Spring of the Blade - Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Baoxian, protective of her mistress, stepped forward and said, "Lvzhui, which eye did you see using to claim that our young lady intended to harm the Second Miss? With your red lips and white teeth, you’d better watch what you say. Our mistress is an innocent, clean-living young girl; for her to become what you describe in your mouth, your intentions are truly sinister!"

Blocked by Baoxian's words, Lvzhui was naturally unwilling to yield and screeched, "If the Fourth Miss hadn't given her that jade pendant, how could Commander Shen have shot our young lady with an arrow?"

"Then you should go and ask Commander Shen that. Do you mean to say that our young lady ordered him to shoot the Second Miss?" Baoxian scoffed. "Besides, it was originally just for fun. The three young masters were also present at the time. Our young lady stood to the side watching and didn't say a word, so how can you blame her?"

The two maids refused to give way. Lady Hu frowned at the sound of them, shouting, "Have you both forgotten your manners? Is this the place for you to be shouting and yelling in front of the Old Madam?" As she spoke, she looked at Qingyuan. "Fourth Girl, what were you thinking, giving your second sister a jade pendant for no reason? You sisters are close; is there no time for you to do this at home? Why did you have to rush to give it to her right when you were going out?"

Qingyuan, as always, maintained an air of unshakeable calm and said slowly, "Giving her that pendant was truly well-intentioned. I explained its origin to the Second Sister, and it was her own choice to keep it." She then gestured to Lvzhui. "You were there when I handed the pendant to the Second Sister. Tell the Old Madam and the Madam exactly what was said at the time."

Seeing so many eyes fixed upon her, Lvzhui grew timid and stammered, "The Fourth Miss said the jade pendant was a gift from the Young Marquis and that she didn't want it, so she was gifting it to our young lady and asked her to keep it safe."

Hearing her finish, Qingyuan felt relieved that she had finally told the truth. She turned, bowed respectfully, and said, "Grandmother, granddaughter was indeed lacking in judgment in this matter. The jade pendant was given to me along with the guest register. I should have handed it to Grandmother. But I thought that since I had already used their register and relied on their standing to enter the Commander's mansion, I had to give the Young Marquis some face. If I gave the pendant to Grandmother, wouldn't people say I only know how to take advantage of others? So, I kept it, intending to return it to him privately when the opportunity arose."

Lady Hu sneered repeatedly upon hearing this. "If that's the case, why did you decide to give the jade pendant to your second sister today? Could it be that you were counting on her to return it for you?"

Qingyuan fell silent for a moment before slowly shaking her head to say no. "I know the Second Sister's heart. Although there are occasionally small disagreements between us sisters, we are family after all, and there is no reason for us to turn against our own. So I gifted the pendant to her, thinking that if she were willing, she could take this opportunity to clear the air with the Young Marquis; perhaps it might even lead to a good marriage, who knows? As for me, I know my own station. When the Observance Commissioner's wife visited last time, I felt deeply wronged, but there wasn't much I could say. Now that the Second Sister has the intention and is a match for the Young Marquis, how could I not support my own sister? But I never imagined the Second Sister would be so impatient as to hang it on herself immediately... That is a taotie pendant for men. I suppose the Commander mistakenly thought the Second Sister was trying to distance herself, and used the pendant as an excuse to make them, the brothers, back off. That must be why he jokingly shot it down."

This time, even the Old Madam didn't know what to say. This Qingru was truly a stubborn, single-minded girl. Did she think that by showing such resolve, Li Chunzhi would appreciate her favor? Little did she know that by losing the most precious dignity of a young girl in public, she shouldn't expect any man to hold her in high regard!

However, this Qingyuan was not someone who allowed others peace of mind. She clearly bore a grudge against Qingru for slapping her last time and had set a trap for that foolish girl to fall into. Qingru, blinded by nothing but the Young Marquis in her eyes, didn't think twice and jumped right in. Since this was a case of one person being willing to hit and the other willing to be hit, there was no blame to lay on the Fourth Girl. This silent loss was just something to swallow; there was nothing more to say.

But Lady Hu was unwilling to let the matter rest. Seeing that the Old Madam remained silent, she lowered her voice and said, "Mother, the Second Girl nearly lost her life. We, as elders, must demand justice for her regarding the cause of this incident, must we not?"

To the side, Concubine Mei offered a neutral compromise: "There are many coincidences in this world. It just so happens that the Fourth Miss gave the Second Miss the pendant, and the Second Miss happened to wear it. It just so happens that they were playing 'shooting treasures' at the Commander's mansion, and the Commander happened to shoot the Second Miss's pendant. It is all a matter of coincidence, so how can one distinguish right from wrong?"

Lady Hu disdained to argue with a concubine and arrogantly turned her gaze away. Beside her, Sun Mama, the woman in charge of her household, smiled and said, "The concubine is wrong to say that. Not to mention the later archery, the fact that the Fourth Miss gave a man's item to the Second Miss is the Fourth Miss's fault. Our Second Miss is a legitimate daughter; her reputation is more important than anything."

