Chapter 21: Venting Anger
Wealthy families have many ways to torment concubines’ daughters, and Fu Shi chose the simplest and most upsetting one for Xue Yueying.
The prepared dowry list had half of it struck out.
When Xue Yueying heard the news, her face turned pale.
She carried a food box to Qing Lan Courtyard and knelt before the First Madam.
“Mother only has a few sips of soup for breakfast and has barely eaten. I assume she is overly worried about Eldest Sister. Ying’er specially asked Doctor Zhang for a calming prescription and stewed this bowl of Lily and Qi-Nourishing Soup…”
She took out a small celadon bowl from the food box and offered it with both hands.
Fu Shi glanced at it indifferently and continued drinking her tea.
The porcelain bowl in Xue Yueying’s hand was scalding hot, but she dared not let go. In a moment, her eyes began to redden.
“Ying’er does not know where she went wrong. Please, Mother, show mercy.”
It had to be said that Xue Si was very clever and knew how to behave. For years, she had served the First Madam with great care and attentiveness, being even more capable than the maids by Fu Shi’s side.
However, this time she had dared to offend her own birth daughter, and Fu Shi would never forgive her.
Nanny Liu glanced at her mistress and shouted, “Fourth Miss, you are truly ignorant. The First Madam cares for you wholeheartedly. Look around this mansion; besides Eldest Miss, you are the one who married the most splendidly. As a young lady, you were not discreet, and how much slander did the First Madam endure for your marriage? What is it now that makes you unhappy, that you would harm Eldest Miss?”
Xue Yueying looked up innocently, tears welling up as if about to fall.
“Mother, Ying’er did not. I also did not know that Young Master Fu would come…”
“Still trying to argue?” Fu Shi’s face was cold. She suddenly raised her hand and slapped Xue Yueying across the face.
The soup bowl fell from her hand, and the aroma of medicinal materials and food instantly filled the room.
Xue Yueying’s cheek turned red, and her palm was also burning hot, but she dared not cry out in pain. She merely touched her face with her hand and silently shed tears.
Fu Shi was still not appeased. Her long fingernails dug fiercely into Xue Yueying’s forehead. “You little slut, how dare you play innocent with me? I asked the gatekeeper, and he said you paid him silver to keep the gate open! Otherwise, how could Young Master Fu have entered without anyone knowing?”
Xue Yueying shook her head desperately.
In just a few days, she had been beaten twice.
She sobbed with grievance, unable to control herself. “Mother, I have been raised by your side since childhood. You know my nature best. I dare not hide anything from you, Mother. It is true that I instructed the gatekeeper to keep the gate open, but the letter was for Young Master Gu… It was not to harm Eldest Sister, nor was it for myself. I wanted to share your worries.”
Fu Shi sneered, her mouth almost contorted with anger. “To share my worries? Don’t think I don’t know your little schemes. You think that by ruining Eldest Sister’s reputation, Father will dote on you the most? What a foolish delusion! A concubine’s daughter will never be presentable in this life!”
“Mother—” Xue Yueying’s eyes filled with tears.
Amidst Fu Shi’s increasingly sharp rebukes, she suppressed her grief and anger, gritting her teeth. “Ying’er believes this must have been Sixth Sister’s doing…”
Nanny Liu, having been beaten by Xue Liu that day, hated her even more than Xue Yueying did.
Hearing this, she chimed in, “Fourth Miss has always been the most filial to the First Madam, so she would not have such malicious intentions…”
Xue Yueying nodded repeatedly. “To avoid troubling Mother and to prevent Eldest Sister from being deceived, Ying’er did not hesitate to push her beloved Young Master Gu away herself, and even willingly share a husband with Sixth Sister. How could I harm Eldest Sister? If Mother does not believe me, she can summon Young Master Gu to confront me directly.”
She did not know why Gu Jie had not shown up, but she was certain that Xue Liu was involved.
Seeing her speak so resolutely, the anger churning in the First Madam’s belly gradually subsided.
However, after a moment of thought, she still found it hard to believe.
“Xue Liu? I doubt she has the heart, the courage, or the ability.”
