Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Retribution in This Life
Mrs. Jiang got angry whenever the Zhou family was mentioned. She simply said she didn't want to see them and didn't even bother to make excuses.
Menzi passed the message and slammed the door.
Mrs. Zhou shuddered, then pounded on the door like crazy. "Human life is at stake, there's no time to lose! I want to see Mrs. Jiang, no, Zhang Xiaoman, I want to see Zhang Xiaoman!"
No matter how loudly she banged the door or how loudly she cried, the doorman remained indifferent.
A drizzle of rain fell as Aunt Yao walked slowly along the cobblestone path, holding an umbrella. The doorman hurriedly stood up to greet her. Seeing her standing under the doorway, she didn't look like she was going out, so he smiled and said, "Aunt, what are you doing..."
Aunt Yao frowned. In the past, if she had just given him a look, the doorman would have opened the side door attentively. But now he pretended to be stupid and didn't move. He must have noticed that she had fallen out of favor and was unwilling to flatter him anymore.
So she had to win back a battle and show this bunch of bastards and the lowly bastard who was the real mistress of the Zhang family.
Aunt Yao raised her chin and asked, "That's Mrs. Zhou outside, right? Why don't you open the door?"
The doorman replied, "The madam has ordered that no one from the Zhou family should be seen, and the door should not be opened for her."
Aunt Yao covered her mouth and exclaimed, "How can that be? Lord Zhou and the master are both officials in the same court. If he treats his wife like this, will they ever see each other again? Open the door and invite Madam Zhou in."
The doorman stood still, only smiling humbly, "Auntie, please don't embarrass me. If I open the door and Madam sends me away, who will I go to for justice?"
No matter how hard Aunt Yao tried to hide her emotions, her face darkened at this moment. "Think carefully, this is the Zhang family, and the master is the one who makes the decision. Did the master ever say that Madam Zhou is not allowed to come in?"
The doorman observed her expression and asked, "Auntie, are you saying... that the master wants her to come in?"
Aunt Yao's face froze. She didn't dare use Zhang Wen's name to do anything. Instead, she offered an attractive condition. "Your boy has reached the age of serving. Send him to the mansion tomorrow to learn some etiquette. When Master Duanwu comes home, he can serve him."
Menzi was overjoyed. He thought that having his son as the master's servant was a hundred times better than running errands and doing odd jobs in the outer courtyard. Even if it was a punishment from the lady, he would accept it.
Besides, who knows who will have the upper hand in the future!
He slapped himself lightly on the face twice, cursing himself for being blinded by greed, and went to open the door.
Aunt Yao smiled contemptuously, "Don't accuse me of making things difficult for you. Inviting someone to the gatehouse to talk doesn't count as disobeying Madam's orders."
The doorman nodded and bowed repeatedly, invited Aunt Yao to sit in the doorroom, and brought a pot of tea and four kinds of snacks from somewhere. After carefully rinsing the cups, he opened the door and welcomed Mrs. Zhou in.
As soon as Mrs. Zhou entered the room, she was a little hesitant when she saw that the woman was not presentable.
Aunt Yao couldn't help but feel annoyed, but she still had a gentle smile on her face and raised her hand gracefully.
"Please take a seat, Madam Zhou. Our mistress is furious with you and has threatened to sever ties with the Zhou family. But I'm thinking that if you weren't in dire straits, you wouldn't have come to our house. Even if the marriage doesn't work out, you can't be an enemy. Besides, Master Zhou and my master are from the same hometown, so there's absolutely no reason for us to stand by and watch someone die."
These words touched Mrs. Zhou's heart, and she immediately felt more comfortable with Aunt Yao. She cried hoarsely, "My master has been captured by Chen Ling'an. I've been asking for help everywhere and trying to mediate for several days, but to no avail. Now I can only count on your family to intervene."
Aunt Yao shuddered all over. She had originally wanted to use this opportunity to spread Jiang's reputation for being petty and narrow-minded, and to establish her own image as a kind and virtuous woman, but she never expected that she would end up picking up a burning coal!
The master has always stayed away from the court struggles, and she could never ask for help from him. But for a woman in the inner palace, it was a fantasy for her to interfere in the court.
She began to regret opening the door for Mrs. Zhou.
Mrs. Zhou's eyes were filled with tears, and she didn't notice the regret on Aunt Yao's face at all. "Your third daughter and Chen Ling'an are old acquaintances and have a good relationship. It was she who saved the Liu family's young master at the Four Seasons Banquet at the Pingyang Marquis' Mansion. Can she ask Chen Ling'an for a favor..."