Qinghe let out a soft laugh. "Sun Mama, please don't say that. What legitimate or illegitimate daughter—whose reputation isn't important? Since Lvzhui is here, there is no need to ask anything else. Just ask her if the Fourth Sister forced the Second Sister to wear it on her chest; wouldn't that settle it?"

Concubine Lian, having completely fallen out with Lady Hu and relying on the fact that her daughter would eventually marry into the Duke's mansion, no longer acted as timidly as before. She covered her mouth and muttered, "In my opinion, the Fourth Miss must have forced the Second Miss to wear it. Otherwise, how could a young lady of a prominent family like the Second Miss not know how to avoid suspicion and instead deliberately hang it on her chest to show off? When outsiders saw it, let alone the Commander and Deputy Commander misunderstanding, even the Young Marquis wouldn't know how to respond, and it would implicate the three brothers, making them lose face. The Second Miss is such a smart person, does she not understand this simple logic?"

With this barrage of praise and insinuation, the bystanders blinked, wanting to laugh but unable to, and had to force themselves to restrain it.

Lady Hu's expression soured. She hated Qingru for being foolish enough to fall into someone else's trap, and she hated Qingyuan for being slippery enough to harm Qingru without leaving any trace of her culpability.

Over the past half-year, it had become necessary to truly pay attention to this Fourth Miss. Before, she had seemed quiet and only knew how to protect herself, but now she appeared to be a formidable character. That letter received back in Hengtang was headless and tailless, and in the end, they never saw the person who had asked for the silver. At the time, she had suspected it was related to Qingyuan. She had intended to send people to Haozhou to investigate, but unfortunately, that coincided with the master’s return, followed by the Third Brother's wedding and the Old Madam's birthday, and it had been delayed and forgotten. Now that everything was finished, she would have to properly settle this account. For a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl to think she could truly escape the palm of her hand—that was still far off.

"The Second Girl is a straightforward person; if it weren't for the fact that she was frightened today, she would indeed deserve a stern lesson. But then again, is it proper for a young lady from a sheltered home like the Fourth Miss to be engaged in private dealings with men outside? How young is she that she makes her own decisions without consulting her elders? If this continues for another two years, who knows what kind of laughingstock it will turn into." Lady Hu looked coldly at Qingyuan. "You say this jade pendant belongs to the Young Marquis, but how do we know it's his? How do we know it isn't some dirty object from some man outside?"

The two concubines to the side thought to themselves: This Lady Hu usually acts the part of a dignified matriarch, but she is more biased than anyone. Back when the master was in trouble, they used the guest register in the Fourth Miss's hands to build connections, and the Old Madam took the Fourth Miss out in public to visit the Commander's mansion; she didn't call it 'private dealings' then. Now that the master’s position is stable, she turns around and bites, putting on a pretense of being noble and upright—don't make people sick! However, these words were difficult to say, and from a high moral ground, it seemed to carry weight. So everyone turned their eyes back to the Fourth Miss, who looked quite pitiful; dealing with a fool like the Second Miss, even a smart person could be ruined by her.

Qingyuan lowered her head, thought for a moment, and said, "I am a girl without a mother; no one has ever looked out for me when things go wrong. If the Madam insists on saying so, I cannot refute it. At this point, there is no way to prove my innocence. Even if we invited the Young Marquis, he certainly would not admit it."

Qingrong, who had long looked down on Qingyuan's pretense, scoffed, "And why is that? If the Fourth Sister is upright and fearless, why fear a confrontation?"

Qinghe smiled. "Is the Third Sister confused? The Second Sister flaunted that jade pendant at the Commander's mansion all day today. If the Young Marquis admitted it, wouldn't he have to be responsible for the Second Sister's reputation? The Danyang Marquis mansion, no matter what, is related to the imperial family and cares most about dignity and appearances. The Second Sister used a man's personal object to show off like that; even if the Young Marquis agreed, the Marquis and the Marchioness would certainly not. If they were to send someone to visit later, I fear their words would be even more unpleasant than those of the Observance Commissioner's wife. The Second Sister is a legitimate daughter of the Governor-General; there are countless good marriage prospects waiting for her. If she really hangs herself from one tree and loses all dignity in the process, not to mention the embarrassment, news will spread, and it will be difficult to discuss her marriage prospects in the future. Does the Third Sister truly not understand this logic?"

Thus, Qingru’s illness from shock became an example for everyone to use to teach a lesson. Lady Hu was trapped in an awkward, strange loop; she was unwilling to let it go, but seeking verification was asking for humiliation. Her inner anger kept surging, and her complexion looked very poor.

Looking at the faces of these people, all of them were watching the head wife’s joke. She suddenly felt a sense of abandonment; these insignificant creatures were one by one sticking their heads out and rebelling. It wasn't like this before—for twenty years, the two concubines had lived by looking at her expression. Now? The children had grown up; some were getting married, some were being given away in marriage. It was time for them to truly rival her. Lady Hu gave a cold laugh. If she couldn't even control them, wouldn't the years she spent running the household be in vain?

