Cursed and Exposed

What the old servant said was truly revolting.

Ping Ye scolded her. "Just say what happened. Why say such disgusting things in front of Madam?"

How could an old servant who did menial work realize she was being vulgar? She was simply telling the truth.

Ping Ye asked, "Wasn't Qiao Da dismissed from his job in the garden? How did he end up there throwing dung?"

The old servant said timidly, "Qiao Da said he'd left something in the garden and insisted on going in. He's an old hand in the residence, and you know his temper, miss, so the woman at the Gatehouse let him in."

"And then?"

Then things got exciting.

What happened next was not disgusting, but immensely satisfying.

The old servant spoke with her face alight. "A few other women and I were working when we heard a young lady scream. Good heavens, we wondered who it was, and never expected it to be Cousin Miss. By rights, someone in her position isn't married, for one thing, and is a guest in someone else's house, for another. Shouldn't she have behaved herself? But look at her, wandering all over the place and running into Qiao Da. If you ask me, she can't blame anyone else. If she hadn't gone out, would Qiao Da have dared chase her all the way to Old Madam and throw it on her there?"

Ping Ye was delighted to hear it and did not stop the old servant.

The old servant waved her arms as she spoke. "I don't know where Qiao Da got a bucket of dung, or whether he'd hidden it there beforehand. He picked it up and splashed it all over Cousin Miss, cursing her as he threw it. The things he called her were terrible."

"We put down our work and rushed over to see. But the stink was so bad that no one dared go near, so I hurried over to report it to Madam."

Ping Ye held back a laugh. "Wait here. I'll go tell Madam."

She lifted the curtain and went inside, laughing until her stomach hurt. She also gloated under her breath, "Serves her right! That's what she gets for stirring up trouble in front of Old Madam again today. She's just a cousin staying here as a guest, yet she dared speak ill of you, Madam."

At the time, she had been standing just outside the Small Hall in the Hall of Longevity and had heard every word. Ge Bao'er had been the first to accuse their madam of not putting her heart into raising the children.

Ping Ye spat. "Pah! She really thinks she's the mistress here—Madam, how are you going to handle this?"

Wasn't Ge Bao'er after the position of the Lu family's mistress?

Lin Yunwan said, "Given Qiao Da's seniority, the people in the Front Courtyard won't dare do anything to him. If Ge Bao'er could get to the garden, presumably she can get back by herself. There's no need to handle it. Let's wait."

They would wait for Old Madam to come to her and ask her to step in and deal with Qiao Da.

Ping Ye grinned. "That's a good move, Madam. Qiao Da and his son have rendered the Lu family good service, so he can't be dealt with carelessly. Knowing Old Madam, she wants to keep her good name, yet she'll play blind and pretend not to see how much money and effort it takes to make proper arrangements for him. She'll just wait for you to volunteer. But you won't go, and we'll see who gets anxious."

Lin Yunwan remembered her previous life.

She had indeed volunteered to handle it, but Old Madam had disagreed with her methods. In the end, she had had to take money from her own dowry to cover the costs before Qiao Da was properly provided for.

Now, the Lu family were not the only ones who could play blind.

The Hall of Longevity was in complete chaos.

Ge Bao'er stank so badly that no one dared touch her.

Old Madam Lu hid in the Main House and ordered with a dark face, "Shut the doors and windows tight!"

Nanny Yan said, "They're already shut tight, and the cracks have all been stuffed."

"Then why can I still smell it?"

"Well..."

Nanny Yan waved a hand in front of her own nose. She could smell it too.

Old Madam Lu cursed again. "How did they let her into the courtyard? They knew she was covered in dung; they should have dumped her somewhere else! Is everyone in the courtyard blind?"

Nanny Yan could hardly say anything.

Old Madam herself wanted Ge Bao'er under her nose. Ge Bao'er lived in the Side Room, so where else could she go but the Hall of Longevity?

Old Madam Lu was still puzzled. "Why did Qiao Da throw dung on Ge Bao'er? She's a woman of the inner quarters. How could she have offended him?"

