Chapter 14 Teaching Daughters and Sons

“Wah…”

“You’re still crying? Did your mother wrong you by disciplining you?” Old Madam Zhang scolded with a deep frown. “At your age, you act without any forethought, whimsical as you please, treating everyone else as fools. Do you think you’re the only clever one? Must you wait until you take a terrible fall before you stop?”

“Mother, hasn’t my fall been bad enough already?” Madam Xiao sobbed, covering her eyes with a handkerchief. “Look at my life—my husband is distant, my son is troublesome, and now even my own mother disapproves of me. What’s left for me to live for?”

“Pah! Stop pretending to be pitiful in front of me. Not just in this household, but even in your maiden family and in-laws’, you’ve always gotten your way. What could possibly displease you?”

Madam Xiao shifted slightly, as if dodging. “Mother, I haven’t—only the Xu family was under my pressure, and that was for Lun’er’s sake. There was no other way.”

Old Madam Zhang pointed at her accusingly. “Still denying it? Thinking that because I’m your birth mother, I can’t do anything to you? Let me tell you, that Luo fellow’s confession was extracted by Ling Ge’er. By the time I found out, it was too late. Now I’ve kept Ling Ge’er at home and come to question you myself—that’s me giving you leeway. Otherwise, you know his temper—like a firecracker. If he barged in demanding why his own sister framed him, shouting it for the whole household to hear, what would you do then?”

Madam Xiao’s face behind the handkerchief paled slightly.

How could it have been Zhang Weiling who caught and interrogated him? She truly hadn’t known.

Old Madam Zhang berated her at length. She knew her plan hadn’t been airtight, allowing Old Madam Zhang to catch wind of it, but she hadn’t expected the source to be Zhang Weiling. That younger brother of hers spent his days idling and carousing—how had he suddenly become so sharp? Or had Luo Er betrayed her? No, he wouldn’t dare—he had nothing to gain from it.

Old Madam Zhang sighed in disappointment. “Who else are you planning to shift the blame onto? The Xu residence is as leaky as a sieve—anyone could infiltrate it. But how could outsiders predict Ling Ge’er’s movements so precisely? Only a traitor within the family—that’s the hardest to guard against!”

Her voice grew hoarse. Unable to bear it, Madam Xiao threw down her handkerchief and cried out, “Mother!”

Old Madam Zhang’s eyes were like dry wells, staring fixedly at her. “Yingyu, no one knows a daughter like her mother. I wouldn’t wrong you. If you still refuse to admit it, I’ll leave now, and you need never see me again. Just go on being the fine Marchioness you are.”

Realizing Old Madam Zhang meant it, Madam Xiao’s knees weakened, and she slowly slid from the bedside to kneel on the floor.

“…I didn’t expect it either, Mother. Xu Shi is utterly useless, her only skill being to cry. But she happened to do it at the right time, and that one skill of hers has humiliated several families. I just wanted to make her behave. But no matter how I thought about it, there was no other way, so I decided to catch them in a mistake first—”

“And so you targeted your own brother,” Old Madam Zhang said icily. “You know how much I dote on him—I’d protect him from anyone who wronged him. So you schemed to provoke a conflict between him and the Xu boy, using your own mother’s hands to do your dirty work. What great skill you have as the mistress of the house, making everyone dance to your tune!”

Madam Xiao began to sob again, “Mother, I didn’t—I truly never thought Ling Ge’er would be hurt so badly. He’s always roughhousing with others and comes out on top. He’s my own younger brother—how could I ever want to harm him, even if I made a momentary mistake?”

“I believe you didn’t intend to,” Old Madam Zhang said coolly. Before Madam Xiao could sigh in relief, her voice turned sharp. “But if you truly cared for him, you shouldn’t have let him take even the slightest risk of injury! Even that Xu family girl understood this—must I spell it out for you, his own sister?!”

Madam Xiao was first struck with terror, then confusion. “The Xu family? Xu Rong? What does she know?”

