Chapter 25: One after another, moist water droplets.
Li Yue'er felt that the disappointed expression on her face must have pleased the mistress, because she saw a fleeting smile on the mistress's lips.
The slight curve of her lips as she lowered her eyes and wiped her hands was brief yet stunning.
She knew the mistress wasn't that stingy! She was most likely going to receive the hairpin as a reward.
Li Yue'er was in a great mood. She bit her lip and smiled. She got up from in front of the dressing table and circled around the mistress like a moth chasing the light. She tilted her head to look at the mistress's lips. "The mistress smiled."
His tone was confident and his voice was light and cheerful.
The mistress denied it, saying, "No."
Li Yue'er supported herself on her thighs with both hands, bent her knees slightly, tilted her head to look at her mouth, and said, "I saw it."
Qu Rong kept a straight face, pursed her lips, lowered her eyelashes, and solemnly allowed Li Yue'er to scrutinize her, as if to prove that she was clearly not smiling.
Before Li Yue'er could find any trace of the mistress's smile, she heard a light knock on the door. "Mistress."
The door was open, and the curtain separating the inner and outer rooms had already been lifted. Li Yue'er got up and turned her head to see Dan Sha standing respectfully by the door with his eyes lowered.
Thankfully it was cinnabar; if it had been gamboge, and she had noticed me staring at the mistress's face, who knows what she would have thought.
Cinnabar: "The old lady said that the seven-day period has arrived and has sent someone to invite you to Shouhe Hall for a talk."
Shouhe Hall is where the old lady of the Qu family lives. This is the second time Li Yue'er has heard about Shouhe Hall and the old lady from Dansha.
Following Dan Sha's words, Li Yue'er looked at the mistress. The smile on the mistress's lips had completely disappeared, and her indifferent face showed no extra emotion. She simply wiped her fingers clean slowly.
When Li Yue'er noticed that the mistress's aloofness was strongest when she had a sullen face, it made people overlook the small, bright red beauty mark at the corner of her eye, making her whole face look extremely cold.
Faced with such a mistress, Li Yue'er put away her playful attitude and dared not say or be presumptuous. She stood obediently and waited for the mistress's instructions, just like Dan Sha.
The mistress said, "You're moving to Songlan Hall tomorrow. Go back this morning to pack your things. When Su Rou arrives, I'll have Teng Huang tell her. We'll start the lesson this afternoon."
Actually, teaching in the morning is fine, since Li Yue'er doesn't have much luggage or baggage. It wouldn't even take her and Meng Xiaoxiao half an hour to pack their things, so there's no need to waste the whole morning.
But the mistress's tone left no room for argument, so Li Yue'er understood that the mistress's plan for today must be related to her returning to the courtyard. She immediately curtsied and replied, "Yes."
Seeing that the mistress had nothing else to say, Li Yue'er faced the mistress and left the inner room, then turned and walked out.
If it were a quarter of an hour ago, Li Yue'er probably wouldn't have been so cautious.
Qu Rong looked up at Li Yue'er's back. Today she was wearing her own old clothes, which should have been blue, but after being washed many times, the color had faded to a pale blue, which made her graceful figure look as soft as a willow.
Li Yue'er had a strong spine but a soft body, and always loved to cling to her, wrapping herself tightly like a vine. When they were deeply in love, she wished she could be intimately connected with her and become one with her.
Qu Rong thought that Li Yue'er was not only good at serving people, but also intelligent, and should know what she was going to do today.
But her intelligence and obedience, and her current respectful demeanor, inexplicably annoyed and bothered Qu Rong.
Qu Rong draped the towel over herself and said, “Tell the old lady that I will go after I finish eating, so as not to affect her appetite.”
Cinnabar, "Yes."
Li Yue'er didn't know where the mistress ate breakfast; she only knew that she had almost never stayed at Songlan Hall to eat a meal.
When we returned to the courtyard, it was long past everyone's mealtime.
Upon seeing Li Yue'er return, Meng Xiaoxiao's eyes widened in surprise, and she ran forward, "Sister Yue'er."
She had just finished eating and was carrying a food box to be delivered to the kitchen. When she saw Li Yue'er, Meng Xiaoxiao subconsciously opened the lid of the box and looked down to see the broken eggshells in the bowl.
Meng Xiaoxiao looked even more dejected than Li Yue'er, and said with self-reproach and guilt, "I forgot you were coming back and ate all the eggs."
As the weather gets colder day by day, based on Meng Xiaoxiao's experience of getting through the winter in previous years, she knows that when it's cold, you should eat more meat and fish to keep yourself strong and healthy so you won't get sick.
Li Yue'er smiled and reached out to pat her head, "Eggs should be eaten while they're hot."
She said to Meng Xiaoxiao, "Let's go, I'll go to the kitchen with you."
What if there's still food left?
Even if there's only a steamed bun left, it'll be fine. After all, she's worked hard and a whole night has passed, and she's so hungry she's practically starving.
Meng Xiaoxiao immediately cheered up after being coaxed by Li Yue'er.
Carrying a food box in one hand and holding Li Yue'er's arm with the other, she told her with a smile about Xu Xinmei, "Master hasn't come back yet, she's furious, and she said she's going to see the old lady and ask her to move her to another courtyard."
As for why she wasn't the mistress, Li Yue'er guessed it was because Xu Xinmei believed that if the mistress used her, she wouldn't use any other concubines.
