Chapter 264: Chapter 246, Passing the Buck_1

Main Courtyard.

Madam Li awoke in the late afternoon. Knowing they couldn’t keep it from her, Ping Tong and Ping Xiao reported everything that had transpired at Shuangxin Courtyard.

After listening, Madam Li took a deep breath. It took a while for her to compose herself before she could open her eyes again, “Where is the eldest daughter?”

Ping Tong replied, “These past few days, the eldest daughter seems to have been letting Miss Zhou help her make masks. Just now Miss Zhou came over to deliver something, the eldest daughter should be in Daohua Pavilion talking to Miss Zhou. Madam, would you like me to call for the eldest daughter to come here?”

Madam Li shook her head, “No need, let her be busy with her affairs.”

Before long, the sounds of greetings could be heard from the courtyard.

Ping Xiao peered out the window, then turned back to Madam Li with a smile, “It’s the eldest daughter, it must be the eldest daughter. You have a mother-daughter connection, as soon as you awoke, she sensed it, and here she is.”

At these words, a smile appeared on Madam Li’s face, and then she saw the door curtain open and her daughter quickly walked in.

“Mother!”

Seeing Madam Li awake and perched on the bed, Daohua’s face lit up with joy, and she quickly approached the bedside, “Mother, you’re awake?”

Madam Li clasped Daohua’s hand, and seeing the weariness in her daughter’s eyes, she felt a pang of distress and guilt, “Mother has done wrong; to fall ill at such a time and burden all the household affairs on your frail shoulders. Have you been worn out these days?”

At that, her gaze sharpened.

It should have been the Lin Family’s issue to deal with, not for her daughter to stand in front of her and take it on.

Daohua sat at the edge of the bed, disagreeing, “Mother, you’ve done no wrong. You fell ill out of a mother’s loving and anxious heart, such things are beyond anyone’s control. Sharing mother’s worries is my duty as a daughter. I don’t feel fatigued. The main thing is, you must recover quickly.”

Madam Li nodded in agreement, “Alright, mother will certainly recover as quickly as possible.” She paused for a moment before asking, “I heard you had two old maids guard Shuangxin Courtyard?”

Daohua nodded, snorting coldly, “If Aunt Liu wasn’t still living there, I would have wanted to lock up Shuangxin Courtyard directly to stop Aunt Lin from jumping up and down and disturbing the peace of the entire residence.”

Madam Li tapped Daohua’s forehead, shaking her head, “You’re too reckless in your actions. Tell me, if you let the maids guard the doors of Shuangxin Courtyard, how will your father enter?”

Daohua’s eyes widened in astonishment, “After Aunt Lin and her family sided with her in cursing you and my two brothers, if father still wishes to see Aunt Lin, then he might as well just live with his concubines from now on!”

Seeing that her daughter hadn’t grasped her point, Madam Li was taken aback, trying to phrase it several times but only managing to say vaguely, “Your father has confined Aunt Lin, he wouldn’t go against his own decree. What mother means is, now that I am ill, your father still needs somewhere to sleep at night, doesn’t he?”

Daohua fell silent for a few seconds before a look of understanding crossed her face, and then she scoffed, “Then let him sleep in the study. He’s nearly forty, he won’t die without those pleasures.”

At that remark, both Madam Li and Ping Tong and Ping Xiao behind her were left gaping in shock.

After a good while, Madam Li came to her senses and then tapped Daohua’s forehead with a flick, “You’re still a young girl, what kind of talk is that!”

Daohua hurriedly covered her forehead, looking accusingly at Madam Li.

Madam Li wanted to say more, but seeing her daughter rubbing her forehead with a pitiful expression, she swallowed her words back, uttering fiercely, “Once I’m well, I’ll go to your courtyard myself and take away those storybooks from your study.”

Daohua wanted to retort, but seeing the look on Madam Li’s face—that she would act if dared to speak—Daohua wisely closed her mouth.

Go ahead and take them. She had read them all anyway. She would simply buy new ones later; she had the money to be willful!

Daohua glanced at Madam Li, noting that after her lecture, her spirits seemed buoyant, and she no longer appeared as frail as before. After pondering, she explained, “Mother, I guarded Shuangxin Courtyard mainly for the stability of the house.”

“Now that you and grandmother are ill, and father has to attend to his official duties, he can’t deal with the affairs of the inner courtyard. Aunt Lin stirring trouble at this time is nothing but showing her true colors. If I don’t suppress her firmly, who knows what else she might do?”

“As for the likes of Nanny Ren and others, it’s only because my eldest brothers are trapped at Xingyun Prefecture that they dare to entertain the notion of disloyalty. What use are such people if that is the case?”

“I know that you may feel my handling of matters is too harsh, but once disloyal, there can be a second time. By punishing them severely this time, saving them some face, perhaps they will choose to mend their ways, but it’s also possible that they will harbor resentment.”

“Hence, for the sake of future peace and smoothness, I must definitely annihilate all potential dangers in the cradle, leaving them no chance to retaliate against me.”

