The wind at the early morning hour still carried a lingering chill, rustling the withered lotus leaves by the Hou Mansion’s pond.
The pond had just thawed, revealing the dark green water beneath the thin ice, reflecting the leafless willows on the bank. Even the air felt damp and cold. This weather should have kept most people away, yet it had become the “perfect” spot for Wen Wanru’s carefully planned revenge.
At a corner of the corridor, Wen Wanru hid behind a vermilion pillar. Her rose-red silk dress embroidered with gold stood out sharply against the cold landscape. The white fox fur collar at her neckline had morning frost clinging to it, but it didn’t soften her appearance in the slightest.
She clenched a handkerchief tightly in her fingers, her knuckles turning white, her gaze full of malice as she stared at the pond — where Wen Lingxi was crouched, wearing a pale yellow cotton jacket embroidered with little ducks. Her rosy little face was close to the water as she poked curiously at the floating, withered lotus leaves.
“Chuntao, watch carefully,” Wen Wanru whispered to the maid beside her.
Chuntao, in a simple blue cotton dress with fraying cuffs, bowed her head almost to her chest, twisting the edges of her dress nervously. “Miss, you mean… I go behind her and… gently push her into the pond when she’s not looking? The water’s so cold. She’ll learn not to talk back to me!”
Chuntao’s body trembled, her voice hesitant. “Miss… but if the eldest misses sees… Yesterday, even you got scolded…”
“Don’t be afraid!”
Wen Wanru glared at her, her tone sharper. “She’s busy managing those broken shops. Who’s going to watch Lingxi? And anyway, just say she fell by accident. Who would suspect us? If you don’t do it, I’ll tell Mother that you’re lazy and sneaky, and she’ll sell you to a brothel!”
Chuntao’s face went pale with fear. She quickly nodded. “I… I’ll do it!”
Clenching her fists, she quietly circled the corridor toward the pond, eyes fixed on Lingxi’s back. Her steps were heavy as if weighed down with lead. She had seen Wen Yinyue’s skills and feared being exposed, but more than anything, she feared being sold to a brothel.
Lingxi at the pond didn’t notice any danger. She excitedly pointed at the water. “Mom! Look! There are little fish swimming!”
She turned to call out to Wen Yinyue, standing not far away, without noticing Chuntao sneaking up behind her.
Wen Yinyue stood under a willow, wearing a pale blue brocade dress with subtle patterns, covered by a light gray padded cape. She held a ledger freshly taken from the account office, appearing to look down at it while actually using her peripheral vision to watch Lingxi.
Wen Wanru’s hiding and Chuntao’s sneaking didn’t escape Wen Yinyue’s notice. Since yesterday’s garden confrontation, she knew Wen Wanru wouldn’t let it go easily and had prepared in advance.
Just as Chuntao’s hand was about to touch Lingxi’s back, Wen Yinyue slightly moved her fingers. A subtle force wound along the air and grabbed Chuntao’s sleeve.
Chuntao felt her wrist suddenly tugged, losing her balance instantly. She let out a startled “Ah!” and fell forward, splashing into the lotus pond with a loud “plop!”
The sound shattered the calm by the pond. Lingxi shivered in fright, quickly climbing up to Wen Yinyue and clutching her mother’s cape. “Mom! Sister Chuntao fell in!”
Chuntao struggled to surface, her cotton dress heavy with water. She shivered violently from the cold, teeth chattering, crying out, “Save… help! Miss, save me!”
Wen Wanru peeked from the corridor and panicked. The one who was supposed to fall, Lingxi, was fine — but her maid had ended up soaked! She instinctively wanted to run but was blocked by Wen Yinyue.
Wen Yinyue stood in front of her, expressionless, eyes cold as the pond water. “Second Miss Wen, where are you going? Your maid fell in the water. You’re not saving her, but leaving?”
Wen Wanru’s face flushed red, then paled. Stammering, she said, “I… I didn’t mean to! She fell by herself!”
“Really?” Wen Yinyue raised an eyebrow, then suddenly exclaimed, “Oh dear!” Her hand loosened, and the plain-colored handkerchief she held floated into the pond, landing beside Chuntao.
She turned to Wen Wanru, feigning innocence. “I can’t believe I dropped Second Miss Wen’s handkerchief. This must be the cloud brocade handkerchief Lady Liu brought you from Jiangnan last month. I heard it’s ten taels of silver. If it gets lost, Lady Liu will scold you for wasting it.”
Wen Wanru’s eyes widened — the handkerchief wasn’t hers! Wen Yinyue had framed her deliberately.
