RMSPT _ 06

Chapter : 06

Someone’s Got Her Back, That’s Why She’s So Bold!

Old Madam Liu finally understood the agony the young master had endured yesterday—it was the kind of suffering you couldn’t speak of, and even if you did, no one would believe you.

Lady Meng was about to rise when something occurred to her, and she sat back down. She called out, “Let her wait in the corridor first. Teach her some manners.”

This was Chu Yun’s first morning call after marrying into the family, and she was determined to give her a proper lesson in humility.

With that, Lady Meng began removing the hairpins from her coiffure one by one, rummaging through her jewelry box, picking and choosing, and redoing her adornments.

Catching sight of Old Madam Liu’s grimacing face beside her, Lady Meng said airily, “What are you standing there for? Don’t forget the ‘business’ we have to attend to later.”

Old Madam Liu perked up instantly. That’s right—how could she have forgotten the main event!

Once the truth came out later, let’s see how much of that haughty pride the little hussy still had!

A gleam of vindictive pleasure flickered in Old Madam Liu’s eyes. “This old servant will go prepare at once!”

Though the weather was starting to warm, the mornings were still chilly. Xie Zhaoshen was left cooling her heels in the Pine Crane Courtyard, feeling gusts of cold wind seep straight down her collar.

The hour was already late, and seeing the doors still firmly shut, Xie Zhaoshen asked directly, “How much longer?”

The maid of Pine Crane Courtyard was just as haughty as Old Madam Liu. “The mistress is still washing up. The young mistress will have to wait.”

Xie Zhaoshen wasn’t one to indulge such behavior. She turned on her heel and walked off without a second thought, startling the maid into blocking her way. “The young mistress came to pay her respects, didn’t she? Where is the logic in leaving before your mother-in-law has even risen?”

Xie Zhaoshen said, “I didn’t come to pay respects. I came to collect a debt. Since she wants to sleep in, I’ll come back this afternoon.”

The maid was utterly baffled, having no idea what debt she was talking about. But Old Madam Liu had instructed her not to let the young mistress leave, so she continued to block the way.

The commotion outside was considerable. Lady Meng heard it and frowned. Thinking of what was to come, she abandoned her plan to establish dominance and ordered the doors opened to welcome Xie Zhaoshen in.

Once inside, Xie Zhaoshen saw a composed-looking woman seated upright in the main seat—presumably her aunt, Chu Yun’s aunt.

After Xie Zhaoshen had taken her place, Lady Meng glanced at the maid preparing tea. “You may all leave. This is my daughter-in-law’s first morning call after marriage. Naturally, she must brew the tea herself to show her filial devotion.”

The tea-serving maid quietly stepped aside, yielding her place to Xie Zhaoshen.

With a whole house full of maidservants at her disposal, Lady Meng insisted on having her ailing daughter-in-law brew the tea. Moreover, there was no chair by the tea table—whoever brewed it would have to stoop awkwardly. It was clearly a deliberate act of torment.

Zhaixing stood beside Xie Zhaoshen, her face etched with worry. In these past two days, her young lady had been acting far too strangely. Who knew how she would react to Lady Meng’s successive displays of intimidation?

To everyone’s surprise, Xie Zhaoshen said nothing. She walked straight to the tea table, rolled up her sleeves, and got to work.

Lady Meng studied the face before her—one that bore a three-tenths resemblance to her own—and for a moment, she was transported back to the past.

Her relationship with Chu Yun’s mother had been fairly good. Chu Yun’s mother was the legitimate eldest daughter of the household, while Lady Meng was born of a concubine. Fortunately, the matriarch was generous and the eldest daughter kind, so although she didn’t enjoy the same luxuries as her half-sister, she and her mother hadn’t suffered.

In her maiden days, she hadn’t felt much difference between herself and her legitimate sister. It wasn’t until they reached marriageable age that the gulf between them became apparent.