Moreover, Xu Xinmei was determined to become the master's favorite concubine, believing that her future treatment would be no less than that of the mistress. How could she possibly grovel before the mistress and beg her to change her residence?
Compared to the mistress, who was the adopted daughter of the original wife, the old lady was the true direct descendant of the Zheng family, so she would naturally side with her, who was also a member of the Zheng family.
Meng Xiaoxiao giggled, dreaming, "If she leaves, we can sleep side by side on this big kang (heated brick bed), we can sleep however we want!"
Li Yue'er, "..."
It wasn't like she was with the mistress; what else could she and Meng Xiaoxiao do but lie down and sleep wrapped in their own blankets?
It's not surprising that Xu Xinmei wanted to change courtyards. Even someone as hardworking as her felt that the shared dormitory conditions were poor, let alone someone like Xu Xinmei who was pampered from childhood.
The shared bed was a heated earthen bed, which was not warm at all when there was no fire burning it. Especially now that it hadn't snowed yet, and it was far from the time to burn the fire, Xu Xinmei had never experienced such cold before.
Especially at night, with a cool breeze blowing, and with Meng Xiaoxiao lying beside her seemingly oblivious to her worries and Li Yue'er nowhere to be found on the other side, Xu Xinmei felt even more anxious and annoyed.
I'm annoyed that Li Yue'er is a slut, willing to kneel and lick the mistress's boots and be her dog, yet she's very tight-lipped, not revealing a single word about the mistress and the master.
Meng Xiaoxiao was stupid and ignorant. Not only did she not know how to compete for favor, she also didn't know how to use her innocent face to inquire about the master's whereabouts.
Xu Xinmei felt that there were a few people in the mansion who knew about the master's whereabouts, such as Aunt Qiu, who was somewhat kind to Meng Xiaoxiao.
Unfortunately, these people treated her like a thief, and no matter how much she inquired these days, she couldn't get any useful information out of her.
Even before entering the Qu family, Xu Xinmei knew that she was the link between the Qu and Zheng families through marriage. She had to give birth to a child for her husband and the Zheng family who would carry the bloodlines of both families before she could truly rest easy for the rest of her life.
She had been in the manor for almost half a month and still hadn't seen the master, let alone become pregnant.
Although the old lady did not agree to the master marrying the daughter of the Zheng family's direct line, it was not too few to bring in one concubine like her, and it was not too many to bring in two.
Xu Xinmei came out of the kitchen with a grumbling face, clutching a handkerchief in her hand in frustration. She muttered a curse at Aunt Qiu, who was playing Tai Chi with her, and then she saw Li Yue'er and Meng Xiaoxiao coming from the path over the artificial hill.
Seeing Li Yue'er change back into her old clothes, Xu Xinmei was stunned for a moment, then a smile involuntarily appeared on her face. In a great mood, she crossed her arms and called out, "Li Wuliang!"
She clicked her tongue, frowned, and squinted at him. "Tsk tsk tsk, is that Li Wuliang? He looks like him, but not quite. Where are his new clothes from yesterday? Could it be that he stole the mistress's clothes and was caught, so he returned them today?"
Xu Xinmei secretly believed that Li Yue'er had displeased the mistress and was therefore rejected by her, which was why she was made to change back into her own clothes and go back to the courtyard.
It was only when Li Yue'er saw Xu Xinmei that she suddenly remembered where she had seen this jade hairpin in her hair before.
—It was the makeup box that Xu Xinmei had once opened to show off to her and Meng Xiaoxiao.
It seems that the mistress's purpose in today's meeting was for Xu Xinmei.
Li Yue'er gently nudged Meng Xiaoxiao beside her, "Go deliver the food boxes first, I'll wait for you here."
Meng Xiaoxiao looked at Xu Xinmei and then at Li Yue'er, and only felt relieved after confirming that Li Yue'er would not be taken advantage of in front of Xu Xinmei. "Then I'll go see if there's anything else to eat."
Li Yue'er: "Okay."
On a narrow stone path, Meng Xiaoxiao, feeling a little guilty for having just spoken ill of Xu Xinmei, clutched her food box tightly with both hands, walked sideways along the edge of the path with her head down, avoiding Xu Xinmei like a lamb seeing a tiger.
Xu Xinmei had always looked down on Meng Xiaoxiao, and seeing her like this now, she rolled her eyes even more.
After Meng Xiaoxiao left, only Li Yue'er and Xu Xinmei remained on the road.
Li Yue'er took a deep breath. Now that she knew the mistress's intentions, she certainly wouldn't secretly remove her hairpin like Meng Xiaoxiao did to avoid Xu Xinmei.
She couldn't hide from them; she had to go to them.
Li Yue'er raised her hand and, using the motion of tucking a stray hair behind her ear, mimicked Sister Su's walking posture, gracefully turning two steps toward Xu Xinmei, as if afraid that if she were too far away, Xu Xinmei wouldn't be able to see the jade hairpin in her hair.
Xu Xinmei's eyelids twitched, and she looked at Li Yue'er as if she were a ghost, even subconsciously taking two steps back, "..."
After not seeing her for one night, has the mistress treated Li Yue'er like this?
Or does the master prefer this style?
Li Yue'er, "..."
It seems I'm really not suited to follow Sister Su's path, and I simply can't learn her elegance.
