Chapter 309: Collapse
Fan Shi pretended to know nothing and walked out of Madam Yu's room with a smile.
Mo Zhuan's expression changed slightly when she saw her emerge empty-handed.
Noticing this, Fan Shi gave her a meaningful glance, signaling her not to ask any questions. The two of them returned to their quarters one after the other.
Mo Zhuan immediately closed the door and couldn't resist asking, "Madam, did the mistress really accept your silver?"
Fan Shi nodded, her expression shifting between gloom and uncertainty.
Mo Zhuan grew anxious. "What are we to do then? If anything happens to the master..." She then suggested, "Should we offer more silver? What use is silver without the master?"
"What do you know?" Fan Shi scolded her in a low voice. "How could the Yu Family lack such a small sum? It's just that they don't have enough ready cash at the moment. My mother-in-law is clearly trying to take advantage of my private savings. If you don’t believe me, just wait and see—the silver I gave will be like meat thrown to a dog, gone without a trace!"
"But..." Even so, Mo Zhuan still felt Fan Shi was somewhat in the wrong. "What if the master holds it against you..."
"Let him if he wants!" Fan Shi sneered. "In his eyes, I’ve long been a petty and jealous woman. Even if I tore out my heart and laid it before him, he’d only see it as bloody and dirty, staining his hands. Why should I humiliate myself? My mother-in-law has always disliked me, blaming me for Yu Jingxiu breaking off the engagement with the Fu Family, leaving them without heirs. But she never considers that I was just a sheltered girl who never stepped beyond the inner gate—how could I have known all these schemes? Yet she pins all the blame on me. No matter how considerate, filial, or patient I am, I can never win her favor. Do you think if I handed over all my savings, she’d suddenly treat me differently? Even if she momentarily remembers my kindness, the moment I displease her again, she’ll berate me without hesitation." As she spoke, Fan Shi recalled the pitying glances from the servants when Madam Yu reprimanded her, and Yu Jingxiu’s resolute back as he moved to Needlemaker Alley. It felt as though a small knife were slowly carving into her flesh. "Since nothing I do can please them, why should I grovel for their approval?"
"As the saying goes, adversity reveals true feelings," Mo Zhuan said, not entirely agreeing with Fan Shi’s approach. "This could still be an opportunity!"
At these words, Fan Shi’s gaze grew distant.
In a melancholic tone, she murmured, "Mo Zhuan, do you think Yu Jingxiu and I could ever be as we were before?"
"Of course!" Mo Zhuan answered without hesitation. "A fall into a pit, a gain in your wit. After this ordeal, the master will surely realize who truly cares for him..."
But Fan Shi shook her head lightly and whispered, "Even if Min Shi is gone, there’ll always be a Li Shi or Zhang Shi in the future... I’ve seen it clearly now. When you please him, he treats you like a treasure. The moment you displease him, you’re worthless in his eyes. How can I guarantee I’ll please him for the rest of my life?" She looked up at Mo Zhuan with a bitter smile. "You may have forgotten how he moved to Needlemaker Alley, but I remember it vividly. He didn’t leave me even a shred of dignity."Mo Zhuan lowered her head.
"Enough, let's not talk about this anymore," Fan Shi waved her hand, looking listless.
Mo Zhuan didn't dare say more and smiled, "I'll pour you a cup of hot tea." No sooner had she spoken than a young maid entered to announce, "Madam, Housekeeper Shu is here."
Fan Shi and Mo Zhuan exchanged glances before inviting Housekeeper Shu in.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Housekeeper Shu got straight to the point: "...Madam Yu said that the master is going to visit Lord Ji at the Dali Temple tomorrow. She remembers there's a pair of Ru kiln plum vases in Young Master Yu Jingxiu's study and asked me to fetch them for the master to present as a gift to Lord Ji tomorrow."
Fan Shi couldn't hide the shock in her eyes.
Those Ru kiln plum vases were family property, merely placed in Yu Jingxiu's room. Housekeeper Shu reclaiming them under Madam Yu's orders was perfectly justified.
She and Mo Zhuan found the vases, carefully wrapped them, and handed them to Housekeeper Shu.
Housekeeper Shu left cheerfully with the vases in her arms.
"You see that!" Fan Shi said through gritted teeth to Mo Zhuan.
Mo Zhuan's face flushed with shame.
Fan Shi then took her to the inner chamber and brought out her dowry of pure gold jewelry: "Pawn all these and exchange them for bank notes."
