Everyone here had children, and when something like this happened, it’s hard not to feel bad inside.
The women in the room sighed sympathetically, while the younger ladies didn’t have as many feelings and continued to speak softly among themselves.
“This really must be the Bodhisattva’s blessing.”
“It’s not the Bodhisattva, it should be a real person.”
“So is it a real person or the Bodhisattva?”
“When they come later, we’ll know after asking.”
As they said this, everyone in the room looked outside.
“Why has Madam Zhou been gone so long and still hasn’t come back?” they asked, frowning.
“Could she have thought of some way to gain an advantage again?” one of them whispered, scoffing. “Madam Zhou is becoming more and more distant from us these days.”
“She’s now associating with Minister Chen’s wife, and we…”
This kind of talk quietly and sporadically echoed in the conversation.
Madam Zhou wasn’t in that room, but she had already guessed that people would be talking about her. What’s more, these past few days, she feared she had already become the subject of everyone’s gossip during their tea time and meals.
“I’ve already followed your rules. There’s no need for you to go to others’ houses, they’ve all come to ours. What more do you want?” she said, unable to hide her anger. “Jiao Jiao, are you deliberately mocking me?”
Behind the curtain, on the bed, the lady lay sideways without making a sound.
The maid waiting in the room, who had originally been smiling, now had her face fall after hearing these words.
“Madam, my mistress really isn’t someone who has the energy to mock anyone. She is always serious in her actions, never speaking frivolously or making empty talk,” she said, without fear or unease, but rather a bit displeased. “My mistress always takes a short rest each day, and you know that.”
Of course, Madam Zhou knew. On the first day, that rest had made her freeze for a while in the snow.
“This short rest, how is it always so convenient?” Madam Zhou sneered.
“Things in this world often happen by chance. If it weren’t for such a coincidence, my mistress wouldn’t be here before you today,” the maid replied with a half-smile.
Madam Zhou, enraged, angrily swept her sleeves and left.
“Madam, Madam, how should we explain to those waiting outside?” the maid quickly asked in a low voice, trailing behind.
“What else is there to say? She’s asleep,” Madam Zhou replied irritably.
The maid hurried to keep up.
“But, but that’s not possible,” she said. “They’ll think you are deliberately being dismissive.”
Yes, your child is under your care as the lady of the house. When guests come, you don’t call the child to greet them, but instead say she’s asleep? Even if she really is asleep, you should still wake her up. Is it that you, as the mistress, have no sense of propriety, or are you deliberately showing off your authority?
Madam Zhou clenched her hands, grinding her teeth.
“How did I end up letting such a troublemaker into the house!” she muttered through gritted teeth.
Looking at the hall ahead, she really didn’t want to go in, but she had no choice.
Sure enough, as the door opened and everyone saw the empty space behind her, the expressions of the ladies present turned a bit strange.
“See? I told you so.”
Soft murmurs, almost inaudible, rose and fell.
Madam Zhou pretended not to hear them and sat down.
“To be honest with everyone, the child’s health still hasn’t fully recovered,” she said with a forced smile. “She just took her medicine and couldn’t help but fall asleep for a moment. Please wait a little while longer.”
The people seated exchanged curious looks at Madam Zhou’s expression.
“Was her health already this poor when she treated Old Master Chen?” a younger lady asked with a faint smile.
Madam Zhou’s face stiffened.
“She was staying at the Chen residence at the time, so I wouldn’t know,” Madam Zhou replied, also smiling. “You’d have to ask Madam Chen about that.”
This young lady’s husband held a rank higher than Master Zhou, but not so high that she could speak to Madam Chen in such a manner. So, if she wanted to speak this way to Madam Zhou instead, it wasn’t going to come so easily.
Why should she have to endure such disrespect? But, in the end, it had tarnished her usual image of being cheerful, easygoing, and kind.
All this trouble was caused by that wretched maid, and yet somehow, it all ended up falling on her!
The exchange of less-than-friendly words between the two ladies made the atmosphere in the room a bit tense.
“It’s getting late, and my child at home is still young. I’ll take my leave now,” the young lady said decisively, rising to her feet.
As she stood, two or three others in the room also got up. Those who remained glanced at Madam Zhou, their expressions clearly displeased.
Madam Zhou remained seated, but her own expression was hardly any better.
If they left like this, it would mean they’d parted on bad terms. She had intended to form good relations, but who could have predicted it would end up like this?
