Wanju led the two of them toward Shou’an Hall.
Unable to restrain her curiosity, Cui Xuan asked, “Sister Wanju, do you know why Grandmother wanted to see us?”
Both girls were the old lady’s favorites, so Wanju did not dare act arrogantly. Lowering her head, she answered vaguely, “Before I came out, I seemed to see Lady Pei from the second branch passing by.”
Cui Xuan’s face darkened.
Most likely, Aunt Pei was stirring up trouble again.
She acted meek in front of the old lady, yet behaved arrogantly in the second wife’s household. Relying on her father’s favor, she disregarded all rules.
Grinding her teeth, Cui Xuan said to Cui Yaoning, “The day before yesterday, my mother punished her by making her kneel in the ancestral hall. Guess what happened?”
Without waiting for a reply, she added angrily, “She hadn’t even knelt for half the time it takes an incense stick to burn before she started complaining of stomach pain. Mother thought she was pretending and ignored her. But then she began bleeding. When they called a physician, they discovered she was already two months pregnant and had nearly miscarried.”
“Aunt Pei had not told Grandmother about her pregnancy. Who would believe she had no ulterior motive?”
“If she had simply said she was pregnant, how could Mother have forced her to kneel in the ancestral hall? Fortunately, the child was safe. Otherwise, Grandmother and Father would not have let the matter go so easily. Even so, Father’s attitude had turned cold.”
“For several days in a row, he stayed at Aunt Pei’s Baoyue Pavilion.”
Cui Yaoning listened quietly.
In the past, she had rarely encountered Cui Xiuxiu, so she did not have a strong impression of her. Still, anyone capable of making her second aunt suffer a loss was certainly not simple or kind-hearted.
As soon as they entered the courtyard, they heard faint sobbing from inside.
“Mother, you watched Xiuxiu grow up. She has always been obedient. How could she possibly be as scheming as Madam claims?”
“These past two days, everyone in the manor has been talking about it. Xiuxiu has only just gotten engaged. If those gossiping maids spread rumors, how will she face anyone?”
Cui Xuan paused and turned to Cui Yaoning. “See? What did I tell you? She can’t keep her mouth shut. None of these concubines are any good.”
Cui Yaoning did not respond.
There were quite a few concubines in the main household. Some were honest and dutiful, others were jealous and competitive. Fortunately, her father was not like her second uncle, who favored his concubines over his wife, so no serious trouble had ever arisen.
She should not interfere in matters of the second wife’s household.
Still upset, Cui Xuan muttered under her breath. Cui Yaoning tugged at her sleeve and said, “Let’s go. Don’t keep Grandmother waiting.”
Cui Xuan nodded reluctantly.
Wanju remained expressionless as she lifted the curtain and invited them inside.
The maidservants attending the room were very attentive. Seeing the two young ladies enter, they quickly brought over cushioned stools and served hot tea and snacks.
Cui Yaoning took the tea, sipped it lightly, and looked up.
A beautiful woman sat beside the old lady. She wore a peach-colored floral long jacket and appeared to be around thirty years old. At that moment, she held a brocade handkerchief and was wiping away tears. She was strikingly beautiful.
When she saw them enter, Lady Pei turned to dab at her eyes and gave an embarrassed smile. “Please forgive my impropriety, young ladies.”
Old Madam Cui glanced at her and said in a deep voice, “Crying too much will harm your health. You are pregnant now, not as you were before. Even if you do not think of yourself, you must think of your children.”
Lady Pei, her eyes rimmed with red, answered softly, “Yes.”
Cui Yaoning picked up a soft pastry and took a bite, then smiled and asked, “Grandmother summoned us in such a hurry, is it something important?”
Old Madam Cui leaned lazily against the daybed and said in a low voice, “Now that Qiniang and Jiuniang have arrived, please say whatever you need to say.”
She didn’t want to pay much attention, it was only about Liuniang’s matter.
But Lady Pei was truly giving her a headache. Now that she was pregnant and usually well-behaved, Old Madam Cui thought she should tolerate her a little, so the second son wouldn’t come stirring trouble later.
Lady Pei thanked the old lady and, with tears in her eyes, said, “Ninth Miss, I know you don’t want to speak to Xiuxiu right now. Since she did wrong, no matter what other intentions she may have had, Mother and Madam can punish her as they see fit.”
Her words were elegantly phrased, heavy with formal politeness.
Old Madam Cui’s brows softened slightly, and she took a sip of tea without saying anything.
Lady Pei continued, first appealing to emotion by mentioning how Cui Xiuxiu had cared for her younger sisters over the past two years and how close they had been, then questioning whether their sisterly affection was truly genuine.
Cui Xuan was about to make a sarcastic remark, but Cui Yaoning stopped her and calmly smiled at Lady Pei. “Aunt, please speak freely.”
Her tone was steady, as if unmoved.
Lady Pei’s heart skipped a beat.
Just as Cui Xiuxiu had said, Ninth Miss’s personality had changed.
Only a few days ago, when they had discussed Pei Yu, though she was proud, there was still the glow of youthful happiness in her expression. Now, however, she was like a deep, ancient well, completely unreadable, showing no emotion.
Such a sudden and drastic change could only mean someone had spoken.
Lady Pei glanced subtly at Cui Xuan sitting next to Cui Yaoning, then lowered her eyes and clenched her handkerchief tightly.
It must be Seventh Miss who caused this.
She and Madam Wei were truly nemeses of mother and daughter alike. Madam Wei delighted in humiliating her for no reason. Seventh Miss was just like her mother, always finding ways to bully Xiuxiu and take away all the good things. Now she even wanted to take Ninth Miss.
Lady Pei gritted her teeth in hatred, but with the old lady present, she dared not show it. She covered her face and sobbed softly, “Since Ninth Miss asked, I will not hide it from you. For the sake of our past relationship, please forgive Xiuxiu this time.”
As she spoke, she stood and attempted to bow.
The maids nearby hurriedly stopped her, and it took a long time to persuade Lady Pei to abandon the idea and sit back down on the daybed.
Cui Yaoning’s expression remained calm as she asked, “What do you mean by that, Aunt? I don’t understand.”
Tears welling in her eyes, Lady Pei said, “Ninth Miss, you may not know this, but for the past two days, everyone in the manor has been talking about Xiuxiu. She has only just gotten engaged. If those gossipy maids spread this outside, what will her future husband’s family think?”
“Please, Ninth Miss, have some compassion for Xiuxiu’s reputation and let this matter rest. Also, please ask mother to warn the maids in the mansion not to mention this again.”
Lady Pei then tell to Old Madam Cui, “Mother, think about it. If Xiuxiu reputation is damaged, it will bring embarrassment to the other unmarried girls in the mansion. People will inevitably doubt the upbringing of our Cui family.”
Just as Old Madam Cui was about to respond, the curtain was suddenly lifted, and a round-faced maid rushed in.
Wanju immediately stepped forward and scolded her sharply, “You ill-mannered girl, how dare you act so boldly in front of the old madam?”
The maid trembled violently. She kowtowed twice and cried, “Madam, please go see our young lady… she… she has tried to commit suicide.”