Chapter 53 Hanging from the Beam
The air seemed to freeze instantly. After a moment of confusion, Granny Qi was the first to rush out, followed by Liu Zhi, whose face turned pale with fright, then Aunt Luo, and finally Meng Liniang, who was supporting Liu Shi, who was almost out of breath.
Standing outside the west wing were Xingge and Taoxiang. The two were so frightened that they cried loudly. Twelve-year-old Taoxiang mustered her courage and tried to hug Xiumei, whose legs were dangling, but she was too small and weak to reach her. Instead, she seemed to be hanging on Xiumei's legs.
Granny Qi rushed over, pushed Tao Xiang aside, and quickly grabbed Xiu Mei's legs. However, she was not young and could not lift Xiu Mei. Aunt Luo stumbled in and joined Granny Qi in trying to lift her, but found that she could not lift her either. She moved a stool to stand on, trying to lift Xiu Mei's body, but because her foot stepped on the middle of her skirt, the stool fell over before she could stand up straight, and she fell to the ground as well. Not only did she not help, but she also fell and could not get up.
Cries and screams mingled together in complete chaos. Seeing the room crammed with people but no one to help, Liu was trembling with fear. Liu Zhi, however, turned and rushed out of the yard, shouting, "Sister Xiaoxiao! Help!"
Those inside the room only saw a blur before a figure appeared in the west wing. Granny Qi felt her hand loosen, and a strong force came from the other person's body. Xiu Mei's body, which was hanging straight, quickly lifted up, and her neck finally left the hemp rope. Li Xiaoxiao let go, and Xiu Mei's body fell straight down, but she caught her again.
After rescuing Xiumei, she quickly lay down to listen to her heartbeat and then supported her neck. Fortunately, Xiumei immediately stopped choking.
The people inside breathed a sigh of relief. Liu's legs had regained some strength. Thankfully, she had finally been saved.
Meng Guanqi's anxious voice came from outside: "Mother, has the person been rescued?"
Liu gestured for Meng Liniang to help her out, feeling a sense of relief: "I'm saved, thank goodness Xiaoxiao arrived in time..."
Meng Guanqi already knew that Yu Dayong had absconded with Baoqin's money. Zhao Jian had chased after him but there was still no news. Then, Xiumei committed suicide.
How did the house become such a mess? The affairs of the inner courtyard were not originally Meng Guanqi's concern, but the coachman and maid had eloped, and now it was almost a matter of life and death. Even he could no longer sit idly in his study, indifferent to what was none of his business…
My father is still on duty at the government office; I'm afraid he'll find out soon enough.
Seeing his mother, who looked five years older in less than a year since he came to Biyang County, Meng Guanqi felt heartbroken. How long would it take before he was able to help his family?
In the west wing, Aunt Luo held Xiu Mei and wept bitterly: "Silly girl, it's not your fault, why did you hang yourself? It's that Yu Dayong who doesn't know what's good for him, how could you be so foolish?"
Xiumei's face was ashen, and she turned her head to the side, tears streaming down her face.
No matter who tried to persuade her to speak, she wouldn't say a word, only weeping with her eyes closed.
Seeing this, Liu and Granny Qi couldn't scold her anymore. They just told Aunt Luo to take good care of her and asked Tao Xiang and Xing Ge to help watch over her so that she wouldn't do anything rash again.
When Lord Meng heard the news, he returned from the yamen and sat down in front of Liu, whose face was ashen, to comfort her: "I have already issued arrest warrants for Yu Dayong and Baoqin. Zhao Jian has also gone after them. I believe they can't get far. Don't let this upset you."
Liu clutched her chest, feeling weak and powerless; even Lord Meng's words failed to comfort her.
Although a warrant for arrest has been issued, Biyang County is so remote that it would take a long time for the news to spread. Yu Dayong and Baoqin would have long since disappeared. It would be better to hope that Zhao Jian can catch up with the warrant than to place your hopes on it.
Sure enough, Zhao Jian chased after him for two days without finding him. He didn't return to the county office until the evening of the third day. He first went to see his father, Steward Zhao, and lowered his head under his questioning gaze.
On the first day he chased after them, he could still see clear hoofprints on the road, but after less than half a day, a sudden downpour washed away the hoofprints completely, leaving no trace. There were many forks in the official road leading out of Biyang County, so he couldn't tell which direction Yu Dayong and Baoqin had gone. He could only follow the official road to Lin'an Prefecture, submit a warrant for their arrest to the prefectural yamen, and stay in Lin'an for another day to inquire, but still couldn't find out any news. Zhao Jian had no choice but to return dejectedly.
Finding two runaway slaves in the vast sea of people is no easy task. Especially since Lord Meng and Prefect Song have a falling out, the constables of the prefectural city probably won't take this arrest warrant seriously.
When Prefect Song returned home that evening, his steward came forward to report: "Sir, Magistrate Meng's personal attendant, Zhao Jian, submitted a warrant for arrest at the prefectural office today, saying that two of his servants had absconded with money. Zhao Jian chased them all the way to Lin'an but couldn't find them."
Prefect Song slowly wrung out a towel to wipe his face: "Runaway slave? What were they for?"
The steward said, "One is a coachman, and the other is said to be a maidservant of Miss Meng."
Prefect Song was somewhat disappointed upon hearing this: "Not Meng Ying's close attendants? What kind of people can a coachman and a young lady's maid possibly be? How much money did they run off with?"
The butler said, "What was stolen wasn't money from the government's public accounts, but Miss Meng's private savings..."
Prefect Song sneered: "Only cowards and incompetent people would allow their servants to bully them. How dare even the maidservants of the young lady commit such a treacherous act? Where are those two people? Have they come to our Lin'an Prefecture?"