“Everything,” Old Madam Zhang said coldly. “You chose this daughter-in-law—didn’t you know her temperament? And yet you dared to trample over her entire family so brazenly? Thankfully, she’s far more perceptive than her mother. If this had blown up, not just you, but even my face would’ve been lost!”

“How could she know?” Madam Xiao was baffled, momentarily forgetting her own predicament. “Did she incite Luo Er—?”

“It was Luo Er’s elders who went to the Xu family first,” Old Madam Zhang snapped. “Ling Ge’er has a quick temper—he grabbed Luo Er right in the street. Naturally, his family panicked when they found out. Unable to reach us, they pleaded with the Xu family. Madam Xu lives in a dream, oblivious to everything, but that girl of hers noticed.”

Madam Xiao hadn’t expected not only her mother but even the Xu family to find out. Her mind was in turmoil. “Mother, then what happened?”

“Then I sent them all away. That Xu girl is sharp—I took charge and annulled the foolish marriage you arranged, and she didn’t say another word. As for that Luo family elder, I told him to keep his son in line and stop spouting nonsense outside.” Old Madam Zhang glared at her daughter. “A grown woman, with a daughter-in-law about to enter the household, and I still have to clean up your messes.”

Old Madam Zhang felt she had exhausted her heart, but Madam Xiao showed no gratitude, crying out anxiously, “Mother, how could you cancel it?”

Old Madam Zhang’s face darkened with anger. “What?”

Madam Xiao wanted to speak but held back at the last moment. After frowning in thought, she said stubbornly, “I know that Xu Rong—she’s no better than her mother. I doubt she really noticed anything. Mother, you must have misunderstood. Since nothing was said outright—”

“How much clearer do you need it?!” Old Madam Zhang would have struck her with a cane if she had one. “Must someone slap you in the face, in front of everyone, before you’ll admit you’re wrong? Your stubbornness has been your downfall all your life, and even now you refuse to change. I can’t control you anymore, but this time you will listen to me. Tomorrow, go to the Xu family and tell Madam Xu the marriage is off. You and Lun’er were in the wrong from the start—pushing them too far would only forge an irreparable feud. You’d be cutting off your own path!”

Madam Xiao pleaded urgently, “Mother, we really can’t cancel it. What will happen to Lun’er if we do?”

Mentioning her grandson, Old Madam Zhang softened her tone: “Lun’er is still young, his temperament isn’t settled yet. Making one mistake isn’t a big deal. If he likes the Chang family girl, let him get engaged to her. Forcing him to marry Miss Xu would be like you and your husband—constantly at odds over the years—which would be worse.”

“No, Mother…” Madam Xiao half-collapsed on the floor, tears streaming down her face. “I didn’t mean to deceive anyone, I truly had no choice. Lun’er, he…”

With no retreat left, she finally blurted out the truth. Old Madam Zhang was so shocked she nearly fainted, her head spinning.

Madam Xiao quickly crawled over on her knees: “Mother, Mother, what’s wrong?”

Old Madam Zhang sat weakly in her chair, pushing her away: “Don’t call me that, you—you all—”

She sighed deeply from the bottom of her heart: “Such fools!”

**

While Old Madam Zhang was lecturing her daughter at the Marquis of Changxing’s Mansion, over at the Marquis of Ji’an Manor, Madam Xu was lecturing her son.

“Zhang’er, from now on you’ll stay properly at home. You’re not allowed to go anywhere without my permission,” Madam Xu said sternly. “If I find out you’ve sneaked out, I’ll—I’ll—”

She faltered, lowering her head to ponder what punishment would be appropriate.

Xu Rong, who had just returned, sat down leisurely and said, “Break his legs.”

Madam Xu was horrified: “That’s too extreme!”

“Exactly, exactly,” Xu Huazhang chimed in from where he knelt on the floor. “Sister, why are you so fierce now?”

He had just eaten, bathed, and changed into fresh clothes, looking much cleaner and livelier. Unlike Xu Rong, he likely took after their late father, the Marquis—with delicate features and eyes that sparkled with mischief in every expression.

Xu Rong glanced at him. Whether it was youthful resilience or something else, his energetic demeanor hardly seemed like someone who’d just been released after half a month in jail.