If she was going to do it, she had to do it thoroughly.

She wouldn’t underestimate anyone. Servants may not have many rights, but that doesn’t hinder their ability to create trouble.

Gazing at the fierce light in her daughter’s eyes and her resolute tone, Madam Li was taken aback.

Unknowingly, her daughter had grown capable of shouldering responsibilities alone. In times of crisis, she was even more decisive than Madam Li herself!

Daohua paid no attention to Madam Li’s expression and continued, “When Madam Zhou was instructing the An Jing butler, she said something I think is very right. As masters, we can be kind to our servants, but we must never lose our authority or let them become disrespectful.”

“This turmoil, whether big or small, has caused a stir throughout the estate in just a few days, simply because we have been too lenient in the past.”

“It serves them right, those unfortunate enough to be involved. They’ve become the chickens used to warn the monkeys. Using this opportunity, it’s just right for us to establish the rules of the estate anew.”

As she spoke, Daohua pulled on Madam Li’s hand, “Mother, now that the estate has quieted down, I’ve instructed Fang Dame to keep a close watch on the doorway, and for Sister Ping Tong and Sister Ping Xiao to pay more attention to the estate’s affairs. I’m thinking… in a few days, I want to personally go to Xingyun Prefecture to bring my brothers back.”

Upon hearing this, Madam Li immediately sat upright, gripping Daohua’s hand tightly, agitatedly saying, “No way, your three brothers are already trapped over there, and you want to go too?”

“Now, you’re the only one left by my side. If something happens to you as well, how could I go on living?”

Being too agitated, Madam Li even started coughing violently.

Seeing this, Daohua quickly stood up, patting Madam Li’s back while comforting her, “Mother, don’t get agitated, let me finish speaking.”

Madam Li was in a mood to listen to nothing, “No matter how you sugarcoat your words, Mother will not agree to let you go. Just give up on the idea.”

Daohua felt helpless, “But my elder brothers are in Xingyun Prefecture.” She said, embracing Madam Li’s shoulders, “Mother, your daughter is afraid of death and would not joke with her own life.”

Madam Li gradually calmed down but still wore a face of refusal.

Left with no choice, Daohua said softly, “Mother, you know that I have been reading medical books for years…”

Madam Li replied irritably, “You’re just an amateur, don’t bring that up again.”

Daohua fell silent.

Alright, let’s not talk about that.

“Mother, Xiao Yeyang is also in Xingyun Prefecture. If I go there and… if the plague there really is uncontrollable, with my relationship with him, even if it requires persistence, I can wear him down until he agrees to bring the three brothers out with him.”

At these words, Madam Li’s resolve began to waver.

Her sons and daughters were all dear to her, and any trouble befalling them would be her downfall, but… if her daughter could truly save her sons, should she let her take the risk?

Madam Li wavered inside, and seeing that Daohua wanted to keep persuading, she, not wanting to give in, pushed Daohua away and very cowardly passed the buck to the elder lady.

“You go ask your grandmother. If she agrees, then come and talk to me about it.”

After hearing this, Daohua paused momentarily, then nodded, “Alright, I will go and speak with grandmother now,” thinking that either way, she had to win over both her grandmother and her mother if she was to go to Xingyun Prefecture.

Watching Daohua leave, Madam Li felt a bit guilty as she turned to Ping Tong and Ping Xiao, “Am I being too unfilial? Whenever there’s a problem, I send her to find the old lady.”

Ping Xiao didn’t know how to respond and looked towards Ping Tong.

Ping Tong pondered for a moment, then said with a smile, “The old lady is the Yan Family’s stabilizing needle. It’s proper for you, Madam, to seek advice from her.”

Madam Li nodded, as if she had found a reason to console herself, “Yes, you’re right. The old lady has eaten more salt than I have rice. Seeking her advice is of course more thorough than mine.”

Songhe Courtyard.

The moment Daohua started speaking, the old Madam Yan had her sent out of the room.

With no other choice, Daohua stood outside the window painstakingly explaining the reason.

After talking for a long while, it was only when she got to how she could take the three brothers out of the city that old Madam Yan began to soften.

“You go ask your mother, you are her daughter. If she agrees for you to go, then you can come and ask this old woman.”

Upon hearing this, Daohua raised an eyebrow, her eyes shifting, a hint of cunning glinting through, “Grandmother, just wait, I’ll go ask Mother now. She will definitely agree.”

After she left the courtyard, old Madam Yan guiltily turned to Nurse Sun, “Am I doing something wrong? They say both the palm and the back of the hand are flesh. It’s too hard for Madam Li to make a decision.”

Nurse Sun hesitated for a moment then said, “Old lady, a mother knows her daughter best. Madam will surely take her temperament into account and consider her opinions appropriately.”

The old lady nodded and sighed, “What kind of situation is this? May the Buddha bless the Yan Family’s descendants to grow up in peace and safety.”