So many Suns had been ripped from her life, including even her seven and five year old nephews. But when the old dowager heard the news, the only emotion she displayed was fear for the potential danger to her own family. But such is human nature... haven’t I always known this? She compartmentalized her sorrow and thought furiously. With the old dowager’s personality, she’ll probably burst into fury and ground me too if I ask her to let mother out so we can send off the Sun males.
The old dowager would likely let their corpses rot in the open if she had her way about it. In all fairness, it wasn’t a hard reaction to understand. It wasn’t easy to summon to courage to test the emperor’s temper by arranging a proper burial for those he’d had executed in a fit of fury. But Yining couldn’t let her grandfather and his family have such a tragic ending! She had to give them a proper burial, and in a completely flawless way!
Having discussed with Qin Huaiyuan earlier, Qin Yining was feeling much more confident. She wiped off her tears with a plan in mind. But as she mused on it, a woman’s crying wail traveled in from outside, the words faintly discernible.
“Let go of me! All of you let go of me! I want to go out! Let me out!”
“Senior Madame, you can’t go!”
“Don’t go out senior aunt! Everything is a mess outside! Grandmother will worry about you if you go!”
“I must! None of you care because it’s not your father and brothers that this has happened to!”
“Please keep your voice down! Oh my word, this is the Garden of Loving Piety! Oh my ancestors and oh Buddha!”
“Am I afraid of anyone hearing me? That ingrate of a flip flopping hag! [1] What was she like when my family was prosperous?! Now that something’s happened, she’s tucked her bitch of a head in and is worse than animals!”
The old dowager couldn’t hear clearly what was going on outside, but she could hear the last couple of sentences very clearly. Flip flopping hag, ingrate, lower than animals…
“Slap her mouth! Slap her!” The old dowager flushed beet red and shot to her feet. “Is that breeding of that idiot woman?! What, has she forgotten all her manners now that her father’s dead?! How is she filial at all in cursing her mother-in-law like this?? I’m going to divorce her! I’ll hold a family meeting and divorce this unfilial, stupid woman on Meng’er’s behalf!”
Qin Yining was still supporting the old dowager’s arm, but the look in her eyes had slowly chilled. Even though pursuing self gain was human nature, the old dowager’s actions were simply too ugly. Thus it was apparent that not only was she the profit-seeking sort, but so selfish and self-centered that she was absolutely coldblooded in her pursuits.
Qin-mama was also disapproving off to the side, but she could only mutter silently as she was a servant. She happened to glance at Qin Yining and felt a cold chill travel down her back. It felt like she’d looked at Qin Huaiyuan just now, not the fourth miss! She was compelled to try to defuse the situation.
“Don’t be angry, mistress. Senior Madame’s home has just been destroyed and her family no more. It’s normal that she would be this sad. She must not be thinking clearly and sprouting all sorts of nonsense. Why take a crazy person to task for their words? Besides, we must consult the lord for divorce. You have to think of his reputation no matter what.”
Qin Yining had had enough. She had thoroughly seen through this self-serving paternal grandmother. It might actually be a good thing if mother is divorced. I have a thousand ways for her to live a good life outside. It’d only been one day since the Duke of Ding had fallen, but the attitudes within the Qin manor were already thus. How much more would her mother have to suffer if she remained? She wasn’t the sort who could endure and plan. She’s be swallowed whole! Even if Qin Yining’s father wanted to intervene, he was still a filial son.
“Grandmother, I’ll go take a look.” She curtsied and walked out without waiting for a response.
Qin-mama helped the old dowager down to a sitting as the matriarch was huffing with anger and stomped her foot. “Look at this! All order’s gone out the window!”
Qin Yining trotted out the doors of the Garden of Loving Piety to see Jin-mama and Bingtang flanking née Sun, trying to comfort her. There was another maid and granny servant kneeling on the ground with their arms wrapped around née Sun’s legs. The maid was called Cuifu, and the granny servant surnamed Zhang. Cuifu was the sixth miss’ head maid, and the granny servant the wet nurse. The sixth miss happened to be standing not too far away and exchanging words with the other servants while watching the show.
