Chapter 11 is about Lady Song pushing Lady He down...
Huiyin led Yanniang into a side room of Zhengyang Courtyard. Although it was a side room, the furnishings and furniture inside were of the highest quality, and even the floor-length curtains were made of fine silk, providing shade and shelter from the wind. There was a heated floor, and when Huiyin stepped off her shoes onto it, it felt warm and instantly dispelled the chill from her clothes.
Madam Pei sat by the bed, coaxing her to drink the steaming medicine. The draped gauze curtain with its intertwined floral patterns concealed He Jiaying's figure, and Huiyin could only hear her pleading with Madam Pei, "Aunt, this medicine is so bitter."
She lowered her eyes. She had been in this situation before, but instead of Madam Song coaxing her, she was the one coaxing Madam Song. Madam Song took very bitter medicine all year round, and it always took Song's father, Huiyin, and Song Jingchuan taking turns to coax her to drink it.
Shuying noticed Huiyin's figure and called out, "Your Majesty, Miss, Lady Song has arrived."
The room fell silent for a moment, then He Jiaying's sobbing voice rang out, "Auntie, you must stand up for me! It was all Song Huiyin's fault, she pushed me into the water!"
Huiyin walked in expressionlessly, curtsied to Madam Pei, but Madam Pei was so focused on comforting the tearful He Jiaying that she didn't notice her at all.
Huiyin didn't mind and got up on her own. Her gaze shifted to He Jiaying, who was leaning against the bed, and after seeing the calculation in her eyes, she asked slowly, "Cousin, there's something wrong with what you said. You're falsely accusing me of pushing you into the water. Do you have any evidence?"
Upon hearing the word "cousin," He Jiaying choked on her medicine. She angrily pointed at Huiyin and said, "You...you're not allowed to call me cousin! Who says I don't have evidence? There were quite a few people by the lake at the time, and they all saw you push me into the lake!"
Madam Pei was busy patting her chest to help her catch her breath. Hearing this, she turned to question Huiyin: "I have already asked those maids. They all said they saw you arguing with Jiaying. You pushed Jiaying down. What else do you have to say?"
With tears welling in her eyes, Huiyin knelt weakly on the ground, coughing lightly while covering her mouth. Yanniang received her signal and also knelt on the ground, embracing Huiyin and wiping away her tears as she cried out.
"Your Majesty, please be wise! If it were truly my wife who pushed Miss He into the lake, why would I risk my life to jump in and save her? My wife is already frail, and the lake water is cold; what if she were to fall ill?"
Madam Pei was taken aback, unsure of what to do with her hands. She quickly instructed her maid to bring over a brocade mat and have Yan Niang help Huiyin sit down. She also instructed the maid to quickly bring a bowl of ginger soup for Huiyin to drink.
He Jiaying sat blankly on the bed, looking at Shuying with a questioning gaze, "How come it was Song Huiyin who saved me? Where is the maid I arranged?"
Shuying looked flustered. After the young woman fell into the water, Madam Pei had been by her side the whole time. She had no chance to tell the young woman anything, let alone about the rescue. She really didn't know how to bring it up!
Seeing Shuying's face contorted with conflict and then hesitant to speak, He Jiaying couldn't care less at the moment. Pointing at Huiyin, she said, "You must have saved me because you were afraid of your aunt's wrath."
Huiyin covered her pale lips and looked innocently at Pei Jiaying, tears welling up in her eyes before she could speak: "I know my cousin doesn't like me, but you should never take your own life so lightly."
She then looked at Madam Pei and sobbed softly, "We each have our own version of events, and Madam cannot distinguish between them. Why not call everyone present today to confront me on the spot and clear my name?"
He Jiaying was overjoyed and quickly said, "That's right! Aunt, call everyone from today here. So many people saw her push me into the water. Let's see how she tries to deny it!"
Madam Pei glanced east at her joyful niece, then west at Huiyin, who was pale and weeping. The balance in her heart had returned to normal. She nodded and instructed Aunt Qiao to go and call for help.
