Chapter 272: Clue
Half a month later, the Cheng’an Marchioness sent someone to invite Su Yaoguang and Zhou Wangshu over, saying that on the first and fifteenth, the whole family would have dinner together.
The husband and wife had no idea what medicine she was selling in her gourd, so they went to the main courtyard on time, sat down at the dining table, and waited for the big show to begin.
The Marquis of Cheng’an had just returned to the mansion not long ago and had only just finished washing and grooming.
“Everyone’s here, let’s eat!”
“Wait a moment…” the Cheng’an Marchioness smiled, “Marquis, there’s still someone who hasn’t arrived, wait a bit more.”
The Marquis of Cheng’an looked at Zhou Wangshu and Su Yaoguang, not understanding: “There are only these few people in our mansion, who else hasn’t arrived?”
“She’s here.” The Cheng’an Marchioness looked toward the doorway.
Only to see a plainly dressed woman walking in from the doorway.
This woman had a pure appearance, like a gentle breeze supporting willow branches, truly pitiable at first sight.
“This is…” A flash of amazement appeared in the Marquis of Cheng’an’s eyes.
“This is my distant niece.” The Cheng’an Marchioness said, “Her family had some trouble, so she came to seek refuge with me. I saw that she, a weak woman, was having a hard time in these times, so I kept her here. Just right, Zhen’er also needs someone to serve him, and with her taking care of him, I can feel at ease.”
“Since she’s your distant niece, we should naturally entertain her well, so why let her go take care of Zhen’er?” The Marquis of Cheng’an frowned.
“After all, she’s not one of us from Marquis Cheng’an’s Mansion, we can’t let her eat and live here for free, right?” The Cheng’an Marchioness said, “Even if I don’t mind, others will. It’s not like before; now there’s a Young Madam in charge of household management.”
Su Yaoguang looked at the Cheng’an Marchioness in confusion: “Is Madam talking about me? Anyway, I’m not in charge of household management, and I don’t have to support her, so I won’t mind.”
“Our Yaoguang isn’t such a petty person.” Zhou Wangshu said indifferently.
The woman first bowed to everyone, then introduced herself: “Qianbi is troubling Uncle-in-law and Aunt, Qianbi has seen Eldest Male Cousin and Eldest Cousin-in-law.”
“Eldest Male Cousin…” Su Yaoguang said in Zhou Wangshu’s ear, “She’s quite pretty.”
Zhou Wangshu pinched the palm of her hand under the table: “My Yaoguang is the most beautiful.”
“Alright, let’s eat!” The Marquis of Cheng’an said indifferently.
Tong Qianbi sat at Su Yaoguang’s side, cautiously showing favor. Throughout, she kept her head down, not daring to pick up food, only focused on eating the rice grains in her bowl.
She mustered her courage to pick up a piece of meat and put it into Su Yaoguang’s bowl, looking carefully deferential.
Zhou Wangshu picked out that piece of meat, had the maidservant nearby replace it with a pair of unused chopsticks, and then picked fresh food for Su Yaoguang.
Tong Qianbi buried her head even lower.
This kind of atmosphere really affected the appetite.
Su Yaoguang didn’t eat much, put down her chopsticks, and said to the Marquis of Cheng’an: “Father, I’m full, please eat slowly.”
Zhou Wangshu followed by putting down his chopsticks, pulled her to stand up: “Then we’ll head back to our courtyard first.”
After the couple left, the Cheng’an Marchioness said to Tong Qianbi: “You move directly to Zhen’er’s courtyard later.”
“Yes, Aunt.”
After Su Yaoguang and Zhou Wangshu returned to their courtyard, they talked about the earlier situation.
“That distant female cousin is quite good-looking; could it be she’s trying to use a honey trap on you, to drive a wedge between our relationship?”
“We’ll know by waiting for their next moves.” Zhou Wangshu said, “If that’s really the case, then they’re even stupider than we imagined.”
The next day, when Su Yaoguang got up, Zhou Wangshu had already gone to the yamen to work.
She was walking in the courtyard when she heard a few maidservants talking nearby.
“That Cousin Miss just moved yesterday to take care of the Second Young Master, and was knocked over by the Second Young Master spilling the soup bowl, directly scalding a hand full of blisters on those pretty hands.”
“Not just that! The Second Young Master is getting more and more perverted, whipped her over a dozen times with a whip. Heard he originally wanted to force himself on her, but the Second Young Master’s that part is already ruined, so it didn’t happen.”
“Serves her right.”
Su Yaoguang raised an eyebrow.
Could it be they had all guessed wrong this time, and this person was really brought by the Cheng’an Marchioness to serve her precious son?
Su Yaoguang still had to go to the shop to take care of business, so she ate outside directly and didn’t stay in the mansion for breakfast.
She took her own maidservant out the door, and just after leaving her Hui Yuan not far, she saw that Cousin Miss heading toward the lake not far away, looking like she was despondent and about to jump into the lake.
