Chapter 12: Unrest in the Household
I struggled to lift my head, feeling dizzy. On a persimmon tree in the gully, a few winter persimmons still clung sparsely, reflecting the clear blue sky like cinnabar.
“Madam, are you alright?”
I turned my face and saw Cheng Huaishi looking at me with concern in his eyes.
How could he be here, having not returned all night?
He helped me up: “I returned to the residence around noon today. Before I even entered, I heard someone say you had an accident on Guanyin Mountain, so I rushed over. I was a step too late.”
He tore off a strip from his robe’s cuff and bandaged me.
Around noon… it had only been half an hour.
How did the people at the residence know I had an accident?
I asked, “Who told you?”
“A young apprentice from the counter, named Hei Dou. He usually follows Shopkeeper Wu…”
Before he finished speaking, a noise was heard.
It sounded like someone was coming down the hillside.
Cheng Huaishi grabbed me and pulled me into the depths of the jungle to hide.
The masked men searched everywhere, following the river at the foot of the mountain, and gradually moved away.
I pondered for a moment and said, “The people who attacked today wanted both Second Master and me to die.”
Cheng Huaishi’s brow twitched upon hearing this.
“I know a small path into the city. We’ll take the small path to circle back.”
Cheng Huaishi held my hand and walked west, parting the thorns in the forest with his other hand.
Reaching a cliff, he carried me on his back, taking slow, steady steps to cross it.
Amidst the howling mountain wind and the perilous escape, he carefully protected me.
I lay on his back and softly asked, “Is Miss Xun safe?”
His back stiffened, and he said, “I’m sorry.”
After a long while, he explained, “Last night, I thought she was in danger. Remembering Lord Xun’s entrustment from years ago, I rushed over. Miss Xun was taken by the officials from Huai’an Prefecture. When I arrived and understood what had happened, it turned out to be a misunderstanding. Miss Xun was released immediately. I then hurried back, I…”
He hadn’t returned all night because he had gone to Huai’an Prefecture.
He hesitated for a moment, his rapid steps halting, and I heard his low panting.
“As I was rushing around outside, I kept thinking of you, Madam, and felt uneasy. You must not have slept well last night.”
A pang of sadness welled up in my nose, and I said, “Next time something like this happens, I’ll go with you.”
He quickly said, “There won’t be a next time.”
The sun slowly slanted westward.
He took a winter persimmon from his pocket and offered it to me: “Yangzhou winter persimmons, have you ever eaten them, Madam? I loved them when I was a child. Winter persimmons are sweeter than autumn persimmons. I suppose it’s because they’ve been through the cold.”
I took it and took a bite, saying, “When I was little, Mother brewed persimmon wine, and I secretly took a sip and was drunk all day.”
“And then?” he listened intently.
“Then, Mother found me under the table and carried me back to bed. She didn’t scold me, only said that many things in the world, when not tried, always make you want to try them. Once you try them, you’ll find they’re not what you imagined. Therefore, for everything, you must consider the worst possible outcome before trying.”
He smiled: “When my elder brother and I did something wrong, Mother said the same thing. My elder brother climbed a tree to pick persimmons for me and fell…”
He suddenly stopped, falling silent.
As if a thorny truth lay before them.
If you got close, you would be pricked.
He had been weighing it silently all the way.
At dusk, we returned to the city.
I realized the direction he carried me was wrong.
The end of the road was the yamen.
I understood what he intended to do and quickly called out to him, “No!”
He said, “This matter might be related to your brother and sister-in-law. You were the one injured, and you were the one frightened. If the government investigates and finds it true, they will bear the punishment themselves. You don’t need to worry.”
I got down from his back and tugged at him.
His handsome face was a mixture of hesitation and heartache: “Because I don’t want to believe it, I want to find out the truth. Right and wrong will eventually be settled.”
“I have a way to resolve this. Second Master, please return to the residence with me,” I said firmly.
Today’s events could not be reported to the authorities.
The Old Madam’s sadness was one reason, and the Cheng Residence’s internal strife and disharmony affecting their reputation was another.
More importantly, there was little evidence in hand at the moment. Those thugs were not caught. As long as the Eldest Young Master and his wife deny it vehemently, they won’t face much punishment. It’s possible they might frame Wu Bi or even accuse the second branch of falsely accusing him to monopolize the family fortune.
