Volume One, Spring Lock in the Garden, Chapter Six: House Arrest
After leaving the east wing of Liaoyuan Garden, Dongxue first went to a secluded corner by the courtyard wall. She wrapped some loose silver and jewelry in a handkerchief and stuffed it into a hole in the wall, then blocked it with bricks. Only then did she go to the old lady's courtyard and call a familiar maid to find Granny Zheng. Granny Zheng was the old lady's maid when she was a young girl. Now older, she no longer performed any specific tasks, but often simply kept the old lady company and chatted with her. She was quite respectable; even Vice Minister Ruan had to bow and address her as "Granny Zheng."
When Dongxue first entered the courtyard, she worked under Granny Zheng. Because she resembled Granny Zheng's youngest daughter, who had died young, she received a lot of care from her. However, at that time, Granny Zheng was still a favorite of the old lady and, fearing criticism, dared not take Dongxue as her goddaughter. Now that she had retired and was in poor health, she had the idea of taking Dongxue as her daughter. She had informed the old lady and also spoken to the first lady, so it was considered to be in the open.
Dongxue stood outside the courtyard gate for a while when Zheng Mama came out and said with a smile, "Why are you here at this hour? Don't you need to serve Fifth Miss?"
Dongxue looked around and asked, "Godmother, is there any commotion in the old lady's courtyard?"
Granny Zheng paused for a moment, then pulled her aside to a secluded spot and asked, "Silly girl, why did you find out about what's going on in the old lady's courtyard? If someone hears this and says something to the old lady, you'll be in deep trouble."
Dongxue breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that Ruan Bi must be overthinking things. She smiled and said, "Godmother, don't misunderstand, I was just asking casually."
Granny Zheng, however, did not believe it and asked, "Is it really just a casual question?"
Knowing she couldn't fool her, Dongxue vaguely said, "My daughter wants to inquire about something."
Upon hearing that it was about the Fifth Miss, Granny Zheng frowned and said, "With your daughter's character, you could have just given her a perfunctory answer. Why did you actually come to inquire about her?"
Dongxue said, "Well, we grew up together since we were little, so our relationship is different. Besides, she is really pitiful."
Granny Zheng gently poked her forehead and said, "You silly child, you're too kind. There are so many pitiful people in this world, can you take care of them all? Besides, she's pitiful because she brought it on herself. I advise you not to take your heart to her. With her character, you won't have a future if you stay with her."
Dongxue held her hand and said coquettishly, "Don't we still have godmother?"
Granny Zheng said, "I want to help you, but you need to be quick-witted yourself. What do you think about what I told you the other day?"
Dongxue frowned slightly and remained silent.
Granny Zheng said, "The Third Master has rendered meritorious service in the Northwest and will be back in a month. Although he is born out of wedlock and the Old Madam doesn't like him, he now holds an official position, and the Old Madam can't do anything about him. If you're willing, I'll talk to the Old Madam and put you in his courtyard. Firstly, the Old Madam will be at ease, and secondly, you'll have someone to rely on. Even if the Third Master gets married in the future, he won't dare to mistreat you because of the Old Madam. You're sixteen years old now; if you don't start planning now, it will be too late."
Dongxue was silent for a moment, then said, "Godmother, let me think about this again."
Granny Zheng sighed helplessly. "She's so stubborn."
Fearing that Ruan Bi would worry, Dongxue said no more, bowed to Zheng Mama, and took her leave. She hurried back to Liaoyuan Garden and was surprised to see that the old woman guarding the gate had been replaced by two unfamiliar, rough-looking women. She didn't think much of it, assuming the original woman was being lazy and had sent replacements. She walked into the courtyard, and the two women, having already been told not to stop her, chatted and joked amongst themselves, letting her in.
When Dongxue arrived at the east wing, she saw two unfamiliar old women guarding the door. Only then did she realize something was wrong. She tried to turn around, but it was too late. The two old women grabbed her from both sides, twisted her into the hall, and forced her to kneel on the ground before releasing her. Dongxue quickly glanced up and saw Ruan Bi, Dongmei, and Dongqin kneeling on the ground. Madam Wang, the head of the household, sat upright with a stern face. Beside her stood Granny He, who was in charge of the servants' register, and behind her stood two burly maids with gloating expressions.
Seeing that Dongxue still dared to peek, Wang Shi became even more furious. She slammed her hand on the table and said, "What an audacious servant! You dare to peek like a thief in front of your master. Who knows what despicable things you might do behind his back? Guards, give her twenty slaps first."
Upon hearing this, Dongxue's legs went weak, and her whole body trembled as if she were chaff.
The two rough-looking old women rushed forward aggressively. One grabbed her, while the other raised her hand and began to beat her mercilessly. They were always jealous of these young maids for their beautiful looks and delicate figures, and now that they had the chance, they went all out, hitting and slapping them.
Dongmei and Dongqin were terrified and lay on the ground as if all the bones in their bodies had been removed.
Ruan Bi knelt with her head bowed, her fingernails digging into her palms from her sleeves. She had considered pleading for Dongxue, but the thought of the First Madam's angry arrival made her realize that if she didn't let her succeed, Dongxue's fate would be even more tragic. Besides, the First Madam already disliked her; her pleading might not only fail to bring her any benefit but also provoke her even greater anger.
