Chapter 430

Chapter 437: Turmoil (Part 2)

"The discomfort is gone?" Zhuxiang noticed the hint of joy in Eleven Miss's tone and thought it couldn't be a bad thing, but she still wanted clarity. "My lady, shall we call Tian Ma to check?"

"No, that won't be necessary." The morning nausea that had plagued her since pregnancy was suddenly gone, leaving her feeling much lighter. With Xu Sizhun awake now too, Eleven Miss seemed visibly more relaxed. "Master Changchun is here today to conduct the rituals, and everyone is busy. If we raise a fuss, everyone will come rushing over."

Zhuxiang acknowledged with a smile.

Living in the elder madam's household came with its own hassles.

She just hoped things would calm down soon so life could go back to normal.

Lord Xu had gone to the outer courtyard at daybreak. Once she'd washed up, Eleven Miss headed to the elder madam's quarters.

The elder madam was already up, sitting by the kang watching the wet nurse feed Xu Sizhun breakfast. Spotting Eleven Miss, she greeted her warmly, "Ah, you've come!" Then she instructed Madam Du, "Have the maids serve breakfast."

Madam Du promptly left to carry out the order.

After swallowing the rice in his mouth, Xu Sizhun called out, "Mother."

Fresh out of his coma, he still looked pale and frail. Eleven Miss smiled and asked, "Feeling better?"

Xu Sizhun nodded shyly.

The elder madam insisted he had been mistaken. Repeat a lie enough, and even the liar believes it—especially when Xu Sizhun had been in such a panic. His silence on the matter of seeing a ghost amounted to an admission that he must have been wrong.

The wet nurse added cheerfully, "The fourth young master ate half a bowl of congee yesterday and woke up hungry in the middle of the night, so he had a rice cake." She then showed Eleven Miss the nearly empty bowl. "See? Only two spoonfuls left."

Just then, Mrs. Nanyong arrived, carrying Xu Sijie to pay respects to the elder madam.

The brothers took each other's hands—one asking, "Have you been attending school properly these days?" and the other inquiring, "Is Fourth Uncle better now?" Seeing their brotherly affection, the elder madam's dark mood finally lifted.

After breakfast, Xu Siqin, Xu Sijian, and Lady Zhen arrived one after another.

The incident of Concubine Yi wandering the courtyard at night and frightening Xu Sizhun had already spread. When Xu Siqin and Xu Sijian saw Xu Sizhun, they couldn't help but feel somewhat embarrassed, but Xu Sizhun was magnanimous: "It was my fault for being too timid. It has nothing to do with Concubine Yi."

Hearing this, Xu Sijian remained relatively unaffected, but the older Xu Siqin grew even more ashamed and quickly said, "My father has already written to Fourth Uncle, leaving the matter entirely in his hands. Fourth Uncle has decided to send Concubine Yi to Shanyang. Nothing like this will ever happen again!"

Xu Sijian's eyes flashed with hope before dulling again as he mumbled, "We still have to attend class today." The elder madam laughed softly and said, "Then go visit him at noon!" Xu Sijian immediately perked up again.

After chatting for a while, Madam Du escorted the young masters to Twin Lotus Courtyard for their lessons.

Lady Zhen offered Xu Sizhun a few words of advice—such as "Take good care of yourself"—before taking her leave.

She had remained unusually quiet throughout; it was unlike her usual self. Soon after, the fifth madam arrived, holding Xin Jieer.

"Mother," she invited the elder madam, "let's go watch Master Changchun perform the rites! We can also divine Xin Jieer's fortune with him."

It was said that Master Changchun gave readings based on fate—he might refuse those who paid him handsomely, yet offer unsolicited insights to others for free. Parents often brought their children to watch his rituals, hoping for a word or two of guidance.

Understanding the fifth madam's wish for blessings for Xin Jieer, the elder madam smiled and said, "You and Xin Jieer go ahead. I'll stay here and play cards with Lady Eleven and chat with Zhun'er."

Lord Xu had entrusted this pair to the elder madam, likely fearing that without her, Lady Eleven and Xu Sizhun would be left unattended.

Lady Eleven quickly added, "Mother, please go with Fifth Sister-in-law! I’ll tend to things here."

For a young woman to venture to the outer courtyard to watch a Taoist perform rites was mildly scandalous, and the fifth madam felt uneasy. She clutched the elder madam's sleeve, wheedling, "Please, won’t you come with me?"

Madam Tai could not help but hesitate, but Elven laughed and pushed her out the door: "Once you leave, I can have a feast with Brother Chun."

Madam Tai was amused into chuckling and left for the outer courtyard with Fifth Madam.

Elven sat by the kang, doing needlework while chatting idly with Xu Sizhen. The wet nurse sat at Elven's feet with a small stool, using the needle and thread from a little maid to make socks for Xu Sizhen.

As they chatted, Xu Sizhen fell asleep.

A little maid came in to report: "Madam, Sister Amber has been waiting for you outside for quite some time."

Elven was slightly taken aback and turned to go to the western side room.

Amber leaned close and whispered: "Concubine Yi said she has a great secret to tell you!"

