The old dowager had purchased Concubine Cao from outside to carry on Qin Huaiyuan’s line. She was twenty-eight now, but looked just over twenty. She was extremely seductive and boasted mesmerizing looks.
With Concubine Chen and Qian leading the charge, Concubine Hua and Li also started laughing. They ignored née Sun’s livid expression and put on a great show of congratulating Qin Huining. The girl looked slightly embarrassed and tugged on née Sun’s sleeve cutely, calling out, “Mother.”
The room went dark in front of née Sun’s eyes as fury thrilled through her veins. Her head spun and it took a very long moment before she could catch her breath. Enraged beyond reason, she pointed a shaking finger at Qin Huining.
“Well, well now! You ungrateful traitor! I was truly blind to have raised you for so many years!” She didn’t waste her breath on words, and instead just slapped Qin Huining heavily across the face.
The foster girl never thought that née Sun would slap her in the presence of Cao Yuqing! She didn’t even have the time to dodge, and stumbled backwards, crashing to the ground. Unconscious of her rumpled state, she could only stare at née Sun with dumb shock.
The stubborn tears that née Sun had been holding back finally spilled over and she pointed at everyone in the room. “I know what you’re all trying to do! Don’t forget that I’m still Qin Meng’s wife!”
The four concubines were greatly enjoying the show of a seemingly threatening, but in reality weak née Sun. Inwardly, they all snickered in malicious glee. They’d been suppressed from née Sun for long enough, and now, they were being treated to the real life illustration of ‘a plucked phoenix is less than a chicken’! What a sweet thrill!
Qin Huining covered her face and began sobbing. “Don’t be angry, mother. No matter who becomes my foster mother, you’re still my mother! I’ll never forget your years of nurture! I just get along well with foster mother, that’s all. You, you acting like this… isn’t, isn’t this making things difficult for foster mother?”
Everyone’s eyes turned to Cao Yuqing at this. She was still lounging on her chair with a new handful of candied dates to munch on. She didn’t say anything, merely continuing to sit with slightly pursed lips. Her posture was the very picture of casual elegance. The concubines drew courage from their backer and once again looked dismissively at née Sun again, carrying on their nattering.
“Senior Madame, you should have a more gracious bearing.”
“That’s right. The Duke of Ding is no more, but you’re still here. Has the senior madame lost all of her manners just because she’s lost her family?”
“The old dowager is so very happy right now, so who is the senior madame aiming all of this towards? Are you dissatisfied with the old dowager?”
“Of course not, the senior madame is definitely most filial. She would never be like this to the old dowager.”
“Then she’s acting like this against sister Cao?” The four concubines had quite the silver tongue between them. It had only taken them a few words to frame a battlefield between the two two who already shared a blood feud.
Née Sun’s eyes were wide and staring in her anger, while Cao Yuqing continued to silently snack, her serene eyes taking everything in. The Ding Manor had been mighty just a few days ago, so no one had dared offend née Sun when she was on one of her high and mighty fits. Even the old dowager had showed née Sun some respect. Qin Huaiyuan wasn’t that enthused about his concubines, so the four didn’t dare cause any trouble.
But things were different now. Née Sun was now eating coarse and simple food, suffering eye rolls from the old dowager without anything held back. She no longer had a backer, but still had to face Cao Yuqing and her immensely strong family. Of course these concubines would take advantage to get a few stomps in.
Née Sun’s mind spun again as she trembled with suppressed anger. Just as she was about to explode, Qin Yining spoke up, one one step ahead of her.
“Quiet down.” Her voice hadn’t been very loud, almost noncommittal in its tone.
The concubines all started when they heard Qin Yining’s voice. However, they didn’t think much of née Sun these days, to say nothing of Qin Yining. They continued flinging out barbed words.
“Jin-mama, what do we do when concubines don’t respect the wife?” Qin Yining snorted coldly, her voice rising a little in volume.
“In response to the miss, the buying and selling of concubines are no different to that of servants. It’s all up to the mistress of the household.”
