Chapter 9: Chapter 9

Thinking that this mere slip of a girl had devised such a scheme to reject him, all without showing a shred of remorse for offending him, Du Xian’s anger boiled over. “Write!” He reached out and clapped a hand on her shoulder, his fingers digging in with a possessive squeeze.

He felt the flinch he expected beneath his palm and smiled with cruel satisfaction. Then he moved aside to grind the inkstone. “This Master is grinding your ink. It’s a blessing you’ve earned over many lifetimes. Make sure you write neatly. If you make a mistake, this Master will have to punish you.”

Trembling, Ye Qiuniang picked up the brush to copy the ancient text. Her only hope was for Ming Rou and Ming Yulan to return home quickly. But her hand was unsteady, and she immediately made several errors at the start. Du Xian, watching her pretty face pale with terror, laughed with glee. “Qiuniang, did I not just say you couldn’t make mistakes? If you make a mistake, Master has to punish you… But since this is your first offense, I’ll let it slide. However, this Master is kind-hearted and willing to teach you personally, guiding your hand.”

With that, he stepped behind her, reaching around as if to grasp her hand and guide the brush. This was too much. Ye Qiuniang could no longer contain herself. She shoved Du Xian away violently, scrambled around to the other side of the desk, and dropped to her knees. “I beg you, Master, let Qiuniang go! Qiuniang belongs to the Eldest Miss. If the Eldest Miss finds me gone, she will throw a terrible fit. Please, Master, let me go back.”

Du Xian’s lunge missed, and he was not pleased. Annoyance crept into his voice. “You are with me. How could you be ‘gone’?” Ye Qiuniang knew she couldn’t win an argument with him. But every time he came near, she dodged away. Du Xian tried to grab her several times, but she kept eluding his grasp. His pent-up anger, combined with the disgust he felt from her stench, finally erupted. The fire he had been suppressing exploded. He snatched up a small stool from the floor and hurled it at her.

“Insolence! You dare dodge?!”

Ye Qiuniang could have dodged it. But a thought flashed through her mind. She looked at the stool flying straight at her head, and she didn’t move. She didn’t dodge. She just stood there, rooted to the spot. With a sickening crack, the stool struck her forehead. Ye Qiuniang’s body lurched, and she crumpled to the ground, blood immediately gushing from the wound.

Seeing that she would resort to such an extreme method to resist him, Du Xian was both furious and humiliated. He glanced at the sky and realized how much time had passed. Adding to his frustration, this little wretch had deliberately made herself stink and had caused so many delays. The ample time he had planned for was now almost completely gone. Any further delay, and when Ming Yulan returned, it would be very difficult to smooth things over.

But if he let her go today, who knew what new complications would arise? The duck he was about to catch would fly away. With this thought, he decided to ignore the bleeding wound on her head and the unbearable stench. His large body lunged toward her. Though wounded, Ye Qiuniang remained lucid. Seeing Du Xian about to pounce, regardless of the consequences, she was struck with utter horror.

In that instant, Ming Rou’s large, bright, black-and-white eyes flashed before her. Gritting her teeth, Ye Qiuniang knew one thing for certain: Ming Rou would never want anything to happen to her. Least of all anything despicable between her and her father. Moreover, she had entered this household as Ming Rou’s auspicious match. If Ming Rou had been a boy, she would, in this life, have been her legitimate wife. So no matter what Du Xian intended, even if it cost her life, she could not let him succeed.

With this desperate thought, an incredible strength surged through Ye Qiuniang. She shoved the approaching man away with all her might. Every time he tried to get close, she bit, scratched, and tore at him. Du Xian, unable to get a hold, was beyond frustrated. He viciously slapped her across the face, leaving a vivid, deep red handprint.

The blow made Ye Qiuniang’s ears ring and her head spin. For a moment, she was disoriented. Seeing his opportunity, Du Xian lunged forward again. But suddenly, a furious, breathless shriek came from behind him. “Du Xian—what do you think you’re doing?!”

Du Xian froze, rooted to the spot like a statue. “M-my wife… you… how are you back…?”

