Chapter 80: Second Visit to the East Wing
The cousin always went to Aunt Zhang and Aunt Li's doors to rob them, which made the two of them very angry. Especially Aunt Li. Before Miss Xiu came into the mansion, the second master stayed at her place every day. Since Miss Xiu came, the second master went back to the upper room. Occasionally, when he came to the Chrysanthemum Garden, he would be sent away by Miss Xiu before he could finish his words or even sit down. The cousin was so angry that she jumped and cursed in the Chrysanthemum Garden every day, and threw things around. She almost smashed the Chrysanthemum Garden, and then went to Miss Xiu's room to cut that vixen into pieces.
At this moment, she couldn't help but blame the Second Mistress. The Second Master lived in the upper room every day, and she was the only one who could see him and talk to him. Moreover, she was the mistress, but she never tried to persuade the Second Master and just let him do what he wanted. It was immoral for a man and a single woman to live in the same room, which was a disgrace to family ethics and ruined the family tradition. What would it look like if the servants in the garden watched them?
Forget it, the legs are on her body. If the Second Madam doesn't come, then she will go find her. Although they have no common interests, Miss Xiu is ultimately their common enemy. The person who is most threatened by Miss Xiu's entry into the mansion is her Second Madam. Everyone in the mansion can see clearly what Miss Xiu is thinking. She is eyeing the position of the mistress. If Miss Xiu really succeeds, they, as concubines, will only be deprived of favor, but her Second Madam will only be destined to be divorced. The Second Madam wants the position of wife, and she wants exclusive favor. They still have the basis for an alliance. No, it should be the Second Madam who takes the initiative to unite them. But now the Second Madam is too confused to see this point thinks that she was carried in from the main gate in eight sedan chairs, and that she cured the Second Master's illness. She is a meritorious official, the Second Master's benefactor, and is favored by Laojun. No one can do anything to her. That's because she is narrow-minded and doesn't know the methods of the First Madam!
This Second Madam, is she so stupid? Otherwise, how could she be so pretty but still not be able to please the Second Master, and be left alone in the East Wing by the Second Master? After this Xiu girl came into the mansion, she stayed in the East Wing every day and refused to come out. With such a stupid mistress, she, as a smart person, had to whisper in her ear and give her some advice.
After Aunt Li figured this out, she asked several other concubines to come and ask to see Second Madam. After they came several times, Second Madam was either not feeling well and didn't want to see guests, or she happened to be called away by the old lady to relieve her boredom. Except for the time to pay her respects, she was nowhere to be found.
In desperation, several concubines had to remind Second Mistress in words and deeds when they paid their respects every day. It was not good for a girl like her cousin to stay in a man's room every day. It really tarnished her innocence. She would definitely ask Second Mistress to take responsibility. But Second Mistress cleverly changed the subject and said something harsh. Second Mistress's last words were:
"My cousin is the Xiao family's aunt, the apple of the eye of the Second Master and the First Madam's eye. She is a distinguished guest in our courtyard. The servants in the backyard will serve her carefully. Anyone who offends her will bear the consequences."
The Second Mistress emphasized the word "slave" very loudly, making the concubines feel suffocated and their faces turn green.
The Second Mistress was not smart enough, the Second Master was nowhere to be seen, and the cousin was even more untouchable. No matter how cunning Aunt Li was, she was helpless against this shameless Miss Xiu.
He couldn't do anything about his master, and it wasn't that he was afraid of his master's servants. As a result, he took out all his anger on Miss Xiu's servants.
These days, Aunt Li and Aunt Zhang have teamed up to make things difficult for the two servants brought by the cousin. They are naturally fickle. With the young lady and the eldest wife there, a few concubines are nothing. Their young lady is the future mistress of this courtyard, and now she is suppressed by the concubines. How can she survive in the future? So these two girls started to fight openly and secretly with the concubines and servants in various courtyards, causing chaos in the second master's backyard, and the only quiet place left in the entire Xiaoxiang courtyard was the east wing.
