Chapter 51: Smoke and Fire (Part 2)

  After about two cups of tea's worth of time had passed, Mrs. Qiao turned back around.

  Her face was pale and her expression was dazed. The maid came forward to support her, but she was suddenly pushed to the ground by her.

  That maid's face showed pain, but she didn't dare make a sound and got up again to help Mrs. Qiao.

  This time, Mrs. Qiao was stunned and supported by the maid, but her eyes were fixed on Qiao Lianfang sitting next to Old Lady Qiao, and it wasn't until after a while that she slowly returned to her own seat with an uneven gait.

  "Mrs. Qiao," said Mrs. Lin, seeing the fine sweat on her forehead and her swaying as if she were about to collapse, "are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

  Mrs. Qiao, who had always been lively and agile, turned her head to look at Mrs. Lin, her eyes somewhat unfocused, and after a long while, she came back to herself and said: "I'm not feeling quite well!"

  "Should we call a doctor?" said Mrs. Lin hastily, and was about to get up. "I'll go tell the old lady!"

  Mrs. Qiao suddenly grabbed Mrs. Lin's arm: "No, no need. I just ate something bad for my stomach. Yes, something bad for my stomach. The fresh peaches Fourth Wife sent..."

  Mrs. Lin frowned slightly.

  Mrs. Joe's grasp was so energetic that her hand shook the house, and she delivered a discourse which was all the more impressive because it was incoherent; but wherever she might otherwise have wandered I know not, she said nothing of my being ungratefully alive.

  But she said it's nothing, why bother then!

  Thinking of this, she quietly withdrew her arm and smiled: "If you're uncomfortable, just make a sound. I'll go call the doctor."

  Mrs. Qiao nodded and leaned back in her armchair as if paralyzed.

  Eleventh Girl saw it with her own eyes and vaguely felt that Yuan Niang must have told Mrs. Qiao about the affair of Qiao Lianfang's room.

  Does that lady know about it?

  She glanced at the lady.

  Mrs. Tai and Mrs. Kan beside her were chatting and laughing.

  Eleventh Sister was about to turn her head when she saw the old lady get up, whisper a few words to Madam Gan, and Madam Gan nodded with a smile. She entered the flower hall, called a small maid: "Take me to the toilet." And ordered Luo Qiao, "You come with me."

  She curtsied and followed Madame Wang, led by a young maid, to the Pure Room behind the Flower Hall.

  The lady stopped in front of the clean room and handed a small silver ingot to the maid: "You don't have to serve here, I'm not used to it."

  The little maid looked at Lu Qiao with a glance, happily accepted the silver ingot, and retreated.

  The big wife whispered to Luo Qiao: "You stay here and guard. If someone comes, wait for me outside. Do you understand?"

  "Got it."

  The lady nodded slightly, stood at the gate of the clean room and looked around for a moment, seeing that there was indeed no one around. Then she went out alone from the side door, passed through the Spring Hall, and hurried to the small courtyard.

  Two women stood in front of the steps, tiptoeing to see the excitement. Seeing the madam coming over, they stepped forward and paid their respects: "Where are you going? The fourth wife has already gone to bed early. If you have anything to say, let's talk about it tomorrow morning!"

  Someone immediately shouted: "It's getting dark, are your eyes blind too?"

  The two women immediately shrank back and respectfully shouted "Tao Mama".

  In the dimly lit hallway, a woman wearing an olive green embroidered jacket with a stern expression walked over. It was Tao Mama, who served by Yuan Niang's side. Seeing the mistress, she added a smile to her face: "Madam, you've arrived!"

  The old lady nodded and hurried forward: "How is Yuan Niang?"

  "We've been waiting for you!" Tao's mother replied as she accompanied Madame Wang into the small courtyard.

  In the small courtyard, it was pitch black, with only two large red lanterns hanging under the eaves of the main house. A young maid stood at the door, listlessly picking at her fingernails. When she saw someone coming, she immediately opened her eyes wide and asked in a very vigilant tone, "Who?"