Well, isn’t Qin Huining a quick learner. She knows that she shouldn’t be putting in an appearance here, so she found a spear to do it for her instead. Qin Yining walked up and picked up the two with their arms around née Sun. She hauled them up on their collars and threw them away.
“Who the hell are you to touch the senior madame? Even if the Duke of Ding is no more, she is still my father’s wife of many years! What are you all trying to do, seek death?!”
Cuifu and Zhang-mama collapsed onto the floor. They weren’t in pain, but they had been so frightened that their faces were white. Impulse got the better of the sixth miss and she charged over.
“Senior aunt wouldn’t listen to our advice and insisted on going out, which is why Cuifu and Zhang-mama are holding her back. How can senior aunt leave the ancestral hall of her own volition without telling the old dowager first?”
“What happened?” Qin Yining ignored the sixth miss and asked Jin-mama instead.
Née Sun had latched onto Qin Yining with loud sobs at this time and was a blubbering mess on the girl’s shoulder. She kept murmuring, “I want to go out! Daughter Yi, I want to see your grandfather!”
“Fourth Miss, the sixth miss just came by with news of the beheading of the duke and the others,” Jin-mama responded in a low voice. “The madame was in a hurry to get out and we couldn’t hold her back no matter what. Please help calm her down.”
Qin Yining put an arm around her mother and looked sideways at the sixth miss. “You listen to Qin Huining’s orders well. How many bones did she give you?”
The sixth miss didn’t react immediately. She blinked a few times before retorting angrily, “Who are you insulting as a dog?!”
“Calling you a dog is an insult to dogs! I won’t do anything to you out of consideration for second aunt. But your actions are really unbecoming. Bingtang, go see second aunt immediately and tell her that Qin Shuangning took it upon herself to go to the ancestral hall and provoke my mother with that message, then had her maid and wet nurse hold my mother here and incite her to further outcries. It’s your word against hers, so bring along two eloquent witnesses.”
“Understood.” Bingtang nodded.
“Qin Yining, you and I are both Qin misses! You bully the foster daughter and turn on a daughter of the blood now? How dare you go stir up trouble in front of the second madame?!” Qin Shuangning shrieked.
Qin Yining ignored her and swept a glance at the surrounding granny servants. She immediately saw Mama Jing, mother of Third Shopkeeper Jing, step forward with another swarthy granny servant. “Fourth Miss, this servant is willing to bear witness.”
“Very well, my thanks.” Qin Yining nodded and pretended not to know the old servant. Mama Jing immediately followed Bingtang for a quick trip to the second branch of the family.
The sixth miss panicked. She hadn’t been adopted in name by the official wife of her branch! The madame would punish her for this!
“What are you all waiting for?! Stop them!” She shrieked as she pushed Cuifu and Zhang-mama to pursue. The two obeyed and chased forward, but the strong granny servant that Mama Jing had with her shoved them roughly to the ground.
In the midst of all the chaos, Qin Yining surreptitiously whispered a few words to née Sun. The madame first blanked in surprise and then rolled her eyes up, fainting with a sharp cry.
“Mother! Mother! Someone help! Get the doctor!”
“The ma
dame must’ve fainted from sorrow! Someone come help!” Jin-mama had heard Qin Yining’s words just now and charged into the Garden of Loving Piety proper for aid. The old dowager had come out by now, wrapped in a cloak, with Qin-mama, Jixiang, and Ruyi at her side. She was standing at the top of the steps with a frown down at née Sun.
Qin Yining had pulled the limp née Sun into her lap as helpless tears streamed down her voice. Her voice was so gentle that it seemed like she was speaking to a kitten. “Mother, don’t scare me! Wake up please.”
The old dowager opened her mouth, but the old servant at her side pinched her in the arm. She looked at Qin-mama, affronted, but the old servant responded, “The lord is still in the palace. Mistress, you should at least consider his wishes. Besides, there are so many around.”
