Chapter 6 Deception and Tricks
One had painstakingly built up her business over several years, controlling the entire household. The other, patient and patient, meticulously planned and relentlessly pressured her. The scene resembled watching two award-winning actresses showcase their acting skills in a movie.
Ruan Bi was filled with anticipation, feeling her blood begin to boil.
But then the old lady said unhurriedly, "Girls, go back now."
It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head. Ruan Bi was extremely unwilling, her feet felt like they were glued to the ground, and she could only move one step after a long while. The third and fourth young ladies were the same, dragging their feet, taking twice as long as usual to finally go out.
The old lady then instructed Manyun: "Send all the maids away. You stay outside the door and guard it. Don't let any unrelated people get close."
"Yes, Madam."
After Manyun left, the old lady sat upright, looked at the first wife and then at the second wife, and said sternly, "Speak, what exactly happened?"
The second wife raised her head, tears welling up in her eyes and streaming down her face. "Mother, I don't know when I became an outsider in this household. Even a servant dares to block my way and chase me away with a stick."
The First Madam said, “Sister-in-law, there’s a big problem with what you’re saying. You are the Second Madam of the Ruan family. What ignorant servant would dare to block your way? And who would dare to chase you away with a stick? If there really is such a person, even if you don’t say anything, I will give them a hundred lashes first.”
“When did you become so forgetful, sister-in-law? You saw and heard everything with your own eyes and ears just now, how could you forget it so quickly? Oh right, the gatekeeper who blocked my way and the servant who chased me away with a stick, they both said they were acting on your orders.”
“Sister-in-law, you’re overthinking it. How dare they stop you or chase you away? They’re the ones trying to stop or chase away that troublemaking old hag…”
The old lady interrupted her and asked, "Which old hag?"
“Mother, it’s that girl who was previously claimed to be from a collateral branch of our Wang family. You said you would get rid of her. She’s come here several times recently, and I told the gatekeeper to chase her away as soon as he saw her.” The First Madam paused and said, “But I didn’t expect my sister-in-law to misunderstand and blame me. This is truly a miscarriage of justice.”
The second wife was surprised that the old lady knew about this. After a moment's thought, she said with a cold smile, "I only have one question for you, sister-in-law: if you were to say at the door today that you wanted to bring that wild woman in, would the gatekeeper and servants have stopped you?"
The First Madam was speechless for a moment.
The second wife pressed her advantage, saying, "Sister-in-law can't answer? You can lead, but I can't? Now I understand, this family is divided into different classes. I wonder which class you've placed me in?"
“Sister-in-law, what are you talking about? What are you talking about? I never even thought about it. We’re all family. I’m just the one in charge. I have to take on more responsibilities and worry more.” The First Madam said unhappily, “If you think I’ve done something wrong, please point it out to my face. Mother will judge for me.”
"Very well, I do wish to ask Mother to judge this matter—let's put aside the fact that I was stopped outside the mansion, let's just talk about the matter of chasing this old woman away." The Second Madam paused, carefully choosing her words, and said, "Our Ruan family has always treated people with courtesy, unlike those ostentatious noble families who allow their servants to harm others. This Locust Tree Lane is not just our household. If you order your servants to chase people away with sticks, what will people say about our Ruan family?"
“Of course I know our family’s ancestral teachings, but this old hag isn’t very bright. When we speak to her kindly, she thinks our Ruan family is weak and easy to bully, and she comes to cause trouble every day. It’s not nice to chase her away with sticks, but it’s better than letting her cause trouble at our door every day.”
"I think that old woman is quite clever; she spoke those words very clearly," the second wife said, turning her gaze to the first wife.
The First Madam's heart sank, and a hint of coldness flashed in her eyes.
The old lady asked, "What did she say?"
She said, 'My poor daughter, you've been violated for nothing. Is there no justice? Is there no law?'
These words didn't sound like a random attempt to claim kinship. The old lady's heart skipped a beat, and she asked, "Where did that old woman go?"
"My sister-in-law chased her away just now," the second wife said, glancing sideways at the first wife. "I wonder what she was afraid of?"
The First Madam felt a pang of guilt, but raised her voice and asked, "What am I afraid of? Sister-in-law, tell me."
"Who knows?" the second wife said. "Anyway, our second branch of the family is all women, and we would never do anything to mistreat women."
The old lady asked, "Eldest daughter-in-law, have you investigated that old woman's background?"
The First Madam was nervous inside, but she didn't show it on her face. She shook her head and said, "Mother, why would I investigate her? She's just an irrelevant, dim-witted old hag."
The second wife said, "If she really is an unrelated old hag, why does she come to our mansion gate to make trouble every day? I'm afraid someone is guilty of something."
The First Madam, enraged, laughed and said, "Fine, I feel guilty, but what about you, sister-in-law? Why did you insist on bringing this old hag in? What are you up to?"
The old lady snapped, "Alright, we're all family, why are you saying such hurtful things?"
Both ladies lowered their eyes and remained silent, creating a somber atmosphere.
