Chapter 12 Ten Taels
The sky was overcast with dark clouds obscuring the sun, and the wind carried a biting chill. Aman was kneeling where the wind was blowing, and the fierce wind stung her cheeks and made her feel extremely cold.
The cold air from the ground seeped into her calves, and she had long since lost all feeling below her knees. Fangyi didn't want to stand in the wind with her, so she had Hongxing supervise her, forbidding her from getting up until the lady woke up.
When this arduous task fell to her, Hongxing naturally didn't give Aman a pleasant look. She pouted and rolled her eyes, almost cursing him out.
Aman wasn't stupid; she could tell that Fangyi was deliberately making things difficult for her. But unfortunately, she had indeed made a mistake, and she had even made a pledge to Fu Yunxiu before coming. Even though she was so cold that her face turned pale, she still gritted her teeth and persevered.
On the other side, after seeing Aman off, Butler Xu thought it over and over again and finally told Madam Fu about it.
When Madam Fu heard that Aman had come to see the Second Madam, she quickly sent Yuxiang to inquire about the situation.
She feared that Aman, like the other women before her, would change her mind and refuse to stay in Wutong Garden. She was even more afraid that Aman would collude with the Second Madam and do something to harm Fu Yunxiu again.
Having received the order, Yu Xiang used the pretext of looking for the cat to go to the West Garden to check the situation. As a result, she saw A Man kneeling at the door from afar, her thin body swaying precariously in the cold wind.
What's going on here?
Yu Xiang didn't know the reason, but fortunately there were several servants on the east side of the West Garden who were responsible for taking care of the flower beds.
Yu Xiang grabbed a man who seemed to be diligently turning the soil, but whose eyes hadn't actually left the bustling West Garden, and asked him what was going on. The man didn't hide anything; after all, he had been paying attention ever since Aman appeared on that path in the West Garden, so he naturally knew exactly what was happening inside.
"It's nothing, it's just that the kneeling maid didn't know the rules and disturbed the Second Madam's afternoon nap, so Fangyi punished her by making her kneel down, saying that she was not allowed to get up until the Second Madam woke up."
"Is that all?" Yu Xiang frowned. This was a bit too domineering. He was just a servant who didn't know the rules. It was enough to give him a few words of advice to teach him a lesson.
Yu Xiang felt that Fang Yi was doing this on purpose because A Man was from Wutong Garden.
This kind of thing, at best, is punishing servants for not knowing the rules; at worst, it's a slap in the face to the East Garden.
Yu Xiang glanced at Aman again. To be honest, with Aman's small frame, if she got any colder, she might faint, or at least get sick. If that happened, the illness would pass on to the young master...
Thinking of this, Yuxiang quickly told Madam Fu about it.
Madam Fu originally didn't want to get involved, after all, it wasn't worth ruining the public harmony between the two hospitals for the sake of a servant like Aman, but Yuxiang's concerns were also a problem...
Moreover, if she suffers injustice in the West Garden and decides not to stay any longer, then the matter of Yun Xiu's offspring will become difficult to resolve.
After all, she was the only woman who could stay in Wutong Garden for such a long time.
After much deliberation, Madam Fu finally decided to go and see. Aman hadn't done anything seriously wrong; she was just ignorant of the rules. Ignorance is no excuse, and Liu Yu probably wouldn't turn against her over such a small matter.
Accompanied by her four maids, including Yuxiang, Madam Fu and her entourage headed towards the West Garden in a grand procession.
In the West Garden, after Haitang prepared the fruit, Fangyi took it to the main room.
Pushing open the door, I found Liu Yu already awake, her dark, glossy hair askew, leaning lazily against the soft couch.
"Madam is awake." She put down the fruit plate in her hand and extinguished the incense sticks used to help her sleep.
Liu Yu yawned, her voice still languid from just waking up, "What time is it?"
“It’s already late afternoon,” Fangyi said.
"You slept for so long?" Liu Yu nodded, raised her hand, and Fang Yi understood. She helped her off the bed and began to help her change her clothes.
"Madam, the maidservant from the Wutong Garden has arrived," Fangyi said.
"A rare guest indeed. Where is he?" Liu Yu asked.
“That country bumpkin doesn’t know any rules, so I’m making her kneel at the door as punishment.”
"In this freezing weather, aren't you afraid of hurting people by kneeling? After all, the East Courtyard is counting on someone to carry on the family line." Liu Yu said this, but her eyes were full of mockery.
"Dongyuan has run out of ideas. They think that once the eldest grandson is born, the position of head of the family will belong to that bookworm," Fangyi said sarcastically.
Liu Yu neither confirmed nor denied it, but merely gave a cold laugh and asked, "What is she doing here?"
