CHAPTER 131: CHAPTER 131: THE EVENING AFFAIR (PART 1)

Those words were spoken so cleverly; implicitly she spoke of the hardships endured during those years in the courtyard with Madam Xia, yet turned the conversation to say she held no blame. If it wasn’t for the care and consideration of the Lady, how could she have such secure days now? Her thoughts for Madam Xia were because she was her biological mother, but compared to a birth mother, the grace of nurturing from her legitimate mother held her heart in everlasting gratitude.

The Lady’s expression was complex as she looked at Xiqiu with cold eyes.

"Stand up now." The First Master frowned deeply, unsure if it was due to Xiqiu’s words or the past she recounted. With a gloomy face, he turned to look at the Lady and said, "If matters are as Sixth Girl claimed, this girl is indeed loyal to the master. If she wishes to stay in the residence, let her be; rules are made by men, and breaking them once doesn’t matter."

After speaking, the First Master didn’t give the Lady a chance to refute and immediately told Xiuzhi, "Don’t kneel any longer, go serve your master."

Xiuzhi’s face was full of joy as she kowtowed to the Lady and the First Master, saying, "Thank you, Master, thank you, Lady!" After speaking, she hurriedly got up and ran back to the main room.

Xiqiu, still kneeling, also kowtowed to both, saying, "Daughter thanks father and mother on behalf of the concubine."

The Lady snorted coldly, "Why bother asking me, Master? Just decide by yourself!" She shook her sleeves and didn’t look at the First Master, then said to Nanny Fang, "I see there’s no need here, let’s go back!" With that, she took Nanny Fang and left the courtyard directly. Tong Xiyan glanced at Xiqiu, stomped her foot, and chased after the Lady out of the door.

The First Master had someone help Xiqiu up and said, "Your mother has a straightforward temper; don’t take it to heart. Go in and see the concubine." After speaking, he turned to give the bedroom door a deep look and walked out of the courtyard.

Once the First Master left, Madam Luo winked at Xiqiu with a smile on her face, looking full of admiration. She waved her handkerchief and said, "It’s tiring to stay like this; since there’s no more fuss, let’s leave." With that, she pulled the dazed Sujin, who was standing like a wooden figure, out of the door.

Madam Mei was also supported by Tong Xiyu as she greeted Xiqiu and returned to the adjacent courtyard.

Xiqiu returned to the main room where Xiuzhi had already changed her clothes. She was sitting by Madam Xia’s bedside. Seeing Xiqiu enter, she smiled and wanted to kneel and kowtow to Xiqiu, but Xiqiu quickly pulled her up, looking at her red forehead and said, "You’ve suffered a grievance today. I’ll have someone send you some ointment later."

Xiuzhi touched her swollen forehead without care and smiled, "Miss only had good intentions for this servant. Any hardship endured was rightful, considering this injury as a punishment for this servant; had it not been for this servant, the concubine wouldn’t have had a recurrence of her illness."

Xiqiu sat with her by Madam Xia’s bed and said, "It’s not just for you; I had other intentions as well. But since Master agreed to keep you, our efforts today were not in vain." She paused and added, "It’s I who should be thanking you."

Xiuzhi waved her hand, "Sixth Miss is being too formal." She recalled Sixth Miss’s instructions that night: "Go wait for the Second Master in the outer courtyard. Once you see him from afar, jump into the lake and shout loudly so you spend less time in the water... don’t worry about anything else; I’ll have a way to ensure the First Master checks on you. Just say what I taught you earlier..."

She looked at Xiqiu with newfound respect, realizing how clever Sixth Miss was, today revealing another level of her ingenuity.

Madam Xia, however, was not pleased and said, "You can’t do such things anymore in the future. The words you spoke today surely left an impression on the Lady; she will grow displeased with you, and days outside will likely become more difficult."

"Don’t worry." Xiqiu smiled in comfort. "I’ll go and explain to the Lady directly." Madam Xia dropped her gaze without speaking; after all Xiqiu had done, how could she not understand her true intentions? Her heart was moved, but mostly aching for her; all their persistent efforts seem wasted because of her.

Regarding the First Master, she had long abandoned hope. To her, the greatest satisfaction was simply having her two children live well.

Any other matters were beyond her eligibility to consider.

"Concubine, you should rest, for you might not get any sleep later." She stood up and spoke to Xiuzhi, "Boil some ginger water and drink it; although the body is healthy, it cannot endure such torment. Take care of yourself."

Neither Madam Xia nor Xiuzhi comprehended Xiqiu’s words as she herself lifted the curtain and left, joining Sixing and Siliu, who had hurried to the door, as she exited the courtyard.

After a chaotic commotion, Xiqiu sent someone to the outer courtyard to inform Tong Minzhi of their safety before rushing back to Zhiqu Courtyard. It was already late hour of the night, and she lay restlessly in bed, occasionally turning over and sitting up to ask Siliu, who was on night watch, about the hour. It took her a long while before she drifted off into a daze of sleep, with Xiuzhi stepping through the dew-covered ground to come over in the night.

Xiqiu was startled awake from bed, immediately alert, and hurriedly asked Xiuzhi, "Is there any news?"

Xiuzhi’s face overflowed with smiles from her eyes as she responded excitedly in a jumble of words, "This servant finally understands Miss’s intentions. Not long after Miss left, the First Master went to visit the concubine. Now they’re talking behind closed doors, and this servant took advantage of the break to come report to Sixth Miss."

Finally successful, Xiqiu let out a huge sigh of relief!

Xiuzhi checked the hour, "I must not be absent there; this servant will return now. If anything arises, I will come back and inform Miss." Siliu donned her overcoat and pulled her, saying, "I’ll escort you out." The two left the room side by side.

Xiqiu collapsed back onto the bed, covering herself securely with the blanket. As long as the knot between the First Master and the concubine were undone, she would go to Zhui Garden tomorrow regardless of how the Lady treats her, with a willing heart...

Just unsure what the First Master and the concubine might discuss...

"Mistress, why did this servant feel Master was different today?" Nanny Fang sat at the Lady’s feet, gently massaging her leg. After speaking, she saw the Lady’s face full of anger, letting out a cold snort, which startled Nanny Fang. She then added, "Master wouldn’t have... forgiven Madam Xia, right?"

"What if forgiven; can a shattered mirror be mended?" The Lady squinted, sitting up straight with a teasing smile, "If the Master forgets the past, I’ll ensure he remembers!" She then frowned and asked Nanny Fang, "How are things at the manor?"

Nanny Fang nodded in response, "Since being locked up, the person continuously makes a fuss, demanding to see the Master. This servant instructed the guards to ignore her and, as per your orders, not let her go hungry, mixing rice with lard to send in. Initially, she refused to eat, so I had them starve her for three days, cutting off water last; after a few days, she began eating, and has been peacefully staying inside without further commotion."

The Lady’s face revealed a derisive smile, "She brought it on herself; I haven’t laid a hand, yet she committed mindless acts... In Yongzhou, she threw her weight around, even secretly accepting bribes under the Master’s nose. Did she think I wouldn’t know about the boxes she moved back? Or that I wouldn’t notice the items displayed in Third Girl’s room? I turned a blind eye merely because of her pregnancy and past...