Chapter Twelve: A Plan from Afar
The second young lady read the letter again, still shocked, and slowly sat down, supporting herself on the table.
Outside, the First Madam was scolding Concubine Lin, and the words could be heard clearly: "...Didn't I tell you yesterday to wait a couple of days? What time is it now? No matter how important Jia Ke's studies are, can they be more important than Master's future? The mansion is in such a mess right now, I don't expect you to be of any help, so don't make things worse."
It's unclear what Aunt Lin whispered in her defense, but the First Madam continued, "Twenty taels of silver isn't much, and it's only right to show respect to one's elders. However, there are priorities in everything. Master is currently busy trying to get reinstated, and there are many expenses, both overt and covert. We haven't even collected this season's rent yet. There are over two hundred mouths to feed in the household, and the daily expenses are several tens of taels of silver. You should weigh the pros and cons yourself."
Aunt Lin then offered a few more words of explanation in a soft voice.
The First Madam's voice suddenly rose: "Don't bring up Fourth Miss. What's so great about being a Xiuyi? Speaking of which, her involvement is a huge factor in the Master's dismissal. As a woman, the most important thing is to be humble, tolerant, and respectful to others. I don't know which shameless person she learned that from, all she knows is how to compete for favor and flatter. Doesn't she realize that Consort Xie has given birth to the eldest prince, and her position is so secure that she can't possibly shake it? Now look what's happened; she didn't get the fish, but she's brought trouble upon herself, dragging our whole family down with her."
Presumably, Aunt Lin wanted to say something more, but she impatiently said, "Alright, alright. Even if she is truly fortunate enough to become one of the four imperial concubines, so what? You won't be the one to receive the imperial decree. If you want her to be well, then be strict with yourself and don't cause any more trouble. You still haven't learned your lesson from what Liu Xu told you last time. Speaking of that time, if we hadn't given the yamen two hundred taels of silver, would it have been settled so quickly? That money is spent like this. Tell me, am I willing to spend money on you and your son?"
Finally, all sound came out.
A moment later, footsteps approached from afar. The First Madam entered the inner room, a hint of displeasure still lingering between her brows. She first picked up the tea on the table and took a large gulp, then glanced at the Second Miss and said, "Why are you still sitting here? Didn't I tell you to go back and tidy up?"
The second daughter raised her eyelids to look at her and pleaded, "Mother, I don't want to go to my uncle's house."
"Stop being so temperamental," the First Madam said gruffly. "Didn't I tell you? The house is a mess right now, and I can't spare the time to look after you. Go stay at your uncle's house for a while, and come back when things are settled."
"I don't need you to take care of me."
The doctor looked at her for a while, then sighed and said, "Your uncle said that his family has a son who is about your age. His ancestors once served as the third-rank Privy Council Academicians, so they are a family of officials for generations. His family background and appearance are a good match for you..."
The second girl lowered her head, understanding dawning on her.
This was the real reason her mother sent her to her uncle's house in Zhuozhou. It was because she could hardly find a good marriage in the capital. Before the news spread beyond the capital, she quickly went to another place to find a stable marriage and settle down. Thinking about the families she had been asked to marry into, from the Marquis of Yanping's family to the Duke of Dingguo's family, to ordinary officials in the capital, and even ancestors who had served as third-rank officials in the capital—she couldn't tell which generation of ancestors she had met. She couldn't tell whether she felt amused or sad.
"Go and pack your things, stop overthinking." The doctor gave her a push, and the second young lady moved, rustling the letter in her hand. Only then did the first lady notice the letter and ask, "Whose letter is this? I didn't hear you mention it earlier."
Fifth Sister.
The First Madam was startled, quickly snatched the letter and looked at it. Her expression changed drastically, and she exclaimed repeatedly, "Madwoman, madwoman, she's really gone mad!" Turning to the Second Miss, who had her eyes lowered, she said, "You wouldn't actually do what she said, would you?"
The second young lady remained silent, her fingers tugging at the hem of her dress.
"You must not listen to her! She's trying to kill you! That selfish girl has already ruined our whole family, and now she wants to ruin you too!" The First Madam said, angrily tearing the letter to shreds. Still feeling uneasy, she shouted, "Baoli, bring in a brazier!"