"I heard that when Qiao Da was tied up and taken away, he was still cursing Cousin Miss. I suppose it had to do with the things he was cursing her about."

"What did he say?"

Nanny Yan said awkwardly, "I'm embarrassed to repeat it." For someone of her age to say such things would be undignified.

They called in an old servant who had been there to tell them.

After Qiao Da threw the dung, while Ge Bao'er was staring in shock, he pointed at her and cursed her roundly. "You lowly whore! At your age, you're still sponging off someone else's household, drawing a young lady's allowance and enjoying a young lady's treatment, yet you've got the gall to shamelessly go around flirting with men."

"Out in the open, you act the dutiful daughter before Old Madam; behind the scenes, you show yourself off in front of the heir. The young master in the Front Courtyard hasn't even grown his hair in yet, but you rush to bring him things morning and night too. What is it? Hoping you'll fly up onto a branch and become a phoenix someday? Why don't you take a piss and look at your reflection to see if you're worthy!"

"You little whore, you dare squeeze my blood and sweat out of me for your spending money? I'll make you stink from head to toe! From the inside out!"

When the old servant finished, she said nervously, "Th-that's about what he said."

Old Madam Lu's face grew so dark it was dreadful to look at.

Qiao Da's curses had struck right at the heart of the matter. If Ge Bao'er were ever given the position of principal wife, how could people not point fingers behind the Wuding Marquis Residence's back and curse it?

She asked the old servant, "Did everyone in the front and back courtyards hear?"

"They all heard."

Nanny Yan felt a chill across her scalp.

There were many people in the Lu household, and no one knew how many servants of official families lived in the neighboring lanes and alleys. They all had sharp ears.

It would not stop at the Wuding Marquis Residence; within half a day, everyone living nearby would know.

How could Old Madam Lu not have thought of that?

How was Lin Yunwan managing the household, when she could not even settle matters with Qiao Da?

After dismissing the old servant, she clutched her prayer beads and said, "This Qiao Da is a mountain of gunpowder. Sooner or later, he'll blow the Marquis's Residence sky-high. Go tell Yun Wan to hurry and send him far away."

Nanny Yan hesitated before going.

If Qiao Da had been easy to deal with, the residence would have dealt with him long ago. Now that this had happened, he would probably be even harder to deal with.

"Madam, the heir wants to tie Qiao Da up and beat him with boards!"

Ping Ye had heard the news from a young servant stationed at the Second Gate.

Tao Ye said in surprise, "The heir wants to beat Qiao Da? This..."

Even Old Madam did not dare act openly against Qiao Da, for fear of damaging her reputation for kindness. How did the heir dare?

Lin Yunwan had not expected this either.

Lu Zhengliu was actually disregarding even the bonds of propriety.

Then again, what was there that he did not dare do?

Lin Yunwan rose and said coolly, "Let's go."

She left the Drooping Silk Hall with the two maids.

The Front Courtyard.

Qiao Da was tied to a bench, a strip of cloth stuffed in his mouth. He strained his neck and shouted, while the young servants holding the boards did not dare strike. The heir had ordered the beating, but the steward said the heir's wife would not allow it. None of them knew whether they should beat him or not.

Lu Zhengliu strode over and said coldly, "What? Do my words no longer carry any weight in the Lu family?"

The steward replied, "Heir, M-Madam, she..."

Lu Zhengliu gave a cold laugh. "So now there's only Madam in the Lu family, is that it?"

The steward flushed with embarrassment. "No, that's not it."

The heir was certainly still the one in charge.

He waved a hand, and the young servants raised their boards.

"Stop!"

A servant from the Marquis of Wuding's side came over. He was in his forties and had come to deliver a message on Wei Shi's behalf. "Heir, the marchioness and the marquis say you must not beat him."

Lu Zhengliu was so furious that he laughed instead.

She had persuaded his mother and even brought up his father, whose mind was no longer clear, to force him to stop.

Could she really not stand seeing him protect Bao'er that much?

Lu Zhengliu turned and went into the inner courtyard.