Chapter 31 - No Escape from a Broken Engagement

Chapter 31 No Escape from a Broken Engagement

The Madam Dowager asked Lady Tu and Wei Yuewu to have dinner with her. Lady Li, as the old lady’s daughter-in-law, had to stand by and serve her mother-in-law with a smiling face before the latter allowed her to go. She didn’t have any time to apply ointment to the wounds on her face.

Wei Yuewu glanced at the dense blisters on Lady Li’s face. Then she lowered her head with a cold smile. She waited on the Madam Dowager with even greater care, helping pick out fish bones for the Madam Dowager now and then. The meal went on with extreme attentiveness on her side, and the old lady was fully satisfied by her flattering gestures.

After dinner, Wei Yuewu left with Lady Tu to the guest room and then returned to the Lotus Courtyard after a chat.

Before reaching the gate of the yard, she saw Jin Ling looking around behind the gate. Seeing her mistress coming over, Jin Ling tried to suppress her joy on the face. However, she could not completely hide her excitement, and lowered her head waiting for Wei Yuewu to walk near.

Wei Yuewu had sent Jin Ling to see how Lady Li was doing, so she understood what Jin Ling meant to tell her. She led Jin Ling into the inner chamber, and Huamo served tea.

“Miss, I heard the Second Lady smashed a lot of things, and she cried. Later, she even sent for Doctor Ming. The maids and old maidservants who sent Doctor Ming out seemed to be smacked in the face, because their faces were all swollen. And I also saw Doctor Ming shaking his head as he walked out.”

Jin Ling reported softly.

Wei Yuewu calculated that as they left the Madam Dowager’s place together, the time was long enough for Lady Li to make a scene. She also took a glance at the time of leaving and noticed half of Lady Li’s face had turned red and swollen.

“Miss, did Doctor Ming say that the Second Lady’s face couldn’t be cured?” The maid Shufei who was standing aside asked curiously.

“The scalding was severe and she missed the best time for treatment. It’s impossible to leave no scars at all, no matter how effective the ointment is. But, I’m surprised she cried so soon.” Wei Yuewu put down the teacup in her hand with a leisurely smile.

So you cried and made a scene right now? You must bear the consequences since you plotted against me, and there were more days ahead for you to cry…

Seeing Wei Yuewu’s smile, Jin Ling felt a chill in her heart: a thin and frail girl as her mistress clearly was, she gave her a sense of extraordinary coldness, causing her heart to tremble a little involuntarily. She suddenly recalled another matter. “Miss, the Second Young Lady did send a letter to Marquis Jing Yuan. I heard it in the dark.”

“Yes, she did, as I expected!” Wei Yuewu raised her eyebrows and smiled lightly. A trace of cruelty flashed in her eyes. With Wei Yan’s message, Mo Huating should be prepared!

She believed the “engagement cancellation” play would be very interesting because of his preparations…

Mo Huating hadn’t had dinner yet when the letter was delivered to him. He frowned as he read the letter. He had originally thought it was rather easy for him to kill a girl from a small place. Who would have thought that such a big thing would happen? Now the current situation was extremely disadvantageous to him…

This Wei Yuewu was really fortunate, and she escaped from death again and again!

Mo Huating was so annoyed that, sitting alone in the study, he was in no mood for dinner at all. Then he heard the singing of orioles outside and the door was pushed open. In walked a girl dressed in yellow, who hurriedly took a few steps toward Mo Huating when she found him sitting there alone without a single bite of the food in front of him.

“What’s the matter, cousin?” The yellow-clothed girl asked in a delicate voice. Her eyes were filled with concern, and her voice seemed so tender as if it were about to be blown away.

“I’m fine.” Mo Huating’s heart was swayed by the tenderness in the girl’s eyes. He reached out to take her slender jade-white hand, and replied gently, “No worries. I’m just a little vexed by something about the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang.”

“Why? Does the Second Miss still refuse to marry you? That’s too much, when you are so devoted to her. How can she change her mind like that?” The yellow-clothed girl had a pair of beautiful eyes brimming with indignation as she tilted her head. Her appearance was more than charming from Mo Huating’s angle.

She was Mo Huating’s cousin. Ever since her parents died, she had been sent to and lived in the mansion of Marquis Jing Yuan. At that time, Mo Huating’s mother was still alive. However, she passed away the year before last year, leaving Mo Huating and his cousin, Chen Nianshan, in the mansion.

“It’s not Wei Yan. It’s Wei Yuewu. She’s not dead, and she is going to break off her engagement with me.” Mo Huating’s graceful aura vanished completely upon mentioning Wei Yuewu, and his face immediately darkened.

Chen Nianshan was annoyed that her cousin’s attention was not focused on her at all when she had been so carefully dressed up for him. However, she showed a trace of suppressed joy imperceptible to Mo Huating. She guessed that Wei Yan, her strongest rival, might be in an awkward situation. As for Wei Yuewu, she was not liked by her cousin and could not compete with her at all.

“Cousin, you mean that the Sixth Miss Wei, who has neither good looks nor talents, wants to cancel the engagement? She should be content only if you don’t dislike her, and now she actually dares to ask for more? Well, don’t worry, cousin. I have a way to help you. I can promise she won’t have her way back once she comes here. And in the final analysis, it’s up to you to decide whether to accept or reject her request.”

Chen Nianshan’s look of indignation, together with her affectionate eyes, was enough to induce tenderness in Mo Huating’s heart.

