Chapter 79: My Beloved Brother
By this day, Wen Mingqian and Wei Shi went out together again.
Consort Song tidied herself up and first went to pay respects to Old Madam Gong, incidentally asking for permission, “I wish to visit my sister-in-law today. I heard my niece was ill a few days ago and I’m quite worried.”
Old Madam Gong said, “What’s the matter with that? Just go ahead.”
Consort Song returned to her own courtyard but did not leave in a hurry, watching two maids thread needles and make tassels.
Suddenly, she felt like eating sunflower seeds again, so she asked the kitchen to stir-fry some, and ate them with milk tea.
“Little Madam, that wench has gone past,” Granny Yang’s informant reported, saying Sang Er had entered that courtyard again.
“Heh, it seems her courage is growing. In the past, she would always go out during everyone’s nap, but today she couldn’t even wait until noon.” Consort Song threw the half-handful of sunflower seeds in her hand back into the plate, and a maid beside her brought clear tea for her to rinse her mouth.
“Shall we go now then?” Granny Yang asked.
“Why wouldn’t we? I’ve already asked the Old Madam for permission.” Consort Song said, standing up, and slowly walked out, leaning on Granny Yang’s arm.
Stepping outside, she looked up at the sky. It was overcast and sunless, yet she said with great joy, “What a fine day.”
Consort Song took a carriage to the entrance of the alley. This alley was very simple, clearly not a place where wealthy people lived. There were no people coming and going at this time, and it was quiet.
A tall, thin man carrying a basket walked over. He first paid his respects to Consort Song, then said to Granny Yang, “Aunt, that maid has been inside for the time it takes an incense stick to burn.”
It turned out he was Granny Yang’s nephew, disguised as a lotus seed vendor to keep watch here.
“You all go guard the two ends of the alley,” Granny Yang instructed those who had followed her. “Nephew, you climb over the wall and open the door from the inside.”
The people who came with them were all hired by Consort Song’s brother, a group of ruffians and idlers.
Granny Yang’s nephew climbed over the wall into the courtyard and quietly opened the door from the inside. Consort Song then led her people in a rush.
This courtyard was very shallow; one could reach the room in a few steps from the entrance.
As Consort Song entered, she saw a pale-faced scholar, about twenty years old, with his arms spread wide, trembling with fear.
He did not forget to question Consort Song and the others, “In broad daylight, on what grounds are you forcing your way in?! Are you bandits?!”
Consort Song let out a light laugh and touched the pearl hairpin at her temple, “Young man, you are engaged in banditry yourself, yet you have the audacity to question us?”
“You… who are you?!” the scholar asked, his voice trembling with feigned bravery.
“The maid you’re hiding behind is someone we bought with silver from our mansion, don’t you know?” Consort Song raised her chin, pointing to Sang Er, who was hiding behind him.
“Blind dog! This is the Little Madam of the second branch of the Ru Yang Bo Mansion!” Granny Yang raised her voice, “I doubt you’d recognize her!”
Sang Er knew she couldn’t escape, so she knelt before Consort Song, “Little Madam, please don’t misunderstand. He is my cousin. He came to the Capital to find relatives but couldn’t, so he found me. I couldn’t just watch him and do nothing. Today I came to give him some travel money so he can return home.”
“Sang Er, you’re meeting a man in secret, and you still take us for fools!” Before Consort Song could speak, Granny Yang said with a sharp tone, exposing Sang Er’s fault, “What cousin? You two are alone in a room, clearly engaged in illicit activities!”
“I didn’t! I didn’t! Little Madam, please believe me!” Sang Er began to cry.
“What is your name?” Consort Song ignored Sang Er and turned to ask the scholar, “I advise you to tell the truth, or you will surely suffer physical pain.”
“I am Sang Er’s cousin, my name is Gao Mian.” The scholar looked at the several burly men with fierce faces beside Consort Song and had no doubt they would lay hands on him.
“Do you know this maid was bought by our mansion at a great price to be a concubine for the Master?” Consort Song asked him. “Now that you have ruined her innocence, if we hand you over to the authorities, while it may not cost you your life, you will be convicted of a crime and exiled to the border region, never to return in this lifetime.”
“Little Madam, please show mercy and don’t send him away, I’ll kowtow to you.” Sang Er pleaded tearfully, “We are truly innocent.”
Consort Song sneered upon hearing this and sat on the only chair in the room, “Sang Er, extend your wrist!”
Sang Er was stunned for a moment, then shook her head and tightly clasped her hands behind her back.
Granny Yang paid no mind to this, grabbed Sang Er, and brought her wrist forward to Consort Song.
On Sang Er’s slender, fair forearm, there was a distinct blackish-red scar.
“You still dare to claim you are innocent,” Consort Song sneered, staring at Sang Er’s scar, “If I’m not mistaken, you have similar scars on your chest and lower abdomen, don’t you?”
A few words made Sang Er’s face turn completely red. She lowered her head and refused to look up again.
“He has already branded you with a love scar, how can you still be innocent? Calling him a cousin, he is clearly a lover! Do you really think I’m a fool? If I didn’t catch you two naked in bed, you wouldn’t think I’d see your affair?” Consort Song glanced at Gao Mian beside her again, “You truly don’t fear death! You defiled her body and now you want to elope with her?! If you’re caught, you’ll be beaten to death! Thrown into a mountain gully to feed the wolves.”
Sang Er did not expect Consort Song to know her background so well and was stunned, forgetting even to cry.
“Take this man out first and keep a close eye on him,” Consort Song ordered. “Muzzle him so he doesn’t shout nonsense.”
“Please don’t… don’t hit him! Cousin, please be obedient! We’ve been caught now, nothing we say will matter.” Sang Er said, wiping away tears.
After Gao Mian was taken out, only Consort Song and Granny Yang remained in the room.
“Sang Er, you are so foolish!” Consort Song said with great distress. “You don’t want the wealth and prosperity laid before you, yet you want to elope with this poor scholar. For someone with such a clever appearance, you are incredibly stupid.”
“Little Madam, my cousin and I were childhood sweethearts, and we were originally betrothed. But because my parents died early, my uncle and aunt, greedy for money, sold me. ” Sang Er said with tears streaming down her face, “But my heart was already promised to my cousin, how could it change so easily?
Little Madam, although I don’t serve you directly, I know you are a kind person. Please let us go! From now on, my cousin and I will be eternally grateful and will fast and pray for your peace.”
“Sang Er, you should indeed be grateful to me. If I hadn’t caught you today, and it had been someone else from the mansion, neither of you would have survived!” Consort Song continued to frighten Sang Er, “Do you know how a little hussy like you would be dealt with in a large household?”
“Let me tell you! There are a few common methods. One is to find an empty room, dress you up neatly and beautifully, and tie you to a bed board. Then, wet paper is pasted onto your face, one sheet after another. At first, you wouldn’t feel much, but as the paper gradually thickens and becomes airtight when wet, you would feel increasingly suffocated.
But your hands and feet are bound, so even if you could lick it open at first, it would keep piling up thicker and thicker, and eventually, you would be suffocated to death.
The interesting thing is that the paper would eventually become a mask, with your nose and eyes printed on it, looking exactly like…
Alternatively, they would put loose trousers on you, tied tightly at the waist. Then, a cat would be placed in each pant leg, and the pant legs would be tied shut. Outside, someone would poke the cats with an awl, and the cats, in pain and fear, would scratch wildly, tearing the flesh off both your legs! Tsk tsk, in this hot weather, it wouldn’t take long for your legs to fester and ooze…”
