Chapter 113

Chapter 115: Past Events (Part 1)

Auntie Xiang was overly attentive in front of Amber, and over time, Amber learned some details about her family.

She had only one son, who died of illness before turning twenty, leaving behind a son and a daughter. Unable to bear the thought of her young daughter-in-law staying a widow, she allowed her to remarry. Her husband worked in the stables, feeding the horses, and his food and drink were provided by the residence. He earned a monthly wage of five hundred coins, but without a steady job, she struggled to raise her grandchildren, making life very difficult.

Eleven Miss fell silent for a long moment after hearing this.

Not only were the older women in her household hardworking, but even if she wanted to replace someone, she couldn’t possibly hire someone as talkative as Auntie Xiang. In her previous life, she had sailed smoothly, but when she was forced into the Luo family mansion and reduced to the lowest of circumstances, she had also humbled herself to beg for help. Her experiences gave her a deeper empathy for others' hardships. "Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire." Raising Auntie Xiang’s hopes and then casually dismissing her with a "we won’t be replacing anyone for now" would likely leave her sleepless for weeks. And those two roasted chickens—who knows where she scraped together the money to buy them? Her sympathy for Auntie Xiang stemmed from her own experiences. What surprised her, however, was that Amber seemed to feel guilty when discussing the matter.

"How old are Auntie Xiang’s grandchildren?"

Amber’s eyes brightened. "The granddaughter is the older one, twelve this year. She was born in April, so they named her Fangfei. The grandson is younger, ten years old, and his name is Suo’er."

Eleven Miss recalled that there was a Fangfei in Eldest Miss’s household. "Is she the one who’s in charge in Eldest Miss’s room?"

"No," Amber chuckled. "I’ve heard she’s quite clever and sharp, so people in the residence call her Little Fangfei."

Eleven Miss pondered for a moment. "Auntie Xiang is too talkative and isn’t suitable to stay with us. When the time comes, see if there’s a position available for a maid and find a job for Fangfei. Guide her so she doesn’t become as talkative as her grandmother, and her job will naturally last longer."

Amber was Eleven Miss’s most trusted maid, and everyone in the Xu family knew it. Although Eleven Miss wasn’t in charge of the household, if there was a vacancy, she could easily place someone without Third Madam objecting. This matter wouldn’t be difficult to arrange. Amber happily agreed, and the two began discussing household affairs.

"...The old marquis took three concubines over the years. The first was originally a servant by his side and gave birth to Third Young Master. She fell ill and died in her thirties. The second didn’t have any children and passed away not long after the old marquis. The third was taken in during the old marquis’s later life. When the old marquis died, she was only in her early twenties. Elder Madam gave her a sum of money and sent her away. During the old marquis’s lifetime, the concubines took turns every five days, with the other days spent in Elder Madam’s room. After Third Madam married into the family, she adhered to this rule, as did the previous eldest young lady."

Eleven Miss didn’t know that Third Young Master also had a concubine. "...How many concubines does he have? Do you know their backgrounds?"

"Only one, surnamed Yi. She was Third Madam’s maid and was promoted when Third Madam was expecting the eldest young master. She never had any children and is quite close to our Qin Yi."

Both being maids, they likely had more in common.

Eleven Miss nodded slightly.

"...Second Master passed away on the tenth day of the first lunar month in the fifty-second year of Jianwu. Lady Wen was brought into the residence on the sixth day of the eleventh month, and Qin Yi and Tong Yi were promoted shortly after. The old marquis passed away on the seventh day of the twelfth month."

Both Qin and Tong were maids who had served Lord Xu since childhood. It was said that Tong had died long ago, while Qin was promoted to concubine after giving birth to the eldest son...

"I remember, Qiu Luo wasn’t promoted to concubine, was she?"

"You’re not mistaken. She wasn’t promoted," Amber whispered, knowing what Eleven Miss was asking. "Auntie Xiang said that when Tong Yi died, she was already four months along. If the child had been born, it might have been older than the eldest young master... She also said that Tong Yi’s beauty and demeanor were unmatched in the entire residence to this day. When serving the marquis, she never went out to join in the festivities, even during holidays like New Year’s or Mid-Autumn Festival. While everyone else in the courtyard went out to play, she stayed in the room to warm the marquis’s bedding and prepare his tea. Elder Madam liked her the most, and she was promoted to concubine as soon as she was of age."

Beautiful, sensible, and well-mannered, she was promoted to concubine and then became pregnant with her first child... only to end up dying with the child.

Eleven Miss felt a chill in her heart. "Do you know how she died?"

Amber’s face turned slightly pale. "They said it was due to a miscarriage..."

But isn’t the first three months the most unstable period? How could it happen in the fourth month...

"What about the marquis?" Eleven Miss asked softly. "How did he react when he found out about Tong Yi’s death?"

"They say that at the time, Yanjing was unstable, so Elder Madam sent the marquis to their ancestral home in Henan to guard the old marquis’s tomb. By the time he returned, Tong Yi had been dead for nearly two years. There was no noticeable change in the marquis, but not long after, he had a big argument with Second Madam and Eldest Miss, and they gradually grew apart."

