In her anger, Bai Hua forgot that Madam Fu's courtyard was close to where they were standing. Her voice just now had been so loud, it was truly no wonder that it attracted the attention of Madam Fu.
Usually, Madam Fu would simply send a servant to see what was going on and give punishment later on.
Today, however, her nephew came to visit with his mother. Fu Huang Yuan was a handsome twenty-one years old man who worked in the Ministry of Justice. Although he was a scholar, he possessed a charismatic aura and a strong body. He was neither servile nor arrogant and Madam Fu liked him a lot.
What she didn't like was his mother and her sister-in-law, Madam Qin. So what if her own son had run away to serve in the Northern Army?! He was protecting the country, alright? And he was doing so with his own blood!
Could Fu Huang Yuan say the same? Ah! Not at all! All her darling nephew did every day was to read criminal cases. Clearly, her Bai Rui was better.
Anyway, since she had to entertain that shrewish woman, Madam Fu naturally didn't want to be the only one to suffer and thus invited the concubines of her 'beloved' husband. Those women spent their days scheming against each other and hurting her poor eyes with bright jewels and elegant makeup. Making them work a little out of the bedroom was also for their own good.
See, Madam Fu was such a good and virtuous wife! She was helping those concubines to develop their communication skills.
"I don't see Yue'er." Madam Qin looked especially worried when she said this.
The smile on Madam Fu's face was already stiff to begin with. Hearing this, a dull ache spread to her cheeks as she gritted her teeth.
Madam Fu and Count Zhong Bai Zhang Wei had made sure to not let rumors about their ill daughter spread outside. If people were to know the truth, her reputation would be beyond repair. No one would want to marry her, let alone the one in the palace... This, of course, was unacceptable.
Apart from attending banquets once or twice a year, women of noble and rich families seldom left their houses and it wasn't actually difficult to conceal the matter. Truly, it was only that damn sister-in-law of hers who decided to visit the Bai manor today without even sending a visit card before.
"That silly girl," Madam Fu pretended to sigh helplessly, her brows knitted together, "she insisted on staying up late to embroider me a handkerchief a few days ago. I am sure you can guess the result..."
Her voice trailed off and she sighed once more, shaking her head. Deep inside her mind, there was a hint of guilt when she remembered that she hadn't seen her daughter in three weeks. Although lately, Bai Yue attended the evening meal again, she would always sit at the very end of the table and not say a word to anyone. Moreover, Madam Fu herself tended to take the evening meal in the company of the account books these past few weeks. It was soon going to be the new year and her schedule was truly tight. The first weeks she spent by her daughter's bedside in the earlier stage of her mysterious illness didn't help to alleviate the number of things she had to do.
All she knew about her daughter's current condition came from the report the maid gave each evening.
Madam Qin watched her sister-in-law's pitiful act and snorted inside. Who was she trying to fool? Didn't she see the concubines next to her squirming in their seats?
"How could I know?" she responded sweetly. "Sister, do you mean I usually spy on you? Because if it is like that, I can only try to defend myself."
"No, no, of course, I don't mean that. Sister-in-law's goodness, I know all about it."
Yes, yes, Madam Fu truly knew all about it. In fact, her sister-in-law was so 'good' that she only let beautiful girls serve her son and old men serve her husband. Madam Fu's brother had once brought back a young concubine. The next day, the young woman was already begging to be freed.
Next to Madam Fu, Concubine Xi smiled amused. Coughing a little to draw attention to herself, she said, "Madam Qin, don't be angry. Our Madam only said this because her heart is aching. You see, our dear Yue'er is ill."
Madam Qin started. Ill? Now, this was unexpected. She glanced at her son whose eyebrows were furrowed in concern.
Because he was the only man here, it wasn't appropriate for Fu Huang Yuan to speak up. As such, she could only play along and ask, "Ill? Not too gravely I hope?"
If it was too grave, she would pick another girl for Fu Huang Yuan no matter what her son said. In any case, there were still two other unmarried girls in Count Zhong's household. One was still a bit young but at least, she would be very obedient.
