Chapter 303

Of course, we must summon that lowly wench and question her!

Let's see what she's relying on to be so bold and reckless!

Lady Fan sneered coldly.

The divide between wife and concubine was an unbridgeable chasm. If Lady Fei failed to observe propriety, what could the First Madam do even if she disciplined her?

If everyone were like Lady Fei, thinking they could do as they pleased just by currying favor with Yu Jingxiu, wouldn't the world descend into chaos?

As these thoughts flashed through her mind, Lady Fan's expression grew even colder.

Mozhuan understood clearly and, without needing Lady Fan's instruction, went to summon Lady Fei.

Lady Fan gazed at her face—ordinary in features yet composed and graceful in demeanor—and felt a wave of inexplicable irritation rise within her.

"After you went to Yunxiu Workshop yesterday to buy those new handkerchiefs, where did you go afterward?" Lady Fan's gaze was as frosty as ice upon Lady Fei.

Lady Fei smiled and said, "I went to Miss Min's place on Needle Alley."

Lady Fan was stunned.

She had assumed that when she asked this, Lady Fei would surely panic, stammer, and make up some excuse to fob her off. Then she could reveal what she had discovered, seize the opportunity to berate Lady Fei, and give her a proper lesson while she was caught off guard.

But she never expected Lady Fei to admit it so calmly, as lightly as a breeze!

What did Lady Fei mean by this?

Was she not afraid of being scolded?

Was she relying solely on being the First Madam's person?

At these thoughts, the humiliation of the First Madam sending a concubine to her husband, combined with Lady Fei's fawning over Yu Jingxiu behind her back, surged together like old grievances and new hatred, setting her heart ablaze with fury.

"Who told you to go?" Lady Fan snapped back to herself, imitating the way Madam Yu threw tantrums, slapping her hand hard on the kang table. "Who do you think you are? You told me you were going to buy handkerchiefs, but you sneaked off to visit someone instead. One face in front of people, another behind their backs—do you have any sense of propriety at all? Is this how the First Madam taught you?"

Until Lady Fan mentioned the First Madam, Lady Fei had stood there with lowered eyes and a submissive demeanor, listening quietly. But when Lady Fan brought up the First Madam, Lady Fei suddenly raised her head, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes as she interrupted Lady Fan's tirade: "Please calm your anger, First Young Madam. I did indeed go to Yunxiu Workshop that day to buy handkerchiefs. However, as I was leaving, I happened to run into the Eldest Young Master. He said that with the Lantern Festival approaching, he wondered how Miss Min's preparations for the festival were coming along. Last winter, the court went to war with the Koreans, and even with money, silver frost charcoal was impossible to buy. Miss Min had only purchased five cartloads at the beginning of winter. With this year's cold snap in late spring, he feared Miss Min's charcoal supply might not be sufficient. If he had known, he would have bought more to stock up. He asked me to go check on her and deliver five hundred taels in silver notes to Miss Min along the way."

"I had originally intended to report this to you, First Young Madam, but coincidentally, right after the Eldest Young Master left, I ran into Madam."

"Madam scolded me on the spot."

"She said that since we hadn't even passed the fifteenth day of the first month, I was running around everywhere, and told me to stay home properly when I had nothing to do. She also asked me whether you knew I was going out."

"Fearing Madam might think I had no sense of propriety, I quickly replied that had you not given your approval, I wouldn't dare take a single step beyond the hanging flower gate."

"Madam made no comment, but seeing the stack of silver notes in my hand, she asked what I was going to do."

"I didn't dare conceal anything, so I told Madam everything about the Eldest Young Master asking me to deliver silver to Miss Min."

"Madam said nothing and simply walked away, supported by Mama Shu."

"Seeing that Madam showed no intention of stopping me, and with the Eldest Young Master's instructions weighing on my mind, I went to Needle Alley first, and then to Yunxiu Workshop to buy the handkerchiefs."

