Chapter 3 Your Brother is an Honest Person

The next day, an autumn rain fell, scattering golden osmanthus blossoms across the ground.  

The Mid-Autumn Festival was just three days away, and the entire marquis’s household bustled with preparations for the family banquet.  

Only Xu Rong remained leisurely. She no longer lay in bed but instead sat beneath the corridor for hours at a time, idly watching the maids and servants sweep and come and go, her mind blissfully empty.  

The servants didn’t realize she was simply relaxing in a daze—they suspected she had either been rendered foolish by her fall or was heartbroken over Xiao Lun. In short, they thought she wasn’t quite right.  

Bai Fu, upon hearing this, angrily gathered the gossiping maids and scolded them harshly, which improved the situation somewhat.  

Xu Rong didn’t care at all. Time now moved slowly for her—so slowly that she could observe which of the two osmanthus trees at the courtyard gate had lost more blossoms to the rain, or watch the clouds gather and disperse in the sky, shifting from a little boat to a big dog one moment, then from fish scales to cotton the next.  

It was boring, but this kind of boredom was precious—something she had never experienced in her former life of relentless struggle.  

That morning, Madam Xu came by to check on the healing wound on her forehead and, in passing, complained about her son: “Huazhang is truly impossible. Tomorrow is Mid-Autumn, yet he’s still running around outside. He didn’t even come home last night—just sent a servant to say he’d found a skilled physician and was going to consult him.”  

Xu Rong snapped out of her reverie and looked at her. “He didn’t return all night?”  

“Exactly!” Madam Xu, as if finding an ally, continued grumbling. “Who knows where he stayed or whether the servants attended to him properly. When he comes back, I’ll have to give him a stern talking-to.”  

Xu Rong gently reminded her, “Mother, you should also urge him to settle down. He’s still young—if he’s always out and about, someone with ill intentions might lead him astray.”  

Madam Xu laughed. “Oh, that won’t happen. Your brother is an honest boy, not the mischievous type. He’s only doing this to find you a good doctor—he never used to wander around like this.”  

Xu Rong listened but made no comment.  

In the nearly half-month since she had awakened, she had only seen Xu Huazhang twice—both times in a hurry.  

She wouldn’t assume the worst of a fifteen-year-old boy who was still half a child, but this much was already telling.  

Like all doting mothers, Madam Xu had boundless faith in her son. Unfortunately, Xu Huazhang, like the wayward sons in cautionary tales, shattered that illusion within half an hour.  

“Disaster! The marquis fought with Young Master Zhang and broke his arm!”  

“The Zhang family has reported it to the authorities!”  

“The constables from Wanping County rushed to the Imperial Music Academy and arrested the marquis!”  

A string of calamities spread from the main gate to the front courtyard, then from the front courtyard to the inner quarters, finally reaching Xu Rong’s courtyard.  

Xu Rong, who had been dozing in her chair, opened her eyes. “What?”  

Bai Fu was also stunned and grabbed Qing Zao. “Did you mishear? How could such a thing happen?!”  

Qing Zao, who had overheard the news on her way back from the laundry, stammered, “Sister, no—I heard it clearly. That’s exactly what they said. How would I dare slander the marquis for no reason?”  

Bai Fu stood frozen for a moment. “Don’t panic, miss. I’ll go find out more.”  

Xu Rong wasn’t panicking. She stood up. “Let’s go together.”  

She led Bai Fu out of the courtyard, heading straight for Madam Xu’s main residence.

Such a significant matter, whether true or false, must have reached Madam Xu by now, and her sources were the most reliable.

Xu Rong was right. When she arrived, Madam Xu was mustering her strength to interrogate a servant named He Nian.

He Nian usually accompanied Xu Huazhang on his outings, and it was he who had rushed back to deliver the news.

“—We ran into Second Master Luo from Commander Luo’s household. Second Master Luo insisted on dragging the Marquis out to relax. The Marquis had been exhausted these past few days and couldn’t easily refuse his hospitality, so he went. But who knew Second Master Luo would be so reckless as to take the Marquis to the Imperial Music Academy—”

Madam Xu gasped sharply, her voice piercing: “Are you all dead? Didn’t anyone try to stop him?”

He Nian hurriedly replied, “We did try, my lady, and the Marquis listened to our advice and turned to leave. But Second Master Luo physically dragged him back, saying he knew the Marquis was young and that the household rules were strict. He swore he wouldn’t lead the Marquis astray with any improper activities—just to listen to a song or two. The Marquis finally agreed, saying he’d sit for a while, listen to one song, and leave after sparing Second Master Luo some face.”

Madam Xu clutched her handkerchief, her heart in her throat. She couldn’t bother with other details now and pressed, “Then what? How did listening to a song turn into a disaster?”

He Nian slumped dejectedly. “We’d only listened to one song when Young Master Zhang from the Duke of Yingguo’s household arrived. By some cruel twist of fate, the flower girl the Marquis had chosen happened to be Young Master Zhang’s usual companion—his sweetheart—”

Madam Xu nearly choked. “What do you mean, ‘chose a flower girl’?! Wasn’t it just listening to a song?!”

Xu Rong stood by the courtyard gate, lowering her gaze.

Once you stepped into that place, only Madam Xu would believe, “I’m just looking, I won’t touch.”

He Nian stammered, “Everyone else had a flower girl to accompany them, and our Marquis couldn’t just sit there empty-handed, so—but nothing else happened! I was worried too, so I followed inside to keep an eye on things!”