Her sister married the renowned Grand Tutor Chu, while she could only wed a lowly sixth-rank official like Meng Xiaozhang. In the early years, she endured much hardship accompanying Meng Xiaozhang on postings outside the capital. Once he achieved a modicum of success, he took concubine after concubine, siring a steady stream of illegitimate children, and increasingly disrespected her.

When Chu Yun first arrived, Lady Meng had genuinely wanted to treat her niece well. But Meng Xiaozhang constantly grumbled about the cutthroat nature of officialdom—without money to grease palms, promotion would be impossible.

Where was the money to come from?

Naturally, the easiest source was Chu Yun—the wealthy, dependent young heiress living under their roof.

After the first time, it became routine.

Every time she extracted money from Chu Yun, Meng Xiaozhang would stay in her room and treat her and Meng Zhuo with more warmth. Both she and Meng Xiaozhang had tasted the sweetness, and their appetites grew ravenous.

But gradually, Chu Yun began making excuses and dragging her feet. Meng Xiaozhang grew deeply dissatisfied, taking it out on both her and Meng Zhuo, spending every night in his concubines’ chambers.

Lady Meng thought of her legitimate sister—who hadn’t even borne a son yet still enjoyed Grand Tutor Chu’s devotion.

Yet she, after years of toiling for the Meng family, couldn’t even command her husband’s basic respect. Though her sister was already dead, the resentment in her heart only intensified—which was how the idea of pushing Chu Yun into the water had taken root.

Watching the daughter her sister had coddled and treasured—now bowing her head, brewing tea with a servile expression—Lady Meng’s lips curled slightly, a hidden thrill of satisfaction rising within her.

After decades, she had finally outdone her sister.

But the next instant, the smile on Lady Meng’s face began to crack.

By the tea table, the utensils clinked and clattered in Xie Zhaoshen’s hands. As she poured the hot water, her grip slipped, and the scalding liquid splashed straight toward Lady Meng.

Though the tea didn’t actually land on Lady Meng, it gave her a terrible fright.

As the teacup shattered on the floor, Lady Meng let out a shriek and nearly toppled over.

Old Madam Liu rushed to steady her, while the culprit, Xie Zhaoshen, merely shook her hands with an innocent air. “Oh dear, the tea was too hot. I lost my grip and accidentally splashed it.”

Still shaken, Lady Meng glared at her. “Outrageous!”

Xie Zhaoshen’s smile faded as she turned to a maid nearby. “Outrageous! Knowing I was to present the tea, you prepared water this scalding—were you trying to burn my mother-in-law to death?”

The maid who had prepared the water looked utterly wronged. Glancing left and right, she dropped to her knees. “Forgive me, madam, young mistress.”

Lady Meng’s chest heaved with fury. Recalling Old Madam Liu’s words, she looked at her niece again—she truly had changed!

She must think that with General Xie’s arrival imminent, she had someone to back her up—that’s why she was acting so brazen!

Lady Meng gritted her teeth, ready to explode, when Old Madam Liu gave a low cough, snapping her back to reason.

Lady Meng exhaled slowly and sat back stiffly. “Never mind.”

Xie Zhaoshen clattered about once more before finally presenting the tea. Lady Meng took a sip and nearly spat it out.

It was bitter and astringent—had the tea leaves not been prepared in advance, she’d have sworn they’d been steeping for a decade.

Lady Meng was seething inside, but kept a placid expression on her face. “Now that you’ve entered the Meng family, you’re one of us. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask your mother-in-law.”

It was meant to be a polite formality, but Xie Zhaoshen took her at her word. “Since Mother-in-law is so kind, I’ll speak plainly.”

Lady Meng said, “By all means.”

Xie Zhaoshen produced a list from her sleeve. “Over time, the Meng household has borrowed a total of sixty-three thousand seven hundred taels of silver from me, along with silks, satins, gold, and jade, worth roughly another eighty thousand or so taels. I’d like to ask, Mother-in-law—when can this money be repaid?”