Agarwood Pavilion.
After having lunch, Su Jin felt a bit weary, so she lay down on the Imperial Concubine’s Couch for a nap.
Just as she was sleeping soundly, she was shaken awake by Xingxing.
"Miss, wake up," Xingxing said urgently.
Su Jin groggily woke up and asked, "What is it?"
"Lady Chi is being punished by Princess Nanzhang to kneel in the Peony Garden," Xingxing said, utterly anxious.
In this weather, just walking outside is unbearable, let alone kneeling on the ground.
A sudden chill ran through Su Jin, and she beca instantly alert.
"What happened?" she asked.
Xingxing shook her head, "I don’t know."
The little maid only inford her about this issue.
The weather was too hot, and the maids were reluctant to move around, so the news wasn’t very tily.
Su Jin got up from the Imperial Concubine’s Couch.
"Let’s go, take a look."
From Agarwood Pavilion to Peony Garden.
Along the way, Su Jin tried to walk under the shade, but she was still dizzy from the heat.
Primarily because she was wearing too many layers of clothing, at least three layers.
The embroidered shoes on her feet weren’t breathable either.
Inside the Peony Garden, there were no maids or old won sweeping fallen leaves.
Only Lady Chi and Xique were kneeling on the ground.
Even from just seeing their backs, one could feel their agony.
Xingxing squatted down and touched the bluestone ground.
It’s true.
One could fry an egg on it.
Su Jin walked over and asked, "What happened?"
Lady Chi couldn’t speak.
But sweat was pouring down like rain.
Xique’s lips were cracked, and she was almost about to faint.
Xingxing sought water from the maids, but no one responded.
Xingxing knew where the Peony Garden’s well was and ran over to draw water herself.
The maids wouldn’t let Xingxing do whatever she wanted in the Peony Garden.
They ran over to snatch the water bucket.
Xingxing was strong.
The maids couldn’t win the fight.
But Xingxing was a well-mannered and considerate maid.
Halfway through the struggle.
She released her grip.
The maid fell backward with the wooden bucket.
She fell sprawling on the ground.
The blistering ground, baked by the sun, made the little maid howl in pain.
Xique looked at Su Jin and, with difficulty, managed to tell Su Jin what had happened.
This is what happened —
Half an hour ago, Xique and Lady Chi were staying inside the house.
Princess Nanzhang suddenly called for them.
She asked where Lady Chi’s silver notes ca from.
Xingxing said Lady Chi had given Su Jin money to buy ointnt, and that was why the Old Prince made Princess Nanzhang compensate Lady Chi five thousand taels.
The Old Prince spoke, so Princess Nanzhang dared not disobey.
But just compensating with reputation and silver notes, Princess Nanzhang couldn’t swallow this humiliation.
The weather was hot, and it agitated her until her teeth ached.
How could a concubine possibly have ten thousand taels of silver notes on them?
This is absolutely impossible!
This money must have an improper source.
Or it was fictitious, and Su Jin purposely said so to brush her off.
No matter what, Lady Chi was rely a concubine.
If Xie Jingchen and Su Jin had ointnt to give Lady Chi but not to honor her, spreading the word would invite ridicule.
So they found themselves a good excuse, saying Lady Chi’s ointnt was bought with money.
The more Princess Nanzhang speculated like this, the angrier she got. If she didn’t teach Su Jin a lesson, her role as the lady-in-charge would be a waste.
Just then, Third Madam ca to see Princess Nanzhang, ntioning those ten thousand taels of silver notes.
A few years ago, Third Madam’s brother and sister-in-law ca to the Prince Mansion to visit her and lost a purse, which contained exactly ten thousand taels of silver notes.
This matter was briefly ntioned and then forgotten.
No one could prove that Third Madam’s brother and sister-in-law truly lost ten thousand taels.
If the matter were exposed, it could show the Prince Zhenbei Mansion’s lack of integrity, as returning lost money is a virtue.
A concubine couldn’t possibly have ten thousand taels on her; the only possibility was that the silver notes were sothing she found.
If the owner ca looking, naturally, she’d have to return it to the original owner.
Princess Nanzhang asked Lady Chi to inquire where the silver notes ca from.
If she couldn’t say, they’d assu she found them and make her hand them over.
Lady Chi couldn’t speak.
Princess Nanzhang had the maids bring pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, so she could write it down clearly.
Lady Chi refused to write.
Xique didn’t know.
Seeing their resolve, Princess Nanzhang had them dragged out to kneel on the ground.
With just Xique by Lady Chi’s side, they couldn’t resist.
And so, they had been kneeling for two periods.
Su Jin didn’t expect this trouble to be sothing she and Xingxing had brought upon Lady Chi.
She helped Lady Chi up.
Princess Nanzhang and Third Madam ca out, saying coldly, "I am still the lady-in-charge of the Prince Zhenbei Mansion, and disciplining a concubine is not sothing for the Heir’s wife to interfere in!"
Indeed.
It wasn’t Su Jin’s place as a daughter-in-law to discipline a concubine.
But she intervened anyway.
The matter arose because of her, and she had the responsibility to resolve it.
Su Jin looked at Princess Nanzhang and said, "The ten thousand taels of silver notes are now in my possession. Does the Commandery Princess feel I shouldn’t intervene?"
"If they were indeed found, does the Commandery Princess not intend for to hand them over?"
"Oh, the Prince hasn’t ordained the Commandery Princess as the Princess Consort, so the Heir’s wife doesn’t even call her mother," Third Madam added fuel to the fire.
Su Jin was not afraid of her.
"Didn’t you also not call the eldest sister-in-law, Third Aunt?" Su Jin retorted.
"...."
Su Jin turned and helped Lady Chi up.
Such provocation caused Princess Nanzhang’s face to darken ominously.
"Insolence!" she said coldly.
Mrs. Zhao quickly ordered people to block Su Jin.
Su Jin sneered, "Who says a concubine can’t have ten thousand taels of silver notes?!"
"When the silver notes were lost, no one said a word, but now knowing that Lady Chi has ten thousand taels, suddenly soone lost money. Isn’t that too coincidental!"
"Lady Chi scarcely leaves Qingqiu Garden a few tis a year, much less during visitor-receiving tis; Third Aunt’s brother and sister-in-law wouldn’t be wandering around the Prince Mansion. They only went to places with people and with company."
"To say the purse was picked up by Lady Chi is far-fetched. If you were to say your family left the purse in Qingqiu Garden, it might be more believable," Su Jin remarked.
Third Madam was so furious her face turned green, "You!"
Su Jin could not be bothered to talk with them.
Previously it was theft; now it was blatant robbery.
Let them rob if they want.
Yet they used such underhanded tactics.
It was so lowly that she was ashad to live under the sa roof as them.
Princess Nanzhang coldly said, "A concubine who is disfigured and mute, where would she have so many silver notes on her?!"
Although Su Jin was also curious.
But she wouldn’t be so aggressive and relentless.
Su Jin turned back to look at Lady Chi.
Lady Chi raised her hand and signaled a few tis.
Whatever she wanted to say, Su Jin surely couldn’t understand.
"My mistress requests pen, ink, paper, and an inkstone," Xique said.
The maid quickly brought them over.
Lady Chi wrote a few words: They are from Nanliang.
Third Madam mocked, "Seems like Lady Chi had a prestigious background in Nanliang, otherwise how could she bring ten thousand taels of silver notes to the Daqi Dynasty?"
"Third Aunt indeed has a keen eye," Su Jin applauded.
"Without a prestigious background, how could she write such beautiful characters?"
Third Madam, "...."
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