Li Yue'er suppressed the heat on her face under Xu Xinmei's suspicious gaze, cleared her throat twice, and said, "The mistress said that although yesterday's clothes were nice, they didn't fit well, so she specially had new ones made for Xiaoxiao and me. What, you didn't know about this?"
Li Yue'er was certain that Xu Xinmei didn't know that when the mistress mentioned having new clothes made for the concubines, she only mentioned her and Meng Xiaoxiao.
Li Yue'er initially thought that Xu Xinmei had plenty of clothes and didn't need the mansion to make new ones, but upon closer inspection, something didn't seem right. The Qu family wasn't short of money, and the three of them were all concubines in the mansion. Even if Xu Xinmei didn't lack clothes, she should still have her share when the mansion made new clothes.
Only now did Li Yue'er truly understand the meaning behind her mistress's words—
You don't need to be like Xu Xinmei.
Because she wouldn't stay at the Qu family's house for the winter.
Xu Xinmei looked bewildered and asked, "What new clothes?"
I haven't seen anyone come to take her and Meng Xiaoxiao's measurements.
Xu Xinmei forced a smile, her lips twitching into a sarcastic tone. "You're probably just imagining things. Otherwise, how could I not know about this?"
Li Yue'er said, "There are many things you don't know. For example, our clothes, jewelry, and other items are all distributed by the mistress. You stay in the courtyard all day, so naturally you don't know anything about them."
These words were like a thorn in Xu Xinmei's side. Instantly, she jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, rushed to Li Yue'er in two or three steps, and pointed her finger at Li Yue'er's forehead, "You!"
Before she could finish speaking, Xu Xinmei's attention was completely drawn to the jade hairpin in Li Yue'er's hair.
Xu Xinmei stared at the hairpin, even reaching out to take it off, "You stole my things?"
Li Yue'er stepped back, her face innocent, her brows furrowed in confusion, "What did you say? I don't understand."
Xu Xinmei raised her arm again, pointing at the hairpin in Li Yue'er's hair, "This hairpin is mine, did you steal my hairpin?"
Xu Xinmei reached out to pull Li Yue'er, grabbing her wrist with one hand and pulling the jade hairpin from her hair with the other.
She didn't even glance at her own makeup box before concluding that the jade hairpin in Li Yue'er's hair was hers.
After all, she knew best what Li Yue'er and Meng Xiaoxiao's situation was. People like them, worth only three or five taels of silver, could never afford to wear such jade in their lifetime.
Li Yue'er naturally denied it, twisting her wrists and struggling, "Don't go too far."
Xu Xinmei laughed angrily, "Who's going too far? Am I going too far? Li Yue'er, you lowly servant, you stole my things and you won't even let me say anything?"
She reached out and pulled Li Yue'er, who was backing away, towards herself, while raising her other arm to grab Li Yue'er's hairpin. The anger that had been building up in Li Yue'er over the past few days, along with her resentment towards the mistress, exploded instantly, and her words became harsh:
"Don't think you can act recklessly just because you have the mistress backing you up. A wealthy family like the Qu family won't tolerate a concubine who steals hairpins. Today, you'll be packing your things to be sold into a brothel as a prostitute!"
"The mistress was blind to have chosen you. If the old lady finds out, you will all be punished!"
Xu Xinmei's posture didn't look like she was going to pull out the hairpin, but rather like she was going to pull her hair.
Li Yue'er had no doubt that if she didn't resist, Xu Xinmei would pull out the hairpin and slash her face.
She now relies entirely on her appearance to make a living, so she wouldn't dare take that risk.
Besides, if she can't even handle a situation like this, the mistress probably only sees her as someone to play around in bed. If she can't even get up on her own, the mistress would think it's pointless to have her learn housekeeping from Sister Su.
Li Yue'er grabbed Xu Xinmei's wrist and calmly spoke, offering a final piece of advice out of consideration for their shared bunkmate status, "I didn't take anything from you. If you don't believe me, you can go back and check your makeup box."
Xu Xinmei didn't believe her at all. "Everyone knows you're a silver-tongued smooth talker. Otherwise, how could you have managed to get the mistress to call you over every night? It's a good thing the master isn't here, otherwise you would be using that mouth to ride roughshod over the master and mistress!"
Despite Li Yue'er's delicate and innocent face, gentle eyes like autumn water, and seemingly harmless and obedient demeanor, who would have thought she was so cunning?
Xu Xinmei shook off Li Yue'er's hand. "When I go back to the courtyard, you'll go to the mistress and twist the truth, maybe even falsely accuse me. I've seen too many tricks like this before, it's nothing new."
She raised her hand and ripped the jade hairpin from Li Yue'er's hair, then slashed at Li Yue'er's face, which was as beautiful as a femme fatale. "You wretch! I'll make sure you never have the face to see the master again!"
Li Yue'er was prepared. She grabbed Xu Xinmei's wrist with one hand and slapped Xu Xinmei's face with the other.
Why are you criticizing her?
Li Yue'er warned calmly, "I told you long ago that we are of the same status. If I am lowly, you are not much more noble."
Xu Xinmei was stunned by the crisp slap, her eyes glazed over for a moment, and then she went berserk, grabbing the hairpin and stabbing at Li Yue'er, "You dare hit me? Even my mother has never been willing to hit me!"
Between the two, Li Yue'er kept her distance from Xu Xinmei, making a big commotion while preventing her from actually touching her.
