Everyone was shocked and hurriedly took Fang Si down from the beam. Her body was already cold and stiff, clearly having been dead for some time.
It turned out that the previous night, Fang Si had wept until midnight, begging her mother to plead with Song Yima once more. But Guo Mama sighed and said, "Taitai always listens to Master. Haven’t you seen how resolute Master is? It’s all your fault, you wretched girl—blind and foolish, and now you’ve dragged me down with you. Where can we go after leaving the Song household? Which of our relatives can we rely on?" Growing angrier, she struck Fang Si twice and wailed, "How unlucky I am to have given birth to such a troublesome creature! I told you to endure for a couple more years, but you wouldn’t listen. You’ve thrown away such a good position and future. No wonder Master looks down on you—you’re nothing but a lowly, worthless thing, unfit for anything respectable!"
Hearing this, Fang Si cried even more bitterly. Guo Mama grumbled and scolded for a long while but kept busy packing the savings she had accumulated over the years in the Song household. The most valuable items, which couldn’t be openly displayed, were sewn into hidden pockets inside her clothes. She had always considered the Song household her home for the rest of her life, so she had amassed a great deal—three large trunks in total. But carrying all that out would be too conspicuous, so she had to pick the most valuable and essential items, filling just one trunk.
Looking at the remaining belongings, Guo Mama felt a pang of regret. Seeing Fang Si still sobbing in the corner, her anger flared again, and she struck her twice more, screeching, "You disgrace! Stop crying and start packing! I’m not dead yet!" She shoved Fang Si into the side room, pinching and twisting her arm along the way.
Tears streaming down her face, Fang Si opened the trunk and immediately spotted the half-finished cross-collar robe she had been making for Song Ke. Clutching the garment, she wept heartbrokenly, careful not to let Guo Mama hear. She thought bitterly, "Master, my dear young lord, how could you be so cruel! For the sake of Chen Xianglan, you now treat me like dirt, rushing to drive me out. Have all my past affections and efforts for you truly amounted to nothing?"
After crying for a while, she clenched her teeth and thought, "The Song family is determined to cast me out. All my hopes have come to nothing. Why should I return home only to suffer more humiliation? It’s better to die cleanly—at least my spirit can remain in the Song household, never truly leaving!"
She rummaged through the trunk and pulled out her favorite set of bright, beautiful clothes, staring at them blankly for a long time. Guo Mama peeked in and, seeing the trunks open, assumed Fang Si was packing and left her alone. Fang Si washed her face, changed into the clothes with tears in her eyes, opened her vanity to apply makeup, and adorned herself with all her precious jewelry. She sat motionless before the candlelight until the third watch of the night. Stepping outside, she saw that Guo Mama’s room was dark—she must have gone to sleep.
Returning inside, Fang Si tore a strip of white silk from her trousers, tied it into a noose, and fastened it to the beam. Standing on a stool, she placed the noose around her neck, kicked the stool away, and drifted off to the afterlife.
At dawn, Guo Mama came to call for her after washing up. Pushing the door open, she saw Fang Si hanging from the beam and let out a piercing scream. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground, wetting herself in terror.
When they took Fang Si down, they saw she was dressed neatly, her face heavily made up, but her neck was stretched, her eyes bulging, her face purple, and her tongue lolling out—a ghastly sight. Guo Mama clutched the corpse and wailed, calling her "my heart, my flesh," alternating between sobbing, "How can I live without you?" and "You foolish child, how could you throw your life away in a fit of anger?"
She cried until she fainted dead away. The others pinched her philtrum and rubbed her chest until she groaned and came to. But the moment she turned and saw the corpse again, she broke into another storm of weeping.
When Song Yima heard the news, she hurried over, supported by Song Tanchai. The sight of Guo Mama cradling the corpse and weeping uncontrollably brought instant tears to her eyes. Song Ke quickly stepped forward and said, "The sight is too gruesome, Mother. Please return. I’ll handle this matter."
Song Yima trembled, pointing at Song Ke with her rosary-clutching hand, and said through tears, "This... this is the mess you’ve made. Now a life has been lost—are you satisfied? Poor Fang Si, such a clever girl..." She couldn’t finish, covering her face and weeping.
Song Ke gave a meaningful glance, and Song Tanchai gently coaxed Song Yima away.
Xianglan sighed silently to herself, thinking that the Song household had truly suffered an undeserved calamity. They hadn’t just driven Fang Si away—they had given her silver, jewelry, and fabric, treating her like an honored guest. Who could have foreseen this disgusting turn of events? She pitied and mourned Fang Si but also lamented her foolishness. Though Fang Si had been a servant, she had lived more comfortably in the Song household than many young ladies, never suffering hardship. Had she been patient, the family’s generosity would have granted her freedom with enough silver to start a new life. Instead, she had thrown her life away so easily, leaving her mother to bury her—a truly tragic end.
Xianglan considered stepping forward to help but worried Guo Mama might resent her presence. Instead, she quietly tugged Song Ke’s sleeve and said, "Fang Si wasn’t just any maid. Since she died in the household, failing to arrange a proper funeral might invite criticism for lacking compassion. Do you have any plans, Master?"
Song Ke rubbed his temples and said, "Handle it as usual. Even if Mother favored her, she was still just a maid. We can’t overstep propriety. Afterward, we’ll give Guo Mama extra silver."
