Chapter 53 – The Old Prince Next Door 6

By the time Gui Xi arrived, Concubine Qiu had already been knocked flat in the front courtyard by a single swing of Su Huandan’s cudgel.

The wound on Concubine Qiu’s face happened to be at the brow beside her left eye as well, only it was not as large. A huge lump had risen there, the skin had split, and a thin line of blood trickled down.

Everyone else was terrified. No one could believe that a helpless widow with no one to rely on would dare grab a firewood stick and strike someone directly.

Strike someone?

They had already bullied their way right into her home. If she didn’t defend herself, was she supposed to wait to be beaten to death in her own house?

Concubine Qiu had brought eight burly old women with her. They were not carrying clubs, but just look at the servants in Su Huandan’s house who had been beaten to the ground, was there even one of them who could stand up now?

They were all rolling around on the floor.

People were sprawled all over the ground, which showed just how fierce the clawing and fighting had been moments before.

Gui Xi had not come alone. He had also brought a squad of Prince Chen’s manor guards, ten men in total.

Hmph. This servant had brought muscle with him. No matter how big the trouble got, there was nothing to fear.

But seeing the savage, die-together-if-we-must fury on Su Huandan’s face, Gui Xi felt a little uneasy. Just how far had this Widow Su been pushed?

She must not really beat someone to death. Even if Widow Su was in the right, that would still make her lose some of the moral high ground.

“Stop right there, all of you! You, you, you, and you old hags, and that madam lying on the ground, where did you all come from? How dare you barge into someone else’s home and beat people? In broad daylight, under the Son of Heaven¹‘s very feet, do you have any respect for the law or not?” The moment Gui Xi spoke, Concubine Qiu immediately fell silent and did not dare utter a word.

Other people did not recognize Gui Xi, but she truly had seen him before.

Three years ago, she had followed the Duke of Yi to buy jewelry. They had lunch at Xiangyun Tower, and she had seen Prince Chen and Gui Xi there.

Concubine Qiu was completely dazed now. Why had people from Prince Chen’s manor come?

He had better not recognize her. That would be truly humiliating. If that happened, the Duke would probably really be angry.

The moment Su Huandan heard Gui Xi’s voice, the viciousness on her face faded. She still did not smile, and when she spoke her tone was bleak. “Eunuch² Gui, I’ve really made a spectacle of myself in front of you. I’ve had a bitter fate since I was little. My father died before I was even born, my mother died three days after I was born, and there was no one left on my father’s side of the family. I was raised by my aunt, and later married my own cousin, but sadly he also died. When my aunt passed away a few years ago, I should have smashed my head against her coffin and joined her in death. Then Concubine Qiu of the Duke of Yi Household would not have had to go to such trouble to come beat me half to death. I’ve even dragged down these servants who have always looked after me. How are they not innocent in all this?”

With those words, Su Huandan directly dragged the Duke of Yi into it as well.

No one could say the Duke of Yi could not control a single concubine, even if she was the one dearest to his heart. If he had any shame at all, he would never have let a concubine run wild to this extent.

To put it bluntly, this was still about the startled-horse incident last time. Su Huandan had not left any face for the Duke of Yi, so the little affection the Duke of Yi Household had once held for the original owner no longer amounted to much.

If Su Huandan still tried to preserve the Duke of Yi Household’s dignity now, then she would be a complete fool.

The original owner had thought the Duke of Yi Household was good to her, and she had ended up losing her life for it. Su Huandan did not want to die. It was better to tear things apart with the Duke of Yi Household sooner rather than later.

That speech left Concubine Qiu utterly stunned. Quiet dogs bite hardest. This widow was actually accusing the Duke of Yi Household in front of Gui Xi of treating her harshly, even trying to take a widow’s life?

How dared she? How dared this wretch?

Wasn’t she afraid of retaliation from the ducal household?

Afraid my ass. If I can’t stay in the capital anymore, can’t I just run?

