CHAPTER 20

Jiegeng felt that this old woman was very rude, but upon hearing that it was Madam Zhao that sent her over, she was taken aback and could only lower herself to greet, “May Momo not blame me for the neglect just now.”

This old woman snorted arrogantly, and just as she was about to scold Jiegeng, she saw Chu Jinyao waving her hand to speak to Jiegeng. “I’ve already told you many times to restrain your temper, but you always don’t listen. It is a fortunate thing that Momo is sent over by Madam and is broadminded; thus, she would not be calculative with you. Let’s see if you will dare to be like this the next time.”

Jiegeng knelt down and quickly said, “This servant dares not. May the young lady forgive.”

“Alright, go and place the stuff in the study first. This is the homework that was assigned by the two Momos from Wang Residence. If there are any mishaps, I will hold you accountable.”

Jiegeng lowered her head as she ran in like a wisp of smoke. The old woman called out twice but was unable to stop her. The old woman saw that Chu Jinyao had the heart to protect the maid and felt uncomfortable in her heart. She had thought that the Fourth Young Lady and Madam had spoken correctly. Fifth Young Lady’s courtyard did not have any established rules, and since Madam sent her over to show Fifth Young Lady the right path, she must rectify the common practices at Fifth Young Lady’s.

Chu Jinyao’s waist and legs were very sore, but even so, she still forced out a smile and took two steps to ask, “How does one refer to Momo?”

The old woman straightened her back and said arrogantly, “This old servant is surnamed Sun.”

“Greetings to Momo Sun.” Chu Jinyao smiled. “Since you are sent by Mother, you are an elder and cannot be neglected. Dingxiang, clean up a room, and take Momo Sun to rest.”

Ding Xing headed off along with the instructions, but after a few steps, she could hear Momo Sun speaking, “Fifth Young Lady, Eldest Madam sent me to rectify the regulations here for you. This old servant would say something truthful. You might not like to listen, but your courtyard’s rules are too lacking. It is in no way comparable to the orderliness of the Fourth Young Lady. Young Lady, you are still young and do not know of the evil in one’s heart. The inner courtyard looks glamorous on the surface, but there are many hidden things. Young Lady has a lot of matters to attend to daily and would not remember what jewelry is in which box. When days like that pass, one would not be able to guarantee that some greedy servant would take your jewelry out secretly to sell. Thus, Eldest Madam sent me over, and the first urgent matter is to educate you on house management so as to not be bullied by the servants below.”

Chu Jinyao had secretly become angry as this old maid literally climbed all over. She had initially wanted to give her a high status and afterwards just give her offerings, as long as she did not disturb her. However, it seemed that this old maid’s hands were long.

Sure enough, Momo Sun paused before saying, “Young Lady, where are the keys to the clothes and jewelry? You are young, and one fears you will be deceived by the servants below. It is better to leave it with this old servant for safekeeping.”

“There is no need to tire Momo.” Chu Jinyao’s face became cold. “These things are managed by me. This is my habit at home, so I would not be deceived by others. Since Momo is sent by Mother, then I should support her well. How could one let Momo worry about such things? This would be me being unfilial.”

Chu Jinyao had used the reasoning of filial piety but as the saying went, even a XiuCai (scholar who passed the county Imperial exams) would never win an argument with a soldier. This old maid had a thick face and did not care what Chu Jinyao said. She only clung onto the words, “Madam sent me to take care of Fifth Young Lady so this old servant has to worry about clothes and jewelry. If Young Lady is unwilling, then this old servant has to reason out with Madam.”

This was extremely rampant. Chu Jinyao’s face was sullen, “Then go ahead. Dingxiang, prepare the brush and ink, I want to review my homework.”

After Chu Jinyao gave the instructions, she headed to the main room without looking back. Momo Sun was somewhat stunned. She had thought that Chu Jinyao would dare to be this tyrannical. All the young ladies in the inner courtyard were soft, delicate and acted in a roundabout way. How would Chu Jinyao dare to speak of it directly?

Momo Sun yelled out, “I came from Madam Zhao. Madam said…”

Chu Jinyao said calmly, “Dingxiang, pass the word around. I am going to study and no one is allowed to speak loudly. If anyone disturbs me and delays me from learning from the Wang residence’s Momos, then I will go to Grandmother to seek justice.”

Although Chu Jinyao said it to Dingxiang, the direction of the message was very clear. Momo Sun was speechless as Chu Jinyao turned her head and looked at everyone coldly before walking in after parting the curtain.

