Chapter 18: There was indeed something unclean on the Smiling Swordsman's ship, and it was haunting her...
As the carriage turned the corner at the alley entrance, the roof of the carriage brushed against the sycamore leaves, making a rustling sound.
Everyone looked away. Madam Deng cleared her throat and urged, "Someone, quickly sprinkle mugwort water on Aunt and Third Miss to cleanse them of impurities."
Two maids responded, picked up willow branches and dipped them into a basin. The willow branches were covered with water droplets, and she immediately lifted them up and splashed them on Aunt Chen and Meng Yu.
Water droplets instantly splashed all over my body and face.
Still feeling it wasn't enough, Madam Deng stood with her hands on her hips and said in a serious tone, "Auntie and Third Miss, please don't take it to heart. The passenger ship you took from Xuzhou to the capital was full of all sorts of people. Who knows what kind of evil spirits you might have gotten into? One sprinkle of water is far from enough. You need to sprinkle it several times to drive away the evil spirits and ward off bad luck."
Upon hearing Deng's mother say this, Meng Yu immediately pictured Lu Xiuyi's dark face.
Instead of getting angry, she laughed.
There was indeed something dirty on the passenger ship, and it bothered her for a long time.
Using mugwort water to ward off evil spirits and dispel bad luck is not a bad idea.
Seeing that Meng Yu was not angry at all, and even had a slight smile on her lips, Deng Mama instantly lost the desire to tease them. She thought to herself that this third girl was not only a timid mute, but probably had also hit her head on the door on the way here. Otherwise, she would not be able to laugh in the face of this situation.
Following Deng Mama's instructions, the two maids splashed them twice more before leading them to their lodgings in the courtyard.
Since it was already summer, the temperature was much higher than in early spring, and even though she had been splashed with water, Meng Yu did not feel cold. They followed the maid through the fragrant covered walkway, then past the woodshed and kitchen, and the place became increasingly desolate until they entered a hanging flower gate and arrived at a small courtyard.
Meng Yu looked up and saw the three characters "Qingli Courtyard" written on the plaque above the courtyard.
The maid led them to the door, and upon hearing this, two maids in the courtyard hurriedly put down their work and ran out to greet them. One had her hair in double buns and was pretty, while the other wore a light blue narrow-sleeved round-necked robe and had droopy eyebrows and eyes that seemed to resemble Wen Rong's kind and honest nature.
They all appear to be around fifteen years old.
Appearances reflect character. Meng Yu didn't dislike the two at first glance. It made sense. Madam had never taken Aunt Shen seriously. After what had just happened, she must have vented her anger enough. Why would she bother with such trivial matters?
The maid pointed to the girl with double buns and said, "This is Zhimian, and the other is Yan'er. They were both sent by the madam to serve the concubine and the third young lady. I still need to go to the main room to report to Mother Deng, so I won't stay any longer."
The maidservant curtsied casually and left hastily before Aunt Shen could speak, as if this place were truly a filthy place and that staying even a moment longer would defile her.
Zhi Mian stepped aside to lead them in, and said with a smile, "Madam heard that Aunt and Third Miss are coming to the capital today, so she specially instructed me and Yan'er to come early to clean Qingli Courtyard. Aunt, please take a look. If there is anything else you need to buy, I will inform Steward Lin in a moment."
The Green Pear Courtyard is small. Upon entering, one sees two side rooms on each side. The three rooms in the front have been combined into one. At this moment, all three doors of the main house are open, letting in the twilight, which adds a touch of warmth and life. In the southwest corner of the courtyard stands a pear tree. According to Zhi Mian, the courtyard is named "Green Pear Courtyard" because the tree bears green pears.
Meng Yu, supported by Aunt Shen's arm, saw that the rooms were spotless. Since their clothes were still wet, she and Huai Yin followed Aunt Shen into the room to change into clean and presentable clothes.
Yan'er brought over a washbasin and bath beans. After the three of them washed their faces, they drank some tea that Zhimian had prepared in advance, which quenched their thirst and relieved their fatigue. Only then did Meng Yu have time to glance around the room.
