Chapter 314

Lady Fan pretended to know nothing at all, smiling as she left Madam Yu's chambers.

Mozhuan saw her come out empty-handed and her expression shifted slightly.

Lady Fan noticed and gave her a subtle look, signaling her not to ask anything. The two of them returned to their room one after the other.

Mozhuan immediately closed the door and said urgently, "Eldest Young Madam, the mistress truly accepted your silver?"

Lady Fan nodded, her expression somewhat inscrutable.

Mozhuan grew anxious: "What are we to do then? If the Eldest Young Master should come to any harm..." As she spoke, she offered Lady Fan advice, "Perhaps we should take more silver over? If we lose the Eldest Young Master, what use would silver be even if we had it?"

"What would you know!" Lady Fan scolded her in a low voice. "How could the Yu family be lacking even that bit of silver? It's merely that they don't have that much ready cash at the moment. My mother-in-law's intention is clearly to appropriate my private savings. If you don't believe me, just wait and see—the silver I took out will be like a meat bun thrown at a dog—gone and never coming back!"

"But..." Even so, Mozhuan still felt that Lady Fan's actions were somewhat unjustifiable. "What if the Eldest Young Master should investigate..."

"Let him investigate if he wants to!" Lady Fan sneered. "In his heart, I've long been a shrewish and jealous woman. Even if I were to tear out my heart for him, he would only think it too bloody and dirty for his hands. Why should I go looking for humiliation? My mother-in-law has always looked upon me with displeasure, always believing that I was the one who made Yu Jingxiu withdraw from the Fu family's marriage arrangement, leaving them without descendants now. She never stops to think—I am merely a young woman raised in the inner chambers, never stepping beyond the gates, how would I know all those schemes and machinations? Yet she piles all the blame onto me, and no matter how considerate, filial, or forbearing I am, I cannot move her heart. Do you think that if I hand over all my private savings, she will regard me differently? Even if she momentarily thinks well of me, should I ever displease her again, she would once more rain down a torrent of scolding upon me." At this point, Lady Fan recalled the sympathy she had glimpsed in the eyes of the serving women when Madam Yu had reprimanded her, and the back of Yu Jingxiu as he had moved to Needle Alley—a back that spoke of utter severance. It felt as though a small knife were slicing at her flesh. "Since no matter what I do, I cannot win their favor, why should I flatter and fawn over them?"

"The saying goes, 'A friend in need is a friend indeed.'" Mozhuan did not quite agree with Lady Fan's approach. "This is always an opportunity!"

Hearing this, Lady Fan's gaze grew distant.

She said softly, "Mozhuan, do you think Yu Jingxiu and I can ever be as good as we once were?"

"Of course we can!" Mozhuan answered without a moment's hesitation. "Once bitten, twice shy. After going through this, the Eldest Young Master will know who truly cares for him..."

But Lady Fan gently shook her head and said in a low voice, "With Madam Min gone, who's to say there won't be a Lady Li or a Lady Zhang in the future... I've seen it clearly now. When you please him, he treats you with every kindness; when you displease him, there's not a single good thing about you. How could I dare to guarantee that I'll please him for my entire life!" As she spoke, she looked up and smiled at Mozhuan, but the smile was full of mockery. "How he moved to Needle Alley—you may have forgotten, but I remember it perfectly well. He left me not a shred of dignity."

Mozhuan lowered her head.

"Enough, let's not speak of these things." Lady Fan waved her hand, looking weary and dispirited.

Mozhuan did not press further and said with a smile, "Let me pour you a cup of hot tea." Just as she finished speaking, a young maidservant came in to announce, "Eldest Young Madam, Mama Shu is here."

Lady Fan and Mozhuan exchanged a glance, then invited Mama Shu in.

After exchanging pleasantries, Mama Shu got straight to the point: "...The mistress said that the master is going to Lord Ji's office at the Court of Judicial Review tomorrow. She remembers that the Eldest Young Master has a pair of Ru-ware plum vases in his study, and she had me come to fetch them to give to the master, as he intends to present them as a gift to Lord Ji tomorrow."

Lady Fan could hardly conceal the shock in her eyes.

That pair of Ru-ware plum vases was common property of the household, merely displayed in Yu Jingxiu's room. For Mama Shu to retrieve them on Madam Yu's orders was entirely proper and legitimate.

She and Mozhuan found the pair of vases, wrapped them carefully, and handed them to Mama Shu.

Mama Shu left beaming, clutching the vases.

"Now do you see!" Lady Fan said through gritted teeth to Mozhuan.

Mozhuan's face was full of shame.

