The Second Concubine was filled with resentment. She hadn't expected Butler Wang to personally remind Old Madame to attend the charity event. If he had informed her privately, she could have thought of a way to borrow some silver.
"Now, Butler Wang. What did you say?" The Old Madame was furious and only calmed down slightly after Hua Qiyue softly muttered words of comfort. She glared at Butler Wang, who knelt on the floor.
Butler Wang trembled as he kowtowed, cold sweat dripping all over his forehead as he pleaded, "Madame Hua… your servant… your servant has made a mistake. I shouldn't have kept this from you. It is because… the Second Concubine always sends me to purchase her elixirs!"
The Second Concubine looked sharply at Butler Wang.
She knew he must have taken the initiative to confess in order to obtain the Old Madame's forgiveness first. But the way he brazenly came to the main hall to remind her of the charity implied he'd been taking orders from someone else.
"Well! All of you have some nerve! Do you think I don't exist? That I wouldn't find out?" The Old Madame was incensed, and Hua Qiyue quickly fanned her.
"Grandmother, please don't be mad," said Hua Qiyue. "Why should you get so worked up over such people? After all, Butler Wang was merely following the orders of a lady of the house. He has more than 20 years of service in him — why not spare him? Furthermore, Butler Wang also fetched a good price for my Long Red when he helped me put it on the market and we made 15,000 ounces of silver… how about this, since I've got 15,000, I'll pay the charity donation of 10,000 silver, and the family may still use what's left in the treasury."
Hua Qiyue said calmly. The Old Madame inhaled sharply, and a wave of dizziness hit her, but she felt reassured by her granddaughter's words. She sighed and nodded in agreement.
"Since Qiyue has begged for mercy on your behalf, I shall spare you this once. In return, you will be docked six months' salary. In the future, the account books and the keys to the treasury shall be managed by Qiyue."
The Old Madam was extremely disappointed in the Second Concubine. She was not blind and could tell that the Second Concubine must have ordered Nanny Wang to dock Hua Qiyue's salary. How else would a servant dare to dock the salary of the eldest daughter of Hua Mansion without his master's orders?
Hua Qiyue quickly shook her head. "Grandmother, this is not proper since there are still two concubines in the Mansion. I'm merely the eldest daughter so how could I control the account books of Hua Mansion? Butler Wang has 25 years and experience and aside from not reporting what he knew, he has not committed any other offense. Besides, he is also very clever, so why don't you give him the chance to manage the treasury while the concubines and I shall review the account books? If he doesn't do a good job, you may always transfer his duties to someone else."
The Old Madam nodded and said with a laugh, "Yue'er is right; Butler Wang's contributions to the Hua Mansion cannot be ignored… before your father was a general, Wang would always do his best to resolve our troubles. Wang, I'll give you one more chance on Yue'er's behalf!"
Butler Wang's eyes lit up. He had escaped punishment and even received a "promotion." He hurriedly kowtowed in apology.
"Concubine Cheng, Mengshi, I'll have to bear some responsibility for your foolish antics… 6 months' salary docked from each of you. If you continue in your wicked ways, I will not be so kind! You may return to your rooms!"
The Second Concubine hurriedly thanked the Old Madame for her benevolence while Mengshi left crying pitifully. They had taken a severe hit this time. Not only were they humiliated, but they had also lost the trust of the Old Madam.
Hua Qiyue frowned slightly and watched as Tianci squirmed out of her embrace to play with marbles on the jade pallet.
In the past, Tianci was a chatterbox and would bring laughter wherever he went.
Now, he would only play with marbles quietly and there were still traces of fear on his face.
"Yue'er, what's wrong? Why do you look so worried?"
"Grandmother, I just… I hate to see him like this…" Hua Qiyue's eyes brimmed with tears. Since she was reborn, she'd become ruthless. But no matter how cold her heart became, Tianci would always melt it.
She felt that she had made Tianci suffer so much because of her helplessness and ignorance in the past. Before she died, Zhou Zhicheng had told her he was not Tianci's father. She truly had not seen the man that had entered on their wedding night. Her heart sank at the thought of that.
He couldn't have been lying. His attitude toward her and Tianci over the years was proof enough.
"Qiyue, as the saying goes, those who are favored will be lucky in life. Now that Tianci has you to look after him, his luck is turning. There's no need for you to worry," Madame Hua said with a faint smile.
She turned away, then stopped, as if remembering something. "Oh, Qiyue… Prince Nan is the most famous doctor in this land. Is it true that you went to him for treatment?"
"Indeed, this is true. However, an herb known as the Purple Lotus Phoenix Ice is needed in order to expel the remaining poison from Tianci's body. Prince Nan has already agreed to help treat Tianci for one month…" Hua Qiyue replied calmly. The fact that Tianci needed one month of treatment showed how cruel Princess Huizhen had been. Of course, this also showed how skilled the Poison Master was!