"What did you say?" Lady Fan felt as if she had been struck by lightning, her face turning as pale as paper in an instant. "Are you saying Madam knew you were delivering silver to Miss Min?"

Lady Fei nodded, looking bewildered, and said, "Naturally, she knew." She added, "Last time when I was delivering Laba beans to Miss Min, it happened that Mama Shu had been sent by Madam to the kitchen to fetch some Laba beans. She said that Madam Ji of Bensi Alley was fond of them, and Madam was planning to visit the Ji household in a couple of days, so she wanted to bring some for Madam Ji to taste. When Mama Shu learned I was delivering Laba beans to Miss Min, she even told me which beans were good and which were not..."

"You, you..." Lady Fan trembled with rage, wanting to point at Lady Fei and unleash a torrent of abuse, but having never cursed anyone in her life, she didn't know how to begin. Yet if she didn't vent her fury at Lady Fei, her chest felt as if it were stuffed with a ball of fire, burning her from within. She pointed at Lady Fei for a long while before finally squeezing out through clenched teeth, "You're a wolf in sheep's clothing, despicable and shameless..."

Lady Fei listened with feigned panic, stepping forward two paces to kneel before her: "First Young Madam, every word I've spoken is the truth. If you don't believe me, you can send Mozhuan to ask Old Woman Bai in the kitchen. She was there too—she helped Mama Shu and me pack the Laba beans..."

At these words, Lady Fan's body swayed, and she suddenly collapsed backward, fainting onto the large kang by the window.

"Eldest Young Madam, Eldest Young Madam..." Mozhuan had never seen such a scene before. Her legs went weak with fear, and she clung to Lady Fan's body, sobbing.

Lady Fei scrambled to her feet.

"What happened? What's wrong with Eldest Young Madam?" She rushed over.

If it weren't for this Lady Fei, Eldest Young Madam would never have been so angry that she fainted.

Mozhuan's heart was filled with resentment. She drove her elbow hard into Lady Fei's chest: "Get away! Go call for help at once!"

Lady Fei, caught off guard, winced in pain and sucked in several sharp breaths. A shadow of gloom flickered across her face as she watched Mozhuan's retreating back, then vanished without a trace. Raising her voice to summon the maids and serving women whom Lady Fan had previously sent away, she moved closer again. Before those maids and serving women could enter, she said with a face full of worry and anxiety: "Miss Mozhuan, this won't do! Even if we send for a doctor now, by the time he arrives, it'll be too late. I've taken care of my sickly cousin since I was young, and the doctor once told me that in such situations, the best remedy is to pinch the philtrum—one pinch and she'll wake up." With that, she shoved Mozhuan aside with force, supported Lady Fan herself, and pinched her philtrum. In the meantime, she instructed Mozhuan, "Hurry and pour a cup of cold water, so that when Eldest Young Madam wakes, she can steady her nerves."

The maids and serving women had already filed in. Seeing Lady Fei pinching the philtrum of the unconscious Eldest Young Madam, two of the older ones stepped forward to help.

Mozhuan saw that Lady Fei wasn't speaking idly. She stayed close by, not daring to leave, and instructed a young maid to pour a cup of cold water.

Seeing this, Lady Fei had one of the older women beside her continue pinching Lady Fan's philtrum while she took the teacup, drew in a mouthful of cold water, and sprayed it onto Lady Fan's face.

Lady Fan let out a soft moan.

Mozhuan was overjoyed.

Lady Fei's expression was one of excitement: "Wonderful! Eldest Young Madam is all right..." With that, she drew in another mouthful of cold water and sprayed it onto Lady Fan's face again with a "pfft" sound.

After much fussing like this, Lady Fan finally regained consciousness.

Mozhuan was beside herself with joy. She stepped forward to support Lady Fan, helped her lean back against the large bolster on the kang, and personally brewed a cup of tea for Lady Fan to drink. Seeing Lady Fan's face covered in water, even the front of her crimson brocade jacket with the pattern of gold threads soaked through, she instructed the maids to bring water for Lady Fan to wash her face, opened the wardrobe to fetch a rose-red vest with the pattern of "four seasons of good fortune" for Lady Fan to change into, and sent a maid to inform Steward Yu to summon a doctor to examine Lady Fan...