She didn’t respond, so Xu Huazhang continued on his own: “Sister, don’t worry. I’ll make sure that Xiao Xin doesn’t marry you. If he dares to come, I have plenty of ways to deal with him.”

Xu Rong raised an eyebrow, thinking he probably belonged back in jail.

“Oh? With those moves of choking people and spitting in their faces?”

Xu Huazhang flushed with embarrassment: “I wasn’t prepared then! I know much more impressive tricks—I’ll beat him so badly he’ll flee at the sight of us.”

But Xu Rong’s words reminded Madam Xu of her concerns: “Zhang’er, your sister is right. How could you do such things? None of that was proper, and you shouldn’t say those things either. You weren’t like this before—where did you learn all this?”

Clearly spoiled, Xu Huazhang had no qualms about being honest with his mother. He answered cheerfully: “Learned it in jail. Mother, let me tell you—there were two enemies locked in the cell across from me. Another one of their rivals paid to have them put together, so they fought and cursed at each other every day. It was quite entertaining.”

“Entertaining? Stop this nonsense!” Madam Xu nearly fainted. “Zhang’er, why would you learn such things from those people? Prisoners are criminals! You’ve inherited the title—you’re a proper Marquis ordained by the court. You must remember your status is nothing like theirs, and you must never imitate them, understand?”

Xu Huazhang said, “Understood, Mother.”

His tone made it clear the words were empty.

Madam Xu was still uneasy and added, “And you’re not allowed to go to those unsavory places anymore. How old are you? There’s not a decent person there. And that Luo family’s second son—it was all because he took you there that this mess happened. Stay away from him from now on.”

This time, Xu Huazhang didn’t brush it off immediately. Instead, he narrowed his slender eyes. “Luo Chengan—”

Luo Chengan was Second Master Luo’s given name.

Hearing this, Madam Xu was surprised. “You used to call him Second Brother Luo. What’s going on?”

Xu Huazhang rubbed his chin with his equally slender fingers, his thin lips parting to utter a sentence: “Mother, I suspect he set me up.”

Oh?

Xu Rong sat up straighter. She hadn’t intended to speak again, but now she asked, “What made you think of that?”

Xu Huazhang said, “I’ve been locked up in that tiny place for so long, couldn’t go anywhere, couldn’t see anyone outside, just stuck there stewing. I kept thinking about that day. When Luo Chengan ran into me on the road, it didn’t seem like a coincidence. The way he craned his neck looking around—it was like he was specifically searching for me. Later, when I fought with Zhang Weiling, he was pulling us apart, but not really putting in any effort. Hmph—the more I think about it, the more I feel he was up to something.”

Xu Rong nodded slightly. This imprisonment wasn’t wasted—it actually made him wiser.

Xu Huazhang grew excited. “Sister, am I right? This isn’t over. Tomorrow, I’ll go settle the score with him.”

Madam Xu couldn’t take it anymore and hurriedly said, “Zhang’er, what did you just promise me? Luo Er was wrong, but that Fiend Star from the Zhang family already dragged him off and beat him half to death. That’s enough retribution. Don’t get involved in any of that anymore. Stay home quietly and focus on recovering—that’s what’s important.”

Xu Huazhang suddenly grinned at this. “Zhang Weiling beat him up? Ha! He must’ve realized Luo was shady too. Serves him right! How did he beat him?”

“Master Luo said his face swelled up two sizes—” Madam Xu stopped mid-sentence, realizing her mistake, and forced a stern expression. “Zhang’er, are you going to listen to me or not?”

Hearing this description, Xu Huazhang was satisfied enough and nodded. “Mother, I’ll listen.”

Madam Xu’s stern expression lasted only a moment before softening again. “Good. Now, get up already.”

Xu Huazhang chuckled, climbed up from the floor, and leaned against Madam Xu, who promptly hugged him.

Xu Rong also stood up.

The scene of maternal affection playing out before her felt like a theatrical performance to her. She stepped off this stage, descended the steps, and looked up to see stars scattered across the night sky.

Tomorrow would likely be good weather.

She was looking forward to it.