The shelves were filled with various trinkets, including a famille rose porcelain vase with floral and bird patterns, an agate lingzhi bonsai, and an enamel and gemstone crown-shaped incense burner, all of which were incredibly valuable. The bed was draped with the empress's favorite turquoise curtains, and the bedding was also very bright. On the table were several lotus flowers and a brown cloud-patterned incense burner with bridge-shaped handles. Incense was burning inside, and wisps of smoke seeped out and slowly disappeared into the air.
After looking around the Qingli Courtyard, Aunt Chen smiled and said to Zhi Mian, "Please tell Steward Lin to move all the toys from the shelves. These things are too valuable and it's not proper for them to be in my room. Also, replace the incense burner with an ordinary lotus-shaped one. And since I'm devoted to Buddhism, I'll change the bedding to something plain too."
A hint of surprise flashed across Zhi Mian's eyes. She glanced around the room out of the corner of her eye and quickly realized what was going on. She simply asked, "Besides these, does Aunt have any other instructions?"
Aunt Shen shook her head and said with a gentle smile, "That's all. You and Yan'er can go ahead and get busy!"
Upon hearing this, Zhi Mian curtsied to Aunt Chen and Meng Yu before bowing her head and leaving.
***
Not long after Madam Deng finished telling Madam Yuan about Consort Shen's arrival in the mansion, Steward Lin went to the main room and reported everything Consort Shen had said to Madam Yuan.
Madam Yuan was not surprised and simply instructed Steward Lin to do as Concubine Shen had said.
After Steward Lin had walked away, Madam Deng snorted coldly and said with a face full of disdain, "It's a good thing she has some sense. Each of those toys is worth a thousand gold pieces. Let alone a lowly woman from a poor peasant family like her, even if the entire Meng mansion were searched thoroughly, it would be difficult to find such valuable toys."
Yuan's family was an extremely wealthy family in Xuzhou. She grew up in luxury, with a life of ease and abundance. Even the servants in her household had higher standards than the sons of minor officials.
"What did I say about you before? Stop using the word 'bastard' all the time. If people hear it, what will they think of me?" Madam Yuan put down her bamboo-shaped teacup, her tone slightly raised but without a trace of anger. Her skin was slightly relaxed, and her slightly pointed chin carried a hint of sharpness.
Madam Deng composed herself, quickly refilled the empty teacup to seven-tenths full, and bowed her head, saying, "Madam is right. I was confused. I will remember next time."
“Alright, you’re getting on in years, I won’t hold it against you,” Madam Yuan picked up her teacup, put it to her lips, and gently blew on it. Suddenly remembering something, she added, “There’s no need to inform the Third Miss about the banquet at the Chengyi Marquis’s residence at the beginning of next month. Those attending will all be scions of noble families. The Third Miss is mute after all, and going there will only make her a laughingstock.”
Madam Deng smiled broadly: "Of course. If she went, wouldn't it be a disgrace to the household?"
The master and servant were chatting idly when a loud announcement suddenly rang out from outside: "Master has returned from his shift."
Upon hearing this, Madam Yuan, who had previously been expressionless, immediately put on a gentle and polite smile, put down her teacup, and rose to greet him.
The person who strode in through the door was dressed in a dark green court robe. There was a deep weariness in his eyes, his cheeks were thin and fleshless, and his thick black beard on his chin was groomed to look like the needles of a hedgehog.
Madam Yuan immediately noticed that Meng Yanqing had been humiliated in court. As she helped him remove his court robes, she asked gently, "Did something happen to you while you were on duty today, sir?"
Meng Yanqing changed into his everyday clothes and sat on the couch with a cold face. Deng Mama, sensing his presence, led all the maids in the room away.
Seeing that no one else was in the room, Meng Yanqing let out a heavy sigh, his face full of resentment: "It's all because of that old bastard Tan Pei. I only made a small mistake while editing, and he took advantage of being one rank higher than me to lecture me in public for half an hour, making me lose face in front of my subordinates. When I first came to the capital, I had people openly and secretly send him a lot of treasures, but that old bastard is a nobody, he doesn't care about gold and silver. Later, I thought that even heroes can't resist the charms of beautiful women, so I spent a lot of money to buy two beautiful women to send over, but I didn't even get to see Tan Pei's face before his servants chased me out with brooms. Thinking about this, the fire in my heart is burning..."
