going on," Song Ce explained calmly.
"This is none of your business to interfere!" Master Song said angrily.
Upon hearing this, Song Ce stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Father, this matter concerns the reputation of our household. As Mother's attendant, Zhao Mama has committed such a disgraceful act. If she is not punished, others in the household will follow suit. Where will the dignity of our Song family be?"
Just as Master Song was about to retort, Madam Song slowly stood up, waved her hand, and said, "What my son said makes sense. Master, Zhao Mama's mistakes are unforgivable. If we let it go so easily, I'm afraid it will be difficult to convince the public."
Seeing the unyielding expressions on both the mother and son's faces, Master Song frowned and silently weighed his options. Now that Zhao Mama's plan had failed, and he couldn't protect her, he needed to figure out how to shut her up and prevent her from making baseless accusations.
After a moment of silence, Master Song said, "Madam, if we follow the rules of the manor to the letter, I'm afraid we won't be able to resolve this matter tonight. How about this: let's lock Zhao Mama in the woodshed first, and punish her tomorrow morning?"
Madam Song pondered for a moment, glanced coldly at Zhao Mama kneeling on the ground, and nodded: "Very well, let's do as the master says for now. Steward Wen, you take two guards and escort Zhao Mama to the woodshed. Keep a close watch on her and make sure nothing goes wrong with her."
Upon hearing this, Butler Wen immediately agreed and, along with the guards, helped the still sobbing Zhao Mama out of the house.
Two guards dragged Zhao's mother away, her legs kicking futilely on the ground, her neck twisting back desperately as she cried out in a loud, mournful voice, "Madam! Master! Please have mercy on me!"
After Zhao Mama was taken away, Madam Song slowly turned around, looked carefully at Master Song, and said calmly, "Tonight, Master's temper was unusually good."
Upon hearing this, a hint of unease flashed across Master Song's face. His heart tightened, and he quickly explained, "After all, Zhao Mama has been with Madam for many years, and there is some affection between us. I really can't bear to do this to her."
“Mother.” Song Ce, who was standing to the side, stepped forward and said with a hint of deeper meaning, “This Zhao Mama has been with you for so many years, how could she suddenly do such a thing? I feel that something is amiss. Could it be… that someone is behind her?”
"Cough cough." Master Song panicked, but tried his best to remain calm and said, "Don't overthink it. Perhaps she was just confused for a moment and had a greedy thought."
“My son is absolutely right.” Madam Song chimed in from the side: “There’s something strange about this. Zhao Mama has served me for many years and knows the rules of the manor better. How could she dare to be so bold?”
After hearing this, Master Song glared at Song Ce impatiently: "What do you know, you little kid? Don't make wild guesses here."
“Father, I’m just telling the truth, you…” Song Ce was about to continue when Madam Song gently waved her hand, signaling him to be quiet.
Silence fell over the central hall for a moment, with only the occasional crackling of the burning candlelight.
"Master, how do you plan to punish Zhao Mama tomorrow?"
At this moment, Master Song was pondering how to stabilize the current situation. When he heard Madam Song ask this question, he paused before saying, "In my opinion, Madam, you can first check if anything is missing. If the amount is not large, just give her twenty lashes and kick her out of the mansion."
Upon hearing this, Song Ce immediately retorted respectfully, "Father, I think twenty strokes of the cane are too lenient. She committed such a serious crime, and she only gets twenty strokes? I'm afraid that in the future, the servants in the manor will think that stealing is not a big deal. If someone with evil intentions imitates her, where will the peace in the manor be? In my opinion, she should at least get fifty strokes of the cane and then be sent to the government office for punishment, as a warning to others."
Master Song's face darkened, and he said angrily, "How can you be so ruthless at such a young age? Although Zhao Mama has made a big mistake, she has served in the manor for many years. Even if she has no merit, she has worked hard! Besides, if we send her to the authorities as you suggested, this scandal in our manor will inevitably spread, and the reputation of my Song family will definitely be damaged! This is not appropriate! This is really not appropriate!"
"Why are you two arguing over a nanny?" Madam Song smiled faintly and said slowly, "In my opinion, it's better to deal with it in the manor. Why not just give her fifty lashes and send her to the government office? Let's just forget about it."
Upon hearing this, Master Song secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had a vague feeling that something was amiss, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Nevertheless, he quickly echoed Madam Song's words, saying, "What you say is absolutely right, Madam. Fifty strokes it is. After that, just send him out of the manor immediately."
"Then it's settled. We'll do as you wish, sir," Madam Song said, turning her head with a smile.
"Mother, you're not fully recovered yet. Now that things are temporarily over, you should go back to your room and rest. Don't overwork yourself," Song Ce said worriedly.
Madam Song smiled and nodded. "My son too, go back and rest early." After saying that, she paused for a moment, turned her gaze to Master Song, and said calmly, "Master, please take care too."
"Hmm," Master Song replied casually.
After Li Mama helped Madam Song back to her room, Master Song turned around and looked at Song Ce. He snorted softly, "You've really made a name for yourself." Without waiting for Song Ce's reaction, he flicked his sleeve and strode out of the main hall.
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Author's Note: Mr. Song: Something feels off, but what is it? [Fear]
Thank you, my little angels! Sending you love! [starry eyes]
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