In the vast prince's residence, the outer grounds were guarded by sentries, and patrol officers kept watch through the night within the compound. However, those officers found it inconvenient to patrol the inner courtyard, so a night-watch office had been established. This office was divided into inner and outer sections: the outer watch office was staffed by menservants and stewards from outside, while the inner watch office was responsible for patrolling the rear quarters behind the second gate and controlling access to the inner residence. The inner watch office was mostly staffed by older women servants and married female servants of the household.
Currently, the night-watch women of the inner watch office worked in three shifts, with four people patrolling various areas per shift, and two others sitting watch in the pass-through hall, sounding the watch clapper.
Gu Youning arrived at dusk. Old Woman Hu and Old Madame Gu had known each other well before Old Madame Gu's marriage, and Old Madame Gu had done her favors in the past, so she treated Gu Youning warmly upon seeing her. After chatting a bit about everyday matters, she explained the rules of night patrol to Gu Youning—matters such as the gate keys, locking and unlocking, and the handover procedures for keys. Gu Youning carefully memorized everything.
When it came time to actually begin her shift, Gu Youning was paired with one of the married women servants, responsible for the watch from the first through the fifth watch.
That woman's husband was named Lin Bingzhong. Like Sun Feng'an, Lin Bingzhong was a hereditary family servant of the prince's residence, seven or eight years older than Sun Feng'an, and the two knew each other. Lin Bingzhong's wife, twenty-five or twenty-six years old, was a cheerful, talkative person. She had visited the Sun household before, and Gu Youning had spoken with her.
Seeing her now, Gu Youning naturally felt all the more at ease. Neither of them was very old, and being paired together for rotation was certainly better than being stuck with a cantankerous old mother-in-law type.
After seeing Granny Hu off, the two sat under the corridor chatting. Lin Bingzhong's wife complained about her mother-in-law, saying the old woman made difficulties over everything, and that even her wages from her watch duty had to be handed over to her mother-in-law to manage. She felt deeply resentful about it, always wishing she could keep that money in her own hands.
Listening to her, Gu Youning thought of her own wages.
Nowadays, Sun Feng'an kept three qian of his monthly wages for himself and handed the rest over to his mother. Gu Youning didn't hold out hope of getting her hands on Sun Feng'an's money—she only hoped her own wages could stay in her own hands.
As they talked, the hour of the first drum arrived, so they took up their lanterns and patrolled the various courtyards and corridors. The work sounded easy, but it actually required meticulousness and patience—they had to check for fires and strange noises, and keep an eye on the remote, out-of-the-way courtyards.
After completing one round, the second gate had already been closed, and there was nothing amiss anywhere. The two returned to their original spot to chat, and when the second drum sounded, they rose and set out on patrol again.
Who knew that this time, when they reached Fangting Courtyard in the east side courtyard, they saw thin smoke drifting out of a window in the side room of a wing, and faintly caught the aroma of hot soup.
Gu Youning: "Someone's actually lighting a fire at this hour?"
Lin Bingzhong's wife frowned and warned in a low voice, "That's Concubine Chen's courtyard."
Concubine Chen?
Gu Youning asked quietly, "What do we do?"
Lin Bingzhong's wife sighed helplessly. "By the rules of the residence, privately lighting a fire at this hour violates the household regulations. On night patrol, we're supposed to step forward and stop it immediately."
Gu Youning hesitated inwardly.
She thought of Concubine Chen's arrogance—she had come from the palace, after all, and had the confidence to back it up, paying no heed to the other two concubines at all. A lowly night-patrol servant woman like herself naturally wouldn't dare question Concubine Chen.
But if they completely ignored it, and something went wrong, or someone else saw and reported it, then they would be derelict in their night-watch duty. Could the two of them bear the responsibility for that?
