Old Madam Cui immediately led a group of people to Wanxiang Courtyard.
The maids and servants in the courtyard were busy preparing medicine, sending for the physician, and attending to the patient.
The young maid who had brought them there spoke with red-rimmed eyes, “Luckily, the old women discovered it in time, or the young lady really would have—”
She covered her face at that and wept.
The Sixth Young Lady had been in low spirits for the past few days and hadn’t been sleeping well. That morning, after seeing her two brothers off, she was about to return for some rest when she overheard her maids speaking about her behind her back.
Among them were her personal maids who had served her since childhood, including the head maid, Lanxiang.
In a moment of despair, the Sixth Young Lady had attempted to end her life by jumping into the ornamental lake in the small garden. Fortunately, a cleaning lady happened to pass by, saw her, and rescued her in time.
It was just past the first month of the lunar calendar, and the weather was bitterly cold. The lake water was ice-cold, and women of weaker constitution could easily lose their lives if they fell in.
Although the Sixth Young Lady was rescued in time, she developed a high fever.
Since then, she had remained unconscious, her pale little face eliciting pity from everyone who saw her.
Lady Pei was heartbroken, weeping uncontrollably at her bedside.
Several maids whispered softly, “Lady Pei, please stop crying. Your health is most important. If Sixth Miss knew you were neglecting yourself, she would scold you again.”
“Yes, Auntie, you must think of the child.”
“The physician has just examined her. The Sixth Miss is fine now. She only needs rest to recover after the fever subsides.”
One by one, the maids comforted her until they finally managed to stop Lady Pei from crying.
Lady Pei wiped her eyes and rose. She knelt before Old Madam Cui, crying and complaining, “Mother, you’ve seen how arrogant these maids are. Xiuxiu… Xiuxiu nearly lost her life because of them. If they are not punished, I’m afraid that soon all the maids in the mansion will follow suit, acting arrogantly toward their masters.”
Seeing her tearful face, Old Madam Cui did not hold her slip of the tongue against her.
“And the maids?”
The maid who had brought them earlier said resentfully, “Nanny Liu has already detained them.”
Old Madam Cui winked at the head maid nearby and sent someone to interrogate the culprits. Soon, the results confirmed the maid’s account, Lanxiang and the others had indeed been gossiping about their young lady in private.
The conversation had included remarks about Ninth Miss.
The head maid did not pursue it further, instructing the old woman to silence the maids to prevent rumors from spreading and harming Ninth Miss’s reputation.
After hearing the report, Old Madam Cui rotated her prayer beads and simply said, “Sell them off.”
That settled the matter.
Old Madam Cui issued a strict order forbidding any maids in the mansion from mentioning this incident again. Anyone who disobeyed would be sold off along with Lanxiang and the others.
On the way back, Cui Xuan was still sighing.
“I usually find this half-sister annoying, but now she seems so mild-tempered. She was only told a few words by a maid, and she actually tried to drown herself in the lake.”
“Such a person isn’t worth being wary of.”
“Fine. Since Grandmother has spoken, we’ll follow her orders. Besides, Cui Xiuxiu can’t pose any threat to me anyway.”
Cui Xuan, as the legitimate daughter of the second brach, considered herself far above Cui Xiuxiu, who was merely a concubine’s daughter. No matter how talented Cui Xiuxiu was, it could never affect her position.
When choosing a wife, the first consideration for a prominent family was, of course, her family background.
Cui Yaoning, however, thought of Lanxiang.
That day, when she had relayed a message for Cui Xiuxiu, Lanxiang’s words and actions had been extremely polite. How could she not know the rules?However, she had Baoqin inquire with the head maid, who reported that Lanxiang gave no explanation.
This confirmed that Cui Xiuxiu had attempted suicide by drowning herself in the lake because her reputation had been tarnished.
In this way, who could dare claim that Cui Xiuxiu had ulterior motives when introducing Pei Yu to her?
Even if rumors spread, her reputation would remain pure and intact.
Cui Yaoning exhaled softly, unwilling to think ill of her sixth sister, with whom she had played since childhood, and composed herself to stop dwelling on it.
Since Grandmother had made the decision, there was no room for argument.
As for Lanxiang, she had suffered somewhat undeservedly, and all Cui Yaoning could do was ask Baoqin to send someone to secretly look after her.
Not long after Old Madam Cui issued her orders, the heads of both households received the news and repeatedly instructed their servants to keep silent, as a precedent had now been set.
The next day, during the customary visit to pay respects, Old Madam Cui brought up the matter again, leaving the young ladies from each household behind.
The Sixth Daughter, Cui Xiuxiu, had only awakened the previous evening. The physician had instructed her to rest, so Old Madam excused her from the visit. At that moment, only the Ninth Daughter of the first branch, the Seventh Daughter of the second branch, and the Eighth Daughter of the second branch were present.
The maids serving in the room brought fresh tea to each young lady.
OldMadam Cui sipped her tea calmly and said, “You all know how people in the manor have behaved toward you these past two years. This is a one-time incident, it must not happen again.”
“You are all sisters, as close as blood. It is natural to have minor conflicts or quarrels within the household. But when you are outside, or in front of outsiders, no matter how you treat each other in daily life, you must appear harmonious. Do not resort to schemes or tricks that might make others laugh at you and bring shame to our Cui family of Qinghe.”
The girls listened obediently, and after a few simple words, Old Madam Cui dismissed them.
Wanju stepped forward and massaged the old lady’s shoulders, smiling as she said, “The young ladies are all very obedient. Why are you still unhappy, Madam?”
Old Madam Cui chuckled softly. “These few are indeed obedient.”
Wanju, understanding the unspoken meaning in her words, slowed her massage and smiled, “Don’t worry, Madam. The young ladies are sensible. I’m sure there won’t be a next time.”
Old Madam Cui sipped her tea and smiled noncommittally. “I hope so.”
About ten days later, Cui Xiuxiu’s health had almost fully recovered, and she began paying her respects to Old Madam Cui.
After her serious illness, she had become even thinner. At first glance, she seemed delicate and frail, but she was also beautiful, with a refined and graceful appearance, like a willow swaying in the breeze.
Cui Yaoning recognized the head maidservant beside her.
Baoqin lowered her voice to explain that the little maid who had been slapped by the old woman at Sishi Courtyard for not knowing the rules was named Zhuxiang.
Cui Yaoning withdrew her gaze, and when she saw Cui Xiuxiu looking at her, she smiled faintly.
After this incident, regardless of their true feelings, everyone maintained a courteous and friendly demeanor on the surface.
Madam Wang agreed with her daughter’s approach and patted her hair. “That’s how it should be. She won’t be here for more than two years before she marries. Why make a scene and ruin your reputation?”
Cui Yaoning nestled in her mother’s arms and asked, “Does Mother think her marriage will proceed as planned?”
Wang replied, “Not necessarily. Your second aunt is a formidable woman. She won’t let those two off so easily. Just wait and see, this marriage is going to be a mess.”
In the past, because Cui Yaoning and Cui Xiuxiu got along well, she had also invested much effort in arranging their marriage, which often drew complaints from Madam Wei
As they were speaking, a maid from the old lady’s courtyard arrived with a message. “Madam, the eldest young master and the third young master have returned. The old lady requests that you and the Ninth Miss go to the front courtyard.”