Chapter 56: An Incident
After Xue Sui handled this matter, she was indifferent to the preparations for her marriage in the mansion, spending her days practicing calligraphy in Li Xiang Courtyard or sitting calmly with Xue Ji for a while.
Xue Ji’s health had improved considerably recently, but her hair had turned even whiter.
She often stared at Xue Sui for a long time, as if she couldn’t get enough of looking, without speaking.
Many times, mother and daughter would sit in silence.
It was noon on this day, and Xue Sui was accompanying Xue Ji by a sun-drenched wall, looking at the petunias that had been planted that spring, when someone came from Shou An Courtyard to announce.
“Madam Chun has come to visit, and Old Madam has asked Sixth Miss to come over…”
Fu Shi had been feigning illness these past few days, so Old Madam Cui had to personally handle the mansion’s affairs. Old Madam Cui then asked Third Madam Qian Shi to accompany her. When Xue Sui changed her clothes and went over, Madam Chun was chatting and laughing with Madam Qian Shi, and her expression gave no clue to her intentions.
As old friends meeting after a long separation, Xue Sui paused briefly outside the door before entering with a smile and bowing to everyone.
“Grandmother.”
“Aunt Chun.”
“Third Aunt.”
Old Madam beckoned her affectionately, gesturing for her to sit by her side. Madam Qian Shi also smiled warmly upon seeing her, inquiring about her well-being.
Madam Chun observed from the side. Sixth Miss had returned, and her life was much better than it had been ten years ago when she lived in the mansion. This made her feel a little better.
“Ten years have passed, and Sixth Miss has changed so much that I almost didn’t recognize you.”
Xue Sui could tell that she genuinely cared for her and offered a smile in return.
“Aunt Chun, how have you been? I should have visited you at your mansion long ago, but I was afraid of causing you trouble.”
Madam Chun sighed with a smile, rubbing her knee. “It’s an old ailment, nothing serious. I came today to see Xue Ji and have a chat with Sixth Miss…”
Since she had said so, Old Madam and Madam Qian Shi naturally had to grant her this favor, smiling and asking Xue Sui to invite Xue Ji over to Li Xiang Courtyard.
Xue Sui readily agreed and led Madam Chun and a few maids towards Li Xiang Courtyard.
Madam Chun and Xue Ji had both been renowned courtesans at Liuxiang Pavilion in their time, but they weren’t particularly close friends. Madam Chun simply felt a sense of empathy and pity for Xue Ji.
Therefore, it was clear that she hadn’t come solely to see Xue Ji. She appeared visibly preoccupied all the way.
Xue Sui guessed that she had another reason for visiting the Xue Mansion and didn’t ask further. She sat down, asked for tea and water to be served, greeted her warmly, and then sent someone to fetch Xue Ji to meet the guest.
Madam Chun watched her arrange things. Xue Sui’s fair and tender face had a faint blush, like peach blossoms in full bloom in spring. Her eyes were filled with nobility and confidence, which made Madam Chun sigh with emotion. She held Xue Sui’s hand, unwilling to let go for a long time, her face filled with melancholy.
“Sixth girl, tell Aunt Chun, do you resent Fifth Master?”
Xue Sui looked at her, unsure how to begin.
Her resentment was not what Aunt Chun thought it was.
Her hatred was also of a different kind.
But facing Aunt Chun, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything too heartless.
So she said, “It’s all in the past, there’s no need to mention it again.”
Madam Chun and Xue Sui exchanged a smile, then suddenly sighed.
“Aunt Chun came to see you today, and also to see your mother. I don’t know when we’ll meet again…”
Xue Sui was slightly startled but didn’t show it. She just smiled and asked, “What are you saying, Aunt Chun? Next time, you don’t need to come to see me; I’ll come to your mansion myself…”
Madam Chun’s brows furrowed, and she looked as if she had something to say but couldn’t. She gave a bitter smile.
“Fifth Master is likely to court great disaster this time, and the Marquis’s Mansion might even be implicated because of him. As a mother who failed to discipline her son, how can I still have the face to remain in the Marquis’s Mansion…”
Xue Sui felt a pang in her heart and pretended to be unaware.
“Is it still about the dowry? Aunt Chun, you need to be more optimistic. Rumors will eventually pass…”
Madam Chun shook her head. “It is about the dowry, but not entirely. You wouldn’t understand if I explained it, so let’s not mention it. In any case, I came today to see you and your mother. Seeing you both doing well fulfills one of my wishes…”
Her tone was very dejected.
Xue Sui guessed that the matter of Gu Jie embezzling treasury silver had made progress…
“Aunt Chun, try to be more optimistic.” Xue Sui held her hand. “No matter how big the problem, your health is more important. Don’t you still have the Marquis? Things will eventually pass…”
Madam Chun squeezed her hand back, looking at her with a bitter smile.
“If only Fifth Master were obedient and had chosen you, how wonderful that would have been…”
Xue Sui pursed her lips and smiled faintly, not replying.
At this moment, Xue Ji came out holding Ming Ge’er. With the child’s company, her face showed more smiles. Madam Chun couldn’t help but sigh as she looked at her current appearance.
“Ah Xue, you’ve given birth to a good daughter! She’s well-behaved and sensible, and you have hope for the future. Unlike me, who gave birth to a scoundrel son, I can’t even enjoy any blessings and only cause my parents hardship…”
Xue Ji, completely unaware of Madam Chun’s distress, could only offer a few words of comfort.
