Chapter 300: A Shrew’s Tirade, A Composed Mind
Xinyuan Hall, Wei Mansion.
The festive wedding decorations hadn’t been fully removed yet. Ji Qingwu’s gaze turned awkward when she saw the large bed, still spread with its wedding quilt.
On her wedding night a few days ago, two different men had entered this room.
Her memory of Wei Ting, the man of the house, had already faded, but the image of the other man—his expressions, whether in joy or anger—was seared into her mind.
The bite mark on Ji Qingwu’s collarbone seemed to burn.
She avoided Jiu Jiu’s notice and discreetly tended to the faint red scratch on her face before cuddling the little girl and spending the night on this very bed.
The two of them kept to their old routine from Wutong Garden: they wouldn’t get up until the sunlight streamed into the room.
Ji Qingwu had been utterly drained that night in the palace. She was still fast asleep long past the hour she would normally have woken up.
When Jiu Jiu woke and saw her mama was still asleep, she rolled to the foot of the bed. She pulled out her most treasured scrap of old fabric, a keepsake from the Ji Family, and draped it over her face, rubbing it back and forth as she amused herself with great enthusiasm.
Her little feet occasionally kicked her mama, but it didn’t disturb the slumbering Ji Qingwu in the slightest. Her breathing was deep and even, and she remained sound asleep.
Early that morning.
Xuemei paced back and forth outside the door. She wanted to go in and wake the new mistress, but Lan Zhi, the maid the mistress had brought with her, blocked her way.
Lan Zhi stated with quiet composure, "My missy is a late riser. Let’s wait here at the door until she wakes on her own."
"But isn’t it getting a bit late...?"
Xuemei glanced up at the sun, which was already climbing high in the sky. This wasn’t morning; it was nearly noon.
Lan Zhi also thought it was strange. Fifth Missy didn’t usually sleep this late. She began to hesitate, wondering if she should go in and check.
Just then, Han Zhi rushed in from the courtyard, crying out, "Xuemei! Something terrible has happened!"
Afraid of disturbing the mistress, Xuemei quickly grabbed Han Zhi’s arm, pulled her out onto the veranda, and hissed, "Han Zhi, how many times have I told you not to be so dramatic? Whatever happened, calm down and explain it clearly."
Han Zhi swallowed nervously. "I went to the gatehouse to get some cleaning supplies and saw a large crowd gathered outside the main gate."
’So that was all,’ Xuemei thought, relieved. ’The little maid just got spooked by a crowd.’
Xuemei said calmly, "What’s there to be afraid of? The mansion often receives guests. Don’t act like you’ve never seen a crowd before."
Han Zhi shook her head vigorously and blurted out what she had witnessed.
"No, Xuemei! I hid by the gate and listened for a bit. Those people are here for the mistress! They said they’re going to take her away! They’ve already caused such a commotion that Madam Wei has been alerted."
Xuemei frowned. "Who would be so bold?"
’To surround the Wei Mansion’s gates and threaten to drag away the wife of General Zhenbei...’
Xuemei, managing to remain composed, turned and strode toward the room, only to be blocked by Lan Zhi once more.
"My missy is still sleeping. I told you not to go in and disturb her."
Ji Qingwu wouldn’t throw a fit if woken, but she would be groggy and in low spirits for the rest of the day.
Lan Zhi stood her ground, her arm outstretched to bar the way.
Xuemei pleaded, "Please let me in. I have something urgent to report to the mistress."
*
「At the main gate.」
The plaque above the Wei Mansion’s entrance was stately and archaic. Its background had faded to a pale white over time, but this only added to the aura of a century-old aristocratic family.
Yet now, a loud ruckus was being raised right beneath this very plaque, drawing a crowd of onlookers from the street.
"I want to see the old madam who runs this household!"
Two household guards blocked the old crone who was trying to force her way in. "You can’t enter without a formal calling card!"
"Look at the plaque above your head before you act so brazenly. This is the Wei Mansion! What do you think you’re doing?"
The old woman had sharp, slanted eyes, the kind that marked her as someone not to be trifled with.
Trailing behind her were several burly men. They didn’t look like household servants; their builds suggested they were hired thugs.
The old woman grabbed at a guard’s arm, her sharp eyes glaring daggers at them. "You think you have the right to stop me?" she snarled aggressively. "Of course I know where I am! I came for the Wei Family!"
The guard she had grabbed shoved her, sending her stumbling down the steps.
"What family’s shrew are you, to come make a scene at the gates of the Wei Mansion!"
The guard stood his ground at the gate, radiating an air of righteousness. Even though the woman’s group was large, he showed no sign of fear.
The old woman was helped to her feet by her attendants. She pointed a finger at the guard’s face and shrieked, "So you won’t let me in? Fine! Then drag Ji Qingwu out here!"
The guard retorted, "Our mistress is not someone you can see just by demanding it."
The old woman sneered, "I am a nanny from the Song family. My mistress, Madam Song, is the youngest daughter of the current Prime Minister! That Ji Wu has a callous disregard for human life—she caused my mistress to lose her child! I am here today to demand justice on my mistress’s behalf."
This old woman was the childhood nanny who had raised Madam Song, Su Daiyue. With her domineering and fiery personality, she held a high position in the Song family, high enough that she would even chew out the family’s son-in-law, Song Wei, without a second thought.
She had tried to barge directly into the Wei Mansion because she felt these two guards were beneath her notice.
The two guards exchanged a look. They didn’t know if her claims were true or not, but if this woman was really sent by Prime Minister Su’s daughter... and since it involved their new mistress, they dared not act on their own authority.
One of them ran back inside to ask for Madam Wei’s instructions.
When Madam Wei received the news, she was sitting cross-legged and perfectly still on a prayer mat in the family’s Buddhist hall.
"The Song family alone isn’t important enough for me to get involved."
Nanny Cao said, "But Madam Song is Prime Minister Su’s daughter, after all. If this escalates, it won’t reflect well on the Wei Family either."
Madam Wei asked, "Have you found out why she’s come here to cause trouble?"
Nanny Cao replied, "Our mistress opened a clinic. Apparently, that Madam Song took medicine prescribed by the clinic and subsequently had a miscarriage. Now she’s come to hold our mistress accountable."
"What a sinful mess."
Madam Wei’s hand, which had been stroking her Buddha Beads, paused. "Any news from Xinyuan Hall?"
Recalling the maid’s report, Nanny Cao stammered, "There’s... no news."
"No news? It seems Ji Wu is quite composed."
It was a rare compliment from Madam Wei. As she spoke, she rose from the cushion, with Nanny Cao helping her up.
"It’s not that she’s composed," Nanny Cao clarified. "It’s that... she hasn’t woken up yet."
A muscle twitched on the old madam’s long, thin face. ’What had she been expecting?’
The pair walked to the window and pushed it open. The sun was already high in the sky outside; it would soon be time for lunch.
Ji Qingwu was stirred awake by a strange sensation on her face. In a state between dream and reality, she felt as if she had wandered into a rat’s nest.
There was a little mouse beside her, not only burrowing into her side but also eating nonstop. CRUNCH, CRUNCH. Crumbs rained down on her face.
Ji Qingwu’s eyelashes fluttered twice. Jiu Jiu immediately pounced, sweet cake crumbs clinging to the corners of her mouth.
"Mama, if you didn’t wake up soon, I was going to go get someone!"
Ji Qingwu hugged her small frame and gave her bottom a little pat. "Get someone for what? You should have just called for Mama."
Jiu Jiu giggled. "To get someone to kiss you awake, Mama!"