Chapter 19: Secret Meeting in the Dark of Night
Xue Yueying brought Xue Sui into Liuli Pavilion. The maid brought clothes, and after closing the room door, she hurried out.
“Search the clothes, and leave any token you can.”
Qing Zhu nodded, “I’ve instructed Qing Hong. Miss, please don’t worry.”
Xue Yueying was not at ease. On such a cool day, she felt sweat all over her body, and she took out her handkerchief to wipe her forehead several times.
“Make sure she doesn’t see any clues.”
Qing Zhu responded.
Soon, the maid Qing Hong opened the door crack, holding Xue Sui’s discarded clothes in her hand, and nodded to Xue Yueying from a distance.
Qing Zhu said, “Miss, will Young Master Gu come?”
Xue Yueying snorted, “How dare he not.”
Qing Zhu sighed, “Does Miss really want to benefit the Sixth Sister?”
Xue Yueying’s brows furrowed deeply.
Of course, she didn’t want to share a husband with Xue Sui, let alone have her be a concubine.
This was merely her temporary strategy.
Firstly, it showed her magnanimity and redeemed her reputation for snatching her sister’s marriage.
Secondly, using the title of concubine would appease Gu Jie’s mother, preventing her from being tormented by her mother-in-law after marriage.
Thirdly, she truly did not want Xue Sui to go to Prince Duan’s Mansion.
A strong intuition told her that Xue Liu was very likely to be favored by Prince Duan. If she were to ascend to power then, it would be obvious who would be looking down on whom.
But it was different for Xue Liu to marry into Marquis Jingyuan’s Mansion.
Under her watchful eye, with Gu Jie’s affection, Xue Liu would be like a grasshopper in autumn, always under her heel, just like in the past, with no hope of rising again…
It could be said to be killing multiple birds with one stone.
Now that Princess Consort Duan had returned home, it confirmed her feelings for Gu Jie and their affair. Then, Xue Liu would be the one to be tarnished, and their statuses would be swapped. Xue Liu would become a lowly woman who stole another’s husband, and she would be the victim.
Once the deed was done, Eldest Sister would no longer be able to bring Xue Liu into the Prince’s Mansion, and all glory and wealth would be irrelevant to her.
“Fourth Miss.”
Xue Yueying looked over at the sound.
Having changed into nice clothes, Xue Liu seemed like a different person. Her light skirt, cinched at the waist like a willow, stood tall and slender under the eaves.
Ten years ago, she was very stubborn, never making a sound when beaten or scolded. Now, she was all smiles, polite to everyone.
Xue Yueying also put on a smile and stepped forward to take her hand, “Let’s go, we’re going to eat. Don’t mind what just happened. The First Madam, in charge of household affairs, can’t manage everything perfectly. In this inner courtyard, let’s yield to each other, and it will be decent.”
Xue Sui smiled, “Fourth Miss is right.”
The two of them returned to the banquet, chatting and laughing.
Xue Yue Lou looked up at her but said nothing.
Xue Sui seemed to have forgotten the unpleasantness of earlier, eating heartily. When the banquet dispersed, she whispered a thank you beside Xue Yue Lou, then led her maid back to Li Xiang Courtyard.
Xue Ji had no title and could not sit at the family banquet table. Xue Sui accompanied her for another simple meal.
The mother and daughter talked for a while. When Xue Ji heard Ru Yi recount the events of the family banquet, her throat involuntarily tightened.
“Sixth Sister, you have been wronged.”
She added, “Endure a little longer. When you go to the Prince’s Mansion, if you gain the Prince’s favor and have a child or two to rely on, you will have a secure life.”
Xue Sui raised her eyes and examined her carefully, “When you were with Xue Qingzhi back then, did you think like this?”
Xue Ji was stunned, and a layer of tears welled up in her red eyes.
Thinking back, her dance had captivated the capital, attracting many noble figures to pursue her.
The madam of the pavilion also doted on her, having long ago declared that she could choose a suitable husband to buy her freedom. She had fancied Xue Qingzhi because of his handsome appearance and noble family background, thinking she would finally escape her lowly status and entrust her life to him. Who would have thought that the promises made that night would turn to smoke in an instant? She had chosen a fiery pit.
“Sixth Sister, it is my unfortunate fate that has caused you so much suffering…”
She raised her sleeve to wipe away her tears. Xue Sui could not bear to say more and offered a few words of comfort, then had the maid Cai Jian take her to rest before they each returned to their rooms.
In the blink of an eye, the moon was high in the sky.
“Miss, Miss.”
In the middle of the night, the room door was knocked.
Xue Yueying had not slept and lay on the bed in her clothes. Hearing the maid’s footsteps, she sat up.
