Two maids hurried in, and Second Madam Cheng, who had been pacing restlessly in the hall, quickly went up to meet them.
“How is it?” she asked.
“That’s right, it’s just as we heard—two women came, with a capital accent. They’ve already met with the First Madam,” one of the maids nodded. “The maid under the outer veranda heard it with her own ears—they came to propose marriage, and not just from one family. They even brought the betrothal letter.”
Second Madam Cheng sat down, somewhat dazed.
“They’re really… really here to arrange a match for that fool— for Jiao-niang?” she asked, still a little in disbelief.
“That’s right, Madam. The people at the door said it themselves—the moment they opened their mouths, they asked for Cheng Jiao-niang, saying they wanted to find her guardian,” the maid said hastily.
“And also… Madam Wang was there at the time,” the other maid added in a low voice.
Could this be arranged by the Zhou family?
The Zhou family could actually get someone from the Princess’s residence to come?
Second Madam Cheng sat there clutching her hands in a daze for a moment, then suddenly slapped the table.
“Guardian? We are Jiao-niang’s guardians! Since when does an aunt count as a guardian?” she snapped. “And she went and made such a huge decision on her own, ruining our Jiao-niang’s marriage prospects!”
Anger—yes, she should be angry. Just think: if it had been Qi-niang whose good match was ruined, what would she have done?
She would have torn that person’s mouth apart! She’d fight them to the death!
“Wang Shi-niang, I’ll—” Second Madam Cheng shouted, getting up and charging toward the door.
Several maids, startled, hurried to block her with all their strength.
“Madam, madam, find out the details first before deciding—those people from the Qin family haven’t even left yet…”
“Yes, yes, see what sort they are. If they’re only using the Princess’s residence as a name, but they’re not actually a good family, then there’s no real benefit to be had…”
Everyone chimed in one after another.
That’s right—things hadn’t been clarified yet, and they couldn’t act rashly.
“Go quickly and call the Master back!” Second Madam Cheng panted as she shouted.
That fool coming back wasn’t anything important, and whether Second Master Cheng returned usually didn’t matter—but now that it concerned a better marriage alliance and a far greater future benefit, this was a matter of utmost importance.
“Tell him I’m on the verge of death—he must rush back overnight, and he has to be home by tomorrow!”
Second Madam Cheng hurriedly urged the maid, who scurried off in a panic.
Once the maid was gone, Second Madam Cheng still couldn’t settle down.
“Where is that Qin family woman staying?” she asked.
“At Yuelai Residence,” the maid replied.
Second Madam Cheng’s expression shifted for a moment, then she beckoned the maid closer.
“Find a way to let them know our intentions…” she said in a low voice.
The maid nodded knowingly, answered in agreement, and went off at once.
Second Madam Cheng stood in the hall in a daze for a moment.
“Where’s Jiao-niang?” she asked, coming back to her senses.
“By the river…” a maid stepped forward to answer, holding a hand warmer in her hands. “Madam, you told me to bring her the hand warmer…”
“Then why aren’t you hurrying over?” Second Madam Cheng’s brows shot up as she scolded, “If my Jiao-niang catches cold, can you afford to take the blame?”
The maid hurriedly answered in a panic and rushed out with quick steps.
The wind swept in from the river’s surface, making the bare branches of the drooping willows sway gently; even in winter, they had not lost their graceful charm.
“Miss, are you cold?” Ban Qin asked.
Cheng Jiao-niang, gazing at the river, shook her head.
“The last time we crossed this bridge, it was already late, so we didn’t take a good look,” Ban Qin said with a smile, also glancing down toward the water.
The river was shallow, its winter waters looking somewhat murky. At the moment, a few women were washing clothes along the bank, their laughter and chatter drifting up from below the embankment.
“There shouldn’t be a river here,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
Ban Qin didn’t quite catch it.
“What?” she asked.
Before the words had even faded, they heard voices speaking nearby.
“…This hexagram is good, except there shouldn’t be a river here…”
At that moment, they were passing the entrance to a small alley. Cheng Jiao-niang and Ban Qin instinctively turned their heads to look, and saw a group of children of various ages squatting or sitting in the alley, gathered in a circle. They couldn’t see who was in the middle, only heard a clear, youthful voice speaking, and noticed a bamboo pole standing upright with a colorful flag on top, swaying in the wind.