Aunt Yao's heart moved, remembering Zhang Xiaoman's words about being harassed by a certain Mr. Zhou, so she asked, "Did your son go to the old courtyard a few days ago and meet the third lady?"
Sure enough, Mrs. Zhou's eyes began to flicker, and she hesitated for a long time before nodding.
Aunt Yao's eyes became meaningful.
Mrs. Zhou smiled bitterly and said, "I've even prepared a thank-you gift, but I just can't see her."
"Even if you could see her today, nothing would happen." Aunt Yao leaned forward and whispered to her, "...This is the safest way."
A look of doubt first flashed across Mrs. Zhou's face, and then she opened her eyes wide in surprise. She hesitated obviously, and then she nodded heavily with some determination, not knowing what she was thinking about.
The raindrops were fine and dense, and a milky white mist gradually rose up, blurring the receding figure of Mrs. Zhou and hiding the sneer on Aunt Yao's lips.
I don’t know whether the doorman leaked the news or a passing servant saw it, but Zhang Wen asked about it the next day.
Aunt Yao had been prepared, and her answer was completely unpretentious. "She was crying and making a fuss at the door, which inevitably aroused the suspicion of passersby. I was worried that bad words would spread and affect the master's official reputation, so I took the initiative to comfort her and sent her away."
Zhang Wen had heard about the Zhou family's affairs, and naturally did not want to get involved in the muddy water, but he also did not want people to say that he was cold-hearted. Instead of being suspicious, he praised Aunt Yao for her thoughtfulness and prudent approach.
This invisibly increased dissatisfaction with Mrs. Chiang.
May is approaching, which is also known as the "poison month". Flies, mosquitoes and poisonous insects are ready to move, and more and more people are wearing sachets to drive away the five poisons.
Zhang Xiaoman also learned how to make sachets. After spending three or four days and making several, he finally made a presentable sachet.
"Blue satin embroidered with bamboo brings peace, this has a very good meaning." Jinxiu said with a smile, "I will go to the Liu family to give a gift later. Miss, you can give this to Mr. Liu. A gentleman is like a bamboo. He will definitely be very happy."
Zhang Xiaoman was stunned. "I didn't plan to give it to him."
Jinxiu's face wrinkled up. "If not him, who else should I give it to? Madam specifically asked you to go with her to the Liu family. Isn't the meaning obvious?"
Zhang Xiaoman felt his head was as big as a bucket, and he fell on the bed with a sigh.
No matter how reluctant you are, you have to obey your mother's orders, wash and dress up, and get into the sedan chair to go out.
It was clearly a hot solar term, but the weather was not very good that day. Gray clouds hung low, and mist like smoke rose and fell on the river surface, casting a veil over the white walls and black tiles along the river, making them look pale and gloomy.
The oak sedan chair's poles creaked, and Zhang Xiaoman in the sedan yawned out of boredom, already feeling sleepy.
A mournful cry suddenly rang out, and at the same time, the sedan suddenly stopped.
"Miss Xiaoman, please have mercy!" the strange woman cried out loudly, "Please spare my master. All the hatred and grudges are my fault. Please have mercy!"
Zhang Xiaoman was stunned. Just as she lifted the curtain to see what was going on, she heard her stepmother shout angrily, "Mrs. Zhou, you've lost your mind! What does your master's arrest have to do with us? She's an official's wife after all. She's not a suspect."
Mrs. Zhou covered her face and cried, "He's about to die, what's the point of keeping this face? Miss Xiaoman, my master is only breathing, and my son is frightened and sick. It's time to get rid of all the grudges. Please be kind and let our family go, and I will set up a longevity card for you."
Zhang Xiaoman became more and more confused as she listened, and couldn't help but ask, "Mrs. Zhou, why don't I understand a word you're saying?"
Gradually, passersby gathered around the corner, and the Liu residence was just around the corner. Mrs. Jiang immediately understood Mrs. Zhou's intentions, and her anger suddenly rose to her head. "Why bother with her? Come on, pull her away!"
Mrs. Zhou collapsed on the ground, shouting for mercy in long and short voices.
After all, she was a lady of high rank, so the servants could not use force on her, and they could not persuade her, so they just stood by and looked at each other in confusion.
Mrs. Jiang became even more annoyed when she saw this. She shouted, "Are you all deaf? If you don't take action now, I'll kill you all!"
The servants had no choice but to go forward and help Mrs. Zhou up.
Mrs. Zhou made up her mind and simply knelt down, wailing to the sky and the earth.
The crowd of onlookers pointed and talked, and many of them looked at Mrs. Zhou with sympathy. Their whispers were filled with indignation at the powerful who abused their power to bully others.
Mrs. Jiang was a little panicked.