The sound of a maid ’s voice came from outside.
“Madam, Miss Ban Qin says the young lady is awake.”
Everyone in the room who had been preparing to leave paused for a moment, and Madam Zhou clenched her teeth.
How convenient.
Before she could speak, the young lady had already walked to the door, and the maids quickly opened it for her.
“My child must be waking up as well. I’ll come another time to ask for guidance from your young lady,” she said indifferently.
The maid standing at the door lifted her head.
“Madam is here to see my mistress?” she asked.
Her voice was clear and crisp, and her appearance was charming—she embodied the ideal demeanor of a maid from a prominent household.
“Your mistress is not easy to meet,” the young lady replied bluntly, not bothering to be polite to a mere maid, and stepped out of the door.
“Madam, you may go see her yourself,” the maid said with a playful smile.
Madam Zhou inwardly thought, This is bad, and sat up straight.
“Ban Qin, that is disrespectful!” she said in a stern voice. “How can a younger generation let the madams come to her?”
The maid smiled sweetly and bowed gracefully.
“Still, when the madams come to see my young lady, isn’t it really for a consultation?” the maid said, smiling as she looked at the young lady standing under the veranda, preparing to leave. Her peripheral vision caught the ladies in the room listening attentively. “My mistress says that discussing a patient’s condition is a private matter, not something to be talked about openly with others. It’s better for everyone to sit behind closed doors and talk in detail—it’s truly not about putting on airs.”
Indeed, when everyone gathered and talked all at once, who would feel comfortable discussing their ailments openly? It would inevitably lead to individual invitations later. It would truly be better to go directly to see the lady and have a private conversation.
The young lady laughed, donned her cloak, and stepped forward.
“In that case, take me to see your mistress,” she said.
The maid smiled and agreed, then respectfully bowed to Madam Zhou in the room before turning to lead the way.
The atmosphere in the room immediately brightened.
“We’ll go too,” said those who had risen earlier.
“Don’t rush—let’s go one by one,” someone suggested, taking the lead in organizing.
And so, they began discussing who would go first and who would follow, chatting and laughing lively, while Madam Zhou, the hostess, was left awkwardly on the sidelines.
” My mistress says that discussing a patient’s condition is a private matter, not something to be talked about openly with others. It’s better for everyone to sit behind closed doors and talk in detail…”
The maid’s words echoed in Madam Zhou’s ears, her expression growing harder and harder.
Your mistress says! Your mistress says! When did your mistress ever say such a thing?!
How could there be such a brazen, shameless liar in this world? How dare they fabricate lies so boldly!
“Madam Zhou, if there’s something like this next time, you really should tell us sooner to avoid misunderstandings,” someone nearby remarked, turning to look at her with a faintly mocking smile.
Madam Zhou felt a tightness in her throat and couldn’t help but cough repeatedly in frustration.
The carriages in front of the Zhou residence continued to come and go, but Madam Zhou’s reception hall had grown notably empty.
At first, some guests still stopped by to greet the hostess, Madam Zhou. However, as more and more people bypassed her to visit Cheng Jiao-niang directly—and given Cheng Jiao-niang’s apparent ill health, limiting her to seeing only a few people each day—polite refusals became the norm.
“Her health isn’t good; she can’t focus completely. If the diagnosis isn’t accurate, it’s better not to give one.”
This explanation was both courteous and reasonable.
“Even the imperial physicians in the capital aren’t available to consult all the time.”
“Exactly, like that priestess in the west of the city—she only answers questions in the mornings…”
“Ah, but Lady Cheng isn’t a priestess…”
“Still, she’s similar, isn’t she? She checks pulses but doesn’t use needles. She listens from within the room. If someone can diagnose just by listening, isn’t that akin to the abilities of priestesses and shamans?”
“Right! Didn’t they say Lady Cheng is a disciple personally taught by Master Li?”
Hearing the hushed conversation of the two maids behind her, the lady walking ahead paused briefly.
“Madam, are we still going to see Madam Zhou?” one of the maids hurriedly asked.
“I just saw that several carriages have already arrived. I shouldn’t delay any further,” the lady replied after a slight hesitation. “We’ll go see Lady Cheng instead. After all, we’re not seeking a diagnosis from Madam Zhou…”
Meeting her serves no purpose and only wastes time. Haven’t they already lost enough time because of this Madam Zhou?