By the time all this was done, it was already dusk.

Lady Fan felt a burning pain at her philtrum. When she looked in the mirror, she discovered that the skin there had been broken by the fingernails, red and swollen. She simply hadn't noticed it earlier because her mind had been occupied with other matters.

Mozhuan jumped up in fury: "I'm going to find that Lady Fei..."

"Come back!" Lady Fan stopped Mozhuan. "If I can't even keep a concubine in check—do you want those women of the Yu household to laugh at me?"

Mozhuan turned back sheepishly.

Lady Fan clenched her teeth tightly and said to Mozhuan: "Go and find out—is it as Lady Fei said, that everyone in the household knows about the matter on Needle Alley, and only we've been kept completely in the dark..."

Before she even finished speaking, Mozhuan's face had already turned ashen. She softly replied "Yes," and hung her head as she left Lady Fan's inner chamber.

Lady Fan lay alone on the kang, her face alternating between pale and flushed.

When legitimate and illegitimate are not distinguished, there are no rules. Without rules, nothing can be accomplished. Without order, where are the standards of conduct? Without standards of conduct, the clan members will act recklessly.

Madam Yu was the matriarch of the clan. She should understand all this very well. How could she tolerate the existence of Madam Min?

But from the way Lady Fei spoke, she didn't seem to be lying. Otherwise, Lady Fan could simply investigate and Lady Fei would be exposed.

At this thought, her temples began to ache dully.

Her own husband, fearing that Madam Min would feel lonely during the Lantern Festival, had specially sent Lady Fei to visit her. Fearing she might catch cold in the cold weather, he sent five hundred taels of silver... just as he treated her... When her monthly cycle came, he would brew brown sugar water for her. In the summer, knowing she was frail, he never allowed the maids to give her anything chilled with ice...

The tenderness that once belonged to her was now being given to another woman.

Lady Fan felt as if she had drunk half a bottle of vinegar—sour and bitter.

Just as she was lost in thought, Mozhuan returned.

Her lips were pressed tightly together, her face ashen.

Lady Fan's heart gave a lurch. She looked at Mozhuan with a pleading expression.

Mozhuan's tears fell in large drops.

Lady Fan felt as if all the strength had been drained from her body. She collapsed onto the bed.

For a moment, the room was utterly silent, without a single sound.

After who knew how long, Lady Fan, unwilling to give up, asked Mozhuan: "What did Old Woman Bai say?"

Mozhuan kept her head lowered: "...Earlier, the Eldest Young Master had Lady Fei deliver dried fish to the Needle Alley household. It seems everyone in the household knows..."

Lady Fan closed her eyes, and tears seeped from the corners.

"What exactly is he trying to do? By humiliating me like this, does he think he's saving his own dignity?" Her expression was mournful as she struggled to sit up.

Mozhuan hurried forward to support Lady Fan.

But Lady Fan shook her off, pushing Mozhuan away.

"I want to see Mother-in-law," she murmured. "I need to ask her why she's doing this. Not only does she not stop him, but she lets him do whatever he pleases... What have I done wrong? Don't I worry about producing an heir? Do I want to be left with an empty lap? Haven't I already bought several maidservants of respectable backgrounds and beautiful appearances to serve Depu? It's Depu himself who refuses—what can I do about that..." As she spoke, she sat there motionless, her gaze vacant.

Seeing her in such a state, Mozhuan grew alarmed and called out anxiously, "Eldest Young Madam!"

"When he had me in his heart, he was also unwilling to touch others..." Lady Fan suddenly grabbed Mozhuan's hand. "He didn't like the maidservants I found for him... I thought he still had me in his heart... But that wasn't it... It was her he was thinking of..."