Chapter 347 - 348: What’s There to Fear?
Chapter 347: Chapter 348: What’s There to Fear?
Xiao Shiyu saw Jin Qianqian about to retreat into her carriage and hurriedly said, "Madam, don’t you want to know what’s been going on between Mr. Gu and my sister?"
Jin Qianqian’s lips thinned. "Lady Huang, please choose your words carefully. My husband’s reputation is not something just anyone can besmirch."
"Then what are you afraid of, Madam? Some matters must be dealt with eventually."
Jin Qianqian looked at Xiao Shiyu, who utterly lacked the demeanor of a highborn lady. She leaned forward slightly, her voice dripping with disdain. "The primary daughter of the Xiao Family is certainly well-bred, to think she could change professions and take up the trade of a madam."
"It’s just a shame you don’t seem to understand the trade very well. When the goods are this eager to sell themselves, it’s not much of a bargain. Be careful you don’t end up losing everything."
Jin Qianqian’s taunt made Xiao Shiyu’s expression sour.
A few years ago, she would have turned her nose up at such a sordid affair.
But times were different now. Not only was her father pressuring her to persuade the Huang family to arrange a promotion for him, but her own husband’s career had also stagnated for years. She wanted to secure more leverage for herself, to build a safety net for the future.
At this thought, Xiao Shiyu took a deep breath. "Mrs. Gu, you have quite a sense of humor. I’m sure you wouldn’t want Mr. Gu’s little dalliances to become the talk of the entire Capital, would you?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Losing your composure so quickly? Already resorting to threats?" Jin Qianqian shook her head with a sneer. "I am not one to be easily frightened. Compared to my husband’s dalliances, I think a story about poisoning one’s husband and mother-in-law in an attempt to climb the social ladder as a concubine might be much more interesting to the public."
"I just wonder if you and your newborn niece will be implicated when the Xiao Family’s reputation lies in ruins."
Xiao Shiyu’s eyes widened, her heart pounding. "How can you make such baseless accusations? Do you have any proof?"
Seeing her reaction, Jin Qianqian grew even more confident. She tapped a finger in Xiao Shiyu’s direction. "That’s a question for you to ask yourselves."
Then, her expression turned serious. "Don’t think you can manipulate everyone as you please. Actions leave traces."
"I’m not one to meddle in others’ affairs, but since some people are so lacking in self-awareness, I don’t mind playing a little game."
Xiao Shiyu’s pupils constricted. She and her mother only had suspicions regarding the Niu family’s mother and son. They had tried everything to find concrete evidence but had come up with nothing. She never expected this Mrs. Gu to actually know something.
Quickly shaking the thought from her head, Xiao Shiyu said in a self-righteous tone, "Don’t make wild accusations without proof. You could get innocent people killed!"
Jin Qianqian toyed with a jade bracelet in her hand. The gems interspersed among the beads were a recent gift from General Zhou. Strung together like this, they possessed a unique beauty.
But to Xiao Shiyu, this beauty was jarring. She had only received two small gems in her dowry, which she still kept locked away, unwilling to have them set into jewelry. Yet here was this woman, casually fiddling with a whole string of them.
"And how do you know I don’t have proof? When the time comes, guilt or innocence won’t be for you or me to decide."
’Wasting my time here today wasn’t a complete loss after all,’ Jin Qianqian thought. ’Look at her face—it’s shifting through every color of the rainbow. She really is a bit naive. If her mother had come instead, she probably wouldn’t be so easy to bluff.’
’It seems I’m not the only one with suspicions. This mother-daughter pair must have sensed something was off, too.’
’It’s a shame my agents haven’t found any evidence yet. Otherwise, I’d love to just crush them in one fell swoop.’
Xiao Shiyu dug her nails into her palm, trying to clear her head and resist the other woman’s spell. "Mrs. Gu, let’s stop beating around the bush. Mr. Gu and my sister have already met privately several times. As the principal wife of the household, you must have the capacity to be tolerant."
"Look at the officials in the Capital—which one of their households doesn’t have a bevy of wives and concubines? Although my half-sister has been married before, she was once the daughter of a Magistrate. She could help lighten your burdens once she joins the family."
"The political waters in the Capital run deep. A country woman like you might not be able to navigate them."
Since the truth was out in the open, Xiao Shiyu decided to lay her cards on the table. Perhaps that would make her opponent think twice.
Jin Qianqian covered her mouth and laughed. "I may be a country woman, but at least I know the meaning of propriety and honor."
"I’ve truly never seen an older sister so eager to recommend her own younger sister as a concubine."
"Let me give you a clear refusal right now. If you think your sister is so suited to being a concubine, you have plenty of men in your own household. Why not just set her up with one of them?"
"After all, sisters in the same household should look out for one another."
"Oh, perhaps you could even serve the same husband. It would make for such a touching story."
"That’s enough. You’ve delayed me long enough today. I have no further interest in tangling with you. Now, make way!"
"What a vicious tongue," Xiao Shiyu’s face flushed with anger. She was about to retort when the driver, at a signal from Jin Qianqian, tugged on the reins. The carriage lurched forward, startling her and forcing her to scramble aside.
"Lady Huang, you have held me up long enough. If you continue to pester me, I will no longer concern myself with whether this carriage runs you over."
Seeing the other woman looking down at her from the carriage, repeatedly using that formal, superior tone, Xiao Shiyu knew she was being reminded of the difference in their status.
’Even though I currently hold no official rank, I have the Minister of the Ministry of Justice backing me. How dare this Jin woman...’
Watching the carriage disappear into the distance, she could only stomp her foot in frustration before turning toward the attendants waiting nearby.
"Young Madam, shall we return to the manor now?" Seeing Xiao Shiyu’s dark expression, the head maid braced herself and stepped forward to ask.
"Let’s go. First, I’m going to have a little chat with my *dear* sister." Xiao Shiyu turned and entered the private room in the teahouse where she had just tried to invite Jin Qianqian.
"Sister, where is she?" Xiao Wanyu peered behind her. "Didn’t we find out she would be passing by here? You weren’t able to stop her?"
Xiao Shiyu shot her a grim look. "I stopped her. And that country woman isn’t as stupid as your investigation made her out to be. She might be holding some serious leverage against you. Are you sure you still want to provoke her?"
"W-what leverage? I’ve only met her once. It’s impossible for me to have had any other dealings with her. Where would this leverage come from?"
Xiao Wanyu was secretly alarmed. ’Could it be that the men I sent last time actually went to cause trouble for her? And they just failed?’
’No, that can’t be it,’ she thought. ’Even Father scolded me over that incident. So what leverage could she possibly have?’
"Are you still going to play dumb with me? The Niu family’s mother and son—was that your doing?" Xiao Shiyu stared at her intently. She had to get to the bottom of this today. If the truth ever came out, the entire Xiao Family would be ruined because of her.
’She’s just a lowly daughter of a concubine. If she drags me and my brother down with her, my mother and I will never stand for it.’
Xiao Wanyu sputtered, "That’s absolute nonsense! The master died of a sudden illness, and the old madam couldn’t handle the shock, so she killed herself by smashing her head against a wall."