To outsiders, it looked like the two concubines had gotten into a fight for some unknown reason.
In particular, Li Yue'er's long hair was held in place by a hairpin. Now that the hairpin had been pulled off by Xu Xinmei, her long hair was no longer restrained and cascaded down her shoulders and back like a waterfall, making her look disheveled and pitiful.
The maids dared not step forward, but fortunately, the head maid, Aunt Qiu, arrived.
Meng Xiaoxiao followed behind Aunt Qiu and peeked over to see Xu Xinmei and Li Yue'er wrestling. Li Yue'er was at a disadvantage. Meng Xiaoxiao immediately lowered her head and rushed over like a bull, shouting, "Don't you dare bully my sister Yue'er!"
She bumped into Xu Xinmei's back.
Xu Xinmei was caught off guard and fell forward due to inertia.
Seeing that she was about to pounce on her, Li Yue'er quickly turned to the side.
Li Yue'er didn't want to be overwhelmed by Xu Xinmei, nor did she want Xu Xinmei to be "disheveled" while she stood alone. So she leaned to the side and sat down next to her, avoiding Xu Xinmei. At the same time, she lay down on the ground and accused Xu Xinmei with a wronged expression, "You pushed me."
I don't! ! !
Xu Xinmei fell face-first to the ground, the hairpin in her hand fell and broke into three pieces, the middle piece rolling far forward.
Xu Xinmei's eyes were seeing stars from the pain, and her palms and chest were burning. She couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal; tears streamed down her face as soon as she opened her mouth.
She looked at Li Yue'er with tears in her eyes and resentment, sobbing incessantly.
Even if you can't hear clearly, you know the insults are very harsh.
Li Yue'er reacted quickly, covering her face with her hands and crying as well.
This turn of events was too sudden.
The crowd first looked at the two concubines on the ground, then at Meng Xiaoxiao who was standing, and belatedly stepped forward to help her up.
Meng Xiaoxiao realized she had done something wrong, her eyes red-rimmed, and she hid behind Aunt Qiu, pouting. She was quite frightened. "I, I..."
Aunt Qiu lowered her voice and put the matter to rest, saying, "It was Aunt Xu who tripped and fell when she pushed Aunt Li. You didn't even have time to stop her."
There's no need to drag another one into this.
The two concubines' clothes and hair were now in a mess. Aunt Qiu had no choice but to frown and say, "Go and tell the old lady and the mistress."
Aunt Qiu was both relieved and worried to see that Li Yue'er looked miserable but hadn't actually suffered any loss. After all, Xu Xinmei was sent from the Zheng family, and it was hard to guarantee that the old lady might show favoritism towards her.
"The mistress should still be in Shouhe Hall. Please come with me, both of you concubines."
Others may not know, but Aunt Qiu knows in her heart that Li Yue'er is, after all, someone who slept with the mistress. If the mistress is around, Li Yue'er shouldn't be severely punished... right?
She just didn't know why the two of them suddenly started fighting.
She knew that Xu Xinmei was spoiled and had a bad temper, but Yue'er was someone she had watched grow up. Yue'er was the most gentle and patient, and would not have a conflict with Xu Xinmei for no reason, much less make such a big deal out of it.
As the group hurried from the kitchen to Shouhe Hall, Qu Rong was sitting inside, sipping tea.
Seven days was the deadline the old lady gave her to find out where Qu Ming was.
The fact that the old lady could refrain from contacting her for seven days, and did not inquire about her methods of searching for people, shows that the old lady not only had patience and composure, but also that she was well aware that Qu Ming was not in any danger.
Knowing this was true, the old lady couldn't accept being played by the younger generation or being out of their control, and she wouldn't allow herself and her grandson to be used by Qu Rong.
The old lady's face remained gloomy; it could be said that she had never given Qu Rong and her daughter a kind look. "Where is Qu Ming?"
When Qu Ming left, he clearly packed his bags, took plenty of money, and even brought along his maid who knew martial arts. He was obviously prepared for the trip; it wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision, nor was he being held hostage.
There must have been someone in the household who coordinated this, which is why he was able to escape so smoothly on his wedding night when there were many people and things were complicated.
For Qu Ming, the entire Qu family was a cage, so the word "escape" best describes his "disappearance" this time.
The old lady looked at Qu Rong with a deep gaze, "You should know my temper."
She could refrain from questioning how Qu Rong found the person, but if Qu Rong couldn't provide the answer she wanted by the deadline, then she couldn't blame her for being ruthless.
Qu Rong sat upright with her teacup in hand. Upon hearing this, she covered the teacup with the lid. "Of course I understand my grandmother."
She looked at Dansha.
Dansha came out from behind the chair, holding an envelope in both hands, and bowed to hand it to the old lady.
The old lady rested her hands on her phoenix-head cane without moving, not even glancing at Dansha out of the corner of her eye.
It was her mother who noticed the old lady's expression, took two steps forward, took the envelope from Dansha's hand, opened it, glanced at it, her expression changed slightly, and then bent down to hand it to the old lady.
After reading the letter, the old lady's already unpleasant expression turned even more grim. "Jiangdu?"
The extremely slow tone of voice imbued this ordinary place name with an extraordinary meaning.
The old woman murmured, "What is he going to Jiangdu for..."
Qu Rong didn't need to answer at all; the moment the old lady asked the question, she already had the answer in her heart.