He cautiously glanced at Madam Xu’s expression. “We hadn’t been there long before Young Master Zhang arrived and started arguing with the Marquis. As you know, my lady, our Marquis is mild-tempered and never one for fights—”

Madam Xu nodded involuntarily. “That’s true. So how did it come to blows?”

“The Marquis felt it was beneath his dignity to quarrel over a flower girl. After a few words, he was ready to leave. Second Master Luo also tried to mediate, saying the Marquis had only come to unwind after days of hard work and that it was his first time in such a place—he meant no harm. But Young Master Zhang was hot-headed and refused to back down. His words turned to the young mistress, saying the whole city knew her face was ruined, that even the best miracle doctor couldn’t fix it. He mocked the Marquis, saying all his efforts were in vain.”

“When the Marquis heard him insult the young mistress, he finally lost his temper. That’s what started the fight and made it escalate.” He Nian’s voice trailed off.

Madam Xu, meanwhile, nearly fainted on the spot. “What kind of upbringing does that Zhang family have?! To bring up my Rong’er in that vile place—that ill-bred little beast!”

“You’re absolutely right, my lady,” He Nian said, perking up slightly at Madam Xu’s reaction. “You see clearly—the Marquis never meant to harm Young Master Zhang. But in the chaos of the fight, things got out of hand.”

“That little beast deserved it!” Madam Xu snorted. “I know why he did it. His whole family must be seething, just waiting for a chance to pick a fight with ours. And now he’s found one.”

Xu Rong didn’t understand this part—since when were the Xu and Duke of Yingguo’s households at odds?

She didn’t feel it appropriate to ask, only watching as Madam Xu stormed out of the main hall. Spotting her, Madam Xu paused in surprise: “Rong’er, what brings you here?” Without waiting for an answer, she hastily reassured her amidst the chaos, “Don’t take those gossiping tongues outside to heart. Something’s happened to Zhang’er. I’m going to the Zhang residence. You rest well at home.”

With that, she hurried off.

Xu Rong slowly turned back.

Bai Fu followed anxiously: “Miss, this is terrible. Young Master Zhang is the Duke of Yingguo’s precious late-born son, doted on by both the Duke and Duchess. Of all people, why did our young master have to break his arm? The Zhang family won’t let this go easily.”

Xu Rong nodded slightly. Of course not. Had the Zhangs come knocking directly, there might have been room for negotiation. But instead, they quietly used official channels to have Xu Huazhang thrown in jail—this showed genuine fury, willing to make enemies.

So far, Xu Huazhang was just a vague figure in her mind. She faintly recalled his decent features but felt no particular sympathy for his plight, merely listening to Bai Fu’s chatter along the way.

Normally not talkative, Bai Fu couldn’t stop worrying aloud: “I wonder if Madam’s visit to the Zhangs will help. With all the recent trouble between us and the Xiaos, even the Duke of Yingguo’s household has been embarrassed. And now this… sigh.”

Xu Rong’s interest was piqued. “I haven’t been out for days and know nothing of outside affairs. Has the Duke of Yingguo’s household been affected too?”

“Somewhat,” Bai Fu answered honestly. “Though Madam Xiao married out, she’s still the Duke’s eldest daughter, and Young Master Xiao is the Duke’s grandson.”

Xu Rong halted.

So that was it.

This completely changed the nature of the situation.

“That Second Master Luo—” She rubbed her temple as if pondering.

Bai Fu, aware of her memory issues since the head injury, quickly supplied: “You’re asking about him? The Luos are old family friends. Back when the old Marquis was alive, they visited often—Master Luo wasn’t even a Commander then. After the old Marquis passed, Second Master Luo, being closer in age to our young master, reportedly kept up the friendship, visiting him occasionally. But I’ve never seen him, staying in the inner quarters as I do. Why do you ask?”

Because this Luo was suspicious.

His appearance was too timely, too coincidental—like the needle threading Xu Huazhang and Young Master Zhang together.

“I was thinking,” Xu Rong said, “was Second Master Luo arrested too? If not, after such a serious incident involving Zhang’er, he should at least have come to inform us, shouldn’t he?”

Bai Fu blinked. “You’re right. Let me inquire further.”

She accompanied Xu Rong back to their courtyard before setting out again, only to return empty-handed: He Nian had been taken to the Zhangs by Madam Xu as a witness, while the other servants who’d gone out with Xu Huazhang hadn’t returned—likely rounded up by the yamen runners.

Bai Fu fretted: “Miss, what should we do?”

“Send someone to the Luo residence,” Xu Rong instructed. “Second Master Luo must return home eventually. Have them watch him discreetly—note his movements and whom he meets—then report back to me.”

Bai Fu listened intently, confusion flickering in her eyes. Though she knew her mistress had changed since the accident, this moment still struck her as strangely unfamiliar.

Xu Rong met her gaze calmly. “What is it? Are there no suitable people in the household for this task?”

Bai Fu snapped back to reality with a start: What was she thinking? That face, that voice—it was unmistakably the young lady, exactly the same. Her own feelings were simply too unfounded. Was she really going to tell others that she felt the young lady had become a different person?

—Zhi Tao and Zi Yan weren’t even in the courtyard anymore, and they had grown distant from her. Even if she wanted to confide in someone, who could she turn to?

Perhaps she was just overthinking things, making problems where there were none.

Bai Fu calmed herself down, feeling ashamed of her baseless suspicions driven purely by intuition. With a desire to make amends—or perhaps to deceive herself—she quickly added, “My brother could go. He’s steady and reliable, and he’ll carry out your instructions well.”