This thought crossed everyone’s mind. Without further hesitation, they all nodded and headed straight toward Cheng Jiao-niang’s residence.
The liveliest place in the Zhou household had now shifted to Cheng Jiao-niang’s courtyard.
The courtyard was filled with maids standing around, while others knelt along the veranda. Inside the room, it was equally crowded, with maids bringing tea and refilling water barely able to move about.
“This room is far too small,” one lady remarked, glancing around and covering her mouth with a laugh. “Old Shan Zhou is so wealthy—this really shouldn’t be the case.”
When these words reached Madam Zhou’s ears, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of frustration choking her once again.
Master Zhou walked cheerfully into the room, only to see Madam Zhou leaning against a low table, with two maids attending to her as she ate something.
The room was filled with a strong medicinal scent.
“What are you eating at this time of year?” Master Zhou asked, frowning.
“Medicine,” Madam Zhou replied curtly.
“Why are you taking medicine for no reason? What’s wrong now? With so many guests at home, why are you hiding here taking medicine?” Master Zhou said.
“There are so many guests that I don’t need to bother myself.” Madam Zhou gritted her teeth as she downed the medicine in one gulp, bitterness filling her mouth.
“You’re the madam of the household. How can you neglect proper hospitality?” Master Zhou admonished.
“Someone else seems to be handling the hospitality better than I, the madam of the household. Why should I go looking for trouble?” Madam Zhou’s anger flared as she spoke, slamming the medicine bowl heavily onto the table with a loud thud.
The maids flinched at the noise, lowering their heads fearfully, not daring to make eye contact.
“She’s still a daughter of the Zhou family. Why are you throwing a tantrum?” Master Zhou frowned, looking at his wife.
These women, he thought, their perspectives were always so narrow, fixating on a single word or gesture under their noses.
“She gets to play the good person, and I have to be the villain,” Madam Zhou retorted, her grievances surging.
No matter how she thought about it, it left her feeling stifled. Ever since that lady entered the household, her own position as an elder had grown increasingly humiliating.
How did it come to this?
“What exactly has she done?” Master Zhou asked, furrowing his brows.
Madam Zhou was stunned by the question.
Yes, what had she done? It seemed like she hadn’t done anything at all…
And yet, it was precisely this “nothing” that had caused her to stumble at every turn, making mistake after mistake.
The strangest part was not even knowing where she went wrong, nor how to respond.
This lady, so unlike a normal person, appeared simple and absent-minded, yet when scrutinized, seemed slippery and elusive—impossible to grasp or pin down.
Just thinking about it made her seethe.
Madam Zhou clutched her chest, coughing violently, and the maids rushed forward, patting her back and helping her, causing a commotion.
“What on earth is wrong with you? If you’re sick, we have Jiao Jiao at home. Let her take a look at you,” Master Zhou said.
It would have been fine if he hadn’t said that, but the moment he did, Madam Zhou felt even more frustrated. She coughed uncontrollably, nearly unable to catch her breath.
“Exactly, it’s because she’s living in the house…” Madam Zhou clenched her fists, gripping her collar, her face turning red as she shouted.
The words “She made me sick…” were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t bring herself to say them. First, it was an absurd claim, and second, as the matriarch of the Zhou family, to be humiliated by a niece to such an extent—if she said it aloud, it would only invite ridicule.
“Don’t be so anxious,” Master Zhou said. “Once Jiao Jiao has treated them and her reputation grows, her being a child in this house will still reflect well on you. It will reflect well on our family in the eyes of others.”
Madam Zhou placed a hand on her chest, her expression grim.
“Let’s hope so,” she said.
From the moment this lady stepped into the house, her heart had never stopped feeling uneasy. She always felt like one problem after another kept arising—layer upon layer, issue after issue—ultimately stirring up a storm that would prevent the Zhou family from finding peace.
“Someone come!” Madam Zhou suddenly shouted. “Send someone to Jiang-zhou.”
The maids were confused.
“At this time, to Jiang-zhou?” they asked.
“Yes, go and inquire at the Cheng family,” Madam Zhou said.
“Inquire about what?” The maids were even more puzzled.
“Inquire about…” Madam Zhou gripped her handkerchief tightly, gritting her teeth as she said, “Inquire about everything concerning that fool. I want to see—when she’s at the Cheng family, is she also… this troublesome?”
