Chapter 198: The Origin of the Story
Madam Pan, who had fainted from fright, and Ninth Lady Pan, who had cried herself silly, were carried back to the villa. Mrs. Fu hurriedly sent for a doctor and had them given calming soup. Miss Shi called over her attendants to inquire about what had happened.
Madam Pan quickly woke up, crying and grabbing Miss Shi, desperately asking what grievance the young lady had, whether she had survived, and if she could be helped.
Her understanding of the Pingjiang dialect was extremely limited, and she hadn’t understood a single word of the young lady’s accusations.
Miss Shi placated her with a few words, ordered incense to be burned, and after Madam Pan cried for a while, she fell asleep.
Mrs. Fu and Miss Shi came out. Mrs. Fu asked, “What happened?”
“It’s the youngest daughter of Chen Zhengyan, the silk supervisor at the Maritime Tax Bureau. She was also present on the day of the Imperial Banquet hosted by the Crown Prince.”
Miss Shi paused, thinking of that dazzling cat’s eye, and after a moment continued, “She said her father and brother were arrested, their property confiscated, because nobles were fighting for power and profit…”
Miss Shi quietly recounted Little Lady Chen’s accusations, and Mrs. Fu listened with a furrowed brow.
“I’ve asked the nannies and guards who accompanied us to the villa to write down everything they heard and saw in detail. You must write a letter to the Young Lord and inform him of this matter; it’s a significant affair,” Miss Shi said to Mrs. Fu.
“Alright,” Mrs. Fu gently patted Miss Shi.
Although Miss Shi had handled the initial inquiry, it would not be appropriate for her to write this letter.
“Your Second Aunt…”
“We cannot tell her,” Miss Shi replied immediately.
“That’s what I think too,” Mrs. Fu sighed. “This Little Lady Chen, since her family has been in the Maritime Tax Bureau for four generations, doesn’t she know how much the Maritime Tax Bureau pays? Doesn’t she know how much property her family has, where it came from, and how much silver is needed for their daily expenses? Alas!”
“It’s been four generations; it’s long been taken for granted,” Miss Shi said indifferently.
“With Little Lady Chen’s death, who knows what trouble might arise. I’ve already spoken to Uncle Hong and asked him to arrange for people to keep an eye on the situation in Pingjiang City. We have Yang Wu in Linhai Town, so we don’t need to worry about that.”
“But I have to rush back to Hangcheng tomorrow morning. The Crown Prince will arrive in Hangcheng the day after tomorrow. If anything happens here in Pingjiang City, can you hold the fort for a while? I’ll have Fourth Sister stay to keep you company,” Mrs. Fu said to Miss Shi.
“Alright,” Miss Shi agreed readily and decisively.
………………………………
The opera house where Little Lady Chen met her end was the most luxurious and bustling in Pingjiang City.
The Pingjiang City Silk Guild was one of the two major silk guilds in Jiangnan. Besides having numerous weaving workshops, it was also a distribution center for silk from as far west as Huizhou. Countless families in and outside the city depended on the silk business.
The night the Crown Prince hosted the banquet and made arrests, Pingjiang City was swept by an invisible storm. The next day, the opera houses were almost empty, while restaurants and tea houses were bustling with people, but the patrons were almost all solemn and hurried.
The crowded restaurants and tea houses lacked their usual boisterous liveliness. The entire Pingjiang City seemed to be shrouded in a heavy, oppressive atmosphere of an uncertain future.
After several officials from the Maritime Tax Bureau were arrested, and then the Young Lord escorted the Crown Prince away from Pingjiang City on his southern tour, the oppressive atmosphere over Pingjiang City somewhat dissipated, and the opera houses became lively again.
On the day of the incident, the opera house featured a renowned troupe and famous actors, specially invited by the shopkeeper with a hefty sum. The house was packed, both upstairs and downstairs. After Little Lady Chen’s accusations and her subsequent suicide, the audience dispersed in a rush.
This incident was far more dramatic than the opera itself. The young, beautiful lady who publicly took her own life, and who was from a family involved in the Maritime Tax Bureau silk case that so deeply concerned the people of Pingjiang City, had gathered all the elements that could stir people’s hearts.
