Chapter 14: Doubt

Chapter 14: Suspicion

Qiong Hua saw it.

But when Xin He asked her, she instinctively lied.

Xin He was an undemanding mistress, never mistreating or scolding her servants. Most of the time, she kept to herself, making her very easy to serve.

However, when Qiong Hua had burst into the bathing chamber earlier, Xin He had been furious.

In all the time Qiong Hua had served Xin He, this was the first time she had witnessed such a temper from her.

So, in that moment, she instinctively chose to lie.

Now that her emotions had settled, Qiong Hua couldn't help but feel a pang of suspicion as she recalled the incident.

The eminent monk from Ciyun Temple had publicly declared that the Buddha had revealed a sign: this year's Prayer Leader would be a woman with a red mole on her left shoulder blade. Didn't this mean Xin He was the one chosen by the Buddha?

This should have been a momentous occasion, so why was Xin He so secretive about it?

Moreover, Xin He never allowed anyone to attend her while bathing or changing. Could this be the reason? But why?

Qiong Hua couldn't fathom it, yet she dared not question Xin He. Consequently, she tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.

But the next day, Qiong Hua learned from the household servants that Ciyun Temple had announced that morning that they had already found this year's Prayer Leader chosen by the Buddha.

Qiong Hua was bewildered.

So, she had been mistaken?! The Prayer Leader revealed by the Buddha was someone else entirely?!

Though somewhat perplexed, since the Prayer Leader had been found, Qiong Hua soon dismissed the matter from her mind.

Meanwhile, in her room, after dismissing all the servants, Xin He raised her hand and poured the still-steaming pregnancy tonic into the chrysanthemum pot.

The physician had said she had disturbed the fetus, so she had to seize this opportunity to get rid of the child.

Simply not drinking the tonic wasn't enough; she needed to add fuel to the fire.

During the day, Xin He followed the physician's advice and stayed in bed all day. In the evening, after dinner, she used the excuse of needing rest to dismiss all the maids early.

The maids and older women suspected nothing. After closing the door, they all returned to their quarters to rest.

When the courtyard fell completely silent, Xin He threw back the covers, got out of bed, dressed neatly, pulled the door open a crack, and slipped out quietly.

The moon was bright and the stars sparse; the night wind was chilly. The moment Xin He stepped out, she shivered.

Suppressing the urge to cough, and seeing no one around, Xin He quickly lifted her skirts and hurried out of Cuiwei Courtyard.

In the corridor opposite Cuiwei Courtyard, lanterns moved, accompanied by shadowy figures.

At the head was Wei Mingjin.

That afternoon, Wei Mingjin had gone out. Since Master Wei's death, all the family's business affairs had been taken over by Wei Mingjin.

But everyone in Qingyuan County knew that although Wei Mingjin was a brilliant scholar, he had never been involved in business matters.

Not long after Master Wei passed away, Wei Jingyao used this as an excuse to offer to "help" Wei Mingjin manage the business left by his father, but Wei Mingjin politely declined.

Wei Jingyao was left red-faced and never brought it up again.

As for the shops, Wei Mingjin told the managers to continue operating as usual and to come to the Wei residence to consult him if they encountered any uncertainties.

At first, everything went smoothly, but this month, the account books from several shops didn't add up.

One particularly prosperous shop in the east of the city was the worst; its revenue over the past two months had dropped by fifty percent compared to when his father was alive. Wei Mingjin had gone out today to deal with this matter.

The manager of that shop was a longtime employee of the Wei family. At first, he made all sorts of excuses, blaming the poor revenue on bad market conditions.

But when Wei Mingjin presented evidence that the manager had falsified the accounts, embezzled shop revenue for himself, and taken kickbacks, the manager immediately fell to his knees, kowtowing and tearfully begging for mercy.

"Manager Liu, you're an old-timer in our Wei family. By rights, I should cut you some slack," Wei Mingjin said, bending down to help Manager Liu up personally.

Just as Manager Liu thought there was hope, he heard Wei Mingjin sigh again: "But I already gave you a chance before, and you still didn’t learn your lesson."

"I was wrong, I truly know I was wrong. Young Master, please, I beg you, spare me this once," Manager Liu said, about to kneel again, but Wei Mingjin stopped him by holding his arm.

Wei Mingjin patiently explained: "Manager Liu, it's not that I won't let you off. It's just that I've only recently taken over the family businesses, and all the other managers are watching. If I let you go just like that, what should I do if other managers follow your example?"

In the end, Manager Liu was turned over to the authorities.

By now, today's events had likely spread to all the Wei family's shops.

With Manager Liu as a cautionary tale, those who had been restless would likely behave themselves from now on.

"Is that Concubine Xin?" Uncle Ming asked uncertainly.

Wei Mingjin looked up and saw only a thin, frail figure disappearing into the night.

For a moment, Wei Mingjin looked dazed.

Uncle Ming dismissed the attendants behind them and, after a moment of hesitation, tentatively asked: "Does the young master truly intend to keep Concubine Xin's child?"

Wei Mingjin snapped out of his thoughts: "What do you mean, Uncle Ming?"

"This old servant thinks Concubine Xu's speculation is not without reason."

Master Wei had so many concubines in his household, yet over all these years, not one of them had become pregnant. In fact, there had been private discussions long ago suggesting that the problem likely lay with Master Wei.

Yet Xin He became pregnant just over a month after entering the household, and it was diagnosed right after Master Wei's death. It was indeed suspicious.

"So Uncle Ming allowed Concubine Xu to act as she did?" Wei Mingjin's gaze swept over casually.

Though Fang Xu was a concubine, her influence wouldn't have reached so far without Uncle Ming turning a blind eye.

"This old servant overstepped."