Since they dared to do such a thing, they must have made thorough preparations.
It would be best to make them confess themselves.
Cheng Huaishi, half-believing, returned to the residence with me.
He Hua and Wu Bi had already returned.
The masked men were after me and Cheng Huaishi. Seeing they couldn’t find us, they didn’t linger.
They sustained some minor injuries. Nothing serious.
I ordered Wu Bi to summon the young apprentice Hei Dou from the counter. As expected, he had already disappeared. He didn’t even care about his wages. It’s likely someone offered him a greater reward.
From memory, I drew the likenesses of those thugs on paper. They were masked, but their eyes were visible.
After drawing, I handed it to Wu Bi: “Find some people who look similar. A general resemblance will suffice.”
Wu Bi nodded.
This time, we must get their handle, so they never dare to harbor malicious intentions again.
The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the wandering clouds red. Before long, those clouds transformed into magnificent sunset hues. The sunset seemed to have received the wind’s instructions, moving slowly or quickly, twisting into myriad shapes.
Eldest Young Master Cheng Cangshi emerged from a brothel, humming a tune.
As he reached a narrow alley, I blocked his path.
“Eldest Brother—” I called out.
His features bore a five-tenths resemblance to Cheng Huaishi, but his face was not as angular as Cheng Huaishi’s. His face was round. Just like his once very slick approach to officialdom. Inaction, offending no one. Greedy yet cowardly.
He was startled to see me but quickly composed himself and lazily asked, “What are you doing here?”
I said faintly, “Where do you think I should be, Eldest Brother? On Guanyin Mountain? In the underworld?”
He coughed twice: “What nonsense are you talking!”
I said, “Eldest Brother, I went to Huiming Teahouse today to collect a debt and encountered bandits…”
His eyes flickered: “They must have been after money, robbers. Second Young Mistress, as a woman, you should go out less in the future.”
“Eldest Brother, those bandits have been caught—”
“How… how is that possible…”
I stared into his eyes.
“Listening to you, Eldest Brother, it sounds like you know them.”
“Don’t talk nonsense,” he shouted.
I clapped my hands, and Wu Bi brought over several people, all bound. They were masked, with only their eyes showing.
In an instant, those people were shoved into a horse carriage and driven away.
Cheng Cangshi’s face turned ashen.
I calmly said to Cheng Cangshi, “If Eldest Brother doesn’t recognize them, I’ll have to send them to the yamen. The newly appointed Prefect Geng is said to have been a harsh official before…”
I walked straight ahead, but he grabbed me: “Sister-in-law, Sister-in-law, no, you can’t do this. We are family, family…”
“Family?” I said coldly, “Eldest Brother remembers we are family at this moment?”
He shook his head: “It was all your Eldest Sister-in-law’s idea… Hmph, that troublesome woman, I told you not to, not to… Sister-in-law, look, you are safe now. Let’s just pretend this never happened, alright?”
I stopped walking.
“It’s not impossible, unless you promise me one thing…” I paused.
He eagerly said, “I promise, I promise.”
“Unless Eldest Brother writes down everything that happened on paper, so I can understand clearly—”
He looked at me hesitantly.
I continued walking forward: “Then let’s go to the prefectural office. Anyway, if Eldest Brother is unwilling to write it here, once we get to the prefectural office, with the beatings and the rack, you’ll have no choice but to write it. The Great Ming Law, hiring assassins, a hundred strokes, and banishment three thousand li…”
“I promise you,” he gritted his teeth, “but you must keep your word.”
“Good.”
As I expected, compared to the Eldest Young Mistress, Cheng Cangshi was easier to deal with.
He was timid, and he had just suffered the loss of his official position. Now that he had committed fratricide, he was already somewhat guilty. Seeing those similar masked men, six of his seven souls fled.
I collected his written confession and returned to the residence, heading towards the Old Madam in the North Courtyard.
Before I entered, I heard the Eldest Young Mistress’s voice from inside.
“It’s a good thing Mother trusts her, but who knew she would secretly spend money to support her own family behind Mother’s back. Today, when they checked the accounts, she still hasn’t returned. Could it be she’s secretly sent money back to Dongchang Prefecture again?”
She assumed I was dead and was rushing to lodge a complaint.
I smiled and walked in…
