Before the funeral procession, Second Master Pei met with misfortune. Even First Master Pei muttered to Old Madam Pei, "What is happening to our family? The Old Master was said to have died suddenly from taking too many elixir pills, and now Second Brother, who was perfectly fine, has been harmed by a group of ruffians."
Old Madam Pei set down her teacup heavily. "Harmed by ruffians? If he hadn't tried to forcibly buy their land, this wouldn't have happened. This is the wrath of common men—blood spilled within five paces. Who will go handle the aftermath?"
"Sixth Brother. I sent Sixth Brother." First Master Pei knew his younger brothers well.
Fourth Brother was diligent in his duties and handled internal affairs well enough; Fifth Brother, having come from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was somber and calculating by nature; and Sixth Brother, who had originally been raised as delicate as a flower—fainting at the slightest thing with a fiery temper—had gone out to serve as a local magistrate for a few years and had been tempered into someone quite capable.
Old Madam Pei then spoke to him of court matters: "Now that your father has passed, Minister Tang has entered the Grand Secretariat. Since the great matter has been settled, you should curry favor with your examination mentor, so that when you are reinstated, you may secure a good position."
"Your son understands." First Master Pei nodded.
As for Sixth Master Pei, after handling matters outside, he rushed back without pause to find Sheniang, only to discover she had already retired for the night. Madam Yu, however, sat there in a daze.
"What's wrong? Where is Sheniang?" Pei Yiqing had wanted to ask his daughter whether her dreams had revealed anything about his own future prospects.
Madam Yu glanced at him and said, "Sheniang has gone to sleep. She said she only dreamed of those things and nothing else." Then she murmured to herself, "Could it be that I really am going to die?"
Pei Yiqing had only heard that Sheniang dreamed of Second Brother's misfortune and knew nothing of his wife's situation. Hearing Madam Yu bring it up, he asked anxiously, "What do you mean? Sheniang said you—"
Madam Yu nodded heavily and looked at her husband. "What are we to do?"
"It's all right. I'll always be by your side." Pei Yiqing was startled.
The couple now both longed for Sheniang to come to them, yet she was fast asleep. They had not believed her before, and now she was putting on airs herself. Sometimes, when you hold yourself back and act aloof, people come to you with greater need—and when they need you, your words carry weight.
When Sheniang woke, she was startled to see two people sitting by her bedside—none other than Pei Yiqing and Madam Yu.
"Father, Mother, why are you here?"
Pei Yiqing had never once entered her boudoir before, observing the propriety between men and women, but now he no longer cared. Madam Yu too looked at Sheniang with eager expectation—she did not want to die.
She had survived under her legitimate mother's hand, had guarded her dowry, had married Pei Yiqing, and had endured such difficult days. To die now, just when better days had arrived—that could not be allowed.
"Oh, I know why you're here." Sheniang said.
Madam Yu looked at her daughter. "Then how did Mother die? Was it also being hit by a carriage?"
If so, she could simply avoid it.
But Sheniang's face darkened. "Mother, the problem is I don't know how you died. I had been following you the whole time—otherwise, on such a cold day, wouldn't I have slept in like Sister did? But I thought several people in this household were suspicious. First is Third Sister—she's come looking for you many times, suspecting you of killing her mother. Second is Nanny Chen—she's always sneaking off to see the Old Madam. And then there's the Old Madam herself, always having you manage the household."
Pei Yiqing looked at his wife. "You killed Fifth Sister-in-law? What is this all about?"
These matters were secrets buried in Madam Yu's heart, and she was reluctant to speak of them.
Sheniang looked at Madam Yu and said, "Mother, why don't you have Father step out and tell me alone? I promise I won't tell anyone."
She thought her mother was embarrassed. If her mother had truly been violated, even if she survived, her father would likely harbor resentment, and how would her mother live with herself in the future?
Seeing her daughter's expression, Madam Yu quickly said, "Enough. I'll tell you everything. It's actually a very selfish matter of mine."
Pei Yiqing said, "Then speak quickly."
"Shortly after I first entered this household, your father had some misunderstandings about me, and the whole family treated me coldly. The only one who showed me any kindness was Yiniang's mother, Madam Huang. But she wasn't truly fond of me—she wanted me to accompany her to Xuan Du Temple to pray for a child. The temple required devotees to stay overnight, so I packed my things and went with my wet nurse Mama Pan and two maidservants." Madam Yu paused here.
"But I have trouble sleeping in unfamiliar places, and I found the temple's food unpalatable, so I ate only my own pastries. What I didn't expect was that in the middle of the night, someone tried to open my door—a male Daoist priest. So I made a snap decision and fled with my servants, and in my haste, I didn't think to check on your aunt."
Sheniang said, "But it was so dark that night—how did you get back? And would the temple have let you leave so easily?"
She asked this pointedly, so thoroughly, precisely to dispel Pei Yiqing's doubts.
Madam Yu said, "I pulled out all the hairpins and ornaments from my head and gave them to that Daoist priest, and only then did I manage to flee under cover of night. But even the carriage driver collapsed, so we hid at the foot of the mountain until dawn, and only in the morning did I return with your Fifth Aunt."
Even now, the memory still made her heart race.
At this point, she could not help but weep: "Later, when the affair at Xuan Du Abbey erupted, I learned that many women had been drugged unconscious and forced into indecent acts by those Daoist priests."
Pei Yiqing looked at her and said, "Why did you not tell me about this?"
"I was afraid that the more I explained, the less clear it would become. Besides, I went there together with Fifth Sister-in-law—I ran away and left her alone in that place, so I could hardly reveal the truth. Moreover, after the case came to light, I thought she had deliberately tricked me into going there to drag me down with her. I never imagined she had been deceived as well, and later she took her own life, which made me even more afraid to speak up." Madam Yu finally voiced the secret she had carried for over a decade.
Sheniang looked at Madam Yu and said, "Indeed, such matters are hard to explain clearly, and others may not even believe you. Clearly the women were the victims, yet for the sake of their reputations, they could not speak out."
Madam Yu had expected everyone to despise her once she confessed, but to her surprise, her daughter immediately came to her defense, and even Pei Yiqing believed her. "Yes, Sheniang is right. It is precisely because so many women thought this way that the Xuan Du Abbey case took over a decade to solve."
"But in the end, I still only thought of myself and left," Madam Yu said, pressing her hand to her forehead.
Sheniang then asked, "Mother, when Fifth Aunt was on her deathbed, what did she say when you saw her?"
Madam Yu thought for a moment and said, "She told me that Fifth Uncle had learned she went to Xuan Du Abbey and had interrogated her about it. I said that the case had erupted, which was how Fifth Uncle came to know—but that proved nothing."
Pei Yiqing let out a sigh: "No, it was precisely because she could not prove her innocence. I know Fifth Brother well—though he is a brocade guard and a martial man, he is extremely rigid and pedantic. Who knows how many harsh words he spoke."
"No wonder Third Sister was sent to Shuiyue Nunnery. I had always thought it was Madam Cao's doing, but I never imagined that Fifth Uncle might not even believe Third Sister to be his own daughter." Sheniang suddenly understood.