Xie Jinqiu did not want the matter to blow up, so he summoned everyone to the Front Hall to deal with it, with the servants who had witnessed the incident gathered around.
Everyone fought back the smiles tugging at their lips, not daring to laugh aloud.
Qing Da vividly reenacted every word Xie Jinzhao had said and every move he had made.
He was also itching to punch Xie Jinzhao.
"You mangy slave, you dare hit me! So what if something really did happen between your daughter and me? I'm the master, and she's a servant. It's her good fortune that I took a fancy to her!"
"This is the Marquis's Residence. Do you think a slave like you can turn the heavens upside down here?"
Now that Xie Jinzhao had put his clothes on, he spoke with much more confidence.
He had been so flustered earlier that he had forgotten he was the master.
But the moment he said that, Qing Da pointed at him and shouted to everyone, "Did you hear that? He's admitted it!"
Xie Jinzhao's expression darkened. If there had not been so many people present, he would have charged over and beaten Qing Da to death.
The thought that so many people had seen him stark naked left him utterly humiliated, yet he also felt a certain thrill.
Xie Jinqiu said, "Third Brother, how could you be so foolish? You spend your days drinking and carousing outside. What sort of woman couldn't you get? Why set your sights on a maid in the Marquis's Residence? As far as I'm concerned, you're in the wrong!"
Xie Jinzhao gave a crooked smile. "Fourth Brother, we're both concubine-born sons. What gives you the right to tell me what to do?"
"Eldest Sister-in-Law put me in charge of the household. That gives me the authority to deal with this!" Xie Jinqiu's face darkened.
This Third Brother of his had always looked down on every brother except the legitimate sons.
Relying on the favor he had curried with Madam Li, he had long been doing whatever he pleased in the residence.
"You're in charge? Are you the Heir Apparent? Do you have the Matriarch's Jade Pendant?" Xie Jinzhao sneered.
Xie Jinqiu was left speechless.
"Third Brother, are you truly determined to drag both your own reputation and the Marquis's Residence's through the mud?"
"They're just a servant or two. What disgrace could they bring? There isn't even anyone managing the inner household now. If you ask me, if Qing Sheng is willing, I'll simply take her as a concubine."
"If she isn't, I'll throw her and her old father out of the Marquis's Residence. Then we'll see who dares breathe another word of this outside!"
The moment Xie Jinzhao said those words,
all the servants shut their mouths in shock.
The women overseeing the household also stared at the Third Master in astonishment.
Qing Da glared so fiercely his eyes seemed ready to split, fixing Xie Jinzhao with a vicious stare. "Even if my daughter and I die, I will never agree to let her marry an animal like you!"
Xie Jinqiu could do nothing either. He could only soothe Qing Da and ask him to take Qing Sheng back first.
Xie Jinzhao curled his lips. "So Fourth Brother thought he could punish his elder brother."
"I'll consult Eldest Sister-in-Law about this. Third Brother, go back to your courtyard and wait. This matter will not end here!"
Xie Jinqiu had always spoken gently, but now his voice was full of ice.
It was not because his Third Brother's actions displeased him, but because his authority had been challenged in public, and Xie Jinzhao had stripped him of all dignity with his retorts.
Early the next morning,
he came to Liu Wan's Courtyard.
After learning what had happened, Liu Wan invited him inside.
"Eldest Sister-in-Law, Grandmother used to say that the Marquis's Residence could not do without you. Now I truly understand those words."
"I should never have challenged your authority before. I know I was wrong. This incident has left everyone in the inner household anxious and unsettled. Please step in and take charge."
Xie Jinqiu had not slept all night. The incident had left him constantly ill at ease.
Back when he was studying, he had always felt that women confined to the inner household could not compare with scholars like them, who strode forth in high spirits to carve out a place in the world.
Only now, when he actually had to handle the affairs of the inner household, did he realize how difficult things were for his Eldest Sister-in-Law. He admired her all the more for managing every matter in the family so well.
Liu Wan smiled faintly and was just about to offer him some guidance when the baby's voice in her mind stopped her.
