Сhеn Еr lоwered his hеаd, stаmmеring. Нe had alwауs held a сertain dеgrее оf аwе toward this уounger sister of his. He thеn turnеd his plеading gаzе tоwаrd his fathеr. Оld Маn Сhen dоted on his son thе mоst, and sеeing him like this, evеn if he was аngry at hеаrt, hе соuldn't hеlр but soften. Не said tо Jiао Mеng, "Don't, аftеr all, he is уоur brothеr."
Jiao Mеng was so furious thаt shе lаughed instеad. "Brothеr? Ноw cоuld I hаvе suсh а brоther? Не toоk the hаrd-earnеd savings оf оur fаmily tо gаmblе, nоt only losing аll the family's assets but nоw even gambling аway оur anсеstral hоme. Father, have you thought about it? Without a house, where will we live? Does he intend to make you wander the streets with him?"
Chen Er flushed red at Jiao Meng's words, but what she said was indeed true. Originally, he had been running a small business quite well, but one day a friend invited him to the gambling den for some fun. At the time, he didn't think much of it, only considering it a chance to broaden his horizons. Unexpectedly, his luck was so good that he won every time. The more he won, the more he wanted to win, and before long, he became addicted to gambling. Unfortunately, his good fortune didn't last. His luck seemed to have run out recently, and in the last few rounds, Chen Er lost every time he gambled. Not only did he lose all the money he had won before, but he also lost all of the family's savings. Now, even this house couldn't be kept.
As she spoke, Jiao Meng began to sob. "What do I work so hard for every day, serving the concubine in the master's mansion and doing the work of a servant? Isn't it to make our family's life a little better? Yet while I'm working hard over there, you're dragging us down here. What use do I have for a brother like you? I might as well not have one!"
Hearing this, Chen Er grew anxious. "Sister, you can't just abandon me. Now it's just the two of us, brother and sister, in this family. Even if you hate me, you can't abandon Father. Besides, didn't I treat you well before?" This was also true. When Jiao Meng was young, she was very close to this brother. Before Chen Er became addicted to gambling, he was an upright and good man who doted on his younger sister. Otherwise, when the man from the gambling den suggested using Jiao Meng as collateral for the gambling debt, Chen Er wouldn't have been so furious. Hearing Chen Er's words, Jiao Meng hesitated slightly in her heart. She pitied her brother's misfortune and was angry at his lack of effort, but to completely abandon Chen Er—she couldn't bring herself to be so heartless. Old Man Chen also sighed. "Jiao Meng, if you have any ideas, just say them."Jiao Meng was on the verge of tears. What solution did she have? Ever since learning that Chen Er had incurred such a massive gambling debt, her heart had been in turmoil. She had indeed approached Concubine Mei about the matter, subtly hoping for her assistance. However, though their ancestral home appeared unremarkable, it actually required a substantial sum to maintain—otherwise, Old Man Chen wouldn’t have valued it so highly. Concubine Mei was unwilling to provide such a large amount to help Jiao Meng. As a mere maid, where could Jiao Meng possibly obtain so much money? At this thought, she felt a deep sense of despair. Her father refused to leave the ancestral home, and more importantly, if they did, Chen Er and Old Man Chen would be left homeless. Old Man Chen was advanced in years; if something were to happen to him after such upheaval, wouldn’t she become an unfilial and disloyal person?
Yet both Chen Er and Old Man Chen looked at Jiao Meng with hopeful eyes. Indeed, she was the most capable and clever in the family, which was why she had become Concubine Mei’s personal maid. Gritting her teeth, Jiao Meng said, “I’ll try to think of another way.”
In the Zhuang residence, Han Yan leisurely sipped her tea. Shu Hong remarked, “Miss, Jiao Meng seemed quite listless all morning. I heard from the people in Hibiscus Garden that she even spilled Concubine Mei’s teacup. She must be panicking.”
Han Yan smiled faintly. “Panicking? Good. It’s probably time to steady her nerves.” With that, she stood up. “Let’s go. The sun is lovely outside—we should take a stroll.”
Shu Hong nodded.
In the garden of the Zhuang residence, Jiao Meng was absentmindedly fiddling with a camellia blossom before her. The faint sounds of other maids’ mockery reached her ears—nothing more than kicking someone when they were down. That day, she had spilled Concubine Mei’s teacup and received a stern scolding. She knew Concubine Mei had been particularly irritable lately, but wasn’t she herself in the same state? The debt collectors were pressing relentlessly; tomorrow was the day they would come to seize the house, and she simply couldn’t raise such a large sum. Jiao Meng, who usually relied on Concubine Mei’s favor to look down on the other maids, found herself without a single confidante in Hibiscus Garden. As she brooded, resentment toward Concubine Mei welled up within her. After all, Concubine Mei was her mistress. For years, Jiao Meng had advised her, helped her secure her footing in the household, and aided her in winning Zhuang Shiyang’s affection. Wasn’t it just about money? Jiao Meng believed that if Concubine Mei were willing to help, money wouldn’t be an issue.
Lost in thought, Jiao Meng crushed the camellia petals in her hand.
“Though camellias are lovely, if you mistreat them like this, they’ll only meet a bleak end,” a clear voice suddenly sounded from behind her.Jiao Meng was startled and quickly turned around to see Han Yan standing a few steps away, smiling warmly at her. Although Concubine Mei’s relationship with Han Yan had eased somewhat in recent days, Jiao Meng had noticed that ever since Madam Zhou entered the household, this once weak and easily bullied Fourth Miss had suddenly become different. Concubine Mei couldn’t see it, but Jiao Meng could. At least since Madam Zhou’s arrival, Fourth Miss often wore a gentle smile—such people were the most terrifying. Whether it was Madam Zhou, Zhuangshan, or even Wei Rufeng, every person who opposed Fourth Miss seemed to have the upper hand at first, yet in the end, without exception, Fourth Miss would turn defeat into victory. Even if Concubine Mei formed an alliance with Fourth Miss, Jiao Meng had her reservations, because Fourth Miss was truly unfathomable. If they had a common enemy, it might be fine, but once the enemy was gone, the rabbit would be cooked and the hunting dog discarded—what good end could Concubine Mei possibly have?
Han Yan watched the rapidly changing expressions on the young maid’s face without impatience. Ji Lan had said that this maid named Jiao Meng was the one Concubine Mei relied on most. She was clever and exceptionally cunning among the servants. For a cunning opponent, playing mind games was too troublesome; the only way was to use the most direct and brutal method—find her weakness and strike.
Concubine Mei would absolutely not spend so much silver for a mere maid, simply because Jiao Meng saw herself as an indispensable part of Concubine Mei’s life. But Concubine Mei, with her deeply ingrained sense of hierarchy, would never regard Jiao Meng as her closest confidante. The relationship between master and servant meant she would never make such a sacrifice for Jiao Meng.
The easiest way to win someone over was when they had nothing left and were in despair. Jiao Meng had few friends in the mansion, and Concubine Mei had shown through her actions that she would not lend a helping hand. A maid who felt alienated from her mistress was most easily swayed at such a moment.
Jiao Meng felt uneasy under Han Yan’s gentle yet meaningful gaze and hurriedly said, “This servant deserves death for being distracted and forgetting about the camellias.”
OpenNovel