Concubine Lan was the birth mother of the sixth young miss. Listening to the conversation around her, she bit the inside of her cheek. What Madam Qin wanted coming here, they all could guess easily. Her knowing the truth about Bai Yue would cause her to want another girl as Fu Huang Yuan's wife. Thus it was no surprise to her that Concubine Xi would say that. After all, it was no secret that Bai Hua cared a lot about her 'cousin'.
However, such a scheme was not only unnecessary but also harmful. The former because Madam Fu disliked her sister-in-law and would never agree to a marriage between her daughter and her nephew. The latter because of Madam Qin's temperament. Rumors about Bai Yue's illness were bound to spread outside in a blink should the older woman know about it. By then, who would let their son marry a daughter of the Bai family?
Furthermore, her own daughter was only ten years old. Even if she was old enough to get engaged, Concubine Lan didn't want her darling daughter to follow her path and marry a man too old for her.
With that in mind, Concubine Lan poured a cup of tea for Madam Fu and, patting the latter's hand, she said, "Fortunately, it is just a cold. Our dear Yue'er should be better after resting for a few days."
Honestly, everyone wished this from the bottom of their hearts. Because, when the girl screamed at night, the sound echoed throughout the inner court and pervaded one's bones and heart.
Madam Fu quickly nodded and held Concubine's Lan tightly.
"Yes, you are right. I am just too worried."
"It is only natural," Madam Qin responded with a fake smile. "We mothers carry our children in our womb for ten months and raise them with love. How can we not feel pain when they are sick?"
Why were they playing happy family in front of her? Did it feel nice to hold a concubine's hand? Did it also feel nice to know that it was the hand who played with your husband at night while you were waiting for him in an empty room?
Hmph, her sister-in-law was truly stupid! No wonder she gave birth to a dumb girl and un unfilial son who would rather enter the army than take care of his parents.
Every woman here was a master at acting. This much, Fu Huang Yuan understood well. Although less intelligent and able than men, they were still quite impressive. Perhaps even scary.
Glancing at his mother when the last thought crossed his mind, he averted his eyes and went back to sipping his cup of tea.
It was almost an hour later when angry yells reached their ears. Madam Qin immediately put on a shocked face. In her mind though, she was dancing with great joy. Gossip! At long last!
"Being so loud... Who could be so rude in this manor?"
This time, Concubine's Xi smile was as stiff as Madam Fu's. Indeed, who could behave in such a way?
"It must be a new servant," Madam Fu replied in a gentle voice. What servant?! It was obviously the voice of that wretched Bai Hua. What was that girl doing, screaming like that right next to her courtyard when she was entertaining guests?
"Such a lousy servant should be beaten to death," Madam Qin 'kindly' pointed out. Then with a concerned expression, she insisted, "To scream next to your place, are they trying to scare you? Sister, is it how you are usually treated here? If so, you must tell me. Our Fu family might not be as noble as your Bai family, but we still have our pride."
Concubine Xi's smile became extremely ugly, her beautiful face all scrunched up in anger.
Seeing this, Madam Fu felt good and decided that staying here while Bai Hua was making a spectacle out of herself would be a real shame.
"What are you saying, sister-in-law?" She stood up elegantly, the old maid by her side coming to straighten up her long red dress. "I am this manor's mistress. Who here would dare to treat me poorly? Come, let's go see what in the world is going on."
With the official wife standing, the concubines couldn't remain seated and swiftly rose to their feet. Not long afterward, Madam Qin and Fu Huang Yuan followed suit.
Everyone left the room and headed towards the screams.
Countless ideas were running through Madam Fu's mind in the beginning. Should she punish Bai Hua by copying a hundred times 'Women lessons"? Or perhaps let the wretched girl and her concubine mother kneel on the ancestral hall while their useless son Bai Chen beg the Lord to let them off? But would Bai Zhang Wei dare to do so when Bai Hua acted poorly in front of guests?
Soon, four figures entered everyone's sight. For a second, Madam Fu's mind went blank. Then her heart clenched painfully when she saw her frail daughter begging Bai Hua to not hurt her.
In three months, Bai Yue had become so thin... Could a slap break her jaw?
Rage rose inside Madam Fu and she saw red.
"STOP!"
Bai Hua instantly froze in place, understanding flashing through her eyes. She was being framed by Bai Yue!