Gu Youning thought it over and finally said, "Sister Lin, the way I see it, let's go over first and ask what's going on. If the fire can be put out right away, we'll let the matter drop and pretend we saw nothing. If not, we hurry back and report it to Nanny Hu, and let her decide. That way, we'll have done our duty."
Lin Bingzhong's wife agreed. "You're right. In that case, let's go ask together."
"Good."
Neither of them dared to approach alone—each was afraid of offending someone—so they could only walk over side by side to bolster each other's courage.
When they got close, they looked at each other, neither willing to speak first.
In the end, it was a maid in the courtyard who asked them, and Gu Youning had no choice but to bring up the open flame. Upon hearing this, the maid said, "It's for our mistress's use—just to heat up some soup. She was afraid it would be too much trouble for the main kitchen, so we set it up ourselves."
Lin Bingzhong's wife hurriedly smiled apologetically and asked, "May we ask if the soup is ready?"
The maid grew somewhat impatient. "How could it be that quick? It's simmering slowly over a low fire!"
Simmering slowly? She was going to simmer it slowly?
Gu Youning and Lin Bingzhong's wife exchanged a glance, both feeling a headache coming on. It seemed they would have to go back and report to Nanny Hu after all.
Just as the two were about to take their leave, an old woman suddenly shouted at them, "You two, poking your heads around—what are you up to?"
Gu Youning and Lin Bingzhong's wife looked over. They knew this woman's surname was Feng, and she was the steward of Fangting Courtyard. This Old Woman Feng, relying on Concubine Chen's favor, was haughty and arrogant. Now she wore a stern face, looking at them as if they were thieves.
The two had no choice but to step forward and pay their respects, explaining their night patrol duties.
Old Woman Feng snorted coldly. "I saw you two sneaking around long ago. So you were plotting mischief, looking for faults with our mistress. You've got your evidence now and are going back to tattle, haven't you?"
Lin Bingzhong's wife had been smiling apologetically, but at these words, her smile froze, and she had to explain herself.
Yet Old Woman Feng grew even angrier. "If you're on night patrol, then do your patrol properly. Whatever you saw in my Fangting Courtyard—if you go running off to tattle and seize on our mistress's shortcomings, let me tell you, this matter won't be over!"
Hearing this, Gu Youning knew the matter could not be resolved peacefully.
She could only say, "Since you put it that way, Madam Feng, how could we not understand? It's only natural for the mistress to want some hot soup at night, and it's just a matter of lighting a fire for a moment. But Madam, we are on night patrol, and it is our duty to check for open flames everywhere at every watch. You know the rules of our household as well as anyone—after the first watch, open flames are absolutely forbidden. So we ask you to be understanding and have the soup finished as quickly as possible. We'll pretend we saw nothing and go on quietly with our patrol."
Seeing how tactfully Gu Youning had spoken, Lin Bingzhong's wife gained some confidence and added, "Madam Feng, since this open flame has come before our eyes, if we said nothing, it would be us failing in our duty."
At this, Old Woman Feng could scarcely believe her ears. Pointing at their noses, she cursed, "A couple of night patrollers, lecturing me, an old woman, about duty! What lowly creatures do you think you are, daring to run wild and throw your weight around in this courtyard? I'll make it plain to you: this soup is for serving the master's household. What business is it of you beasts to stick your noses in and run your mouths?"
Gu Youning and Lin Bingzhong's wife were both young married women, thin-skinned after all, and being cursed out so head-on left them stunned and feeling wronged.
Lin Bingzhong's wife said, blushing, "Mama Feng, we respect you for your age, but cursing at us the moment you open your mouth—this is bullying us too far!"
Gu Youning was angry inside too, but she held it down and said, "Mama Feng, we are of lowly status and naturally count for nothing, nor would we dare run wild in Fangting Courtyard. But the prince's residence has its rules. Right now, even if we are just a dog or a cat, since we hold the night patrol lantern, we must do our duty."
Her voice was not especially loud, but in the night it carried with unusual clarity, every word reaching the ears of everyone present.
