Chapter 242: A Small Disturbance
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Yin Momo was dragged out all the way, and everyone saw it, including Xiangli and the others who were waiting outside the Yinghui Hall to be summoned by Mingzhu. The maids’ faces turned pale, and one of them couldn’t help trembling as she asked Xiangli, “Sister, Yin Momo is an old woman. How could she anger the Wangfei like this?”
This question was quite interesting, as everyone was actually speculating why the Wangfei had lashed out at Yin Momo. They thought it was because Yin Momo had returned them on the order of Ying Wang, and the Wangfei was jealous, so she was making an example out of Yin Momo to frighten the rest.
Xiangli pursed her lips and lowered her head, saying softly, “Don’t speculate. There must be a reason for this.” She appeared calm on the surface, but in fact, she was worried. If the Wangfei couldn’t even tolerate a grain of sand, let alone give face to His Highness, who would act so ruthlessly, directly beating up a person with a head and a face? Even if Yin Momo was at fault, there should have been some tact, not such brutality.
One maid couldn’t help trembling and whispered, “What if we kneel down and apologize? If Wangfei knew we had been kneeling all this time, she might not be so angry.”
Xiangli furrowed her brows. “You’re asking for trouble.” If they all knelt down at the door without the Wangfei even saying a word, wouldn’t that mean the Wangfei was so terrifying that they were all scared of her? Once this spread, His Highness might not forgive them. Last time, when she clashed with the Wangfei, she chose to kneel down because there was a reason for it, it was her duty. This time, there was absolutely no reason to do so, unless they wanted to court death.
A few maids, trembling with fear, huddled together, and Su Lan came out with a smile, speaking very kindly, “Sisters, come with me to see the Wangfei.” She didn’t mention what Yin Momo had done or why she had been beaten. After all, these people were all influential figures in the mansion, and they had their own connections. If Su Lan said something, they might not believe it anyway. It was better for them to find out for themselves.
“Thank you, sister.” Xiangli and the others didn’t dare to ask, and because they had been suspected and investigated before, they were naturally a head shorter than Su Lan and the others, and they didn’t have the same pride as before when they were equal.
When they entered the room, Mingzhu was busy tinkering with the red jade pomegranate. Seeing them come in, she set down the jade pomegranate and smiled, “His Highness has already told me. I know you are innocent. Since you’ve returned, just continue doing what you did before. There’s only one thing: do your duties diligently, be cautious in your actions. If you do well, both His Highness and I will reward you. If not, there are rules in the mansion.” After saying this, she dismissed them, “You may leave now. Tidy up today, and report as usual tomorrow.”
They had expected at least a scolding or punishment, but unexpectedly, with just a few concise words, they were allowed to continue their previous duties. What luck! Serving the lord of the house meant every task was important; when a position was vacant, someone would immediately step in. Xiangli and the others had thought they would only be relegated to doing rough chores upon their return, but they were pleasantly surprised to find themselves back in their original positions. They were all pleasantly surprised, and Xiangli was the first to kowtow to Mingzhu again, saying, “Thank you for your grace, Wangfei. We will work diligently.”
Seeing her kowtowing, the other maids followed suit.
Mingzhu smiled faintly, “Doing good work is your duty. Whether I grant you favors or not, you should do your work diligently. Remember my words: do your job diligently, be cautious in your actions. Put away any bad intentions or ulterior motives, otherwise you’ll end up like Yin Momo! Now go.”
Xiangli could sense the situation now. This Yin Momo must have done something wrong. Because they benefited from her actions, it proved that the Wangfei’s outburst wasn’t directed at them for returning. Since that was the case, there was no need to bother about Yin Momo. It was the mistress’s concern. They immediately took their leave, returning to their rooms to prepare for their duties the next day.
Yin Momo was dragged out all the way, and in no time, almost the entire mansion knew about the incident. Li Quanxin looked at Yin Momo lying on the ground like a dead dog and clicked his tongue. The little eunuch beside him whispered, “God Father, why don’t we hold off and report to His Highness first?”
Li Quanxin shook his head. “The Wangfei is the mistress of the back courtyard, the mistress of the mansion. If the servants don’t obey, she should deal with it herself. Since she said this person offended her and did something wrong, then she must be in the wrong. Let’s handle it according to the mansion’s rules.”
The little eunuch hurriedly advised, “But spreading rumors and inciting discord, that’s a tongue-cutting offense. Yin Momo is at least someone granted by the Emperor Wen, familiar with people in various mansions, and has been recognized in front of the Imperial Consort. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been sent to teach… If you really punish her, someone might make trouble for you in the future.”
Li Quanxin glared, “Do you think I don’t understand? Fine, let’s keep her tongue for now. Give her twenty lashes first. If His Highness doesn’t inquire further, then we’ll pull it out.”
Zhu Changsheng quickly heard the news. The one who delivered the message was Yin Momo’s godson, a steward in the outer court, who cried bitterly, “My god Mother has always been a cautious and loyal person. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been chosen by His Late Majesty to serve His Highness. After so many years, His Highness has never found fault with her. How come she’s in trouble with the Wangfei now? Is she trying to replace everyone in the mansion with Fu’s people? We’re almost out of options.”
Zhu Changsheng agreed deeply. Fu Mingzhu gave him that feeling, as if she always wanted to find an opportunity to bring him down and replace him with her own people as the external steward. In usurping power, others would employ subtle means, but she was so rough and unskilled. He wanted to intervene in this matter, but he hadn’t yet settled the issues he caused earlier, so he couldn’t directly step in. He called the steward over, “Listen to me, this is how we should handle it…”
Yuwen Chu was discussing matters with his aides in the Tingxue Tower when suddenly he heard wailing outside. Such a thing was rare for the Ying Wang Mansion. Before he could speak, Dong Hui, who was serving with pen and ink, had already quietly come in and whispered, “It’s Yin Momo, who just went to deliver something to the Wangfei. She offended the Wangfei and was slapped by the Wangfei, then handed over to Steward Li for handling. Now, it’s Yin Momo’s family and a few old maids who came out of the palace with her kneeling outside, crying for injustice.”
Yuwen Chu frowned. How could Yin Momo offend Mingzhu? In just a moment, he hadn’t even asked her to do anything. Sending the ruby pomegranate was a pleasing task. As for Xiangli and the others, he had already discussed it with Mingzhu earlier, and Mingzhu had behaved very reasonably at that time. Mingzhu, although a bit coquettish and jealous, wasn’t unreasonable. So there must be a reason for this.
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