Chapter 49 What a girl who is willing to compromise and loyally protects her master!
"Madam," Xue Yuan's voice was mournful, choking with sobs. "Although I haven't been serving the young master in the West Courtyard, I know how he has been studying diligently, forgetting to eat or sleep. I've long been aware of the suspected illicit exchange of materials in the library, but I never reported it to you. It wasn't because I intended to conceal it, but because I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. If I did, not only would my cousin's reputation be ruined, but your future would be jeopardized as well."
"I originally wanted to turn a blind eye and conceal the truth for my cousin and the master. That's why I went to the library under the pretext of learning calligraphy. I thought my cousin was from a noble family and would know better than a humble servant like me. I could stand guard and at least help to block the situation."
"But who would have thought that I would actually see my cousin writing the young master's name all over the paper under the pretext of copying the borrowing and returning records."
As she spoke, she pulled out a piece of clear mind paper from her sleeve. The paper was indeed densely covered with the words "Du Heng".
"If you don't believe me, Madam, you might as well compare the handwriting with the borrowing and returning records."
She knelt forward, picked up the borrowing and returning book on the ground, opened it, and compared the two pages. Cheng looked closely and saw that the handwriting was exactly the same, with no difference at all.
Xue Yuan wiped her tears and secretly looked at Cheng. She saw the paper in the eldest wife's hand trembling slightly, which showed that the trick of "putting oneself in danger to survive" worked on the wife.
She is a servant girl in the mansion. As long as she can make the lady believe that everything she does is for the young master and for the dignity of the Du family, the lady will protect her in the end.
Now, since I can't clear myself of the fact that I was framed and have displeased the young master, I can only change my face and become a loyal servant who would rather sacrifice himself to protect his master.
As long as she wasn't expelled, as long as the mistress acknowledged her loyalty, she still had a chance. Even if the young master harbored resentment, over time, with a word from the mistress, she could still enter the house in the west courtyard. The young master was filial and would never disobey the mistress.
Having made up her mind, she knelt before Du Heng again, her face filled with tears. "Sir, I have seen how the old lady, the mistress, and you have endured these past three years. Although I am humble, I want to share your worries."
"I don't understand anything. I only know that the Du family's dignity is important, my cousin's reputation is important, and your future is even more important. Even if I die a hundred times, I can't restore your and my cousin's reputations."
"This servant did not intend to frame my cousin, but I was afraid that if I made a mistake, all the steps would be wrong, so I resorted to this desperate measure."
Cheng had never doubted Xue Yuan's loyalty. Now, listening to her pour out her troubles, she couldn't help but be moved. She was about to ask her to stand up, but unexpectedly, her son spoke first.
"What a girl who is willing to compromise and loyally protects her master!"
Du Heng knew that his relationship with Su Ying was innocent, and even though he had developed feelings for her, he always adhered to the rules of propriety. If it weren't for avoiding suspicion, why would he apply for stationery in the name of a study and ask Qingquan to decorate the library?
But they never expected that despite being so cautious, they would still be confused and accused of having a private transaction.
It’s better not to look at the paper that is said to be full of taboos.
"Brother Heng!"
Cheng realized that her son was deeply involved in the crime, so she quickly stood up and held the clear evidence in her hand in front of her son, hoping that he would wake up.
"Mother, have you forgotten what I once told you? Would you rather believe the servants' instigation than your own son?"
Du Heng's voice was cold, and his eyes were even colder. He said disdainfully, "Since this girl is capable of framing someone, what's the harm in imitating handwriting? If mother doesn't believe it, find a famous expert to take a look."
He didn't want to waste time on this matter, and he was even more unwilling to give the unyielding servant any room for maneuver: "As the eldest lady's personal maid, you're trying to win over others in the various courtyards of the Du Mansion and plant spies to work for you. Is this also considered compromise and loyalty to your master?"
Xue Yuan was startled, her eyes darting from side to side as if she were pondering a response. After a moment, she trembled and said, "Master, you, what are you talking about? I, I don't understand."
Du Heng didn't want to talk to her any more, only nodding at Qingquan. Qingquan immediately understood and walked over to Xueyuan, pulling out a stack of pawn tickets from her bosom. She taunted him, "Sister Xueyuan, you've spent quite a bit of money on servants and maids these past few years, haven't you?"
