On the fifteenth day of the third month, all the household members were to visit the Zhongleyuan to pay their respects to Old Madam Jiang.
Ye Yunniang carried Jiang Tingjun in her arms, following behind Aunt Jinlan.
After Zi Yuan left, Aunt Jinlan became the head stewardess of the young master’s quarters.
A new broom sweeps clean, and after taking charge, Aunt Jinlan immediately established new rules for the small courtyard.
The first rule: night watchers were forbidden to sleep—they must keep their eyes open and watch over the young master at all times.
Fearing disobedience, Aunt Jinlan even arranged for surprise inspections.
After several days of this, even Ye Yunniang’s iron constitution began to falter. Holding Jiang Tingjun, she felt her arms grow weak, and a yawn threatened to escape.
Aunt Jinlan’s watchful eyes bore into her.
With both hands occupied, she could only bite the soft flesh inside her cheek, using the pain to ward off exhaustion.
As she lifted the curtain, a wave of overpowering incense assaulted her senses, making her head spin.
After paying respects to Old Madam Jiang, Ye Yunniang carried Jiang Tingjun to the adjacent room.
Stepping out, she nearly collided with Zhuang Meixue, who had just emerged from her postnatal confinement.
The last time they had met was on the thirtieth day of the twelfth month. Back then, Zhuang Meixue had radiated warmth and joy. Now, she was gaunt, her eyes shadowed with dark circles, her entire being exuding a depressive aura so heavy it was hard to look at.
Ye Yunniang took two steps back with Jiang Tingjun and bowed.
“It’s been a month—Tingjun has grown so much,” Zhuang Meixue murmured, staring at the plump child, her thoughts drifting to the baby she had lost.
“The physician said you mustn’t cry,” Bailu, Zhuang Meixue’s maid, stepped forward to console her.
“Second Madam has arrived,” a maid at the door announced loudly, lifting the curtain for her mistress while alerting those inside.
Supported by Bailu and Shuangjiang, Zhuang Meixue entered the room.
Ye Yunniang carried Jiang Tingjun to the neighboring chamber and set him down on a rug.
The rug was strewn with an assortment of small toys.
Jiang Tingjun clutched a delicate orb in one hand and a tiny wooden sword in the other, waving them gleefully, his laughter bubbling forth.
Nearby, maids and matrons from Zhongleyuan kept watch, along with Hongcai and Hongyin from Fanghua Courtyard.
Ye Yunniang leaned against the wall to rest, her eyelids growing heavier by the second.
She pinched herself hard—she couldn’t sleep.
But exhaustion clung to her, her eyelids stubbornly refusing to stay apart.
“Zhuang Meixue, what nonsense are you spewing? Your son’s death has nothing to do with the third branch! My household is blameless—I won’t tolerate such slander!” Bai Xiuxiu’s furious shriek jolted Ye Yunniang awake.
Waaah—! Jiang Tingjun burst into terrified tears.
Ye Yunniang scooped him up, murmuring soothing words.
From the main room, the sound of quarreling rose and fell.
“Bai Xiuxiu, shouting doesn’t make you right,” Fourth Madam Jiang’s voice cut in.
“Is it my fault for shouting? You’re the ones bullying us!”
“Enough, stop this.”
“Who’s causing trouble? I’m pregnant—do you think I want this?”
“We demand justice today!”
“We’ve traced the murder to your people.”
Crash—!
The sound of a teacup shattering.
The day’s greetings ended with Old Madam Jiang smashing her cup.
And so, word spread through the manor.
Zhuang Meixue’s miscarriage had been caused not only by an allergic reaction but also by Bai Xiuxiu’s covert orders to plant musk in Zhuang Meixue’s pillow and perfumed clothing.
Fearing discovery, Bai Xiuxiu had then silenced the maid responsible.
The female corpse found in the pond was Xiaoman, a young servant from the Second Madam’s courtyard.
The miscarriage had ravaged Zhuang Meixue’s health; the physician said she would likely never conceive again.
Yet even in her suffering, Bai Xiuxiu showed no mercy, spreading rumors that Zhuang Meixue’s misfortune was divine retribution.
It was said that Zhuang Meixue practiced favoritism, managing the Jiang household in complete disarray, and had cruelly caused the deaths of many innocent lives.
It was also rumored that Jiang Mingzhe had ordered the renovation of the Heqing Courtyard to select fertile maidservants as new concubines, hoping to secure an heir for himself.
