Ban Qin was unaware that her knock on the door had caused the two masters inside to start arguing.
She and Cheng Jiao-niang were already standing inside the entrance, but they hadn’t been invited into the main room.
The surrounding servants were giving them odd looks and remained silent when questioned, behaving evasively.
This left Ban Qin feeling rather baffled.
“What’s up with them?” she asked Cheng Jiao-niang nervously in a low voice. “Why are they looking at us so strangely?”
Cheng Jiao-niang glanced around the courtyard.
“They misunderstood what you said,” she explained.
Ban Qin murmured in response, feeling even more confused.
Earlier, she had eagerly told the doorman that they were there to see Second Master Cheng, claiming to be a relative from Bing-zhou.
“What could they have misunderstood?” she asked, confused. Then she shook her head, reasoning that if her mistress said it was a misunderstanding, it must be one. Nervously, she added, “What did they misunderstand? Why didn’t you warn me?”
Cheng Jiao-niang remained silent, wanting to smile but unable to as another thought crossed her mind.
She glanced toward the courtyard, where four or five maids were approaching with stern expressions.
Ban Qin saw them and eagerly went to greet them.
“Hey, is Second Master…” she began.
Before she could finish, two of the maids hurriedly surrounded her.
“Second Master isn’t home. It’s late, young lady, why don’t you rest and we’ll talk tomorrow,” they said. As they spoke, they grabbed Ban Qin by the arms, one on each side.
Ban Qin was startled.
“What are you doing?” she shouted, but as soon as she opened her mouth, a rag was stuffed in it.
Ban Qin was completely bewildered.
“You’ve misunderstood…” she cried out, her voice muffled.
It turned out her mistress was always right.
“I am Second Master’s daughter,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
The two maids approaching her were taken aback.
What?
Inside the room, Second Madam Cheng was wiping her tears with her head lowered, while Second Master Cheng was awkwardly straightening his disheveled clothes. It was clear he wasn’t used to this, but he couldn’t let the maids come in and witness the scene either.
“Go to the ancestral hall for half a month of confinement, and don’t leave the house!” First Master Cheng commanded angrily, his face hardened with fury.
“He’s still young and in that position, so socializing is inevitable. Those women are just for entertainment; we shouldn’t be upset over this,” First Madam Cheng said softly, comforting Second Madam Cheng by patting her shoulder.
Playing the roles of good cop and bad cop, Second Madam Cheng knew she couldn’t make too much of a scene; otherwise, she’d lose her moral high ground. She wiped her tears and responded affirmatively.
“Alright, let’s not bring it up again. Just get rid of her, and let’s act like this never happened,” First Madam Cheng said with a sigh of relief. She then looked at Second Master Cheng and continued, “Er-lang*, you must not act so recklessly in the future. If not for yourself, think about Little Xi.”
Second Master Cheng’s face was also clouded with anger, filled with both shame and frustration.
Two maids hurriedly entered the room.
“Master, Madam,” they greeted, bowing.
“Is it done?” First Madam Cheng asked.
“Not yet,” one maid replied, glancing at Second Master Cheng, looking hesitant.
“I told you not to listen to anything she says. Just gag her and take her away. After serving for so long, don’t you know how to handle things?” First Madam Cheng raised her eyebrows.
The maids looked flustered.
“Yes, yes,” they said, unable to help but glance at Second Master Cheng again. “But she said she’s Second Master’s daughter.”
Upon hearing this, Second Madam Cheng, who had calmed down, suddenly erupted again.
“Er-lang Cheng, you’ve even fathered a daughter! You’ve gone too far!” she yelled, lunging towards Second Master Cheng.
This time, First Madam Cheng reacted swiftly, reaching out to stop her, nearly stumbling in the process.
The maids rushed forward to assist.
The room descended into chaos once again.
Ban Qin leaned against Cheng Jiao-niang’s side, observing the alert maids around them.
“Do you think there could be any misunderstandings this time?” she whispered to Cheng Jiao-niang.
“I’m worried that the maids might not deliver the message clearly, or the recipient might not hear it accurately,” Cheng Jiao-niang responded.
Did anyone in this household still recall that there was once a daughter of the Cheng family from Bing-zhou?
She glanced towards the courtyard, where the tall shadow wall blocked the view, hiding the appearance of the estate within.
“No!” Second Master Cheng shouted angrily, pushing away Second Madam Cheng.
Second Madam Cheng fell to the ground, holding onto First Madam Cheng and bursting into tears.
First Master Cheng paced back and forth, pulling out the sword hanging on the wall, engraved with Dong Qitang’s name.
