Chapter 357
The gate attendant looked at the few people descending from the carriage with an arrogant expression. If it were any other day, with Qiu Jingyuan adorned in gold and silver, Wang Er would not have dared to be disrespectful.
However, it had not been long since Qiu Jinyu’s death. Although Qiu Jingyuan, as her sister, was not wearing mourning attire, her clothes were of the simplest colors and styles. Her hair lacked pearl hairpins and ornaments, only a silver hairpin.
Coupled with the constant anxiety of the past few days, Qiu Jingyuan’s complexion was poor, and she looked somewhat disheveled. Fortunately, her naturally proud and overbearing nature remained, and her imposing demeanor was still present.
“Seeking an audience with my lady?” Wang Er sneered, looking dismissively at the old woman who spoke. “Alright, go back where you came from. Do you think our lady is easy to meet? Any Tom, Dick, or Harry dares to come knocking. Hurry up and leave, don’t stand at the door and block the way.”
Lord Pang was currently only a fifth-rank Tongzhi, but everyone in Suzhou Prefecture knew that Prefect Zhang was about to retire, and the successor to the prefect’s position would undoubtedly be Tongzhi Pang. This was because Tongzhi Zhao was rigid and stubborn, and his actions were inflexible. Prefect Zhang had always relied on Tongzhi Pang.
Before and after the New Year, people submitting visiting cards to the Pang residence were as numerous as carp crossing a river. Madam Pang was not an arrogant person and had declined most of them. Just as the steward had said, it was crucial to remain steady during critical times.
Wang Er treated Qiu Jingyuan as one of those people who wanted to curry favor with the Pang residence. With no elder female relative present, only a young girl, Wang Er curled his lips in disdain, wondering which ill-mannered minor family she belonged to.
The old woman, with a fawning smile, slipped a five-tael silver ingot. “Please trouble yourself to announce her, Miss Qiu is here. I believe your lady is aware.”
If it were in the past, the old woman’s demeanor would have been even more imposing than Wang Er’s. What was the Pang residence? At most, it was a fourth-rank prefect, which was nothing compared to the Qiu family of Qianzhong Dao!
But now that the third branch of the Qiu family was about to collapse, the servants attending Qiu Jingyuan knew this clearly. However, they had signed indentures, and their entire families were with the Qiu family. Even with trepidation, they had to return to Qianzhong Dao first before making any plans.
The five taels of silver were smoothly tucked into his sleeve. Wang Er glared and drove them away again. “Don’t you understand human speech? I told you to leave, so hurry up. My lady has no time.”
“What do you think you are!” Qiu Jingyuan was furious. She lunged forward, disregarding her status, and raised her hand to slap Wang Er across the face. “A watchdog dares to act high and mighty towards this young lady!”
With a crack, not only was Wang Er stunned, but the two other gate attendants beside him were also dumbfounded. They dared to resort to violence at the Pang residence’s gate. Was this hitting Wang Er? This was slapping the face of Tongzhi Pang!
“You dog-eyed, looking-down-on-people dog!” Qiu Jingyuan’s voice was sharp. The emotions suppressed for days erupted uncontrollably. She raised her foot again and kicked at Wang Er.
Seeing this, Dong Yan quickly stepped forward. However, looking at Qiu Jingyuan, who was like a madwoman beating someone, Dong Yan ultimately did not intervene. Although Qiu Jingyuan had been subservient to Zhan Feiyu that morning, she was still shouting and hitting her servants. Even though Dong Yan was a martial maid, she had been hit by teacups thrown by Qiu Jingyuan.
Qiu Jingyuan, confident in her noble status, treated her servants as less than animals. Even though the third branch was collapsing, Qiu Jingyuan was unwilling to admit it in her bones. She further asserted her noble status by scolding and beating her servants.
A quarter of an hour later.
The farce at the Pang residence’s main gate finally ended. The guards acted with restraint, and with Dong Yan protecting her, Qiu Jingyuan only looked somewhat disheveled but was not injured.
However, the two Qiu family guards who accompanied her were unlucky. They were beaten black and blue, which served as revenge for Wang Er.
In the backyard, Madam Pang was brewing tea. Upon hearing the steward’s report, her hand paused slightly as she poured the tea. “The young lady from the third branch of the Qiu family?”
“Reporting to Madam, Miss Qiu is here to see Young Master Qian,” the steward replied. The steward recalled the scene he had witnessed at the gate earlier. If she hadn’t announced herself, who would have thought that such a shrewish girl was the daughter of the Qiu family of Qianzhong Dao.
Logically, since it involved Qian Shipeng, this matter should have been handled by Tongzhi Pang. However, he was on duty at the yamen at the moment, so the steward had to ask Madam Pang for instructions.
“Take her to the guest courtyard,” Madam Pang said softly, her hand as white as jade picking up the teapot to pour tea again. “If it has nothing to do with Master, then so be it. If it involves Master, then drive her out of the residence.”