Thinking about the embarrassment he suffered that day, Meng Yanqing grew angrier and angrier, his face turning as red as a pig's liver.
Madam Yuan poured him a cup of hot tea and stood beside him, saying softly, "Master, have a cup of tea to calm your temper. This is the tea that was presented as tribute this year, and my brother specially saved it for us."
Having been upset, Meng Yanqing had no interest in tasting the tea. He only took a sip haphazardly, and before he could even taste it, he frowned and said perfunctorily, "It's really good."
Madam Yuan picked up the ebony carved handle embroidered with butterflies round fan beside her and slowly smiled, saying, "In my opinion, who in the world is perfect? Even the universally praised Saint Bodhi said that he had misled others when he was in the mortal world. Moreover, as far as I know, Lord Tan's matter is not without a solution."
Upon hearing this, Meng Yanqing's dejected expression, which had resembled that of a lost dog, instantly came to life. He quickly placed his teacup on the small table beside him and pulled Madam Yuan to sit down. "From what you're saying, Madam, it seems there's a solution?"
Madam Yuan smiled faintly, "I sent people to investigate, and although they have some clues, they still don't know the truth. Once everything comes to light, I will naturally tell you clearly, sir. However, it is not convenient to say it now, lest it be wrong and disappoint you greatly."
Upon hearing this, Meng Yanqing's furrowed brows relaxed.
"By the way, my younger sister and the third young lady have returned. Would you like to go and see them, sir?"
"I'm busy right now, I'll visit her another day when I'm free."
"Where would you like to arrange for them to stay, sir?"
"You've always been in charge of matters within the household, so you can make the decisions. I have other things to attend to, so please bring breakfast to the study."
As he spoke, Meng Yanqing headed towards the study.
Madam Yuan slowly rose, gave a perfunctory bow to Meng Yanqing's back, and still smiled slightly: "Yes."
***
After Aunt Shen and Meng Yu settled in Qingli Courtyard, they asked Zhi Mian to lead the way, intending to go to Ci'an Hall to pay their respects to Old Madam Meng. However, halfway there, Madam Yuan received the news and sent someone to inform them that Old Madam Meng was unwell and that they did not need to go to Ci'an Hall today.
Upon hearing this, Aunt Shen told Zhi Mian to go back first and ask Yuan's maid to lead her and her daughter to Zhenhua Zhai to pay their respects to Yuan.
Passing through the covered corridor and over a moon gate, you'll find yourself on a blue stone path lined with lush bamboo. After a few steps, you'll arrive at the hanging flower gate. The vermilion plaque above the gate bears the three large characters "Zhenhua Zhai" (Pillow Flower Studio). The characters are square and neat, unlike the crooked plaques of their Qingli Courtyard, which appear both grand and dignified.
The door creaked open, and the moment it opened, a faint, delicate floral fragrance wafted out. Meng Yu stepped onto the stone steps, and as far as the eye could see, the courtyard was extremely large and spacious, with various flowers planted on both sides of the winding path, blooming in all corners in a riot of colors.
Under the eaves, by the pond, inside the pavilion, in front of the carved cage, and beside the rocky islet, maids were busy going back and forth.
Meng Yu recognized some of the maids; they had been brought from her hometown of Xuzhou. When they looked up at her, they all stopped what they were doing and curtsied to her, even Chunzhi, who used to look down on her and her mother the most.
This is how Yuan taught people.
Despite harboring deep contempt in their hearts, they still maintained a facade of respectability in public.
Just as the three of them approached the door, a teacup suddenly flew out from inside. Meng Yu was walking near the door frame when, caught off guard, the teacup grazed past her ear and shattered at her feet with a "bang."
As a sharp pain shot through his heart, a stern voice came from inside: "Shut up! Still trying to argue? Who told you to arrange for your concubine to live in such a remote courtyard?"
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