The four concubines finally shut up at that. Concubine Chen turned to Qin Yining, taunting her, “Don’t get such a big head, Fourth Miss. The senior madame has yet to say anything, so what right do you have to stick your nose in this?”
“Right. The fourth miss is just a child; it’s best not to get involved in adult matters.” Concubine Hua also chimed in.
Qin Yining ignored them, issuing orders to Jin-mama from her seat. “Go summon a few strong granny servants. Concubine Chen, Hua, Li, and Qian haven’t served father well over the years. Apart from not being able to extend the family line, they’ve dared come to the senior madame’s residence today to create trouble. As lowly concubines, they dared offend their mistress! The Qin household has no need for unruly servants of their ilk. Have the slavers strip them of their luxurious clothes and jewelry. Give them coarse, padded cotton jackets and sell them someplace I’ll never see again!”
The group was flabbergasted by these proclamations. Née Sun also stared dumbly at her daughter when she finally recollected her senses. Jin-mama swallowed hard. The fourth miss is a tough one alright!
The four concubines were also slightly surprised. From past experiences, they’d assumed Qin Yining to only have the methods of a barbarian. They were well prepared to meet insults and physical violence. The second Qin Yining was provoked into action, it would put née Sun in the wrong no matter what. It would be easy enough to spin that into née Sun failing to raise her child properly. Being faulted for turning an official daughter into an uncultured barbarian would tarnish née Sun’s impression in Qin Huaiyuan’s eyes as well.
No one had thought that instead of arguing with them or resorting to brawling, Qin Yining would immediately order their sale!
“What nonsense is this?!” Concubine Chen sniffed coldly. “I’ve been serving the lord since before you were born! You have no right to sell me without the lord’s approval!”
“No right?” Qin Yining stood up and looked at Concubine Chen with a smile playing about her lips. “My right comes because I’m the mistress, and you’re the servant. She turned back to Jin-mama. “Well? Go on.”
When Jin-mama saw how Qin Yining was taking charge of the situation, she felt courage well up from within her. She immediately ran off to summon reinforcements. On the other hand, Qin Huining grabbed a handful of Qin Yining’s sleeve.
“Sister Yi, how can you do this?! Who are you to sell those who share father’s bed like this? Are you trying to rebel against the family?”
Qin Yining lightly brushed off the foster girl’s hand and smiled gently at her. “Don’t you worry, your turn’s coming up next.”
Her voice was even, almost gentle in its tone. She didn’t come off as fiercely as before, but Qin Huining still felt ice trickle down her spine. The foster girl quailed and took two involuntary steps backwards. She just managed to overcome panicked fear when she snuck a glance at Cao Yuqing, seemingly absorbed in her snacks.
The news that Garden of Tranquility was selling off concubines spread like wildfire before Jin-mama returned, thanks to the servants the concubines had brought with them. The old dowager had been chatting merrily with the second and third madame in Garden of Loving Piety. She roared with anger when the news came to her attention. “Ludicrous, how ludicrous! That sterile hen can’t lay a single egg herself, but wants to sell off those at Meng’er’s side. How dare she!?”
It was Ruyi who answered with trepidation after sneaking a glance at Qin-mama. “I
n response to Old Dowager, the senior madame wasn’t the one to give the order. It was the fourth miss.”
“That brat!” The seething irritation turned volcanic in scale. “She’s completely rebelling against everything! How dare she make a move on those who keep her father company! Second and third daughter-in-law, come with me! I’d like to see who dares throw their weight around in my house!
* * *
Chapter 99: Unexpected Plea For Mercy
Chapter 99: Unexpected Plea For Mercy
The old dowager rose huffily and made her way outside. The second and third madame looked at each other, interest flashing through both of their eyes. Although they disliked the old dowager’s fence-sitting, fawning ways of currying favor with those in power, they’d also always been at odds with the main branch of the family. This was particularly true for the second branch. The third elder master was concubine-born and therefore unloved, but the old dowager still liked the third madame enough because most of the family’s silver came from the third branch. But the second branch? The second elder master was also born of the wife, so why was he so much lower on the totem pole when compared to the firstborn?