When she got into the inner room, Jiegeng was in the study, not daring to go out. She had also heard the commotion outside and upon looking at Chu Jinyao at this moment, she was practically worshipping “Young Lady.”

Chu Jinyao felt extremely upset and said to Jiegeng, “She is still yelling outside. So bear with it first and stay in the Western room for a while. When she gets tired of yelling, then you can go out.”

Jiegeng responded clearly, “Yes.”

The study quickly calmed down. The maids knew Chu Jinyao’s habit of not having anyone waiting on her in the study. When there was no one else, Chu Jinyao gave out a long sigh.

Qin Yi burst out into laughter. “What is the matter? Weren’t you being so awe-inspiring just now? Why sigh?”

“I did not have such a violent temper originally.” Chu Jinyao continued, “One takes color from one’s surroundings. Sure enough, what did you turn me into?”

If someone dared to talk to Qin Yi like this during normal times, he would have instructed others to clean them up. However, when he heard Chu Jinyao’s words now, he could not help but laugh: “You have to be reasonable and not blame me for everything.”

Chu Jinyao could not hold her expression and laughed lightly. She laughed for a while, and her tone changed to a sorrowful one. “It is easier to invite God than to send God away. How can I send this great Buddha away?”

Qin Yi did not speak as he materialised from the jade pendant. He sat down on the table leisurely and flipped through the book casually. Chu Jinyao pretended to be pitiful but found that Qin Yi did not fall for it and hurried around the other side of the table, sitting opposite him, laying her hands on the table as she tugged his arm. “Qi Ze, what must be done?”

Qin Yi looked up and smiled at Chu Jinyao. “I do not know either. Think about it yourself.”

“I just can’t figure it out; that’s why I looked for you!” Chu Jinyao continued to act coquettishly and finally said, “If you do not tell me, then I will cry.”

Qin Yi cast her a light glance and said, “Then cry.”

Chu Jinyao finally knew where the familiar feeling came from. When Momo Sun said that she would be complaining to Madam Zhao, Chu Jinyao said, ‘then go ahead’. That manner and tone of voice were exactly the same as Qin Yi’s ‘then cry’!

Chu Jinyao thought that it was surely retribution. She pouted, was cautious but continued tugging his arm, looking at him with that pitiful look. Qin Yi’s brows did not move at all but he held the book in his hands for a while without even turning a page.

Qin Yi could no longer bear it and closed the book before saying calmly, “You are truly getting bolder.”

Chu Jinyao immediately smiled, “I knew that you wouldn’t not care about me.”

Qin Yi felt helpless and funny, “This is really retribution.”

Chu Jinyao revealed an attitude of being obediently educated and even poured a cup of tea for Qin Yi. He was previously putting on a stern face but upon seeing her like this, he could not help but glare at her angrily and laugh.

“Momo Sun is given to you by your mother and I don’t need to tell you for you would know who is instigating the matter. With this person present, it is troublesome for you when you see Madam Zhao.”

“I understand.” Chu Jinyao sighed, “It was clearly Chu Jinmiao who grew up here and she is also the one who assumed my rank and status. I have not stood against her but instead she has targeted me.”

“There is no end to a human’s heart.” Qin Yi knew he was leaving sooner or later. Originally, when Chu Jinyao encountered any difficulty, Qin Yi would help her solve it but now that he knew that he would be leaving soon, he no longer helped her stop the matter and instead taught her all these schemings against others, little by little. “It is a good thing that she took the initiative to make a move. Even if she did not do anything, I would have provoked her into taking action. Now, you are the one who is accused unjustly and have all the logic at your side. Be it that old woman or that your mother is biased, one does not need to be bothered by it. Rest assured and indulge that old woman. Let her be as rampant as possible. When the opportunity arises, you can disclose everything to the person in charge and show it to everyone. This move is called ‘stay immobile and kill with a blow’.”

Chu Jinyao nodded her head with some understanding, “You are saying that I should deliberately show some weakness and let Momo Sun be more rampant and finally make an intolerable mistake, making Grandmother intervene to deal with me?

“That is exactly so.” Qin Yi continued, “If you have a high enough status, you can do what you want to do directly. However, you cannot do it now and only do things in a roundabout manner, sparing no efforts to gain pity in front of the elders. And your father, Chu Jing, is one who can differentiate things. You should accidentally reveal what Chu Jinmiao did to you but it is enough to reveal a little so that he can investigate the rest by himself. Since your mother is biased, you can only find another way to let Chu Jing see what kind of life you live in the inner courtyard.”

Chu Jinyao had understood completely. She nodded, “I understand. To put it bluntly, the disputes of the inner courtyard are the same as those in the village, but they cover themselves with a blanket of passiveness, as if everything is done reactively and one is compelled to do everything.”

