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Chapter 65: Moving Residence

Wen Ruyu dismissed the servants and retreated inside with the two young ladies to speak in private.

Qingluan waited until the servants had gone far enough that they couldn’t hear them before speaking:
“Yesterday, I saw Madam Xu from next door. She’s really pitiful. Old Madam, please don’t blame us for meddling. We really want to help her escape her miserable situation at her husband’s home.”

Wen Ruyu perked up at this:
“You girls have such kind hearts. Why not act immediately then?”

Qingluan hesitated:
“We’re afraid that if we get involved, we’ll expose you, Old Madam.”

Indeed, Qingluan and Hongyu were both too conspicuous. If they acted, people would immediately know they were from the Lu family.

Whether or not the Lu family was directly involved, they wouldn’t be able to avoid association.

But Wen Ruyu thought it over and decided she really didn’t have much to fear from Xu Rui:
“It’s only right. Let Xu Rui know that the young lady from the Qin family is not without protection.”

—

That night, two figures flickered across the Xu family courtyard.

Xu Rui was still asleep when a cold breeze woke him.

In the blink of an eye, he realized he was no longer in his bed but in a dilapidated courtyard.

At first, he thought it was just a dream. He pinched himself and clearly felt pain.

“Hiss!”

The cold October night wind made his head spin and his body tremble.

With broken eaves and dried grass everywhere, Xu Rui shivered like a leaf.

If it wasn’t a ghost, how else could he suddenly be transported here from home?

“Bang!”

The wind blew open doors and windows, creaking like a woman’s eerie laughter, making his scalp tingle.

“Ahh!” Xu Rui screamed and crawled backward into the house in fear.

It was early October, and the waning moon hid behind dark clouds.

A woman in red held a white lantern, standing beside another woman in white.

Both wore veils that hid their faces.

Trembling, Xu Rui asked, “Ladies… may I ask where this place is? I’ve never wronged anyone or done evil. Why… why have you brought me here?”

“It’s not only wronging outsiders that counts as evil,” Qingluan’s voice was cold and ethereal in the night, “Think carefully, Xu Gongzi. Who have you wronged lately?”

Xu Rui thought for a long time but couldn’t come up with anything.

Finally, he said with a trembling voice, “I was unfilial? I spoke harshly to my mother the other day?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the red-dressed woman suddenly appeared before him—so fast her movement couldn’t be followed.

“Slap!” Xu Rui’s face was smacked to the side.

Tears welled up in his eyes from the pain.

The good news: from the slap, he realized these women weren’t ghosts.

The bad news: he didn’t know what they intended to do to him. They were just as frightening as ghosts—capable of taking a life.

Faced with such overwhelming strength, even if they were women, Xu Rui couldn’t help but be terrified.

After hitting him, Hongyu declared, “The thing I hate most in this life is men who bully the weak and fear the strong, especially those who mistreat women!”

Qingluan didn’t stop her junior sister but continued to question Xu Rui:
“Scholar Xu, think again. What other sins have you committed?”

Xu Rui’s close relations were only his parents and his wife. His father had died early, and while the mourning period for an imperial official barred appointment, it still allowed him to sit for the exams.

Some people observed mourning fully, others didn’t. It varied.

If he was guilty of anything towards his father, it might be that he kept taking exams but never passed. Still, he was young and had chances left.

So even by doing his best, he was still considered filial. If not, he could raise the next generation to take the exams.

Besides his parents, there was only his wife.

Then he remembered how he had intentionally pushed her recently, and guilt flickered in his heart.

In political circles, officials often had their families scrutinized. Xu Rui only had his wife’s family as a connection. That relationship was now broken and might bring further trouble.

His future in civil service was likely doomed.

Every time he saw his wife these days, he felt irritated.

Yet Qin Fu had a soft personality and endured everything without complaint.

That only made Xu Rui feel more frustrated, like he had no outlet for his anger. Over time, he began thinking that since no one would hold him accountable, he could vent on her.

So he had pushed Qin Fu.

To be fair, he did feel some guilt—after all, she was carrying his child.

To make up for it, he allowed her to attend the Lu family wedding while pregnant.

After that, he just brushed the whole incident aside.

In his view, it was just a little push, a bruise that would fade in two weeks. There was no scar, and the child wasn’t harmed. It wasn’t a big deal.

He’d never hit anyone before. But in this case, he felt he was justified—he’d suffered because of the Qin family, hadn’t he?