[Oh, oh, oh, it's my Fourth Uncle! Good heavens, how does he manage to act so meek?]
Liu Wan frowned slightly and held Little Wanwan more tightly in her arms.
Little Wanwan sucked her thumb, her round eyes studying Xie Jinqiu all the while.
[Fourth Uncle looks so gentle and refined. Too bad he's a schemer in the story. Not only did he fool everyone by pretending to be ill, he later used Fourth Aunt's money to buy support outside and help the Male Lead rise to power.]
[To thank him, the Male Lead even bought him an official post. Poor Fourth Aunt was divorced, and the Male Lead even cut out her tongue.]
[My mother was even more pitiful. She heard that the Merchant's Daughter was spoiled and headstrong, so she tried to advise Fourth Uncle for his own good. But Fourth Uncle coveted the Merchant's Daughter's money and thought Mother wanted to ruin his marriage, so he secretly switched her tonic. Even after he married Fourth Aunt, he kept drugging Mother. In the end, she barely made it into her thirties before the Male Lead drove her to her death with anger!]
As Little Wanwan thought about it, even the way she looked at Xie Jinqiu changed.
Seeing that Liu Wan remained silent, Xie Jinqiu also noticed the baby studying him.
He smiled warmly. "I'm very fond of Wanwan too. She's such a pretty little girl."
"Huai Shan is handsome too, isn't he?" Liu Wan smiled faintly.
Xie Jinqiu's gaze darted away. "Ah... yes. He does look a little like me. Thank you for keeping my secret, Eldest Sister-in-Law."
He changed the subject again. "Then I'm sorry for the trouble, but please step in to handle this matter!"
Liu Wan smiled coldly. So the entire Marquis's Residence really had been conspiring to deceive her.
[Mother, don't help him. He's harming you.]
[However you handle this, once Madam Li comes back, she'll definitely sell Qing Da and the others off.]
Little Wanwan babbled away, almost spraying saliva.
Liu Wan considered it. She could not wade into these muddy waters, so she said, "Why not take them to the Old Madam and let her deal with it? You know your legal mother will certainly side with your Third Brother."
Xie Jinqiu thought it over. That was indeed true.
If Grandmother spoke up again and put him in charge of the inner household, wouldn't that stop anyone from questioning him?
He hurriedly took his leave, returned to his courtyard, and had a maid fetch one of his roots of century-old ginseng before heading to Charity Hall.
The Old Madam slowly woke. Although His Majesty had confined her to her quarters and stripped her of her authority, the younger generation still showed her the respect she was due.
She said to Xie Jinzhao, "You fool! When has our Marquis's Residence ever done something as disgraceful as selling off its servants? If you won't listen to your younger brother, will you refuse to listen to your grandmother as well?"
Xie Jinzhao broke out in a cold sweat. Grandmother was the marquis's mother, after all.
However rebellious he might be, he would never dare defy her.
After learning what had happened in the residence recently, the Old Madam let out a long sigh. "Your legal mother is a fool too. The court hasn't paid stipends all these years, the Marquis's Residence is strapped for money, and the shops outside are losing money as well. We've depended entirely on Liu Wan's dowry to stay afloat. Now that she's taken control of the household finances away from Liu Wan, Liu Wan will no longer pour her own money into the Marquis's Residence. What a fool!"
"Once Madam Li returns and takes a careful look at the account books, she'll certainly regret it!"
"Jinqiu's wedding is approaching too. If word of your affairs gets out and the Zhong Family, the wealthiest family in the Capital, comes demanding to break off the engagement, let's see how you answer for it!"
Only by marrying the Zhong Family's Daughter could they get the funds flowing through their outside shops again and give the Marquis's Residence enough money to keep up appearances.
The Zhong Family were merchants, looked down upon by official and titled families. If the Marquis's Residence had not been in financial straits, they would never have had this chance to climb onto a higher branch.
The shops and properties in the Zhong Family's Daughter's dowry would be enough to feed the Marquis's Residence for more than a decade.
Before you continue