Although the Marquis had said not to disturb the old lady and the mistress, a quick-talking maid still ran to the upper room to report the news.
It was a cold winter night. After dinner, Mrs. Xu and Mrs. Zhuang went into the warm room early and dismissed the concubines who were chatting with them. Just as she was about to lie down to rest, she suddenly heard the news. She swayed and almost fell. The maids hurried to help her. Ruixue, the eldest maid beside the old lady, turned around in dissatisfaction and said to Mrs. Pan who was standing by the door to report the news:
"Mom always teaches us to be careful with our eyes, but you are so impatient. It's almost time to go to bed, and you are yelling like this. How can the old lady still sleep?"
Madam Xu waved her hands and said, "Forget it! This mansion is getting worse and worse. After the eldest lady fell ill, the people below have become even more unruly. What kind of family are we? How can such rumors spread? A person who had been dead for two days came back to life. There really is such a miracle in the world! Quickly tie up that stupid servant who is gossiping and beat him to death!"
"Oh! Madam, it's true! My eyes are sharp and I saw it all. If there's even a hint of falsehood, you'd chop off my head!"
Mrs. Pan had just gone to the garden to talk to another woman when she saw the scene from afar. She could not bear it any longer and ran to Mrs. Xu's room to report the news.
She was originally a maid that the old lady brought as a dowry. She was smart and capable, but she was assigned to a small steward who ran errands and purchased things in the front yard. The man was not an honest man. He used his cleverness to take some small change when buying things. He was exposed and sent to the farm to farm. Mrs. Pan was implicated by him. Although she begged the old lady not to send her away with him, and let her live in the outer courtyard with her two children and do odd jobs, she would never have a chance to make a name for herself in her life. But after all, she was the old lady's dowry, and she was often asked about her, so others did not dare to look down on her too much. She ran to the old lady's room from time to time, and no one stopped her. The old lady always gave her some food or old clothes and utensils, and always took care of her. She couldn't help but become proud and arrogant, and her mouth became more and more gossipy. The maids around the old lady always hated and helpless her.
Madam Xu couldn't lie down any longer, so she got up and said, "Go, call the ladies over!"
A few maids were standing outside, separated by a wide screen with flowers and birds that looked a bit cold and gray. They responded by lifting the curtain and going out. Immediately, three or four maids followed from the corridor and went to deliver the message.
Ruixue and several other personal maids, Ruixia, Ruiyun, and Ruihong, hurriedly put on her outer robe, tied her hair up again, dressed her, helped her sit on the kang, and covered her knees with a warm blanket. Ruihong brought a cup of hot tea, and Mrs. Pan reached out to take it and pass it to the old lady. Ruihong dodged and glanced at her with disdain, but her tone was not disrespectful at all:
"Mom, take a rest. Be careful not to spill it and burn yourself!"
Mrs. Pan withdrew her hand awkwardly, but then moved closer to Old Madam Xu and whispered, "The old lady forgot: Ever since the Seventh Master passed away, the First Madam has been ill, and she can't come!"
The old lady glared at her fiercely, and Mrs. Pan quickly shut up, lowered her head and stood obediently.
Ruixue and Ruihong rolled their eyes at her at the same time. This woman is getting more and more stupid. She keeps bringing up all sorts of issues. Seventh Master Xu Junjie followed his eldest master, Weiyuan Marquis Xu Junying, to the Northwest Jingbian and died in battle two months ago. The eldest wife cried several times for the Seventh Master and fell on the bed and could not get up again. As a grandmother, how could the old lady not be sad when her grandson is gone? She was depressed for a long time before she got better. The wife of Weiyuan Marquis and the eldest grandmother Qin died of a sudden illness. The black-haired person had to be sent off by the white-haired person. The old lady was righteous and resentful, but the dead woman brought up the Seventh Master again. Isn't this uncomfortable
The old lady's eyes were dark, and she said coldly, "When you are sick, you should lie down and rest. You can't just leave it alone. Jingyu is young, and there are things that she can't think of and can't do. Now her family has something to do, so she just left. The second wife also got dizzy at this time. The whole family in the mansion is left to Rulan. Rulan is just like Mei Niang, sick and weak, and doesn't know anything. Suddenly she is faced with such a big thing, how can she not be confused? Look, the second wife was sitting here talking just now, wasn't everything fine?"
Ruixue smiled and said, "Madam, the second wife is feeling better today. I came to pay my respects to you. Didn't I ask for your dizziness pills? It's obvious that she's not fully recovered!"
The old lady snorted, and suddenly saw a slightly fat woman with a cone-shaped bun, wearing a dark blue jacket, a brown pleated silk skirt, and a ruddy face walked in. When Mrs. Pan saw her, she pursed her lips and subconsciously hid behind Ruixue. Ruixue refused to cover her, and rushed over to the woman and said:
"Mother Ji is back, and Mother Pan told the old lady a strange story..."
Mother Ji was also a maid who came with the old lady as a dowry, but she was more capable and valued than Mother Pan. She had always been by the old lady's side, managing things. After decades of being master and servant, their relationship was inseparable. They could understand each other's meaning with just a glance or a word.
