At dusk, the sky was brilliantly lit.
Sheng Lanxin was painting in the courtyard when she faintly heard the sound of a zither and someone singing from the neighboring house. She shook her head and sighed.
The maid, mixing paints, glanced towards the other side of the courtyard wall and frowned, “So noisy. Anyone would think they’re soliciting customers.”
“Mind your words.” Sheng Lanxin, displeased, put down her brush and said coolly, “You may leave now.”
The maid trembled, realizing she had spoken out of turn. Her mistress had been in low spirits recently, and she didn’t dare to argue further, quickly bowing and retreating.
The noise next door persisted, and Sheng Lanxin massaged her forehead.
The western courtyard had been quiet for half a year. Ever since someone moved into the eastern courtyard, it seemed even Huo Xian rarely visited her. Sheng Lanxin had no expectations, nor did she place any on herself, so she didn’t hold out hope.
Yet with the lady of the house having “fallen out of favor,” her previously calm heart grew restless again. Additionally, Huo Xian had been visiting the western courtyard frequently these days. Before the day turned to dusk, it was clear that everyone was gearing up to impress him.
Back in the day, to mingle with the likes of Xiao Yuanting and other dissolute sons, Huo Xian often frequented brothels. Among these women, some were taken out of brothels by Huo Xian, pitiful people.
Life in the Huo residence was better, at least with no shortage of food and clothing and no mistress to torment them. These women didn’t want to leave, and Huo Xian needed them to maintain appearances, so he kept a few who were sensible and discreet.
But in a grand mansion like this, it’s impossible not to have other thoughts. These women, aware of their low status, tended to behave. The most troublesome were those like Sheng Lanxin.
They were women discreetly sent to Huo Xian by powerful and influential people.
In officialdom, interactions often involved money or women. In this murky water, playing along was key; those who weren’t greedy enough wouldn’t last long.
Among the women sent to him, many were also spies placed around Huo Xian. The overly smart ones who obstructed him were often “played” to death by him for various reasons, their bodies rolled up in mats and discarded in mass graves.
Thus, his naturally perverse nature grew even more monstrous. No decent family’s daughter dared to marry into this place, which suited him perfectly.
As for the women who remained, they were either pure-hearted, avoiding conflict, or too foolish to cause any trouble.
However, even foolish people have their pride. Those oppressed for too long inevitably harbor resentment.
“Mistress!” The maid who had just left hurriedly returned, pushing the door open. “Something’s wrong. Concubine Ye is having a dispute with the steward, and Steward Qian requests your presence.”
Steward Qian was the accountant of the Huo residence, responsible for the ladies’ daily needs. Sheng Lanxin held the keys to the storeroom, assisting with some chores. Half a year ago, Ji Yuluo had handed over the management of the western courtyard to her to pacify Ye Linlang, so the steward naturally sought her out.
Sheng Lanxin pressed the painting with an ink stone and, with a headache, asked, “What has she done now?”
The maid quickly followed her and said, “The residence received two bolts of cloud brocade. One was sent to you, and the other was meant for the main courtyard. Concubine Ye took a liking to it and kept it for herself. You know the situation in the main courtyard now. Steward Qian didn’t dare to say anything and thought he could just let it slide. But it was unlucky that the maid from the main courtyard, Biwu, came to collect the monthly allowance and caught them.”
Sheng Lanxin paused, feeling a bad premonition. She turned and asked, “And then?”
Seeing the maid’s hesitant expression, she furrowed her brow and decided not to ask anymore.
At this moment, chaos erupted outside the storeroom. Several concubines hid behind the pillars, listening to the constant screams not far away, accompanied by Qian Bo’s cries: “Stop hitting! Please stop! Miss Chaolu, you can’t be so violent!”
Under the nearby veranda, Biwu, with reddened eyes and holding one side of her face, said, “Chaolu, that’s enough. Let her go.”
Ye Linlang, who was tied to a pillar, looked disheveled, her face swollen from being beaten. Her voice was already hoarse, barely able to speak, she weakly said, “I want the master to make a decision. You, you are too much!”
Sheng Lanxin hurriedly stepped forward. “What’s going on?”
Several concubines crowded around, all talking at once, then said, ” Yiniang Sheng, please persuade her. If this beating continues, she’ll be disfigured!”
Sheng Lanxin asked, “Has anyone reported this to the East Wing?”
They looked at each other, timidly shook their heads. No one dared to go, fearing that if Nanny Liu found out, there would be consequences.
Feeling exhausted, Sheng Lanxin pointed to her maid and instructed her to go, then took a few steps forward. “Miss Chaolu, please show some mercy.”
