Chapter 78: Planning to Catch in the Act
The second branch of the Gong Family was taking a concubine, and although it wasn’t a grand affair, preparations still needed to be made in advance.
Coincidentally, on this day, the Old Madam of the Shao Zong Bo family in the Imperial Court passed away, and the Gong Family naturally received the news of the mourning.
Old Madam Gong said, “We are old family friends with their family. Their Old Madam has passed away, so we must attend.”
Madam Wei said, “That is natural. Your daughter-in-law has already ordered the carriage to be prepared. Your sister-in-law will likely be going as well.”
“Does that even need to be said? She’s back now and managing the household, so how can she not show her face? The mourning period will last for seven days. Our family members must go every day during these seven days to be proper!” Elderly people pay particular attention to funerals, but not so much to weddings.
“What Old Madam says is reasonable. The more proper the etiquette, the better. However, I think the weather is truly too hot now, and there are many people there, so it’s inevitable that there won’t be a proper place to sit, and the smell might not be very pleasant.
Why don’t you go on the first day and the last day, and that will be enough? With your sister-in-law and I going every day, I don’t think they will feel we are being neglectful.”
“That’s true. If I go every day, the host family would have to specifically assign someone to look after me, which would only inconvenience them.” Old Madam Gong thought for a moment and said, “Then we’ll do as you say!”
Thus, she sent someone to inform Wen Mingqian to dress appropriately and come over to pay their respects together.
Wen Mingqian quickly had someone find plain-colored clothes. She didn’t usually wear much jewelry, and now she removed two more pieces.
“Zhang Ma, please take care of the household matters with the stewards. I think Ma Ping’an, the gatekeeper, handles things quite thoroughly and maturely. If there’s anything that needs to be done outside, have him take people to do it first, and I’ll review it when I return,” Wen Mingqian said.
“Miss, please go with peace of mind! I’ve been paying attention to that Ma Ping’an these days, and he can indeed be relied upon,” Zhang Ma said. “He’s just a bit young, and I’m afraid he still needs to go through a few major events to gain experience.”
“You handle it as you see fit! This mansion looks fine from the outside, but in reality, it’s leaking everywhere,” Wen Mingqian said. “Consort Song focuses only on appearances when managing the household, but internally it’s a complete mess. She allows the servants to be greedy and even considers it a means of winning people over.”
“Those who are bound by profit will inevitably be separated by profit,” Zhang Ma said. “It won’t last long.”
Then she asked Wen Mingqian, “Who are you taking with you today?”
Wen Mingqian said, “I’m going with Old Madam and First Madam. One maid will be enough.”
She added, “Liu Er’s clothes today are not bright. Come with me!”
Liu Er quickly agreed, removed a pomegranate flower from her hair, and followed the Matriarch out.
Not long after they left, Zhang Ma began directing everyone to get busy.
Sang Er wiped the windowsill a few times at a leisurely pace, then came over to Zhang Ma and said, “I think I’m suffering from heatstroke. I just feel dizzy and can’t stand steady.”
Zhang Ma said, “You really are a delicate flower! Go, go! Go back to your room and rest! You weren’t cut out for this kind of work anyway.”
Sang Er then went to the back. First, she lay down in her room for a while, and at lunchtime, she left through the corner gate to the northwest.
She didn’t expect a pair of eyes to have been watching her the whole time. Seeing her leave, they followed her from a distance.
The weather grew hotter, and Consort Song’s pregnancy was quite arduous.
Fortunately, by this time, many fresh melons and fruits were already in season. The maids scooped out the most tender parts of the fruits with silver spoons and placed them on agate plates, with small silver forks for Consort Song to enjoy.
“Little Madam, please try this peach that Uncle sent. They say it’s a new variety cultivated by fruit farmers in the Eastern Capital in the last two years. It’s not soft and mushy like peaches used to be; it’s crisp and sweet.”
Consort Song took a bite and said, “It’s alright, but unfortunately, its sweetness can’t compare to lychees.”
“Lychees are a rare delicacy. The floods in the south this year made it difficult to transport them. The tribute that can be transported isn’t even enough!”
As they were speaking, Granny Yang hurried in. Seeing her like this, Consort Song called two maids, “Go to the kitchen and tell Sister Qi that for lunch, I want one dish of silk melon and ham, and another of yellow wine trotters. For the rest, have her prepare some vegetable dishes.”
After the two maids left, Granny Yang could barely contain her excitement, “Little Madam, that little wench Sang Er really is up to something! This time, she’s handed us the leverage!”
Consort Song’s spirits also rose upon hearing this, and she asked, “What shameful deed has she committed?”
Granny Yang said, “I had my daughter-in-law follow her and discovered that this little wench secretly slipped out again today. There’s a small courtyard in an alley just across the street to the north of our mansion. She went in and didn’t come out for a long time. Inside the door was a young man, and they were reluctant to part at the entrance. It’s clear they’re having an affair.”
Consort Song, however, was very cautious, “Since ancient times, catching someone in the act requires proof of them being together. If they aren’t caught in the act, it’s not conclusive.”
Granny Yang said, “Then what should we do? Let’s wait until they meet again tomorrow, then we can break in and catch them.”
Consort Song said, “Don’t rush. At times like these, it’s even more important to stay calm. Wen Mingqian will be out attending mourning ceremonies these few days, so this girl will surely sneak out whenever she has free time. Have someone agile go around the vicinity of the house and investigate who lives inside. Knowing yourself and your enemy is the best strategy.
Once we confirm that these two are having an affair, then we can break in and apprehend them, ensuring no mistakes are made.”
Granny Yang said, “Understood. I’ll arrange for someone to go now.”
Gong Changan had already started school and was reading at the same table as Feng Tianzhu.
Since Wen Mingqian had to go out to attend mourning ceremonies every day for the past few days, Little Madam Wu of the Duke Feng’s Family sent someone to inform them that Gong Changan would be staying at their home for these few days. Since she wasn’t going out to mourn, she could take care of the two children.
Wen Mingqian didn’t refuse upon hearing this, to avoid appearing distant. So, she asked Zhang Ma to pack some clothes and also brought some food and toys to send to the Feng Family.
“Tell Changan not to be too mischievous at someone else’s house. If he causes trouble, he won’t have such freedom in the future,” Wen Mingqian instructed Zhang Ma.
Two days later, Granny Yang excitedly ran to report to Consort Song, “Little Madam, my nephew has investigated thoroughly. The person living in that house is a poor scholar from Mingzhou, Sang Er’s fellow townsman. They’ve been meeting frequently for more than a day. Yesterday, my nephew secretly climbed over the wall and listened to the two talking under the window. They were pledging their love and seemed to be planning to elope!”
“What audacious courage, not fearing death,” Consort Song sneered. “But it’s convenient for us. We were originally thinking of bribing someone in that courtyard. Now we don’t need to. Coercion is more effective than bribery, especially when it concerns human lives.”
“What you say is reasonable. As long as we hold her lifeline, we’re not afraid she won’t comply,” Granny Yang said with a smug smile. “Otherwise, she’ll surely face dire consequences!”
Consort Song said, “Today, have people keep a close watch. When Sang Er goes out, we’ll follow her. Arrange for someone who can climb walls to go over the wall in advance and open the door for us from the inside.”
Granny Yang smiled so broadly that her mouth couldn’t close upon hearing that they were going to catch them in the act today.