As for Mengxi, it's not good for a girl to stay in the man's room every day. It's none of her business if the cousin wants to ruin her reputation. Mengxi's principle is that as long as the cousin doesn't mess with the East Wing, she can do whatever she wants. When the cousin comes, as long as the second master doesn't ask her to come, Mengxi never leaves the East Wing. She only practices calligraphy in the North Wing or goes to the backyard pharmacy to prepare medicine. During this period, she has been studying spices. Of course, the cousin can't remember to invite her over. Since the lunch dispute, Xiao Jun has never asked Mengxi to serve the cousin again, and everyone is at peace.
Leaving the two servants making trouble in the Second Master's backyard, Miss Xiu devoted herself to managing Xiaoxiang Courtyard. For a while, she seemed to be the real master of Xiaoxiang Courtyard. Among the servants in this courtyard, except for the maids and old women in the East Wing, whom she could not control, the rest were ordered around by her. Even Hongzhu and Hongxing were controlled by her, making the whole Xiaoxiang Courtyard a mess and a place where everyone was hated. But seeing that the Second Master did not hear and the Second Mistress did not ask, the servants dared not say anything.
Zhang Xiu sent a maid to watch at the second gate every day. As soon as the second master came back, she would immediately report to Xiaoxiang Courtyard. Of course, she also felt that it was not good to come here every day. She was still a young girl, so she had to have some face. From time to time, she would pester her aunt to invite her cousin over. Of course, the eldest wife was very happy to see this. In her heart, Xiu'er was already the daughter-in-law of her Xiao family. Of course, she would not mind whether it was improper for a girl to stay in the master's room every day. As for the couple, the deeper the relationship, the better. It was a pity that the daughter trained by her sister attached too much importance to the etiquette and was too rule-abiding. Every day, she only knew to talk about chess, piano, calligraphy and painting with Jun'er in the room, pretending to be elegant. How could that be eaten? If Xiu'er could find an opportunity to make a fait accompli with Jun'er, and go to the old lady to make a scene, she would help and push it from behind, and there would be no worries that this annoying second wife would not be divorced. However, how could the daughter of a second-rate merchant be compared with the daughter of the current imperial censor!
The human heart is never satisfied. It has been like this since ancient times. Otherwise, why do they say that human greed is like a snake swallowing an elephant? Besides, Zhang Xiu came to Xiaoxiangyuan every day. She was careful at the beginning, but as time went by, she saw that the second wife and the concubines did not dare to say anything, which made her more determined to become the mistress of Xiaoxiangyuan. Naturally, the East Wing became one of her concerns. She tried to enter it several times but failed, so it became a thorn in her side, and she became more determined to go in.
Just like that little bitch who has taken a fancy to a piece of land and must urinate around it to declare that the land belongs to her, Miss Xiu has always thought that Xiaoxiang Courtyard will be hers sooner or later, and the East Wing is no exception. She had gone to see it and felt relieved. Now that she can't see it, it seems as if there is still a place in Xiaoxiang Courtyard that is not under her control. How can she accept that?
One day, while the Second Master was not in the courtyard, Miss Xiu came to visit her cousin's wife for the first time. But by chance, the Second Mistress was not at home and the door to the east wing was locked. The cousin looked at Zhixia and Zhidong who were waiting on the side and said:
"I have been here these days, but I haven't seen my cousin's wife. It's been a while since I last saw her. I really miss her. The days are long in the summer, and we have nothing to do. Today, we two sisters-in-law must have a good chat. Zhixia, did your grandmother tell you where she went when she went out? Go and ask your cousin's wife to come back and tell her that I am waiting for her in this yard."
"My dear cousin, Second Madam and Zhiqiu and Zhichun left early in the morning and didn't say where they were going."
"She didn't tell me about the huge Xiao Mansion. You can search for her one courtyard at a time. When you find her, tell her that you miss her. Wait for her at the east wing door. Hongzhu, bring a chair over, bring Xiaoji out, and serve her a pot of tea."
Seeing this, Zhixia had no choice but to agree, turned around and left Xiaoxiangyuan to find the second wife.
Hongzhu had already moved out a chair and placed it at the door of the east wing. Two maids also brought out a small stool and served tea. Miss Xiu sat on the chair and drank the tea leisurely. Today, she was determined to fight with her cousin's wife.