This incident, carried by the dispersing audience, spread through Pingjiang City faster than a gale, and then further afield.
As for how it was retold through word of mouth, “varied” would be an understatement.
The first version Li Xiaonan heard was passed on by Sister-in-law Yin.
Sister-in-law Yin, sweating profusely, rushed up to Li Xiaonan, her eyes wide open.
“Something’s happened, something big has happened!”
“Ah! That’s terrible! What happened?” Mei Jie’s face turned pale with fright.
Sister-in-law Yin was a sensible and knowledgeable person. If she was this flustered, the matter must be truly terrifying!
“Mei Jie, pour Sister-in-law Yin a cup of tea.” Li Xiaonan quickly patted Mei Jie and then gestured to Sister-in-law Yin, “Sister-in-law, take a breath first and sit down to talk.”
Mei Jie quickly poured a cup of tea and handed it to Sister-in-law Yin.
Seeing Sister-in-law Yin eager to speak, Li Xiaonan waved her hand and smiled, “Sister-in-law, don’t rush, have some tea first.”
Sister-in-law Yin took the tea, drank it sip by sip, and let out a sigh of relief. She smiled at Mei Jie, “Our A Nan is truly composed.”
“A Nan is amazing!” Mei Jie chimed in with a smile, took the cup, poured another cup of tea, and placed it in front of Sister-in-law Yin.
“It’s truly a major event! A life was lost!” Sister-in-law Yin slapped her thigh. “A young lady, on the stage of the Tianyun Opera House, stabbed herself to death. Blood everywhere!”
“Oh my!” Mei Jie cried out in shock.
“Tell me first who told you, and how they knew,” Li Xiaonan asked, slightly frowning.
“I was a bit too hasty,” Sister-in-law Yin took a deep breath. “It was Granny Sun, who delivers goods for the pastry shop next to our cloth shop. Granny Sun was delivering pastries to the Liu family, two streets away.”
“The old lady of the Liu family is an opera fan. Today, the Mei family troupe is performing at the Tianyun Opera House. The old lady never misses a performance by the Mei family troupe, so she went to listen to opera early this morning.”
“Granny Sun said that as soon as she put down the pastries, she saw the old lady of the Liu family being supported by two old women and rushing home in a panic. She didn’t leave immediately. She heard it from the old women who went to the opera house with the old lady of the Liu family.”
“That old woman said she was leaning against the wall listening to the opera when it just started with a hat play on stage. Suddenly, there was a commotion. She heard a woman’s voice crying out a grievance, saying she was a Chen Family Daughter, that her family of four generations had worked tirelessly for the Maritime Tax Bureau, and asking why their home was confiscated. She also said her mother had saved many people.”
“The old woman said she was short and her view was completely blocked by people in front of her, so she didn’t see how the young lady died. She asked the people in front, and they said she stabbed herself.”
Sister-in-law Yin finished speaking and looked at Li Xiaonan.
Li Xiaonan’s brows were tightly furrowed.
A family whose four generations had served in the Maritime Tax Bureau, and whose home was now being confiscated, was not an ordinary family. Even after confiscation, they would still have some connections.
Why choose today, and why the Tianyun Opera House?
Madam Pan at the villa was particularly fond of listening to opera.
“It’s not directly related to us, but keep an eye on this matter. If anyone talks about it, listen to what they say and ask them where they heard it from,” Li Xiaonan instructed after some thought.
“That’s good then,” Sister-in-law Yin breathed a sigh of relief.
Ever since she heard that several people from the silk guild had been arrested, her heart had been in her mouth. Their fine cloth business was also part of the silk industry.
When she heard Granny Sun talking about this incident just now, her heart was pounding. Now that A Nan said it wasn’t related to them, it meant there was no trouble, and they didn’t need to worry about this matter anymore.
“Don’t worry, I’m good at listening to gossip. I’ll be going back. If there’s no important gossip, I’ll come again tomorrow. It’s not as convenient for me to visit now that you’ve moved here,” Sister-in-law Yin said as she stood up.
Li Xiaonan stood up with her, and together with Mei Jie, they escorted Sister-in-law Yin out of the courtyard gate.