Nanny Liu reminded her, “Sixth Miss has been away from the mansion for ten years and has mingled in the Old Mausoleum Swamp, getting to know many people from all walks of life. She has plenty of cunning… First Madam, this matter is truly uncertain?”
Fu Shi shook her head. “Impossible. If she wanted to ruin Eldest Sister, why would she have appeared at Bi Tong Courtyard last night and been in Eldest Sister’s room?”
Nanny Liu and Xue Yueying also could not figure it out.
But anything they couldn’t figure out, they blamed on Xue Liu.
Who else could it be but her, the Seven Sha disaster star, a born troublemaker?
If Xue Liu hadn’t returned to the mansion, none of this would have happened. Pitifully, she had worked hard for years, all for the sake of marrying into a good family, finding a good husband, and later raising children and bringing glory to the family.
What wrong had she done?
Why should Xue Liu marry better than her?
They said it was to be a concubine, but that was Prince Duan, the Prince Duan who would one day ascend the Dragon Throne.
If she hadn’t been pregnant, she would have willingly gone to Prince Duan’s Mansion as a concubine.
But Eldest Sister was so cruel and jealous of her father’s favor that she chose Xue Liu instead of her.
The more Xue Yueying thought about it, the more stifled she felt. “Mother, have you forgotten? Sixth Miss was born an inauspicious person? In the past, there were never such mistakes in the mansion. Ever since Sixth Miss returned, there has been nothing but trouble. In the future, when she goes to Prince Duan’s Mansion, who knows if Eldest Sister will fall victim to her?”
Fu Shi’s expression changed drastically. “Silence! How dare you curse my Eldest Sister?”
Xue Yueying lowered her eyes. “Ying’er dares not. Ying’er is merely thinking about how to share your worries, Mother.”
Under Fu Shi’s questioning gaze, Xue Yueying took out a pale pink silk coin purse from her embrace, embroidered with a pair of butterflies about to take flight.
This was found in Xue Sui’s discarded clothes.
“This coin purse was originally intended for catching them in the act last night. Since it wasn’t used, I’ll think of another way.”
Fu Shi and Nanny Liu exchanged a look, their expressions softening slightly. Fu Shi said sarcastically, “Whatever you do, don’t tell me. I know nothing and am too lazy to concern myself with your sisterly disputes. After all, none of you were born from my womb, so if you don’t think of me, why should I empty my coffers to fight for your reputation?”
Xue Yueying knew Fu Shi was saying the opposite of what she meant, deliberately warning her. She bit her lower lip.
“Whatever Ying’er does has nothing to do with the First Madam. It is only because I consider the First Madam my own mother. Whoever makes the First Madam unhappy, Ying’er will make them restless…”
–
Yaoguang, carrying a pigeon cage, ascended the Qilin Pavilion of Misty Rain Tower and saw Xue Sui sitting by the window, leaning against the railing.
She was leisurely gazing at the green tile roof ridges outside the window.
Yaoguang put down the pigeon cage, his eyes smiling.
“Imperial Envoy, the news has arrived, and the Spirit Feather has also arrived.”
Xue Sui turned and glared at him. “Don’t joke.”
Opening the pigeon cage, a white pigeon happily emerged and lightly hopped onto her palm.
Xue Sui nuzzled its feathers, fed it a few grains, and smiled. “Spirit Feather, I’ll have to trouble you to do my bidding again.”
The pigeon pecked at the food, cooing occasionally as if responding to Xue Sui’s words.
“There’s food and meat. Sister Thirteen is very kind.” Yaoguang casually lifted his robe and sat down, picking up chopsticks for himself. He ate and laughed, “That Gu Wulang, confined to his mansion by his mother, must be going mad with anxiety. Truly foolish. Anyone who offends our Little Thirteen never has a good ending…”
Xue Sui did not reply, merely gesturing with her eyes. “The wine?”
Yaoguang glanced at her. “Senior Disciple Brother ordered you not to drink. How would I dare?”
Xue Sui looked at him calmly.
