Chapter 8: Li Xiang Courtyard
Fu Shi left, not returning to Qing Lan Courtyard, but instead, taking her maids and servants, she went to Liuli Pavilion under the cover of night.
The lights in Liuli Pavilion were still on.
Xue Yueying did not go to the servant’s quarters to watch the commotion, but her heart was preoccupied with news from that side, and she kept her ears pricked for any sounds. Fu Shi would surely unleash her fury, and she imagined Sixth Sister would be punished again…
After waiting for a long time, she became a little impatient.
“Qing Zhu, have Qing Hong go and inquire…”
Qing Zhu responded with a smile and went out. Just as she unlatched the door, Fu Shi, with her retinue, stormed in aggressively.
Fu Shi’s face was covered in a dark, gloomy aura. She ignored the maids’ greetings and did not have anyone announce her presence, barging directly into the inner chamber.
“Mother…”
Xue Yueying, having just put on her clothes upon hearing the commotion, received a resounding slap across her face.
“You little slut, do you still want to marry into the Marquis Jingyuan’s Mansion?”
Xue Yueying stood stunned on the spot, having been struck.
“Kneel!” Fu Shi’s pent-up anger from Xue Sui finally found a place to land. Her eyes, cold as ice, glared at Xue Yueying as if she were an enemy.
Xue Yueying slowly knelt down, her eyes, as clear and bright as autumn water, filled with surprise, unease, and humiliation. She covered one side of her face with her hand, tears streaming down.
“May I ask why Mother is punishing me?”
Fu Shi questioned, “Was it you who gave Xue Liu the old ginseng?”
Xue Yueying nodded slightly, “Yes.”
When she took that old ginseng to Old Mausoleum Swamp, she had no intention of hiding it from the First Madam. Over the years, Fu Shi had been wary of her concubine’s sons and daughters and was extremely suspicious, always having spies in every room.
Xue Yueying had done it deliberately for her to see.
But she couldn’t figure out what Xue Liu had done to enrage the First Madam so much.
“Mother, please see clearly. Your daughter entrusted Young Master Gu to find a piece of old ginseng for Sixth Sister, but I specifically instructed Sixth Sister to return it to the mansion to show filial piety to Mother… This would both lessen her transgression and please Mother, a win-win situation. I was afraid it wouldn’t be dignified enough, so I even used the brocade box Eldest Sister brought back from the Prince’s Mansion to pack it…”
She asked with feigned ignorance, “Does Mother not like it, and is she angry with your daughter?”
Fu Shi retorted, “Filial piety to me? That little slut took it to show filial piety to that old whore in the servant’s quarters. From now on, don’t be clever on your own, and stop causing trouble for me!”
Xue Yueying went from kneeling to prostrating herself, “Your daughter did not know Sixth Sister would be so disobedient, please forgive me, Mother…”
Fu Shi glanced sideways, “Get up and speak.”
Xiugu, seeing that the First Madam’s anger had subsided, smiled sweetly and stepped forward to help Xue Yueying up.
“Fourth Miss, this old ginseng of yours has caused the First Madam quite a bit of grievance.”
When she recounted what had just happened, Xue Yueying was stunned.
The First Madam was the mistress of the household.
How dare Xue Liu?
And Father, why was he speaking up for her?
Xue Yueying shook her head, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s hum, “Has this Sixth Sister gone mad?”
Fu Shi snorted, “She thinks because Eldest Sister fancies her, her tail has gone up to the heavens? She doesn’t know the immensity of heaven and earth.”
There were plenty of methods within a large mansion.
She refused to believe she couldn’t handle a mere concubine’s daughter.
…
The water on the stove was gurgling.
Mother and daughter had not seen each other for ten years, and they had grown distant in their long separation. Xue Ji had long been trained by Fu Shi to be submissive and obedient. Clearly, the maids and servants in the mansion had better food and clothing than her, yet she could be grateful to Xue Qingzhi for even the slightest bit of charity.
