Chapter 188: Devising a Countermeasure
Wen Mingqian entered, a slight smile on her face.
After a brief exchange with Madam Zhou, she said, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, Madam. I have a piece of brocade fabric here, which the wife of Marquis Yichun gave me a while ago. It’s quite valuable and the color is dignified. I feel it’s not suitable for me to wear, so I’m giving it to you!”
Madam Zhou naturally disliked Wen Mingqian, but as the saying goes, one doesn’t strike a smiling face. Since the other party had come bearing gifts, she couldn’t directly show her displeasure. Moreover, Cao Hongyu’s sudden departure had left her flustered, so she could only vaguely say, “Thank you, Madam Wen, for your thoughtfulness.”
Liu Cuiyi seized the opportunity and said, “Mother-in-law didn’t sleep well last night, please let her rest a bit longer! Elder Sister, please come to my room to talk.”
Wen Mingqian followed Liu Cuiyi to her room.
Liu Cuiyi dismissed the servants and then, with tears in her eyes, said, “Elder Sister, you know everything now, don’t you?”
“What are you referring to?” Wen Mingqian asked.
Liu Cuiyi said, “Elder Sister, although I am incapable, I am not foolish. I read the letter that Cao Hongyu sent this morning and knew that only you could help me. Since you’ve dealt with that Cao woman, you must know the whole story, and you’re fully aware of my situation with Sang Sanyang.”
Wen Mingqian nodded.
Liu Cuiyi continued, “It’s not that I intended to hide it, it’s just… I was too ashamed to say it out loud…”
At this moment, Granny Zhao entered from outside and knelt before Wen Mingqian, saying, “It’s all my fault, old woman. I instigated our young lady to do this. The Zhou Family doesn’t treat her as a person, and if she doesn’t bear a male heir, they’ll cast her out.
Although things are difficult here, there are still two young ladies. And after our young lady is driven out, her situation will likely be even more unbearable.
Besides, Boss Sang truly cares for her. Our young lady has suffered so much; she deserves someone to cherish and care for her. Madam Wen, if you must blame someone, blame me!”
“Granny Zhao, how can this be your fault? I take responsibility for my own actions.” Liu Cuiyi reached out to help her up. “Ultimately, you did it for me, and I wasn’t forced into this by anyone else.”
“This is not the time to argue about who is right or wrong. What’s done is done, and regret is useless,” Wen Mingqian sighed lightly. “Cuiyi, I’m not here to scold you today. Instead, there are some things I must caution you about, so you can take precautions in advance.”
“Elder Sister, you are always so composed,” Liu Cuiyi said, feeling inferior. “I will just follow your instructions.”
“You’ve gained a lot of experience now; at least you didn’t lose your composure under the questioning of your mother-in-law and Cao Hongyu,” Wen Mingqian smiled.
Liu Cuiyi blushed. “Elder Sister, please don’t tease me. In such matters, unless one is dead, how can one possibly yield?”
“It’s good that you have a plan in mind,” Wen Mingqian said. “I scared Cao Hongyu away, but this matter is not over. The person behind her will not be content and will stir up more trouble. Your mother-in-law is very easily swayed and has no firm opinions of her own; she easily believes whatever anyone tells her.
Currently, she lacks witnesses, making it difficult for her to act. But perhaps in a few days, someone will say something to her again, and she will bring up this matter. You still won’t have any peace.”
“No wonder. When Cao Hongyu came, I found it strange. She couldn’t possibly know those things, yet she spoke with such conviction. Now that you say she was instigated by someone behind the scenes, I understand. But Elder Sister, who exactly is behind this scheme?” Liu Cuiyi asked.
“It’s the Liu Family. I displeased County Princess Liu, and she wants to find fault with me, so she’s come after you,” Wen Mingqian said. “This is something I didn’t anticipate, and I’ve implicated you.”
“Speaking of which, it’s ultimately my own poor conduct that gave her leverage,” Liu Cuiyi said. “But their family is powerful; how can we contend with them? That County Princess Liu is notoriously arrogant and overbearing, always looking down on people. Her parents dote on her excessively, allowing her to act with impunity.”
“You don’t need to panic. Although the Liu Family is powerful, they don’t have any concrete evidence. They just want to drown you with gossip,” Wen Mingqian said. “For this kind of situation, as long as you vehemently deny it, it will ultimately remain mere rumors. The first priority is to keep your mouth shut. The second is to make the Zhou Family indispensable to you. If they believe others, they will still have reservations and dare not cast you out; they might even actively defend your reputation.”
“Madam Wen, we can achieve the first point, but the second point is too difficult. Is it even possible?” Granny Zhao couldn’t help but worry.
“Cuiyi, this is all I can say,” Wen Mingqian said, stopping at the crucial point. “The rest will be up to you to figure out.”
Liu Cuiyi was naturally troubled, but she gritted her teeth and replied, “I will do my best to find a way. If heaven pities me and I can find a solution, that would be best. If not, I can only leave it to fate!”
“Speaking of which, how is your body doing now? Has this incident affected your fetal qi?” Wen Mingqian asked her.
Liu Cuiyi smiled shyly and said, “This child is very resilient! Despite all this turmoil, I can still eat and sleep.”
In fact, Liu Cuiyi had long since made up her mind after developing feelings for Sang Sanyang. Rather than live a lifetime of meekness, it was better to live a few days with gusto.
Before, she had too many worries; she was afraid of this and afraid of that.
But what of it? Misfortune wouldn’t avoid her just because she was afraid. On the contrary, the more timid she was, the more people would bully her.
She still remembered the day before she decided to meet Sang Sanyang in secret, she couldn’t sleep late because she was restless.
It was already autumn then, and she sat by the lamp, as still as a clay sculpture.
At that moment, a moth crawled in through a gap in the window. It threw itself at the candlelight without hesitation, again and again. Even though its body was scorched, it didn’t show the slightest hesitation.
Only when it had exhausted its last bit of strength did its broken body fall to the ground.
Everyone said that moths flying into flames were too reckless, too foolish.
But Liu Cuiyi didn’t think so. She only felt that the moth was decisive and heroic.
What else could it do but fly into the flames? It wouldn’t survive this late autumn anyway.
Rather than have its life slowly drain away in the day-to-day cold, it was better to fight for the flames with all its might, which was exhilarating!
All along, she had felt like she was bound by layers of cocoons, narrow and stifling, with an uncertain future.
At her maternal home, her parents repeatedly warned her to be virtuous, kind, and cautious.
She dared not laugh heartily, dared not walk quickly, dared not meet people’s eyes.
She lived a life of subservience, terrified of making even the slightest mistake.
After marrying into the husband’s family, her life became even more bleak.
The sins were not hers, yet she had to bear them all.
No matter what she did, it was wrong; everything she did was a mistake.
Finally, one day, she broke free from the cocoon and struggled to climb out.
However, the surroundings were still cold and bleak, with biting winds and bitter rain, making it difficult for her to breathe.
Therefore, she wanted to fly into the flames, just to have her own warmth and passion in this life where she had no freedom.
