Chapter 434

Chapter 441 Curiosity (Part 2)

Aunt Tong’s voice dropped a notch.

I stood facing my mother for a moment, then leaned against the window frame to look outside.

The eastern wing was brightly lit, the windows casting shadows of people moving about inside. Mother Tao entered with two maids, their faces stern. Soon after, the former lady arrived. About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the second lady supported the elder lady into the room... Not long after, heart-wrenching sobs from Lady Qin and the soft weeping of the young maids echoed from the western wing.

My mother could no longer sit still. She sent someone to inquire and learned that Lady Tong had passed away, leaving behind a baby boy!

Lady Wen raised her head to look at the Eleventh Lady: "Later, Lady Qin followed the Grand Lady and the Second Lady to the Grand Lady’s residence with empty hands." The Eleventh Lady had been listening attentively. After Lady Wen finished speaking, she lowered her head and pondered for a moment before saying, "There are a few things I don’t understand." Lady Wen leaned slightly forward and replied, "Please ask, my lady." "You said that Lady Tong and Lady Qin were accustomed to serving my elder sister, so they continued to do so even when they were pregnant. But what about you? You have a nurse from Yangzhou by your side, and pregnancy is a special time. Why did you also go to serve?"

Lady Wen was momentarily uncomfortable: "It’s just me, and there are two of them..."

Lady Shier gently shook her head: "Do you know why I am here, Lady Wen?" Without waiting for Lady Wen to respond, she told her about the task Lady Yi had asked the old woman to bring to her.

Lady Wen was taken aback that Lady Shiyi would confide such a secret to her. She was utterly astonished.

"Auntie may be adept at handling various situations, but she has never said anything she shouldn't have. I know Auntie is someone who understands boundaries. There are some things I won't hide from Auntie." As Elven娘 spoke, she swiftly steered the conversation towards older matters, "From what Auntie Tong implied earlier, my elder sister must have completely brought Auntie Tong and Auntie Qin to heel upon her arrival. If I'm not mistaken, my sister must have been very strict with the two aunts, instilling a fear that comes from the depths of their hearts."

So, as soon as my health improved slightly, I went to serve my sister, and she did not refuse.

The mother you brought from Yangzhou saw this clearly and, well aware of the pros and cons, also advised you to go along and serve. Am I wrong?" She thought of the several concubines in the Luo family.

Lady Wen remained silent for a moment, then softly replied, "Yes."

This is exactly it; otherwise, there would be no way to explain everything that happened afterward. "There's still one thing I don't understand," Lady Shiyi thought. "In theory, when my sister married into the family, she should have brought her own personal maid. Why was Lady Tong raised to the position of concubine instead of choosing someone from her own maids?"

She was very curious about the specific incident that had sparked the conflict between Lord Xu and Lady Yuan.

"The Marquis never paid much attention to these matters," Lady Wen said somewhat awkwardly. "I heard that when the late madam first married into the household, she once arranged for her own maids to serve as his bed companions. But the Marquis found it troublesome and preferred going to Aunt Tong and Qin Yi instead, so the idea was abandoned." As she spoke, recalling Eleven Miss's sharp questioning and candid speech, she thought her own evasiveness made her seem small-minded. After a brief pause, she decided to speak frankly: "Later, when our families agreed on my entry into the household, the elder madam, fearing I might become overly coquettish after joining, wanted someone to keep me in check. Worried the late madam couldn’t manage it alone, she designated the gentle and beautiful Tong as a concubine. Rather than bringing in a new woman, elevating one of the two compliant maids already in service was something the late madam was happy to accept."

"Mmm," Lady Wen nodded. "As for Qin Yi, it was because she appeared healthy and likely to bear children, as well as honest and simple." At this point, she sighed with emotion. "Otherwise, not just the late madam, but even the elder madam wouldn't have spared them. Take the two maidservants by Third Young Master’s side—they were married off by Third Madam due to their jealousy and infighting. And the two maidservants by Second Master’s side were also married off by Second Madam after his death. If not for this incident, Aunt Tong and Qin Yi might have had the best outcomes among them."

From being honest and simple to bribing a sorceress to curse Xu Sizhun—this was truly what they called "man's reach exceeds his grasp."

Eleven Miss sighed softly.

Both fell silent.

"I remember you were living in the rear courtyard of the main residence at the time. It should’ve taken no more than the time to finish a cup of tea to get there, yet you said you knelt until your legs went numb without seeing anyone come. Why did Qin Yi take so long?"

"Aunt Tong lost a male child and died in childbirth. The elder madam, citing the late madam’s exhaustion, handed Aunt Tong’s affairs to Second Madam to handle," Aunt Tong explained. "Second Madam took meticulous care of Qin Yi’s daily needs until Second Young Master was born. Only then did Qin Yi and the child move to the west wing where Second Madam lived. At first, I avoided Qin Yi out of discretion. Later, after Zhenjie was born and Second Young Master became the Marquis’s sole heir, I had even more reason to keep my distance. When we met during daily obeisances at the late madam’s place, we’d merely nod and quickly part ways, never exchanging more than a few words. Gradually, we lost contact altogether. It wasn’t until the Marquis returned and renovated the main residence that Qin Yi and I both moved into the eastern courtyard of the main house, rekindling our interactions. But the past was too entangled, and neither of us brought it up again. Some details were learned by my mother through her investigations—I can’t say for certain how accurate they are."

