Wish You All the Best - Chapter 64

Chapter 64

The Second Madam was also summoned by Nanny Liu. Upon entering and seeing Jiafu standing in the room without any sign of Madam Xin, she assumed it was Madam Xin who had called them both. She laughed, "What is your mother-in-law planning? Calling me over as well—is this some sort of formal tribunal?"

Jiafu bowed to her in greeting: "Please do not blame me, Aunt. It was my own decision to invite you here."

The Second Madam paused slightly and cast her a look. Just then, Madam Xin entered. Seeing the Second Madam present, she glanced at her briefly before turning to Jiafu, saying coldly: "The maid said you were looking for me? What is the matter?"

Jiafu asked them both to dismiss their accompanying maids and servants. The Second Madam agreed immediately and smilingly sent her people away. Madam Xin looked slightly displeased but ultimately dismissed her staff as well. Jiafu thanked them, then walked before Madam Xin. Without another word, she knelt down and performed a formal kowtow, her expression solemn.

Madam Xin was stunned.

The last time she had received such a formal kowtow was the morning after the wedding, when Jiafu first paid respects to her parents-in-law. Ordinarily, only standard greetings were expected.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Madam Xin finally seemed to sense that something was wrong, and she frowned slightly.

Jiafu lifted her head and said: "There are no outsiders here, and you are family, so I will speak plainly. I have come for no other reason than to ask you: regarding the incident when my husband was sixteen and accused of disrespecting the late Duke during the mourning period, how do you view that matter?"

Madam Xin’s expression stiffened, and she froze on the spot. The Second Madam also slowly lost the smile on her face, staring at Jiafu without a word.

Jiafu continued: "I know that incident caused a massive stir back then. Since it was exposed and known to all, it is no longer a taboo subject. I am not merely trying to protect my husband; rather, I have never believed that a man of his character could commit such an unscrupulous and shameless act. I have always been suspicious. They say no one knows a son better than his mother, so I could no longer hold back my doubts. I would rather face your anger than not seek the truth from you."

After speaking, Jiafu raised her eyes to meet Madam Xin’s gaze.

Madam Xin, who had initially been looking down at her, met her gaze for a moment. Seeing that Jiafu did not flinch, her eyes began to flicker and shift to the sides. She said unhappily: "It has been so long; why do you bring this up again?"

"To others, it may be in the past, but to me, our fates are intertwined. My husband's honor is my honor, and his shame is my shame. This is true not only for me but for you, and indeed the entire Duke’s manor. Therefore, I beg you to speak the truth."

Madam Xin replied vaguely: "I naturally do not believe Youan is that kind of person..."

She coughed slightly and stopped.

"With those words from you, I can rest easy!"

Jiafu kowtowed to her once more.

"Why that former concubine chose to hang herself in front of my husband’s residence back then, causing him to bear such a stain, is not what I seek to uncover today. What I seek is that very confirmation from you. I ask that you uncover those who still dare to gossip about this matter today and punish them according to family law."

Madam Xin forced a smile: "What are you implying?"

Jiafu’s eyes reddened: "My husband has only been gone a few days, yet rumors have already surfaced in the manor—claims that crying sounds emanate from the room where that concubine once lived, and that a hanging ghost wanders outside his former residence. You lived through those events; you should despise such rumors more than I. My husband has been entrusted with a critical mission by the Emperor to serve the state. At such a juncture, if the manor becomes lax and allows servants to spread wild tales—if these rumors spread as they did in the past—it would be a minor matter if his reputation were tarnished again. But before the Emperor, who has placed his trust in my husband, how would we answer?"

Madam Xin paused.

"Outrageous! Does such a thing really exist? We must investigate this thoroughly!" Her tone was filled with anger. She walked toward Jiafu and comforted her: "Your grandmother has been unwell, and I have been busy attending to her. Between that and other matters, I did not know things had spiraled so far out of control. Rest assured, now that I know, I will track this down and root out whoever is spreading these lies!" She then raised her voice to summon the stewards, ordering them to gather all the maids, servants, and stewards of the inner residence immediately.

