Chapter 9 -The battle against the step-grandmother
“Shut up!” Murong Xue slapped Old Maid Qiu’s face, “You dare accuse the dowager lady when you had done wrong? Are you tired of living?!”
Old Maid Qiu’s face immediately formed a bright red five-fingered impression, hot and painful. A dark shadow formed across her eyes and she gnashed her teeth in anger, saying, “Young Mistress, I am really not lying. It really is the dowager lady…”
“Still dare argue?!” Murong Xue slapped her again till she fell to the ground and looking down upon her. She was going to harshly teach her a lesson when a strict voice rang, “What’s the commotion about? What’s going on?”
She had only had a few sentences and help had arrived. How quickly servants in the Marquis Mansion sends messages. However, the maids in front of the west wing are all the dowagerlady’s servants. The only one not serving her is Old Maid Qiu, and even she is a traitor. Of coursethat person would come so quickly.
MurongyXue’samouthrcurledtintovansneerkandpleisurelypturnedyaround. It washreallyptherdowagerplady Du slowly walking over with the support of a maid. Her white hair was tied up high pinned lightly by a dark green jade pin. A dark grey head wrap with bamboo embroidery had been decorated with a piece of emerald, complementing the jade pin, dignified without losing its severity.
Her mouth was tight and she glanced at Old Maid Qiu with the swollen cheeks, frowning tightly, “What’s going on?”
OldyMaidyQiuelookedpattherslikehshe hadifound herpbackbone. Eyespbrightyand tears like broken pearls dripping down, both knees kneeling on the ground and kowtowing till it sounded, she said, “Old Mistress, save me! Young Mistress wants to sell me away!”
Murong Xue raised her eyebrows and casually said, “Old Maid Qiu opened the treasury without permission and had pushed the blame on to Grandmother. By teaching her a lesson, I am helping the Mansion discipline any bad practices, if not some people will think that since they are more experienced, they can bully young masters and boss around the Mansion.”
“Really?” The Dowager lady’s cold sharp gaze passed over Old Maid Qiu, whose forehead was red and swollen, and fell upon Murong Xue. “But Old Maid Qiu was not lying. I am the one that asked her to open the treasury to retrieve the jewelry. You are teaching the wrong person a lesson.”
For the sake of her precious granddaughter, she had ordered the servants to open her daughter-in-law’s treasury without permission – that wouldn’t sound good. But Du did not come up with excuses to push the blame and even admitted it straightforward. It seems that she really hates Murong Xue.If the original person had been standing here, she would definitely not be able to raise her head from the harsh scoldings of Du. But she is from a 21st century noble family and definitely wouldn’t bow down to this old piety woman. “Which law in Qingyan states that the step-mother-in-law can use her dead daughter-in-law’s dowry at will?”
A dark shadow flashed across Du’s eyes and she coldly looked at Murong Xue, “When your mother married into the Marquis’ Household, she had belonged to the Household. Her dowry is naturally the Marquis’ Household’s assets. I manage the internal Household and have the authority to touch anything related to the internal Household. My treasury did not have any appropriate accessories, therefore it’s only reasonable to ask Qingyan to pick a few pieces from here.”
“Qingyan’s law clearly states that when the first wife passes on, the dowry is passed on to her children. The things in this treasury is left behind by my mother for me and my brother and has nothing to do with anyone else in the Murong family. As long as my brother and I are still alive for a day, you, step-grandmother, have not right touch it.”
After her parents had died, Du had left Murong Xue in the Ruoxue Court and did not care about her survive. In the few times she had seen her, if it was not to pick on something, then it was to reprimand her. If Du did not treat her like her granddaughter then she does not need to treat Du as her grandmother.
“Now, without my brother’s or my permission, you have violated Qingyan’s law by opening the treasury and picking my mother’s dowry.”
“Really?” Du glanced sideways to Murong Xue, her eyes full of disdain. “Well then, step-granddaughter, are you prepared to sue your step-grandmother and send her to jail?”
“The jewelries are still here and not lost. Step-grandmother need not go to court. You only need to beat his bullying and sly slave a hundred paddles and sell her off.” Murong Xue said lightly.
Upon hearing that, Du’s face darkened. She was ridiculing Murong Xue – didn’t Murong Xue understand? She actually followed along and decided Old Maid Qiu’s punishment. What a slow idiot!
“What are you waiting for? Didn’t you understand the Old Mistress’ meaning? Drag Old Maid Qiu down and harshly beat her a hundred paddles, then sell her!” Murong Xue harshly instructed.
“Yes, ma’am!” Two lowly old house maids stepped forward and stuffed a rough piece of cloth into Old Maid Qiu’s mouth and dragged her out so quickly that others couldn’t respond in time.
Sounds from the paddle and Old Maid Qiu’s painful wails rang out. The maids and housekeepers looked at each other silently – the Young Mistress had lost her temper and they didn’t want to be implicated.
The Dowager lady’s face so scarily dark and she started at Murong Xue, haze forming beneath her eyes.
Murong Xue pretended her didn’t see and quietly looked towards those ebony boxes which contained fine jewelry, “Close the boxes and bring them back to the treasury.”
“Yes, yes, yes!” The maids answered. Carrying the boxes, they hurriedly ran back to the store, afraid that if they were to walk too slowly, Murong Xue will punish them and they would end up in a pathetic situation similar to Old Maid Qiu.
Looking at the empty courtyard, Song Qingyan paled and clenched her hands tightly under her sleeves – she had almost got the sapphire pin and ruby earrings, all of which she loved. Now it’s all gone, how hateful!
“It’s not the first time Cousin Qingyan has taken jewelry from here, is it?”
Hearing the cold voice, Song Qingyan froze and looked cautiously at Murong Xue, “What do you mean?”
Murong Xue laughed softly, “You don’t need to be flustered. I am not going to teach you a lesson but only to ask that you return all the jewelry which you had taken.”
Song Qingyan secretly sighed in relief. She scared her – if Murong Xue is not thinking of teaching her lesson than that’s good. However, the jewelry she had taken are all carefully cosen and each one of them precious. She liked them very much and couldn’t bear to return them to Murong Xue. Furthermore, she had been wearing those jewelries for so long, she should be hers already. “You are my cousin. Just treat those few jewelries as presents that you have given to me. Don’t you think it’s too petty to ask her for them?”
Murong Xue glanced at her and casually said, “Cousin, you come to the Mansion at least thrice a month. Each time you would take away two to three hair pins, earrings, necklaces, jade bangles, finger sets and many other accessories. In these two year, you have not taken only a few pieces of jewelry but more than a hundred pieces, enough to fill 3 trunks!”
Song Qingyan did not care, “So what? Your mother had so much dowry. You are lacking in these hundred pieces of jewelry.
Murong Xue sneered. After snatching away others’ jewelry, she can still be so righteous about it. How shamless! “When my aunt married, she also brought with her ten miles of dowry. She definitely does not lack in jewelry. How about this – return my mother’s dowry and give me another 2 or 3 trunks of dedicate jewelry so that I can also enjoy my aunt’s generosity.”
“My mother’s jewelry is mine. How can I give it to you?” Song Qingyan exclaimed. Immediately after, she realized that she had been fooled and was just going to explain further when Murong Xue said first, “My mother’s jewelry was also left for me, how can it be in your hands? I want to see those jewelries before dark, if not, we’ll see in court!”