"Eldest Sister?" Elven was momentarily stunned, "A secret?"

"Yes!" Amber nodded, "She has kept this matter in her heart for many years. She fears that if she doesn't speak now, there will be no more chance. She insists you must see her. The on-duty matron didn't dare to decide and specifically reported it to me."

Elven's brows furrowed slightly.

Last night, Lord Xu received a letter from Third Young Master, planning to send Concubine Yi to Shanyang early this morning. But just as dawn broke, Master Changchun led a group of Taoists in a grand procession to the door.

He had to arrange for Concubine Yi to depart the next day.

From the tone of Concubine Yi, it seemed she was already aware of Lord Xu's plans.

At this moment and under these circumstances, Concubine Yi claims to have a secret about Yuan to reveal... Is it true? Or is it false?

If it's true, why choose to speak now? Could it be related to Lord Xu's arrangements for her?

If it was false, how could she be so confident in deceiving everyone and making me believe it?

Eleventh Miss felt very hesitant.

Lord Xu had made it unequivocally clear to her that Yi Yiniang could not stay—the so-called plan to send Yi Yiniang to Shanyang was just a smokescreen. If what Yi Yiniang wanted to tell her was true, not going might mean she’d never learn the truth.

She thought of the Elder Madam’s attitude toward Eldest Miss when she first entered the household, of Lord Xu’s prejudice against her, of the Second Madam’s contempt… Eldest Miss had left many secrets behind.

In the past, she would never have gone.

She had always believed in letting bygones be bygones.

But since the incident with Madam Tao, she had deeply realized that the past was slowly influencing her future life. If it was false… Eleventh Miss sighed softly.

Well, it wouldn’t really be a loss, would it?

She had to admit, Yi Yiniang’s words were cleverly manipulative.

Eleventh Miss took Amber to the room where Yi Yiniang was being held.

Perhaps because she had originally been set to leave today, Yi Yiniang was wearing a crisp new dark-red linen vest, her hair neatly combed, and a faint hint of jade hairpin perfume about her. Though she looked clean, her skin was sallow, her eyes dull, and her lips twitched incessantly, as if she’d aged a decade in a day, unable to hide her wretched state.

When she saw Eleventh Miss, her eyes lit up and she immediately lunged forward.

The matron who opened the door swung her barrel-like waist, blocking Eleventh Miss with her imposing frame.

Before Eleventh Miss could react, she heard a *thud*—Yi Yiniang had fallen to her knees. "Madam, oh Madam, I’m innocent! You must stand up for me!" The matron glanced at Eleventh Miss, asking what should be done.

Eleventh Miss gave her a slight nod.

The servant woman silently stepped aside.

Amber fetched an ornate armchair and placed it behind Eleven Miss, then took out a handkerchief to wipe the seat clean before giving the servant woman who had opened the door a pointed look.

The servant woman feared Yi Yiniang might lash out and harm Lady Fourth, but considering that Lady Fourth had come alone to meet her, there must be some confidential matter to discuss… After hesitating for a moment, she smiled and retreated.

Eleven Miss slowly sat down on the ornate armchair, her gaze cold as she watched Yi Yiniang without speaking.

For a moment, the room was silent, save for Yi Yiniang’s own slightly heavy breathing.

Yi Yiniang, unsure of her intentions, began to avert her eyes and murmured, “My lady, I... I must tell you something!”

Eleven Miss remained silent for a while before finally saying slowly, “Whatever you have to say, stand up and speak.”

“Yes!” Yi Yiniang stammered, rising unsteadily to her feet.

“You mentioned a secret concerning my elder sister,” Eleven Miss said calmly. “What exactly is it?”

“My lady, I truly had nothing to do with Qin Yiniang using dark magic against the fourth young master. I’m innocent!” Yi Yiniang’s expression grew agitated again, and Amber edged protectively closer to Eleven Miss. “Qin Yiniang has long harbored evil intentions toward the heir. I was deceived by her and had no choice but to help her find Zhu Daopo. My lady, please—I’m uneducated, foolish, and didn’t understand the consequences. Please speak to the marquis on my behalf. Punish me any way you choose, but don’t send me away from the household!” With that, she knelt and began kowtowing.

“I implore you, I beg of you!”

Criminals often refuse to admit their guilt.

Eleven Miss remained unmoved, watching as Yi Yiniang’s forehead turned red from the kowtowing before finally speaking unhurriedly, “Yi Yiniang, I came here out of respect for your past service to Third Young Master, thinking you were a sensible person. Words, though not as binding as writing, still require solid evidence. If you’re just spouting wild accusations—” She paused. “Then you’re not as clever as I thought. I see no reason to listen to you.”

With that, she turned to leave.

Yi Yiniang, panicked, scrambled to her feet.

“My lady, my lady!” She rushed forward, reaching for Eleven Miss’s sleeve. “I’m not lying! Back then, everyone said it was your sister who caused Aunt Tong’s miscarriage and death. But in truth, it was Qin Yiniang’s doing. She took advantage of the chaos to kill Aunt Tong and framed your sister, forcing her to bear the shame all these years…”