In Jiа Shu Наll, Маdam Miаn wаs sреаking with Old Madаm Guаn: "...When the mаster cаmе оut, hе раssed by Fifth Нouse's Master Wen. Маster Wеn chuсklеd аnd аsked whеrе hе wаs gоing, but he kеpt looking аrоund and wоuldn't say. Thе master guеssed he might аlsо bе gоing tо disсuss thе shares mаttеr. As fоr thе Тhird Hоuse, thеrе has beеn nо movеment at all—nеither apрrоаching thе First House nоr соntaсting thе Sесоnd Нousе, аs if theу werе unawarе of thе mаttеr. Thе mаstеr hаs alreadу sent peoplе to keeр an eуe оn thеm; we'll knоw as soon as there's any news."
Old Madam Guan said, "I'm afraid the Third House has already made up its mind to stand with the Second House."
The Fourth and Fifth Houses have always been weak. If the Third House joins forces with the Second House, it won't be so easy for the First House to act as they please.
For a moment, the room fell into contemplation.
Old Madam Guan said, "No matter what, integrity is the foundation of being a person. We must not be ungrateful."
Madam Mian nodded.
A young maid announced from behind the curtain that Zhou Shaojin had returned.
The two immediately stopped their conversation. Old Madam Guan even gave Madam Mian a meaningful look and lowered her voice, saying, "The children are still young. It's enough for them to know the matter is important; there's no need to explain it in such detail. Be careful not to frighten them."
Madam Mian nodded repeatedly and smilingly welcomed Zhou Shaojin inside.
Zhou Shaojin felt the atmosphere in the room was a bit strange and guessed that her grandmother and aunt might have been discussing something important earlier. She hesitated about whether to tell Old Madam Guan about the trip to Mount Putuo—after all, Old Madam Guo would come to visit Old Madam Guan tomorrow, so even if she didn't say anything, Old Madam Guan would find out. Unexpectedly, Old Madam Guan smiled and asked, "You rushed in so urgently—has something happened?"
The serious and tense atmosphere instantly dissipated.
Zhou Shaojin couldn't contain her excitement and happily told her grandmother and aunt what had happened.
Both Old Madam Guan and Madam Mian were delighted for her. Madam Mian even took Zhou Shaojin's hand and looked her over, saying, "Then we must quickly make a few new outfits. As for the attendants who will accompany you, we must choose not only those who are mature and loyal but also those who are good at dealing with people. Going to Mount Putuo requires passing through Hangzhou Prefecture, then from Hangzhou to Zhoushan, and finally boarding the island from Zhoushan. The trip will take over a month. We can't be careless."
"Shaoji is going with Old Madam Guo, so the First House will naturally take care of matters along the way," Old Madam Guan interrupted her daughter-in-law with a smile. "You just need to prepare some silver for her to give as tips, select a few maids to serve her, and call someone in to make a few new outfits. Don't go on and on about it."
Both Madam Mian and Zhou Shaojin laughed.
Zhou Shaojin seized the opportunity to ask if she could go with her sister.
Old Madam Guan flatly refused Zhou Shaojin's suggestion: "You helped Old Madam Guo copy scriptures. Gaining her favor and accompanying her to Mount Putuo to offer incense is your good fortune. However, we must not be greedy and ask to go to Mount Putuo with Old Madam Guo to offer incense."
Zhou Shaojin was very disappointed but had to admit that her grandmother's words made sense.Old Madam Guan comforted her, saying, "Don’t be so disheartened. I know you meant well. Once your Cousin Gao and Cousin Yi are both married, I can peacefully become an old matriarch. Then, your eldest aunt and I will go to Putuo Mountain to offer incense, and we’ll leave you at home to watch the house."
Zhou Shaojin didn’t catch the slip in her words at all and simply chuckled, repeatedly agreeing, "Alright."
Old Madam Guan then urged her to finish copying the scriptures quickly: "Now it all depends on you. Whenever you finish copying the scriptures, Old Madam Guo will set off. If you don’t finish, they’ll all have to wait."
This responsibility felt far too heavy!
Zhou Shaojin suddenly felt as if a mountain were pressing down on her back. Not daring to say much more to Old Madam Guan, she returned to the prayer hall and devoted herself to copying the scriptures.
When Zhou Shaojin went to bid farewell to Old Madam Guo, the latter looked at her and laughed, saying, "Silly girl, have you ever seen anyone traveling in the heat of summer? Just take your time copying. Even if we set off, it won’t be until autumn."
But Zhou Shaojin still felt embarrassed.
If she hadn’t slowed down, she wouldn’t still be copying now.
She quickly replied, "Don’t worry, I’ll copy them carefully. These are offerings to the Bodhisattva, a token of our sincerity."
Old Madam Guo was very pleased and rewarded her with a basket of mulberries.
Zhou Shaojin brought them back for everyone at Jia Shu Hall to taste.
Old Madam Guan had a plate sent to Cheng Gao, another to Autumn Embrace Pavilion, kept one for herself, and let Zhou Shaojin take the rest back to Fragrant Garden Residence.
Zhou Shaojin then sent a plate each to Cheng Jia and Jiying.
In the evening, while enjoying mulberries chilled in well water, she relaxed in the courtyard with her sister.
She apologized to her sister, saying, "I originally wanted to go with you, but Grandmother said it wasn’t appropriate. We’ll go to Putuo Mountain together another time."
Zhou Chujin had already heard about this and chided her, "It really wasn’t appropriate, and you shouldn’t have even suggested it. But your idea is good—we’ll go to Putuo Mountain together in the future. This time, you can scout the place out first so we won’t be lost when we go next time."