After twenty slaps, Dongxue's face was swollen and red, with several nail scratches on her cheeks, and she was covered in blood, which was really frightening. As soon as the old woman holding her let go, she collapsed on the ground like a lump of mud.
The First Madam calmed down a bit and looked at Ruan Bi, who was kneeling with her head down. She said, "You shameless thing, what did I tell you last time? You agreed so readily. Now that your confinement has just been lifted, you've gone crazy again. I think you should stay in the house from now on and cultivate your mind and character. You'll be allowed to leave this courtyard when you've thought things through."
This meant she was to be imprisoned. Ruan Bi felt a sense of foreboding and looked up, saying, "Mother, please allow me to say a few words."
The First Madam glared at her and said, "How dare you say that? You've almost completely disgraced the Ruan family."
Ruan Bi said, "Today was really a misunderstanding. I just wandered over there by chance and didn't mean to."
The First Madam sneered. "You still think you can fool me? There are hundreds of young ladies from noble families by the Yichun River today, how come you're the only one wandering around there? They probably strictly adhere to their ladylike conduct and avoided men in front of them. But you, shameless as you are, not only didn't avoid them, but you even went up to peek."
"Mother, I also wanted to get away, but Gu Xiaobai pushed me out." Ruan Bi knew she couldn't clear her name no matter what, but she still had to explain herself, otherwise it would be tantamount to admitting it.
The First Madam slammed her hand on the table, pointed at her, and said, "You shameless wretch! You have the guts to do it, but not the guts to admit it. What? You think you're not ashamed enough? You want me to go and confront the young master of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion?"
Ruan Bi said respectfully, "Mother, please calm down. I dare not. I am only telling the truth and I dare not hide anything."
“Madam, what Fifth Miss said is true…” Dongxue suddenly spoke up. Ruan Bi’s heart sank upon hearing this, and she secretly gave Dongxue a wink, but Dongxue’s head was buried on the ground, so she couldn’t see her wink. “…At that time, Fifth Miss and I walked to the willow embankment and saw a group of men gathering ahead. We thought we should leave, but unexpectedly, someone pushed you from behind…”
The First Madam sneered and said, "What a wicked servant! He dares to interrupt his master. It seems the twenty slaps just now didn't teach you a lesson. Granny He, quickly find a slave trader and sell this disrespectful servant far away."
"Yes, madam."
Dongxue was so frightened that she couldn't even beg for mercy; she just kept kowtowing.
Ruan Bi sighed inwardly. Things had indeed gone as she expected. She just didn't know if Dong Xue had gone to plead with Granny Zheng as she had said. In this courtyard, only she was truly sincere to Ruan Bi, and it was she who had dragged her down with her. She couldn't bear to see her sold off, nor did she want to be without a single sincere person by her side from now on. But now, she was completely helpless. Suddenly, she regretted it. She had been in this world for over a month, and because of her aversion to it, she hadn't done anything of substance. Now, she was helpless, crying out to heaven and earth in vain.
The First Madam then pointed to Dongmei and Dongqin and said, "Sell these two far away as well."
Dongmei and Dongqin begged for mercy repeatedly, but Granny He gave them a signal, and two rough old women pulled out handkerchiefs and stuffed them into their mouths.
At this point, the First Madam finally breathed a sigh of relief. She beckoned to the two maids behind her and said, "Go and help Fifth Miss up. She's not well and can't stand the wind. Don't let her leave the room anymore."
Two rough maids nodded and walked to Ruan Bi's side, practically dragging her rather than helping her. Ruan Bi didn't struggle and let them hold her. "Mother, Dong Xue has served me for a while, please allow me to say goodbye to her."
The First Madam thought for a moment and felt that this small request was reasonable, so she nodded and signaled the two maids to release Ruan Bi. Once free, Ruan Bi walked to Dong Xue, slowly knelt down, and helped her up. Seeing the tear stains and bloodstains on Dong Xue's face, her once pretty face now unrecognizable, she feared it would be difficult to restore her original appearance. Heartbroken, her voice trembled. "I'm sorry, Dong Xue, I've dragged you into this."
Dongxue, with tears streaming down her face, remained silent, harboring resentment towards Ruanbi.
Ruan Bi wanted to promise her a future, but considering the presence of the First Madam and others, she thought for a moment, then stuffed her own handkerchief into her arms and untied the handkerchief that Ruan Bi had wrapped around her waist, putting it into her own bosom. The First Madam, seeing this scene, let out another cold laugh, thinking to herself, "As expected, she's someone who can't be brought to the table, actually exchanging handkerchiefs with a servant and forming a platonic friendship."
Ruan Bi stood up, gave Dong Xue another deep look, and without needing the two maids to help her, went into the inner room by herself. She opened the window a crack and heard the voices in the outer hall gradually fade away; soon, the entire courtyard became quiet.
After a short while, the maids from the Fourth Miss's courtyard returned. After another short while, the Fourth Miss returned with her maid Qiulan. A few scattered laughs echoed from the main room, and the entire Liaoyuan Garden regained some of its usual atmosphere.
The colorful clouds in the west had faded, and night quietly descended.
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