Chapter 275: Chapter 275: Accountability (1)
She squinted her eyes slightly and then turned to Tong Shen Zhi, saying, "Shen Zhi, see the two gentlemen out."
After the people left, Tong Xiyan couldn’t hold back any longer. Holding Xiqiu, he began to cry loudly. The First Lady frowned as she watched and instructed someone to pull Tong Xiyan up, then addressed everyone, "The Sixth Miss is not feeling well. All your crying will disturb her. Disperse, all of you!"
No one dared to protest. They lowered their faces, wiped their tears, and quieted down. The First Lady had someone support Tong Xiyan and Tong Xiyu back. Xi’er followed and closed the courtyard door, then turned to ask Chunliu, "Sister Chunliu, what exactly happened to the Miss? How could she suddenly fall ill and get injured?" She paused before continuing, "I heard the temple caught fire. How did it happen?"
Chunliu’s eyes shifted, hesitant to speak, she shook her head and said, "Even the doctor doesn’t know, how could I... As for the fire, Spring Swallow and I were asleep. When we woke up, the room was on fire, and Miss had a neck injury. As for the details, we really can’t say." Her eyes reddened as she spoke. Xi’er, who had harbored a glimmer of hope, now saw Chunliu in such a state and was immediately terrified, grabbing Chunliu’s hand and asking, "Could it be that the Miss was really poisoned?"
Chunliu dared not confirm, but her face couldn’t hide its sorrow. Xi’er was so frightened her legs went weak, and she only managed to stand by leaning against the door.
The First Lady returned to the room, pacing back and forth anxiously. She then turned to Nanny Fang and said, "Go, call the concubine." Nanny Fang complied and soon returned with the concubine supporting her. As she entered, she frowned and said, "I heard you brought back the Sixth Girl. Sister... I don’t even know what to say to you. You always claim I can’t hold Lord Xu in check, but now, for Lord Tong, you’re no better off."
"How dare you speak like this!" The First Lady was furious, "The Sixth Girl is barely holding on. If the First Master sees her, what do you think he will think? Tell me!" The concubine’s eyes flickered slightly and she moved closer to the First Lady, saying, "Didn’t the doctor say she wouldn’t survive seven days? If she passes tonight... it would be reasonable, wouldn’t it? That way, when First Master Tong returns, even if he gets angry, he won’t have much to say!"
The First Lady glared at her, "What are you thinking? Always resorting to violence. If it were that simple, why would I have tolerated these illegitimate children for so many years?" The concubine laughed, "If you won’t act, let me do it. Even if it’s discovered, what’s the worst First Master Tong could do to me, hmm?" Saying this, she clutched her handkerchief and walked out. The First Lady watched her, pressing her forehead and told Nanny Fang, "Go call her back!"
That night, the First Lady assigned several servant women to guard the Zhiqu Courtyard and asked Nanny Fang to personally attend to the Sixth Miss. Tong Shen Zhi returned from outside and saw Nanny Fang serving tea and medicine by the bed. Frowning, he stared at Nanny Fang’s back for a long while, then stepped forward and took the bowl from her hands, handing it to Spring Swallow, saying, "You take a rest, I’ll watch over Sixth Sister tonight."
Nanny Fang was taken aback, looking at Tong Shen Zhi, "The Eldest Young Master watching?" which was against the proprieties.
Tong Shen Zhi frowned, his tone non-negotiable, "At times like this, what do rules matter!" Nanny Fang suddenly remembered how two years ago, on Fourth Miss’s birthday, the Eldest Young Master recited the Women’s Precepts and Women’s Training, adhering strictly to etiquette. Who would have thought he would now personally watch over the Sixth Miss?
She hesitated, but Tong Shen Zhi had already shown a look of firm resolve and moved to Xiqiu’s bedside, leaving Nanny Fang with nothing to say as she exited the room.
The night passed peacefully. Xiqiu did not wake, and her complexion remained unchanged from the previous day. Her breathing was shallow but stable. Tong Shen Zhi checked the time, then brushed off his robe and stood up, instructing Chunliu and Spring Swallow, "I am going to the study. If anything happens, send someone to find me!"
Chunliu and Spring Swallow looked at him gratefully, nodding repeatedly. Tong Shen Zhi returned to his room, changed clothes, and went directly to the study. After lunch, Siliu came to the residence, but in the early afternoon, Manager Lai, beaming, went to report to the First Lady: "The carriage sent to fetch the Master has already entered the city!"
Everyone in the Tong Mansion was all smiles. The First Lady, in particular, went to the second gate to personally welcome the First Master back.
The black flat-roofed carriage, a total of four, stopped sequentially at the entrance. Manager Lai lifted the curtain of the second carriage, and the First Master’s tall figure leapt down, still the same graceful, dignified, and warm demeanor. When the First Lady saw him, her eyes filled with smiles. She stepped forward and knelt to salute the First Master: "Master, you’re back. It must have been a long and tiring journey!" She paused before continuing, "Shen Zhi went to the study and hasn’t returned... and I didn’t let the girls come here. You’ll see them later. No need to have so many people crowd around here."
The First Master glanced at the First Lady and only nodded slightly. Suddenly, he turned and reached into the carriage. To the First Lady’s astonishment, Madam Xia, bashful and slightly plumper than before leaving the residence, emerged with even more graceful charm than before and an air of determination not seen previously between her brows and eyes.
Madam Xia, with a charming smile, descended from the carriage and curtseyed to the First Lady, "Madam." The First Lady snorted but couldn’t openly be harsh in front of the Master. She said with a half-smile, "Madam Xia, you’ve had a hard time!" And indeed, what a journey; this is a plot straight out of a play, and she played it to reality.
Unlike before, Madam Xia was no longer timid. She looked up at the First Lady and said, "Thank you for your concern, Madam." The First Lady squinted slightly at her.
"Master!" Madam Xia turned and pointed to the third carriage, "Sister hasn’t come down yet." The First Lady assumed it was Madam Luo returning with them, but to her surprise, it was Laiwang’s wife, supporting a strange woman as she stepped off the carriage.
The First Lady stared in surprise, scrutinizing the woman, whose appearance was modest in her plain dress, lacking luster in her complexion. While she secretly wondered, Madam Xia laughingly approached, taking the woman’s hand and leading her over. The woman greeted the First Master, then turned to look at the First Lady and said, "Madam!"
The First Lady raised her brow, "And you are?" Madam Xia glanced at the First Master, then bowed her head and answered, "This sister of mine was brought back from Yongzhou. Her story is rather complicated. I will tell Madam in detail another day." After speaking, she turned to the First Master and said, "Master, perhaps she could stay in my room, to spare Madam the trouble of rearranging the courtyard again."
The First Master glanced at the First Lady with a displeased expression and nodded slightly in agreement with Madam Xia’s suggestion. The First Lady was inwardly furious; how matters of lodging guests in the mansion should be arranged, she had yet to decide, and now Madam Xia had taken charge. She hadn’t expected, after one trip, her audacity would grow!
Yet the First Lady maintained a kindly smile, saying, "Since she’s a sister to the concubine, we mustn’t neglect her. Why not prepare the vacant room in the East Cross Courtyard for her? It’s more comfortable than squeezing her in with you." The mansion didn’t have many courtyards, and the only vacant one, apart from the garden intended as Tong Shen Zhi’s future bridal chamber, was Madam Wang’s old courtyard in the East Cross Courtyard!