“…The river doesn’t necessarily have to run past the house. I suppose a skilled master must have examined it back then—although having the river pass by brings prosperity to the descendants for a time, it also makes it easy for blessings to scatter… If you become successful in the future, remember—the first thing you must do is fill in the river. Alright, I’ve told your fortune; give me one coin…”
“I don’t have any money!” a child’s laughter rang out.
“That won’t do! A fortune-teller never leaves empty-handed…” the young male voice rose in protest.
Ban Qin couldn’t help but laugh.
“Miss, isn’t the saying ‘a thief never leaves empty-handed’?” she teased.
Cheng Jiao-niang smiled without answering, withdrew her gaze, and continued walking forward.
“…No money? If you’ve got no money, then go home and get me a pancake to eat—that’ll do too…”
From the alley behind them came the playful voice of a young man.
So it turned out to be a lazy loafer who lived off others by tricking children. Ban Qin shook her head and quickened her pace to catch up with Cheng Jiao-niang. From the opposite direction, six or seven people came running toward them, glancing around as they ran, and passed right by the two of them.
“Sixth Brother! He’s here!”
A shout came from behind.
Ban Qin couldn’t help turning her head to look, and saw that group stop at the mouth of the alley, one of them pointing inside.
“…That little swindler’s here!”
Little swindler? That must be the fellow just now who was coaxing the children out of a pancake.
“…Cheng Ping, don’t run!”
Chaos erupted behind them.
Ban Qin lifted her foot to keep walking, but bumped straight into Cheng Jiao-niang.
“Miss?” she asked in confusion.
At some point, Cheng Jiao-niang had also stopped in her tracks, her expression slightly dazed.
“Cheng Ping…” she slowly uttered the two words, then suddenly turned around sharply.
Ban Qin instinctively took a step back, noticing the sudden brightness in her mistress’s eyes.
“Miss, what is it?” she asked.
But Cheng Jiao-niang didn’t answer—she lifted her skirts and ran back the way they had come.
Cheng Ping!
“Miss!” Ban Qin was startled. It was the first time she had ever seen her mistress run off.
Once, she had been unable to walk without staggering; later, she learned to move slowly, and now she could walk with ease—but she had always carried herself with composure, moving in steady, measured steps, hardly ever even quickening her pace, let alone lifting her skirts to run.
What on earth had happened?
“Something’s happened! Something’s happened!”
The maid’s shouting from outside the door made First Madam Cheng sit up in alarm again. She had risen too abruptly, and now her head was dizzy and her vision blurred, with a faint pain in her ribs.
“What is it this time?” she demanded sharply.
“Lady Cheng seems to have gotten into a fight…” the maid said, kneeling in the hall, her face pale.
“Which Lady Cheng?” First Madam Cheng shouted.
How dare anyone disturb her rest—she would make sure this lady would no longer carry the Cheng surname!
“It’s Cheng Jiao-niang,” the maid hurriedly replied.
This daughter hadn’t followed the family’s usual ranking system, so addressing her properly really felt awkward.
“She?” First Madam Cheng was utterly shocked.
“Yes, yes! I don’t know what happened, but the people from the Zhou family she brought have already surrounded him—right by the river,” the maid hurriedly explained.
They even fought outside…
In all these years, the Cheng family had never been so humiliated!
First Madam Cheng pressed her hand against her ribs, feeling the pain intensify.
That jinx! She had only been in the household for two days, and already the house was in turmoil. At this rate, she feared she wouldn’t even live to see the new year!
“Hurry and call Master back! Arrange the marriage this month!” she shouted, lifting her foot and striding out briskly.
The maids hurriedly responded in agreement.
When First Madam Cheng went out with her people, quite a few idle onlookers were already standing on the opposite bank of the river, watching the commotion with interest. On this side, a dozen or so of the Zhou family’s attendants were gathered in an alley, surrounding a few people, each wearing an unfriendly expression and ready to spring into action.
Steward Cao and the others had moved into the servants’ quarters, but they still had people posted around the four gates of the Cheng residence. So the moment Cheng Jiao-niang stepped outside, the Zhou family’s attendants were aware and had two of their men follow at a distance to provide protection. When Cheng Jiao-niang suddenly ran into an alley and the shouts of a man could be heard from within, the two guards didn’t hesitate—one rushed forward, while the other ran to the nearest gate to call for reinforcements.
