Chapter Sixty-One: Disposition

Old Madam Du’s smile froze instantly when she was shouted at by Madam Huang. She glanced toward the main seat where the mistress sat, confusion clouding her mind. Wasn’t Madam Huang supposed to be someone whose words carried great weight before the mistress? Why would she suddenly turn on her today?

Madam Du and Madam Huang had already come to a private understanding about He Miao’s matter, and she was still wondering why someone from the household had suddenly rushed to her home today in search of that girl. But Madam Du was no fool; catching the look that Madam Huang threw her, she immediately realized that something had changed.

She wiped away her smile at once and replaced it with a grieving, mournful expression, dabbing at her eyes with her handkerchief as she admitted her fault to Madam Huang. “Elder sister, you misunderstand me. Though trouble has come to my house, how could I ever invoke a taboo before Mistress because of that wretched woman—because of my daughter-in-law? That would make me the greatest sinner of all!”

“That’s enough. Mistress is waiting. Don’t waste words,” warned Madam Huang.

Madam Du agreed at once. Following Madam Huang into the room, she knelt and bowed her head deeply to Madam Yang. “It’s been so long since I’ve come to pay my respects. Your old servant bows to you, Mistress!”

Three resounding knocks of her forehead to the ground—Madam Du was not sparing with her effort.

Yang cast her a cold glance. “You old woman, you’re bold indeed. Even the wife I promised to Du’er, you dare suppress and lord over her? Is it that you look down on the servant girl I bestowed?”

A chill settled in Madam Du’s heart, her face wrinkling further with a forced smile. “Mistress, how could your old servant dare such a thing? Don’t heed the nonsense that outsiders spread. They’re just waiting to see my misfortune. You know better than anyone what kind of temper He Miao has. Ever since she married in, she’s managed all the household affairs. If I say a word, she talks back—she has a fierce temper indeed!”

“No matter how fierce, wasn’t she driven by you to the point of trying to hang herself?” The sudden interjection came from Xu Ruojin, catching Madam Du off guard.

Madam Huang quickly prompted, “What are you staring at? Pay your respects to Second Miss!”

Second Miss? A look of surprise flashed across Madam Du’s face. She no longer worked in the Xu household, but she had heard every rumor about the Second Miss. Wasn’t the mistress the one who disliked her the most? Could it be that today’s trouble was stirred up by the Second Miss?

Full of suspicion, Madam Du quickly put on an ingratiating smile. “It’s my blind eyes, Second Miss, please don’t take offense. Your old servant pays her respects!”

“But you haven’t answered my question. On what grounds did you defame He Miao’s innocence? If you don’t give an account for this, neither Mother nor I will let the matter rest!” Xu Ruojin had no intention of indulging the old woman’s sycophancy.

She had first heard that He Miao’s family was so poor they could barely eat, but looking at this old woman’s attire now, did she look like someone who’d missed a meal? Clearly, she had squandered all the silver herself! He Miao had taken on outside work to make ends meet, served her husband, and managed the home—such a diligent and capable daughter-in-law, and yet she was still not tolerated.

It was simply outrageous.

Madam Du glanced sidelong at Madam Yang and saw that the mistress too was waiting for her reply. Her eyes darted as she began to dab at her eyes with her handkerchief. “This matter, your old servant is too ashamed to speak of. The daughter-in-law you granted me, Mistress, I could never bear to treat her poorly, let alone show her the slightest displeasure.”

“But that girl didn’t know how to cherish it. She always wore a sullen face, arrogant and overbearing. My son, too, is an honest man, always yielding to her. But who would have thought… who would have thought she’d go and do such a thing?” Seeing the mistress still unmoved, Madam Du slapped her own face lightly. “I’m so ashamed I can’t even speak!”

“If you’re too ashamed to speak, then kneel there until you can. Only then may you rise,” Yang declared, well-versed in handling such shrewish old women. With that one sentence, Madam Du’s face fell, as limp as a wilted eggplant, not knowing what to do.

Who would have thought, after all this time, the mistress would still inquire about that girl?

But how was she to answer?

Madam Du, anxious and at a loss, kept glancing at Madam Huang, as if seeking her advice.

Though Xu Ruojin said nothing, she had taken in everything with sharp eyes. No wonder Madam Du had dared to treat He Miao so harshly—she had Madam Huang backing her. What wouldn’t she dare? But what profit could Madam Huang possibly gain from meddling in such a filthy affair? Xu Ruojin wouldn’t speculate recklessly, but it made her even more cautious.

If it were only Madam Du, it would be one thing, but with Madam Huang involved, this would be difficult to resolve.

“Mistress, must you really have your old servant say it?” Madam Du put on a face of grievance. “I saw the matter with my own eyes. Could I possibly slander her? For a woman, nothing is more important than her reputation. How would I dare speak nonsense about such things? Please, Mistress, spare me this once—let me keep my old face intact. Don’t let it be torn to shreds.”

Dabbing at the corners of her eyes, Xu Ruojin noticed that she was, in fact, sneaking glances at Madam Huang.

Yang hesitated in her heart. On the one hand, she began to doubt He Miao’s character; on the other, if such things were aired, it would only make matters worse. If others took the opportunity to twist the story, wouldn’t the Xu family’s reputation suffer further?

The best solution was to let the matter drop, to make a big thing small and a small thing nothing at all.

“Are you certain you saw it with your own eyes?” Yang could not help but ask again.

Madam Du nodded emphatically. “I swear I saw it myself, or I’ll gouge out my own eyes!”

Madam Huang leaned in and interjected, “Mistress, best not to make this matter bigger than it already is. Otherwise, both your and Second Miss’s reputation will suffer, wouldn’t you say?”

Yang had already been of this mind. With Madam Huang’s words, she became even more resolute.

“I don’t believe such a thing. I trust He Miao’s character above all. But you, old woman, I cannot trust.” Sipping her tea, Yang rebuked coldly, “Pretending to be mad and foolish here does you no good. Go home and apologize to your daughter-in-law, admit that you falsely accused her. From now on, live together peacefully. If you dare stir up such nonsense again, I won’t let you off!”

Yang’s judgment left Madam Du stunned. Weren’t they just discussing He Miao’s faults? Why was she now being told to apologize?

Madam Huang glared fiercely at her, signaling her to agree at once. Madam Du, dazed, immediately mumbled her assent. Yang then made ready a few items as a reward to send Madam Du on her way.

Xu Ruojin felt a chill in her heart.

Madam Du had just sworn she had seen it with her own eyes, even vowing to blind herself if she lied. But Xu Ruojin, from the bottom of her heart, could not believe He Miao was that sort of woman.

Now, Yang wanted to resolve the matter quietly, forcing Madam Du to admit fault for the sake of the Xu family’s reputation. Xu Ruojin had to admit it was a clever move.

But when it came to He Miao, could she just let it go?

Thinking of He Miao’s suicide attempt, her despair with the world, Xu Ruojin’s heart ached.

She had to get to the bottom of this. He Miao could not possibly be that kind of person.

“Mother,” Xu Ruojin stood up and walked to stand before Madam Du, her voice cold. “I think it’s best for Madam Du to make everything clear. What exactly did you see? If it’s as you say, then who was that man? In the county court, a case requires witnesses and evidence. You think you can settle right and wrong with just your word? Are you more powerful than the magistrate himself?”