Chapter 3: Suspicion
Second Aunt Rong is one of the elders whom Du Heng respects the most.
She has a completely different side from her grandmother and mother.
He still remembered that year, more than a month after his father's passing, the entire Du family was still immersed in grief. As the Du family's only son, he was responsible for all matters related to the household. Not long after, he received a letter from the Left Censor-in-Chief, along with a gentle message from one of his servants: "Our young lady will be getting married in February. Master Du promised to attend the engagement banquet several years ago, so the master has sent me here to deliver an invitation."
After Du Heng accepted the post, he asked the accountant to check whether his father had any unsettled accounts. However, because it was only a verbal promise, nothing was found in the account book. Du Heng was at a loss for a moment.
Officialdom places great importance on etiquette; even a verbal agreement is considered a gentleman's promise, and must not be ignored. Furthermore, after three years of mourning, he still has to continue his journey to the imperial examinations. He cannot let the Du family be known as "dead, untrustworthy" just because his father has passed away.
So he decided to give a gift as promised, but he was unsure how much or what to give. In desperation, he had to ask the accountant to look through the previous gift records for reference.
At this moment, his second aunt, who had been hiding in the side courtyard for many years, sent someone to call him out of the study. After seeing him, she handed him a letter and a piece of paper.
"I've heard about the invitation from the Left Censor-in-Chief. I remember your second uncle attending a banquet with your father several years ago. Fortunately, your second uncle kept a diary, and I looked it up, and indeed, I found a record of your father's promises made at the banquet. I asked an old friend of the Rong family to inquire about the Left Censor-in-Chief's daughter's marriage and the gifts given by various families. Although I don't know what your father originally promised, I have compiled a list based on the gifts from others and the records in the accounts. Please review it."
Second Aunt's calm demeanor and confident words immediately reassured him. He couldn't help but express gratitude and called her Second Aunt. Rong smiled, patted his shoulder, and encouraged him, "Heng'er, you've done a great job. Recently, due to family unrest, chaos is inevitable. Second Aunt is also from the Du Mansion. If Heng'er is too busy, just call me."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Both his mother and grandmother fell ill due to grief, but even though he was the top scholar praised by everyone at that time, he was still a boy of only fifteen years old. The determined back of his second aunt gave him unspeakable strength. From then on, he had more respect for this second aunt who rarely appeared in his heart.
So, when he saw Li Ma being so neglectful of his second aunt's relatives, he couldn't help but remind his mother.
Cheng was startled to hear her son speak like this, but she didn't show it on her face. Du Heng had been born from her womb, and she knew his character best.
If we talk about who in the Du family values rules the most, it must be Du Heng. In this respect, he is very much like his father.
However, just based on a distant glance, her son actually wanted her to scold Nanny Li, which still made her feel a little doubtful.
Therefore, when Du Heng went to pay his respects to the old lady, she immediately ordered someone to call Li Ma Ma in.
"Madam, you're looking for me?"
As soon as Li Ma Ma entered the room, she noticed that Cheng's brows were furrowed. She quickly glanced at Xue Yuan, who was standing beside Cheng. Seeing this, Xue Yuan gently shook her head, indicating that she didn't know.
Nanny Li sensed something was amiss. She had been Cheng's maidservant during her dowry. She could always tell with 80% accuracy whether Cheng was happy or angry, from her every frown and smile. She thought the current situation was not a good sign. So, she lowered her head even more submissively, walked up behind Cheng, and massaged her shoulders.
"How did you meet that girl from the Rong family today?"
Cheng's question slowly drifted into her ears.
When Madam Li heard this, she was a little puzzled. Didn't she just report it the other day? Why was she asking again?
Unsure, she replied carefully, "This morning I sent Old Liu to the ferry to pick up Miss Su. After calculating the time, we waited at the corner gate. As soon as the carriage arrived, Miss Su got off on her own. I exchanged a few pleasantries with her and then relayed your message. Seeing she had no objections, I had her taken to the Second Madam."
Cheng thought carefully and then continued to ask slowly, "Who told you to wait at the corner gate?"
Li Ma's heart skipped a beat. Was she being blamed for her poor hospitality? But the visitor was just a relative of the Second Madam, who was of no consequence to her.