Su Yaoguang stood there without moving, watching Tong Qianbi’s actions.
Tong Qianbi jumped into the lake with a splash, and the person sank into the lake.
Su Yaoguang just watched the lake surface like that.
The maidservant nearby was stunned and pulled at Su Yaoguang’s sleeve, asking: “If this person dies, they won’t say we did it, right?”
“Help! Cousin Miss has fallen into the water…” A servant passing by saw Tong Qianbi struggling in the water and shouted nervously.
“Let’s go, looks like she won’t die.” Su Yaoguang took her people and left.
That evening, Su Yaoguang had just returned to the mansion and was waiting for Zhou Wangshu to come out of the bathroom when she saw a maidservant stumbling in and kneeling before her.
“Young Madam, please save our miss, Young Madam…” The maidservant kowtowed toward Su Yaoguang. “Our miss is going to be tormented to death by the Second Young Master.”
Su Yaoguang frowned: “Your miss is…”
“It’s Cousin Miss Tong Qianbi!”
“She’s the Marchioness’s distant niece; if anything happens, the Marchioness will take care of it for you, why come to me?” Su Yaoguang picked up the teacup and drank, “I don’t manage household affairs anyway.”
“But the Marchioness doesn’t care about our miss’s life or death at all. The reason she took in our miss was to make her work like an ox and horse for the Second Young Master. Heard the Second Young Master’s temper is bad, and he’s already beaten and killed many maidservants before. The Marchioness thinks our family’s miss is at least his female cousin, so he won’t beat and kill her like those maidservants.”
“Her thinking is right; isn’t your miss perfectly fine?”
“But our miss is going to be killed by him!” The maidservant cried, “Young Madam, we’re all women; you’ve suffered before too, so you must be kind-hearted. Our miss has had a hard life; her parents died early, and it was her eldest uncle who raised her, but the master wanted to sell her to the sixty-year-old county magistrate as a concubine. With no other choice, miss came to seek refuge with the Marchioness.”
“The Marchioness appears charitable, but ended up making our miss work like an ox and horse for the Second Young Master. If it was just serving the Second Young Master, our miss would accept it. But the Second Young Master’s methods are truly too cruel; she, a weak woman, can’t endure it! This time… this time he actually used fire tongs to burn miss in that place… miss hasn’t married yet!”
Su Yaoguang frowned.
“Where is your miss?”
“This servant risked death to bring miss out; she’s now right outside your courtyard gate.”
“Then bring her in!” Su Yaoguang stood up and walked out, instructing the servants, “Call a doctor over.”
“Best to be a female doctor.” The maidservant said, “Heard there’s a skilled female doctor in the capital city; better to have the female doctor come examine miss!”
“Then invite Doctor Jiang Jing from Peach Blossom Workshop.” Su Yaoguang said.
While the servant went to fetch Jiang Jing, Su Yaoguang saw that Tong Qianbi miss. At this time, her face was deathly pale, looking like a female ghost.
“You all help her to the side room.”
Zhou Wangshu came out after bathing, saw no one in the room, went out to ask the servants, and only then learned she had been pulled away by Tong Qianbi’s maidservant, so he hurried to the side room.
He strode in, and everyone bowed to him.
Tong Qianbi’s maidservant knelt on the ground, kowtowing to Zhou Wangshu: “Please save our miss, Eldest Young Master, please don’t drive miss away.”
Zhou Wangshu put his arm around Su Yaoguang’s shoulders, looking displeased at the person lying on the bed.
“Didn’t I say not to meddle in trivial matters?”
“I saw she was really pitiful and couldn’t help it.” Su Yaoguang said, “Alright, she’s just an irrelevant person; saving her once conveniently won’t mean keeping her forever.”
Zhou Wangshu showed displeasure on his face.
“Alright, don’t be angry; I’ll definitely keep you company properly later.”
Jiang Jing soon arrived.
Su Yaoguang pulled Zhou Wangshu out the door.
After a while, Jiang Jing’s cursing voice came from inside: “Which beast did this?”
“You all guard here; once Jiang Jing is done, have her come to the main courtyard to find me.” Su Yaoguang instructed, then pulled Zhou Wangshu back to her main room.
Back in the main room, Zhou Wangshu removed the ornaments from her hair.
He combed her hair for her, then chatted with her about today’s amusing things, being affectionate there.
“Yaoguang, brother-in-law, may I come in?” Jiang Jing called from outside, “If it’s inconvenient, Yaoguang come out; we’ll talk outside.”
Su Yaoguang pulled open the door and dragged Jiang Jing into the room.
Jiang Jing saw the two hadn’t rested yet and smiled: “Am I disturbing you?”
“Even if there’s a disturbance, it’s not you, but some unrelated person.” Zhou Wangshu said displeased, “How is that person?”
Mentioning Tong Qianbi, Jiang Jing’s eyes were full of pity.