With a barrier between them, Xue Sui and her couldn’t exchange many intimate words.
She listened to her chatter like a mute, telling Xiao Zhao to pack simple luggage for a “move.”
Li Xiang Courtyard was located on the northeast side of Xue Mansion, farthest from the main courtyard and closest to the servant’s quarters in the servant’s area. It had three main rooms, two side rooms, and one side room, with a small kitchen and storage room by the corner of the wall.
Having been uninhabited for many years, the air was filled with a damp, musty smell. This was the “tranquility” the First Madam had arranged for her, and it was also Xue Sui’s nightmare.
The old tree in the courtyard was still there.
Ten years had passed, and it had grown much thicker, but that broken branch had become a bare scar on the trunk, full of hideous marks.
“Little Princess, come quickly and look, she looks like a centipede.”
“Centipedes don’t wear clothes?”
“Take off her clothes! Strip her naked, then it will be fun to pretend she’s a centipede.”
In the wind and snow, the birthday banquet in the front hall of Xue Mansion was festive and joyous, with the sounds of silk and bamboo music. The adults were busy toasting each other, and no one noticed the children playing in the courtyard. Even if a servant saw, they would lower their heads and quickly walk away.
Ever since she had torn Princess Ping Le’s peacock feather robe to save Gu Jie, this was no longer the first time…
Whenever they found an opportunity, they would humiliate her. Sometimes they would lock her in a rusty cage, paint parrot patterns on her face, and make her peck at food like a bird. Sometimes they would force dog ears made of bamboo and rattan onto her head, making her crawl like a dog. Sometimes they would tie a furry tail to her waist and make her dance…
Beatings and scoldings were even more common.
They humiliated her to please Princess Ping Le.
Princess Ping Le, however, found it boring, “Playing around and around, there’s nothing new or fun. Has she become thick-skinned now and doesn’t feel pain?”
“Doesn’t she like Gu Wulang? Let Gu Wulang come.”
“Gu Wulang, your mother wants you to marry a bastard born to a Hu Ji, is it because your mother also came from Liuxiang Pavilion?”
“Hahahaha…”
Then came a burst of laughter.
Among the jeering crowd, the young Gu Jie tightly pursed his lips, his face filled with disgust.
They tied her bare feet with ropes and dragged her to the edge of the brazier.
They took a glowing red ember from the brazier and handed it to Gu Jie.
“Gu Wulang, you punish her. Let her learn her lesson!”
The small girl hunched her back, struggling on the ground until her little face was contorted.
Gu Jie hesitated for a moment, or perhaps he didn’t hesitate at all, as the hot ember sizzled and branded her lower back…
The young Xue Sui also tried to resist, seeking help from her family…
What was the response?
Her father publicly reprimanded her, “You have been mischievous since childhood and do not obey discipline. How dare you complain? Kneel and kowtow to the Little Princess to apologize.”
Her grandmother was dismissive, “Children playing, don’t take it seriously. Princess Ping Le is the Emperor’s darling. It is a great honor that she is willing to come to our mansion to play. Don’t spoil the Princess’s mood over such a small matter…”
Her eldest sister was indifferent, “It’s not that I’m unwilling to help you, but your temperament is too stubborn. If you were more compliant, why would they hit you? Your fate is inherently bad; it’s good to temper your temper and endure some grievances.”
The First Madam gloated, “What is your status, and what is Princess Your Highness’s status? It is only natural for a horse to eat a mouse and a cat to play with a mouse. You ignorant fool, if you were a fool born from my womb, I would have strangled you long ago.”
Even her birth mother, Xue Ji, came to persuade her, “Sixth Sister, we cannot afford to make false accusations. They are noble people; endure it. If you endure, you will grow up… When you grow up and marry a good family, and have a husband who dotes on you, then you will have lived a successful life…”
From then on, she was obedient, enduring all beatings and scoldings.
