Chapter 82 Chasing Shadows
When the news of Fourth Sister's affair reached Big Ears, it was already the morning of September 21st.
She was having breakfast with the second young lady at the time, while Baozhen served them, recounting the rumors she had heard from outside. The eldest young lady put down her chopsticks, thought for a moment, and asked the second young lady if the fourth young lady had visited the Red Leaf Nunnery recently.
Without hesitation, the second daughter said, "Mother, you're confused. She needs your permission to go to the Red Leaf Nunnery. Did you give her your permission?"
He shook his head and asked in bewilderment, "When did she go to the Red Leaf Nunnery?"
"I only remember that my grandmother allowed her to go once in mid-August."
In mid-August, the trip was to reward Fourth Miss for embroidering the Queen Mother of the West and auspicious clouds. Da Chong knew this all along, and indeed, he hadn't heard Fourth Miss mention going to the Red Leaf Nunnery to see Aunt Lin since. The gatehouse was full of people, and even preparing a carriage required approval; it was impossible to leave openly through the main gate unless she sneaked out through the back door. Thinking it over, Da Chong beckoned Bao Zhen and said, "Go ask the two old women guarding the back gate if they've let Fourth Miss out."
"Yes," Baozhen replied and withdrew.
The second daughter said skeptically, "That can't be right, can it? Aren't those two your people?"
He took a big gulp of millet porridge and said, "You can't judge a book by its cover. Who is it? Maybe their eyes are only focused on money." After thinking for a moment, he called Baoli in and said, "Go and ask the two old women guarding the garden and the maids around the Fourth Miss if she has gone out recently."
Baoli also withdrew.
Having just finished their meal, Baozhen and Baoli both shook their heads, saying they hadn't gone out at all.
The maidservant handed him the tea to rinse his mouth, saying, "That's really strange. We've never even left the house, where did this rumor come from? And it's spread with such detail!"
The second young lady was also puzzled and asked, "Could it be about what happened in August?"
"That was ages ago." Da said, taking a sip of tea, holding half of it in his mouth, and spitting it into the spittoon. "This is strange. I've been thinking about it. The Lu family originally agreed to send someone to make a small appointment this month, but it's already the latter half of the month, and neither person nor letter has arrived."
Just then, a messenger came from outside announcing that Sister Luo had arrived.
He handed a handful of tea for rinsing her mouth to the maid, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and told her to call her in.
A moment later, Sister Luo entered, curtsied, and said, "Greetings, Second Miss."
Da looked at her closely and noticed her complexion was still a bit sallow. He said, "Didn't I tell you to rest at home for a few days?"
Sister Luo smiled broadly and said, "It's not like we've known each other for just one day. I'm like a mule, always on the go. How can I sit still at home? Besides, there's so much to prepare for Third Master's wedding. Even if I stay home, the maids will keep asking questions, and it's inconvenient for me to run around. So I simply took leave and decided to handle everything myself."
"How are you feeling?"
A flash of malice crossed Sister Luo's eyes. She said it wasn't a big deal, just that the bruise on her chest hadn't faded, and she felt aggrieved. She paused, then said indignantly, "I heard something yesterday. That old hag Liu Mama left our household and moved in with Xiuzhi, the maidservant of the Fifth Miss. It's clear she's been having an affair with the Fifth Miss for a long time."
Da slammed his hand on the table and cursed, "What an ingrate!"
“That’s right. If it weren’t for my father-in-law’s help and care, would she have been able to become a respectable nanny for the Fifth Miss? And yet she’s so ungrateful.” Sister-in-law Luo’s eyes flashed with malice as she said, “Why don’t I take a few servants and drive her out of the capital?”
Dawei hesitated for a moment, then said, "We'll discuss this later. You may leave now and wait for me in the council chamber."
Sister-in-law Luo acknowledged and withdrew.
The second daughter watched her retreating figure and said, "Mother, let's do as Sister-in-law Luo says."
"Let me think about it."
Seeing her hesitation, the second daughter said unhappily, "Mother, you're not really afraid of Xiao Wu, are you? That's what the servants are saying."
"!" Qi Da blushed. "Which lowly brat is spreading rumors? The Luo family is blind. Your grandmother treats Fifth Sister like her own flesh and blood, yet she runs to the door and curses her. She has forgotten her duty as a servant. She deserves to be kicked by Fifth Sister."
The second daughter pouted and said, "But Mother, who doesn't know that Sister Luo is your person? Xiao Wu's kick was so disrespectful to you. There's a saying that even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner, let alone Sister Luo, who is a living, breathing person. But you only scolded Xiao Wu for resorting to violence, saying it wasn't the behavior of a proper young lady, so naturally the maids misunderstood."
"Just because they misunderstood doesn't mean you'll follow suit. What if you marry into a powerful family and become the head of the household? The Luo family was in the wrong, so they deserved to be kicked, and they even embarrassed me." Da Yue became angrier as she spoke. That very night, she had been scolded and lectured by her master, and these servants actually dared to stand at their master's door and yell at her. "As for Fifth Sister, let her be arrogant for now."
The second girl pursed her lips, thinking to herself, "They've been saying this for a month or two now."
Seeing her dismissive expression, Da lightly patted her head and said, "Take my words to heart. After all you've read, haven't you even learned to avoid confrontation? Your grandmother recently said she wasn't born of a concubine, but a legitimate daughter. I think she's already planned to clear her name once your aunt is brought back."