Qu Ming's parents were ambushed and killed by bandits half a year ago, and the location of their accidental death was near Jiangdu.
The region has been quite unsettled in the past two years, with bandits and mountain thieves running rampant. The corrupt and incompetent imperial court has emboldened them, to the point that they have become so brazen as to cut down trees and block carriages, robbing not only of their money but also of their lives.
Qu Ming's parents originally went to Jiangdu to study, where the weaving and dyeing workshops were better run than here. After discussing it, they decided to go there together.
Who knew that such a calamity would befall us on the way back?
The Qu family spent a lot of money to have the remains of the two people transported back. Since it was summer and they couldn't be stored there, the old lady inspected them and then buried them.
Qu Ming fell ill after the death of both his parents. The old lady arranged for him to get married to bring him good luck. Fearing that one wife would not be enough, she specially chose three concubines to enter the house at the same time, saying that having all four corners together would be very auspicious.
Who would have thought that on their wedding night, Qu Ming would elope with his maid and run away.
The old lady had no choice but to tell the outside world that there was a problem with the accounts and that Qu Ming had gone out to collect debts.
That might fool strangers, but it's hard to fool your own family.
Qu Ming has never been cut out for business since he was a child. He knows nothing about accounts. Over the years, his parents have managed everything inside and outside the company, and he has never had the opportunity to get involved or learn. How could he possibly choose to go out to collect debts on his wedding night?
The old lady had been wondering to herself that Qu Ming had probably gone to investigate the cause of his parents' death.
That child was very stubborn. He didn't like money but loved investigating cases. He would go to the yamen to listen to people handling cases whenever he had free time. If he hadn't been born into the Qu family, which was a merchant family, he could have at least become a county magistrate by passing the imperial examination.
The old lady was both angry and proud of her grandson. She was angry that he couldn't shoulder the responsibility of the Qu family and that after she passed away, the things that belonged to him would be coveted and devoured by wolves and tigers. But deep down, she was proud that her grandson was not entirely useless; he was just born into the wrong family and was born with the surname Qu.
The initial suspicions became fact after seeing the words on the envelope. The old lady was unsure of what to feel and said in a daze, "He probably won't let this matter rest until it's thoroughly investigated."
The injuries on Qu Ming's parents didn't look like the work of bandits; they seemed more like the work of professional assassins who killed them with a single blow and then randomly slashed them a few times to create the illusion of a bandit ambush.
In particular, Qu Ming's parents were not inexperienced fools who traveled frequently; they would not deliberately choose to travel along roads frequented by bandits.
This place is so strange.
These old ladies weren't unaware of the situation; they were just hesitant about whether to investigate further.
Since the facts are already there, rather than dwelling on it and suffering mutual losses, only to be taken advantage of by others, it's better to swallow our pride and bear it. At least our grandson and the Qu family can live in peace.
But Qu Ming doesn't want this peace.
The old woman took the envelope with trembling hands and said in a hoarse voice, "Did he contact you first?"
Of course not.
Qu Ming's every move was under Qu Rong's control.
Qu Rong remained expressionless and replied, "Yes."
The old lady glanced at Qu Rong out of the corner of her eye and scoffed, "What use are you?"
That being said, her answer proved that Qu Rong was still under her control.
Qu Rong smiled slightly, lowered her eyes and adjusted her sleeves, "If it weren't for me, who would share the Zheng family's suspicions for Qu Ming?"
The old woman's hand tightened suddenly, the paper warping instantly. She asked in a deep voice, "How did you know?"
Qu Rong, "naturally, had doubts."
Qu Rong looked up at the old lady, her gaze gentle and unhurried, as if she were talking about something unrelated to herself, "It was my godmother and my biological father who died."
"Shut up!" The old lady slammed her hand on the table beside her, trying to cover up something with the noise.
She said, "You are merely Zheng Qianxi's adopted daughter, given the surname Qu, and have no blood relation to my Qu family whatsoever! If I ever hear you say that again, I will expel you from the Qu family."
The stronger the old lady's reaction, the happier Qu Rong felt.
Qu Rong said, "It's so cold outside, why is Grandmother still so angry? She can't even take a joke."
The old lady stared at her intently, "It was you who instigated Qu Ming to investigate this matter."
Qu Rong smiled, a slight curve at the corners of her mouth, but her eyes were devoid of warmth. "Grandmother thinks too highly of me. Qu Ming has suspicions about the murderer in his heart, don't you have any?"
Qu Rong said, "You're too old to try and make mistakes, but Qu Ming dares to."
The old lady spoke harshly, and she spoke unpleasantly as well. The two stared at each other for a long time before the old lady, whose eyes were dry, looked away first.
Although I don't want to admit it, Qu Rong was right.
She was a daughter of the Zheng family, as was Zheng Qianxi. The Qu and Zheng families had been linked by marriage for many years, and their business had grown larger and larger. However, Old Master Qu was strictly controlled by her and had no concubines. She had only given birth to one son, and with Qu Ming's father also involved, the Qu family had few descendants.
Seeing that the Qu family was dwindling in number, the Zheng family had other ideas and wanted the Qu family to give up three-tenths of the profits from their business to the Zheng family.
The current head of the Zheng family, Zheng Er, even proposed to marry his own granddaughter to Qu Ming.
Zheng Qianxi disagreed, neither agreeing to Qu Ming marrying into the Zheng family nor agreeing to make concessions.