But even compliance could not escape being bullied. At her grandfather’s birthday banquet, she was tortured by that group of young dandies until she was on the verge of death. The mansion, in order to protect the reputation of the powerful and noble families, sent her out of the mansion overnight to cover things up, and falsely claimed she had been kidnapped…
Li Xiang Courtyard held Xue Sui’s memories.
It was also the abyss of Xue Sui’s nightmares.
There was no one in the abyss, nor any light, just like this dilapidated old tree, decaying and silent in the cold wind.
·
“This maid greets Sixth Miss.”
A young maid, about fifteen or sixteen years old, entered and curtsied to Xue Sui.
She didn’t know why Sixth Miss was looking at a crooked old tree for so long. Its leaves had all fallen, and new buds had not yet grown. What was there to see on a bare branch?
After a moment of silence, Xue Sui finally composed herself and slowly turned around.
The maid before her had a round face, bright and spirited eyes, and was smiling at her, with dimples at the corners of her mouth, exuding an air of innocence.
Xue Sui subconsciously smiled, “Do you need something from me?”
The maid took a few small steps closer, “This maid came from Old Mausoleum Swamp.”
Xue Sui’s three masters had saved many unfortunate people.
Day after day, year after year, it had never stopped. After leaving Old Mausoleum Swamp, these people scattered into all walks of life, disappearing into the vast crowds.
Perhaps, each of them was just a lowly ant, but when they embraced each other, they became an army of thousands, omniscient and invincible. This also contributed to the legend of Old Mausoleum Swamp…
“A flock of Old Mausoleum pigeons knows all the affairs under heaven.”
Xue Qingzhi being reprimanded by the Emperor was something Xue Sui learned about on her way back to the capital.
The maid blinked her eyes, “This maid originally served in Second Miss’s Lian Shui Pavilion. Second Miss rarely went out after returning to the mansion from her in-laws’ home, and the First Madam didn’t like her much either. She said Lian Shui Pavilion didn’t need so many servants, so she sent this maid to serve Sixth Miss. The manager originally said they would send someone tomorrow, but this maid couldn’t wait and wanted to come and see you first, and have a chat with Sixth Miss.”
The little maid spoke quickly, her words flowing animatedly.
Xue Sui listened with a smile, a string in her heart being gently plucked…
That day, she had handed over the Imperial Envoy’s order, agreeing to “bear her own fate,” not wanting to implicate her three masters and Old Mausoleum Swamp any further.
As the saying goes, the common people cannot fight against officials. Old Mausoleum Swamp had been able to live peacefully for decades due to its own influence, but also because it adhered to rules, only taking money for tasks and never getting involved in court affairs, maintaining a clear separation.
She hadn’t expected that someone would be secretly helping her as soon as she returned to the mansion.
Was it Master?
Or Senior Brother?
Xue Sui suppressed her emotions and asked with a smile, “Which sect are you from?”
The little maid’s eyes showed confusion, “What sect? This maid entered through the main gate of Li Xiang Courtyard. Oh, when I entered the mansion, Second Miss gave me the name Chun Tao.”
Xue Sui understood.
She was merely an outer disciple of Old Mausoleum Swamp, not an inner disciple.
“Good. Then from now on, you will continue to be called… Ru Yi.”
The little maid performed an exaggerated bow, “Ru Yi, Ru Yi, as I wish. This maid likes it, thank you Miss for bestowing the name.”
Thanks to Sister Fans for the “Phoenix Arrives”…
I will definitely add an extra chapter tomorrow. Thank you, muah～～
Thanks to Sister Jamo for the CP name: “One Day with Zhao, Sui’s Heart’s Desire”
When I named them, I was thinking—
Xue Sui: “May blessings and prosperity be with Sui, and peace and smooth sailing.”
Li Zhao: “May Zhao inaugurate a new era, bringing peace to the state.”