  "It's me!" Tao's mother responded. The big madam saw that the little maid let out a sigh of relief and turned to push the door: "The fourth wife just asked about it!"

  Mrs. Tao nodded and escorted the mistress into the house, turned around and sternly said to the little maid "Keep a close eye", then closed the door with her backhand.

  The creaking sound of the gate echoed clearly and eerily in the quiet courtyard, startling the little maid.

  Yuanniang lay on the inlaid nanmu bed by the window in the west wing, saw the big wife, her mouth corner opened a smile, under the pale sheep horn palace lamp, soft and quiet.

  "Mother Tao, give it to your mother," she said softly. Although her expression was very tired, but a pair of eyes were shining brightly.

  Mother Tao responded and took out a white embroidered bamboo plum orchid hem lace skirt.

  The lady answered, but sighed: "Why must you be like this... The Qiao family is not one to be trifled with."

  "Mother, you should be clearer than me." Yuan Niang smiled slightly, her dark eyes deep like an ancient well in the lamplight. "How can others sleep soundly by my bedside? They thought I was ill and couldn't do anything about it. That's why they dared to come and go as they pleased. If I didn't choose the hardest one to smash, there would be endless trouble later. This is also a helpless measure. If we're being serious, although this trap was set by me, if she wasn't thinking of showing off in front of Master Hou, how could she have fallen for it? Why don't other young ladies from other families come to join the fun? If there's anyone to blame, it can only be herself for being too impatient. I'm not to be blamed!"

  The lady didn't say a word, apparently agreeing with her daughter's statement.

  "This skirt of yours is well received." Yuanniang smiled and said, "Lest someone with ulterior motives finds it and thinks they can rest easy from now on."

  The old lady nodded: "I'll save it." Then, in front of her daughter, she took off her own skirt and put on the other one, then wore her original skirt over it.

  Qiao Lianfang was not as tall as Mrs. Dai, and the skirts at that time were all pleated, so when Mrs. Dai wore this set, it was actually hard to tell that she had another skirt on underneath.

  "What does 'Hou Ye' mean?" she asked while wearing a skirt, "Can you agree with your idea?"

  Yuanniang smiled and replied evasively: "Madam has agreed to propose a marriage between Junge and the Jiang family!"

  The lady's face showed a few surprises, and it was clear that she had not expected Yuan Niang to say such a thing. She hesitated: "Then, Master Hou...and the matter of his second wife..."

  "It's not the time yet." Yuanniang smiled, "First deal with this matter. That thing is not urgent. Even if it were, it can't be rushed. It'll have to wait until I'm dead!" Her mouth curled up, and her expression was tinged with sarcasm.

  The lady's eyes turned red as she looked at him, and after a moment of endurance, she finally couldn't hold back her tears.

  "Mother, don't be like this." Yuan Niang pulled her mother's hand, "I came to find you, but it wasn't to make you cry!"

  The old lady nodded randomly, took out a handkerchief and wiped away her tears: "What else do you have to say? I'm listening. I'll definitely help you make it happen." She couldn't help but complain again, "I really don't understand. The Jiang family has connections all over the world, and being able to marry into such a family is an honor. Why did Duke Hou refuse to agree? If he had agreed earlier, how would you have ended up like this..." As she spoke, her tone suddenly became cautious: "Could it be that he really has some ulterior motive? Demoting the eldest son and promoting the younger one would be against the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and he could be impeached by the Imperial Censor! Is he not afraid of damaging his reputation after a hundred years?"

  "Mother, after all these years, don't you understand?" Yuanni smiled and said, "If that law was really useful, why would they set up another Ducha Yuan?"

  "Yes." The lady replied with a hint of resentment and a tinge of helplessness in her expression.

  "So, now the top priority is to form an alliance with the Jiang family." Yuan Niang's expression was calm and collected. "When the time comes, Jun Ge will have such a powerful in-law family, no one will dare to shake his position as the young master." Her words were firm and forceful.