He had been told they wouldn’t be back until nightfall. He had calculated the time perfectly. By then, he would have long since finished, and after a few threats and promises, how would a young girl dare speak a word? She would have been at his mercy thereafter. But how was Ming Yulan back so early?!

Just a short while ago, Ming Rou and her mother had barely stepped down from the carriage when Ming Yulan rushed off towards the courtyard she shared with Du Xian, as though her rear was on fire. The attending Senior Nursemaid hurried after her. Ming Rou didn’t understand. While at the relative’s house, someone had arrived with an anxious look and whispered urgently to her mother. Right after, Ming Yulan had grabbed her, abandoning all else, and rushed home.

Ming Rou, of course, was happy. After half a day away from Jiujiu, it had been terribly dull. She cheerfully followed her mother back. Once the Wet Nurse had escorted her to her own courtyard, Ming Rou, as usual, started calling for Ye Qiuniang the moment she entered. But after calling several times, there was no sight of her Jiujiu. It wasn’t until Little Cui returned from an errand and heard the Eldest Miss asking that she remembered: Du Xian’s Errand Boy, Liuzi, had come and taken Ye Qiuniang away earlier that afternoon.

When Ming Rou heard this, it was as if a bomb had gone off in her head. She was only eight, but her mind was already sharp enough to grasp the possible implications. Remembering the furious way her mother had stormed off moments before, Ming Rou’s body began to tremble uncontrollably. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed onto the floor, murmuring in a daze, “Jiujiu is mine… Jiujiu is mine…”

She repeated it several times, her voice rising, before suddenly letting out a piercing shriek. This was followed by a torrent of violent, heart-wrenching sobs. The servants around her turned pale with fright. The Wet Nurse, who had just stepped out, spun around and rushed back in. Since Ye Qiuniang had arrived when Ming Rou was five, Ming Rou had never cried like this. This sudden, explosive bout of weeping was utterly terrifying.

Ming Rou screamed and sobbed for Ye Qiuniang between her choking cries. The Wet Nurse shouted urgently, “Where exactly is Qiuniang? Someone, go find Qiuniang, now! If this goes on, the Eldest Miss will cry herself sick!”

Only then did a young maid, trembling, step forward and stammer that Du Xian had summoned her. The Wet Nurse’s face changed color drastically. She ordered the maid to look after Ming Rou, then hurried off herself towards the courtyard of Du Xian and Madam Ming.

Over the past few years, the Wet Nurse had watched Ye Qiuniang grow up and had genuinely grown fond of this sensible girl. The thought of her being summoned by the Master sent a chill through her, and she dreaded what might be happening. Her steps quickened with desperate urgency.

Inside the room, the scene was a standoff. Du Xian and his wife, Ming Yulan, glared at each other with raw fury, neither backing down. On the floor at their feet, Ye Qiuniang lay unconscious.

“Du Xian, Qiuniang is Rou’er’s Auspicious Maiden! How dare you treat her like this!” Ming Yulan’s voice was shaking with rage.

“This has nothing to do with me!” Du Xian shot back, his voice dripping with righteous indignation. “This cheap slut came into our courtyard to seduce me. I am a man, not some saint who can just sit by. You’re going to blame me for this?”

Ming Yulan had been married to Du Xian for nearly a decade. She knew his character all too well. A bleak, bitter smile twisted her lips. “When I came back, the main gate was bolted tight. Liuzi was guarding outside, and when I tried to enter the courtyard, he tried to block me, stammering and shifty-eyed. How is that a ‘seduction’? You clearly forced her here!”

“And when I entered the courtyard, you were the one lunging at her! Did someone hold a knife to your throat and force you to try and violate her?!” Ming Yulan’s voice rose to a shout, her accusations relentless.

Seeing her so relentless, the pretense of denial suddenly drained from Du Xian. His face went blank, and his voice was cold and flat. “Yulan, let me remind you: Father-in-law is old now, his health failing. He cannot protect you and Rou’er forever. This household will ultimately have to rely on me. If you anger me now, it will not be good for you or Rou’er in the future.”

Ming Yulan’s blazing anger was instantly doused, as if by a bucket of ice water. A chilling, dead silence filled her.