Although her surname is Zheng, she had her own selfish desires after getting married. She had built the Qu family business from scratch, so how could she give it to her brother, Zheng Er?
Not only did she not want to give in, she even planned to completely separate the businesses of the Qu and Zheng families, and this trip to Jiangdu was also for this matter.
The brother and sister had a falling out and were in a cold war for a long time until their relationship eased slightly a year ago.
However, less than six months later, Zheng Qianxi died in an accident on the road.
Who would believe that the Zheng family wasn't involved in this?
The only person in charge of the Qu family now is the old lady, who is barely holding on. If it weren't for her strong-willed actions and the Zheng family's guilty conscience, Qu Rong would definitely not be the current matriarch of the Qu family.
Even so, the Zheng family sent Xu Xinmei over as a concubine, both to test the Qu family's attitude and to subtly provoke the Qu family's bottom line.
Whether to continue to endure it or to break off relations, Qu Ming had already made the choice for the old lady.
She placed the letter on the table, put her hand back on her cane, and although she didn't say anything, she had already accepted the fact that Qu Ming was going to investigate the cause of her parents' death.
Seeing that she had calmed down, Qu Rong slowly revealed the main purpose of her visit:
“If I am in the light, then Qu Ming can remain in the shadows. If I am in the shadows, he will be exposed to the light. The choice is entirely up to you, Grandmother.”
She wanted to go out and take over the Qu family's business, thus drawing the Zheng family's attention to herself.
But if that's the case, even if the Qu family doesn't fall into the hands of the Zheng family, it will eventually fall into the hands of Qu Rong and her daughter.
The old lady remained silent for a long time, until Aunt Qiu arrived with several people.
Hearing the commotion outside, the old lady's brows furrowed instantly, and a hint of fierceness flashed in her sharp, aged eyes. "What is it?"
After asking around, Mom came back and said, "The two concubines got into a fight over a hairpin."
The old lady was so angry she almost laughed.
Could a concubine from the Qu family really fight so fiercely over a hairpin?
Mother, “One of them is Aunt Xu Xinmei, who was sent by the Zheng family. She said that another Aunt Li, Li Yue’er, stole her jade hairpin.”
The old lady glanced at Qu Rong, who sat calmly beside her, and said, "Oh? What a coincidence that it happened today?"
Xu Xinmei had been behaving herself for almost half a month, so why did she suddenly cause trouble today?
The old woman closed her eyes. "Let them in."
Xu Xinmei felt extremely wronged and naturally insisted on going in first.
Just as Li Yue'er was about to follow, Aunt Qiu suddenly reached out and pulled her.
Li Yue'er, "?"
Li Yue'er looked down and saw that her otherwise clean dress suddenly had several patches of mud and dust.
She blinked at Aunt Qiu, then understood what she meant.
Li Yue'er secretly pinched the soft flesh of her arm, the pain making her eyelids tremble slightly, her eyes immediately reddening and welling up with tears.
Aunt Qiu told her to pretend to be pitiful.
What if a crying child has someone to care for them?
The group of women went in one after the other.
Xu Xinmei began to cry as soon as she saw the old lady. First, Fuli called her "Grandma," and then she said which branch of the Zheng family she belonged to:
"I have always wanted to come and pay my respects to you, but I have never had the chance and I was afraid of disturbing your peace. Today, I have no choice but to come to you and beg you to do my best."
By all accounts, Zheng Er, the head of the Zheng family, should call the old lady "aunt".
Despite the large number of people and branches in the Zheng family, there is actually no harmony within the family. Over the years, there has been a constant struggle over who should be the head of the family. Although the current head of the Zheng family, Zheng Er, is a member of the Zheng family, he is not the old lady's direct nephew.
Xu Xinmei was the daughter of Zheng Er's cousin's concubine. Although she could call the old lady "Grandma," they were not related by blood.
Even within the Zheng family, Xu Xinmei, being an outsider, wouldn't be qualified to see the old lady, let alone pay her respects.
Even Xu Xinmei's entire family lives in the Zheng family's house, which shows how many people live there. Supporting so many masters, big and small, even the richest family would be drained dry. No wonder Zheng Er set his sights on the Qu family, wanting them to give him profits to support their servants.
Xu Xinmei, standing in the center of the main hall, looked quite disheveled. Her clothes were dirty, and her delicate palms had been scraped raw and bleeding from the stones. In addition, she was crying with tears streaming down her face.
Qu Rong reached for the teacup, took a slow sip, and watched her cry as if she were a monkey.
She didn't understand how Xu Xinmei had ended up like this either.
How embarrassing!
Until Li Yue'er, with disheveled hair and red eyes, followed Aunt Qiu in gracefully.
Qu Rong looked directly at her.
Li Yue'er glanced at her briefly, her eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and grievance, before obediently lowering her head and timidly bowing to the old lady.
Qu Rong's gaze remained fixed on Li Yue'er.
When Li Yue'er left her room an hour ago, she was still graceful and elegant, but now she looked like a broken willow after being ravaged and beaten. Her light blue dress was dirty, and there were marks on the collar that had been pulled. In particular, her hair was disheveled, and her eyes were slightly red.
Qu Rong held the teacup and pursed her lips.
Once everyone was present, the old lady opened her eyes and said, "Tell me what happened."