Xianglan, eager to ease Song Ke’s burdens, thought for a moment and said, "Master, your studies are more important. Don’t let this delay your academy work."
Song Ke smiled bitterly. "If I don’t handle this, who in the household can? Taitai is unreliable, and my sister is a young lady—she can’t manage funeral arrangements."
Xianglan said, "If you trust me, I’ll take care of it for you."
Song Ke hesitated. "Are you sure you can?"
Xianglan smiled. "Why not? If I run into trouble, I’ll ask for your advice."
Seeing Xianglan’s jade-like smile, Song Ke’s restless heart calmed. He thought, "The household lacks someone capable right now. Let her handle it. If she fails, I’ll step in." He nodded in agreement and withdrew another hundred taels from the accounts, though this was not mentioned further.
Xianglan set to work, selecting a room in the rear courtyard for the funeral hall. She found white fabric in the storeroom to decorate the space and sent people to buy incense, candles, paper offerings, and a coffin.
By noon, when Song Ke returned, everything was ready. He walked through the funeral hall, lit a stick of incense for Fang Si, and saw Guo Mama sitting blankly inside, allowing others to move her around as if she had lost her mind.
Back in his room, Song Ke found Xianglan going over the accounts. She said, "Including the coffin, we spent forty taels in total. Here’s the breakdown—take a look."
Song Ke glanced at it and was satisfied. Xianglan added, "But since Fang Si died in the main house, it’s unsettling. You withdrew a hundred taels—why not use the remaining sixty to replace the beam and hire monks to chant sutras for her? It’ll ease everyone’s minds and comfort Fang Si’s spirit."
Song Ke, too, felt uneasy about Fang Si dying in his mother’s room and agreed. "Do as you suggest." He took Xianglan’s hand and said, "I owe you for this. You’ve saved me a lot of trouble."
Xianglan blushed slightly and withdrew her hand. Song Ke grew even fonder of her, admiring her cleverness and thoughtfulness—though this was not mentioned further.
Given the summer heat, the funeral was held after three days, and Fang Si’s spirit tablet was placed in Still Moon Temple. The funeral was conducted lavishly. Song Yima wept again, and afterward, she considered letting Guo Mama stay.
Song Ke frowned. "Fang Si died here. If Mother keeps Guo Mama around, she’ll only grieve at the memories. Better to send her to our old estate in the capital. The Song family will provide for her until her death."
Seeing the logic in this, Song Yima sighed and agreed.
Meanwhile, Guo Mama had hoped Song Yima would let her stay, but even after the funeral, there was no word. She couldn’t help complaining tearfully to others, "I’m just a lonely old woman with nowhere to go... I truly can’t bear to leave Taitai."
But she was now lodged in the back quarters, rarely seeing Song Yima. Moreover, Juanhua, now serving Song Yima under Song Tanchai’s orders, kept tight-lipped and warned the maids not to relay Guo Mama’s laments, so none of her words reached Song Yima.
After Fang Si’s burial, Song Ke urged Guo Mama to depart. Unable to delay further, she seized a moment when Song Ke was absent to kowtow to Song Yima.
Entering the inner courtyard, she saw Xianglan in a peach-pink and white phoenix-tail dress, radiant as dew on a flower, chatting and laughing softly with Juanhua.
Guo Mama’s eyes reddened with hatred. "If not for this little vixen, my daughter would still be alive! Now she lives in comfort while my poor child died so miserably..." She directed all her venomous resentment toward Xianglan.
Xianglan noticed Guo Mama’s arrival from the corner of her eye. Seeing how the woman had aged a decade in just a few days, her hair now streaked with white, she felt pity—until she caught the hatred in Guo Mama’s gaze. Startled, she quickly understood and shook her head, thinking, "The pitiful often have their own faults. Had she raised Fang Si better, things might not have come to this. The maids said Fang Si wept until midnight that night, and her mother beat and cursed her. Perhaps her death was partly Guo Mama’s doing. Now she blames me—I’d best be wary."
She tugged Juanhua’s sleeve and signaled with her eyes. Juanhua turned, saw Guo Mama climbing the steps toward the house, and called out, "Mama, are you here to see Taitai? She’s reciting scriptures—let me announce you." She hurried inside, lifting her skirts.
Guo Mama deliberately raised her voice. "This old servant is returning to the capital and has come to kowtow to Taitai."
Hearing this, Song Yima called out, "Let her in at once!"
When mistress and servant met, tears flowed freely. Guo Mama wiped her eyes and said, "Forgive me. I came to thank Taitai, but now I’ve made you cry." She kowtowed shakily and said hoarsely, "Though this old servant can’t bear to leave Taitai, I must go now. Who knows if we’ll meet again? Taitai must take care of yourself... I... I truly..." She choked up.
Song Yima broke down first, sobbing loudly.
Xianglan peeked through the window from outside and thought, "Guo Mama is truly formidable—she’s found Taitai’s weak spot. She knows just how to cry and plead. If she softens Taitai’s heart with a few words, it’ll be trouble." Frowning, she tiptoed away.
Thanks to fatwanghua001 for the peach blossom fan, cbbca, Snow Fairy, and cat9961 for the Peace Talismans~~ Still seeking pink votes~~!!
OpenNovel