She dared not refute it or say, “It’s not mine.” If she admitted it, Wen Yinyue might ask whose it was, and she couldn’t answer. If she denied it, the handkerchief was expensive, and people would say she “lost a valuable item and didn’t pick it up,” calling her spoiled and wasteful.
“You… you did this on purpose!” Wen Wanru trembled with anger but didn’t dare move, only staring at the handkerchief in the water.
Wen Yinyue feigned surprise. “Second Miss Wen, why say that? I was only reminding you to retrieve your belongings. Or do you think a ten-tael handkerchief isn’t worth saving?”
At that moment, several passing maids heard the commotion and came closer.
They wore gray cotton dresses, carrying laundry basins, curious about Chuntao in the pond and the two women on the bank. Whispering, they said, “Isn’t that Second Miss’s maid? How did she fall in?” “Look at that handkerchief! Cloud brocade! Second Miss let it soak in the water?”
The chatter reached Wen Wanru’s ears. Her face alternated between pale and flushed.
If she didn’t pick up the handkerchief, the maids would gossip that she “wasted a valuable item and didn’t care about her maid’s life.” If she did, the pond was freezing, full of decayed lotus leaves — disgusting to touch.
“What are you waiting for?” Wen Yinyue added, lightly urging. “Chuntao is still freezing. Pick up the handkerchief so someone can pull her out. Otherwise, if something happens, Lady Liu will be upset.”
Wen Wanru gritted her teeth, filled with hatred, but could only step to the pond.
She crouched, careful not to let her skirt touch the water, and reached for the handkerchief. The instant her fingers touched the surface, the cold shocked her, the water stinging like needles.
She quickly grabbed the handkerchief, wrung it out clumsily, and turned to leave, only to be called back by Wen Yinyue: “Second Miss Wen, your maid is still in the water. Aren’t you going to have her pulled up?”
Wen Wanru remembered Chuntao struggling in the water and reluctantly ordered the watching maids, “What are you waiting for? Pull her up! I don’t want to pay if she freezes to death!”
The maids stifled their laughter, found a long bamboo pole, and pulled Chuntao out. She was shivering, lips blue, soaked through, unable to stand, leaning on a pillar.
Wen Wanru didn’t even look at her, holding the wet handkerchief, running off without caring about the corners of the handkerchief that had fallen — all she wanted was to leave this humiliating place.
The maids finally laughed quietly, whispering, “Second Miss really lost face today, having to pick up her own handkerchief!” “She’s usually so spoiled; this must be her punishment from the eldest Miss!”
Wen Yinyue ignored them, bending down to hug Lingxi, gently patting her back. “Don’t be afraid, Lingxi. The bad person has been taught a lesson.”
Lingxi clung to her mother’s neck, resting her head on her shoulder. “Mom, you’re amazing! Sister Chuntao was trying to push me. She deserved it!” Though young, she understood that Chuntao had meant to bully her and felt no sympathy.
Wen Yinyue smiled, patting her head, eyes following Wen Wanru’s fleeing figure. This was just a small punishment as a big warning. If she didn’t repent, next time it wouldn’t be so easy.
She told a maid, “Take Chuntao to the wood room, give her clean clothes, and make a bowl of ginger soup so she doesn’t get sick. After all, she was just following orders.”
The maid quickly responded, “Yes, eldest Miss.”
Wen Yinyue carried Lingxi toward the Tingyu Pavilion. The early morning sun rose, scattering tiny golden reflections across the pond. Lingxi rested on her shoulder, curious. “Mom, that handkerchief wasn’t the bad aunt’s. Why did you say it was hers?”
“Because she wanted to bully Lingxi,” Wen Yinyue said softly. “Those who do wrong must face consequences. But we shouldn’t go too far — just enough to make her understand. That’s called a ‘small punishment as a great warning,’ understand?”
Lingxi nodded vaguely, pointing at the roadside wintersweet flowers. “Mom, let’s pick a flower. And the little fish I saw earlier are still swimming!”
“All right,” Wen Yinyue agreed with a smile, her steps lighter.
The withered lotuses by the pond swayed in the wind, but after this “little incident,” the scene felt less bleak and a little warmer.
Meanwhile, Wen Wanru, back in her courtyard, raged at the dripping handkerchief, smashing teacups and vases across the room, cursing, “Wen Yinyue! This isn’t over!”
Yet, in her heart, there was a growing respect — she hadn’t expected Wen Yinyue to be so formidable, acting without a sound. Next time, Wen Wanru would have to be more careful if she wanted revenge.