Zhang Xiaoman took a deep breath, got out of the sedan chair and walked up to the victim, "Mrs. Zhou, you have to explain what's going on."
It really worked! Mrs. Zhou suddenly shook off the person who was holding her arm. "My master was arrested by Chen Ling'an and imprisoned. My dear girl, go and tell Chen Ling'an that if he releases him, you will be the benefactor of our whole family!"
Zhang Xiaoman was truly infuriated and amused. He paused as words to rebuke her were on the tip of his tongue. "I wonder what Master Zhou's crime is... If it's deceiving the emperor and treason, I wouldn't dare speak."
"No, no," Mrs. Zhou hastily denied, looking at Zhang Xiaoman with a look of resentment, "Young lady, don't pretend to be ignorant when you know the truth. Chen Ling'an arrested my master just to vent his anger on you."
The crowd was in an uproar.
"You're talking nonsense!" Mrs. Jiang was anxious and annoyed, and she hated her for throwing dirty water on Xiaoman. "Who is Chen Ling'an? How can a little girl like her influence Chen Ling'an?"
The more people gathered around, the more imposing Madam Zhou became. "Why not? At the Four Seasons Banquet at the Pingyang Marquis' Mansion, Chen Ling'an wanted to arrest Liu Jinshu. At the critical moment, it was Zhang Xiaoman who stopped Chen Ling'an."
The story had spread like this! If everyone believed it, and kept asking Xiaoman for leniency, wouldn't that put her in a difficult position? Mrs. Jiang's alarm bells rang loudly. She was about to speak, but Zhang Xiaoman shook his head slightly at her.
"Since you're venting your anger for me, why don't you tell me how your family offended me?"
Mrs. Zhou was stuck for a moment, stammering for a long time without uttering a single word.
Zhang Xiaoman gently nudged Jinxiu next to him with his elbow.
Jinxiu snapped out of her daze, lifted her sleeves, stepped forward, and shouted, "First he begged to marry my daughter, then he hooked up with someone else's wealthy family, and then he said he couldn't come on the day of the appointment without even an apology, and he went around ruining my daughter's reputation!"
"Your son eavesdropped on my private conversation with the girl and swore at her like a mad dog. Those words are filthy on my lips!"
With a bang, people burst into laughter, some even shouting at the top of their lungs: "What a jerk! He must have gotten himself into trouble. Doesn't he deserve it?"
Mrs. Zhou wanted to defend herself but she had no way to do so. Her old face suddenly turned the color of liver, her body became weak, and her aura was greatly reduced.
She was unwilling to give in, so she gritted her teeth and actually knelt down!
"I'm kneeling down in front of you. All the mistakes are my fault. You can blame me for all the hatred and resentment. Please don't involve innocent people. Please, please!"
As he said this, he pretended to kowtow.
Zhang Xiaoman turned sideways, neither helping her nor accepting her kneeling, but he had no intention of letting her go.
"Mrs. Zhou, you know better than me who the master of the Jinyiwei is. Everyone knows who can make the Jinyiwei obedient."
Zhang Xiaoman put on a face full of fear and trepidation. "You keep saying that I can command the Jinyiwei. How dare you say such disrespectful words? I dare not admit it."
What a cunning girl, she is really good at making false accusations!
Mrs. Zhou secretly hated him, but she couldn't show it on her face. She cried bitterly, "I said the wrong thing in a moment of haste..."
"Besides, it wasn't me who saved Mr. Liu." Zhang Xiaoman didn't even give her a chance to explain.
"He's a decent person to begin with, but there was just a misunderstanding. Mr. Liu explained everything to Chen Ling'an at the time. Everyone who was at the banquet can testify to this. I remember Mrs. Zhou was there that day, so you should know."
"He knew it long ago but still blamed others. It's obvious that he has something to hide. The evil ones are the first to complain!" Someone laughed loudly, and the onlookers followed suit.
Mrs. Jiang sneered and said, "You don't dare to ask Chen Ling'an for help, but you come here to stop my family's sedan chair. Instead of asking for help with kind words, you throw dirty water on my daughter's head. Humph, you look down on her from the bottom of your heart. I'm waiting for her to apologize to you in return! I've seen shameless people, but I've never seen anyone as shameless as you."
People were talking about it, and the sympathy they had for Mrs. Zhou just now disappeared completely.
The person who had just shouted in the crowd looked in the direction of the Liu family, and after receiving the signal, he quietly retreated.
The wind blew, and the jade-colored robe rippled like water at the corner of the street. Liu Jinshu smiled slightly, and when he was about to step forward to meet the two of them and completely help Zhang Xiaoman solve this hidden danger, he saw a bright red color appear at the other end of the street.
Chen Ling'an is here.
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