Mo Huating glanced at her with a smile in his eyes. He grabbed her tender white hand to his palm. “Tell me, what is it?”

Chen Nianshan smiled sweetly, and she lowered her head with confidence to Mo Huating’s ear and whispered to him…

Early in the next morning, a female servant seller brought a group of maids over to the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang.

This was of course an arrangement of the Madam Dowager, which was also intended to show Lady Tu that she never had the slightest intention to ill-treat Wei Yuewu, the first daughter of the mansion. Her granddaughter was displeased by the servants yesterday, so she immediately brought in new ones today for her to choose until she was satisfied.

The Madam Dowager was especially gracious to allow Wei Yuewu to pick by herself, and she herself sat down under the porch watching, without saying one word. Neither Lady Li nor Wei Yan came. Lady Zhang brought Wei Qiufu, the Fourth Young Lady, and Wei Qiuju, the Fifth Young Lady, to accompany the Madam Dowager.

Wei Qiufu was Lady Zhang’s daughter, and Wei Qiuju was the daughter born by a concubine from the third branch of the family.

The Lotus Courtyard had very few servants at present. Most servants were driven out yesterday, and only some unflavored menial servants were retained.

There were elderly maidservants as well young maids in the group of servants who were brought here by the servant seller. Last night, Lady Zhang received the Madam Dowager’s order, and she specially sent for them.

After choosing four maids and four maidservants, Wei Yuewu brought them to the corridor for the Madam Dowager to have a look.

“The Sixth Young Lady really has a good eye. These maids are all good choices. Other mansions also wanted clever maids. You know, they all want smart maids to serve them during festivals. Nobody wants clumsy servants, who are unable to do their errands properly. Anyway, it’s the owners who would lose face in the end. The young lady at the mansion of Marquis Jing Yuan also asked for servants from me not long ago.”

The female servant seller was overjoyed that Wei Yuewu chose so many servants, so she flattered the young lady as much as she could. Folks like her who frequented various mansions were naturally aware of the rumored reputation of this Sixth Miss of the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang. However, what she saw from the young lady was completely inconsistent with the rumors outside, and moreover, she felt that the rumors were utter nonsense.

This young lady in front of her was extremely beautiful; coupled with her graceful air, she was truly too far away from being ordinary-looking and untalented.

As for her mentioning of Marquis Jing Yuan, it was simply because of the news of the matrimonial relations between the two mansions.

Of course, she wouldn’t babble about the disputes in the mansions she made deals with. She had keen eyes, and was shrewd enough to figure out it must be the powerful Madam Dowager who allowed this Sixth Young Lady, who had just arrived at the mansion, to pick servants by herself. Surely, the Sixth Young Lady wasn’t a simple girl.

Wei Yuewu naturally understood that the woman was trying to curry favor with her, and she was just waiting for her to mention the mansion of Marquis Jing Yuan. She smiled and winked at Jin Ling. The maid got her signal and pulled the woman aside. She gave the woman a tip and smilingly asked things about the mansion of Marquis Jing Yuan.

No one paid attention to Wei Yuewu from the moment her maid gave a tip to the woman, since it was unnecessary to watch out on a maid, especially a maid of Wei Yuewu. It was natural for her to speak a few words with someone who flattered her mistress Wei Yuewu.

“Qiufu, didn’t you say you wanted to pick one or two servants as well? Go pick now.” The Madam Dowager said to Wei Qiufu, who had been standing aside quietly with a smiling face.

“Yes, Grandmother, then I’ll not stand on ceremony with the Sixth Younger Sister.” Wei Qiufu replied to the Madam Dowager and then smiled at Wei Yuewu before walking out gracefully. She picked only two servants, who looked quite ordinary. It seemed that she was looking for third-class maids rather than personal maids.

Wei Yuewu’s bright eyes flashed with a trace of penetrating serenity. That was a good time for this Fourth Young Lady to pick: she had waited patiently to let the younger Wei Yuewu pick servants first, whereas Wei Yuewu herself was completely ignorant of it. She had uttered those words with such politeness and specially mentioned Wei Yuewu, which implied Wei Yuewu acted against the rules of etiquette and was impolite to her elder sister.

Did this Fourth Young Lady say those words accidentally or intentionally?

After they all finished picking servants, the female servant seller finished talking with Jin Ling and came to Wei Yuewu to say a few more flattering words. Then she left with the remaining servants. With those new servants in the Lotus Courtyard, there would be enough hands for the time being.

“Yuewu, you must think it over. If you really break the engagement with Marquis Jing Yuan, there might not be such a good choice in the future.”

The Madam Dowager remarked straightforwardly after they entered the room again.

In the Madam Dowager’s opinion, Marquis Jing Yuan was one of the few promising young men in the capital who also owned a title of nobility. Wei Yuewu would only be left with a slimmer chance for a better marriage if she gave up this time. In the Madam Dowager’s heart, Wei Yuewu, in spite of her good looks, could not compare with Wei Yan who was carefully raised and educated in front of her.

It was surely lucky enough for Wei Yuewu to have such a fiancée!

The next day, they were going to the mansion of Marquis Jing Yuan to settle this matter. The Madam Dowager would go in person because Zhaoyi Tu was involved. She decided to go there personally not to show respect to Marquis Jing Yuan, but to Zhaoyi Tu in the Palace.

“Grandmother, Yuewu wants to live.”

Wei Yuewu’s voice was gentle, but her expression was extremely calm.

This single sentence shot at the heart of the question. Hearing her words, the Madam Dowager blinked faintly, not knowing what to say…