"They said they came to ask for the monthly allowance for Wutong Garden, and that they would have to provide for all the food and clothing for Wutong Garden themselves from now on," Fangyi said.
Liu Yu paused in applying lipstick, her red lips slightly raised, "She does know how to handle things."
"Madam, there's no rush. It's not too late to summon her after she's had some fruit." Fangyi brought over the fruit plate that was placed to the side after seeing that her mistress had finished her makeup.
"This was sent by the Second Young Master. It's all Madam's favorite food, and it's very fresh. By the way, the person also said that the Second Young Master will be back in a couple of days, so Madam doesn't need to worry."
"I've never worried about what Changze does." Mentioning her son, Madam Liu's mood clearly improved. She reached for a grape, about to eat it, when she heard a sudden commotion outside.
"Why is it so noisy?" Fangyi frowned, opened the window and saw a large group of people at the entrance of the West Garden. Four maids wearing dark blue jackets were lined up in a row, and it was easy to tell who the people were.
"Madam, it's someone from the East Garden who has arrived."
"She arrived quickly; it seems she's really taken a liking to this daughter-in-law." Madam Liu sneered, smoothing a stray hair from her temple, and stood up. "Let's go see what's going on."
Outside, Yuxiang was arguing with Hongxing. Faced with her request, Hongxing looked resistant, "Aunt Yuxiang, please don't make things difficult for me. Without Aunt Fangyi's order, I really dare not release the person."
In Xiyuan, Hongxing still holds her own.
"How dare you! Does my mistress's order require the approval of a mere servant like Fangyi?"
"That's not what I meant, Aunt Yuxiang, please don't agree."
"Oh, sister's here?" Before Hongxing could finish speaking, a melodious female voice interrupted her.
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the person who came was none other than the Second Madam, Liu Yu.
"Greetings, Second Madam." Yu Xiang suppressed the anger in her eyes and bowed respectfully along with the other three.
Fangyi and the others also greeted Madam Fu. Madam Liu walked up to Madam Fu and said softly, "What wind blew into the West Garden today that it brought my sister, who never visits unless she has a reason, here?"
Liu Yu asked the question knowingly, her face showing undisguised contempt.
Madam Fu was a little embarrassed, but she didn't want to show it, so she just pretended not to see it and said, "I heard that Aman was punished here, so I came to see."
"Alas, it's all because the servants in my courtyard were blind and didn't recognize Miss Aman. But as you know, ever since my miscarriage, I've often been unable to sleep at night, only hoping to get a short rest during the day. Fangyi knows my habits, so she ordered the people in the West Garden not to move around while I'm taking a nap. But I never expected Miss Aman to barge in today."
After saying that, she looked at Fangyi standing to the side and said, "I've already spoken to her. Hurry up and come over to apologize to Miss Aman."
"Miss Aman, I'm so sorry, I was blind and didn't recognize you."
The master and servant worked in tandem, putting Madam Fu in a very difficult position.
In this Marquis's mansion, Aman's status has always been awkward. She's more than a maid, but not quite a mistress either. It was an unspoken understanding, but now that Liu Yu and her servant have one identity on one side and another on the other, Madam Fu is really finding it hard to save face.
"What status or not, she's just a maid in Wutong Courtyard. If she makes a mistake, she'll naturally be punished. There's nothing special about her." Madam Fu's smile was dry.
When Liu Yu saw that Madam Fu showed no remorse or even indifference when she brought up the matter from back then, she was immediately furious.
If she hadn't been framed back then, she wouldn't have miscarried. Now she should have both a son and a daughter, instead of being stuck with this body that can no longer bear children, dreaming of her growing daughter every night.
"Sister is quite magnanimous?" Madam Liu sneered. "But I heard that Miss Aman came to me to ask for her monthly allowance from Wutong Courtyard, saying she wants to cook for herself?"
Liu Yu looked at Aman, who was dressed as an ordinary maid. Perhaps because of the cold, her face was bloodless and her lips were very pale, but her eyes were extremely beautiful, clear and bright, like the moon in the water.
Before Aman could speak, Madam Fu asked anxiously, "Why are you suddenly cooking for yourself? Is the food at the Marquis's residence not good?"
After saying that, she glanced sideways at Madam Liu, the meaning of which was self-evident.
Madam Liu didn't care at all. After all, she knew all too well what kind of life Wutong Garden was living. She had never cared about it before, so who was she trying to fool by pretending to be a loving mother now?
Aman's knee was in severe pain, and his entire lower leg was numb. He couldn't even stand steadily and had to be supported by Yushu and Yuqiu.
Faced with Madam Fu's doubts, she was unsure whether Madam Fu was truly unaware or feigning ignorance.
