Volume One, Chapter 20: Whoever Wants to Be the Dutiful Son Can Go Ahead

The two servants, trembling at the sight of Nanny Zhao’s grim visage, were nonetheless cowed by Lin Wenyuan’s piercing gaze. They braced themselves and stepped forward, working together to cut the body down.

Just as everyone’s attention was fixed upon Nanny Zhao, a sudden sob broke the silence. The crowd turned to see Lin Qingyun, her face streaming with tears. "It is all my fault. I am the one who killed the Nanny. It is all my doing..."

"How could it be your fault?" Lin Qingyan asked, his heart aching at the sight of her distress. He turned a fierce, hateful glare upon Lin Qingwu. "It was her! Nanny Zhao was driven to her death by that woman! What does this have to do with you?"

"You!" Lin Qingyan pointed a finger at Lin Qingwu. "Get over here at once and kowtow to Nanny Zhao to beg for her forgiveness."

"Young Master," Zhiyi interjected, defending her mistress, "my lady is not only the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Ru, but also the Emperor’s appointed Consort to Prince Yue. How could she possibly kneel before an old servant?"

"And why not?" Lin Qingyan scoffed, looking at Lin Qingwu. "Our Great Sheng dynasty prioritizes filial piety above all else. You caused your mother’s death years ago, and now you have driven Nanny Zhao to hers. Do you truly believe you are blameless?"

"Indeed," Madam Jiang chimed in, a look of gloating on her face. "Nanny Zhao was, in a sense, a mother to Sister Bai. Since both died at the hands of the Second Young Lady, one wonders if this is merely coincidence or the work of a jinx."

"Hold your tongue!" Zhixin glared at her, full of indignation. "The former Mistress passed away on the very day the Third Young Lady entered the manor. Why don’t you call her the jinx instead?!"

"Father!" Frightened by Zhixin’s outburst, Madam Jiang scurried behind Lin Wenyuan. "Please, do something! Look, the Second Young Lady is trying to strike me again."

"Father, Mother, this has nothing to do with my Second Sister. It was all my own negligence," Lin Qingyun said, projecting an air of self-reproach.

Lin Wenyuan looked at her, puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"

Lin Qingyun dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief and explained, "Two days ago, Nanny Zhao came to me, covered in bruises and weeping. She said she could no longer bear to stay in the manor and wished to leave. I never had the chance to know my mother before she passed, and Nanny Zhao was the last person left in this house who shared such a deep bond with her. How could I bear to see her go? I gave her some silver, but I never imagined she would lose the will to live..." As she spoke, she broke down into uncontrollable sobs.

Chunlan, unable to watch any longer, gathered her courage and stepped forward. "Master, this cannot be blamed on my lady." She looked at Lin Qingwu. "It is all the Second Young Lady’s doing. Before Old Yang drowned, he visited the ancestral graves. When Nanny Zhao learned of this, she grew suspicious and went to question her. To our shock, the Second Young Lady locked her in the Purple Bamboo Courtyard and beat her until she was covered in wounds. That is why Nanny Zhao came to my lady for help."

"That is exactly right," Chunxi added, pointing at Lin Qingyan. "The Young Master was present when Nanny Zhao came to our lady. He can testify that our lady even kindly comforted the Nanny and managed to persuade her to stay."

"Enough!" Lin Qingyun scolded them with a touch of irritation. "Do not speak such nonsense or slander my sister with these baseless rumors. Nanny Zhao was my mother’s wet nurse; how could my sister ever lift a hand against her?"

Lin Wenyuan frowned as he listened to their conflicting accounts. Disregarding them, he turned directly to Lin Qingyan. "You tell me. What is the truth?"

Lin Qingyan hesitated for a moment as he looked at Lin Qingwu, but ultimately replied, "Father, I did indeed witness it with my own eyes. Everything Chunlan and Chunxi said is true."

"Lin Qingwu!" Lin Wenyuan roared, turning his fury upon her. "You heard them! Do you admit to these deeds or not?"

"I admit to beating Nanny Zhao," she replied calmly. "She had no proof for her baseless accusations against her master; it was an act of insubordination and disrespect, and she deserved to be punished."

"However," she continued, her tone shifting, "I do not admit to killing Old Yang or driving Nanny Zhao to her death. I have not done these things, and both Zhixin and Zhiyi can testify to that."

"They are your servants, so their testimony is worthless," Madam Jiang immediately countered. She then advised Lin Wenyuan, "Master, even if Old Yang’s death remains a mystery, Nanny Zhao’s suicide is surely tied to the Second Young Lady. I suggest we have her stand vigil for the Nanny for three days as an act of penance."

"Stand vigil?" Lin Wenyuan glanced at Nanny Zhao’s body. "She is but a servant. It would be inappropriate for Qingwu to stand vigil for her." As a father, he understood his daughter all too well. He only wanted to teach her a lesson; he had no intention of pushing her too far, for the consequences were something no one present could afford to bear.

But this time, the usually obedient Lin Qingyun broke her father's resolve. "I actually think Mother’s suggestion is sound. Nanny Zhao was an old servant by Mother's side, and she had no children of her own. It would not be improper for my sister to stand vigil for her."

Madam Jiang added, "Exactly. Nanny Zhao died a tragic death; her soul will surely be restless. The Second Young Lady should not let her own selfishness bring misfortune upon the entire Lin family."

"Lin Qingwu, stop making trouble," Lin Qingyan said impatiently. "She died because of you. You should be the one to beg for her forgiveness, lest she find you in the afterlife."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Lin Qingwu listened to their back-and-forth, then leaned closer to the corpse before shaking her head. "She certainly died with a grievance."

"However, Brother is right," Lin Qingwu said with a ghostly smile. "Since you are so concerned, why don’t you stand the vigil yourself? Or perhaps you, Madam Jiang, or even my kind-hearted Third Sister—since you were so eager to spend time with Nanny Zhao, why not take this opportunity?"

"Outrageous! You have gone too far!" Lin Wenyuan, seeing the three of them stung into silence, could no longer contain his anger. All sense of proportion and consideration vanished. He wanted only to discipline her. "You rebellious daughter! They are your elders, your brother, your sister—how dare you insult them so!"

"Insult?" Lin Qingwu found this laughable. "Asking them to stand vigil is an insult, but demanding it of me is only right?"

"Do not use your silver tongue to deceive me! I was hesitant before, but now I must ensure you learn your lesson." He announced his final decision: "You will go, and not for three days, but for seven!"

"I will not go," Lin Qingwu stated, enunciating every word. "My brother said that whoever killed her should be the one to face her. Since I did not kill her, what do I have to fear? Whoever is afraid can go play the filial child for her—if you are so concerned, Father, you may go yourself."

"You...!" Lin Wenyuan was so enraged he nearly choked.

Lin Qingwu merely waved her hand and, accompanied by Zhixin and Zhiyi, turned to leave. Before departing, she reminded them, "From tonight on, I suggest everyone sleep with one eye open. Be careful not to sleep too soundly, or Nanny Zhao might come to claim your life—that would truly be terrifying."