Jiafu turned to the Second Madam: "I invited you here as well, Aunt, because I hope that if there are no such rumors in your quarters, it is for the best, but if there are whispers, I beg you to join me in taking action to prevent any further trouble."

The Second Madam said sternly: "Afu, why didn't you say so earlier? It is my fault for being negligent. Rest assured, I will call everyone over and question them one by one! Like grasshoppers on a string, their legs are tied together—none of them will escape!" She immediately commanded her staff to round up all the servants.

Jiafu wiped away her tears and thanked Madam Xin and the Second Madam again: "Whether we find the culprit or not, when my husband returns home, I will tell him everything in full. At that time, we will come together to thank you."

Madam Xin looked slightly embarrassed: "Youan is my son; how could I tolerate the servants being so reckless? Get up."

Only then did Jiafu rise from the floor.

Over a hundred maids, servants, and stewards of the Pei manor were summoned to Madam Xin’s courtyard, packed shoulder to shoulder. At first, they were whispering, not knowing what had happened. Once Madam Xin, with a cold face, explained the situation and ordered the instigator to be brought forward, the courtyard fell deathly silent.

Rumors were passed from one to another. Those pointed out by others began pointing fingers back, some looking to curry favor, while others seized the chance to settle personal grudges. The courtyard became a chaotic scene of crying and pleading. Madam Xin ordered them to be slapped, and the questioning continued until midnight. When she and the Second Madam were finally exhausted, they left a handful of suspects to be interrogated throughout the night, demanding answers by dawn.

Jiafu had left earlier than Madam Xin and the Second Madam. By the next morning, news arrived that the source of the rumors was Xiangmei, a maid in Zhou Jiao’e’s room.

It was said that Xiangmei had been quietly summoned that night, unaware that Zhou Jiao’e had been implicated. When she was confronted, she tried to defend herself in every way possible, but the steward was relentless. After several rounds of questioning, Xiangmei confessed and pressed her thumbprint to the statement, claiming she had been ordered by Zhou Jiao’e. Madam Xin, upon hearing this, rose in the middle of the night to confront Zhou Jiao’e. Zhou Jiao’e naturally denied it. Madam Xin said nothing at the time, simply offering a few cold words of comfort. The next morning, she gathered all the servants again, ordered Xiangmei to be dragged out, and had her pants pulled down to be beaten with a wooden paddle. The charges were twofold: spreading rumors to incite unrest, and falsely incriminating her mistress.

The servants, some of whom had already suffered the night before and still had swollen mouths, were terrified at the sight of Xiangmei. Zhou Jiao’e, humiliated, went into hiding, only saying that beating her to death would be the best outcome.

When she heard the news, Nanny Liu was filled with righteous indignation, wishing she could strike the blows herself, but Jiafu only smiled.

Her intrusion into Madam Xin’s affairs and dragging the Second Madam into the fray was never meant to truly find the culprit.

Who started the rumor? It seemed opaque, but in reality, it was simple. The Pei family had only so many people, and it was merely the settling of old debts that others didn't know about, much like the farce that had slandered Pei Youan all those years ago.

What she wanted was to halt this wave of gossip immediately, cutting off the danger before more rumors could spread. It was also a way to signal the stance of her household: the past was not forgotten, but since Pei Youan had chosen to bear it then, she would not pursue it now—but she would never tolerate anyone trying to cause trouble in his absence.

She had achieved her goal.

Just yesterday, the rumors were being described in vivid, haunting detail by the servants. But after one night, no one dared to mention a word. The entire Duke’s manor became deathly quiet.

The next day, while attending to the Old Madam, Madam Xin mentioned how she had handled the situation. The Old Madam was silent for a moment, then nodded: "You did well. As the head of the house, that is how you should handle things to prevent trouble. As the saying goes, three people can create a tiger, and public opinion can melt metal. Youan is doing work for the Emperor; with so many eyes watching from the outside, the household cannot afford such chaos."