The room was quiet, but the hushed whispers outside drifted in. The old lady, seething with anger and nowhere to vent, raised her voice and said unhappily, "Manyun, who's talking outside?"
Manyun came in response and said, "It's Baoli from the First Madam's courtyard. She said that Princess Huiwen sent someone over, and no one knows how to greet them."
"Princess Huiwen?" The old lady was quite surprised, as she had never had any dealings with her before. "Why would she send someone? And who was she?"
The first and second wives also turned their heads in surprise.
"She was described as a respectable mother, and she even brought her maid and father-in-law with her."
The old lady hesitated for a moment, then said, "Eldest daughter-in-law, you go and greet them first."
This suited the First Madam perfectly. She responded with a "Yes," stood up, and glanced at the Second Madam, a hint of smugness and disdain flashing in her eyes.
The second wife was furious, but there was nothing she could do. She listened as the woman's footsteps echoed through the halls and gradually faded into the distance.
"Second son's wife, you should get up too."
The second wife got up, wiping away her tears with a wronged expression, her round face filled with sorrow and despair.
"I understand your grievances, and I will make my own decision on this matter." The old lady noticed that her makeup was smudged, with patches of red and white that were quite unsightly, and said, "Go back and wash your face first. I will give you an explanation later."
"Yes, Mother."
After the second madam left, the old lady slumped onto the couch, closing her eyes wearily. A moment later, she heard soft footsteps approaching. Opening her eyes, she saw it was Granny Zheng. "Why are you here?"
"Manyun asked me to come, saying you were tired and wanted me to keep you company for a while," said Granny Zheng, gently pressing the old lady's shoulder.
The old lady closed her eyes comfortably, remained silent for a while, and then sighed, "You're getting old too, your strength isn't what it used to be."
"Does the old lady dislike me?"
The old lady sighed deeply and said, "How could I complain? I wish we could stay together for a lifetime. At this age, most of my old relatives and friends have passed away, and I feel sad whenever I think of them..."
Why did this come to mind out of nowhere?
“I’m tired, Ayao, I’m really tired. For the past few decades, I’ve been someone’s wife, always having to watch their every whim. Then my mother-in-law passed away, and my husband rose to a high position, with connections all over the world. Most of his annual income from the land and houses went to support these patrons, courtesans, musicians, and concubines. One after another, they came and went, each one alluring and seductive. Now I’m old, and I still have to watch the younger generation scheme and plot against each other…”
Granny Zheng sensed something was wrong and said, "No wonder Manyun called me here. What happened today?"
“What else could it be? We’ve been through this before. The eldest daughter-in-law has grown too big for her britches. She’s learned to deceive her superiors and bully her subordinates. After what happened with Huaihua, I thought she would learn her lesson and be more careful, but she’s become even more formidable, controlling that whole family. I’m now completely blind and deaf.”
"What are you saying? You're still the pillar of this family. The old man is kind and filial; how could he not listen to you?"
"Speaking of Hong'er, it's another matter on my mind. This child is filial and kind, but he's a lazy fellow. After work, he only knows how to drink and go to brothels with his colleagues. And Tao'er, he ignores his proper wife, but spoils his concubine rotten... I know my second wife has grievances against me, but what can I do? Should I kick Sun Shi out and let Tao'er hate me?"
As she talked more and more, Granny Zheng knew she was sad and said, "It's nothing serious. Even the imperial family has its share of trivial troubles. Just try to think positively. Now that the young master and all the young ladies are getting older, our Ruan family has a lot of happy events to hold in the future."
At this point, the old lady perked up slightly and was about to speak when a voice came from outside: "The First Madam has arrived."
The curtain was lifted, and the First Madam strode in, her expression a mixture of surprise and delight. She said, "The Princess has invited our four daughters to visit the Princess's residence."
The old lady sat up in surprise and said, "Is that so?"
"That's what it is," the First Madam said, sitting down. "I remember her grandson, Gu Xiaobai, is sixteen years old now."
The old lady hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Which day?"
"It's the day after tomorrow."
"Tell the girls to prepare carefully."
The First Madam laughed and said, "Does Mother need to remind me? I already sent the maids to inform them."
The old lady grunted in agreement, waved to Zheng Mama, and she tactfully withdrew.
The First Madam noticed her expression and felt a pang of anxiety, shifting her hips uncomfortably.
"Eldest daughter-in-law, tell me the truth, what is that old woman Min here for?"
The First Madam forced herself to say, "Mother, I said I came to climb the social ladder..."
The old lady raised her hand to stop her, her eyes sharp as knives, and said in a slightly cold voice, "I want to hear the truth, eldest daughter-in-law. Was it Hong'er who caused the trouble, or Jiaxuan?"
The First Madam lowered her eyes, her thoughts churning. After a moment, she said in a voice barely above a whisper, "It's Jiaxuan." She paused, then quickly added, "But it's not the child's fault. He's been tricked by someone. That old hag is a professional at this kind of business, buying young girls to seduce young masters from wealthy families and swindling them out of their money."
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