The Great Jing Dynasty was so vast. She could go anywhere, find a man she liked well enough, marry him, and give birth to some big-shot son. In the second half of her life, she might even end up an ennobled old madam.

With a way out, her actions naturally became far more unrestrained.

That was Su Huandan’s mindset after beating Concubine Qiu today.

Anyway, in a rush of temper, she had already hit her. If the capital truly became unlivable for her, she would just flee.

The only pity was that the capital was probably the safest place in this world, yet she would most likely have to leave it.

Su Huandan’s words also made Gui Xi feel a pang in his heart. Whether orphan boys or orphan girls, life in this world was truly pitiful for them.

He, Gui Xi, was an orphan who had been sold by traffickers into the palace to become a eunuch.

Though he had made it through and become the chief steward of the prince’s manor, he had not suffered any less in his early years.

Widow Su was an orphan girl too. Clearly a titled noblewoman, yet she still could not live well. Just look at how badly she had been bullied.

If not for the fact that his own prince had the intention to lend her a hand, then after today’s affair, Widow Su would either “suddenly die” in a few days, or be sent by the Duke of Yi Household to some family temple³ to remain a widow there.

“Rest easy, Madam. This servant saw what happened today with his own eyes. It was not your fault. This servant will personally speak to the Duke of Yi about it.” After giving his promise, he turned and glared fiercely at Concubine Qiu, who was pretending to be dead.

“This servant thought this was some high madam from who knows where. So after all this, she’s only a concubine? A mere concubine actually dared to assault a court-appointed noble lady. This servant will certainly have to ask the Duke of Yi whether he holds the laws and order of the court in any regard at all.” The reason Gui Xi used against Concubine Qiu and the Duke of Yi was not something he made up at random.

When the original owner’s husband died, he had already been a Commandant⁴, and he had died in battle. As his widow, the original owner naturally retained her noble title. In the original owner’s memories, that title seemed to be called… Yiren⁵?

A fifth-rank Yiren title?

Good grief, not understanding the ins and outs of official ranks in ancient times really was a disadvantage.

Su Huandan thought to herself that if she had known a fifth-rank Yiren status was this useful, would she have let Concubine Qiu swagger around in her house?

Gui Xi took away Concubine Qiu and her group. In the blink of an eye, he sent over an elderly maid with several servant girls to help Su Huandan tidy up the house, and he also dispatched Imperial Physician Wang, who was permanently attached to the prince’s manor.

After Imperial Physician Wang checked everyone’s pulse, he prescribed some medicinal soup to promote blood circulation and reduce bruising for the servants, and that was that.

After returning, he told Prince Chen, “The madam next door is formidable. Even with a scene that big, she didn’t look frightened in the least. Her state of mind was so calm, it was as if nothing had happened at all.”

What did that mean?

Imperial Physician Wang meant that the widow next door was no ordinary person. Her mind was exceptionally steady. A person like that was either brazen to the extreme or deeply scheming. No matter which it was, she was still a widow, and he did not want the prince getting too close, lest he end up being manipulated by her.

It was clearly meant as a word of caution, but Prince Chen simply could not resist all the delicacies Su Huandan had been coming up with lately. His favorability toward her was practically maxed out.

So Prince Chen took Imperial Physician Wang’s words in a completely different way. With the best of intentions, Imperial Physician Wang had only made things worse and led Prince Chen down the wrong path.

Prince Chen thought to himself: Poor little thing, I don’t even know how she managed to preserve her life through all these twenty-odd years. Just look at how she’s been living in the half year since moving out of the Duke of Yi Household. First there was the runaway horse, then a concubine came charging to her door to smash things up. The fact that she’s still alive is no small feat.

Fine then. I’ve used quite a few of your recipes. I’ll look after you more from now on!

By the time the Duke of Yi returned from the palace, he learned that his wife had gone back to her maiden home on business during the day. Taking advantage of that, Concubine Qiu had run off to Widow Su’s house and smashed the place up, and Gui Xi from Prince Chen’s estate had caught her red-handed.

Translator’s Notes