It turned out that in the Su family, if anyone were to ask Chu Jinyao for the keys to the family money, she would definitely scold them to death and also reason with the others in the village. No one would be able to say that she was wrong and she had been able to stand on her feet because she was right, be it in feelings or reasoning. However, now in the Marquis residence, things could be done so straightforwardly. If she were to really scold Momo Sun, everyone would only say that she was not filial and not why she did it.

Since the environment was different, the methods of dealing with things were completely different. Chu Jinyao was trying hard to adapt to the new rules in the Marquis residence.

“Yes, it is exactly so.” Qin Yi smiled, “Men often like innocent and weak females. When you are too strong, it is instead harder to please.”

“Men are all like this? Can’t they tell that all this is fake?”

Qin Yi was stunned at the questions. He was used to seeing such a situation in the Inner Palace, but when he saw Chu Jinyao’s bright eyes, he could only avoid them before he spoke, “Not all men are like this.”

“How about you?” Chu Jinyao blurted out without waiting for him to finish.

“Me?” Qin Yi smiled. “I have too many things to do. Matters between male and women are far from my plans.”

Chu Jinyao had asked that question recklessly and she herself was somewhat shocked after she spoke. However, upon listening to his answer, she felt a somewhat unfathomable emptiness in her heart. Suppressing those inexplicable thoughts, she smiled at him. “You are right. Men are all fickle in love. It would be better to focus on one’s matter when one has that energy; after all, living one’s life well is the most important. As for love, it is all fabricated.”

Qin Yi rationally thought that Chu Jinyao’s words were logical, but there was something wrong with it psychologically. He frowned as he said, “You are a girl. Don’t keep on talking about love all day. How old are you now? You cannot keep on thinking about marrying.”

“Who thought about it?” Chu Jinyao was annoyed and retorted immediately, unwilling to be outdone. Both of them spoke consecutively as the evening light slowly disappeared.

On the next day, when Chu Jinyao went to give her morning greeting to Madam Zhao, she saw Chu Jinmiao sitting by Madam Zhao’s side when she entered, passing Madam Zhao’s peeled orange. By Madam Zhao stood Momo Sun.

Chu Jinyao then knew that she had been accused.

“Mother.” Her facial expression was calm, pretending not to know anything, she greeted Madam Zhao with her normal bearing.

Madam Zhao placed her hand on the table and the gold bracelet on her wrist bumped onto the surface of the table, making a crisp sound. “I heard from Momo Sun that you refused to comply with being disciplined and even contradicted her deliberately?”

Momo Sun folded her hands, looking aggrieved, while Chu Jinmiao bowed her head, concentrating on peeling the oranges, without even raising her hand to take a glance.

Chu Jinyao calmly retorted, “Mother, from where do you speak of this matter?”

“Momo Sun has told me in detail about it. She went to teach you discipline and even if you contradicted her, you actually were very rude to her in front of everyone. Do you still have me, your biological mother, in your eyes?”

“Mother, so you also know that you are my biological mother.” Chu Jinyao looked at Madam Zhao and said each word clearly, “Why do you not ask me about what happened? Momo Sun came to my courtyard, yelling. I had only returned from Momo Hua and did not even have time to sit down and drink some water when I heard her say that, with your orders, she was here to retrieve the keys to my clothes and jewelry.”

Chu Jinyao raised her head as she looked at Madam Zhao. “Mother, is this what you instructed her to do? To not care about distinguishing right from wrong and grasping all my wealth into her hands so that she can restrain me.”

Madam Zhao frowned as she looked at Momo Sun. She had instructed Momo Sun to manage Chu Jinyao’s servants so that they would not tread all over Chu Jinyao. Why did this old woman rashly ask for the keys from her? In the inner courtyard, clothes and jewelry are the greatest possessions for females. If it weren’t one’s trusted servants, who would let others touch such things? Madam Zhao’s gaze started to be pressurising, and Momo Sun quickly lowered her head. Madam Zhao’s heart was filled with irritation. “Why did you not speak of this matter just now? Who let you decide on your own?”

“Replying to Madam, it is not this old servant that decided for oneself!”

“Then speak; who instructed you to do this?” Madam Zhao became angry, and her arms were on her hips as she questioned. “I just want to see where you got the courage to act against me from.”

Momo Sun’s back was sweating. She did not dare to speak, but her eyes were secretly looking at Chu Jinmiao. Chu Jinyao was also staring straight at Chu Jinmiao, wanting to see how she would be able to smooth things over.