"How can we do that!" Mo Zhuan shook her head repeatedly, "This is jewelry made for you from the sale of your father's calligraphy and paintings..."
"Which is exactly why I don't want it falling into my mother-in-law's hands," Fan Shi interrupted. "As long as we have silver, won't there be more jewelry?"
Unable to refuse, Mo Zhuan found an excuse to leave the house early the next morning.
Fei Shi, who had been closely watching Fan Shi and her maid's every move, learned of Mo Zhuan's whereabouts before nightfall.
After some thought, she gathered her valuables and went to Madam Yu.
"...It was only when Miss Mo Zhuan went to the pawnshop that I realized," Fei Shi said with an expression of belated understanding and guilt. "Though these items are few, they represent my humble intentions. Please accept them, Madam."
Though the items were worth only a few hundred taels, Madam Yu cared little for their value but appreciated Fei Shi's gesture. Without declining, she had Housekeeper Shu accept them, then spoke a few kind words to Fei Shi before the latter took her leave.
Madam Yu's face immediately darkened.
She ordered Housekeeper Shu, "Find out exactly what she pawned."
Housekeeper Shu complied nervously and soon identified the items Mo Zhuan had pawned.
Looking at the list transcribed on red gold-flecked paper, Madam Yu's lips turned purple with rage. She summoned Yu Huaian and handed him the paper: "Items have gone missing from the inner courtyard, and Mo Zhuan is suspected. Take this list to the Shuntian Prefect and have them send some reliable officers to handle the matter."
Yu Huaian kept his head bowed, not daring to lift his eyes, and respectfully acknowledged the order before going to Shuntian Prefecture.
By noon, constables arrived at the door.
When Mo Zhuan was called to the inner gate, she thought it was the delivery boy bringing the hair ornaments she had ordered. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect to be arrested and taken to Shuntian Prefecture...
Within the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, Fan Shi received the news.
Her legs weakened with fright, and it took her a while to stand with the help of her maids before she went to see Madam Yu."Mother, please save Mo Zhuan." Thinking of Mo Zhuan's unwavering loyalty over the years, Fan Shi's tears fell uncontrollably. "All those jewelry pieces were mine. I was the one who told her to pawn them..." As she spoke, she clutched Madam Yu's skirt like a drowning woman grasping at straws. "Didn’t you say we needed silver to bribe officials at the Court of Judicial Review? I had Mo Zhuan pawn those things to gather some money for De Pu, but I was afraid you’d scold me, so I hid it from you..."
"Silly child, what does this have to do with you?" Madam Yu sounded both exasperated and amused as she took Fan Shi’s hand. "She is a servant, and you are her master. Serving you is her duty. Just because she’s been by your side for a long time doesn’t mean you should shield her in everything. You’re not helping her—you’re harming her..."
Her mother-in-law’s smile was as warm as the spring sun, yet Fan Shi shivered.
She widened her eyes as if seeing Madam Yu for the first time.
"Mother, it really was me..." she repeated, her voice growing increasingly despondent and helpless.
Madam Yu chuckled. "If you insist it was you, then tell me—how much silver did you get from pawning? And where is it now?"
Fan Shi’s lips trembled, but no words came out.
Madam Yu smiled and picked up her teacup.
Housekeeper Shu entered, casting a quick glance at Fan Shi before saying, "The Shuntian Prefecture officials just reported that Mo Zhuan has confessed everything. According to the law, she is to be executed. I came to inform you, Madam."
Madam Yu gave a satisfied hum.
Fan Shi collapsed to the floor.
Madam Yu glanced at her and said, "Housekeeper Shu, help the young mistress up." Then, dismissively, she added, "We only have two hands and two eyes—we can’t oversee everything. There’s no need for you to blame yourself so much." Turning back to Housekeeper Shu, she instructed, "Since the young mistress no longer has a trusted maid, pick two capable girls from my household to serve her."
Housekeeper Shu acknowledged the order with a smile and, along with another housekeeper, helped Fan Shi back to her room.
When Fei Shi heard of this, she sneered repeatedly before going to console Fan Shi.
Madam Yu, however, paid no mind to such matters, focusing solely on Yu Jingxiu.