Madam Xin agreed.

Old Madam Pei never mentioned the matter again. Jiafu continued to serve her as before, staying by her bedside day and night.

The weather turned colder. In the blink of an eye, late autumn passed, and the deep winter of the year arrived. Aside from that incident, the Duke’s manor remained peaceful, yet the atmosphere within each branch of the family grew increasingly stifling.

The Old Madam’s spirits declined further, and she would sometimes spend the entire day in a stupor. When the imperial physician visited two days prior, his tone suggested that the "oil lamp was exhausted" and nothing could be done; the end would likely come this winter. Pei Quan requested leave to tend to her bedside.

Jiafu moved her bedding to the Old Madam’s room, serving her morning and night without ever leaving her side. On this night, she told Yuzhu, who had stayed up the previous night, to go sleep, while she took over the night vigil.

Once Yuzhu left, Jiafu told the remaining maids to go and rest, while she sat beside the Old Madam’s bed.

The room was silent. A moment later, the Old Madam slowly opened her eyes. Seeing this, Jiafu hurriedly rose, fetched a cup of warm water, and fed her a few sips.

The Old Madam had been drifting in and out of consciousness for days, but now her spirits seemed to brighten slightly. She asked Jiafu to help her sit up against the pillows, gently patted her hand, and sighed: "Youan has only been gone for a few months, and caring for me has made you lose so much weight. When he returns and sees you like this, he will surely be heartbroken."

Jiafu looked at the withered hand holding her own, suppressing the sorrow in her heart, and said: "As long as Grandmother is well, I am not tired."

The Old Madam smiled faintly: "How is Youan doing lately? Is there any news?"

It had been four or five months since Pei Youan left the capital. Once he arrived, he first subdued the rebel refugee leaders, then delved into the reality of the situation. After investigating the local population and current conditions, he submitted a memorial suggesting the court stop the forced relocation of refugees who had already settled. He proposed establishing districts on the spot, registering the refugees in the household registers, recognizing the land they had already cultivated, and allowing them to pay taxes in exchange for formal citizen status. Xiao Lie had approved his memorial, and he was likely busy with the aftermath now.

Jiafu summarized the situation.

The Old Madam nodded: "I knew Youan would handle it well..."

She stopped, gazing at Jiafu as if deep in thought, and fell silent.

Jiafu began to feel uneasy under the Old Madam’s gaze and asked softly: "Grandmother, is there something you wish to say?"

The Old Madam seemed to come back to herself and said slowly: "I know what you forced your mother-in-law to do last time; you did very well. I remember when you encountered those two gossiping women outside Youan’s residence during my birthday, you were angered and spoke up for him. I didn't understand then, because you and Youan had little interaction. Why were you so certain of his innocence?"

Jiafu said: "I saw Big Cousin when I was young. Even though we had little contact later, I was certain that Big Cousin was an upright gentleman who would never commit such an act. Now that I am lucky enough to be his wife, no matter how incapable I may be, I will not tolerate anyone slandering him."

The Old Madam stared at her, saying nothing more, the hand holding hers tightening gradually.

"Old Madam, the Emperor has arrived personally with the imperial physician; the royal carriage is outside."

There was a flurry of hurried footsteps outside, and Yuzhu’s voice rang out.

Jiafu was startled and was about to rise when she felt her hand being tightly gripped once more by the Old Madam.

Confused, she looked at the Old Madam, whose eyes flickered as if making a difficult decision. A moment later, she said: "You do not need to avoid him. Go behind the bed's bead curtain; do not show yourself."

Jiafu was stunned.

"Go." The Old Madam’s expression was now calm.

"Remember, no matter what you hear, keep it in your heart. This is your grandmother’s command."

The Old Madam watched her, saying each word clearly.