You Two, Get Down from There!
With the coming-of-age banquet in such a state, Duke Xu's face was a picture of displeasure.
But he had not forgotten his purpose today. He could only put on a smile and have the steward lead the male guests to the front courtyard.
The female guests, meanwhile, remained in the rear courtyard.
Qin Shuning thought the farce was over for the day. She tugged on Su Luoqian's sleeve, signaling that they should leave.
Su Luoqian swept her gaze around. Sure enough, Xu Jia was nowhere to be seen in the courtyard.
Kong Cuilian, however, was still among the female guests. She was a woman from a humble family, invited today as Xu Yin's close friend.
Now that Lady Xu Liu had taken Xu Yin away, she had no one to rely on. Unwilling to leave just yet, she could only trail at the very back of the group.
In the garden, Lady Xu Wang was the only member of the host family still doing her utmost to play the role of mistress of the house.
Su Luoqian smiled slyly and murmured to Qin Shuning, "Sister-in-law, don't be in such a hurry. Today's show isn't over yet."
No sooner had she spoken than Lady Xu Wang came toward them, followed by a maid carrying a wine cup.
She entered the pavilion and curtsied slightly to Su Luoqian and Qin Shuning, then smiled amiably. "My daughter knows no better and offended Your Highness. I offer Your Highness my apologies on her behalf."
She turned, picked up the cup from the maid's tray, filled it, and raised it. "I hope Your Highness will be magnanimous enough to overlook her offense."
With that, she drained it in one gulp.
Su Luoqian, on the other hand, had only tea at hand.
Her gaze remained undisturbed. Her lovely eyes wandered from the stage to the flower beds beside it, and she made no reply.
Lady Xu Wang humbled herself further. "My daughter has spoiled Your Highness's pleasure. I shall bring her to your residence to apologize another day."
Su Luoqian wiped the slender fingers she had used to pick up a pastry with her handkerchief and said leisurely, "There's no need to come and apologize. I can't bear the second Miss Xu's temper."
Lady Xu Wang had not expected to placate Su Luoqian with just a few words. As it happened, a play onstage had just ended, so she offered her the playbill. "Your Highness, please see if there's anything you'd like to hear. Today's stage is yours to command."
She was gracious and dignified, presenting herself as the mistress of the house. There was no fault to be found in her words or conduct.
In fact, Lady Xu Wang had already thought it through on her way over.
Before everyone's eyes, Xu Yin had indeed offended Su Luoqian at the banquet. Now that Lady Xu Liu had taken Xu Yin away, Lady Xu Wang had come forward as an elder of the family, displaying an understanding of reason and the bigger picture.
Whatever Su Luoqian thought of Xu Yin, outsiders would see the difference between the principal wife and the co-equal wife of Duke Xu's Residence.
The abacus in Lady Xu Wang's mind clattered as she calculated.
But after accepting the playbill, Su Luoqian merely leafed through it, looking thoroughly uninterested.
Lady Xu Wang recalled how much more interested she had clearly been in the scenery of the rear garden before the banquet. "The flowers in the rear garden are in full bloom. It's the perfect time to see them. Would Your Highness and the Crown Princess be interested in going together?"
Only then did Su Luoqian lift her eyelids slightly and give her an expressionless glance. "Then let everyone come along."
Lady Xu Wang understood at once and stepped aside to lead the way. "This way, please."
The area before the stage grew quiet as the women went together to the rear garden.
Lady Xu Wang led the way, with Su Luoqian and Qin Shuning following right behind her.
Qin Shuning looked puzzled, but seeing the reassuring look Su Luoqian gave her, she set her mind at ease.
The group came to a rockery and stream, the very place where Su Luoqian had heard Xu Jia meeting her male cousin in secret.
The stream flowed into a small pond nearby. A covered walkway ran alongside the pond, with a guest room just across it.
Su Luoqian glanced at the guest room, then looked away and continued chatting with Lady Xu Wang as though nothing were amiss.
The atmosphere gradually relaxed.
Seeing this, the other women also put their minds at ease and admired the flowers.
The koi in the pond were lively, and the group headed toward it. But as soon as they drew near, they heard strange sounds coming from the guest room.
"...Do you like it like this, cousin?"
"...Cousin, mm..."
Many of the women were unmarried. One asked curiously, "What's that sound?"
Someone beside her tugged at her sleeve, signaling that she should not ask further.
A variety of expressions played across their faces, all wearing an indescribable look, as though they had glimpsed a secret of the duke's residence.
Lady Xu Wang stood at the front of the group and heard the sounds from the room most clearly. Her face alternately flushed and paled.
Someone in the crowd spoke up in a low voice. "Aren't you going in to take a look, Madam?"
"...Yes. See which outrageously audacious servant is daring to sully the duke's residence's reputation with such lewdness."
Under everyone's gaze, Lady Xu Wang clenched her handkerchief.
Nearby, maids from the various households were already taking the unmarried young ladies aside.
Lady Xu Wang flung the door open with a bang.
The two people inside jumped in fright. Xu Jia did not even have time to stop the moan escaping her lips before she fell forward onto the man in alarm.
The two hurriedly groped for their clothes on the bed to cover themselves.
Through the translucent gauze curtains, the noble ladies could all make out the people inside.
Xu Jia was on top.
Even Su Luoqian had not expected the two of them to be... shameless to this extent.
But she still did not turn away, watching coldly through the gauze curtains.
Qin Shuning, beside her, looked as though she were watching a play.
"So it's the eldest Miss Xu..."
"This... this..."
"Is it really the eldest Miss Xu?"
"The second Miss Xu just offended the princess consort at her coming-of-age banquet, and now the eldest Miss Xu has gone and had a tryst with her own cousin. Duke Xu's Residence has lost every scrap of its reputation."
The murmurs around them continued. Lady Xu Wang's face flushed red with rage, and she shouted, "You two, get down from there!"
Xu Jia clutched her clothes around herself and pushed the man beneath her. She was about to get up, only to discover—
She could not move.
The two struggled on the bed for quite a while longer, with constant rustling and shuffling.
The others in the room were mortified to hear it.
But it was still no use.
Xu Jia's hair was disheveled, and the flush had yet to fade from her face. She broke down, crying out from the bed, "Mother, Mother... there's no way..."
Several senior matrons of the duke's residence hurriedly lifted the gauze curtains and went in.
Even though these old servants were accustomed to all manner of scenes in the inner household, their aged faces could not help turning red at the sudden sight.
They all exerted themselves together, but still had no success.
The ladies gathered at the door craned their necks, peering curiously inside.
Some eager for a spectacle had already secretly sent their matrons and maids to spread the news to the front courtyard.
Su Luoqian stood to one side, her beautiful eyes cold as she watched it all without much expression.
Xu Jia's cries on the bed grew louder, mingling with the man's voice and the voices of the senior matrons soothing her.
Lady Xu Wang's chest heaved violently, her anger rising.
Inside, Xu Jia saw the commotion outside through the gauze curtains. At last, unable to bear it any longer, she let out a scream.
"Ah—!"
"Mother, make them get out! Make them get out!"
The secluded guest room was thrown into chaos.
At her wit's end, Lady Xu Wang took a deep breath and turned around, her face ashen. "Please, everyone, go home for now. Duke Xu's Residence has failed in its duties as host today. The coming-of-age ceremony... is over."