Not long after, Tao Ao arrived at Zhengyang Courtyard with a group of witnesses. She looked around and saw that everyone had different thoughts. Then she turned to the maids and said, "A country has its laws, and a family has its rules. Her Majesty the Empress has sent me to assist the Queen in managing the household, so naturally no one will be allowed to cause trouble in the Pei residence!"
She then turned and glanced at Huiyin and He Jiaying, looking at Madam Pei and said, "Your Majesty, regardless of whose fault it is today, it will ultimately be dealt with according to the Pei family rules. Do you have any objections?"
Madam Pei, holding He Jiaying, didn't notice her unusual expression. She said, "That's only right. She must be severely punished as a warning to others." He Jiaying in her arms suddenly trembled, and Madam Pei quickly comforted her, "Jiaying, don't be afraid. Your aunt will definitely stand up for you!"
He Jiaying dared not look directly at Tao Ao, and only lowered her head to pretend to be uncomfortable, pinching her palms to force herself to calm down.
Looking at the stern-faced Tao Ao, Huiyin felt a little more at ease. She had only heard about her from Asang and others before. In the few years after Pei Yu left the mansion, Madam Pei made a lot of jokes while managing the household. Empress Pei had no choice but to send out her capable servants to assist her in managing the household.
Tao Ao was originally from a noble family, but her family property was confiscated after her father and brothers committed crimes, and she was sold into the palace. She served two empresses and was well-versed in palace rules and etiquette. After she arrived at the Pei residence, she managed the household in an orderly and stable manner, with clear rewards and punishments. Even Pei Yu trusted her greatly.
Earlier at the lakeside, Huiyin was busy rescuing He Jiaying and didn't pay much attention to her. Afterwards, when Yan Niang told her that she was calm and composed in giving instructions, she had already developed a good impression of her. Seeing that she was fair and just in handling matters now, she felt relieved.
Seeing that no one had any objections, Tao Ao turned around and questioned the maids present one by one. Everyone in the courtyard pointed to Huiyin in unison, saying that she was the one who pushed He Jiaying into the water.
The maidservant, who had been arranged by He Jiaying beforehand, jumped out, knelt on the ground, and cried, "Madam, after the young lady fell into the water, I was going to jump in to save her, but it was all because of her!" She pointed at Huiyin, sobbing, "She pushed me down, which delayed the time to save the young lady. Later, perhaps she was afraid of being blamed by Madam, so she jumped in to save her."
He Jiaying remained silent, nestled into Madam Pei's arms, and sobbed softly. Madam Pei immediately flew into a rage: "Song! My Pei family did not despise you and was willing to accept you into our household, yet you dare to repay kindness with enmity and plot to harm Jiaying."
She roared, "Guards, drag Song away and give her twenty strokes of the cane!"
During this time, Tao Ao remained silent, only staring at Huiyin with her sharp eyes, watching how she would break the deadlock.
"Wait!" Huiyin shouted, stepping forward to grab her servant.
He Jiaying's eyes were full of smugness: "Song Huiyin, you still want to argue?"
Huiyin turned to look at her and laughed, "Whether it's an excuse or not, we'll only know after I tell you."
He Jiaying snorted coldly, turned her head and shook Madam Pei's arm, "Aunt, don't listen to her sweet talk, just deal with the person quickly."
Madam Pei was torn. Putting aside the fact that Huiyin was someone her son had brought back, she had witnessed Huiyin's desperate efforts to save Jiaying. If it weren't for Huiyin's rescue, Jiaying would probably be dead by now.
After hesitating, she said, "I'm giving you a chance. If you can't give me a satisfactory answer, the Pei family will never tolerate you."
Ignoring the kneeling maid who was pointing at her, Huiyin walked over to the seven maids standing in the courtyard and asked, "Where were you seven when this happened?"
The maids exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of her meaning, and each revealed their location. Huiyin nodded and asked the third maid, "You said you were standing in the southeast corner of the pavilion when it happened, but there's a ten-foot-high artificial rock in the southeast corner that could have completely obscured the pavilion. How did you see me push Lady He into the water?"
The maid stammered, "This servant... may be mistaken. It should have been behind the stone pavilion at the time."
