Where the Mask Ends - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A bone-chilling cold wave, accompanied by goose-feather-sized snowflakes, suddenly swept through the capital in the depth of the pitch-black night.

In the Cheng’an Earl’s Mansion, Old Madam Wei took a deep breath, massaging her aching knees while shaking the copper bell by her bedside.

Tonight, it was the head maid Feicui’s turn to keep watch. Her quilt was thinner than that of the cold-fearing Old Madam, and she had been unconsciously curling her body up to conserve warmth. Hearing the bell, Feicui immediately opened her eyes, threw off her quilt, got up, dressed, and lit the lamp—all in one fluid motion. In the time it took to drink a few sips of tea, she was already by the Old Madam’s bed.

"Old Madam, are you feeling unwell?" Lifting half of the curtain, Feicui asked with concern.

Old Madam Wei shook her head. Looking toward the window, she whispered her guess: "A late spring cold; it must be the wind. Go get a quilt to cover me, and heat some water for the copper warming bottles. My legs are aching terribly; I fear I won't have a peaceful night’s sleep."

Having served the Old Madam for many years, Feicui was well-accustomed to handling such situations. She deftly opened the trunk, took out a thick cotton quilt that had only recently been put away, and tucked it securely around the Old Madam. Then, she retrieved four identical purple-copper warming bottles and hurried to the kitchen with them held against her chest.

Pushing open the door, a few snowflakes drifted toward her face.

The light from the room spilled outside, revealing that the snow on the ground was already a finger’s depth thick.

Feicui was too shocked to speak. Snow in the height of spring—she had never seen such a thing in all her years.

Returning with the warming bottles filled with hot water, Feicui bent down and tucked them alongside the Old Madam’s legs: "Old Madam, it’s snowing outside."

Old Madam Wei was equally astonished. Snow in mid-February was nothing strange, but snow in the third lunar month? The peach and plum blossoms waiting to bloom would surely suffer.

The heat from the warming bottles eased the pain in her knees. Old Madam Wei sighed comfortably and said to Feicui, who was letting down the bed curtains: "Go to the backyard and check on things. The Fourth Miss is surrounded by only young maids who don't know how to look after people. Even if they were frozen awake, they’d likely just stay curled up under their covers; they aren't afraid of the cold, but the Fourth Miss is delicate. Go add a quilt for her and make sure she uses the warming bottles."

Feicui smiled and agreed.

Donning the old outer robe gifted to her by Old Madam Wei, Feicui grabbed a lantern in one hand and a kettle of hot water in the other, hurrying along the veranda toward the small gate of the backyard. She had the key to this side. Upon opening the door and looking inside, she found that the Old Madam’s worries were well-founded: the backyard was deathly quiet, and both the Fourth Miss and the maid on watch were still asleep.

Feicui went straight to the window of the side chamber of the main room and tapped lightly on it.

Bitao was startled awake by the sound, but fortunately, Feicui immediately clarified her intentions.

The door opened, and Feicui entered with the kettle, whispering to Bitao: "The Miss isn't awake, is she? Hurry and add a quilt for her, and bring over two warming bottles; I’ve already boiled the water here."

Bitao blew into her palms, lifted the lotus-stand candle lamp, and shivering, went into the inner chamber.

Thinking it over, Feicui followed her in. She wanted to see for herself that the Fourth Miss wasn't freezing before she went back to report to the Old Madam.

Wei Rao was not sleeping soundly; she felt so cold that her body was curled up to its limit.

In her haze, she heard some faint movements. Wei Rao turned over and saw a light behind the screen. Confused, she called out, "Bitao?"

Bitao immediately responded, standing before the trunk containing the quilts: "Miss, it’s snowing outside. The Old Madam was afraid you’d catch a chill, so she sent Sister Feicui over and told me to add an extra quilt for you."

Wei Rao exclaimed, "It’s snowing?"

During the day, the embroidery room had just distributed light, thin dresses prepared for the servants and masters for the early summer season. How could it be snowing?