Qin-mama stepped forward to support the old dowager to gently persuade, “There’s no rush, mistress. We can set out after putting on a cloak properly and adding some more warm clothing. Mistress is of a dignified age, and it would be disastrous if you caught a cold from the wind.’
The old servant’s words were slow and measured, and landed on the old dowager’s ears like warm rain. After all, they were clearly in her best interests. The old dowager allowed Qin-mama to help her into a cloak and warm hat. She continued cursing the entire time, “That brat definitely wants to lord it over me! It’s only been a few days, but look what she’s up to! What does she want to do in front of née Cao? Doesn’t she know of the difficulties our family is in?!”
Although the old servant was wholeheartedly devoted to the old dowager, she sometimes couldn’t bear to see her mistress be so heartless. But as a servant, she was limited in what she could do. She could only grasp the opportunities presented and go along with the flow.
“Don’t be angry, mistress. Your children and grandchildren naturally have their own fortunes. It only makes for poor health if you become so angry. Not to mention, when has the lord not gone along with what the fourth miss has done? In this servant’s eyes, the lord loves the fourth miss like no other, even raising her like a son. With the lord’s character and talents, his thoughts and actions aren’t something that a humble one like I can understand. But I know that the lord has always had a reason behind his actions. Now that he’s spent so many years at court, the lord has become ever more outstanding. His ability to assess others has also become sharper. Since he’s letting the fourth miss do all this, then surely this is something he wants as well.”
Qin Huaiyuan was the old dowager’s soft spot. In bringing his qualities to the fore, the old dowager was instantly rid of most of her anger. When the old dowager took a moment to think, the old servant’s words made sense. Even though she was angry that Qin Yining was being so domineering, perhaps Qin Huaiyuan really had authorized the girl in private to act this way?
She wanted to go ask her son, but it was the sixth day of the month and a great meeting was being held at court. No one could know when Qin Huaiyuan would return.
When the second and third madame saw the old dowager’s mood no longer as irate, they found themselves without much to say. They knew that although the old dowager was an impulsive character, Qin-mama was the shrewd one. The old servant would hold a grudge if they so much as spoke a word out of line, and the old dowager would believe whatever the old servant said about them.
When the four of them rushed to Garden of Tranquility, the strong granny servants had already changed the four concubines out of their previous clothes. They looked just as bedraggled now as they did luxurious earlier. They were also being dragged out of the house by the granny servants. Concubine Chen had her arms wrapped around a hallway column, holding on for dear life as tears streamed down her face. Concubine Hua was sprawled on the ground with a death grip on the plinth of a column. The yard rang with all manner of curses, screams, and wails.
Qin Yining was supporting née Sun as the two watched the messy spectacle unfold. Qin Huining kept Cao Yuqing company. When they saw the old dowager arrive, Qin Yining helped her mother down the stairs to curtsey. “Greetings to grandmother.”
“Good health to Old Dowager.” Née Sun and Cao Yuqing curtsied as well.
“I’d like to be well, but you don’t haven’t given me a moment of peace yet.” The old dowager’s expression was dark. “How am I supposed to be well? Née Sun, what are you playing at now? How dare you kick up a fuss like this before the first month of the year is even over? The emperor rules the nation with benevolence and wisdom, and no Great Yan noble has ever had the scandal of beating a servant to death. Don’t you go overboard with whatever you’re doing!”
Née Sun had been nurturing a grudge all these days because the old dowager’s distant callousness had thoroughly broken her heart. Now, faced with this bare-faced lecture and her fiery personality, there was no way she would be remaining quiet.
Thankfully, Qin Yining tugged on her hand before she had a chance to open her mouth. The young miss stepped forward and curtsied. “Don’t be angry, Old Dowager. I don’t mean to kill them. They just haven’t lived up to their duties, so I’m merely going to sell them off. It wasn’t mother’s idea today, but mine.”