The old dowager took another glance at the crowd of servants around before she managed to swallow the words of, “Divorce this stupid woman immediately and throw her out!” She cared about her own reputation after all. Besides, a great happening had just occurred in her daughter-in-law’s family and née Sun had fainted away right in front of her. Could she not take née Sun in?
“Bring her inside to wait for the doctor.” Qin-mama immediately brought the spring bench over [1] and had née Sun carefully moved onto it. The group stumbled their way inside while Qin Yining took advantage of the confusion to run to the second branch’s side of the manor. She happened to bump into Bingtang, Mama Jing, and the strong granny servant. They’d just concluded their business.
“Fourth Miss?”
“Mama Jing, please find a way to get a message to Grand Steward Zhong. You’ll have my thanks!”
“Not at all, not at all. Just tell me what you’d like, miss.”
Qin Yining whispered some instructions by Mama Jing’s ear, then took Bingtang with her back to the Garden of Loving Piety. Meanwhile, Mama Jing scooted her way out of the manor through the kitchen delivery door.
* * *
This doesn’t quite relay how bad this insult is. Think of it as a f-bomb on the old dowager.
This was a special bench in ancient China that could seat two. Blankets would be stored on top of it and it was part of a girl’s dowry.
Chapter 81: Enthusiasm to Help
Chapter 81: Enthusiasm to Help
When Qin Yining and Bingtang stepped into the Garden of Loving Piety, Qin-mama was waiting anxiously beneath the hallway roof. She quickly walked forward to meet them and spoke in a low voice, “The old dowager is keeping the senior madame company. The senior madame is still in a faint and the old dowager is extremely anxious. She’s gotten even more so with your absence.”
The old servant’s meaning were clear. “I was afraid that the doctor wouldn’t get here in time because of the distance,” Qin Yining explained as she wiped off some sweat from her brow. She turned to Bingtang to urge the girl on. “Go take a look at my mother.”
Bingtang nodded once, and broke into a trot. Qin-mama was touched by Qin Yining’s great worry. It would seem that in times of crisis, one’s own daughter is always the most useful. It didn’t seem like Miss Huining was greatly upset at recent events at Ding Manor. The old servant had also carefully asked around just now and learned that it’d been the sixth miss who’d delivered the message to the ancestral hall. The sixth miss was well known to have a long-standing friendship with Miss Huining, so the message’s true intent and mastermind were no mysteries to solve.
Qin-mama sighed. “Don’t worry, miss. The senior madame is likely just overly saddened. We have to experience all sorts of good and bad in life. Life is only complete after weathering trials and disasters, no? Don’t be sad, just comfort Senior Madame well.”
“Qin-mama speaks truly.” Qin Yining nodded and continued with a wry smile. “To be honest, I really am panicking. Although I haven’t returned home for long, my maternal relatives were the second closest group of people I had other than our own family. Now that such a situation has occurred, I don’t feel good about it either. But as a girl, there’s not much else I can do.” The two had reached the top of the stairs. “All I can think of is to comfort mother well so that she won’t be sad for long, and being a filial granddaughter to the old dowager. That’s all.”
“Indeed, miss.” The old servant nodded at the young girl’s words. She knew that Qin Yining was mature beyond her years and was in no danger of acting rashly. The old dowager had been worried that the fourth miss would do something extreme for her maternal relations. It seemed that had been a superfluous worry.
By this time, Bingtang had taken a look at née Sun, and met Qin Yining at the door with a report. “Senior Madame seems to have fainted due to extreme sorrow. We can try just having her rest well and take some calming medicine when she wakes.”
The old dowager finally heaved a sigh when she heard that there was nothing seriously wrong with her daughter-in-law. She can’t blame me for anything even though she’s fainted in front of my doors. She rearranged her face into a dark expression, “Forget it. Let her rest after taking some medicine. We can talk about the rest later.”
The old dowager didn’t want to end up saddled with the reputation of an evil mother-in-law either, but née Sun had been too offensive earlier. She had even called her an old hag! And now she couldn’t even take née Sun to task?! Well, she couldn’t very well throw a fainted daughter-in-law into the ancestral hall as punishment, could she? Not to mention that everyone knew disaster had just befallen née Sun’s family. She sure knows when to faint! She doesn’t faint earlier or later, but right at this moment! The old dowager glared at the unconscious née Sun before stalking out with a cold expression. She didn’t speak a word to Qin Yining.
