The Thing
"Old Madam, a servant woman from the inner courtyard found this and handed it in. It's a serious matter, and I couldn't deal with it myself, so I had to bring it to you."
Lin Yunwan held out a strange object.
At least, it was strange to Zhu Qing. The thing looked like a ceramic box, but when it was opened, there were two little figures inside—a man and a woman, naked and entwined, copulating!
"Ah, this..."
Zhu Qing covered her mouth, afraid she would cry out too loudly.
Who had lost such an obscene thing? If word got out, the Wuding Marquis Residence's reputation for propriety would be utterly ruined! How could the Lu family ever show their faces outside again?
Old Madam Lu knew how serious the matter was, too, and her expression turned very ugly.
"Put it away for now."
She gave Nanny Yan the order in a grave voice.
Nanny Yan found it inauspicious, so she wrapped it in a handkerchief and set it aside.
"Yun Wan, which servant woman found this? Where did she find it?"
Lin Yunwan said, "The woman is waiting in the courtyard. Why don't you ask her yourself, Old Madam?"
Old Madam Lu had been thinking the same thing and summoned the woman.
The woman came in to answer. Knowing how serious the matter was, she was frightened too, and stammered as she spoke. "...The weather's turned hot... I came into the courtyard this morning to sprinkle water, and something caught my eye... it looked very exquisite... I thought it was a piece of jewelry one of the masters had lost... but when I went closer... it turned out to be a thing like this... so I handed it to Madam."
Countless thoughts flitted through Old Madam Lu's mind. After hearing the woman out, she demanded sharply, "You aren't lying?"
"N-no! I wouldn't dare lie!"
The woman shook her hands frantically in fright.
Nanny Yan stepped forward, her face dark. "This is an item forbidden by the Imperial Court. If you dare tell a single lie and Old Madam finds out, you could be beaten to death without anyone shedding a tear!"
The woman prostrated herself on the floor, trembling with fear. "Spare me, Nanny! I'm just a servant who does menial work. How would I dare deceive my masters?"
Judging by her reaction, she did not seem to dare lie.
Old Madam Lu frowned. "All right, you may leave. Keep your mouth shut. If you let a single word slip, you'll be beaten to death without further question!"
The woman was drenched in cold sweat. "I understand."
Lin Yunwan told Zhu Qing to help the woman up, then added, "You took a risk by picking this up and handing it in, so you deserve credit. Come to me for a reward later."
Still shaken, the woman smiled. "Thank you, Madam."
Old Madam Lu did not object. If they did nothing but suppress matters like this, the servants would not dare pick such things up even if they saw them in the future. If everyone found out as a result, the Lu family would truly lose all face.
After the woman withdrew, Old Madam Lu looked at Lin Yunwan, then finally turned to Zhu Qing and asked, "Does this belong to you?"
Zhu Qing hurriedly knelt. "Old Madam, I've only just returned to the residence. How would I dare ask someone to get me such a thing? Even if I weren't afraid to die, the servants would be." Before entering the residence, she had been searched from head to toe and had entered with nothing on her, so there was even less chance she could have brought anything back from the estate.
Old Madam Lu soon formed an idea. Since it did not belong to Zhu Qing, it could not belong to Lin Yunwan either. Otherwise, she would have been too busy hiding it to dare bring the woman and the object to her.
The most likely person was...
Old Madam Lu hesitated before asking, "This is indeed a serious matter. Yun Wan, what do you think we should do?"
Lin Yunwan helped Zhu Qing to her feet and said, "There are many people in the residence. We can't possibly guess whose it is. But it doesn't matter who it belongs to. What matters is that the relatives will be arriving soon. Only our own people know about it now, so we can simply hush it up. But if it comes out in front of the relatives..."
Old Madam Lu and Nanny Yan felt their scalps tingle at once!
They did not dare imagine the consequences if outsiders learned how obscene and depraved the Lu family's inner household was.
Lin Yunwan continued, "The first thing to do now is put the inner courtyard in order before the relatives arrive."
Old Madam Lu said grimly, "It is time to put it in order."
She instructed Lin Yunwan, "Hurry and give everyone a warning. Don't let the relatives laugh at us when they arrive!"
"Yes."
Lin Yunwan left with Zhu Qing.
Old Madam Lu was beside herself with anger. As soon as they were gone, she slapped the table and said to Nanny Yan, "Who else in the residence would use such a filthy thing but her? Go and drag that little hussy here!"
Nanny Yan advised, "Old Madam, if you summon Cousin Miss as soon as Madam has left, won't that only make it more obvious you're trying to cover something up? Why not wait until nightfall, when everyone's suspicions have died down?"
Old Madam Lu thought that made sense and nodded.
Inwardly, though, she wished she could tear Ge Bao'er limb from limb.
"I'm tired. Help me to bed."
Nanny Yan helped Old Madam Lu to rest. Feeling sleepy herself, she curled up on another small couch in the room and took a nap too.
By the time they woke, the residence had been turned upside down.
"What? Searching the inner household?"
Old Madam Lu was instantly wide awake. She sat up in bed, her eyes wide. With her hair still uncombed, she looked thoroughly disheveled.
Nanny Yan panicked too and asked a maid from the courtyard, "How are they conducting the search?"
The maid said, "Madam drew people from the staff under the other Madam, along with several steward nannies: Nanny Yuan, Nanny Xu..."
They were all nannies with real authority in the residence.
Old Madam Lu's heart sank to the bottom of the valley. If they searched this way and got to Ge Bao'er...
This was a disaster!
Nanny Yan dismissed the maid and reassured Old Madam Lu in a low voice, "Don't worry. Madam still wouldn't dare search the Hall of Longevity."
Old Madam Lu's face was ashen. "That's exactly what I'm afraid of—that she won't dare search the Hall of Longevity. Then we won't be able to explain ourselves, no matter what we say."
She glanced at the sky outside. It was not dark yet.
"No, we can't wait any longer. Hurry and warn Ge Bao'er. Tell her to hand over all those filthy things!"
If Lin Yunwan really found them, nothing could be kept hidden.
"I'll go at once."
But it was already too late. Nanny Yan had only just dressed and gone outside when Lin Yunwan and Wei Shi arrived at the Hall of Longevity with a group of people. All the prominent servant women in the residence followed behind her, each one solemn and ready for action.
Nanny Yan had not seen such a grand display in many years.
She was so startled that she stood staring, unsure how to react. Then she hurried back inside to report to Old Madam Lu. "This is bad. Madam has already brought people here. The other Madam is here too!"
Old Madam Lu's expression darkened. Helpless, she said, "Help me up."
Nanny Yan came in and helped Old Madam Lu comb her hair again and change her clothes before she went to meet Lin Yunwan and the steward nannies in the courtyard.
"Old Madam."
Lin Yunwan and Wei Shi both rose to greet the Old Madam when they saw her come out.
As soon as Old Madam Lu sat down, she gave Lin Yunwan a long look and demanded, "Who told you to make such a huge show of force?"
Her face ashen, she said, "Don't you know that making such a commotion will let word leak out? In a few days, rumors of the Marquis's Residence's depravity will be spreading through the whole city like wind and rain!"
Wei Shi looked utterly bewildered.
"Word? What word?"
Wei Shi said, "Old Madam, it was only a maid stealing something of yours. Though it does show that discipline in the household is a little lax, it hardly amounts to depravity..."
"You're making it sound far too serious."
Old Madam Lu was taken aback. Stealing?
Nanny Yan was confused too. Who had stolen something?