The Prisoner of Beauty - Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Lady Zhu lay sideways on the couch with her back facing outward. Nanny Jiang was massaging her lower back, while another maidservant knelt to the side, kneading and rubbing her legs and feet.

"Does Madam feel a bit more relaxed now?" Nanny Jiang asked in a soft, gentle voice.

Lady Zhu closed her eyes and grumbled, "If she wishes to worship the Buddha, she could have just taken that precious granddaughter-in-law of hers along. Why must she insist on forcing me to go with them as well? Last time when they went to the Zhongshan State, why didn't I see her ask for me? I warrant that Qiao woman has done nothing but speak ill of me in front of her."

Nanny Jiang cast a glance at the maidservant by her side, gesturing for her to leave. Once only she and Lady Zhu remained in the room, she leaned in close to her ear and whispered a few words.

Lady Zhu sat straight up all at once: "Truly?"

Nanny Jiang nodded. "It was done exactly as Miss Zheng Shu instructed previously. This servant had someone take advantage of this rare opportunity today to tamper with it slightly. As long as the Lord sees it, he will certainly cross-examine her. Let us see how that Qiao woman tries to evade it then!"

Lady Zhu let out a long breath. "I remember that Er-lang has kept that rosewood chest safe for many years and regards it with great importance. Usually, even when the servants of the western chambers dust and sweep, he does not allow them to move it lightly. Even I do not know what is contained inside. I remember a few years ago, on one occasion when I went to his room, I saw it and casually asked a question, but he refused to tell me, treating it like some rare, peerless treasure."

Nanny Jiang said, "What else could it be? It must be the token given to the Lord by the Su daughter in the past! Speaking of which, the Lord is truly a man of enduring affection. After so many years, he still preserves it so well."

The moment she heard the words "the Su daughter," Lady Zhu knit her brows. "Is it truly her possession?"

Nanny Jiang replied, "What else could it be to warrant the Lord collecting it so carefully for so many years?"

A look of distaste appeared on Lady Zhu's face. After falling into a daze for a short while, she asked, "Did you manage the matter securely?"

Nanny Jiang said, "Among the coarse laborers in the courtyard of the eastern chambers, there is one surnamed Sun who usually receives plenty of benefits from me in secret. She mentioned that the chest is currently kept in the Lord's study. In the past, no one except the sweeping servants was permitted to enter the Lord's study without authorization, yet recently that Qiao woman has been entering and exiting frequently on her own. Today, as the eastern chambers were empty of people, I had Nanny Sun steal into the study while no one was alert, intentionally leaving behind traces of tampering on the chest's lock. Once the Lord discovers it, he will certainly redirect his anger onto the Qiao woman. Even if the Qiao woman denies it, the Lord will not believe her. The Lord is a grand lord of a region; for these past ten years, far from taking a wife, he didn't even have a single concubine by his side. If he wasn't longingly remembering the Su daughter, what was it for? Now, although he has married the Qiao woman, even if he is temporarily beguiled by her beauty, his heart surely has not placed her on equal footing with the Su daughter. The Qiao woman furthermore attempted to break the lock to pry inside; given the Lord's temperament, how could he treat her lightly? Let that Qiao woman slander Madam before the Old Madam again!"

Lady Zhu said hesitantly, "What if Er-lang is infatuated by that Qiao woman and listens to her explanations? What should be done then?"

Nanny Jiang said, "Madam, rest assured. According to what Nanny Sun stated, several days ago she chanced to glimpse from outside the door that the Qiao woman had shifted that chest and subsequently returned it to its place. The Qiao woman has been married into the Wei family for more than half a year now; it is clear she has likely learned of the past affection between the Su daughter and the Lord and also guessed what is inside the chest. This is why her heart felt unsettled, prompting her to spy on the Lord's private property, so attempting to open the lock is entirely logical—what part of it does not make sense?"

Lady Zhu nodded her head, her face beaming with joy. "Heaven assists me! So that Qiao woman had actually moved it herself first; then we cannot be blamed! Is that Nanny Sun completely foolproof?"

Nanny Jiang said, "Nanny Sun once pilfered valuables from the eastern chambers in the past, and I still hold the leverage over her to this day. When questioned about this matter, she will naturally step forward to testify that the Qiao woman had entered the study alone and moved that chest. With an eyewitness, and the Lord's underlying sore point being touched upon, how could he not believe it?"