"So what if he gets his name cleared? He's still just an unknown bastard."
"Your aunt's personality doesn't seem like she'd cheat on you at all."
The second daughter asked in surprise, "Why doesn't the Shen family acknowledge them?"
"Who? I asked your aunt, and she insisted it was Chen Xiang. She would cry if I asked too many questions."
This old story was so familiar to Yamato and the second young lady that they had no interest in continuing the conversation.
After a while, the second daughter said, "Mother, I think that pot of spring water and green waves was a gift from the bearded man..."
She rolled her eyes and said curtly, "Here we go again. Stop talking about your beard all the time. If people hear, they'll think you're having an affair with that bearded man. Focus on your needlework, and embroider another picture to present to the Empress Dowager. Then no one will gossip anymore." With that, she stood up and walked out. "I'm going to the council chamber. You hurry up and do your needlework."
The second daughter quickly grabbed the big hand and said, "Mother, please let me finish, I have evidence..."
He impatiently shook off her hand, saying as he walked away, "Alright, alright, I've heard you say that so many times already. All this bullshit evidence, it's all baseless accusations. Hurry up and do your needlework. The Lady of Jingyi County of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, you better take good care of her and don't let Fifth Sister steal the spotlight again."
The second young lady stomped her feet angrily and had no choice but to return to Shaohua Courtyard.
After lunch and a short rest, Da Gang got up and was doing his hair when the third steward arrived. He said through the curtain, "The carriage from the Duke of Dingguo's mansion has arrived. The ones escorting Princess Jingyi are the eldest son of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, Young Master Gu, and the eldest son of the Marquis of Dongping's mansion, Young Master Pan. They say they've come to see the eldest son."
Dawei was taken aback and asked, "Has the young master been notified?"
"We have informed the young master, but the master is not home."
"It's alright. They didn't send any invitations, so it's not a formal visit. They don't need to see the master. Just take them to the young master's study and treat them well."
"yes."
After the steward left, the eldest son sent a maid to inform the elder and the second daughter.
The second young lady was already prepared, even changing into clothes for receiving guests, and led Chunyun to the hanging flower gate to greet them. A moment later, Gu Jingyi, carrying "Snowball," walked in surrounded by a group of servants. This time, she didn't bring the birds or dogs, but she was followed by two old nannies, four servants, and the little maid named Que'er, making quite a grand entrance.
Upon seeing the second young lady, her eyes crinkled with laughter, and she skipped over, saying, "Ruan Er, it's been so long! I've missed you so much!"
The second young lady seemed to like her quite a bit, saying with a beaming smile, "Yes, I've been longing for her too."
Gu Jingyi looked around, then exclaimed, "Huh? She said I'm nowhere to be seen? I was the one she invited, but I'm nowhere to be found."
The second young lady's heart skipped a beat. She deliberately delayed informing Ruan Bi, creating an opportunity for her. "The fifth one's courtyard is in the northwest, which is far away, so it will be later. Come, Jingyi, come with me to see Grandmother first."
Gu Jingyi nodded.
The second young lady led her to the old man's room, where the eldest and second eldest were also present. The three of them subtly praised Gu Jingyi, saying that she was clearly from the Duke of Dingguo's mansion and had the demeanor of Princess Huiwen in her youth... Gu Jingyi just listened with a smile, while an old nanny standing next to her thanked her a few times on her behalf.
After a while, Ruan Bi joined the Third and Fourth Sisters.
The young ladies exchanged greetings and pleasantries. Afterwards, the old man left behind the two elderly women Gu Jingyi had brought, allowing the ladies to go play in the back garden. The ladies left happily, chattering away. The eldest lady stayed with the old man, talking with the two elderly women for a while longer. Thinking of Gu Xiaobai and Pan Shunmei, she withdrew and asked Baozhen to go to the eldest young master's study to check on the situation.
Baozhen went to the outer study and first saw several unfamiliar servants playing dice in the courtyard. As she approached, she heard a loud, booming male voice coming from inside the study… "Damn it, this is all trouble! Xiaobai and I don't even know where the Red Leaf Nunnery is, and now it's become that we saw your fourth young lady there! They even say I'm always drunk, spouting 'One glance could topple a city, a second glance could topple a nation. How could one not know the power of beauty? Such a beauty is hard to find again.' Bah! Am I that pretentious? Besides, is your fourth young lady really that beautiful? If she really is that beautiful, I'll accept this awful reputation."
Ruan Jiaxuan laughed heartily and said, "Shunmei, since you already have a reputation, you're not afraid of taking on this additional burden. As for my fourth son, he's still worth you bearing this rotten reputation."
"Oh? Is it really that beautiful? I don't believe it. Here, Jiaxuan, help me arrange it so that Xiaobai and I can sneak a peek. If it really is that beautiful, I'll be willing to go."
Ruan Jiaxuan pondered for a moment and said, "That's not a big problem. I heard they're going to the waterside pavilion today. We can sneak a peek, but only one peek, or my mother will beat me to death."
"Alright, let's not wait any longer, let's go."
Upon hearing footsteps, Baozhen quickly stepped aside and watched as the three young masters emerged from the house and headed towards the hanging flower gate.
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