“Yes,” the steward replied. Madam was asking him to eavesdrop on their conversation. Although it was somewhat against the rules, it was necessary to handle it cautiously when it involved Master.
…
Qian Shipeng had stayed at the Pang residence for two days, and his悬着的心 (xuánzhe de xīn - anxious heart) finally relaxed. He had truly feared that the Imperial Guards would suddenly appear in the middle of the night to take his life.
“Young Master, if Zhao Yi and the others refuse to budge, Tongzhi Pang might release He Nuan.” The servant attending Qian Shipeng gently applied medicine to his wound and carefully wrapped it with gauze.
He Nuan insisted that she had accidentally stepped on the saber on the ground, which had then scratched Qian Shipeng’s wrist. Qian Shipeng’s lawsuit, however, asserted that He Nuan had intentionally injured him. With both sides sticking to their stories, the outcome depended on the testimonies of others at the inn.
But it so happened that Zhao Yi and the other fops claimed they hadn’t seen anything, and the greedy innkeeper Zhu also insisted he hadn’t seen anything, which greatly angered Qian Shipeng. He wanted to coerce and induce, but he was afraid that Zhan Feiyu’s side would seize the opportunity to find fault with him, which would be counterproductive.
He looked down at his red and swollen right wrist. With one arm disabled, he didn’t want Zhan Feiyu to demand compensation with just some silver. Was there such a cheap thing in this world!
Qian Shipeng’s eyes turned a bit more sinister. Prefect Zhang wanted to pledge allegiance to a noble person in the palace, so he would have to handle this case perfectly. Otherwise…
“Young Master Qian,” the steward’s voice sounded from outside the door. “Young Master Qian, Miss Qiu is here…”
Before the steward could finish speaking, Qiu Jingyuan’s sharp voice rang out, “Qian Shipeng!”
Fortunately, after venting at the gate, Qiu Jingyuan had lost her strength. She could only glare fiercely at Qian Shipeng, who had walked to the door, no longer having the strength to pounce and fight.
“Cousin Jingyuan.” Qian Shipeng’s eyes lit up instantly, like a dog seeing a bone. He eagerly stepped over the threshold and strode towards Qiu Jingyuan, his lecherous expression truly sickening. “Cousin, you know I’m injured, so you came specifically to visit me?”
Dong Yan quietly stepped aside, her gaze curiously appraising Qian Shipeng. This brainless dandy actually had the courage to file a lawsuit at the yamen. Wasn’t he afraid of Zhan Feiyu retaliating?
Zhan Feiyu’s reputation was now well-known in Linzhou Prefecture. Not only was she a disciple of Scholar Gu, but everyone also knew that the young master of the General’s mansion, Yang Xu, had a close relationship with Zhan Feiyu. On the day the barbarians attacked the city of Xiangwu, Zhan Feiyu seemed to have broken through the encirclement to rescue people at Aozi Pass.
Furthermore, the reclusive elder Mr. Qiu, the solitary fisherman, had declared that Miss Zhan was also his disciple. This caused the scholars in Linzhou Prefecture to become envious and jealous, their eyes red. If they could be given even one of the two teachers, would they still worry about their future prospects?
Although Dong Yan had little contact with Qian Shipeng, she knew of his character as a dandy who bullied men and women. The beautiful maids in the Qian family had often been harassed by Qian Shipeng. Fortunately, the person in charge of the Qian family was Madam Qian, and Qian Shipeng, as a concubine’s son, did not dare to act too outrageously. At most, he would only touch and grope.
Qiu Jingyuan looked at the lecherous Qian Shipeng with disgust, her delicate face filled with anger. She did not hesitate to scold him, “Qian Shipeng, if you want to die, don’t drag me down! You go to the yamen immediately and withdraw the lawsuit, or I’ll make sure you can’t eat and walk!”
“You, a bastard born of a concubine, let alone losing an arm, Zhan Feiyu didn’t take your life out of consideration for my great-aunt and me. What do you think you are, daring to go to the yamen to file a complaint? Qian Shipeng, don’t forget that your mother’s life is still in my great-aunt’s hands!”
This crude statement was not unreasonable. A son born of a concubine was still considered half a master, but what was a concubine? At best, she was a slightly better indentured maid or servant, meant to entertain the masters. Merchants often played freely in private, and beautiful concubines were often given away as commodities. “You, a bastard born of a concubine, let alone losing an arm, Zhan Feiyu didn’t take your life out of consideration for my great-aunt and me. What do you think you are, daring to go to the yamen to file a complaint? Qian Shipeng, don’t forget that your mother’s life is still in my great-aunt’s hands!”
This crude statement was not unreasonable. A son born of a concubine was still considered half a master, but what was a concubine? At best, she was a slightly better indentured maid or servant, meant to entertain the masters. Merchants often played freely in private, and beautiful concubines were often given away as commodities.