The First Master’s gaze instantly turned cold. His eyes lingered briefly on the booklet in Lady’s hand before he turned away in disgust: "Such matters should have been brought to me sooner. Now that these things are left in the house, it would be inappropriate to send them back. Since you’ve kept them, you should manage them properly!"
"It was my oversight." She knew that such bribery, even if reported, was a minor offense. Moreover, with the Second Master managing things before the Third Prince, this minor issue would not affect the First Master at all. Therefore, she turned a blind eye to Madam Wang’s matters in Yongzhou.
With this thought, Lady showed a guilty look: "As the head wife, I should have discovered Madam Wang’s actions early on, yet I neglected it due to other matters. If it were like the incidents with Madam Xia, the Master could have made arrangements in advance to avoid being caught off guard." She sighed and lamented: "Even someone like Madam Xia couldn’t resist temptation, how could Madam Wang?"
The First Master stiffened, and his breath suddenly turned icy. He said coldly to Lady: "Do not mention this matter again in the future!" With that, he waved his sleeve and finally lifted the curtain: "Return early." Without looking at Lady again, he left the room.
"Master!" Lady chased after him, but by the time she got outside, the First Master was nowhere to be seen. She spotted Zijuan standing there like a wooden post and angrily said: "Why aren’t you chasing after him?"
Zijuan abruptly looked up at Lady, only to find her gazing coldly at her. Alarmed, Zijuan nodded and rushed out. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novel·fire.net
Lady returned to her room, threw the items in her hand into a box, placed the box on First Master’s desk, and left the study again. Zijuan had already returned, and Lady, holding back her anger, said: "You should stay here tonight and serve the Master."
"Yes!" Zijuan curtseyed, and Lady gave her a deep look, hinting: "Stay sharp. If the Master doesn’t return later, look for him. Serve attentively tonight. The Master sleeps very quietly at night, so you don’t need to worry too much, but he wakes up early in the morning, so be alert in your sleep."
"I will remember." Zijuan tightly clenched her fists, ensuring her voice didn’t tremble with fear for Lady to notice!
Lady nodded in satisfaction, leaving Zijuan waiting for the First Master while she returned with Nanny Fang.
Meanwhile, the First Master walked slowly outside the study with his hands behind his back and his brows furrowed. The servant didn’t know what he was thinking, but they could clearly see the expression on his face and dared not make a sound, silently following him.
After walking for a while, the First Master suddenly stopped. He realized he had unknowingly returned to the study. Unexpectedly, his eyes fell behind the holly tree, where there was a small door he specifically opened for convenience back then. It had been unused for years and might have been locked now.
He thought of Madam Xia lying pale and weak in bed that afternoon and Doctor Hu’s words. He turned and instructed the servant: "You don’t need to follow me, go and rest." They dared not disobey the First Master’s orders, each saluted, and then left.
The First Master slowly walked into the grove, gently pressed on the door that he had only intended to test it and unintentionally pushed it open. He didn’t know that this door had been unlocked from inside by Xiqiu a few days ago and hadn’t been locked again since.
Inside the door, the First Master hesitated. Lady’s words echoed in his ears; Madam Xia’s bribery case was irrefutably evident!
If it were someone else, he would not allow them to stay, but it was Madam Xia, and he couldn’t bear to send her out of the mansion. Yet, he couldn’t tolerate her deceit and hypocrisy, so in a fit of anger, he returned to Yongzhou, severing all ties with Madam Xia, including the two children. He pretended not to know about Lady’s edict confining the three of them in the courtyard.
As long as he didn’t see, he wouldn’t be bothered.
He managed to keep it up for six years, but this time upon his return, he saw the obedient and gentle Sixth Girl and the clever and studious Seventh. After all, they were his flesh and blood, looking at him with hopeful eyes; how could his heart not soften?
Once a solid defense is breached, it’s vulnerable to collapse, just as when he saw Sixth Girl’s sorrowful appearance that afternoon, and remembered Madam Xia weeping for her daughter’s sake, he was compelled to say he wanted to go and see.
Once he looked, the fortress in his heart completely crumbled!
Even just now when Lady brought up past events, he didn’t feel anger but rather wondered if he had been fair to Madam Xia. He hadn’t even asked for her explanation back then, simply condemned her!
Now, he’s preparing to leave again, and this time, he won’t return until at least after the New Year. It’s just a glance after all; she is still his concubine.
With these thoughts, he found himself in the main room. Xiuzhi was sitting drowsily on a chair. Upon seeing the First Master, she leapt up and greeted him excitedly, "Master is here!" After speaking, she was about to report to Madam Xia, but the First Master waved her off: "Go about your business. If I need anything, I’ll call you."
Xiuzhi’s eyes flickered with worry, standing still. The First Master frowned slightly and said: "What, am I unable to command you now?" Back in Yongzhou, Xiuzhi was also Madam Xia’s personal maid, so she was not unfamiliar with the First Master.
Xiuzhi became alert, immediately bowed, and replied: "Then I’ll wait outside. If the Master needs anything, just call me." Saying that, she left to stand guard at the door. Standing outside, she soon heard Madam Xia’s surprised voice: "Master?" followed by silence. Then the intermittent conversation between the First Master and the concubine resumed, and hearing the calm tone reassured her. A thought came to her, and she quickly informed Dongqing and hurried out to Zhiqu Courtyard.
Inside the room, the First Master and the concubine were talking.
"Master... I heard you’re returning to Yongzhou?" Madam Xia sat somewhat uneasily across from the First Master. She hadn’t spoken to the man in front of her for six years, making the interaction slightly awkward. Sensing her discomfort, the First Master’s tone naturally softened: "In these few days, once matters are settled, I’ll set off back."
Madam Xia lowered her head and said nothing.
The First Master’s gaze flickered, and he asked: "Is your health better? How did you develop such an illness?" Previously, Madam Xia’s health wasn’t great, but he’d never heard her mention angina. He later asked Doctor Hu, who told him that Madam Xia’s illness had developed only in recent years. Although it hadn’t been long, it worsened each year and required careful maintenance, with no room for negligence.
"It occasionally flares up, but it’s not a big deal." Madam Xia smiled and continued: "But Master, you’ve become much thinner than before." She poured him some hot tea and sighed: "Master still prefers Tieguanyin tea. I’ve tried it a few times over the past two years but always find it bitter and can’t drink it."