Baoli brought in a brazier, and the First Madam threw scraps of paper into it until it burned to ashes. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief and gesture for Baoli to leave. She then said to the Second Miss, "She's a wicked woman. If she hadn't seduced Prince Jin and angered the Empress Dowager, how could your father have been dismissed from his post? Now she's plotting against you, so you must not listen to her."
The second daughter was silent for a moment, then asked, "Mother, our family is about to collapse, isn't it?"
The First Madam hesitated for a moment and said, "Don't talk nonsense. Our family has made great contributions to Emperor Taizong. Generation after generation, we have produced many first and second-rank officials and literary leaders. How could we fall down for no reason? Even if the Empress Dowager wanted to bring down our family, she would have to sound out the opinions of the people in the capital first."
"Mother, don't try to fool me. We've been a disgrace to the people of the capital for ages. When Liu Xu accused Aunt Lin of harming her unborn child, what were the rumors? All talk of benevolence and morality, but a belly full of scoundrels and prostitutes, a bunch of rubbish about being a family of scholars and gentlemen, a filthy and virtuous clan..." The second young lady scoffed. "Mother, I know, we're doomed. Now the servants have all run away, the maids have all left, anyone with eyes can see that. Even the Lady of Dongping, who's known Grandmother for decades, no longer comes to visit."
"That's all the fault of Fifth Sister. She didn't want such a good marriage and insisted on seducing Prince Jin. She made Princess Huiwen lose face. The Lady of Dongping Marquis was her best friend and was also the matchmaker, so naturally she resented us too. She's fine, she ran away after causing trouble. With Prince Jin backing her up, she lives a carefree life outside, while we poor people are stuck in a terrible mess."
“Yes, Mother, she has Prince Jin backing her up, and she has a new identity now. Even if our family falls, it won’t hurt her in the slightest. At most, that fake from Yuxu Temple will come out to take the blame.” After a pause, the second young lady said, “She originally didn’t need to get involved in this mess, but she still interfered.”
"You actually believed her after she put on such a pretentious act?"
"I just think what she said isn't impossible," the second daughter said, tears welling up in her eyes. "Mother, I don't want to leave the capital, and I don't want to go to my uncle's house. I don't want our family to fall apart. So, Mother, I want to try. Please don't stop me." With that, she wiped away her tears, stood up, and took the box of face powder that Ruan Bi had sent back with a letter and walked out.
The First Madam opened her mouth, but ultimately did not utter a sound.
Back at Shaohua Courtyard, the second young lady pondered for a while in her bedroom before calling out to Chunyun, "Where did Hu Niu go?"
"They're sleeping in the yard."
"Bring it in."
Chunyun agreed and quickly went to the yard to bring Tiger Girl, who was sleeping in the sun, inside.
The second girl took it and said, "Go out and close the door."
Chunyun was slightly surprised, but she still closed the door, sat down at the table in the outer room, and picked up her needlework to do some needlework.
Chunliu leaned closer and whispered, "Miss, you've been crying. Your eyes are red."
Chunyun shushed her and said, "Be careful she hears you, or she'll scold you again."
Chunliu sighed and said, "Ever since my husband was dismissed from his post, she's been unpredictable, sometimes sunny and sometimes gloomy, and she beats and scolds us at the drop of a hat. Life is really hard. If it weren't for the fact that my parents are gone, and I would only be married off to someone else by my brother if I went back home, I wouldn't want to stay here any longer."
No sooner had she finished speaking than the door to the inner room was suddenly opened, and the second young lady came out, asking sharply, "What are you all whispering about me about?"
Chunyun and Chunliu were so frightened that they stood up straight and shook their heads repeatedly, saying, "No, miss."
The second young lady sneered, "Still trying to argue? Don't think I'm deaf. I heard everything clearly just now. If you don't want to stay in the manor, then get out of here. I hate it when you all put on that fake smile for me every day." As she spoke, she raised her hand, but then stopped in mid-air.