"Purple Lotus Phoenix Ice? I've heard that it is one of the divine herbs, and very few exist in this world…" Madame Hua could not help but be worried about Tianci. Hua Qiyue was surprised to hear that her grandmother knew of this herb and could not hold back a smile.
"Grandmother, there's no need to worry. I'll definitely be able to obtain this Purple Lotus Phoenix Ice." Hua Qiyue said evenly.
Old Madame Hua looked at Hua Qiyue meaningfully and smiled.
The next morning, the peaceful silence of the Hua Manion was broken by the sounds of shattering porcelain and swearing from the Butterfly Residence.
"Damn it! That bitch… how dare she go up against me time and time again!"
Hua Mengshi's low curses were swept away by the humid breeze. In the main hall, Hua Mengshi smashed another teacup. The maids by her side were all as quiet as mice.
The Second Concubine frowned slightly and said, "Mengshi, don't be rash. I can't make sense of this. How could Hua Qiyue suddenly be so clever after all these years?"
Concubine Cheng truly could not figure it out. Hua Qiyue used to be so cowardly and dull-witted. Had she been acting all along?
"Miss, Miss…" A maid rushed in all of a sudden and she could not hold back a shiver when she saw Hua Mengshi's expression. She said, "Greetings Miss and Madam, the eldest young mistress has brought her adopted son to seek treatment, which will last a month."
After Lanzhu was beaten to death, Concubine Cheng had assigned this new maid, Qiuyun, to her.
Another maid, Qiuhong, broke into a smile and said, "Miss, why don't you sneak a look at the legendary Long Red."
As long as Hua Qiyue was around, she definitely would not approach Cuihua Court. With Qiyue gone, though… her eyes narrowed.
"Mengshi, don't you want to have a look at it? Her yard is not locked, so shall we go?" Concubine Cheng asked in a soft voice.
Hua Mengshi wanted to decline, but she rose to her feet when she remembered the herbs could fetch a price of 50,000 silver each. "Alright, let us go have a look."
Butler Wang paused for a moment when he caught sight of the group. The eldest miss had been right that these people would definitely steal the Long Red after she left.
He couldn't help but wonder why Hua Qiyue did not appoint a few servants to guard the Long Red.
As he watched them walk away, he realized what Qiyue must have been thinking. A guard could be coerced or bribed. But if there was no guard, and the herbs were taken or destroyed, it would be simple enough to prove that the Concubines and their daughters had done it.
Concubine Cheng's group ran into the Third Concubine and Hua Xiaoyi at the back garden and, after exchanging a meaningful glance, they moved toward Cuihua Court as one.
Hua Xiaoyi tended to speak rashly, but after being reprimanded by the Third Concubine, she tactfully held her tongue.
The group arrived at the outer yard at Cuihua Court and saw that the empty land had been tended to. A layer of soil now covered the land, with six stalks of Long Red growing beautifully.
They seemed to glow brightly under the sun and their cheery red flowers emitted a fragrant scent, giving the courtyard a sense of vitality in spite of its emptiness.
Everyone looked covetously at divine herbs, their eyes gleaming with envy.
Hua Mengshi reined in her bitter hatred and said with a bright smile, "I didn't expect them to be so full of vitality. It has truly brought fortune to the Hua Mansion."
Hua Xiaoyi scoffed at Hua Mengshi's hypocritical words. "Second sister, stop putting on an act. I bet that you're dying to obtain this herb. After all, it's priceless. Who would be able to say that they don't covet it?" As usual, Hua Xiaoyi's frank pettiness offended everyone around her.
She was not as beautiful as Hua Mengshi, nor as skilled in the Qi Arts, which meant she had always been jealous and wouldn't let go of any chance to insult her.
The Third Concubine tugged at her clothes and said, "Xiaoyi, stop talking nonsense. Sister, Mengshi, Xiaoyi is still young and is always spouting nonsense. Please don't take offense."
Hua Mengshi covered her mouth gracefully. "Don't worry. Third sister has always been so outspoken, I'm afraid the number of people she has offended is too high to count."
Concubine Cheng's face slowly broke into a smile. "Of course not. It is better to be frank than to stab someone behind their back, isn't it?"
"Yes, exactly!" Everyone immediately agreed and looked greedily at those few stalks of Long Red.
Hua Mengshi thought quickly, and then whispered something to Qiuyun beside her. Qiuyun nodded and slipped away, unseen.
Soon, Qiuyun came back with a black dog that had been raised by the Third Concubine.
It had lost interest and was about to turn back when a sudden loud bang sounded and something hit the dog.
It barked wildly, then rushed madly into the yard. Everyone exclaimed in horror as the dog rushed toward the patch of Long Red!