Lady Fan then went with her to the inner chamber and brought out her dowry of pure gold jewelry. "Pawn all of it and exchange it for silver notes."

"How can that be!" Mozhuan shook her head repeatedly. "These were made from the jewelry your mother had crafted by selling your father's calligraphy and paintings..."

"That's precisely why I don't want them to fall into my mother-in-law's hands." Lady Fan cut off Mozhuan's words. "As long as we have silver in hand, why should we fear lacking gold and silver jewelry?"

Mozhuan had no choice. The next morning, she found an excuse to leave the house.

Lady Fei, who had been keeping a close watch on every move of the Yu family, learned of Mozhuan's whereabouts before nightfall.

She thought it over, gathered her valuables, and went to see Madam Yu.

"...It was only when I noticed that Miss Mozhuan had gone to the pawnshop that I realized," Lady Fei said, her face full of the guilt that follows a sudden realization. "These things may be few, but they are a small token of my sincerity. I beg you, Madam, to accept them."

The items were worth only a few hundred taels of silver—nothing Madam Yu coveted—but she appreciated Lady Fei's attitude. She did not decline, having Mama Shu accept the goods, then exchanged a few pleasant words with Lady Fei before the latter took her leave.

Madam Yu's face immediately turned ashen.

She instructed Mama Shu: "Find out for me, clearly, exactly what she pawned."

Mama Shu acknowledged with trepidation and soon discovered which items Mozhuan had pawned.

Madam Yu looked at the list transcribed on crimson paper flecked with gold, her lips turning purple with rage. She summoned Yu Huaian and handed him the paper: "Items have gone missing from the inner courtyard, and Mozhuan is suspected. Take this list of lost goods to the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture and have them send a few steady men to handle the matter."

Yu Huaian kept his head bowed and his eyes lowered, not daring to lift his gaze, and replied with a respectful "Yes," before heading to the Shuntian Prefecture.

By noon, yamen runners came to the door.

When Mozhuan was summoned to the hanging-flower gate, she thought the delivery boy had brought the kingfisher-feather flowers she had ordered. It never crossed her mind that she would be seized and taken to the Shuntian Prefecture...

Within the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, Lady Fan received word.

She was so frightened her legs went weak, and it was some time before she could stand with the help of her maidservant. She went to Madam Yu's quarters.

"Mother, I beg you, save Mozhuan." Thinking of Mozhuan's unwavering loyalty over the years, Lady Fan's tears fell unbidden. "Those jewelry pieces are all mine—I asked her to pawn them..." As she spoke, she grabbed at Madam Yu's skirt like a drowning woman clutching at a lifeline. "Didn't you say the Court of Judicial Review needed silver for greasing palms? I had Mozhuan pawn things to raise money for Depu, but I was afraid you'd scold me, so I kept it from you..."

"Silly child, what does this have to do with you?" Madam Yu said, looking both amused and exasperated as she stepped forward to take Lady Fan's hand. "She is the servant; you are the mistress. It is her duty to serve you. Just because she has been by your side for a long time doesn't mean you should shield her from everything. You're not helping her—you're harming her..."

Her mother-in-law's smile was as warm as the March sun, yet Lady Fan shivered.

She opened her eyes wide, as if seeing Madam Yu for the first time.

"Mother, it really was me," she kept saying, but her voice grew increasingly dejected and helpless.

Madam Yu laughed. "You say it was you. Very well, tell me—how much silver did you get for them? And where is the silver?"

Lady Fan's lips trembled, as if she wanted to speak but held back.

Madam Yu smiled and raised her teacup.

Mama Shu walked in, her eyes darting briefly toward Lady Fan, and said: "The men from Shuntian Prefecture just came by. That Mozhuan has confessed to everything. According to the law, she is to be executed. They sent me to report this to you, Madam."

Madam Yu gave a satisfied "Hmph."

Lady Fan collapsed onto the floor.

Seeing this, Madam Yu said, "Mama Shu, help the young mistress up at once." Then, in a dismissive tone to Lady Fan, she added, "We only have two hands and two eyes—we can't watch over everything. You needn't blame yourself too much." Then she said to Mama Shu, "The eldest young mistress no longer has a trusted maidservant by her side. Pick two capable ones from my quarters to attend to her."

Mama Shu acknowledged with a smile, and together with another mama, she helped Lady Fan back to her room.

When Lady Fei heard the news, she sneered repeatedly and went to comfort Lady Fan.

Madam Yu, however, could not be bothered with such matters, focusing all her thoughts on Yu Jingxiu.