Madam Chun sat for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, then got up to take her leave.
As she left, Xue Sui noticed her difficulty in walking and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
What had Gu Jie done to deserve such a mother…
Two days later, the Xue Mansion received news.
The Gold Department discovered a huge deficit, with a shortfall of several million taels…
Gu Jie was arrested and taken to the Ministry of Justice Prison that very night.
Such a colossal sum was, of course, not the work of him alone.
But who else could be the scapegoat? He was the first to be made an example of.
Upon receiving the news, the Jingyuan Marquis’s Mansion went black, forced to sell assets and borrow money from all sides to cover the deficit and mitigate Gu Jie’s crime. Of course, those in the Ministry of Revenue who had taken bribes were also secretly scrambling to raise money and return it…
It was then that Old Madam Cui understood why Madam Chun had visited that day with generous gifts, speaking for a long time without uttering the words she truly wanted to say.
On that day, she probably wanted to find her in-law, the Minister of Justice, to plead for her son or find a way to smooth things over…
But for some reason, in the end, she only visited Xue Sui and her mother in Li Xiang Courtyard and left without daring to speak.
How could she have foreseen that Gu Jie would cause such a massive mess?
Old Madam Cui was so angry she almost fainted and ordered Xue Yueying to be summoned back to the mansion.
As soon as Xue Yueying arrived at the mansion, before she could even see Old Madam, she was taken by two nannies to the ancestral hall to kneel as punishment. Xue Qingzhi personally came to Shou An Courtyard to plead for leniency, but it was to no avail.
Old Madam leaned on her couch, took a handkerchief to wipe her eyes, and pointed at him, scolding him fiercely.
“You are still protecting her! If you continue to protect her, the Xue family will fall into decline!”
Xue Qingzhi was also at his wit’s end.
“This matter is strange. How could a dowry list cause such a big problem?”
He always felt something was unusual.
“Someone must be playing tricks behind this.”
Old Madam looked at him with hateful anger and couldn’t help but raise her voice.
“Even if someone is playing tricks, there must be a ghost! If it weren’t for your beloved Fourth Miss, who was greedy and ostentatious in her actions, how could she have caused such a great disaster…”
“That was done by the Fourth Son-in-law, it has nothing to do with Fourth Miss?”
“You are still protecting her? Don’t you know your own daughter’s character? With that Fourth Son-in-law’s limited courage, if Fourth Miss hadn’t instigated him, would he dare to tamper with the Gold Department’s treasury silver? In the past, you were biased and pitied her for losing her mother at a young age, so you gave her more respect. I, an old woman who ate for free, was too lazy to interfere. But you, you’ve indulged her to the point of lawlessness, and she’s going to ruin the Xue family!”
“Mother’s teachings are correct.”
Xue Qingzhi bowed his head in shame and begged for mercy. After a moment of silence, he sighed.
“Before returning to the mansion, I just met the Marquis Jingyuan…”
Old Madam sat up, took a breath, and said, “What did he say?”
Xue Qingzhi replied, “He came to me seeking a solution, but with this case, both Prince Duan and I must recuse ourselves due to potential conflict of interest, so we cannot intervene. I advised him to first find a way to repay the embezzled money. Marquis Jingyuan has military achievements, and his ancestors were loyal and upright for generations. He can still seek leniency from His Majesty, and it shouldn’t be a problem to save the Fourth Son-in-law’s life. However, it will be difficult for him to enter officialdom again…”
Old Madam said, “That’s not much. He dared to commit such a heinous crime, so it’s his own fault and his own suffering. What worries me is, will this matter have any impact on you, or on Third Master?”
Xue Qingzhi ran a hand through his hair. “His Majesty is wise and not unreasonable. Mother, you don’t need to worry. I can handle it. For now, the investigation is internal. Those officials in the Ministry of Revenue are privately selling land and shops to raise money. Judging by His Majesty’s intentions, as long as the stolen funds are replenished, the matter will be resolved…”
Whether the Emperor hated corruption or not was unknown.
However, the Emperor was well aware of the affairs below.
From the perspective of the imperial court’s interests, the Emperor did not want the matter to escalate and cause public discontent.
If the common people lost trust in the government, that would be a major issue.
Xue Qingzhi pondered and then said, “What I fear now is…”
Old Madam watched his brows furrow deeply and couldn’t help but feel anxious.
“Fear what?”
Xue Qingzhi said, “Recently, the Jingzhao Prefecture has been using the dowry list to track down stolen goods. But those who have obtained things are unwilling to give them up. Recently, the public has been writing petitions and appealing to the Emperor, reporting grievances. The number of people is increasing, and the impact is growing. I fear it will be difficult to resolve…”
Although the common people are like grass and ants, weak and insignificant, once their emotions are stirred and they unite, they can possess the power to overturn heaven and earth.
Old Madam Cui understood this principle.
She instructed, “In the future, be more cautious in the Imperial Court… Pay more attention to Prince Duan’s side. Alas, if our family’s young ladies could give birth to a child for the Prince’s Mansion sooner, we could feel more at ease.”
Xue Qingzhi fell silent.
He had previously opposed Xue Liu going to Prince Duan’s Mansion.
Thinking back now, Xue Liu was intelligent, and perhaps that could be a way out.