As the two looked at each other, the old lady took a breath and almost swallowed the small piece of tea in her mouth.
"Is that... true?"
Mother Ji bowed and said, "To answer the old lady, it is true! I brought medicine back to the second young lady, and when I heard about it, I went to see the eldest young lady. She was lying on the couch in good health. The Marquis invited the most famous doctor Su from the Imperial Hospital to come and have a careful examination. Doctor Su said that there was a case of suffocation due to long-term illness several decades ago, and it was also Doctor Su who diagnosed the case. The patient was a third-rank official in the court. He has now retired and returned to his hometown, and is living well!"
"Did Doctor Su really say that?"
Mother Ji smiled and said, "Imperial Physician Su sighed that the eldest young lady is a very blessed person!"
The old lady's eyes flickered. "Just don't let people misunderstand that our family almost buried someone alive! She is also a blessed girl - the daughter of a fallen official, she was able to marry into our Xu Mansion and become the wife of Weiyuan Marquis, a first-rank lady. She should be content!"
Mother Ji glanced around with her narrow eyes, and the maids including Ruixue quietly retreated, and even Mrs. Pan quickly slipped away.
She squatted down, sat on the mahogany foot mat, massaged the old lady's calf, and whispered, "According to the distance, the Third Master has picked up Miss Lan, so they should be here tomorrow morning!"
The old lady sighed slightly, "Speaking of which, Lan girl is also unlucky. If she wasn't so weak, this wife of Weiyuan Marquis would have been hers... She was boating in the lake and was seasick because of the sunlight. She stood on the shore waiting, but Junying met Qin Meiniang in the middle of the lake. What's wrong with playing the piano? Doesn't our Lan girl have that talent? Alas, Junying is stubborn and always does things directly. After finding out that she is the daughter of the Qin family, he got off the boat and met the emperor by chance. The emperor joked with him a few words, so he asked for the imperial decree to grant her marriage... Meiniang was seriously ill and was dying. The cousin of the Zheng family served her diligently every day. How could I not understand what the eldest lady was thinking? Although Junying was filial to his mother, he and Lan girl were childhood sweethearts after all. I thought I would not let him do anything stupid this time, but I didn't expect..."
Ruixue shouted crisply outside the door: "The first and second wives are here!"
Madam Xu exchanged glances with Mother Ji, and Mother Ji stood up, walked to the screen and waited, saying:
"The old lady is waiting, please come in, ladies!"
Madam Zheng, the first wife of the Xu family, and Madam Gui, the second wife, walked in together. Madam Zheng was in front, wearing a knee-length cotton jacket with dark satin and floral patterns. She had her hair done in a bun with only two flat gold hairpins inserted in it, and a wide kingfisher-emerald headband. Her face was pale and bloodless, but she forced a smile that was uglier than crying. She bowed deeply to Madam Xu and said in a hoarse voice:
"Greetings to the old lady! I haven't been feeling well lately and haven't been able to show my filial respect to her. I feel really anxious and upset!"
The old lady looked at her and said, "I know you are not feeling well and you are still weak. You should go out for a walk. You will feel more and more uncomfortable if you stay in the house. I am still holding on with my old bones, but you are too sick to move. What's the point of that?"
Mrs. Zheng had tears in her eyes and lowered her head. With Ruixue's support, she sat down on the embroidered cushion, unable to say anything.
Madam Gui was wearing a blue cotton jacket with dark patterns and had a melancholy look on her face. After paying her respects to the old lady, she sat down below Madam Zheng. After listening to what the old lady had to say, she said carefully:
"It's my incompetence that has caused the old lady so much trouble! Rulan just came to tell my wife about Mei Niang's matter. Lord Hou is here and has already dealt with it. The old lady doesn't have to worry. Rulan and the maids will hurry up to do the rest. The front yard funeral will be demolished in a short time. We are preparing to inform the relatives early tomorrow morning to avoid chaos when everyone is unaware of the funeral."
The old lady hummed and said, "It's hard for Rulan. Although she is not as insightful as Jingyu, she was able to do things calmly at a critical moment. That's great."
Then she looked at Madam Zheng and sighed, "No matter how sad you are as a mother-in-law, you should go and see Mei Niang. After all, few people can have the experience of coming back to life from the dead. She is still too young and is frightened. Comfort her well. There will be many relatives and friends coming to visit tomorrow and beyond. Her family members are probably on the way. They are here to attend the funeral. I'm afraid she can't even speak now. You must teach her well and don't be disrespectful in front of others!"
Madam Zheng bowed her head and responded, "My wife knows."
Then he asked Mrs. Gui, "How is the Bai family doing? Is Jingyu not coming back yet?"
Madam Gui said: "I just heard that the funeral will be postponed again. Jingyu heard about Mei Niang's situation and sent someone back to ask..."
The old lady nodded and said, "Let her be at ease in her parents' home to fulfill her filial duties. There is nothing to do in our house, so she doesn't need to worry about both sides!" (To be continued)