Lady Zhu said, "Very good. You have worked hard. After Chuyu left, you are the only intimate person remaining by my side who is willing to make calculations on my behalf. Last time, for my sake, you even suffered a great hardship, lying in bed for a long time before your legs and feet could finally stand."

Nanny Jiang was immensely grateful and struck with reverent awe. "In the past when this servant met with disaster, had it not been for Madam's benevolence in taking me in to stay by your side, I would have long since become a lonely ghost in a wild grave; how could I have survived in this world? As long as Madam's heart is at ease, this servant is willing to repay you with my death!"

Hearing this, Lady Zhu was quite moved. Ordering her to stop massaging her waist, she sent her down early to rest. At this moment, a maidservant came to report that the Lord had arrived.

Nanny Jiang immediately revealed a panicked expression. Lady Zhu knew that having suffered the hardship from the previous time, she still had lingering fears, avoiding her son from afar whenever she saw him. Fearing that she might incense her son again by being present at this juncture, she hastily told her to leave.

Nanny Jiang hurriedly scrambled to her feet. Just as she reached the doorway, she raised her head to see Wei Shao's form approaching with large strides. Amidst the heavy sound of his stomping footsteps, in the blink of an eye, he had already arrived outside the door. There was no avoiding him now. Panic-stricken, she retreated a few steps back and bowed toward Wei Shao. She was just about to leave in a hurry when she heard the Marquis of Wei bark, "You stay behind." Trembling, she was forced to halt, slowly sidling over to stand against the wall.

Wei Shao walked up to Lady Zhu. Looking at his mother, who had already risen to sit upon the couch, his expression was solemn, and he uttered not a single word.

Seeing that his expression appeared unfavorable, Lady Zhu felt somewhat guilty under his gaze. She forced a smile and said, "My son suddenly comes here; could it be that there is something the matter? It is getting late, and I was just thinking of retiring for the night."

Wei Shao slowly knelt before Lady Zhu and said, "Your son comes here because there is a matter I wish to ask Mother about."

"What matter?"

"There is a chest in my study that the servants all know must not be shifted without authorization. Today, scratches were discovered left upon the lock, making it evident that someone attempted to open the lock. I wish to ask Mother if you know anything of this matter?"

Lady Zhu feigned a look of astonishment and said angrily, "Who dares to be so audacious! If I find out, I will certainly not treat them lightly!" She paused for a moment. "You can go and ask that Qiao woman. In that room of yours, the servants certainly would not dare to move it, to say nothing of leaving scratches. She is the mistress of the western chambers; with such an event occurring, she should be clearest in her heart."

Wei Shao stared intently at Lady Zhu. "By Mother's words, you mean to say that she forcefully broke the lock?"

Lady Zhu let out a dry cough and said, "It is not that I do not believe her. It is just that this is truly hard to say. Relying on the fact that you granted her some pleasant looks previously, it is unavoidable that arrogance would arise in her heart, failing to keep your words in mind and furthermore attempting to spy upon your private matters. Most petty women in the world are like this."

Wei Shao smiled slightly. "There is something Mother does not know. That chest originally contained some of my old belongings, but later I moved the things inside out, leaving it empty. Some time ago, seeing that the nine-palace grid lock on the chest was interesting, she asked me for it. Mother also knows that I favor her quite a bit; since she wanted it, I naturally gave it to her, and along the way, I also informed her of the method to unlock it. She played with the unlocking method for a few days, and once the initial novelty wore off, she casually placed some jewelry, gold, and silver inside the chest and left it in my study. Today, the lock was found to have been forcefully pried."

The smile on Wei Shao's face gradually vanished, and his voice also turned cold. "I have thought it over repeatedly. If it were not for someone harboring malicious intents, then it must be that the servants in my western chambers have unclean hands. Even if there were no valuables inside the chest, and it were merely an empty chest, I absolutely cannot tolerate servants committing such an insubordination, daring to spy upon the master's secrets. Mother has managed the household for many years and ought to know the countermeasure for such an occurrence, correct? Your son comes here precisely to ask for guidance on the method to handle this matter!"