The maids all exchanged glances as they listened.
They couldn't help thinking: what a small matter this was—just put out the fire. Why did Old Woman Feng have to make things difficult for the night patrol?
Gu Youning sensed that her words seemed to have cowed the crowd, so she raised the lantern in her hand a little. On the lantern was a gold-flower pasted character for "patrol." Carrying this lantern, all the gatekeepers and guards would let her pass.
Gritting her teeth, she said clearly, "Mama Feng, the concubine is a person of honor, and in her courtyard we dare not say much. But this servant ventures to ask that you extinguish that open flame for now, lest it violate the residence's rules."
Seeing her like this, Old Woman Feng could hardly believe it. Where had this bold servant come from, daring to lecture her!
She gave a cold snort and, heedless of everything, raised her palm and struck out at Gu Youning's face.
Gu Youning had been holding up the lantern, and caught off guard by Old Woman Feng's blow, she instinctively dodged—but it was too late. The slap grazed past her cheek and landed right at her temple.
At once she felt her blood surge upward, her ear burning—not from pain, but from shame.
She hadn't expected this Old Woman Feng to be so tyrannical and overbearing!
Though she was merely a servant, she had been carefully cherished by her parents since childhood. Even at its worst, the Sun family had never struck her!
Beside her, Lin Bingzhong's wife was startled and hurried over to shield her, saying indignantly to Old Woman Feng, "Mama Feng, what did we do wrong that you strike us like this?"
Old Woman Feng stamped her foot. "Don't preach your grand principles to me! Go home and take a piss and look at your own reflection—who do you two think you are!"
After the initial shock and humiliation, Gu Youning actually calmed down.
She had taken a blow—not too painful, but it had made a scene, and everyone had seen it.
She was carrying the night patrol lantern, and she had paid a price for her duty. When she reported it to her superiors later, she would have her say.
So she smoothed back the loose strands of hair by her ear and looked at Old Woman Feng with even greater composure. "This servant has said all she needs to say. Now I must continue my night patrol duties. I take my leave."
With that, she gave Lin Bingzhong's wife a look, preparing to leave.
By this point, Lin Bingzhong's wife was dumbfounded, her admiration for Gu Youning boundless, and she hurried to follow Gu Youning away.
But who could have known Old Woman Feng would say, "Where do you think you are, that you can just come and go as you please? Does my Fangting Courtyard have no rules at all?"
She ordered sharply, "Stop them! Slap their mouths!"
Slap their mouths?
One of the maids, who was well-informed, quietly said to Old Woman Feng, "Mama, that's the daughter-in-law of Head Steward Sun—the wife of that Sun Feng'an."
She meant to remind Old Woman Feng to restrain herself a little, to quit while she was ahead and not needlessly make enemies.
Old Woman Feng scoffed, curling her lip. "I don't care who you are. Since you've come to our Fangting Court to cause trouble, you'd best learn who your Mama Feng is!"
Her words were bold and brash, but no sooner had they left her mouth than a voice sounded. "Oh, and what is a Mama Feng?"
The voice was cold and clear, cutting suddenly through the deep night.
Everyone froze, then abruptly realized something and hurried to look over. At the end of the long corridor stood Prince Duan, hands clasped behind his back, wearing a moon-white silk robe with subtle patterns and a plain gauze outer garment, his cool gaze resting faintly upon them.
Though his robes were plain and his bearing refined, wherever his gaze landed, it felt as if a chilling blade were pressed against one's neck. Everyone shuddered, not even daring to breathe heavily.
They racked their brains—when had the Prince arrived? How much of what was said earlier had he heard?
Old Woman Feng's face turned exceptionally ugly. She stood there rigid, wanting to say something, but her lips trembled and nothing came out.
She was used to wielding her authority, but in Prince Duan's eyes, that swagger was nothing more than a clown's antics. At this moment, she wished she could slap herself in the face.