Zhou Shaojin smiled sheepishly and asked her sister, "Is there anything you’d like me to bring back?"
She had never been to Putuo and didn’t know what special things were available there.
Zhou Chujin didn’t know either and said with a laugh, "Just remember to bring something back for Grandmother and our eldest aunt. Don’t worry about me. Traveling far isn’t easy, and I don’t want you to go through the trouble of bringing me something. Between sisters, we don’t need such formalities."
Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, "Then I’ll decide on my own!"
Zhou Chujin then told Zhou Shaojin about their father Zhou Zhen’s reply: "...It arrived this afternoon. Father said he’ll pay attention to this matter. As for whether to help and how, he’ll write to Uncle Mian. If we learn anything, we should remember to write and tell him. He’s worried that Uncle Mian might hold back out of politeness and end up making things worse."
The Fourth Branch had shown great kindness to them, as close as flesh and blood, so the Zhou family couldn’t stand idly by.
Recalling Old Madam Guan’s earlier words, Zhou Shaojin said, "Did you tell Grandmother about this? From the way she looks, it seems she really hopes Father can help the Fourth Branch."Zhou Chujin smiled and said, "I was planning to tell grandmother when we go to pay our respects tomorrow morning. You were all enthusiastically discussing the trip to Mount Putuo just now, so I didn’t want to interrupt."
Zhou Shaojin laughed sheepishly and continued talking to her sister about the trip to Mount Putuo: "I heard Mount Putuo is known as the 'Buddhist Kingdom on the Sea.' All the temples on the island are dedicated to Guanyin Bodhisattva. On the three major incense festivals—the nineteenth day of the second, sixth, and ninth lunar months, which mark Guanyin’s birthday, renunciation, and enlightenment—the island is packed with people, and the temples are filled with incense smoke. Being there feels like stepping into the Western Pure Land. But Old Madam Guo said no one travels during the hottest days of summer, so I’m not sure if we’ll make it in time for the festival on the nineteenth of the ninth month..."
She chattered on and on. Zhou Chujin tried several times to change the subject but failed, so she simply stopped interrupting and occasionally chimed in with an "Mm" or "Ah."
As a result, Zhou Shaojin kept talking until the moon was high in the sky. The next day, both sisters overslept.
Zhou Shaojin’s face flushed red with embarrassment. She thought that since Jing’an Hall had lax rules, the worst punishment for being late would be writing a few pages of calligraphy. But her sister had to assist their eldest aunt in managing household affairs, and being late would look bad. Without bothering to wash up or dress properly, she hurriedly helped her sister prepare breakfast.
Just as the two sisters were busy, Madam Ma Fushan requested an audience.
Shi Xiang was scheduled to leave the household on the tenth day of the ninth month and get married on the fourth day of the tenth month. Zhou Shaojin had asked Madam Ma Fushan to help order two camphorwood chests and a tall cabinet as gifts for Shi Xiang. Thinking Madam Ma Fushan had come to report on this, Zhou Shaojin didn’t wait for her sister to speak and instructed the young maid, "Tell her to wait. We’re busy right now!"
The young maid smiled and withdrew but soon returned, saying, "Eldest Miss, Second Miss, Madam Ma Fushan says she has urgent news to report..."
Both sisters were taken aback.
Madam Ma Fushan had delivered their father’s letter just yesterday. If she hadn’t mentioned anything then, the matter must be truly urgent!
Zhou Chujin said, "Then please invite her in."
The young maid complied and quickly brought Madam Ma Fushan inside.
"Eldest Miss, Second Miss," Madam Ma Fushan’s expression was grim. After greeting them, she stood there silently.
Understanding her meaning, Zhou Shaojin dismissed the servants in the room.
Madam Ma Fushan went to the door to check before hurrying over to the sisters and whispering, "Word has come from the yamen that Lanting and Xinlan both died suddenly in prison last night..."
The sisters’ hearts skipped a beat, and their faces instantly turned pale.
Zhou Chujin quickly asked, "What exactly happened?"
Madam Ma Fushan lowered her voice even further: "No one is quite sure. The jailers thought we had bribed someone in the prison, while the prison staff suspected the jailers were responsible... The whole thing is rather suspicious. The yamen doesn’t dare investigate too deeply and sent a message to my husband, saying they should be buried quickly to avoid stirring up unnecessary trouble."Zhou Chujin thought for a moment and asked Zhou Shaojin to fetch a hundred-tael silver note for Madam Ma Fushan. She then said to Madam Ma Fushan, "Tell Ma Fushan to find a way to have the coroner investigate how the two died, and then follow this lead to figure out who did it... Since they were locked up in prison, there can’t be many people who could have done it. If we’re careful, we should be able to uncover some clues. Use this silver to bribe the jailers. If it’s not enough, come back and tell me."
Madam Ma Fushan tucked the silver note away and left Nine Prosperities Lane.
Zhou Chujin took an uneasy sip of tea.
For some reason, Zhou Shaojin thought of Cheng Lu.
Back when the incident happened, they hadn’t hidden it from the Cunren Lane side. Yet when Cheng Lu came to pay New Year’s respects to the fourth branch, he never mentioned it once from start to finish.
If he knew about this, what would he do?
After seeing her sister off, Zhou Shaojin instructed Chunwan, "Take a message to Ma Fushan for me. Have him investigate Zhao Dahai, who serves by Cheng Lu’s side. See what he’s been up to these days."
If this matter was related to Cheng Lu, the person carrying it out would definitely be his trusted subordinate, Zhao Dahai.
A few days later, Ma Fushan personally requested to see the Zhou Shaojin sisters.
※
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Thank you.
※ (To be continued. If you like this work, I welcome you to cast recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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