Chapter 218: The Final Chapter - Part One

Chapter 218: The Final Chapter - Part One

Though there were many questions in her mind, they were no match for the overwhelming fatigue that hit her. Minglan sank into the soft, warm bed and fell asleep instantly, this time without any dreams. Tuan'er snuggled close to her, quietly sobbing in her arms. Before long, he too fell asleep, his small face still marked with tear stains. In his deep sleep, his tiny fingers unconsciously clutched at his mother's sleeve.

Mother and child slept soundly, and when they awoke, it was already past noon, the perfect time for the market to open.

Tuan'er suddenly became much more sensible. When he woke up, he didn't cry or fuss. Cui Wei fed him bite by bite, and he clung to Minglan tightly. No matter who tried to hold him, he looked at them with suspicion and grabbed hold of his mother's clothes. However, there were many matters waiting for Minglan, so she had to coax the little chubby boy, saying, "Let's go see sister, okay? Sister's hand hurts a lot, you can help her feel better by blowing on it."

The little chubby boy blinked his big, clear eyes, hesitated for a moment, then obediently nodded. Cui Wei carried him to the side room where Rong Jie was resting. Soon after, various stewards hurried to the corridor, waiting in line to report the matters at hand.

It had been a night of chaos, with half the night spent in a raging fire, and the losses were considerable.

The old mansion had suffered severe damage, with about seventy to eighty percent destroyed. Fortunately, the ancestral hall was unharmed. Minglan felt that the foresight of the Gu family ancestors, who had built it in a secluded and damp place, was commendable. Sadly, the other side was not so fortunate. The entire mountain forest had been destroyed. It was a pity for the red plum blossoms that had just begun to bloom, the peach orchards that had only recently borne small, cute green fruits, and the several rows of beautiful ornamental trees that had been transplanted—everything had turned to charred wood.

While searching through the forest, they discovered a few charred corpses. Minglan felt heartbroken for the innocent deer and cranes that had been burned alive. She irritably ordered people to wrap them in straw mats, along with the thieves' bodies left outside the gate, and have them sent to the Shuntian Prefecture office.

Aside from these two locations, the rest of the Chengyuan Garden was largely undamaged—except for the half-destroyed stove, which had been burned down in the panic by Ge Mama.

Although the buildings and the mountain forest had suffered significant damage, they were still inanimate objects that could be repaired. What was truly regrettable lay ahead.

After a careful investigation, it was revealed that thirty-two house servants and guards from the Marquis' residence had been injured or killed during the night. Fourteen were lightly wounded, nine severely injured, and the rest… had already passed on to the afterlife. Minglan sighed deeply and instructed Hao Dacheng to ensure a proper burial for the deceased and to provide generous compensation for their wives, children, and elderly family members, as well as for the injured.

As Minglan spoke, Xia He wrote down the details in the ledger, while beside her, Lu Zhi's abacus clicked sharply. Her face looked even worse than Minglan's—after a rough calculation, it seemed that just the compensation alone would amount to over ten thousand taels!

Once all the stewards had reported and left, Lu Zhi's face had turned the color of watermelon rind. Minglan could only try to comfort her and herself by saying, "…Just think about it—if no one had fought to the death last night, we would have been the ones dead by now! Now that the rain has passed, we must always remember the people who helped us, and we must never let those under us feel neglected."

Lu Zhi reluctantly nodded.

That said, when considering the funds required to rebuild the mansion, nearly half of the money Minglan had carefully accumulated over the years would be spent—ah, how true it is, just as Brother Bu Hu said, "The wind blows, and the egg shells scatter; wealth goes, and peace remains!"

Minglan clutched her chest, feeling the pain for a long while before recovering. Just as she caught her breath, she saw the sun begin to set, and someone outside suddenly reported that someone from the Duke of Ying's residence had come with a message.

"Did the Zhang family not suffer an attack by the thieves last night?" Minglan, upon hearing the news, was uncertain and puzzled.

The woman who had brought the message stood by the door and raised her voice to speak. "That's right. The Zhang family had a peaceful night, so Madam Zhang didn't expect the situation at our residence. When she heard the news this morning, she immediately sent someone to inquire about our safety."