Her gaze swept back and forth between Chunyun and Chunliu. These two maids had been with her for years; even an object develops some attachment after a few years, let alone a person. Now, she had to choose one to die—who should she choose? She gritted her teeth, closed her eyes, and swung her sword with all her might, but missed. Opening her eyes, she saw both maids kneeling down, clutching her skirt, pleading bitterly, "Miss, we were wrong."
The second girl felt as if her heart was being torn apart. She closed her eyes again, raised her foot and kicked hard, and heard a "Ouch!"
Opening her eyes again, Chunyun lay on the ground, clutching her chest, looking at herself with resentment. "Girl, I really didn't. You've wronged me."
After hesitating for a moment, the second girl said sternly, "I wronged you? What a joke! When did I wrong you? Chunliu only said it verbally, but you kept it to yourself. Ever since I accidentally kicked you last time, you have hated me. I know that very well."
Chunyun crawled back, her face covered in tears, and said, "Girl, no, I really didn't."
"Get up, stop lying there like a corpse, go and carry Tiger Girl out of the house."
Chunliu said in a trembling voice, "I'll go." As she spoke, she was about to stand up.
The second young lady said sternly, "Stop! Don't move! I'm going to let her go."
Chunyun endured the pain in her chest, wiped away her tears, got up, and went into the inner room.
The second daughter glared at Chunliu and scolded, "Don't think you're secretly happy just because I didn't punish you this time. And don't think I don't know what you're thinking..."
Before she could finish speaking, a cry of alarm came from inside, and Chunyun staggered out, saying, "Miss... Tiger Girl... Tiger Girl is dead."
The second daughter glared at her and said calmly, "What's all the fuss about? If you're dead, just find a place to bury you."
Chunyun looked at her in fear.
The second girl glared at her again and raised her hand to hit her. Chunyun quickly turned around and ran into the inner room. A moment later, she came out carrying Hu Niu. When Chunliu saw that Hu Niu was bleeding from all seven orifices, she was so frightened that her legs went weak.
The second young lady scoffed dismissively, turned and went back into the inner room. She took out the face powder from the table and placed it under her pillow. Then she took out another letter written by Ruan Bi and sat on the edge of the bed to read it. After a while, she heard soft footsteps. Turning her head, she saw Chunyun peeking out from behind the curtain. She quickly stuffed the letter back under her pillow. "Come in, what are you doing sneaking around like that?"
Chunyun timidly stepped in and said, "It's already buried, right under its favorite rose trellis."
The second daughter was lost in thought for a while, then said, "Bring me some incense, I'm going to offer some prayers."
Chunyun nodded and fetched her a stick of incense.
"Don't follow me. I want to be alone. I'm going to the palace tomorrow. Iron my clothes." With that, the second young lady left.
Hearing her footsteps fade into the distance, Chunyun slumped onto the edge of the bed, her hands trembling as she unbuttoned her clothes. She saw a dark red stain on her chest, and even a light touch caused her excruciating pain. Tears welled up instantly, but fearing that Chunyun would find out when she returned, she quickly wiped away her tears with her sleeve, her teeth itching with hatred.
After sitting for a while, she suddenly remembered that she seemed to have stuffed something under her pillow. She glanced back at the doorway and listened for a moment. It was completely silent outside. Hesitantly, she lifted the pillow and found a box of face powder and a letter underneath.
Upon opening the letter, a line of large characters came into view: "...Only by taking the life of the Imperial Concubine can Ruan be saved from this dire situation. I obtained a medicine from the southeast, colorless and odorless, which dissolves upon contact with water and can kill without leaving a trace. Second Sister, take it into the palace and give it to Fourth Sister..." Instantly, she was terrified and quickly stuffed the letter back into its place. Her heart was still pounding, and she dared not stay any longer. She took out her dress from the wardrobe and hurriedly left.
After a short while, the second young lady returned. She took out the letter and noticed that the hair that used to be tucked in the crease was gone. She understood immediately and involuntarily closed her eyes. "Ruan Bi, Ruan Bi, do you know how much I hate you? You can move your fingers from a thousand miles away, but I have to kill the cat I've raised for years and send the maid who has been with me for years to her death."
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