Just now, when Wei Shao stated that he had given the chest to Xiao Qiao and informed her of the method to unlock it, Lady Zhu's face had changed color. She frequently glanced at Nanny Jiang standing by the wall, whose face had also turned pale. By the time Wei Shao finished speaking, Lady Zhu was already sitting on pins and needles. She forced herself to steady her mind and prevaricated, responding, "I am aware of this matter now. You should head back first, and I shall handle it tomorrow..."

Wei Shao stared intently at his mother, an indescribable look of complex emotion containing a trace of disappointment flitting through his eyes. He spoke slowly, "In that case, your son shall leave the matter to Mother, hoping that Mother will quickly provide an accounting. If Mother is without a plan, I shall turn to Nanny Zhong and ask her to lend Mother a hand."

Nanny Zhong's methods were known to every servant in the entire estate, and there was none who did not harbor reverent dread.

Wei Shao's two eyes, sharp as knives, swept toward Nanny Jiang to the side—whose face had changed drastically upon hearing Nanny Zhong's name. Rising from the ground, he turned his body and walked out.

...

After Wei Shao departed, Xiao Qiao sat alone in the room supporting her chin against the candlelight, plunged into deep thought. After a long while, Nanny Chun entered, stating that she had interrogated the several maidservants left behind during the day who usually turned their hearts toward the Lady. Including that Nanny Lin, all stated that they had not seen any outsiders enter.

"Lady, there must be a traitor within the western chambers. There must be a servant acting under someone's instigation to carry out a scheme of estrangement, intending to provoke the relationship between the Lady and the Lord. There are thirty-two maidservants and servants in total within the western chambers; the ones with the greatest suspicion are the sweeping servants who can enter and exit the Lord's study. However, I also heard Nanny Lin state that during the day today, she caught a hazy glimpse of someone hovering on the corridor in front of the Lord's study door. She did not pay much attention at that time, but recalling carefully now, she stated that the back silhouette looked seemingly like Nanny Sun who is on rotation duty in the courtyard. When I questioned Nanny Sun just now, she flatly denied it. I have already had people place her under watch. Lady, this matter can be large or small. In my view, it would be better to report it to the Old Madam tomorrow and request the Old Madam's clear judgment."

Xiao Qiao knit her brows slightly. After a moment of pondering, she said, "What you say is correct; this matter can be large or small. For the Old Madam's side, there is no need to alarm her for the time being. Go to the study and help me fetch that chest."

Nanny Chun was taken aback. "What does the Lady mean by this?"

Xiao Qiao said, "Just fetch it for me."

Nanny Chun hesitated for a moment, but eventually went out. A moment later, she carried the chest over, gently placing it before Xiao Qiao.

Xiao Qiao stared intently at the chest and told her to step out.

Nanny Chun said hesitantly, "Lady, did the Lord not forbid moving this chest? For you to do this..."

Xiao Qiao appeared not to have heard, her gaze falling upon that nine-palace grid lock, completely motionless.

Nanny Chun saw that she appeared to be absorbed.

Over these past two years and more, Nanny Chun had also gradually come to know that although the Lady usually loved to act spoiled and seek comfort before her when encountering minor things, once a true major event arose, she had always been exceptionally resolute. Looking at her appearance at this moment, it did not seem like a reckless action caused by grief; she appeared to have other thoughts. Thus, she stood by the side to accompany her, watching as the Lady raised her hand, gently shifting a numerical grid represented by the Heavenly Stems upon the nine-palace grid lock.

...

The night gradually deepened.

Wei Shao finally returned to the front of the western chambers. From afar, he saw that within that window of the bedchamber, the lamp fire was still lit.

He hesitated for a moment, but finally walked inside.

Nanny Chun and several other maidservants were still keeping watch in that adjacent entrance hall by the side room. Seeing him finally manifest his presence, they welcomed him one after another.

"Is the Lady inside?"

Although it was somewhat difficult to ask, Wei Shao eventually inquired nonetheless.

Nanny Chun said softly, "The Lady is inside."

Wei Shao remained silent, stepping straight up the steps to push open the door. Upon entering, his first glance ahead caused him to freeze slightly.