Minglan then asked, "What about the Duke's residence?"

The woman replied, "The messenger said that the area is still under martial law, and communications are cut off. The details… are unclear."

Minglan remained silent for a long while. The question that had been on her mind for the whole night now seemed to have an answer that was becoming clearer and clearer.

Afterward, Minglan summoned a few stewards from the outer courtyard to inquire about the situation and continued managing affairs. Tu Long, looking fatigued, came to report that the house had been cleaned up, and there was no trace of the thieves around the front and back gates. Hao Dacheng and Liao Yong's servants and maids had been assigned to tidy up the courtyard and rooms. After another hour of busy work, Minglan finally had some free time. Thinking of Rong Jie'er, she hurriedly stood up and asked to be assisted in going to the side wing to check on her.

Just as she was about to step out the door, Xiaotao came running back from outside, her mouth smiling sweetly, and her face radiated a happiness that almost made one want to slap her. Minglan stopped, gave her a side-eye, and dragged out her words, "Back already? How is Young Master Shi's injury?"

Xiaotao, a bit silly, replied, "Injury? Oh… Brother Shitou only has a few superficial cuts, Lord Tu said it's not a big deal."

Minglan responded sarcastically, "Then why are you so late coming back? The madam has woken up and finished managing affairs, yet your personal maid is still nowhere to be seen."

Xiaotao, embarrassed, explained, "Brother Shitou said… he said it was really scary last night, with blood splattering everywhere, and bodies all over the front and back doors. He can't stop thinking about it, his heart keeps pounding, and he was too scared to even close his eyes to sleep!"

Inside, Lu Zhi, who was still tallying accounts, shivered at the sound, almost falling into the inkstone. Xia He, who was supporting Minglan, clearly swayed and bit her lip, trying hard to hold back but finally couldn't help herself: "You believe that?"

Xiaotao looked confused and answered, "Why would Brother Shitou lie to me?"

Xia He, not thinking much, blurted out, "He wasn't afraid of killing people with a knife, so why would he be afraid of nightmares? He's fooling you, he likes you and wants to stay with you longer!"

Xiaotao's face immediately turned bright red. With a strong, chubby arm, she 'lightly pushed' Xia He and playfully scolded, "Ah, stop with this liking and not liking nonsense… You… you're so annoying!" Then, she shyly looked at Minglan and said, "Madam, I'll go help Lu Zhi." She then waddled off to the room.

Xia He was pushed off balance, nearly bumping her forehead into the doorframe. Minglan kindly helped her steady herself and sympathetically said, "Don't argue with that girl, and don't bring up that Shi family boy. You'll only end up getting frustrated."

The young couple, one ignorant and fearless, the other with an invincible thick skin, truly seemed like a perfect match made in heaven. Minglan thought to herself that she should send a letter to the Shi family soon, letting them know that once the baby is born, preparations for the wedding could begin.

As she thought of Xiaotao marrying far away to Jianghuai, Minglan couldn't help but feel a pang in her heart. She lowered her head and walked quietly, and after a few steps, she arrived at the side room, where the sound of children's laughter could be heard faintly from inside.

Minglan crossed the door, turned left, and entered the inner room. She saw Rong Jie'er lying at the head of the bed, with Tuan Ge'er, the chubby little boy, sprawled over her, resting his fat legs on his sister. On the edge of the bed sat Xian Jie'er, and by the small table under the window, sat Shao Shi and Qiu Niang. Cui Mama was sitting alone at the Ruyi round table, gently blowing on a dark, thick medicinal paste. A pair of small, plum-shaped plaster patches were still stuck to her forehead, absorbing the stasis and blood.

When Minglan entered, everyone's expressions varied. Qiu Niang smiled and stood to greet her, but Shao Shi was quicker, jumping up from her seat like a rabbit, looking anxious and fearful, almost as if her husband had just died again. Minglan nodded towards Qiu Niang but didn't even glance at Shao Shi. She walked directly to the bedside.