One called for help, the other followed along, and in the blink of an eye, not only was Cheng Jiao-niang surrounded by her own protection, but additional reinforcements were on their way.
By the time Steward Cao arrived, the man who had been shouting at Cheng Jiao-niang was already sprawled on the ground, while the others were stunned by the sudden, fierce appearance of the Zhou family’s attendants.
“Speak up!” Steward Cao shouted, pointing at the people in front of him.
Six burly men crouched on the ground before him, trembling like frightened chicks.
It was terrifying—just for shouting at the lady, saying “What are you doing? Mind your own business,” they had been knocked to the ground with a single punch. The most infuriating part was that it was the lady who had called out to them first.
They had known the people of North Cheng were not to be trifled with, but they hadn’t expected the same for South Cheng’s household.
Had they known they’d be tricked, they might as well have just accepted it—after all, it was only one coin. Now, seeing these people brimming with imposing force, they had no idea if a beating would even settle things…
“We—we won’t do it anymore! We won’t do it!” they shouted chaotically. “Please, sirs, have mercy!”
Steward Cao straightened up with a hint of satisfaction and looked toward Cheng Jiao-niang standing nearby.
“Miss, they won’t dare anymore,” he said.
“Who told you to say that?” Cheng Jiao-niang asked, frowning as she looked at the six men crouching on the ground. “Who were you trying to find just now?”
Trying to answer… one of them opened his mouth, but another, quicker-witted man pressed him down.
“No, no,” the first man said firmly and hastily. “We weren’t looking for anyone! We took a wrong turn!”
Look at that—smart people!
Miss asked cleverly, and they answered cleverly too!
Steward Cao nodded with a hint of admiration.
Cheng Jiao-niang looked at the man and smiled.
“I’m looking for this person too,” she said. “You’ve misunderstood.”
Misunderstood…
Everyone present froze.
So the “Stop!” that the lady had shouted was actually directed at that little trickster?
If they hadn’t misunderstood it as someone trying to intervene and responded angrily, then the one trembling on the ground right now might very well have been that little swindler…
“Then why don’t you make it clear!” one man shouted, half aggrieved and half angry.
Before his words had even fallen, one of the attendants beside the lady glared and barked,
“Who are you shouting at?”
The man was so frightened he sank to the ground.
With attendants so blindly fierce, how could anyone speak calmly without causing a misunderstanding? It was hardly surprising that chaos ensued!
“Who is that man?” Cheng Jiao-niang asked again.
“He’s from South Cheng,” one of the men finally replied promptly this time, pointing into the alley. “His name is Cheng Ping.”
Cheng Jiao-niang stepped forward, looking at the man who had spoken.
“Cheng… Ping?” she repeated, asking.
The young lady was beautiful, and her voice was soft and pleasant—but for some reason, seeing her face and hearing her speak those three words made the men feel as if their hearts were being tightly gripped, as though their answer carried enormous weight.
“Yes, his name is Cheng Ping,” the man nodded solemnly.
Cheng Ping!
Cheng Jiao-niang lifted her head and looked into the alley, then strode quickly inside.
Seeing her walk off like that, those present were momentarily stunned.
“Quick, follow her!” Steward Cao shouted, hurrying after her himself, efficiently rolling up his sleeves again.
So the main person hadn’t even been caught yet.
Everyone responded and surged forward in a rush.
The six men on the ground looked at each other in confusion.
“What about us?” one of them asked, dazed.
“Run! You waiting for someone to invite us for a meal?” another shouted.
Finally, the group got to their feet, squeezed through the crowd, and ran off.
The crowd of onlookers didn’t disperse even after the commotion had died down.
Separated by the Zhou family’s attendants, they couldn’t hear clearly what had happened, and only after some careful questioning did they get a rough idea.
By the time First Madam Cheng arrived with her people, Cheng Jiao-niang and the Zhou family’s attendants were no longer in sight.
“What on earth happened?” she asked, raising her eyebrows, feeling frustrated as she looked at the crowd in front of her, pointing and gossiping.
A maid stepped forward.
“Madam, it’s said… it was over a man,” she whispered.
Over a man!
First Madam Cheng put a hand to her side and ribs, her ears ringing and stars flashing before her eyes. She might as well just have jumped into the river and drowned!