But given the current situation, Aman couldn't say it was because she felt the young master was eating poorly, so she wanted to cook for herself.
If you offend the second wife, not only will it be difficult to get the money back, but your future will also be bleak.
After much deliberation, Aman gave a reason that everyone found satisfactory: "The food at the Marquis's residence is naturally good, but the young master is weak and has a poor appetite. Sometimes he doesn't want to eat when it's mealtime, and it's not good to eat leftovers after mealtime. So I thought it would be more convenient to cook for him myself."
Madam Liu didn't know if Aman's comment about leftovers was a deliberate attempt to order more food from her, but she had to admit that what she said was excellent.
This way, she wouldn't lose face or embarrass herself, and she could also satisfy Madam Fu.
I underestimated this country girl.
Sure enough, after Aman finished speaking, Madam Fu nodded repeatedly, took Aman's hand, and acted like a loving mother, "It's hard for you to think of Yunxiu. You're right, Yunxiu's health is not good, and he really can't go hungry all the time. Besides, they'll cook separately, so you won't have to worry about the food at Wutong Garden anymore. What do you think, sister?"
Madam Fu looked at Madam Liu.
Her words seemed to be handing the decision-making power to Madam Liu, but in reality, they were putting her in a difficult position. If Madam Liu refused, it would be a clear indication that she was determined to make things difficult for Fu Yunxiu.
The matter at the West Garden has now spread throughout the entire mansion. Although it may seem like only a few of them are involved, walls have ears. If Madam Liu dares to refuse, the elders of the eldest branch of the clan who support them will seize the opportunity to make trouble.
Lady Liu understood this principle perfectly well.
She smiled slightly, her features exquisite. "Look at what you're saying, sister. I watched Yunxiu grow up, so naturally I hope he can be safe and healthy. According to custom, Yunxiu's monthly allowance should be at least eighty taels, but you are not unaware of the current situation of the Marquis's mansion. Since the master passed away, the mansion has been declining. The second branch of the family is facing difficulties everywhere and needs money to bribe officials. Yunting is studying in the capital, and his monthly expenses are also considerable. If we really restore Yunxiu's allowance, then Yunting's allowance will probably have to be reduced."
“How can that be?” Before Madam Liu could finish speaking, Madam Fu hurriedly objected. Perhaps realizing that she had lost her composure, she quickly added, “What I mean is that Yun Ting is studying in the capital and is in contact with noble children. He also represents the face of the Marquis’s mansion. If he is too shabby, wouldn’t people laugh at our Cheng’an Marquis’s mansion?”
"Then what do you think we should do, sister?" Madam Liu then posed the question to Madam Fu.
One shouldn't be too greedy; she can't have it all.
Thus, Madam Fu was in a dilemma. She didn't want to cut her younger son's expenses, but she really wanted her older son to cook for her.
But right now, Liu Yu clearly wants her to choose one of the two.
Choosing the older child would mean neglecting the younger one, while choosing the younger one would make it difficult to silence public opinion. If she, as the mother, were to be accused of favoritism, it would likely have an impact on Yun Ting as well.
Just as Madam Fu was at her wit's end, Madam Liu spoke up again, "How about we do as we agreed before, giving Wutong Courtyard ten taels of silver a month? What do you think, sister?"
"That's great! Yunxiu doesn't like going out and doesn't care about antiques or artifacts. Ten taels of silver a month is enough for him." Seeing that Madam Liu had conceded and that she wouldn't have to bear the blame, Madam Fu was naturally all smiles and agreed without a second thought.
Madam Liu listened to her high-sounding words and couldn't help but sneer inwardly. Sure enough, as long as her youngest son was involved, this old hag would forget everything else.
Seeing that Madam Fu had settled the matter of the monthly allowance, Aman was speechless and even couldn't understand Madam Fu.
From the moment she first met Madam Fu, she always thought that Madam Fu must love the young master very much. However, during the several days she spent at Wutong Garden, she never saw Madam Fu visit him. Moreover, every time Mantou talked about Madam Fu, he seemed to be very secretive.
Today, she agreed to the ten taels of silver monthly allowance without hesitation. Before this, the ten taels of silver were given by the Marquis's mansion after covering their food, clothing and lodging. Now, the ten taels of silver were all the expenses for their Wutong Courtyard.
Although cooking for herself doesn't cost much, clothes, housing, and daily necessities all cost money, and she can't be as frugal as she was in the countryside.
Previously, Aman could only assume that Aman was too busy to visit her, but now, he couldn't find a reason to convince himself.
She felt that Madam Fu's affection for the eldest son seemed to be only superficial, or to put it bluntly, only verbal.
To put it bluntly, it's hypocrisy.
A note from the author:
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