Huiyin asked again, "Directly behind? But I was always facing the back of the stone pavilion at that time, so why didn't I see you?"
The maid was stumped by the question, her gaze drifting to He Jiaying in Madam Pei's arms, unsure how to answer. Huiyin didn't press her further, turning to another maidservant, who hurriedly answered, "This maid was ordered to fetch clothes from the laundry room, and while passing by the flower bushes by the back lake, I saw Lady Song and Lady He arguing in the stone pavilion."
Huiyin asked, "Did you see with your own eyes that I pushed her down?"
The round-faced maid shook her head after thinking for a moment: "It was too far away. I didn't see it with my own eyes. I only heard Miss He shout that it was Lady Song who pushed her into the water."
Huiyin raised a question: "If I remember correctly, the bushes and the stone pavilion are on the same line, and it is also the closest point to the stone pavilion. Even you can't see it clearly, you can only hear the sound. So how did the others who are farther away see me push Miss He into the water?"
The remaining maids exchanged glances and lowered their heads. He Jiaying's palms were sweaty, and she quickly said, "There were only the two of us in that pavilion. If you hadn't pushed me into the water, would I have jumped in to my death?"
Madam Pei was startled. She waved her hand in the air twice and spat out, "What do you mean by dead or alive? Don't talk nonsense!"
Huiyin turned around and stared at He Jiaying, saying with certainty, "That's right, it was you who deliberately fell into the water and framed me, trying to drive me out of the Pei residence."
Enraged, He Jiaying abruptly stood up and retorted, "You're talking nonsense! Why would I..."
Huiyin interrupted her, tearing away her pretense in front of everyone, "Because you like Pei Yu, you're jealous of me. I've only been in the manor for two days, and you've already tripped me up twice. You hate that I became Pei Yu's concubine, and you wish you could get rid of me as soon as possible!"
"You're talking nonsense! You're talking nonsense!" He Jiaying roared angrily as she rushed up to Huiyin with a ferocious expression.
Compared to her emotional outburst, Huiyin appeared more composed. She pointed to the rough maid kneeling behind her and pointing out the woman, and smiled slightly: "She is the evidence."
He Jiaying laughed twice, her expression mocking: "What kind of evidence is she? I don't even know her!"
Huiyin continued, "Why would a maid who sweeps the outer courtyard appear at Lotus Lake, and just happen to be there to save you when you fell into the water?"
The kneeling maid explained, "Although I am from the outer courtyard, I occasionally run errands for the ladies in the inner courtyard, so it is not unusual for me to appear in the back courtyard."
Seeing their stubbornness, Huiyin bent down and pulled out a gold chain from the maid's collar that shimmered with tiny lights. At the bottom of the chain hung a lifelike little gold pig, its craftsmanship exquisite.
Huiyin raised her hand, pulled off the gold pendant, and showed it to everyone. Then she asked, "Then tell me, why do you have such a valuable gold pendant?"
Upon seeing the chain, He Jiaying panicked instantly and hurriedly reached out to snatch it. Huiyin used some skill to dodge her lunging figure, quickly walked to Tao Ao, and presented it with both hands, saying, "You have served in the palace and are very knowledgeable, so you can naturally see the extraordinary nature of this chain."
Tao Ao took the gold chain and examined it closely before handing it to Madam Pei beside her. "Your Highness knows this chain better than I do. Last year, Her Majesty the Empress bestowed upon you a set of gold pendants made of the twelve zodiac animals. This gold pig must have come from there. I wonder to whom Your Highness bestowed this item?"
Madam Pei instantly understood everything. Looking at He Jiaying's pleading face, she ultimately decided to keep the matter a secret for her. She shook her head, feeling guilty, and said, "This isn't the kind of thing I've ever seen. I've never seen this chain before."
Tao Ao looked disappointed and ordered the guards to drag the maid away and torture her, demanding to know the origin of the gold chain. The maid knelt on the ground, trembling, clutching He Jiaying's clothes and crying, "My lady, please save me!"
He Jiaying was startled and quickly pulled away from the maid's arm, shrinking back behind Madam Pei.
