Chapter 5: Young Lady (Part 2)

The matron displayed a kind smile, her words always imbued with deep concern. "This child only knows how to cherish her books. On nice days, she doesn't even think to come out for a stroll. Even if she needs to rest, she should still see some light from time to time." As she spoke, the matron walked towards the window to gaze at the star-filled sky, nodding her head. "It seems the weather will be fine tomorrow; I will go early to take her out to the garden for some fresh air."

Jinxiu was initially so frightened that her soul seemed to leave her body, and she broke out in a cold sweat. After struggling outside for quite a while, the cool breeze penetrated her clothes, chilling her to the bone. Now, a cup of hot tea rushed down her throat, suppressing the chill, causing her to cough immediately. After a bout of coughing, she seemed to have regained a considerable amount of clarity.

She is also foolish; if Miss Eight were here, she would definitely respond to her

Madam suddenly paused her hand holding the teacup, looking towards Yaqin, "What is going on?"

Yaqin then dared to recount everything as it was, "Jinxiu said that the Eighth Miss is missing. She went to look for the Eighth Miss, but ended up in the Fifth Miss's room," Yaqin paused, "She also said that she saw ... ... in the room ... ..."

Madam asked: "What exactly is going on?"

Madam Chen responded with a sound, turned her head and thought for a moment, then smiled and leaned closer, "Madam, I do have a candidate in mind, she is beautiful and aligns with your preferences..." The matron glanced at her, prompting her to continue, "What do you think of Miss Liu..."

Madam Chen is someone she brought from her family home, and she has been by her side all along. In this household, where there are many people and many eyes, even the maid who grew up beside her cannot be fully trusted. Only this person brought from her family home is someone she has no doubts about

Madam has not spoken for half a day, "And regarding the Ministry of Rites, you also need to pay more attention to it for me. Handle both matters together and carefully select candidates.

Madam's gaze flickered, and Mother Chen hurriedly fell silent

The matriarch let out a sigh; this girl, Jinxiu, was usually quite composed, so how could such a thing happen? She glanced at Yaqin and asked, "What does it mean that the Eighth Miss is missing? Could it be that a living person has actually gone missing?"

Madam said again: "Now you go over and take some fruit, the elder sister will surely go to her younger sister's place shortly."

Mom Chen came to ask Yaqin, "What brings you here in such a hurry?"

When Sixth Aunt gave birth, she fell ill. Less than two months later, Sixth Aunt passed away, and Hong Ge was adopted by the First Madam as her legitimate son

Madam said: "Just speak the truth without reservation"

Madam stood up and said, "Go, bring me Jin Xiu. I must ask her what is going on."

The lady glanced at the maid beside her and said, "Go, give her some hot water to help her regain her composure"

Madam Chen had long been aware of her master's intentions. Over the years, the eldest madam had gone through considerable trouble regarding the matter of her legitimate son, fearing that the eldest daughter might repeat past mistakes. Moreover, concerning the marriage alliance with the Hou family... "Otherwise, we could select another from the residence; they share the same bloodline, and the child would be closer to the eldest daughter."

Upon hearing this from the madam, the maid outside, named Rui'er, hurriedly came in and said, "Madam, the Eighth Miss has been found. She encountered the master in the garden and was detained by him."

Yaqin swallowed and said, "I have seen the Fifth Miss."

Madam Chen raised her head and saw two maids who had bumped into each other. "You two rascally fools, do you not know whose spirit has led you astray? Clumsy and careless, one day I will drive each of you out of the residence to make it clean.

Just thinking about the scene she saw when she approached the house made Jin Xiu shiver. "And then... then... the servant... saw the Fifth Miss." She raised her head, her gaze filled with fear and fragility. "Madam, it is true, the servant saw..."

Rui Er said: "I am waiting outside"

"Hold her back for me; I see that this hoof has gone mad," Mother Chen shouted sharply

Madam, it is true... everything the servant has said is true... the servant really saw it... if you do not believe it, you can send two people to investigate... Miss Wu is right there..." As she spoke, she earnestly knelt down at the feet of the elder madam.

The servant did not dare to delay and hurriedly chased after her. By the time she reached the Fifth Miss's courtyard, the Eighth Miss was already nowhere to be found. Fearing that the Eighth Miss had entered the Fifth Miss's room, the servant called out in the courtyard, but there was no response from anyone

Before the words were finished, a crisp sound of impact was heard, followed by the sound of a teacup shattering

Several young girls pulled Jinxiu into the main lady's room. Jinxiu knelt on the ground, her eyes vacant, her face pale, and she slumped to the floor, remaining silent

Madam smiled and said, "Just eat yours."

Madam said: "Where is Miss Eight?"

Madam Chen was momentarily taken aback, then hurriedly approached with the two maids to assist the madam. "Madam, please do not worry. It has been a long time since anyone has been in Miss Wu's room. It is normal for some cats and dogs to have made their nests there. When someone suddenly enters, those creatures will certainly startle. If anyone is to be blamed, it should be Jin Xiu for going there without reason. I will go take a look first and call a doctor to prescribe some medicine to calm her down. She should be fine after that. When she wakes up tomorrow, Madam can deal with her accordingly."

Yaqin said: "Jinxiu was just in the yard, she said..." Yaqin hesitated, unable to continue.

The two girls hurriedly stepped forward to restrain Jinxiu. Jinxiu found herself physically constrained, unable to express the thoughts in her mind, and in her anxiety, she fainted.

