Chapter 116: Lifting Aunt
Zhiqiu saw that the Second Madam had been in for such a long time, but the Second Master only let her stand and talk. Cuiping was sitting, and she had not stood up to greet the Second Madam who was standing. This was witnessed by the servants in the room. Just letting a concubine sit and a legal wife stand, how could the Second Madam raise her head in this courtyard in the future? In the end, she dared not speak out her anger, and she hated the Second Master completely in her heart. Just as she was angry, she heard Xiao Jun's voice:
"Everyone, go away. I have something important to ask Second Madam."
After standing for half a day, everyone was completely confused after hearing the Second Master's nonsensical words. They didn't know what was wrong with the Second Master today. He gathered them all in a hurry in the middle of the day, saying that he was going to lecture them, but they stood there for nearly an hour and no one saw what he was saying. They only saw him carefully helping the newly-accepted concubine, who was much favored, out and sitting together with her. He was so careful, as if he was afraid that Cui Ping would melt.
Everyone had never seen the Second Master pamper a woman in public like this. This time, they really opened their eyes. They wondered what means Cui Ping had used to make the Second Master so obsessed. They didn't care whether it was in accordance with the rules for a concubine to sit on the same level with the master. The master was the rule. They all shut up and stood straight. Now that the Second Madam came in, she sent them away without saying a word. Although they were puzzled , they dared not disobey the master's words. They all responded and left in a line.
These servants had no idea that the Second Master was afraid that Cuiping's leg injury would be exposed when she walked and they would see and make random guesses, so he half-carried Cuiping to the hall. Cuiping was a flirtatious woman, so she didn't care about being so affectionate with the Second Master in front of all the servants. It would be great if everyone in the Xiao Mansion could see this scene.
The Second Master called everyone together today, firstly to prevent the news of Cuiping's injury from spreading and being reported to the First Madam, and secondly to let them testify. Today, when they left the hall, the Second Madam was standing, while Cuiping was sitting. It would be enough for these words to reach the mother's ears.
As for whether to reward or punish Cuiping after they left, that was not up to Cuiping. It was all up to Master Xiao Er to decide as he pleased.
Seeing everyone leave, Xiao Jun waved his hand and sent Si'er away. Only Hongzhu and Zhiqiu were left in the hall. He then ordered Hongzhu to close the door and said to Mengxi:
"I heard that Cuiping kindly cooked a porridge with radix adenophorae and tremella to honor Second Grandma this morning, but Second Grandma punished her by making her kneel down."
"Cui Ping didn't know the rules and violated the rules. I just followed the rules of the house and dealt with her."
Mengxi said as she looked at Cuiping, who was sitting there straight with a timid look on her face. She thought to herself: Who are you pretending for?
Xiao Jun put the cup on the table with a bang and said angrily:
"Cui Ping was trained by my mother herself. How dare you say she has no rules? How could such a coincidence have defiled you? It's obvious that you saw that I doted on her and you were jealous and resentful, so you deliberately humiliated her, Hongzhu!"
Damn, you’re so arrogant, you can even say such a thing!
Mengxi sneered when she heard this, but this was exactly what she wanted, so she stood there calmly, waiting for the Second Master to get even angrier. Zhiqiu was terrified when she heard the Second Master calling for help, thinking that he was going to punish her, so she knelt down with a plop and was about to plead for mercy, but she heard the Second Master say:
"Prepare tea and let Second Madam sit down."
Zhiqiu and Hongzhu were both stunned, even Cuiping's smile froze there. Hongzhu then remembered that she had been talking for a long time, while Cuiping was sitting and Second Grandma was still standing. She hurried forward and helped Second Grandma to sit on the chair on the other side of Second Master.
Mengxi was puzzled as to why the Second Master just said that she was "jealous" in the first sentence and asked her to sit in the next sentence. Shouldn't he have said that she would be divorced? She was confused, but thought that the Second Master would tell her sooner or later, and she just had to listen, so she sat there upright and waited.
Sure enough, Xiao Jun said:
"Master, I really don't believe that today. What's the matter? Master just likes Cuiping. Today I will promote her to be my concubine. Let's see who dares to say anything."
Then he turned to Cuiping and said, " Put tea in the teapot for the Second Madam and show her respect as a concubine."
Several people in the hall were shocked and looked at the Second Master, including Cuiping. But Cuiping was pleasantly surprised. She had never expected that the Second Madam's punishment would allow her to climb up to the position of a concubine. This was something that a maidservant might not be able to achieve even after struggling for several years or her entire life. She secretly felt lucky that the bitter meal in the morning was worth it, even if her legs were broken. However, she did not dare to just accept it. She had to pretend and hurriedly stood up with the help of a chair:
"Second Master, this is against the rules. We should wait until we get back to the old lady and the first wife. Your maid, your maid..."
"What do you mean by following the rules? I am the future head of the family. What's the point of honoring a concubine? I am serving tea to the second mistress."
Cui Ping agreed quickly, knowing that it would be better to make a done deal soon. As for the displeasure of the old lady and the first wife, she had the Second Master to bear the brunt of their anger, so no matter how angry they were, it would not fall on her. Supported by Hong Zhu, she knelt on the ground and took the tea from Hong Zhu, offering it to the Second Master first. The Second Master took a sip, put it on the table, and offered it to the Second Mistress. The Second Mistress took a sip and said:
"After drinking this cup of tea, I should call you Aunt Cui from now on. Second Master respects you, so you must remember Second Master's kindness and serve him well, and don't make any mistakes. After all, our Xiao Mansion is an aristocratic family. If you break the rules again in the future and make people laugh at you, it will be a slap in the face of Second Master and me, and they will laugh at me for not managing the family well. Then I will act according to the family rules, so you must listen carefully."
Mengxi saw that Cuiping was really ignorant. Even though the Second Master doted on her and allowed her to sit, that was in private. Now, in front of so many people, especially with her mistress coming in, she should stand up no matter how serious her injury was. But she just sat there with a clear conscience. If this matter got to the old lady, it would be useless no matter how much the Second Master doted on her. The old lady hated it most to have servants climbing over the head of the master, so she warned her.
Mengxi really wronged Cuiping with what she said. No matter how brave Cuiping was, she was not brave enough to accept the Second Madam's coming in. She was still sitting there. However, Mengxi and everyone else didn't notice that Cuiping was about to stand up, but was secretly held down by the Second Master with his hand.
After hearing what Mengxi said, the Second Master was not happy and said:
"I think Second Madam has the most rules in this courtyard. There is a quiet garden to the east of First Madam's Plum Garden. The layout inside is quite elegant and it is more spacious than the Plum Garden. I will give it to you today. Let's call it Begonia Courtyard. I will send someone to clean it up this afternoon and move in on a certain day. This way, Second Madam won't be an eyesore in this courtyard."
After Xiao Jun finished speaking, he glanced at Mengxi, but seeing the corners of Mengxi's mouth slightly raised, Xiao Jun also breathed a sigh of relief, and his depressed mood disappeared.
Cuiping smiled happily when she heard this, her eyes were full of twinkling little stars, and she thanked the Second Master in a sweet voice. That voice could make a man feel numb to the bone, but it gave Mengxi goosebumps. She thought, the Second Master has really special taste. There is already a concubine Li in this courtyard, which is enough to kill him, and now there is a concubine Cui. It really is the case that birds of a feather flock together.
