Chapter 3
Only the dead will keep secrets forever.
But some things are the bottom line of being human.
Someone had broken in. Initially, Song Jiyun thought of having Zheng Quan subdue the intruder, blindfold him, tie him up, and throw him into the cellar of one of her properties.
After keeping him locked up for a few days until her affairs were in order, she would quietly release him in Nanchang or Jiujiang, and the matter would be resolved.
Even if this person came back later, she would not appear personally.
Zheng Quan, being a servant, would surely find a way to deflect responsibility.
But now, that plan could no longer work.
She pondered and said, “For now, take him to my courtyard.”
Zheng Quan was shocked and said, “How can that be appropriate? Men and women should keep their distance. Moreover, he’s a skilled fighter. What if he goes berserk and hurts you?”
Song Jiyun replied, “Besides my courtyard, where else would be suitable?”
Zheng Quan scratched his head and said, “I’ll follow your orders, Big Miss.”
The Big Miss was much smarter than him.
He only knew to put dry branches under the eaves to prevent eavesdropping, but the Big Miss had already anticipated potential ambushes and arranged for people to hide in secret.
Song Jiyun instructed Zheng Quan to gag the unfamiliar man and tie him up with hemp rope.
She added, “He’s highly skilled in martial arts. Don’t let him escape or create an uproar. We still don’t know who he is!”
Zheng Quan acknowledged her order and went to fetch the rope.
However, just as he had tied the man up, a commotion grew louder outside—it sounded like a large group of people approaching.
Xiang Zan, who had been keeping watch outside, ran in with a panicked expression and reported, “Big Miss, Steward Lin is leading many people here!”
Steward Lin had been a minor steward managing the garden for the Second Branch.
When the eldest master came over to oversee the funeral arrangements, Steward Lin ingratiated himself with the First Branch.
Now, everything he did aligned with their interests, making it seem as if he belonged to them.
Hearing this, Zheng Quan became anxious and asked, “What should we do?”
Song Jiyun frowned.
To allow Zheng Quan to leave quietly today, she had deliberately arranged tasks to occupy those who were loyal to the First or Third Branch.
She hadn’t expected it wouldn’t hold them off.
Should they slip away through the back of the study?
That might embolden these people further, allowing them to exploit the situation.
Song Jiyun smiled at Zheng Quan.
***
By the time Steward Lin burst into the study with his men, the doors were wide open.
In the middle of the study stood a half-person-tall yellow pearwood chest with bronze-corner carvings of pines.
Zheng Quan and the young maid Xiang Zan were busy packing books into it.
Xiang Zan said to Zheng Quan, “Be careful! These are all the Second Master’s favorite belongings.”
The simple-minded Zheng Quan nodded earnestly under the instructions of a maid not even ten years old.
Steward Lin sneered at Zheng Quan even more.
He pointed at the messy courtyard and asked Xiang Zan,
“What happened here? Was it dug up by dogs? The Second Master isn’t even cold in his grave, and you brats are already so careless!”
Xiang Zan rolled her eyes at him and acted as if she didn’t see him, continuing to help Zheng Quan tidy up the study.
Steward Lin’s face turned green with anger, and he took a few steps forward, ready to reprimand her.
But as he looked up, he saw Song Jiyun sitting calmly in the corner of the study.
“Big… Big Miss!”
The thought of servants being sold off by the Second Master for offending Song Jiyun filled him with dread, and his voice stammered.
“I… I heard some noise and was worried that someone unrelated might sneak in to steal things, so I came to check.”
Song Jiyun nodded and said, “You came at the right time. This chest is quite large and heavy. Why don’t you help Zheng Quan carry it to my courtyard?”
Steward Lin reflexively replied, “Yes.”
But then, realizing that the Second Master was no longer in charge, he straightened his back and said,
“Big Miss, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, but I’m still managing the warehouse for the funeral. I can’t leave my duties. I suggest asking the eldest master to send over two strong servants to help you move the chest.”
Whether the chest would end up in her courtyard would depend on the eldest master’s decision.
Song Jiyun nodded and said, “You’re right.”
Steward Lin felt a surge of joy, only to hear Song Jiyun say,
“One eats the food of the family they serve. Since you’re unwilling to serve me and don’t want to eat from my family’s bowl, I won’t force you.”
“Zheng Quan!” she called loudly.
“Drag him out to the courtyard and give him fifty strokes!”
Zheng Quan, who had long despised these opportunists, immediately sprang into action.
He twisted Steward Lin’s arms behind his back, tied him up, and began beating him with a stick.
Steward Lin froze in shock, then wailed, “Big Miss, have mercy!”
Song Jiyun didn’t even spare him a glance as she walked to the steps outside the study.
The servants who had followed Steward Lin shrank back in fear.
Looking at these familiar and unfamiliar faces, Song Jiyun’s expression was colder than ice.
“Even dogs know to guard the house of the hand that feeds them. If you’re worse than dogs, why should I keep you?”
No one dared to meet her gaze.
Behind her came Steward Lin’s pitiful cries.
One of the First Branch’s servants tried to sneak away quietly.
Song Jiyun sneered and said, “Zheng Quan, make sure to leave Steward Lin with one breath. We’ll drag him to my uncle and ask if I can take this chest to my courtyard.”
***
Song Jiyun’s eldest uncle, Song Daliang, looked at the barely breathing Steward Lin at his feet and, in a fit of rage, overturned a table full of food and wine.
The soup and dishes splashed everywhere with loud clatters.
Pointing furiously at Zheng Quan, he shouted,
“What is she trying to do? Threaten me? Does she not know her place anymore?”
Zheng Quan, following Song Jiyun’s instructions, cracked his knuckles and said darkly,
“Big Miss only asked me to inquire if the chest can be moved to her courtyard.”
Song Daliang looked at Zheng Quan’s massive hands and then at the battered Steward Lin, and he hesitated.
Despite his bluster, he meekly replied, “What if I don’t agree?”
“Nothing much,” Zheng Quan replied.
“Big Miss said that if there’s no one in the family who can work, then we’ll sell the current servants and hire new ones who can.”
“What does she mean by that?” Song Daliang was stunned.
Selling off the Second Branch’s servants was technically fine since their contracts belonged to the Second Branch.
But he had no idea how much wealth the Second Master had left behind, and if these servants were gone, who would he ask to uncover the details?
However, if he didn’t suppress Song Jiyun’s arrogance… he couldn’t swallow his anger.
Song Daliang paced back and forth in the room, muttering self-consolations like “Better to live to fight another day” and “Patience now for future revenge.”
After a long struggle, he finally calmed down.
He told Zheng Quan, “Tell her this won’t happen again!”
Zheng Quan thanked him but didn’t leave immediately.
Song Daliang looked at him in confusion.
Zheng Quan added, “Big Miss also said she still needs four people to help carry the chest. She asks the eldest master to send over four strong workers.”
“What?” Song Daliang shouted in rage.
He muttered to himself for a while before reluctantly sending four strong servants to follow Zheng Quan to the study.
—
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