“How is it? Has Young Master Gu entered the mansion? Let’s go, we’ll catch them in the act at Li Xiang Courtyard immediately…”
The door creaked open. Qing Zhu held a lamp, her face full of confusion.
“It’s… it’s the mistress of Bi Wu Courtyard. There’s been a thief in the house.”
What? Xue Yueying’s face turned pale with fright. “This Young Master Gu is so muddled, he can’t distinguish between Bi Wu Courtyard and Li Xiang Courtyard?”
–
In the night wind, the sounds of commotion from the rear courtyard echoed.
Bi Wu Courtyard was the courtyard where Princess Consort Duan Xue Yuechen lived before her marriage. She was still housed there during this visit home.
A thief entering the Princess Consort’s courtyard, how could this be tolerated?
A small disturbance immediately alerted the entire Minister’s Mansion.
Xue Qingzhi also quickly put on his clothes and rushed over from Concubine Zhao’s room.
“The Princess Consort is staying at the mansion for a short while, and the entire estate is guarded by servants with strict security. How could there be a thief?”
The guard also looked puzzled, “I don’t know. Before going to sleep, I instructed all courtyards to be vigilant…”
Xue Qingzhi’s footsteps faltered.
“Go, dispatch more men. Make sure to catch them red-handed.”
Xue Qingzhi pondered in his heart: Prince Duan and the Crown Prince are at odds. This incident might be a trick by the Crown Prince, taking advantage of the Princess Consort’s return to her maternal home to cause some trouble.
Unexpectedly, when he arrived at Bi Tong Courtyard with a group of guards and servants, he saw Madam Fu standing at the entrance with an embarrassed expression.
The two maids beside her were also at a loss, their heads bowed to their chests.
Xue Qingzhi’s face darkened, “What’s going on? Have you caught the thief?”
The hazy lamplight illuminated Bi Tong Courtyard as bright as day.
The “thief” who was cornered in the courtyard with his hands tied behind his back, looking bewildered, watched the surging crowd and weakly called out.
“Aunt. Uncle…”
Xue Qingzhi was so angry he almost choked, “Why are you here?”
Madam Fu was also furious, “Jinghui, why are you here?”
The courtyard fell silent.
This Fu Jinghui was Madam Fu’s own nephew.
If he were just a relative, it would be fine.
But before Xue Yuechen married into Prince Duan’s Mansion, Madam Fu’s family had intended to marry their eldest niece into Marquis Yongding’s Mansion. At that time, the Xue family had not yet betrothed her to Prince Duan. Xue Yuechen and Fu Jinghui had known each other since childhood, as cousins, and had a close relationship. Madam Fu believed that if her daughter married into her own family, no one would bully her. When Fu Jinghui inherited the title in the future, her daughter would be the Mistress of the Marquis’s Mansion and would not suffer any losses.
Therefore, at that time, no one objected, and Xue Yuechen tacitly agreed.
Later, due to changes in court affairs, Xue Yuechen was favored by Consort Xiao, and that idea was abandoned.
However, many people in Shangjing City knew about this matter.
Now, with Xue Yuechen returning to her maternal home, Fu Jinghui immediately sneaks into Bi Tong Courtyard at night. How could this not lead to gossip?
Xue Qingzhi’s face was ashen, “How did you get in? Why didn’t anyone notice?”
Fu Jinghui stammered, unable to give a proper explanation.
Madam Fu was both anxious and angry, “Princess Consort, how is the Princess Consort…”
She hurried inside and saw the door on the steps creak open.
Xue Yuechen, wearing a silver-white cloak of fox fur and brocade, stood in the central courtyard. She looked as if she were covered in silver frost, a few strands of hair gently blowing in the night wind, her expression grim, and she remained silent.
Standing beside her were a maid and Xue Sui.
Madam Fu looked at her in astonishment.
Xue Qingzhi’s brows furrowed, “Why is Sixth Sister here?”
Xue Sui smiled slightly, looking at the crowd illuminated by the firelight, and said faintly, “I ate too much at the family banquet and couldn’t sleep, so I came to find the Princess Consort for a private chat. My sisters were talking by candlelight and were frightened by the shouts of ‘thief’ outside… What, have you caught the thief?”
Xue Qingzhi nodded, breathing a heavy sigh of relief.
Fortunately, Sixth Sister was by the Princess Consort’s side.
No matter how much the servants gossiped, they couldn’t say that the Princess Consort was meeting an outsider with her sister. That made no sense…
Eldest Sister’s reputation was saved, but the culprit of this incident could not be forgiven.
Xue Sui: Watching the drama unfold, of course, one must be at the scene.
Xue Yueying: ??? A ghost!