Wei Rao wanted to see.

She pushed open the curtain, but just as she poked her head out, Feicui, who had been keeping a close eye on her, ran over quickly and pressed her shoulders back down into the quilt: "My good Miss, it is terribly cold outside. Please, do not let yourself catch a chill."

Forced to lie back under the covers, Wei Rao couldn't help but laugh despite her predicament: "Is it really that cold?"

Feicui patted the thick padded jacket she was wearing: "The Old Madam told me to wear this, so what do you think?"

Wei Rao glanced at the jacket and had no choice but to say: "Then find me a padded jacket too. I’ll wear it before I go look at the snow."

Feicui knew well that the Fourth Miss had a mind of her own; even the Old Madam sometimes couldn't dissuade her from what she wanted to do. Helpless, she reminded Bitao to fetch another jacket.

"I’m so thirsty. Sister, could you pour me a bowl of tea?" Wei Rao licked her lips, looking at Feicui with a coaxing expression.

Facing such a vibrant, stunning beauty with skin like fresh snow and bright, pearly teeth, Feicui would have willingly served her even if she were being demanding, let alone just asking coquettishly.

There was a copper kettle on the tea table. Feicui tested the water temperature and found it ice-cold, so she poured only half a bowl of tea and went outside to add some hot water. When she returned, she saw that Bitao was already tucking the new cotton quilt around the Fourth Miss.

Feicui stood by the bed, holding the tea bowl, her gaze naturally falling upon the face of the Fourth Miss in the quilt.

The room was lit by only a single candle, dim and gloomy, and with the weather so cold, it gave a feeling of desolation. But the moment she saw the Fourth Miss, Feicui forgot all about any gloom; she was completely immersed in the Fourth Miss’s beauty.

The Fourth Miss’s beauty was like a peony in full, wanton bloom in a courtyard—no matter its color, it was exquisitely gorgeous and bewitching. Even if scholars criticized it for being seductive and lacking in grace, it would still release its stunning beauty as it pleased, tempting you nakedly. Any man, no matter how noble and self-controlled, would lose his soul upon seeing such beauty, becoming like a wooden post in the courtyard, staring blankly at the peony without blinking.

As long as the Fourth Miss was present, even the dimmest and most dilapidated place would blossom with brilliance.

It was no wonder the Old Madam cherished the Fourth Miss the most. Even though the Fourth Miss’s birth mother had refused to remain a widow for the Second Master, abandoning her daughter and leaving, which broke the Old Madam’s heart and tarnished the Cheng’an Earl’s Mansion’s reputation, the Old Madam still treated the Fourth Miss like the apple of her eye, raising her in her own courtyard, being meticulous in all things, and protecting her at every turn.

The quilt was set, Bitao stepped back, and Feicui stepped forward with the tea.

Wei Rao sat up, took the bowl with both hands, and lowered her head to sip the tea.

Her bright red, delicate lips held the white porcelain bowl, her long, curled, fan-like eyelashes drooped, and her jade-like hands holding the bowl were as slender as scallions. From beneath the loose sleeves, a sliver of snow-white wrist was exposed... Feicui didn't want to look, but once she did, every place her eyes landed was a feast for them.

It was said that by keeping company with green lamps and ancient Buddhas, one would unconsciously become imbued with a Buddhist nature. Feicui thought that if she could serve the Fourth Miss every day, she might also be imbued with the Fourth Miss’s beautiful charm and become more beautiful than she was now.

Wei Rao did not know what wild thoughts were running through Feicui’s head. After drinking the tea, she draped a thick cloak over her shoulders and stepped to the window.

Large, thick snowflakes drifted down, brightening the pitch-black night somewhat.

Wei Rao rubbed her hands, her beautiful brows suddenly knitting together. She muttered to herself: "Why did it have to snow tonight of all nights? Tomorrow is Grandmother’s sixtieth birthday. With this snow, the capital will surely be full of idle gossip." Snow at this time of year was not only a bad omen for the harvest but would likely delay the spring planting, causing a drop in crop yields.