“She has many injuries on her body: burns, needle pricks, knife cuts, and the most terrifying is… that place for a woman is already ulcerated, simply having endured inhuman torment.”
“New injuries or old?”
“New injuries.” Jiang Jing said, “As for old injuries, there are a few calluses from work, but no obvious scars.”
“Jing’er, thanks for making this trip.” Su Yaoguang held Jiang Jing’s hand and said.
“You’re being so polite with me, I’ll go complain to godmother when I get back.” Jiang Jing finished, shook her medicine box, “Since there’s nothing else, I’ll head back first.”
“Alright, I’ll send someone to escort you back.”
After Jiang Jing left, Su Yaoguang hugged Zhou Wangshu’s arm and whispered a few words in his ear.
Zhou Wangshu frowned: “You want to keep her?”
“She’s so pitiful!” Su Yaoguang said, “If I see death and don’t save her, am I even human? If word gets out that Marquis Cheng’an’s Mansion abused a distant miss like this, and no one in the whole mansion spoke up for her, wouldn’t that drag us down too? She’s so pitiful; at least leave her a way to live.”
Zhou Wangshu frowned: “Do as you please.”
Anyway, he had her back.
Zhou Wangshu kissed her cheek: “You’ve meddled in trivial matters; isn’t it time to attend to your husband?”
Su Yaoguang hugged his narrow waist, pressed against his chest: “Tell me what husband wants; even the stars in the sky, I’ll pluck them down for you.”
Zhou Wangshu snorted coldly: “Sweet words come so easily; good thing I took you in, or who knows how you’d harm the innocent foolish men outside.”
The next day, when Su Yaoguang woke up, she heard voices talking outside.
She pulled open the door and saw Tong Qianbi standing outside supported by her maidservant; upon seeing her come out, she immediately knelt down to kowtow.
“What are you doing?”
“Cousin-in-law’s great kindness and virtue, Qianbi doesn’t know how to repay. Qianbi is willing to work like an ox and horse for cousin-in-law, hoping cousin-in-law won’t despise Qianbi.”
Su Yaoguang looked at Tong Qianbi’s figure that couldn’t even stand and frowned: “Even if you want to work like an ox and horse, you need to recover your health first, right? You go back and rest first; we’ll talk after you’re better.”
“But Aunt there…”
“I’ll go talk to her later.”
“Thank you, cousin-in-law.”
The maidservant supported Tong Qianbi as they left.
Zhou Wangshu hugged her slim waist from behind and said in her ear: “I have socializing tonight and might return late. How about you stay at the general’s mansion tonight?”
Su Yaoguang knew what Zhou Wangshu meant but had her own ideas.
“I’ll wait for you at home.”
“Yaoguang…” Zhou Wangshu looked at her with disapproving eyes.
“Aiya, I know my limits.” Su Yaoguang pushed him, “Hurry to work, or you’ll be late.”
After eating breakfast, Su Yaoguang went to the Cheng’an Marchioness and said that Tong Qianbi was very much to her liking and she planned to keep her by her side to work.
The Cheng’an Marchioness said displeased: “Our Zhen’er rarely finds someone who knows how to serve; if you take her away, what about Zhen’er? How about you arrange two people to serve Zhen’er?”
“The Second Young Master’s spirits are so good; no need for servants to serve.” Su Yaoguang said, “Here are fifty taels of silver, enough for the Second Young Master to buy a few strong young servants.”
The Cheng’an Marchioness said coldly: “Fifty taels of silver, to send off beggars?”
“Marchioness is right; we’re family, no need to be so polite. If we give silver, that would be treating each other as outsiders.” Su Yaoguang took back the silver. “I’ve delivered the message, so I’ll take my leave first.”
The Cheng’an Marchioness glared as Su Yaoguang’s figure walked away.
From behind came the sounds of the Cheng’an Marchioness smashing things: “That’s my distant niece; I’ve only just started using her a few days, and she takes the person away. The marquis manor hasn’t even fallen into their hands yet, and she’s already acting like the lady of the house; is she not taking this mother-in-law seriously?”
Su Yaoguang listened to the noises behind her.
The maidservant beside her said: “Cousin Miss has such an aunt; truly unlucky. In this servant’s view, better to marry that several-decades-old man as concubine; at least she could live. If not for Young Madam’s kindness, with how the Second Young Master tormented Cousin Miss, she wouldn’t survive half a month.”
“This Cousin Miss is indeed a pitiable one; no wonder you’re so sympathetic to her.” Su Yaoguang said.
“Doesn’t Young Madam sympathize with her?” The maidservant asked puzzled.
“I sympathize too, that’s why I’m helping her out; otherwise, I wouldn’t get involved in main courtyard matters!” Su Yaoguang said, “You all keep an eye on her, take good care of her.”
As Su Yaoguang passed the side room, she heard Tong Qianbi talking with her maidservant inside.
“Miss, Young Madam has already gone to the main courtyard; you’ll finally not have to suffer torment anymore.”