The maids were startled and hurried to kneel down, blocking First Master Cheng.
First Madam Cheng tried to sooth one person after another, becoming increasingly agitated.
“I’ll go see who’s trying to ruin me!” Second Master Cheng, fueled by rage, stormed out as if ready to confront the culprit.
“If you dare to leave, don’t bother coming back!” First Master Cheng shouted angrily.
Ignoring his warning, Second Master Cheng dashed out.
“Look how eager he is to see them,” Second Madam Cheng cried.
First Madam Cheng stood up in agitation. If he meets them, things will get even more complicated.
“Don’t worry, I won’t allow any outsiders into our home. No matter who they are!” she said, too preoccupied to comfort Second Madam Cheng further, and hurriedly followed after him.
Second Master Cheng quickly arrived at the doorway and, from a distance, spotted two female figures standing beneath the lantern light, surrounded by several maids, making them quite conspicuous.
Were they actually here for him?
Second Master Cheng slowed his pace. He had acted recklessly, but he couldn’t recall leaving a child outside. Was it an oversight?
Since it appeared to be an oversight, he would simply deny it. Presumably, they lacked solid evidence as well, or else they wouldn’t have waited until now to arrive.
With this realization, Second Master Cheng’s strides became more purposeful, his expression hardened, and he advanced with determination.
“Master’s arrived!” Ban Qin exclaimed with joy as soon as she spotted him.
Cheng Jiao-niang had also spotted him earlier.
The man, roughly in his thirties, had a slim build and average height. His fair complexion was now clearly visible, with a square face that could be considered neither particularly handsome nor unattractive.
Following closely behind him was First Madam Cheng, hurrying to keep pace.
“What are you…” Second Master Cheng began in a stern tone.
But before he could finish, Ban Qin eagerly approached.
“Master, it’s me, Ban Qin,” she called out. “I’ve brought the miss back.”
Second Master Cheng halted in his tracks. Ban Qin? Who was she?
“Miss, Miss, this is your father, this is your father,” Ban Qin cried out while pulling Cheng Jiao-niang, displaying a blend of joy and sorrow as tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
“Don’t speak nonsense. Who is whose father!” Second Master Cheng interjected sharply.
“Where did you come from? Did you seek out the wrong person?” First Madam Cheng also stepped forward, her voice carrying a stern tone.
Ban Qin was crying so much that she couldn’t speak clearly. Seeing this, Cheng Jiao-niang stepped forward and lifted her veil.
“Father,” she uttered, kneeling down in respect.
This lady had a striking appearance, and upon initial sight, she seemed vaguely familiar.
Both Second Master Cheng and First Madam Cheng were left bewildered.
“Who are you? How dare you wrongly claim someone as your father?” Second Master Cheng regained his composure and scolded.
“Master, have you forgotten? You said you would come to the Taoist temple to fetch us,” Ban Qin cried, “But the temple was struck by lightning and burned down. Thus, Miss and I returned on our own.”
It felt as though a thunderclap echoed through the night sky.
Second Master Cheng and First Madam Cheng looked stunned.
It wasn’t a false claim of fatherhood after all! She truly was his daughter!
Even First Master Cheng was taken aback.
“That… foolish girl?” he asked incredulously.
“Yes, Master, it’s the eldest miss who was fostered at the Taoist temple in Bing-zhou,” a maid explained.
First Master Cheng slowly returned the sword in his hand to the table.
“It’s her,” he murmured, exhaling deeply. Then, another thought crossed his mind, making him nervous. “Have the people from the Zhou family arrived as well?”
The maid was momentarily lost in thought, unable to immediately recall who the Zhou family members were, but Second Madam Cheng did.
The Zhou family—the maternal relatives of her husband’s late wife. Prior to her arrival at the Cheng household, she had endured humiliation from the Zhou family members, who treated her with seniority. If not for the support of her own family, she would have been obligated to pay respects to a memorial tablet bearing that woman’s name.
Second Madam Cheng stopped crying, her hands slowly clenching on her knees.
It was her daughter.
The eldest legitimate daughter of the Cheng family’s second household had returned.
“What? The eldest legitimate daughter?”
From the inner courtyard, Cheng Qi-niang*, who had been lying down with her hair loose, abruptly sat up.
“I have another sister?” she exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise. A flush of color rose to her fair complexion, and she pointed to herself with slender fingers adorned with rosy nail polish. “So, I’m no longer the eldest daughter?”
Translator Note:
*Er-lang refers to the second son of the family as Er（二）means second
*Qi(七) here means the seventh, so this is the seventh daughter of the Cheng family