Xiao Qiao was kneeling upon the couch opposite. Before her on that low desk, a chest was placed perfectly square and upright.

It was precisely that chest of his that she was not permitted to touch.

Wei Shao's gaze paused upon that chest for a moment, subsequently turning back to her face, their eyes locking onto each other.

His expression froze slightly, his gaze carrying doubt.

Although he had already exerted his utmost effort to maintain a peaceful state of mind, perhaps only he himself knew that within his heart, a faint, new trace of dissatisfaction could not help but arise anew.

He truly failed to understand.

He had repeatedly expressed his intent to her that he did not wish for her to touch this chest. Although he also felt a bit of regret for flying into such a thunderous rage at her when tonight first commenced, and just now when entering, he was still thinking to himself that he must have indeed frightened her initially, and what he ought to say and do after entering to allow her to quickly dispel the fright caused by that unpleasant experience tonight.

But upon entering at this moment, the scene that entered his sight truly made him unable to hold back his control once more.

He did not understand why she insisted on opposing him, failing to listen to his words. Could it truly be as his mother Lady Zhu stated—that once a woman receives too much favor, it is unavoidable that she would rely on favor to grow arrogant, failing to place her husband in her eyes?

"What do you mean by this?"

Pausing for a moment, he inquired, walking toward her.

Xiao Qiao raised her hand, her fingers proficiently shifting the positions of the nine palaces upon the nine-palace grid lock. Very quickly, a soft clicking sound came from within the chest; that was the sound emitted when the spring lock mechanism was correctly triggered.

Wei Shao revealed a look of astonishment, appearing somewhat unable to believe his eyes.

Xiao Qiao's hand, however, left the chest, placing her hands together upon her knees to maintain a standard sitting posture. Raising her eyes to look at Wei Shao, she said, "Husband, the Heavenly Stems upon the nine-palace lock represent numbers, arranged in a numerical matrix. No matter whether vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, the sum of the numbers in all three directions equals fifteen, with five occupying the center, which can furthermore be permuted into eight different magic squares. This is not difficult; anyone who has studied counting rods can unlock it. My unlocking it before your face is merely to let you know that I indeed have never tampered with the lock. Had I truly been unable to control myself and wished to see the contents inside the chest, I would have opened it secretly behind your back long ago; why would I need to leave behind scratches to make you suspect me?"

Wei Shao stood before her, entirely motionless, nor did he utter a single word, but his expression slowly turned unpleasant.

Xiao Qiao's expression, however, appeared very calm. "Since I am capable of unlocking it, Husband will certainly suspect that I have opened it and viewed the contents inside previously. I can swear to heaven that just now before your face was my first time unlocking it. True, I do not deny that I was indeed curious about the things contained inside the chest previously. Especially after I accompanied Grandmother to the Zhongshan State and encountered Lady Yulou, I grew even more curious. Only then did the event of the day before yesterday occur, where by a stroke of coincidence I happened to see it, and thus could not resist the action of taking it out. To not conceal it from you, I even shook it a few times back then, feeling that the contents inside were objects of the correspondence and paper category. Subsequently, I returned it to its place."

Hearing "Lady Yulou" spoken so naturally from her mouth, Wei Shao's eyelids twitched, and his expression grew even more unpleasant.

"Regarding my words just now, whether you believe them or not rests entirely with you. I do not force it, nor do I care. And the reason why I clarified to you that I did not attempt to pry the lock open is also not because I wish to shirk the mistake I committed in this matter. After you departed in anger just now, I indeed reflected upon myself. My conduct and prying open this chest have no essential difference. Both ignored your prior warning and moved a private possession belonging to you without your permission. It was indeed I who was in the wrong first. I acknowledge my mistake once more and vow that in the future, I will absolutely never commit the same mistake again, much less have even a shred of interest to think about what is contained inside here."

Wei Shao kept his eyes on her throughout. His expression changed from the softened state when he first entered to astonishment, and from astonishment to an unpleasant look. It was not until now that he finally, slowly recovered a little.

"In that case, your unlocking it before my face—what exactly do you intend to achieve?"

"I will acknowledge my mistakes. But for something I did not do, I also do not wish to be framed and wronged. This is the reason why I unlocked it before Husband's face just now," Xiao Qiao answered, her tone calm.