Chapter 609

Chapter 616: Fury (Part 2)

Lady Eleven’s expression immediately turned serious. “Wasn’t the fifth young master with the fourth young master? What happened?” Noticing Xi Er was still catching her breath, she added, “Speak slowly.”

Xi Er nodded but ignored her own uneven breathing, speaking urgently, “After the fifth young master paid his respects, he went with the fourth young master to Serene Retreat. The fifth young master wanted to practice calligraphy, while the fourth young master needed to memorize texts. The fourth young master gave up the study for him and recited in the hall instead. At noon, they had lunch together and then went to the inner chamber to nap. As usual, after the beds were prepared, the fourth young master sent us away, leaving only a little maid at the door to keep watch. Bi Luo and I went to the antechamber to do sewing. By mid-afternoon, the fourth and fifth young masters still hadn’t called for us to help them dress. I found it odd, so I tiptoed to the main room, only to run into Sister Ge Jin at the door.”

“Ge Jin?” Lady Eleven was surprised.

She had been a gift from the elder madam, and Xu Sizhun treated her with respect, leaving most matters to Bi Luo and the others. It was unusual for Ge Jin to be involved in something as routine as helping him dress.

Xi Er nodded. “I greeted Sister Ge Jin. She said the fourth and fifth young masters hadn’t woken yet and that she was going back to her own room to rest. She told me to check again later and, if they woke, to send a little maid to fetch her. Not daring to delay, I agreed and returned to the antechamber. I had just stitched half a flower when I heard a loud commotion from the main room. Worried about the fifth young master, I immediately dropped my embroidery hoop and rushed out.” Her eyes widened with fear. “I saw Madam Du standing guard at the door, with Yu Ban and others from the elder madam’s attendants under the eaves. The little maid who had been keeping watch earlier was kneeling in the courtyard, and from the inner chamber came the elder madam’s furious scolding.”

Lady Eleven stiffened, exchanging a glance with Zhuxiang and signaling her to watch the door. In a low, urgent voice, she asked Xi Er, “What did the elder madam say?”

“I was stopped by Yu Ban before I could get close. I only caught bits and pieces.” Xi Er’s lips trembled, her voice shaking. “‘You are noble young masters, not actors,’ and ‘Your father went to such lengths to hire tutors to teach you to read and write—was it so you could engage in such disgraceful behavior?’ She also said, ‘I will tell your father about this.’”

Lady Eleven pressed, “What happened next?” Only then did she realize her voice had grown hoarse.

“Then, Madam Du signaled for us to return to our rooms,” Xi Er said. “We didn’t dare linger and went back to the antechamber. Bi Luo and I peeked through the window lattice. Soon after, I saw Ge Jin and one of the elder madam’s little maids bring in a brazier. Later, the elder madam left with a stern expression.” Her voice grew strained. “Bi Luo and I hurried to the inner chamber. The room smelled of smoke, and the brazier Ge Jin had brought in was placed in the center, filled with ashes. The fifth young master knelt there, his face full of shame, while the fourth young master tried to pull him up. The fifth young master refused, saying he had gotten the fourth young master involved in this and that if the elder madam told the marquis, the marquis would surely punish the fourth young master. As he spoke, his eyes grew red.”

“The fourth young master comforted him, saying nothing would happen and that it was his fault to begin with—if the marquis punished him, it was only right. The fifth young master then clutched the fourth young master’s sleeve, saying things like ‘I’ve let you down.’ The fourth young master replied that it was he who had failed the fifth young master, that he shouldn’t have taken the initiative to bring in the opera notation for *The Cold Kiln*…”

“What?” Lady Eleven stiffened. “The fourth young master brought in the opera notation for *The Cold Kiln*?”

Xi Er nodded. “That’s what I heard him say.”

“And then?” Lady Eleven’s expression darkened.

“The floor was cold, and we were afraid the fifth young master would hurt his knees, so we helped the fourth young master pull him up. At first, the fifth young master refused, but after Bi Luo urged him with, ‘Don’t make the fourth young master worry for you,’ he suddenly changed his mind. Not only did he stand, but he also wanted to go to the elder madam, saying since this was his fault, he wouldn’t let the fourth young master take the blame. The fourth young master quickly stopped him, saying the elder madam was still angry and would naturally say harsh things. Once she cooled down, he would go apologize, and she wouldn’t pursue it further. The fifth young master hesitated, and the fourth young master added, ‘Grandmother has always doted on me—when has she ever scolded me before?’ Only then did the fifth young master’s expression ease. Bi Luo and the others hurried to fetch water for them to wash their faces and hands and to tidy up.”

“The fourth young master is the heir, but the fifth young master…” Here, Xi Er paused, her voice dropping. “I was afraid the fifth young master would suffer for it, so I left Mo Yu to attend to them and came to tell you, madam…” As she spoke, she stole glances at Lady Eleven’s expression.

Lady Eleven sighed to herself.

Opera notation—with it, one could perform.

If this had been about anything else, she might have shared Xi Er’s concern that Xu Sijie was being made to take the blame for Xu Sizhun. But when it came to the opera notation… even if Xu Sizhun had been the one to get it for Xu Sijie, Xu Sijie couldn’t avoid responsibility.