The steward said, "After Zhao Jian handed over the documents, I also had the servants search everywhere, but we haven't found any news about these two people yet."
Prefect Song closed his eyes: "Just keep an eye out. It would be best if we could catch them, but if not, so be it. They are two low-ranking servants who are unlikely to get close to Meng Ying. They are of no value."
The steward acknowledged and was about to leave when Prefect Song suddenly spoke up again: "Did Meng Ying really keep Meng Guanqi by his side and teach him instead of sending him to the prefectural school?"
According to the regulations of Da Wu, if the son of a county magistrate passes the imperial examination, he can get a free opportunity to enter the prefectural school. However, it has been almost half a year since Magistrate Meng arrived at the prefectural school, but he has not seen Meng Guanqi report for duty. When he inquired, he learned that Magistrate Meng had personally taken his son with him and taught him.
The steward replied, "Yes, the academy has not received any application from Young Master Meng for admission."
Prefect Song said coldly, "He's keeping a close eye on things. Is he really that confident that Meng Guanqi will pass the imperial examination next autumn?"
He actually brought Meng Guanqi with him, which made it inconvenient for him to deal with Meng Guanqi, since Biyang County was really too far from Lin'an Prefecture.
The steward said, "The county school in Biyang County has long since declined. In recent years, it has been difficult to even produce a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examinations). What future can Meng Guanqi have if he stays there? He will definitely not pass the exams."
Prefect Song sneered: "Not necessarily. Meng Ying is a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) himself. He personally teaches his only son. He might actually make a name for himself and produce a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial imperial examinations)."
The steward immediately said, "My lord, please rest assured. If Meng Guanqi were truly so exceptionally talented, how could Minister Meng bear to expel him from the Meng residence as well? It is evident that a child prodigy may not necessarily be a great adult. Meng Guanqi must only possess the abilities of a scholar. Minister Meng saw long ago that he had no bright future, which is why he was so ruthless."
That makes some sense. Prefect Song smiled and said, "You're right. Minister Meng has many descendants, and several of his grandsons have passed the imperial examinations. His family certainly doesn't lack scholars..."
If Minister Meng had any faith in Meng Guanqi's future, even if he were muddle-headed, he wouldn't have kicked out a grandson who was capable of passing the imperial examinations. Every member of the Meng family who passed the imperial examinations was cultivated to be talented and contribute to the family.
With that, he felt much more at ease: "There is still a year until the autumn examination, so you don't need to keep an eye on Meng Ying anymore. There's nothing we can do about him hiding in Biyang County and not leaving our prefecture, but he will have to come out to take the exam when the time comes, right? At that time, you just need to spread the word to the Lu family so that they know, and you don't need to do it yourself."
Lu Weifu was tricked by Meng Guanqi and hasn't dared to leave the house since. His brother-in-law, Lu Jingli, is seething with anger. Why dirty his hands by messing with such a junior?
The steward bowed in agreement and withdrew.
Meanwhile, in the west wing of the backyard of Biyang County, a scene of bleak wind and bitter rain was unfolding.
After Xiumei learned that she couldn't win back Yu Dayong and Baoqin, she was filled with anger and resentment. Not only did she fall ill, but she also started a hunger strike.
Aunt Luo was both anxious and angry. Xiu Mei was the only trusted maid she had left. She had always been very considerate. Seeing that Xiu Mei looked like she was determined to die, Aunt Luo tried everything, both good and bad, but Xiu Mei wouldn't listen to reason.
After hearing about this from Liu Zhi, Li Xiaoxiao came to find Xiu Mei.
Inside the room, Xingge was watching over Xiumei, afraid that she might do something rash again. Xiumei also had Taoxiang or Xingge with her when she slept.
Upon seeing Li Xiaoxiao walk in, Xingge stood up and timidly said, "Sister Xiaoxiao."
Li Xiaoxiao nodded to her: "Go and rest, I'll chat with Xiumei."
Xingge hadn't even finished her errand yet, and she was overjoyed to have someone watch over Xiumei for her. She immediately rushed out like a shot.
Li Xiaoxiao looked around. There was a bowl of porridge and a small dish of pickled vegetables on the table, both of which had gone cold and no one was eating them.
Xiumei lay on the bed with her eyes open, ignoring everyone who spoke to her.
Li Xiaoxiao scratched her hair, looking at her with a conflicted expression, and after a long while asked, "Xiumei, why are you going on a hunger strike?"
Aunt Luo asked Xiumei this question countless times, but Xiumei never answered. When Li Xiaoxiao asked her again, she didn't speak, but just stared blankly at the bed curtains.
Seeing that she ignored her, Li Xiaoxiao had no choice but to talk to herself: "I don't think Yu Dayong is a good person. You should be happy that you were able to get out of this hellhole. He hanged himself and went on a hunger strike. Does he deserve it?"
Xiumei turned her head to the inside of the bed, and a tear quickly slid down her cheek.
Li Xiaoxiao picked up a handkerchief from the bedside and wiped away her tears: "Tell me honestly, have you been seeing Yu Dayong for a long time?"
She thought Xiumei would remain silent, but to her surprise, she slowly shook her head.
Li Xiaoxiao asked curiously, "No? Then why are you so sad?"
Xiumei didn't respond to her again.
Li Xiaoxiao said to herself, "You clearly escaped a disaster. Baoqin took the suffering for you. You're not celebrating with firecrackers, but why are you going on a hunger strike?"
Baoqin shielded her from disaster? What does she mean by that?
Baoqin and she grew up together and were like sisters, but she quietly stole her marriage. She was furious, but then Li Xiaoxiao said that Baoqin would not get the best outcome.
Xiumei's ears twitched, and she turned her head, wanting to know why she would say that.
Li smiled and said, "Your marriage to Yu Dayong was arranged by Madam, not by him or you, right?"
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