Chapter Seventy-Three: Taken to the Second Household

Xue Qiu was busy drilling his soldiers when someone from home came to inform him that a guest had arrived.

Why again? Because recently, far too many people had visited his house. Even his colleagues had heard about the constant stream of guests and asked if he was planning to pass down his family’s unique spear techniques, hence so many young gentlemen gathering at his home.

Of course not—his spear techniques were never to be taught outside the family. Yet his colleagues didn’t believe him, spinning tales with vivid detail about those young men all seeking to learn from him.

He had been puzzled at the time—if he was going to teach or not, wouldn’t he know best himself?

And now, another guest? This time, it was the Second Madam from the Xie family! Did she want to learn spear techniques too? Hardly likely. He didn’t even teach young gentlemen, why would he teach women?

It was truly baffling.

Because the visitor was from the Xie family, Xue Qiu had no intention of returning home just for her. Besides, as a general, he had no reason to be concerned about a mere madam from the Xie family, and it wasn’t proper for him to receive a woman guest anyway.

He instructed the servant, “From now on, there’s no need to inform me if any guests arrive. Just let the Old Madam know and let her decide. If any young gentlemen wish to stay, simply find them a courtyard and settle them in. There’s no need to report specially about it.”

The servant received the instructions and returned to convey them.

Watching his troops resting on the training grounds, Xue Qiu frowned slightly and wondered: Why is everyone coming to my house? What do they want? Is it because my home is secure? Honestly, although he had been confused before, he hadn’t minded much. But today… could it be his house hid some treasure?

……

Second Madam Xie waited for a long time, but still no one from the Xue family came out to greet her. She was seething with anger, thinking, How dare the Xue family treat me with such disrespect! Did they think that just because her son was supposedly bewitched by Xue’s Sixth Daughter, she would simply let it go? Did they, relying on their family’s status, think they could snub her so carelessly?

She had barely sat through two cups of tea before she lost her patience and stood up to call, “Someone come in, I want to see the Sixth Daughter of the Xue family!”

A servant stationed at the door hurried in, bowing in a posture of attentive readiness.

Second Madam Xie, still fuming, repeated, “I want to see the Sixth Daughter!”

The servant looked up in surprise, then quickly lowered his head slightly and replied, “Sixth Miss is from the fourth branch, Madam. If you wish to see her, you should go to the fourth courtyard.”

Second Madam Xie was speechless.

“And this is which branch, then?” she demanded.

The servant did not hide the truth. “This is the Old General’s residence. Someone has already gone to inform the Old General, but the house is a bit far from the training grounds. Madam, if you wish to see the Sixth Miss, should you wait for the Old General or not?”

Why should she wait for an old general—an old man, wasn’t he? Why should a young woman like herself bother with an old man, especially one who wasn’t even a direct elder of the fourth branch’s Sixth Daughter?

Second Madam Xie was convinced the Xue family was being deliberately difficult and grew ever more indignant. She shouted, “Lead the way, I want to see the Sixth Daughter!”

With that outburst, all trace of the dignified composure expected of a lady from the Xie family vanished. The Xue family’s servants were taken aback, thinking—hadn’t the Second Madam gone mad, coming here to make such a scene?

Had she come quietly at first, the servant might have unhesitatingly taken her to the fourth branch. But now, seeing her act so unreasonably, they hesitated. After all, they were servants of the second branch and were shrewd and perceptive; one of them, hearing her shouting, slipped away to the fourth branch to give advance warning.

Second Madam Xie remained oblivious—or perhaps did not care. She forced the servant to lead her, not even knowing where she was going, when suddenly she heard a commotion at a side gate: “Lecher! Someone come quick, a lecher is scaling the wall to molest a young lady…!”

Second Madam Xie secretly scorned them—what kind of household is this, that even in broad daylight, rogues climb the walls?

She wondered what kind of lecher would dare enter the Xue family—were their women gilded? For someone to attempt a meeting in broad daylight?

Then came shouts and cries, and someone yelled, “We’ve caught him, caught him alive, take him to the Old Madam…!”

So someone had been caught. Second Madam Xie sneered to herself—catching one made no difference, it wouldn’t change the Xue family’s disgraceful fate.

“Bah!”

She spat in contempt, and the servant leading her glanced back in confusion.

“Keep leading the way, what are you looking around for?” Second Madam Xie snapped. “If you dare take a wrong turn, see if I’ll let you off lightly!”

Whether she would or not, they were Xue family servants—hardly her place to order them about. Still, the servants, fearing to bring disaster on the house by talking back, said nothing, only silently doing their duty, unsure what else to say in the face of her tirade.

Before long, the servant led Second Madam Xie to the fourth branch, where she heard the calm, steady voice of a slightly older woman: “Madam, please wait. Are you the Second Madam of the Xie family?”

Second Madam Xie turned to see the speaker had come from behind; she had no idea from which room, for the Xue family’s compound was so sprawling she had already lost her way.

“What do you want with me?” she demanded, equally displeased with all of them.

The woman dipped in a shallow curtsey, then straightened. “I serve in the Old Madam’s quarters. The Old Madam wishes to speak with Second Madam.”

Second Madam Xie immediately recognized her as a daughter of the Shen family, long since married off and now a servant in the aged Xue Matron’s house—no matter she was once a niece of the family matriarch, now she was just a maid in a declining household. And this woman thought she could summon her?

Second Madam Xie considered herself very shrewd. She guessed at once that the Old Madam wished to intercede on behalf of her granddaughter, hoping to plead and stop her from causing trouble.

Ridiculous! That Xue Sixth Daughter had the nerve to seduce her only son and aspired to be the Xie family’s mistress, then dared seek favor from the Old Madam? Did they think that by involving the Old Madam, her own family’s face would be saved?

Not a chance.

She said to the woman, “Fine, I’ll go meet her. I have a few questions for Old Madam Xue myself. Why is it that my well-bred son is living at the Xue house for no reason?”

“If Xue family girls are seducing outstanding young men from other families, who is in charge here? Is there no sense of shame? I must get to the bottom of this!”

The woman was none other than Nanny Jiang. They had just caught Young Master Xie Six, who had changed into a servant’s uniform and was trying to climb over the courtyard wall, and didn’t know how to handle him since he was a Xie. Upon hearing that Second Madam Xie had just arrived, the Old Madam had sent Nanny Jiang at once, instructing her to bring the Second Madam by any means necessary.

Nanny Jiang, though she had fulfilled her duty, was displeased to hear Second Madam Xie slander her mistress.

Let her show off now, she thought; just wait till she faces her son, caught in disarray—then we’ll see if she dares speak so boldly.