Grand Secretary Yu had exhausted every ounce of his strength but could not secure Yu Jingxiu's release. Fearing his son would suffer in prison, he and the family steward sent a manager to deliver meals to Yu Jingxiu every day. The jailers, like geese plucking feathers as they pass, demanded five taels one day, ten the next. Of the fifty thousand taels spent, twenty thousand went to bribing officials at the Court of Judicial Review, while the remaining thirty thousand was scattered away like water—a little here for this, a little there for that.

Fortunately, most of the usury loans outstanding were collected back, so the family was not left completely strapped for cash.

But Grand Secretary Yu began to see through the game.

He was, after all, a Grand Secretary of the first rank. Yet even visiting his son in the Shuntian Prefecture prison required bribes, and stingy ones wouldn't do. Lord Ji, for his part, was full of excuses, saying that since Madam Min was with child, torture could not be applied, and without a confession, there was no way to exonerate Yu Jingxiu. He told Grand Secretary Yu to be patient, that he would find a way to obtain the confession, and then Yu Jingxiu could be released.

This was clearly a scheme to extort money from their family!

In a frenzy, he sought out everyone he should have sought and everyone he shouldn't have. Still, there was no way to pull Yu Jingxiu out.

Grand Secretary Yu steeled himself and sold off the family's several shops in the capital to plug that bottomless pit.

The brothers Yu Guodong and Yu Guocai were stirred from their complacency, only then learning that their nephew was in trouble with the law.

The two of them were frantic, spurring their horses at full speed to reach the capital and discuss countermeasures with Grand Secretary Yu.

"The most urgent matter now is not getting Depu out of prison," said Yu Guodong, the eldest of the Yu brothers. "What we need to do now is find a way to preserve Depu's scholarly title—without it, his entire life is ruined."

Grand Secretary Yu and his younger brother Yu Guocai both remained silent.

Unless they could prove that the man surnamed Guo had filed a false accusation, how could that scholarly title possibly be preserved!

Yu Guodong and Yu Guocai made a round of efforts in the capital, but both returned in defeat.

By this time, Yu Jingxiu's case could no longer be suppressed. Rumors began circulating in the capital that Yu Jingxiu had engaged in improper relations with the daughter of his teacher Fan Dakun, and that in order to marry Lady Fan, he had driven his betrothed—Madam Fu of Huayin—to her death.

When Madam Yu heard this, she was furious beyond measure. "That bastard Zhao Ling! Even a cornered rabbit will bite. Does he really think our Yu family is a soft persimmon he can squeeze however he likes?" She added, "When it comes to his woman, if he's not afraid of losing face, then we have nothing to fear either. Do you think you're the only one who can spread words? Don't we have mouths of our own?"

This time, Grand Secretary Yu remained silent and did not stop her.

Madam Yu then discussed with Yu Huaian how to spread counter-rumors.

But no sooner had the two settled on their plan than the scandal of the Marquis of Xiping colluding with Grand Secretary Yu to privately sell war horses erupted.

Only then did Grand Secretary Yu realize he had been tricked.

"So this was his killer move all along." He sat in his chair, unable to move for a long while. "Using Depu to divert our attention, and by the time we realized something was wrong, there was no time left to arrange a defense..."

In an instant, Grand Secretary Yu's face turned ashen.

Madam Yu no longer had any thought for rumors and slander—her hair turned white overnight.

But even that could not stop Grand Secretary Yu's fall from power.

In early June, Grand Secretary Yu was exiled to Zhuanglang Guard, to depart that very day.

The Emperor, mindful of Grand Secretary Yu's years of service to the court, commuted Yu Jingxiu's death sentence, stripped him of his scholarly title, and reduced him to commoner status.

In mid-July, Grand Secretary Yu, advanced in years and unable to withstand the heat and the days of continuous travel, fell ill and died in Pingliang.

And so began the decline of the Yu family of Fengle Ward in Nanjing.

When the news arrived, it merely drew a sigh from people.

Third Cousin's husband, who was strolling with Zhao Ling behind the Zhao family villa on Yuming Mountain to escape the heat, asked Zhao Ling in confusion: "Why did you plead for leniency for Yu Jingxiu? Otherwise, he would have faced justice long ago!"

Zhao Ling gazed at the lush greenery rustling in the wind and said, "I've always felt that death settles everything—it's the most comfortable outcome. It's the living who truly suffer." He looked at Third Cousin and smiled, revealing his white teeth. "Third Brother-in-Law, what do you think?"

Third Cousin's husband was struck speechless.

From the wind came the faint, cheerful laughter of children, like wind chimes—clear, pleasant, and carefree.

(The End)