Xu Xinmei propped her hand up and pointed at Li Yue'er, "She stole my hairpin."
Aunt Qiu held the three pieces of green jade hairpin in both hands and walked up to the old lady to show them to her.
Even the lowest quality jade is worth fighting over.
The old lady's gaze swept over Xu Xinmei and landed on Li Yue'er.
This girl was personally chosen for Qu Ming by her. She is literate, knowledgeable in literature, gentle, quiet, and talented. She should be able to get along well with Qu Ming.
The old lady didn't believe she had stolen the hairpin.
But Xu Xinmei felt extremely wronged, and the look in her eyes when she looked at Li Yue'er was so hateful that she wanted to devour her alive.
The Zheng family is just that intolerant of others.
They couldn't tolerate Zheng Qianxi, who disagreed with them, nor could they tolerate Li Yue'er, who might be a competitor.
The old woman said, "You say you didn't steal it, what proof do you have?"
Tears welled up in Li Yue'er's eyes. "Grandma can go back and search Xu Xinmei's makeup box. I don't know why she's slandering me like this, but I didn't steal anything."
She looked not only aggrieved, but also with tears welling up in her eyes, which she was trying hard to hold back, making her even more pitiful to behold.
Especially her frail figure, looking extremely disheveled, and her old, faded dress stained with mud, made one feel even more pity and heartache, wishing one could take a handkerchief and wipe her clean one by one.
The old lady glanced at Li Yue'er a few more times and gestured for her mother to fetch Xu Xinmei's makeup box.
During the wait, the old lady asked Xu Xinmei several questions in a fairly friendly manner.
Unfortunately, Xu Xinmei was born to a concubine, was not Zheng Er's biological daughter, and did not even have the surname Zheng, so it was impossible to get any information about the Zheng family from her.
The old lady gradually lost patience with her and pretended to drink tea, picking up her teacup to end the conversation.
Xu Xinmei had no idea what the old lady was thinking. Seeing that the old lady was quite close to her, she felt completely relieved and even looked at Li Yue'er with a smug expression.
She'll wait!
Once the theft charge is confirmed, let's see how the old lady punishes Li Yue'er.
Li Yue'er lowered her eyes, her gaze falling on the hem of her skirt, only occasionally glancing at the dress of the mistress in front of her out of the corner of her eye.
She was curious about what was happening today, but her mood wasn't too affected.
Today's scheme was set up against Xu Xinmei. Her job was just to make things bigger so that her masters could pin a crime on Xu Xinmei and kick her out of the Qu family.
It could be said that her task was now complete. Relieved, Li Yue'er realized how incredibly hungry she was.
"Grandma." Mom came back with the things.
The old lady glanced at it first, then looked up, not at Xu Xinmei, but at Qu Rong.
Qu Rong lowered her eyes and sipped her tea.
The old lady said, "Take it and let her take a look."
The mother brought the makeup box to Xu Xinmei and said, "Auntie, take a good look. Is this jade hairpin inside yours?"
Xu Xinmei was stunned.
Her gaze darted back and forth between the makeup box and Aunt Qiu's palm. "How, how is this possible?"
How could there be two identical hairpins?
Rather than asking this, it would be more accurate to ask: how come Li Yue'er's jade hairpin is so similar to hers, almost identical?
Xu Xinmei looked up in a panic, “Grandma, I don’t know. I thought the jade hairpin in Li Yue’er’s hair was mine. After all, with Li Yue’er’s family background, how could she afford such a hairpin?”
"Whether Aunt Li can afford it or not is her own business. It has nothing to do with whether you accused her of stealing your hairpin or not."
Xu Xinmei stared straight at the old lady, her heart pounding with panic. "I... I didn't mean to slander her."
The old lady nodded. "Of course I know you didn't mean it."
Although Xu Xinmei is stupid and clumsy, she wouldn't cause trouble for herself by doing something like this.
Xu Xinmei's eyes lit up, and she was about to step forward.
The old lady said, "But my household rules are strict. If Li Yue'er stole your things today, I will break her legs to get justice for you. But..."
She drew out her words, "You slandered her first, and you were the one who physically assaulted her. What, are your mistress and I both dead in this mansion? Do you, a mere concubine, need to personally seek justice for us?"
The old lady looked at Xu Xinmei meaningfully, "If it had been half a day later, would you have had to ask the head of the Zheng family to come and make decisions for you?"
Xu Xinmei was so frightened that her legs went weak and she collapsed to the ground, frantically shaking her head with her hands on the ground, "I didn't, I didn't, Grandma!"
The old lady said, "I am the ancestor of the Qu family, not your Zheng family's great-aunt. This is not the Zheng family, this is the Qu family."
Xu Xinmei was terrified, staring at her blankly, not understanding the difference.
The old lady looked down at her, speaking softly and gently, in the manner of an elder, "Go back to your Zheng family."
The soft sound, though gentle, was more piercing to the ear than the night wind.
Xu Xinmei had no desire to go back. She knelt down in front of the old lady and hugged her legs. "Auntie, old lady, I was wrong, I was really wrong. Please let me stay. I will change. I will be obedient. Please don't send me back."
The old lady's expression remained unchanged. Her mother walked over and pulled the crying Xu Xinmei away.
Two strong female servants entered from outside the door, each supporting one side of Xu Xinmei, half-carrying and half-dragging her out of the main hall.