Rong Jie'er, who had been looking worriedly at the medicinal soup in Cui Mama's hands, brightened when she saw Minglan and said happily, "Mother, you're here…" She started to sit up, but Minglan hurriedly stopped her, gently saying, "Why get up? Lie back down quickly." She then asked if the injury was still painful or if she felt any other discomfort. Rong Jie'er shook her head, "After taking the doctor's medicine, it doesn't hurt anymore."

Minglan's heart filled with tenderness as she thought, once the medicine's effect wears off, the pain will surely return, even worse. She gently pushed aside the girl's thick forehead hair to check. She saw a patch of scalp a few inches behind her forehead, covered with dark green, pungent medicinal paste, with traces of blood seeping through. She sighed, "It's fortunate you have such thick hair. If you had thinner hair, how would you have hidden the wound? Sigh, with such an injury, it'll be at least half a year before you can wear any heavy hairpins or pendants. The weight would make your scalp hurt."

Rong Jie'er touched her head and casually said, "Xian Mei Mei said, since I don't look good with a bun hairstyle, I might as well wear a proper hairpin from now on. Didn't Mother just give me a box of new floral hairpins? It's no big deal." Her face was more sharp and handsome, and every time she wore a delicate, soft hairstyle, it always felt awkward.

When the conversation turned to Xian Jie'er, she suddenly became unusually quiet and reserved. Since Minglan entered the room, she had been keeping her head down. Only when Rong Jie'er spoke did she cautiously lift her gaze and glance at Minglan.

Minglan gently stroked the girl's face and said softly, "You two are just like real sisters. With you beside Rong Jie'er to comfort her, I can relax."

Xian Jie'er's eyes filled with tears, and her youthful face showed a hint of early maturity and embarrassment. She nodded gently. On the side, Shao Shi opened her mouth to speak, but when she met Minglan's cold gaze, she immediately fell silent. She wanted to apologize, but felt it was inappropriate to do so in front of everyone.

Minglan turned her attention back to Rong Jie'er's left hand, which was wrapped in bandages. After the incident, she had checked the thief's dagger, which was extremely sharp. Fortunately, Rong Jie'er had a strong-willed nature, and in her anger, she had tightly gripped the blade. If she had loosened her grip at that moment, the blade could have easily split her hand open.

Even so, the blade had still cut deeply, splitting both flesh and skin. Minglan felt her heart tighten at the sight. According to the doctor, even if the wound healed, Rong Jie'er's hand might never regain its previous agility.

"Once the martial law is lifted in a few days, I'll write to your teacher. Well, at least it's the left hand that's injured, so writing won't be a problem, but embroidery… what will we do about that?" A large piece of embroidery was stretched on a frame, requiring one hand to pull the needle through and the other to pass the thread. "It seems that Aunt Hong's lessons will have to be put aside…"

Jie'er was delighted and blurted out, "Really? I don't have to learn from Aunt Hong anymore? Oh…" Before she could finish, she was poked in the head by a finger. Seeing that Xian'er had given her a sharp look, Jie'er immediately understood, lowered her head, and weakly said, "I feel sorry for not living up to Aunt Hong's careful guidance."

Though Minglan was initially full of worry, seeing the scene before her couldn't help but make her chuckle.

The shift in expression was awkward, her tone forced, and the performance out of sync. Compared to her past smooth and fluid acting, this was a far cry from it. Back in the day, when her sisters were competing, even Rulan, who was the least skilled, performed much better than these two girls, let alone the experienced Molan and herself. So indeed, competition brings progress?

The two girls, noticing Minglan's amusement, both lowered their heads, feeling embarrassed and disappointed. Minglan smiled and patted their little faces, "Well, this is much better. It looks decent now. I'll have you describe it like this to your teacher later."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire room burst into laughter. Cui Mama paused from stirring the medicinal soup, shaking her head with a smile. Xian'er leaned on Rolan's shoulder, laughing happily. The two young ladies covered their mouths, whispering and giggling. Qiu Niang took a few steps forward and teased, "The mistress is right. Reading books and keeping accounts are nothing for our eldest miss, but those little needle and thread tasks are truly troublesome!"