When Heaven was blind, the common people would naturally look for a scapegoat to curse.

Losing interest, Wei Rao instructed Feicui to walk carefully on her way back, then turned and returned to bed.

As Feicui retreated from the inner chamber, she heard a soft sigh from behind the curtains.

She remained composed, nodded at Bitao, and carried the lantern back to the front courtyard.

"How is it over there?" Old Madam Wei was still waiting for an answer.

Feicui smiled: "The quilt and warming bottles have all been added for the Fourth Miss. She even got up to admire the snow for a while."

Old Madam Wei shook her head, her expression complex: "She has the mood to watch the snow now, but when she realizes the implications tomorrow morning, she’ll have plenty to worry about."

Feicui could not reply; if she did, the conversation would deepen, and the Old Madam would have an even harder time sleeping tonight.

"Let’s leave tomorrow’s worries for tomorrow. You should rest now." Feicui bent down and once again tucked the quilt in for the Old Madam.

Old Madam Wei nodded and closed her eyes to sleep.

Feicui extinguished the candle and quietly retreated to the side chamber.

The spot in the bed that had been warm before was now icy cold. Feicui placed the Old Madam’s thick jacket over the quilt and rubbed her hands and feet; she couldn't fall asleep for a while.

Listening to the sound of the light snowfall outside the window, Feicui’s mind again filled with the image of the Fourth Miss, who was like a peony spirit.

If the Fourth Miss was a little peony spirit, the Fourth Miss’s mother, the younger Madam Zhou, was a big peony spirit, and the Fourth Miss’s grandmother was the old peony spirit.

When it came down to it, the old peony spirit was the most formidable. When she was young, she served as a wet nurse for Emperor Yuanjia, serving him heart and soul for over a decade. While entangled with the previous emperor, she simultaneously coaxed Emperor Yuanjia into respecting and honoring her like a son. It was said that the bond between the wet nurse and the nursed emperor even surpassed that of the Empress Dowager.

Later, the Empress Dowager could not tolerate her, so Emperor Yuanjia bestowed the title of "Lady Shou’an" upon her and sent her out of the palace to enjoy her later years. This made the Fourth Miss’s grandmother the only official lady in the capital who held a female title after the new emperor ascended to the throne.

Because of her entanglements with the previous emperor and having offended the Empress Dowager, Lady Shou’an did not have a good reputation. But she didn't care to change it. Lady Shou’an, however, refused. When her eldest daughter, the elder Madam Zhou, had an unhappy marriage, she encouraged her to divorce her husband, then turned around and married her off to a wealthy merchant as his primary wife. A few years later, when the younger Madam Zhou lost her husband, Lady Shou’an supported her in returning home. She even took the opportunity to introduce the younger Madam Zhou to Emperor Yuanjia when he visited them at their estate.

Great aristocratic families prided themselves on women remaining chaste. The behavior of Lady Shou’an and her two daughters was simply a total lack of wifely virtue!

Because of these elders, the Fourth Miss of their own family was also branded with the disgraceful label of being "promiscuous and lacking in virtue" by everyone. Those people had already decided: the Fourth Miss would either never marry, or if she ever did, she would certainly follow the example of the elder and younger Madams Zhou—either easily divorcing or returning home to remarry as soon as her husband died.

It was a pity that the Old Madam had tried so hard and spent so much effort trying to restore the Fourth Miss’s reputation, yet it had been of no use at all. The Fourth Miss had already reached the age of fifteen, and yet not a single family had been willing to come forward to propose marriage to her.

The Fourth Miss was also too open-minded. With such a grandmother, aunt, and mother, it would be best never to associate with them at all and to keep herself completely clear of them. Yet, the Fourth Miss insisted on associating with Lady Shou’an, as if she had fallen into a pitch-black dye vat, staining the reputation of the legitimate daughter of the Wei family darker and darker!