Because Li Yue'er was in the way of standing in the center, she walked to the side and saw Xu Xinmei being dragged out clearly.
It is a futile and helpless struggle.
Li Yue'er didn't pity Xu Xinmei; rather, she realized once again, clearly through Xu Xinmei, the difference between "master" and "slave."
It could be said that with the master dead, the slaves didn't even have the strength to resist...
And then, considering how she's become increasingly disrespectful to the mistress these past few days...
Li Yue'er felt a wave of fear wash over her.
Today's situation was orchestrated by the matriarch.
She was a pawn, and Xu Xinmei was a discarded pawn.
Li Yue'er stood to the side with her head down, not daring to look at anything else, her eyes fixed on the smooth stone ground in front of her toes.
Someone has already packed Xu Xinmei's things and will send them back to the Zheng family before noon, on the grounds that "the Qu family cannot tolerate such a headstrong person."
Throwing a stone to startle the snake.
Xu Xinmei is the stone that the old lady threw at the Zheng family. Only by alarming the Zheng family will they shift their attention from searching for Qu Ming and instead focus on the Qu family's attitude.
Once the main hall quieted down again, the old lady tentatively called out, "Li Yue'er?"
Li Yue'er snapped back to her senses and quickly took small steps back to stand in the center of the main hall. "This servant is here."
Just when she thought the matter was about to end, the old lady sitting in the main seat slowly turned her gaze to her and asked softly, "Where did you get this jade hairpin?"
It's her turn.
Li Yue'er roughly knew that the mistress's plan was to send Xu Xinmei away, but she didn't know what the relationship between the mistress and the old lady was like, or how she should explain her relationship with the mistress to the old lady.
If the old lady finds out that she has become the mistress's bedmate and even participated in sending Xu Xinmei away, will she end up like Xu Xinmei?
But will the mistress really protect her?
The redness in Li Yue'er's eyes was genuine, and so was the fear in her heart.
Her stomach, which had been hungry, was now completely empty, only spasming and twitching. Whether it was pain or panic, Li Yue'er's body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Just as she clenched her fists, preparing to kneel and kowtow, making excuses and fabricating stories to clear her name, the mistress suddenly spoke:
"I gave it to her."
Li Yue'er subconsciously looked at the mistress, her eyes filled with a mixture of surprise and unease, like a drowning person seeing a piece of driftwood.
The mistress put down her teacup, stood up, and slowly walked towards her, standing in front of her and shielding her from her slightly trembling figure.
It was still that cool and indifferent tone, and the scent of cold plum blossoms was still wafting through the air.
Li Yue'er lowered her head, her gaze falling on the hem of the mistress's skirt, tears welling up in her eyes but refusing to fall.
She heard the person in front of her say, "I'm tired. Shall we leave it at that for today, Grandmother?"
The old lady stared intently at Qu Rong.
Qu Rong quietly met her gaze.
Seeing that Qu Rong was not giving in at all, the old lady immediately relaxed her posture. She gently patted the back of the other hand on her phoenix-head cane and said in a drawn-out tone, "Alright, I'm tired too. Let's all go back."
Qu Rong glanced at Aunt Qiu, who immediately understood and helped Li Yue'er walk outside.
It wasn't until she left Shouhe Hall that Li Yue'er felt the gaze that had been following her disappear.
She was already cold, and now she was covered in cold sweat, her face was pale and her lips were bloodless.
Seeing that Li Yue'er had regained her footing, Aunt Qiu left with three gifts in her eyes, her expression filled with worry.
Qu Rong looked at her, frowned slightly, and asked, "Can you still walk?"
Li Yue'er looked up at her mistress. The shadow of Xu Xinmei being dragged out was still in her mind. She was so frightened that she immediately remembered the difference in their status. She quickly looked away, lowered her eyes, and curtsied. "This servant is fine. I can walk."
Qu Rong remained silent.
When Li Yue'er lowered her head, her full head of black hair covered most of her face and shoulders, making her appear even thinner and more frail.
Qu Rong raised her hand, intending to pull Li Yue'er's hair back behind her head, but Li Yue'er subconsciously took a step back, avoiding Qu Rong's fingertips.
Qu Rong paused, her gaze shifting from Li Yue'er's face to her own suspended fingertips, before slowly withdrawing her fingers and gaze.
Li Yue'er only began to regret it after she left, biting her lip in frustration. Just as she was racking her brains to make amends, the mistress had already looked away.
The mistress lowered her eyes, her voice devoid of emotion, "Go back and rest."
What about at night?
Li Yue'er waited for a while, but before the mistress left, she still hadn't heard the second half of the sentence, so she could only reply in a low voice, "Yes."
The lingering intimacy from this morning seemed to have vanished completely because of her retreat.
The passion that had lasted for several nights quickly turned into the cautiousness and indifference of their first time together.
Li Yue'er took out a silk scarf, lowered her head and tied her long hair up again, feeling a pang of sadness in her heart.
When I came to my senses, I realized that my tears had been dripping onto my clothes, blooming into wet water droplets.
She wasn't actually that afraid of the mistress; she was just frightened by the old lady.
Li Yue'er took a deep breath, tilted her head back, and squinted at the sunlight.
I wonder if the mistress still wants her tonight.
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Gamboge: Guess~ [Rabbit head with upright ears]
If nothing unexpected happens, there will be another update at midnight (I never let disagreements last overnight [doge emoji]).
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