  "Hmm." The old lady nodded, "Have you thought about which young lady to marry to your younger brother? I think Jiang Bo, who is currently the Academician of the Hanlin Academy, would be the best choice. He is already an Academician and if everything goes smoothly, he will be appointed as a Grand Councilor soon."

  "Uh-huh!" Yuanniang nodded slightly: "I and my daughter have thought of the same thing. They have a young daughter, and she's the legitimate one. She's only two years old this year, and her age is similar to Rongge's. As for Wangshi, I've already sent someone with a heavy gift to Taiyuanfu, plus our family is willing to form an alliance with Wanglang, I believe she won't refuse to be the matchmaker for Rongge."

  The lady hesitated: "After all, the Mo Guo Gong Fu has declined, and I don't know if the Jiang family will give face to Wang Shi when she goes to Baoshan." She was also afraid that her daughter would think she was unwilling, so she explained, "I'm not reluctant to part with a few daughters, but I'm afraid of giving an advantage to the Wang family for nothing!"

  "Some things you don't know." Yuanni smiled and said, "Although Wang's family is of noble birth, in the Jiang family she is humble and low-key, very good at getting along with people. When Jiang Bai was a scholar in Yanjing, his wife was seriously ill, not only did she serve her without undressing, but also went everywhere to ask for medical treatment and pray for blessings for Jiang Bai's wife. Later, after Jiang Bai's wife recovered from the illness after taking the medicine Wang found, she became extremely close to Wang. I had someone send a message to the Jiang family before, but they politely declined. Otherwise, why would I need to go ask her to mediate?"

  "These things you understand better than me." The lady said with a smile, "You just make the decision."

  The mother hesitated and said: "Mother, you should pay attention to the marriage of the three younger sisters! After all, there is an order between the elder and the younger!"

  The madam raised an eyebrow, a few cold lines appearing on her face: "Don't worry, I know what to do!"

  Yuanniang let out a long sigh, and for the first time, her expression showed a hint of melancholy: "Sometimes, people can't help but believe in fate! It just so happened that she stayed in the flower hall, it just so happened that this thing came to pass, it just so happened that she wasn't flustered at all... I originally wanted to take a closer look... but time didn't permit me... now I have no choice but to choose her. I can only hope that heaven will bless me and sympathize with my sincere efforts, and that she is genuine inside and out, and that I haven't misjudged her..."

  Just as Mrs. Daiyu and Yuanyang were chatting intimately, the Third Mistress took advantage of serving tea to Madame Wang to exchange glances with the Fifth Mistress and slipped away to the Flower Hall.

  "...from Nanjing, rushed over by express delivery, each one costing twenty taels of silver, suddenly all gone. Isn't that strange?" Third Madame's voice was extremely low, "If I wasn't familiar with Liu's people, today would have been a big mess - the first time hosting a family banquet, the sturgeon fish personally chosen by Old Mistress didn't even make it! As a result, I investigated and found out that the servant responsible was your mother's family's outer nephew. To be honest, our family isn't some outsider household from who-knows-where, we have to ask outsiders for help with family matters, how could he end up working for the Xu family? Fifth sister-in-law, this matter is really not suitable for me to intervene in, it would be better if you personally looked into it!"

  The fifth lady smiled and said: "Third sister, rest assured. If it were my people who were in charge, I would definitely give you an explanation."

  "Look at what you're saying, brother and sister." The third madam smiled and said, "I'm not trying to pursue anything. It's just that this matter is too suspicious! You also know that since I've taken over the household, there are inevitably things that can't be done, and there are inevitably people who want to give me a hard time... How can I not be careful everywhere?!" As she spoke, she let out a very helpless sigh. "I really hope that fourth brother and sister will get better soon, so I won't have to worry so much and can hand over this burden as soon as possible!" With an unwilling expression.

  Madam Qiao smiled and listened, just about to say a few polite words, when suddenly someone under the eaves of the flower hall exclaimed: "Madam Qiao, what's wrong with you?"