Just then, frantic knocking came from outside the courtyard gate, accompanied by the Wet Nurse’s desperate shouts. Ming Yulan rushed to open the door. The Wet Nurse, her face ashen with panic, gasped, “Madam! The Eldest Miss can’t find Qiuniang! She’s cried so hard she can barely breathe! She’s clutching her chest, screaming in pain, on the verge of passing out!”

Ming Yulan was horrified. In the five years since Ye Qiuniang had arrived, Ming Rou’s condition had never relapsed. Why had it suddenly recurred tonight?

On the floor, Ye Qiuniang, who had been feigning unconsciousness, heard the words “Eldest Miss fainting” and her heart lurched violently. She struggled to push herself up. Du Xian, watching this, had a face as dark as a thundercloud.

But Ming Yulan’s mind was now solely on her daughter. She had no space for anything else. She barked urgently at the Wet Nurse, “Quick, help her up! Carry her over there! Any longer, and Rou’er will cry herself to death!”

Seeing Ye Qiuniang on the ground, her face smeared with blood, the Wet Nurse dared not ask what had happened. She rushed forward, hauled Ye Qiuniang onto her back, and sprinted towards Ming Rou’s courtyard.

Once they were out of the courtyard and saw the couple wasn’t following, Ye Qiuniang struggled to get down from the Wet Nurse’s back. “Senior Nursemaid, I’m alright. I can walk myself, it’ll be faster… Is the Eldest Miss really alright? Has she truly fainted?” She was frantic with worry.

“She hasn’t fainted, but she’s crying pitifully because she can’t see you,” the Wet Nurse said, observing Ye Qiuniang as they hurried along. The trail of blood had dried on the side of her face, yet somehow, it made her look even more striking, almost bewitching. A man seeing her like that… it was no wonder he couldn’t control himself. Save for that stench, of course.

The Wet Nurse could guess what had transpired. The male master of the house had designs on this powerless, helpless girl. What could the girl do? The Eldest Miss was still so young. She couldn’t protect her. Such a pitiful fate.

The moment they entered the courtyard, Ming Rou’s sobbing cries drifted from within. Her voice was hoarse, ragged. Ye Qiuniang’s heart clenched in pain. Without a second thought, she dashed through the door. There she saw the little girl, sitting on the edge of the bed, her face a mess of tears, her two eyes swollen like peaches.

“Eldest Miss—”

At the sound of that familiar voice, Ming Rou’s cries abruptly ceased. A brilliant light flashed in her eyes, though her body still hitched with a lingering sob. “Jiujiu—”

Ye Qiuniang rushed forward, dropped to her knees before the bed, and wrapped her arms tightly around Ming Rou’s waist. Ming Rou lifted her head to look at her, and immediately saw the ghastly wound on Jiujiu’s forehead, the clear palm print on her cheek, and the torn threads where a button had been ripped from her collar. Her breath caught in her throat, and for a terrifying moment, it felt like she couldn’t draw air.

Alarmed, Ye Qiuniang tightened her embrace, one hand stroking her back urgently. “Eldest Miss… Eldest Miss…”

A long moment later, Ming Rou finally managed to gasp a breath. Her voice trembling, she asked, “Did he… did he…”

In that instant, Ye Qiuniang understood what she was truly afraid of. Her own eyes stung with unshed tears. In this entire household, at least there was one person who truly cared for her. She hugged the little girl closer and shook her head. “He didn’t have time. The Madam arrived just in time.”

Ming Rou suddenly remembered the mysterious messenger who had come at noon. She grabbed Ye Qiuniang’s sleeve, her voice urgent. “That person… was it you who sent them to notify my mother?” Ye Qiuniang nodded.

A fraction of the tension drained from Ming Rou’s heart. But looking at Ye Qiuniang’s utterly wretched state, the tears she’d been holding back broke free, streaming down her face like a broken dam. She gripped Ye Qiuniang’s hand fiercely. “It’s all my fault for not taking you with me when I went out. From now on, you will follow me everywhere. You won’t leave my side for a single step.”

Ye Qiuniang fought back her own tears, gazing at this mere eight-year-old girl. She nodded forcefully. “Alright. From now on, I will follow you everywhere. I won’t go anywhere without you.”