As luck would have it, Xue Yuan had taken it upon herself to go to the West Courtyard that day, seeking Chunnuan to inquire about the Master's departure to the East Courtyard and why he had refused to allow the gatekeeper to inform her. Although she failed to extract a single clue from Chunnuan, she had, by chance, uncovered the secret of the library. Little did she know that she had been accompanied from the West Courtyard by a maid holding an umbrella, and her ladylike demeanor had been caught by the Master.
Du Heng had always disliked the lack of respect and order in the mansion. After returning to the west courtyard, he asked Chunnuan who had been there just now. Only then did he realize that Xue Yuan had been asking him about his whereabouts, under the pretext that his wife had asked her to bring him a red date and white fungus soup.
Although Chunnuan had long heard that the mistress had intended to promote Xue Yuan to the young master as his concubine, she was very clear in her mind. Even if Xue Yuan really became a concubine, the young master was her master. Even though Xue Yuan told her not to distract the young master with trivial matters, she still found an opportunity to report everything.
When Du Heng learned of this, he became suspicious, recalling Xue Yuan's usual behavior when her master was not around, and ordered Qingquan to investigate secretly. This investigation, indeed, revealed a much greater secret.
Li Ma's husband, Du Shun, was promoted by the lady to be the manager of the front yard because of his contribution in discovering the leak in the carbon roof many years ago, replacing a servant named Li Mao.
Unlike Du Shun, Li Mao wasn't a child of the Du family. Since entering the mansion, he had been diligent and hardworking, rising from obscurity to within a hair's breadth of managerial power. Unexpectedly, the incident at the carbon room not only eliminated his hopes for promotion, but also resulted in his being stripped of his position, returning him to his original state.
What kind of person was Dushun? He relied on his status as a family son to boss around the servants, acting in a domineering manner. Li Mao pondered over it, realizing that the carbon room's oversight was indeed his fault. However, there was no way the lazy Dushun would be given the job of manager. And it just so happened that he, who always disliked the dirty work of the carbon room, would notice that the carbon blocks were damp.
On the day Du Shun was promoted, he was coaxed into a drinking party, including Li Mao. Drunk, Du Shun staggered out of the room, leaving the others alone. Li Mao, hoping to exploit Du Shun's drunkenness to get some advice, quietly followed him. Unexpectedly, Du Shun passed by the coal shed, pulled down his pants, and began to "sprinkle" water against the corner. After shaking it a few times, he burped with satisfaction and muttered, "You little coal shed, I've spent so many nights watering you. It really gave me what I wanted."
I see!
But without any evidence, how could these drunken words alone serve as proof? Li Mao had no choice but to swallow his anger, but from then on, he kept a close eye on Du Shun. As the saying goes, a dog will always eat shit. He only hoped that one day he could catch Du Shun, the bastard, and exact revenge.
As expected, good things happen to those who work hard. Over the years, he had feigned ingratiation with Dushun, gaining access to the Dushun family. He gradually became aware of the close ties between Xue Yuan, the eldest wife's wife, and his family. On several occasions, Dushun would take him on errands, handing him over to the responsibilities whenever they were needed, while disappearing without a trace. He knew there must be something fishy going on, but being alone made it difficult to investigate further, until Qingquan arrived.
With the help of Li Mao, Qingquan collected solid evidence in just a few days, including that Dushun's family and Xue Yuan stole the mistress's jewelry, embezzled money, bribed the various courtyards, and spied on the master's whereabouts. He was just waiting for the master's order to punish them.
Before this, the young master had instructed him to keep an eye on his cousin and to help her if she was in trouble. Qingquan agreed and then specially arranged for a clever servant to keep an eye on her.
One day, the servant was on duty as usual when he suddenly saw the First Madam and her entourage heading for the library, a place they rarely visited. They had also sent for the Second Madam and her cousin. The scene was unusual, so the servant didn't dare delay and hurried to report.
Qingquan knew something was wrong after hearing this, and immediately took the pawn ticket and other evidence he had prepared and rushed to the study to report. As expected, the young master's face changed drastically when he heard this, and he immediately set off. It was through this that he uncovered all of Xue Yuan's crimes.
Cheng was originally furious at her son's stubbornness, but when she saw Qingquan presenting the pawn tickets to her, she was completely dumbfounded.
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