Minglan smiled and replied, "Embroidery is meant to be a pleasant hobby, showing the grace and skills of a woman. As daughters of a family like ours, we don't need to perfect it. Otherwise, what would we need the embroiderers for?" Her tone carried an air of maturity, and she felt quite pleased with herself. After a moment, she added, "Embroidery can be skipped, but basic sewing and mending should still be learned." She then turned to Qiu Niang and said, "You should take the time to teach the girls well."

Rolan immediately nodded vigorously, her head bobbing like a rattle. Xian'er covered her mouth, teasing Rolan by gently pinching her cheek, making her laugh. Qiu Niang quickly agreed, saying, "Don't worry, Madam. This is my duty." Though this was technically not correct, as a maid's duty was to serve the master and the first wife, by now, she had naturally come to see herself more in the role of a nanny.

Minglan smiled slightly and then asked about Cui Mama's injury. Cui Mama repeatedly said, "It's nothing serious."

Qiu Niang, sensing Minglan's concern, added quickly, "The doctor prescribed medicine for Cui Mama and said that it doesn't seem to be a problem for now. After some time, we'll check again."

Minglan nodded. In her opinion, it would be best to take an X-ray for assurance, but in those times, X-rays were not available. So, she simply instructed Cui Mama to rest more.

Seeing the praise, Qiu Niang worked even harder and said, "This afternoon, I went to see Miss Mei. She was sitting there feeding the little young master. Both mother and child looked very healthy."

Minglan smiled and said, "That's good. Otherwise, I wouldn't know how to explain it to Mr. Gongsun."

After the chaos of last night, nearly everyone was affected, either by fear or injuries. Surprisingly, the two who were most unharmed were Qiu Niang and Ruomei, who usually seemed less reliable.

Since these two had moved to the outer room of Shao Shi's courtyard, they had been quite terrified.

The two maids who attended to Ruomei had already received orders from their mistress. Knowing that Ruomei was delicate and prone to anxiety, they didn't want to disturb her further. So, they secretly brewed a strong calming tea and mixed it into her medicinal soup, hoping she would drink it without realizing.

Ruomei slept peacefully through the night and was completely unaware of the danger and sword fighting that had occurred. By the time she woke up, the rain had cleared, and she felt refreshed. Her son was also peacefully sleeping in the nurse's arms, his little face flushed. Early in the morning, both mother and child were full of energy as they called to return to their own courtyard.

Minglan was very impressed with these clever maids and rewarded the three of them, including the nurse, with ten taels of silver each.

As for Qiu Niang, she was restless the entire night. When she noticed that Rong Jie'er was missing, she had wanted to search for her, but the maids stopped her.

"Did you forget the mistress's instructions, Niang? The mistress specifically told you not to leave the room no matter what happens. If the young miss is missing, there are servants to look for her. If you go, everyone will end up lost, and it will only make things worse!"

Having recently been reprimanded by Minglan, Qiu Niang, fearing her mistress's authority, stayed obediently in the room, listening for any sounds outside. The first half of the night was quiet, but the second half was filled with noise.

The sounds of fighting and swords clashing came from the courtyard gate, mixed with the screams of the wounded. The noise terrified her so much that she nearly lost control of herself and almost jumped out of the window to escape. However, before she could gather the courage to open the window, the guards outside had already dealt with the intruders.

Afterward, the guards sent a maid to report that everything was safe. Once she and the maidservants were reassured, they breathed a sigh of relief. As the sky brightened, they all felt physically and mentally exhausted, so they each went to find a place to rest. Throughout the entire ordeal, Qiu Niang had only been mentally frightened, and she had remained completely safe, treating the experience as though she had just heard a scary ghost story.

"…Everyone says last night was dangerous, but we never even saw what the thieves looked like—whether they were round or flat." As she spoke, Qiu Niang wasn't just flattering her mistress, but genuinely grateful for Minglan's careful protection. "Yimei asked me to bow and thank the mistress on her behalf. She said that thanks to the mistress's well-thought-out plans, both she and her son were safe and sound, not even a single hair was harmed."

She said this without any sarcasm, but Shao Shi still felt a surge of guilt. Her face changed several times, and she couldn't hold back any longer. She stepped forward and said, "…Sister-in-law, I… I… It's all my fault for being careless… I almost caused trouble for Tuan Ge'er…" With that, her eyes reddened, and she covered her face with a handkerchief. "If anything happened to Ge'er, I… I would truly have no face to see you."