This stirred unrest among the maidservants in the household, who began scheming and employing all sorts of tactics.
A few days prior, two maidservants had even fought publicly over this matter.
...
For a time, every misfortune in the household was somehow linked to Bai Xiuxiu.
Naturally, Bai Xiuxiu denied any involvement. But her reputation in the household had always been that of a ruthless, ambitious woman. Many believed the rumors and even considered such behavior typical of her.
Furious, Bai Xiuxiu lashed out three times a day, eventually agitating her womb. The physician diagnosed her with signs of a potential miscarriage.
Jiang Mingyu forced her to stay in bed to preserve the pregnancy, forbidding her from moving about.
All this happened under Fourth Madam Jiang’s management, and Old Madam Jiang was dissatisfied with her governance. She summoned Fourth Madam Jiang for a reprimand and decided to revoke her authority, intending to hand it over to Zhuang Meixue.
Zhuang Meixue declined, citing the need to recuperate.
After some deliberation, Zhuang Meixue and Fourth Madam Jiang were assigned to jointly manage the Jiang household.
To prove herself, Fourth Madam Jiang launched a high-profile investigation into the female corpse found in the pond. Soon, the culprit was apprehended—a third-rank maidservant from Zhenxia Courtyard named Chuntao.
Under interrogation, Chuntao confessed that she had paid Xiaoman to place musk in Zhuang Meixue’s pillows and clothes.
Her motive was revenge.
Chuntao had lost her parents at a young age and was raised by her uncle and aunt. She endured endless labor and suffering, even washing clothes by the river in the dead of winter, her hands cracked to the bone.
Her cousin, pitying her, arranged for Chuntao to work in the Jiang household, assigning her to the gardens.
Though the work remained relentless, Chuntao now had clean clothes to wear, enough to eat, and a bed to sleep in. She was content and deeply grateful to her cousin for rescuing her from her uncle and aunt’s cruelty.
Later, her cousin, being beautiful, was chosen by Zhuang Meixue to serve as Second Master Jiang’s concubine.
When her cousin became pregnant, Chuntao was overjoyed for her and secretly visited several times.
But her cousin grew increasingly distressed.
After much prodding, her cousin finally confided that she would not be allowed to keep the child.
Zhuang Meixue, having failed to conceive for years, had consented to concubines for Jiang Mingzhe to save face—but she would never permit them to bear children.
Sure enough, not long after, her cousin miscarried, hemorrhaged uncontrollably, and died within two days.
Convinced that Zhuang Meixue was to blame, Chuntao vowed vengeance.
She used her savings to bribe her way into Qushui Courtyard but was instead assigned to Zhenxia Courtyard.
There, through hard work and endurance, Chuntao gradually rose to become a second-rank maidservant, earning Bai Xiuxiu’s trust.
Upon learning of Zhuang Meixue’s pregnancy, Chuntao manipulated Bai Xiuxiu by claiming that since the second branch already had a son, the Jiang family’s wealth would never go to the third branch.
Bai Xiuxiu, easily provoked, fell for the trap and revealed her hidden informant in Qushui Courtyard to Chuntao.
Chuntao then contacted Xiaoman and carried out her plan.
After confessing, Chuntao threw herself against a pillar and died.
When Bai Xiuxiu learned the truth, she screamed that Fourth Madam Jiang was framing her, protesting her innocence. Refusing to listen to reason, she stormed to Zhongle Courtyard, demanding Old Madam Jiang intervene on her behalf.
Old Madam Jiang refused to see her. Enraged, Bai Xiuxiu shrieked and raged through the Jiang household, jumping and thrashing about.
In the end, whether she was innocent remained unclear—but her child was lost.
Bai Xiuxiu had miscarried.
When Zhuang Meixue heard the news, she smiled.
None who harmed her child would escape retribution.
"A few days ago, my mother sent over a century-old ginseng. Pack it up and deliver it to the prefect's wife."
"But this was meant to nourish your health, gifted by Old Madam Jiang. For Madam Zheng, wouldn’t that bolt of brocade tribute silk be more suitable?" Bailu fretted over Zhuang Meixue’s well-being and made the suggestion.
"Send the ginseng."
Bailu said no more and went to arrange it.
Zhuang Meixue opened the brocade box on the table. Had Ye Yunniang been present, she would have recognized the fabric inside as the very same from Jiang Tingjun’s clothing that was burned that night.
The patrol had arrived too quickly, and it hadn’t been fully destroyed.
"Jin Huifang, you’re next."