Jin Geer had been listening intently since Xi Er entered, looking up repeatedly as if to interrupt. But each time his gaze met his mother’s, he remembered her earlier words and forced himself to hold back. He hastily finished drawing three little chicks, not bothering to clean the ink from his brush before tossing it into the holder, then flung himself into Lady Eleven’s arms. “Mother, mother, what trouble did fourth brother and fifth brother get into?” His eyes shone with curiosity.

Looking at her innocent young son, Lady Eleven was both amused and exasperated.

She lightly tapped his forehead. “Finish your drawing properly.”

Jin Geer immediately showed her the paper. “Mother, I’m done.”

Three little chicks pecked at rice—not only were they complete with heads and bodies, but he had even dotted ink beneath their feet.

Jin Geer immediately pointed at the dots. “This is the rice they’re eating.”

To have held back until finishing the drawing before speaking…

Her son was only five…

Lady Eleven’s eyes twinkled with amusement.

She hugged him. “Jin Geer is so clever.”

Jin Geer squirmed out of her embrace, a proud grin on his face. “Mother, let’s go see fourth brother and fifth brother. Otherwise, Father might give them the cane.”

Now that this has happened, it needed to be resolved. She had originally intended to inquire about the situation as well.

Eleven Miss smiled and said, "Alright," then stepped down from the heated brick bed (kang) and slipped on her shoes.

Xi Er hurried forward, half-kneeling to help Eleven Miss put on her shoes.

"No need," Eleven Miss put on her shoes herself and then took Jin Geer to *Danbozhai*.

The atmosphere in the courtyard was tense. Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie were quite surprised by Eleven Miss's arrival, and when they saw Xi Er behind her, they showed looks of sudden understanding.

Eleven Miss dismissed the servants in the room and came directly to the point, asking Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie, "Why did Elder Madam get so angry?"

Xu Sizhun, thinking of his mother's usual protectiveness toward him, felt relieved upon seeing her, while Xu Sijie, recalling that Eleven Miss disliked his singing, grew even more tense. The latter lowered his head, while the former quickly said, "A few days ago, I noticed Xu Sijie was studying hard behind closed doors, toiling so hard that he even stopped playing the flute. Knowing he enjoys singing, I happened to visit Wang Yun's house and saw a cousin of his returning the musical notation for 'The Cold Kiln,' saying he had borrowed it to make a copy because he loved listening to opera. Thinking of Xu Sijie, I took the opportunity to borrow it, intending to copy it myself when I had time." His voice grew quieter. "But then Elder Madam found out... She said we were wasting our time and burned the musical notation..." He then looked troubled.

Presumably, she thought, the loss of the musical notation made it difficult to explain to Wang Yun.

Eleven Miss's expression darkened. "So, you're saying the musical notation shouldn't have been burned?"

"No," Xu Sizhun quickly replied, "It's all my fault. I shouldn’t have borrowed the musical notation from Wang Yun." Though he admitted his mistake, his expression was confused, as if he didn’t quite understand what he had done wrong.

Eleven Miss could understand his attitude.

If Xu Sijie hadn’t been involved, and Xu Sizhun had been the one copying the musical notation, others would have simply seen it as a cultured pursuit—even he himself would have thought so.

Though he apologized out of filial duty, he truly didn’t see what he had done wrong.

Xu Sijie, however, flushed with shame and hastily said, "Mother, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have told Fourth Brother that it would be nice to have a musical notation..."

"So, making mistakes is now a privilege?" Eleven Miss frowned, her tone stern. "Are you both competing to take the blame?"

Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie both stood rigidly, uneasy.

"Elder Madam was right," Eleven Miss's voice grew even sharper. "Your father spared no effort to find you good tutors. And what do you do? Not only do you fail to appreciate it, but you also focus your minds on such things. Since we don’t have it at home, you even borrowed it from Wang Yun. No wonder Elder Madam was so angry she burned the musical notation. If it were up to me, I’d have dragged you both to kneel in the Ancestral Hall long ago!"

Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie both hung their heads.

"Everyone enjoys listening to opera," Eleven Miss's tone softened slightly. "Being able to sing a few lines is an elegant pastime. But it’s not something you should be focusing on at your age. You are like young saplings—studying is the trunk, while poetry and songs are the branches and leaves. If the trunk isn’t strong, how can the branches flourish? If you don’t study properly, how can you truly understand the essence of opera? No matter how much you enjoy it, you’ll only scratch the surface, becoming mere dilettantes."

Seeing that Eleven Miss wasn’t as rigid as Elder Madam, the two relaxed slightly.

"You were copying the musical notation earlier, weren’t you?" Eleven Miss asked Xu Sijie. "How much did you copy?"

Xu Sijie was taken aback but obediently replied, "Two pages."

"Why only two pages?" Eleven Miss pressed. "Didn’t you skip your afternoon rest? You had over an hour—how could you only copy two pages?"

"Some parts were hard to understand, so I had to look them up in *Shuowen Jiezi*..." Xu Sijie said, and both he and Xu Sizhun wore thoughtful expressions.

Eleven Miss pressed her advantage: "Trying to copy a musical notation when you haven’t even mastered all the characters—only the two of you would be so reckless."

Both of them were thoroughly chastened.