"Enough. Today's matter was indeed due to the Second Girl's lack of discretion. As for the Fourth Girl, she did a bad thing with good intentions, so it cannot be blamed entirely on her." Lady Hu put on a peaceful face, even piling on a bit of a smile, and turned to the Old Madam. "According to Mother, how should this matter be handled?"

The Old Madam let out a heavy sigh and, lowering her eyes, said, "Now that the children are all grown, you can't scold them; what is one to do! Regardless, let the doctor thoroughly examine the Second Girl. A shock can be major or minor; don't let it leave a root of palpitations—she has a long life ahead of her. As for the Fourth Girl, although she is a bit too headstrong, at the root of it, she was looking out for her sister; her original intention was not bad. The most infuriating one is that Shen Run. Treating our young ladies like the rough men in his drill grounds—to shoot an arrow like that! Forget about a teenage girl; even a veteran of the battlefield would be scared out of half their life by him. A true upstart who has been pampered with high rank and wealth, he has no regard for anyone. When our Xie family was rising in the early years, his ancestors were still herding sheep on the South Mountain!"

Lady Hu then persuaded the Old Madam to calm her anger. "The doctor has prescribed medicine for the Second Girl. If she takes a few doses and rests for two days, a young child doesn't have such a heavy heart; she won't be left with any lingering illness. As for Commander Shen, Old Madam, please don't take it to heart. Young people can be playful sometimes. In the end, the master's rise to power owed much to him; let's treat this loss as repaying a human favor. Zhengze and the brothers may not necessarily meet them next time, but if they do, they can just say what needs to be said."

The Old Madam nodded, glanced at Qingyuan, and then looked away again.

Lady Hu's hands under her wide sleeves clenched into fists, firmly suppressing her anger, and she smiled. "It's getting late. After all this commotion, everyone is restless." She turned to Yuejian. "I need to take care of the Second Girl here and cannot get away. You all should wait on the Old Madam and take her back."

Yuejian said yes and helped the Old Madam stand up. The Old Madam walked a few steps, still feeling uneasy, and turned back to instruct, "If the Second Girl gets better, send someone to let me know."

"Once she is better, she will go to pay her respects to Grandmother herself; there is no need for anyone to report it." Lady Hu smiled as she saw the Old Madam to the door, saying earnestly, "It is dark now. I have ordered more lanterns to be lit to lead the way. Mother, please be careful on the road."

And so, the group from Huifang Garden crowded around the Old Madam and left. Qilan Courtyard suddenly became half as lively. The rest of the people, seeing there was no more excitement to watch, felt rather listless. Concubine Lian was about to lead Qinghe away when Qinghe turned to Qingyuan and said, "Fourth Sister, you should leave too. You've been tired all day, so go back and rest well. We'll come to see the Second Sister again tomorrow."

Qingyuan hesitated for a moment and said cautiously, "Madam, let me stay to serve the Second Sister! After all, today’s matter was partly my fault."

Lady Hu smiled, but her eyes didn't. "Amitabha, I dare not trouble your Excellency. Your second sister will be better by tomorrow; if you serve her, I fear she'll have to lie in bed for another two days. By rights, you were the one who caused today's trouble; if I were even slightly selfish, punishing you to kneel in the ancestral hall would not be too much. Now, in memory of your deceased mother, I won't hold it against you. I remember her death anniversary is coming up, right? You should also cultivate your heart and character. When the time comes, I will report it to the Old Madam and allow you to stay at Bihua Temple for two days to accumulate merit and atone for your mother's sins."

"Accumulate merit and atone for sins"—such words, heard in the ears, were truly like a sharp knife carving into one's heart. But for now, one could only endure. Whether it was the Xie family or any other great aristocratic clan, the tolerance for the mistress of the house was something ordinary people could not imagine. As for the sins of the past, as long as they had not shaken the foundations of the Xie family, who would care about them? Even if Lady Hu had been a daughter-in-law of the Xie family for twenty years and had a prominent family behind her, she could ensure she remained unshakable for eternity. So, digging up the past had no effect; one could only wait for her to commit a new, unforgivable mistake.

Qingyuan possessed a forbearance beyond her years; she could catch those hidden arrows and overt spears. She folded her hands and bowed again before withdrawing from Qilan Courtyard.

At the courtyard gate, Chuntai was already holding a lantern to meet her. Seeing the young lady was alright, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Mama Tao has already prepared the small snacks the young lady loves. After being outside all day, you must be exhausted. Just now, I heard the little maid say the Second Girl was carried into the garden horizontally; it really frightened me. I was afraid the young lady would be implicated."

Qingyuan said, "I suppose it must be my mother's blessing!"

Baoxian, however, was not quite at ease. "The Madam wants to send the young lady to stay at the temple for a few days. I don't know what kind of medicine she is selling in her gourd."

Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't good medicine. Qingyuan smiled. "Without breaking, there is no building; there must always be a beginning.”