Chaolu recognized her, hesitated for a moment, then her eyes turned fierce. Stubbornly, she said, “She insulted my lady and even hit her maid!”
—
The weather was perfect. Ji Yuluo sat on a fishing chair by the pond, basking in the sunset. Beside the chair was a low table with a stack of essays from the Imperial Academy.
The essays praised Changsun Lianyu’s noble character, subtly suggesting that his pure lineage made him deserving of the throne. The students’ writing was excellent, eloquent and convincing.
Ji Yuluo flipped through the pages, occasionally smiling at interesting parts.
Sometimes, words are more effective than swords.
A little maid squatted beside her, painting her nails with carmine dye, and fawningly said, “Madam is happy today. Shall I add pearls to your nails? Look, these freshly cut and polished pearls are so beautiful.”
Ji Yuluo glanced at her. The light purple dye on her nails made her hands look even paler, and there was a delicate flower painted on her middle finger, intricate and elegant.
She rarely adorned these hands, as they were hands meant for killing, unable to keep such pretty decorations. The blade would scrape the nail polish off within days.
She looked at the maid and said, “Not bad, very skillful.”
The maid beamed. She had just been transferred from the outer courtyard. Everyone said Madam was terrifying. With the master not visiting lately, the servants feared her temper and avoided her. But she seemed quite amicable.
Indeed, rumors are unreliable.
The maid worked harder, carefully drawing the patterns. Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind the rockery; it was two maids returning from preparing the evening meal. They walked slowly, chatting in whispers.
The maid saw Madam leaning back with her eyes closed, worried that they would disturb her. She was about to interrupt them when the maid in pink said, “I saw Nanny Liu’s face change. Do you think Chaolu will be punished?”
Ji Yuluo opened her eyes.
The maid in purple clothing said, “No way, it was Concubine Ye who struck Bi Wu first. She was clearly in the wrong. Besides, how dare she take over our main courtyard’s allowances? She’s just a concubine. The audacity!”
The maid in pink sighed and said, “But Concubine Ye is still a mistress, a half-master, while Chaolu is just a maid. As servants, we can’t strike our masters. I heard she even had Chaolu tied up and beaten on the face. I think Chaolu is in big trouble this time.”
“They’re all just bullies,” the maid in purple said angrily. “Steward Qian is really unfair. The master has only been away for a few days, and for the sake of peace, he turned a blind eye and let Concubine Ye take the allowances. And Concubine Ye, taking advantage of our lady’s fall from favor to step on her. Yet, when our lady was in favor, she didn’t bother with her at all!”
The maid in pink added, “That’s not all. I heard that a few days ago, the master praised her graceful dancing and watched her for half an hour. Concubine Ye Linlang was so exhausted that her legs were trembling when she finished, and she had to be helped back to her room. Afterward, the master felt sorry for her and ordered the steward to select some items from the storeroom to send to her.”
The maid in purple, lowering her voice, said, “I heard that she was carried back to her room by the master himself, and he didn’t leave until after midnight.”
“Yes, yes, that’s right!” the maid in pink said incredulously. “She even had the steward get her a new dance dress, one that reveals a lot. She said it was what the master liked. Do you think our master really likes that kind of thing?”
The two maids, tired of standing, placed their trays on the rockery and squatted in the corner, continuing to gossip. “Nanny Liu went to the storeroom. Should we inform the lady?”
“Um… better not. We don’t want to cause a scene. Nanny just hid the bows and arrows.”
Nearby, a young maid, her nails painted with alkanet dye, became petrified, especially when she overheard the words “cause a death.” Her hand trembled, and the dye streaked outside her nails in a straight line.
Quickly, she set aside her brush and knelt down, saying, “This servant deserves to die, this servant deserves to die.”
The voices behind the rockery fell silent, and the two maids exchanged glances, covering their mouths.
Ji Yuluo’s gaze shifted away from the rockery and slowly fixed on her hand. She helped the young maid up, brushed the grit off her hands, and said, “It’s alright, just reapply it.”
Her expression was calm, with a hint of gentle kindness at the corners of her eyes, making her seem very approachable. Her voice was soft as she said, “Go to the storeroom and tell Nanny to bring everyone back.”
She used a handkerchief to wipe a smudge off the back of her hand and said, “Chaolu is too unruly. I’ll handle this personally.”
The young maid didn’t know how rumors grew so exaggerated, but in Ji Yuluo’s calm and gentle words, she felt a slight, very slight, sense of fear. She widened her eyes but couldn’t detect any anger or jealousy on Ji Yuluo’s face. She cautiously curtsied and quickly headed for the storeroom, her pace gradually quickening until she was running.