No face to see me?

Minglan sneered inwardly. Such a lighthearted remark—if she had truly caused the death of the child, she would have wanted to rip her heart out!

"What wrong has my elder sister-in-law done? People's hearts are all different, and everyone has their own reasons. If elder sister-in-law doesn't trust me and wants to find a hiding place on her own, that's understandable." Minglan spoke sharply, her words tinged with bitterness. This made Shao Shi feel embarrassed, and she lowered her head.

Shao Shi, flustered, kept apologizing. Minglan intentionally ignored her for a moment, hoping to see if she had anything else to say. However, Shao Shi, unable to articulate herself properly and lacking depth, repeated a few phrases like "I'm foolish, I'm bad" without much substance. Her words were neither impressive nor genuinely sorrowful, and her tears didn't appear convincing. Even Xian Jie'er, listening to this, couldn't help but shake her head, feeling that such an apology was hard to forgive.

After crying for a while, Shao Shi thought that, since her sister-in-law was known for her good temperament, even if she still felt upset, she would probably let her off the hook in front of everyone. However, Minglan remained silent and, instead of offering words of forgiveness, casually turned her attention to playing with Tuan Ge'er. Shao Shi felt embarrassed standing there.

Minglan couldn't help but sigh, thinking that the Sheng family truly produced some exceptional people.

If this had been Lin Yiniang in this situation, she would have surely turned her self-pity into an emotional plea, crying about her hard life and how she had no one to depend on, which would have led to sympathy from others and the forgiveness of her mistake.

Minglan shook her head inwardly, no longer wasting time. She gave a few more instructions to Rong Jie'er before turning to Shao Shi and saying, "There's something I intended to bring up in a few days, but since you're feeling better now, we might as well settle it today."

Shao Shi's heart skipped a beat, and she forced a smile, "Wh-what is it?"

"What could it be? It's about Ren Yiniang," Minglan said slowly as she stood up. "She led the thief around the whole garden, and so many eyes saw it. There must be an explanation."

After saying this, Minglan supported herself with Xia He and walked out of the room first. Shao Shi's face turned pale, and she seemed on the verge of collapsing. She had an instinctive desire to avoid going, but Xia Zhu, standing nearby, quickly stepped forward and helped support Shao Shi's arm, half-pulling, half-supporting her as she followed.

The group circled around to the back hall, exiting through the side door of Jiaxi Residence. They walked along a small cobblestone path heading north. Minglan, holding her belly, walked slowly with a gentle sway, and Shao Shi dared not urge her to go faster. She could only bear with it, step by step, trailing behind.

In fact, they hadn't walked far when Shao Shi felt as if she had crossed into another world, sweating profusely. They arrived at the westmost room of the back row, a small side room with almost no furnishings—just a round Ruyi table and three or four chairs beside it. By the window, there was a large flower pot, but the soil was dry and the grass withered, clearly neglected for some time.

Xia He whispered, "In the rush, we only had time to do a quick sweep. Please don't mind, Madam."

Minglan looked around the room, noting that the windows were bright, the floor spotless, and nodded in satisfaction. "It only took a little while; there's no need to go to so much trouble. This is fine." As she helped herself to a seat at the round table, she added, "Don't dawdle, quickly bring them in."

Xia He immediately went out, and Xia Zhu, seeing this, pushed Shao Shi onto the chair, then hurried around the table to stand by Minglan to assist.

Not long after, Xia He returned, followed by three groups of people. Leading the procession was Tu Hu, with two guards behind him, each flanking a woman whose hands and feet were bound. Finally, two maids dragged in a bound maid. The guards threw the woman to the ground, then stood at attention, keeping watch on either side. The two maids followed suit, tossing the bound maid right in front of Minglan.

Shao Shi lowered her head and looked down. She saw that the woman on the floor was plump and graceful, but one of her almond-shaped eyes had been bruised, and her appearance was disheveled. Her hair was messy, and her clothes were stained with mud. It could only be Ren Yiniang.