Lady Wen took a sip of tea, only to find it had long gone cold. Apologetically, she smiled at Eleven Miss and went to brew a fresh pot herself.

"Aunt Tong began bleeding heavily. The maidservant in their quarters was furious, scolding the junior maid who had been attending to Aunt Tong at the time. It was only when Aunt Tong felt extremely unwell that she sent Qin Yi’s maid to fetch her." She handed Eleven Miss a freshly poured cup of tea, and Eleven Miss murmured her thanks. "When Qin Yi returned and saw Aunt Tong’s undergarments soaked with blood, she was terrified. Not daring to order the senior maidservant around, she instructed two young maids to tend to Aunt Tong while she hurried to the main house."

"The late madam had just returned from Second Madam’s place and was resting. Qin Yi said Aunt Tong was unwell and asked a maid to inform her. The maid replied that the late madam had just had a terrible outburst and suggested waiting until the next day unless it was urgent—or perhaps seeking Madam Tao instead. Qin Yi asked where Madam Tao was, and the maid said she had just returned to her own quarters. So Qin Yi went to Madam Tao’s room. Madam Tao was washing up, and the maid made her wait before announcing her. When Madam Tao asked Qin Yi what the matter was, Qin Yi—never articulate to begin with—stammered incoherently under Madam Tao’s stern gaze. Exasperated, Madam Tao ordered her to stand in the courtyard until she could collect her thoughts and explain properly."

"Qin Yi had no choice but to kneel and beg Madam Tao to check on Aunt Tong."

"Only then did Madam Tao change her clothes and follow Qin Yi to the east wing."

"But it was already too late!" Eleven Miss said grimly.

"Aunt Tong had already miscarried and was bleeding uncontrollably, losing consciousness," Lady Wen nodded. "Madam Tao finally panicked and sent someone to inform the late madam."

"The late madam rushed over, but by then, Aunt Tong was gasping her last breaths, clearly dying. Not daring to conceal the truth, the late madam immediately sent word to the elder madam..."

"At that time, the Xu family was in dire straits," Eleven Miss murmured. "The late marquis had died, the Seventh Prince was caught up in the fight for the throne, and the Yongping Marquis’s future was uncertain. The family desperately needed a son at that point. First, once the marquis inherited the title, he became the main branch of the family, while the Third and Fifth Young Masters became side branches. With an heir, the marquis could continue the main bloodline. Second, if the late emperor refused to spare the Xu family, having a son would at least give them leverage to protect the family's noble title. Otherwise, without an heir, the marquis would have no legitimate reason to act, and even with strength, he wouldn’t be able to use it effectively. The Yongping Marquis household would then become nothing more than a memory."

"Hmm," Aunt Tong nodded slightly. "At that time, the Fifth Young Master was still young and had no children, and the Third Young Master only had one eldest son. They couldn't possibly adopt the eldest son under the marquis’s name and cut off the line of the Third Branch, could they? So when the elder madam saw this, she shook with rage, didn’t say a word, and turned to leave. Qin Yi, who had been sobbing hysterically by Aunt Tong’s bedside, suddenly fainted..."

"Fainted?" Eleven Miss looked at Lady Wen in surprise.

"Fainted!" Aunt Tong affirmed firmly. "It was the second madam who revived her by pressing the spot below her nose and pricking her middle finger with an embroidery needle."

"So the elder madam decided to place Qin Yi under the second madam's care?" Eleven Miss mused. "As a result, the second madam didn’t let the elder madam down—Qin Yi safely gave birth to a healthy and lively eldest son, Xu Siyu."

By this point, events were beginning to take shape.

Because Eldest Miss had been very strict with the two concubines who came from servant backgrounds, the female servants followed suit in their treatment of them. When chance met inevitability, things took a drastic turn.

Though Qin Yi seemed somewhat dull, she wasn’t foolish. She might have been timid around sharp-minded superiors like the elder madam, the marquis, or the second madam, but Eleven Miss had once overheard her speaking with Lady Wen—her words weren’t particularly clever, but they were clear and easy to understand. For something as important as Aunt Tong bleeding, even if she was scared, she should have cried out until Eldest Miss woke up. Why did she obediently go to Madam Tao just because a little maid told her to? And why did she wait there quietly when Madam Tao’s maid asked her to?

Thinking back on Yi Yiniang’s words and how guilty Qin Yi had looked when asked to pay respects to the deceased concubine of the Fifth Branch, Eleven Miss felt a stirring in her heart. She turned to Lady Wen and asked, "After such an incident, when the marquis returned, how did the elder madam explain it to him? Do you know?"

"I do," Lady Wen replied. "The elder madam said that Aunt Tong had a difficult pregnancy and miscarried at four months. Since it happened at night, the doctor couldn’t arrive in time, and they lost the mother too."

"And the marquis?" Eleven Miss pressed. "Didn’t he ask any further questions?"