"Oh?" Eleven Miss straightened up. "What was the argument about?"

"The residence we live in now is located east of the main hall and has been the upper courtyard for generations of marquises and their wives. After Second Master married, he originally lived in the courtyard where our concubines now reside. At that time, Dianchun Hall hadn’t been demolished yet, and the marquis and Eldest Miss lived there. Fifth Young Master was still young and lived in the west wing of our courtyard.

Later, after Second Master died, Second Madam, being a widow, was supposed to move to a quieter place. But at the time, she was so ill that she became delirious. In broad daylight, she claimed to hear Second Young Master coughing in the study and asked the maids to bring him a cloak... Elder Madam wept bitterly when she heard this and cried with her, so no one dared to bring up the move. After Second Madam recovered somewhat, the old marquis passed away, and Elder Madam fell ill. Coincidentally, the family faced a crisis, with rumors that the old marquis was involved with some faction and might lose his title. Fortunately, our family’s elder intervened and managed to resolve the situation peacefully. That’s why, when you married into the family, everyone said the Xu family was repaying a debt of gratitude to the Luo family."

Eleven Miss was hearing about this connection between the Xu and Luo families for the first time.

"... The Yongping Marquis and Third Young Master were out every day. The eldest young lady was managing the household, and Third Madam was pregnant, so Elder Madam inevitably received less attention. It was all thanks to Second Madam, who, despite her illness, brought Fifth Young Master to Elder Madam to serve her medicine and soup, and also supervised his studies. At that time, she was so thin that she was just skin and bones. After things settled down, the Marquis and Third Young Master went to their hometown in Henan to guard the ancestral tomb, and Second Madam helped Elder Madam manage the family's properties, staying in Elder Madam's room nine out of ten days. Naturally, no one mentioned her moving out."

Eleven Miss was taken aback: "Second Madam helped Elder Madam manage the family's properties?"

"Yes," Amber said solemnly. "I inquired repeatedly. Auntie Xiang said that back then, the stewards of the outer court all went to Second Madam for instructions. Matters of the inner court were directed to the eldest young lady."

Eleven Miss pondered deeply.

Amber continued, "Later, when the Marquis and Third Young Master returned, Third Young Master took over the management of the family's properties, and Second Madam proposed moving to where Elder Madam now lives. The Marquis disagreed, saying, 'I didn't come back to drive out my widowed sister-in-law.' Upon hearing this, Second Madam felt it was inappropriate to bring up moving again. Seeing this wasn't working, Elder Madam had two new courtyards built next to Dianchun Hall, where Fifth Young Master now lives and where the eldest young lady used to live."

"So, the courtyard where Fifth Young Master lives and the house where the eldest young lady lived were both built later?"

Eleven Miss, having handled many divorce cases, was no stranger to drama. She could guess what happened next: "As a result, the Kun position of the Xu family's residence is exactly where we are living now!"

Amber nodded repeatedly: "And at that time, the courtyard next to Dianchun Hall wasn't finished yet. As soon as Second Madam heard, she immediately moved to the current house in the back garden. The Marquis then blamed the eldest young lady for meddling. He even said, 'Second Madam is a woman, living alone in the back garden. You might as well just drive her to a nunnery, at least she'd have some company.' The eldest young lady was deeply upset, saying, 'She lived in the upper house of the Xu family for three years, and I never said a word. If I wanted to drive her out, I would have done it long ago.' Who knew the Marquis would get even angrier, saying, 'Are you always coveting that upper house?' and 'Now that I'm the Yongping Marquis, have I advanced enough for you? Are you satisfied? Are you happy?' The eldest young lady cried so much that she was in tears, saying, 'Didn't we live together before you became the Marquis?' Their words got deeper and deeper. The Marquis, who usually never raised his voice in front of the eldest young lady, slammed the yellow pearwood kang table beside him, breaking it into pieces, scaring Wan Xiang into running to fetch Elder Madam."

"And then Elder Madam scolded the Marquis?"

Amber widened her eyes at Eleven Miss: "How did you know?"

Eleven Miss smiled slightly: "Elder Madam always supports the weak, not the strong. Second Madam was alone, so she pitied her; Fifth Young Master was like a child who never grew up, so she feared Fifth Madam would suffer; Third Madam had two sons by her side, and Third Young Master obeyed her every word, so Elder Madam naturally didn't worry about her and paid her the least attention." She had seen many such mothers-in-law. Daughters-in-law often felt that their mother-in-law didn't treat everyone equally, but the mother-in-law hoped everyone would live well, thinking that if you were capable, she didn't need to help you. "Now that the eldest young lady and the Marquis are quarreling, she has to help the eldest young lady scold her son to calm things down!"

A flicker of admiration appeared in Amber's eyes: "As a result, the Marquis, who usually remained silent in front of Elder Madam, moved to the back garden in a fit of anger."

"Half Moon Pond?"

Amber nodded.

"Then the eldest young lady also moved to the current house in a huff," Eleven Miss couldn't help but smile. "How did they make up later?"

Otherwise, how could there be Chun Ge?