Yaoguang met her gaze for a moment, then finally relented, sighed, and took a wine pouch from his embrace, thrusting it into Xue Sui’s hand with a look of self-abandonment.
Xue Sui leaned against the window frame, lazily taking it, removing the stopper, and tilting her head to drink.
A few wisps of clear liquor slid down her fair, slender fingers. The wine was like nectar, and her hands were like fine jade.
At this moment, she was a completely different person from when she was at the Xue Mansion.
She was no longer the rule-abiding Sixth Miss of the Minister’s Mansion, but more like a young dandy from the marketplace, carrying a birdcage and teasing birds.
Yet, her beauty was unparalleled, her eyes like the Milky Way, her nose exquisitely straight, her dark hair lightly pinned up. A gentle breeze would only enhance her genuine, unrestrained, and casual demeanor.
Such charm was difficult for others to imitate and hard to dislike.
“It’s all my fault.”
Yaoguang shook his head and sighed, recalling the scene from that year.
Thirteen had only recently become a disciple of their Master. One night, Yaoguang secretly bought wine to drink and was caught just as he climbed over the wall.
She stood under the biting cold eaves, her height not even reaching his shoulders. She was so thin that if you crushed her, you couldn’t even make two pounds of meat. Yet, her eyes were large and bright, clear as water.
That was the first time Yaoguang was blackmailed by her into drinking together.
The two of them drank the entire jar of wine, and Thirteen didn’t say a word.
The next day, when Senior Disciple Brother found out, he was confined for half a month, while Thirteen suffered no consequences.
Later, every time he craved wine, Thirteen would seem to have a dog’s nose, sniffing him out…
And the upright and proper Senior Disciple Brother would catch them nine out of ten times.
“Pfft!” Yaoguang couldn’t help but chuckle, thinking of his youthful days. “Senior Disciple Brother is also for your own good. Your body is weak, and your tolerance for alcohol is poor. You should drink less…”
The last word got stuck in his throat.
Xue Sui squeezed the wine pouch, and it deflated. She threw it on the table.
“That’s too much,” Yaoguang said. “Later, I’ll be the one getting punished by Senior Disciple Brother.”
Xue Sui tidied her clothes, sat down calmly, and gently stroked the white pigeon’s head. Her demeanor was as proper as ever, and in an instant, she transformed back into the well-behaved Sixth Miss of the Xue Mansion. “Go back and tell Senior Disciple Brother that great kindness needs no thanks. Thirteen will repay it another day.”
Yaoguang was almost nauseated by her words. “We are fellow disciples, there’s no need for this… At worst, we’ll be punished by Master together.”
He sighed again. “Thirteen, if you’re tired, go back to the Old Mausoleum Swamp.”
Xue Sui smiled slightly and softly hummed, with a hint of drunkenness in her voice.
–
The weather was clear and sunny, with the warm sun high in the sky.
A white pigeon broke through the clouds, gracefully soaring over the majestic city walls, passing the training grounds of the Eastern Palace Guard Commander’s Mansion, and then lightly landing on the roof ridge, cooing softly.
On the training grounds, Crown Prince Li Zhao, clad in black soft armor embroidered with gold and wearing a purple-gold helmet to tie his hair, held a long bow. He galloped on a fine horse with agile movements. He stretched his long arm, drew his bow, and aimed at the straw targets standing on the training grounds…
Suddenly, he raised his arrow and pointed it at the pigeon that had stopped on the roof ridge.
The bowstring was slowly drawn back, emitting a hum.
As if sensing danger, the white pigeon spread its wings and flew into mid-air.
What an intelligent little creature!
Li Zhao slowly lowered his arrow before shooting, a slight smile forming on his lips.
The pigeon, unafraid of death, bravely flapped its wings towards him and landed fearlessly on the horse’s saddle.
Guan Ya caught up. “Your Highness, it’s a carrier pigeon!”
Li Zhao opened his palm.
The white pigeon gently landed.
A delicate letter tube was tied to its slender leg.
Pigeon: It’s all thanks to me, flying, flying, flying, two little bees, flying into the flower bushes, you collect your honey, I eat my grain, eating, eating, collecting, collecting…