Qin-mama followed her mistress out and quietly conveyed Qin Yining’s words from earlier. The old dowager’s dark expression lightened slightly after hearing this. “At least she’s mature.”
Back inside the house, Qin Yining dismissed all unnecessary personnel and left only Bingtang guarding the door. When she saw that the coast was clear, she whispered softly next to née Sun’s ear, “Mother.”
Née Sun’s eyes shot open, glancing around quickly to make certain that no outsiders were present. She sat up and pulled urgently on Qin Yining’s hand. “Daughter Yi, did you make all the preparations?”
“Yes. I thought of a way to get word out. Don’t worry, mother. I just need you to pretend to be in a faint for now, or I’m afraid the old dowager will immediately punish you.”
Née Sun’s eyes started to spill tears once again at that, but she didn’t dare cry too loudly for fear of bringing the old dowager back to her doorstep. She covered her mouth, muffling her low, heartbreaking sobs. “Your maternal grandfather’s family died such a horrible death! Now look at how your paternal grandmother is acting. She wants me to cut off all relations with my own family! Your grandfather’s body isn’t even cold yet, but she wants to divorce me already. How could I have such a hard life to marry into such a family…”
Née Sun’s depression grew with every word. Qin Yining could only pull on her hand to comfort in a low tone, “Mother, no matter how the old dowager acts, at least father is a good one. The truth is, I gave secret orders to hire out the female side of the family and arrange for grandfather and the others to receive a proper burial. Father knows about all this, and he even tacitly authorized me to take care of it all.”
“Is that true?” Tears still streaked née Sun’s face as she looked hopefully at Qin Yining.
She nodded. “It’s just that father is in a delicate position because of his identity. He can’t do anything himself, so he can only authorize me to do it. Mother, you should be understanding of his difficulties.”
“Naturally, I am.” Née Sun felt a bit better after hearing that, and nodded firmly.
“So you must be strong and live well with father. Grandfather and the others will be gratified if they see you living a good life. If even you aren’t getting along well, how will you have the energy to take care of grandmot
her and the others? The people I’ve sent have already taken grandmother and the others to my business. Now that grandfather and the men are no longer here, we should try to help the womenfolk more because we have the ability to, no?”
Née Sun nodded once again, the first bit of resolution entering her eyes. Qin Yining relaxed minutely when she saw that familiar stubborn glimmer. “The harder the difficulty we run into, the stronger we need to become. The dead have passed on, so it’s up to the living to shoulder greater responsibility.”
Née Sun was immensely touched by these words, and tears filled her eyes again. The girl smiled. “Don’t be sad, mother. Take advantage of this respite and take a nap. I’ll keep you company here.”
Née Sun looked at Qin Yining’s beautiful and gentle eyes as she gently helped her mother lie back down. She was secretly touched by the tenderness, but this positive emotion turned to grave disappointment when she considered how Qin Huining hadn’t even come look at her. Née Sun unknowingly fell asleep as sorrow, gratification, disappointment, anxiety, and fury chased each other round and round in her heart. Meanwhile, Qin Yining took a seat on the rug just by the bed and leaned forward, resting her head in her arms. She badly needed a nap.
The house grew quiet as the bustle faded. The candlelight flickered, throwing shadows onto the gridded windows. A soft sigh echoed outside the rear window, and a figure leaped up onto the roof. It paused for a second before bounding forward, silently navigating the rooftops to land soundlessly outside the Qin Manor.
Hidden behind a large tree, Huzi glanced around before greeting his master. “You’re back, master. Everything had been arranged, but our people were a step too slow. The bodies had already been retrieved in what seems like several stages. I’m about to investigate to see who did it.”
Pang Xiao took the greatcloak that Huzi handed him and swirled it around him before responding quietly, “No need. She did it.”
Huzi made a sound of surprise. “You mean the Qin fourth miss?”
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