The old dowager’s sharp gaze stabbed towards Qin Yining as she jabbed at the girl’s nose with a finger wearing a gold encrusted jade ring. “And you! I was going to look for you anyways. You rebellious brat! On your knees!”
Qin Huining’s lips curled up in delight. Let’s see who’s the one beaten up first!
Qin Yining didn’t care about the command at all and was just about to kneel nonchalantly when a graceful hand caught her arm firmly. Surprised, she lifted her head to see Cao Yuqing’s stunning face.
“Please don’t be angry, Old Dowager.” A charming smile illuminated Cao Yuqing’s face even as one arm kept Qin Yining from descending to her knees. If she hadn’t been on the receiving end of the grip, Qin Yining would’ve never thought that the concubine had so much strength to her slender figure.
Qin Huining was also quite perplexed. She was the one who’d taken Cao Yuqing as a foster mother! Why was the concubine helping Qin Yining?
“Old Dowager, allow this concubine to overstep herself. The fourth miss is but a young girl, how can she endure kneeling on such cold stones? The lord would be greatly saddened if she grew ill from this punishment.”
The old dowager was quite soothed by these words. Despite her stunning looks and illustrious background, Cao Yuqing had never walked about with the airs of a Cao daughter. She was unfailingly polite and pleasant to her mother-in-law and followed the old dowager’s will in everything. She even considered things from her husband’s perspective! The matriarch had given orders for Qin Yining to kneel, and even her birth mother had busied herself with being angry and hadn’t protested. It had been Cao Yuqing who’d taken a stand for the girl.
“I’ll forgive you due to consideration for your Auntie Cao.” The old dowager nodded. “So tell me, what’s going on in this yard? Who gave you the courage to sell off these concubines?!”
Qin Yining didn’t know what Cao Yuqing wanted, nor did she have the time to ponder it. The girl walked over to the old dowager to whisper, “Grandmother, can we talk over there?”
The old dowager followed Qin Yining over when she saw how solemn the girl’s voice had become.
“Old Dowager, these concubines don’t respect the rules,” Qin Yining began murmuring into the old dowager’s ear. “I wasn’t going to hold them accountable for this at first because the old dowager is wise and kind. I was just going to view it as keeping around some additional servants. But who would’ve thought that they would be so disrespect
ful to the senior madame? I feel that the rules of our household can’t be broken like this. Not to mention, we can’t let gossip start about father being too muddle-headed to properly choose concubines, and be known for a restless inner residence. That’s why I had the idea of selling them off. Besides, now that Auntie Cao has joined us, do we really need other concubines?”
The old dowager didn’t want to hear any of Qin Yining’s earlier words. In fact, she heard only the last line. That’s right! Why didn’t I think of that?!
Sadly, Cao Yuqing couldn’t replace née Sun. There still remained an insurmountable difference between wife and concubine. But apart from an official wife in Qin Huaiyuan’s yard, there were other concubines as the same footing as née Cao. Wasn’t that just an invitation for ire from the new concubine? So was Qin Yining actually helping the family out by making such an enormous deal today and helping Qin Huaiyuan clean house?
The more the old dowager thought it over, the more she felt that there wasn’t much fault she could attribute to Qin Yining for blowing the matter up and selling off the concubine. As the family matriarch, the old dowager had to keep her eyes firmly set on the prize. Qin Huaiyuan wasn’t too fond of these four concubines to begin with; he’d always been indifferent to them. Looking at it this way, having just a wife and one concubine seemed to be enough.
“Well, what are you waiting for? Throw these four cheap servants out!” The old dowager nodded almost to her self, and snapped out. “How dare they throw their weight around in front of the senior madame?! Do you think the Qins can be bullied like this?! We fed and clothed you and didn’t mind that you never bore any children. How dare you get all high and mighty like this?!”
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