However, after three strokes of the cane, the maid could no longer bear it and pointed at He Jiaying, saying, "I confess! It was all at Miss He's behest. Yesterday, Miss He found me and instructed me to wait here at noon today to rescue her! That gold chain was a gift from Miss He, not something I stole!"
"You're talking nonsense, Aunt, she's talking nonsense! Song Huiyin must be framing me!" He Jiaying knelt in front of Madam Pei and denied it outright.
Looking at her hurried explanation, Madam Pei felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. She wasn't stupid; she had long known that He Jiaying was wicked, but over the years, she had genuinely loved her as a daughter.
Seeing that Madam Pei was still wavering, Tao Ao stepped forward to uphold justice and said sternly, "Miss He, you risked your own life to frame others, and you still show no remorse afterward. This servant has overstepped her bounds and will discipline you properly on behalf of the Lady!"
"Guards, drag Miss He away! I will personally administer the punishment!"
Two burly maids waiting nearby grabbed He Jiaying from either side, pulling her away from Madam Pei and forcing her to kneel on the ground.
He Jiaying cried her heart out, clutching Madam Pei's clothes and pleading, "Auntie, save me, save me!"
Looking down at He Jiaying, who was pinned to the ground, Tao Ao's stern face appeared: "According to the Pei family rules, a young lady who fabricates trouble and frames others without cause shall be punished with twenty years of imprisonment."
She raised the heavy ruler and struck He Jiaying's fair cheek. In just one stroke, a red mark quickly appeared on He Jiaying's face.
Huiyin couldn't help but take a step back. She never expected that the Pei family's rule was to wear moss on one's face. After wearing moss for twenty years, He Jiaying's appearance would definitely be damaged.
Several gusts of wind came, and He Jiaying's crying was silenced, replaced by her wails.
After several dozen strokes, He Jiaying was too weak to speak, and two streams of blood slowly spilled from the corners of her mouth, her face swollen high.
Madam Pei could no longer contain herself. Protecting He Jiaying like a mother hen, she stood in front of Tao Ao and said angrily, "I am the one who is in charge of the Pei family. Now I order you not to hit her again!"
Her eyes widened in anger as she shielded He Jiaying tightly behind her, tears welling in her eyes.
Tao Ao naturally wouldn't lay a hand on Madam Pei. Her calm face remained expressionless as she solemnly said, "Does Your Majesty truly intend to disregard the rules of the Pei family and the dignity of Madam Pei in order to protect her?"
Tao Ao bowed and paid her respects towards the direction of the Jiaofang Palace in the palace. "If Your Majesty insists on protecting Miss He, I will naturally have no complaints. However, I will definitely report this matter to Her Majesty the Empress in the palace in its entirety!"
Madam Pei gritted her teeth and stood up, shouting, "Are you threatening me?"
Tao Ao raised her hand expressionlessly, saying she dared not. The two stood facing each other in the courtyard, neither willing to give in for a moment.
Just then, He Jiaying, who was lying on the ground, grabbed Madam Pei's clothes, shook her head in pain, and said incoherently, "Aunt...please let her...punish me."
Tears rolled down her cheeks, stinging with a burning pain. He Jiaying felt a metallic taste in her mouth. She knew she had to accept her punishment today.
Otherwise, if Tao Ao reported this matter to Empress Pei, given Empress Pei's intolerant nature, she would definitely order Madam Pei to send her away, so that she would not have to go back to those days of not having enough to eat or wear.
She struggled to sit up, looked at Tao Ao with pleading eyes, and said with difficulty, "I admit my mistake... I accept the punishment... I shouldn't have been so jealous... Please continue to hit me."
Madam Pei wept uncontrollably, and Aunt Qiao, who was standing by her side, also looked on with pity. She helped Madam Pei into the house, not wanting her to see He Jiaying's miserable state.
Tao Ao smiled, but in He Jiaying's eyes, she was like a demon from hell. She sighed and said, "Young lady, I only hope you learn your lesson and don't repeat it."
She raised her hand high, and He Jiaying closed her eyes in fear, clenched her fists, and waited for the heavy moss to fall.
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