Uncle Ming immediately prepared to ask for punishment, but Wei Mingjin stopped him: "Uncle Ming, there's no need for that. I'm not blaming you."

Wei Mingjin stood facing the wind, his wide sleeves billowing, as if detached from the world.

He looked at the blood-red maple leaves under the corridor, a smile on his lips: "It's just that Father had always hoped to have more children. Now Concubine Xin has fulfilled his wish. I'm sure Father's spirit in heaven would be very happy."

"But..."

"Uncle Ming, not everything needs to be investigated to the root," Wei Mingjin interrupted.

Uncle Ming looked up sharply, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at Wei Mingjin.

Wei Mingjin said: "It's late. Uncle Ming should go back and rest early."

With that, he slowly descended the steps and walked toward his own courtyard.

Uncle Ming stood in place, his hand suddenly gripping the lantern handle.

By then, Xin He had already reached the highest pavilion in the estate.

This pavilion was built for sightseeing; sitting inside, one could overlook every corner of the estate.

At this moment, the Wei family's lanterns were arranged in an orderly manner, like summer fireflies, dotting and illuminating every corner of the estate. The Wei estate, bathed in the light of lanterns, looked entirely different from how it did in daylight, but Xin He, having climbed to such heights, was in no mood to admire the view.

Tonight, she had sneaked up here to cause a miscarriage.

If she were to fall from here, she would either die or be left crippled. Xin He did not want to gamble with her life to lose the baby.

On her way up, she had counted—there were about a hundred or so steps from the bottom to the pavilion. If she went up and down a few more times, she was sure to succeed.

"Child, it’s not that I am heartless, but only without you can I go on living," Xin He whispered, resting in the pavilion as she gently stroked her abdomen.

A night breeze whispered, swiftly carrying away her hopes.

After catching her breath in the pavilion, Xin He stood up again, determined to try again. But just as she reached the steps, a mellow male voice came from behind her: "You seem to be enjoying yourself, Concubine."

Startled, Xin He turned sharply and saw Wei Mingjin standing five steps away.

"How did you come up here?" she asked. Wasn’t there only one path to this spot?

Wei Mingjin took in her alarm and explained with a smile, "I came from the flying arch bridge at the back. Concubine, you've chosen well—this is indeed the best place in the estate to admire the moon."

She wasn’t here to admire the moon.

Xin He replied dismissively to Wei Mingjin with a few words and said, "It’s getting late. Please enjoy the view slowly, Young Master. I’ll head back first."

With that, she turned to leave.

"The Concubine seems afraid of me," Wei Mingjin’s voice followed her.

Xin He, lifting her skirt and about to step down, paused at his words. Forced to turn back with a forced smile, she said, "Young Master, you jest. You have always been easygoing. Why would I be afraid of you?"

Under the moonlight, Wei Mingjin immediately saw through her forced smile.

But he did not expose her, instead continuing, "If you’re not afraid of me, then why do you always avoid me?"

"I have never avoided you, Young Master. You must be mistaken," Xin He played dumb.

Wei Mingjin did not reply, only smiled as he watched her.

His gaze was gentle, yet Xin He felt as though pins and needles were running down her back. She had no choice but to explain further: "I am the late master’s concubine, and we are of similar age. It is only proper to keep my distance to avoid harming your good name."

"Is that so?" Wei Mingjin’s tone was neutral.

Xin He nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes."

She desperately hoped Wei Mingjin would let her go.

But he had no intention of doing so.

Wei Mingjin sighed. "The Concubine seems to have quite the wrong idea about me."

Xin He was confused.

"For example, you seem to think I care deeply about my reputation."

Xin He: "..."

Isn’t that the case?!

"Another example: you believe I hold hostility toward the child in your womb."

Xin He thought to herself: *You’re absolutely right.* But outwardly, she pretended to be shocked: "How could you think that, Young Master!"

Wei Mingjin paid no mind to her duplicity and continued, "My father had always hoped for another child. Now that you have fulfilled his wish, you are a great boon to the Wei family. I am deeply grateful to you. Moreover, I too look forward to having a sibling to rely on, someone who can help me shoulder the family's responsibilities in the future."

Hearing this, Xin He’s first thought was that since she had not yet miscarried, Wei Mingjin had grown impatient and was now speaking ironically.

Just as she was about to speak, Wei Mingjin cut her off: "Even if the Concubine wishes to rejoin her true love, I ask that you wait until after the child is born. Then, I will personally present you with the Concubine Release Letter and provide a generous dowry to ensure you and your beloved live in comfort for the rest of your lives. How does that sound?"

Xin He’s eyes widened.

Had Wei Mingjin lost his mind?

Or had he discovered something?!

Her heart began to pound violently.

"Are you unwell, Concubine? You look terrible," Wei Mingjin asked with concern. The moonlight and the glow from the pavilion lanterns fell on his face, making his features appear even gentler and more amiable.

But Xin He felt a chill run down her spine. She dared not look at him any longer, lowering her eyes as she replied hoarsely, "The wind is too strong here. I feel cold."

"Then let me escort you back."

In a daze, Xin He followed Wei Mingjin back.

When they reached the gate of Cuiwei Courtyard, Wei Mingjin stopped. He stood there, watching her figure gradually disappear into the night.

After returning, Wei Mingjin immediately summoned Chi Yan.

Chi Yan had just picked up his first warm meal of the day and was about to eat when he heard that Wei Mingjin wanted to see him. He set down his bowl and went at once.

"Investigate Xin He again," Wei Mingjin ordered.

Hadn’t they already looked into her once before? Why investigate again?

Though puzzled, Chi Yan quickly agreed.

As he was about to leave, Chi Yan ventured to ask, "Young Master, could you grant me a few more days for the Drunken Moon Pavilion matter?" He was swamped.

"No."

Feng Mo: "..."