Chapter 31: Scapegoat
It wasn’t yet time for dinner, but because the sky was overcast, the light in the room was much dimmer than usual.
Wen Mingqian, who had been reading, put down his book scroll and said to Gong Changan, who was practicing calligraphy beside him, “Put down your brush and rest your eyes.”
Gong Changan responded, put down his brush, and went to play in the courtyard.
Zhang Ma walked in from outside, holding a few handkerchiefs, “They’re not dry yet, but since it hasn’t rained, quickly bring them in! Otherwise, if they get rained on, they’ll be ruined.”
These were all white silk embroidered handkerchiefs. Once rained on, the colorful embroidery would fade, rendering them useless.
As soon as Zhang Ma finished speaking, someone slowly walked in from behind her. It was Granny Zhu.
“Madam, this old servant is here to bid you farewell,” Granny Zhu said, lowering her head.
“Farewell? Where are you going?” Wen Mingqian asked her.
“We… we are no longer in this mansion. Thank you, Madam, for your care during these days. Please take care, you, Fourth Young Master, and Elder Sister Zhang!” Granny Zhu choked up at this point and raised her hand to wipe her eyes.
“Don’t cry yet, explain what’s happening. Why are you leaving so suddenly?” Zhang Ma sensed something was wrong and, true to her nature, had to get to the bottom of it.
“Alas… it’s nothing… I suppose… we haven’t done well,” Granny Zhu spoke vaguely, neither daring to tell the truth nor finding a suitable excuse.
“Granny Zhu, is there anything you cannot tell me?” Wen Mingqian asked sternly, “You are someone from my courtyard. Whether you stay or leave must be decided by me. Why are you leaving without consulting me?”
Granny Zhu looked up at Wen Mingqian, then quickly lowered her head again, still not daring to reveal the truth, and merely said vaguely, “Madam, you don’t need to worry about such a small matter. When I leave, someone else will come to serve. It’s good for us to return to our hometown; we’ll be reunited as a family…”
“Old Zhu, this is not right,” Zhang Ma raised her voice, “Even if you haven’t served Madam for long, Madam has been kind to your whole family. Is it acceptable to leave without a clear explanation?”
Granny Zhu’s face turned red with shame. Seeing her distress, Wen Mingqian said, “I know you must have your difficulties, but walls have ears. If you don’t tell me, I’ll find out sooner or later. How long can you hide it?”
“It’s not that this old servant intentionally hid it from Madam, but rather I feared telling you would make you angry and sad.” Granny Zhu, seeing Wen Mingqian’s persistence, could no longer conceal it. “A few days ago, something was stolen from our mansion’s storeroom. Coincidentally, my son Dashun was on duty there that night. He couldn’t explain where the items went, so naturally, he was punished.
After such an incident, we can only accept our bad luck. Fortunately, it didn’t implicate Madam…”
“Who decided you should leave?” Wen Mingqian knew immediately that this was no simple matter.
“Steward Chen said it was the Master’s decision. Although we won’t be reported to the authorities, we are forbidden from returning to the Capital City in the future.” Granny Zhu felt truly wronged; their family had worked diligently, fearing mistakes, but never expected to encounter such bad luck.
Zhang Ma listened and smiled through gritted teeth, “You’re driving them away without even investigating properly. Are you exiling them?”
Granny Zhu quickly grabbed her and said, “Elder Sister, forget it! It’s not easy to explain things. It’s better to make peace. Besides, we all know Madam has had a difficult time, just returning to the mansion. Don’t cause a dispute with the Master because of us.”
Wen Mingqian smiled slightly, unappreciative, “I don’t seek trouble, but trouble has never left me alone. Moreover, you are being wronged. Innocence is a serious matter; how can you just endure it?”
“Madam, it’s not that we are willing to be wronged, but our arms cannot twist our thighs. The Master has spoken. If we don’t comply, we might suffer even more. As long as Madam knows we are innocent, that’s enough…”
Wen Mingqian knew Granny Zhu’s family were all good and honest people, but good people were often weak, and thus often bullied.
Evil people, on the other hand, found it hard to stop their wicked deeds, nor did they feel remorse. They would even mock the victims for being weak and incompetent, deserving of being bullied.
Therefore, justice could only be sought by oneself, and grievances could only be cleared by oneself. There were too many people in this world who bullied the weak and feared the strong. Constant yielding would only leave one with no place to stand.
“Old Zhu, you’re being foolish! Do you really think this matter won’t implicate Madam?” Zhang Ma said, frustrated, “The items were lost, but the person on guard was punished without proper investigation. Don’t you realize this happened while Madam was managing the household? What will people think?”
“Ah…” Granny Zhu hadn’t considered this point before. “I thought as long as we took the blame, it would be fine…”
“Fine?! Let me tell you, the real trouble is yet to come!” Zhang Ma rolled her eyes, “You leaving so vaguely is tantamount to admitting you were thieves, isn’t it?
Think about it with your elbow: would a guard have the audacity to do that? They must have been instructed by someone.
When the theft occurred, only Madam was present. Can the crime of theft be pinned on anyone else?!”
Zhang Ma’s words were like a thunderous clap, startling Granny Zhu into a cold sweat.
“Then… then what should we do? How can this matter be clarified? Even if we go to the Master, he might not believe us,” Granny Zhu said, flustered and at a loss. “Besides, we have no proof…”
“Don’t worry about that for now,” Zhang Ma said in a rough tone, “If someone throws a basin of dirty water on you, just throw it back. Why patiently explain to them that you are clean?
Know this: the person who wronged you knows better than you how wronged you are!”
“Then… then what should we do?” Granny Zhu was at a loss, her mind a tangled mess, unable to grasp anything.
“Just come with me!” Zhang Ma said, grabbing Granny Zhu’s hand and pulling her outside. “Since we’ve lost face, let’s make a scene!”
Steward Chen was in the back courtyard watching people tidy the storeroom, while Zhu Dashun and his son stood there with dejected faces.
“Be content! If I hadn’t pleaded with the Master for you, would you still be standing here intact? You would have received a good beating!” Steward Chen said, crossing his legs and stroking his goatee.
“Thank you, Steward Chen,” the honest Zhu Xi repeatedly thanked him.
Steward Chen, with a mocking and smug smile, was about to lecture them further when he heard someone shout, “Chen the Wicked! You old scoundrel, are you tired of living!”
Steward Chen’s real name was Chen Youde, but Zhang Ma had renamed him Chen the Wicked.
He was startled and looked over, only to see Zhang Ma rushing in like a black whirlwind.
Steward Chen’s legs were still a bit unsteady, and with Zhang Ma’s fierce approach, he hastily stood up from his stool, accidentally tripping.
Zhang Ma didn’t care about the details. She rushed forward, grabbed his collar with one hand, and with the other, slapped him repeatedly, a flurry of blows.
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