The servant returned, seemingly having seen the Eighth Miss enter the Fifth Miss's courtyard

This tea was brought by the eldest sister; you should try it as well. The matron left another cup of tea at the table for Mother Chen

The lady cleaned her hands, took a couple of sips of tea, dismissed the other servants, and left only Mama Chen to speak with her

As Chun Yao helped the madam remove her stone blue silver fox cloak, he replied, "I have been there. The second young lady looks quite well; at that moment, she was lying in bed reading a book"

Madam said: "Quickly go find the doctor to come and take a look, this girl is likely confused by phlegm."

Upon entering the room, the matron called over Chun Yao, "Have you been to the second sister's room today? How is the second sister's complexion?"

Madam closed her eyes for a moment; she had long since devised a plan. If Xiao Liu were to give birth to a boy, she would adopt him and raise him herself, intending to establish him as her legitimate son. However, the situation turned out to be beyond her expectations, as Xiao Liu, who had a frail fate, passed away early. Consequently, it became all the more natural for Hong Ge to be recognized as the legitimate son.

Xiao Liu secretly sought out Doctor Zheng for medicine, where could he hide it from her eyes? If it were not for her tacit approval, Xiao Liu would not have been able to give birth to Hong Ge

Mrs. Tao felt weary at the family banquet, so the eldest lady accompanied her back to her residence. After settling Mrs. Tao in, the eldest lady returned to her own room

The servant boldly pushed open the door.

Mother Chen interjected, "The sky is so dark, you must have misjudged with your hooves, yet you are here frightening people with your bold claims. The lady has long since ordered that no one is to go to that courtyard; have you taken all this as mere background noise?"

Madam Chen nodded, "I have also noticed it; it seems to be related to the matter of offspring. However, the lady has already summoned Doctor Zheng to take a look, so there should not be any issues or concerns. Aunt Six has also not suffered..."

Two maids hurriedly knelt down to beg for mercy

Yaqin knelt on the ground and replied anxiously, "Madam, Jinxiu has been bewitched, and the Eighth Miss is also missing"

Madam raised her voice and asked: "Ango?"

Madam said busily: "Quick, call them in."

In that moment, she truly lost her mind

It can be considered that heaven has lent her a hand, as a faint smile appeared at the corner of the elder lady's mouth. Heaven always seems to stand by her side, which is why some people are less fortunate while others are born into wealth and privilege

Madam Chen scolded them again before allowing them to get up and speak. Xiangqiao is from the sixth young lady's room, and the eldest madam is busy in her own quarters. She has temporarily come over to help today. Just now, she had prepared a bowl of soup for the eldest madam in the kitchen, and when she brought it in, she happened to bump into Yaqin, who had rushed in. The tray was knocked over onto the floor, spilling soup everywhere.

Although there are examples from the previous Sixth Concubine, the First Lady still worries, "We cannot be unprepared; what if she is still unable to conceive? We must have a countermeasure in place."

Rui Er said: "The master was playing at Yingchun Garden in the evening. It seems that the entire residence was lit up today, and the master liked it, so he squeezed out through a hole in the wall. At first, we didn't know and were searching in the garden. Later, when we went outside, we saw the master entangled with a young lady. After inquiring, we learned that she was the Eighth Miss who had just entered the residence today, and only then did we bring her back."

Jinxiu's mind went completely blank. The madam's commanding tone startled her, and she instinctively began to speak, "I was accompanying the Eighth Miss to watch the lanterns in the garden. Later... the Eighth Miss said it was a bit cold and asked me to go back to fetch a cloak. On my way back, I encountered a maid and instructed her to get the cloak while I returned to find the Eighth Miss."

Chun Yao replied: "Yes"

After enduring the pain of losing two children, Master Tao was heartbroken and disillusioned, no longer seeking various methods to have a son. Unexpectedly, this led to a positive outcome. Ten years ago, the sixth concubine gave birth to a son, and Master Tao was overjoyed, naming this precious son Hong Ge.

Yaqin knelt down and did not dare to speak

The items that the eldest daughter shows respect with, the eldest madam never gives to others. Mother Chen is somewhat taken aback, "How can this be good"

Over the years, Chen Guijia has alleviated her worries considerably. The eldest madam recalls that night from a few years ago... After that incident, Chen Guijia's position in her heart deepened even further

After a commotion, everyone returned to the room to listen to the attendant. Suddenly, the matron raised her head and said, "What are you all standing around for? Wasn't it said that Miss Eight is missing? Why aren't you going to look for her?"

Many people, upon seeing Jin Xiu's expression, began to believe it somewhat, and the timid could not help but feel afraid

The lady spoke with a stern tone, "Nonsense, where do these ghosts and spirits come from?"

Chun Yao busied himself after descending

Madam Tai entered the Tao residence and gave birth to two daughters and one son: the eldest daughter Shuhua, the second daughter Yaohua, and the eldest son Ango. The eldest daughter is well, but the second daughter accidentally fell into the lotus pond when she was young. Although she was rescued, her body was immersed in the cold pond water, and she has been plagued by illness ever since, rarely leaving the house during the autumn and winter seasons. The eldest son Ango was born strong and healthy, but unfortunately, he is inherently foolish. Many doctors have been consulted, yet there has been no improvement. Master Tao has taken several concubines over the years, most of whom have given birth to daughters. Only the second and fourth concubines have given birth to two young masters, but both passed away before reaching their first birthday. The eldest son Ango was born strong and healthy, but unfortunately, he is inherently foolish. Many doctors have been consulted, yet there has been no improvement. Master Tao has taken several concubines over the years, most of whom have given birth to daughters. Only the second and fourth concubines have given birth to two young masters, but both passed away before reaching their first birthday.

The crowd hurriedly carried Jin Xiu into the ear room

Madam said, "Shuhua has returned this time with even heavier concerns"

Madam's eyes blinked heavily, "What is this supposed to mean?" She intended to stand up, but unexpectedly, as she leaned on the table, she knocked over the teacup, spilling tea all over herself.