Grand Secretary Yu had exhausted every effort but still couldn’t secure his son’s release. Fearing Yu Jingxiu would suffer in prison, he sent stewards daily to deliver meals. The jailers extorted silver at every turn—five taels today, ten taels tomorrow. Aside from the 20,000 taels used to bribe officials at the Court of Judicial Review, the remaining 30,000 taels were frittered away in small, daily payments like water poured on sand.
Fortunately, most of the loaned silver had been recovered, so they weren’t left in dire straits.
Yet Grand Secretary Yu began to see the scheme.
As a high-ranking grand secretary of the first rank, he had to bribe officials just to visit his son in Shuntian Prefecture’s prison—and the sums demanded were never small. Lord Ji, meanwhile, offered nothing but excuses, claiming Min Shi was pregnant and couldn’t be interrogated, so they lacked a confession to exonerate Yu Jingxiu. He urged patience, promising to extract the confession soon so Yu Jingxiu could be released.
This was clearly a ploy to extort their family’s silver!
Frantic, Grand Secretary Yu sought help from everyone—those he should and shouldn’t have approached. Yet there was no way to free Yu Jingxiu.
Gritting his teeth, Grand Secretary Yu sold several of their family’s shops in the capital to fill this bottomless pit.Yu Guodong and Yu Guocai, the brothers, were startled upon hearing the news and only then learned of their nephew's imprisonment.
Frantic with worry, they rushed to the capital at full speed to discuss countermeasures with Grand Secretary Yu.
"The most urgent matter now isn't just getting De Pu out of prison," said Yu Guodong, the eldest of the Yu family. "It's finding a way to preserve his scholarly rank—without it, his life is as good as over."
Grand Secretary Yu and his younger brother Yu Guocai remained silent.
Unless they could prove that the Guo fellow had made false accusations, how could they possibly preserve his rank?
Yu Guodong and Yu Guocai exhausted all their efforts in the capital but returned empty-handed.
By then, Yu Jingxiu’s case had become impossible to suppress. Rumors spread in the capital that Yu Jingxiu had engaged in an illicit affair with the daughter of his teacher, Fan Dakun, and that to marry Fan Shi, he had driven his betrothed—Fu Shi of Huayin—to her death.
Madam Yu was furious upon hearing these rumors and raged, "That bastard Zhao Ling! Even a cornered rabbit bites—does he really think our Yu family is some soft persimmon he can squeeze as he pleases?" She added, "If he isn’t afraid of shame when it comes to his woman, why should we be? Does he think he’s the only one who can talk? Don’t we have mouths too?"
This time, Grand Secretary Yu remained silent and did not stop her.
Madam Yu then conspired with Yu Huaian on how to spread counter-rumors.
But just as they finalized their plans, the scandal erupted—Xiping Marquis was exposed for colluding with Grand Secretary Yu to illegally sell warhorses.
Only then did Grand Secretary Yu realize he had been deceived.
"So this was his killing blow," he murmured, sitting frozen in his chair. "He used De Pu to divert our attention. By the time we realized something was wrong, it was already too late to prepare or respond..."
For a moment, Grand Secretary Yu’s face turned ashen.
Madam Yu no longer had the energy to care about rumors—overnight, her hair turned white.
But it still couldn’t stop Grand Secretary Yu’s downfall.
In early June, Grand Secretary Yu was exiled to Zhuanglang Garrison and ordered to depart immediately.
Out of consideration for Grand Secretary Yu’s three decades of service to the court, the emperor spared Yu Jingxiu from execution, only stripping him of his scholarly rank and reducing him to a commoner, never to be employed again.
By mid-July, Grand Secretary Yu, weakened by age and unable to endure the relentless summer heat during the journey, fell ill and died in Pingliang.
From then on, the Yu family of Nanjing’s Fengle Ward began its decline.
When the news spread, it only elicited a sigh from the people.
While strolling behind the Zhao family’s summer retreat in Yuming Mountain to escape the heat, Third Older Cousin's Husband asked Zhao Ling in confusion, "Why did you plead for Yu Jingxiu? Otherwise, he would have been executed long ago!"
Zhao Ling gazed at the lush greenery rustling in the wind and said, "I’ve always thought that death is the easiest escape—once you’re gone, everything’s over. It’s the living who truly suffer." He turned and flashed Third Older Cousin's Husband a grin, revealing his white teeth. "Don’t you think so, Third Older Cousin's Husband?"
Third Older Cousin's Husband was left speechless.
Faint laughter from children drifted on the wind, light and carefree, like wind chimes—clear, melodious, and untroubled.
(The End)
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