His wife still held her rightful position, the servants still called her Madam Qin. He hadn’t taken any of her dowry.

What more could she want?

“I… I pushed my wife?”

Qingluan added:
“She was pregnant.”

Xu Rui shrank back and mumbled, “Ladies, this is a private matter within my home. While I may not treat them with the utmost respect, I’ve never starved or abused them. Even if I’m guilty, it’s not a capital offense. Why mobilize like this?”

“We are recluses, people of the mountains and waters,” said Qingluan. “Normally we wouldn’t interfere in worldly matters. But this time, it just happened to cross our path. When there is injustice, we cannot turn a blind eye. This is your fate.”

As she spoke, a strong wind blew and rain began to fall.

The leaky house let water in, and Xu Rui started chanting “Amitabha” in fear.

A sheet of white paper floated before him. A brush flew into his face and made him dizzy.

Xu Rui looked up in confusion.
“What do you want me to do, madams?”

“You write.”

“Write what?”

“A confession.”

“A confession of what?”

“Confess to secret gambling and loan-sharking. Admit your guilt and vow to reform.”

“But I’ve never done those things!” Xu Rui protested.

“We know,” said Hongyu, stepping forward, “But we want you to write it anyway.”

—

The next morning, a thick mist lingered after a night of heavy rain. The ground was muddy.

A servant called for Xu Rui outside his study, but there was no response.

Worried about being scolded for delaying his master, the servant knocked and went in—only to find the room empty.

He searched but couldn’t find Xu Rui anywhere and hurried to inform the old and young madams.

Both women panicked and sent people to search everywhere.

Before noon, Xu Rui returned disheveled, his face clearly bearing marks from a beating.

Mother and wife quickly called a doctor and considered reporting it to the authorities.

The doctor came, but Xu Rui stopped them from going to the authorities.

He’d witnessed the girls’ martial prowess. By now, they were surely long gone.

On the way back, Xu Rui had guessed the Lu family was behind the setup.

But remembering that they now held his written confession, and that they were not only connected to two scholars but also related to the county magistrate, he realized his own family had little influence in comparison.

They had money, but no real power.

Understanding this, Xu Rui looked at his wife for a long time, eyes filled with complexity, until Qin Fu looked back in confusion. Then he finally looked away and sighed deeply.

From that point on, he no longer dared to raise his voice at her—much less raise a hand.

Whether the confession had use or not, it made one thing clear: the Lu family would protect Qin Fu fiercely.

That alone was enough to make Xu Rui tread carefully.

—

With the matter of Qin Fu resolved, in late November, Wen Ruyu moved into Jing Garden.

It was a newly built garden in the household, covering about two mu (about 1,300 square meters).

The front had a wide waterside pavilion with three sides facing the water, with built-in beauty seats for enjoying the view and relaxing.

Especially in spring, summer, and autumn, the scenery was breathtaking.

In winter, it might be a bit chilly by the water, but Qinghe County’s winters weren’t too long or cold.

Beside the pond were pavilions, water terraces, and rockeries, all connected by covered corridors. Bamboo and red maples decorated the paths, and flowers bloomed by the seasonal pavilion.

The pond had lotus flowers and many colorful koi fish.

Behind the garden was a small courtyard with a two-story building and planted pine trees. Wen Ruyu planned to live here.

She intended to add a small kitchen so she could cook whenever she liked, though that hadn’t been built yet.

With more family wealth recently, Wen Ruyu had bought herself more jewelry.

The building had many rooms, enough for her belongings and for her attendants to move in.

She had moved from the lively part of the estate to this quiet retreat.

So when she announced her plan to move, everyone assumed she was handing over the reins of household authority.

Little did they know, Wen Ruyu just went wherever she fancied—if a place looked nice, she wanted to live there.

That said, she was getting older. Unless it was close friends, she rarely entertained guests.

Household management and social obligations were left to her sons and daughters-in-law.

In front of the new garden was the old one, which was smaller and now used to grow vegetables. Its central pavilion no longer had much value for admiring flowers.

To the left of the old garden was a study, used for storing books and as a study space for Lu Songnian and the others.

To the right of both gardens were the family’s various residences—including Wen Ruyu’s old quarters.

She also planned to expand her courtyard to the right—perhaps she’d move again.

After all, the Lu family would certainly grow in the future, and three courtyards wouldn’t be enough in the long run.

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