Nanny Li was quick-witted. With a quick glance, she had a plan in mind. She smiled and said, "The young master didn't return home last night. I thought it would be bad if this cousin ran into him at the main gate, so I asked Old Liu to take her to the corner gate."
"Now that the young master has grown up and is focused on preparing for the exam, I think it's better to have less trouble than more. If the Second Madam feels that I have neglected my cousin, I will go to the side courtyard and apologize to them."
Nanny Li, having served Cheng since childhood, knew that since the master's death, Cheng's heart had been solely focused on the young master's future. Sure enough, after she explained, Cheng stopped letting her stand behind her and rub her shoulders. Instead, she called her to the front and said gently, "Your idea is good, but you need to be more polite. The Second Madam is used to living alone, so she won't mind. But after all, this young lady is new here, so don't let people mistakenly think we in the Du family are being overly picky."
"Yes, ma'am, that's what I taught you."
Nanny Li naturally took the opportunity and agreed without saying a word.
As if remembering something, Cheng asked again, "What does Miss Su look like?"
Nanny Li wasn't without good sense, but she had received someone today, and hadn't received any benefits, yet she had gotten herself into trouble for no reason. She felt a little unhappy, so she secretly hatched a plan and played a trick, saying, "Thank goodness I met Miss Su at the corner gate."
"oh?"
This one sentence made Cheng raise her eyebrows and listen.
"Madam, do you still remember how the Second Master was unwilling to marry a Second Wife?"
Cheng, of course, remembered that her second uncle and Rong had been betrothed since childhood, when Rong's father was still an official in the capital. Afterward, Rong's father resigned and returned home, a long absence. She had thought the marriage was off, but the Du family's old master, a man of nostalgia and integrity, had never despised the Rong family's decline. When her second uncle came of age, he sent a letter to the Rong family to arrange a wedding date.
However, my second uncle had been frail since childhood, and devoted himself entirely to his studies, having long since given up on sexual matters. When he learned he had a childhood engagement, he refused to marry, saying, "My illness is incurable, and I don't want to drag anyone else into this suffering. I don't want to ruin someone's innocent life."
But he never expected that on the wedding day, the old man kicked him into the bridal chamber, and after entering, he was reluctant to come out.
Rong was a beautiful woman with fair skin and a slim figure. What was even more rare was that she was well-read. How could such a person not attract the admiration of men?
Thinking of this, Cheng couldn't help but feel a little sad. She remembered that when her second uncle and Rong came to offer tea to the two elders and her brother and sister-in-law the next day, her husband, who had always acted upright and honest, had a look of surprise in his eyes.
Rong was a clever woman. After her second uncle passed away, she tactfully moved to the side courtyard and stayed indoors. This not only saved her a lot of trouble, but also relieved Cheng from some of her inexplicable speculation.
When Madam Li mentioned this, Cheng felt uneasy. Her expression became serious and she asked tentatively, "Are you saying that this Miss Su looks similar to the Second Madam?"
"More than similar, it's even better!"
Nanny Li's face suddenly became very happy.
"My eyes have been glued to Miss Su since she got off the car."
All she could hear was Madam Li sighing uncontrollably, "That figure, that sweet voice, the moment she bowed to me, my heart melted. You don't even know how after she finished her greetings, she just glanced up, that pitiful beauty looking at her, she truly took my whole heart away. I was completely willing to accept her!"
"I think we should make some distinctions, so that you won't miss out on important matters in the future."
Suddenly, Cheng slammed her palm on the table and shouted angrily, "Shut up! Your son is the youngest Jieyuanlang of the dynasty, how can you let him be slandered like this? Look at what you are saying! He hasn't even met that girl, and you've made him look like a jerk? You are still serving by my side. I really think too much of you and give you too much face! Go, go to the accounting office and deduct three months' salary. Don't show up under my nose like this!"
Nanny Li was so excited that she forgot the taboos. By the time she realized what was happening, it was too late. She slapped her master's face, but it still couldn't quell his anger.
She regretted it deeply, and when her master ordered her to leave, she had no choice but to kowtow several times and leave in shame.
From then on, Su Ying, who was discussing the relationship between aunt and nephew with Rong in the side courtyard, unknowingly developed a grudge with this Nanny Li.
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