Chongfei Manual pt. 1

10

That night, Madam Du had all her things removed from Pine courtyard as she got settled at Ginkgo courtyard.

Duke Ying and the old madam knew of this, but hadn’t said anything. It seemed that they had tacitly agreed. After all, everyone was well aware that although Nurse Dou had taken on someone else’s sins, without Madam Du’s approval, as her personal servant, she wouldn’t dare act of her own initiative. If there wasn’t the house of Count Zhongyi behind her, the Duke’s family wouldn’t have held back on the punishment. Moving her to Ginkgo courtyard was already considered fairly light.

So regarding this matter, everyone maintained their silence, making every effort to keep it secret. Wei Zheng was the only one making noise, loudly crying.

When Madam Du moved out, she grabbed onto her clothes, asking her not to leave, that it was all Ah Luo’s fault. She placed all the blame on Ah Luo. If it wasn’t for Wei Luo complaining to father, he wouldn’t have gotten mad at mother, and mother wouldn’t have had to move to a broken down courtyard.

She grew more and more angry. Glaring at Wei Luo with reddened eyes, her hands were feeling for something to grab and hurl towards Ah Luo: “It’s all your fault!”

Tossing items aside, Wei Zheng blindly grasped onto something. As soon as she threw it, it turned out to be a pair of copper scissors.

Standing behind Wei Kun, Ah Luo didn’t have to dodge. Wei Kun quickly picked her up, taking her out of harm’s way.

Wei Kun was outraged. At this young age, Wei Zheng knew to get the scissors to wound others. After growing up, how would she turn out? He was disgusted with Madam Du. Thinking those were all things she had taught, he became increasingly colder to her, his tone of voice somewhat fed-up: “Is this how you teach Wei Zheng? To have no regard for her elders! Ah Luo is her older sister, continuing like this, whatever’s next?”

Madam Du’s complexion was not good in the first place, having been reprimanded by him, she blanched even more. Clenching her teeth, she suffered through his reproach with making a sound.

Wei Kun also said: “If Zheng is still like this in the future, I’ll see to it that you won’t get to bring her up. When she learns decorum, then I’ll let her see you again.” Pausing for a bit, he added: “And Wei Zheng, you were too much to your older sister. You’ll be punished with no dinner, and kneeling at the ancestral shrine for half an hour.”

Madam Du felt her vision darken. She wanted to call his name, but he didn’t give her the opportunity to dispute. Holding Wei Luo, he turned around.

While he was walking, he was consoling Wei Luo: “Ah Luo, don’t be afraid. Daddy’s here, I’ll protect you.”

Wei Luo leaned on Wei Kun’s shoulder, and blinked her glittering pitch-black eyes, watching Madam Du mockingly.

And Wei Zheng, hearing about a punishment, was already alert. She was waiting for Madam Du to speak up for her, but Madam Du couldn’t save herself, how would she save her?

Wei Zheng cried despondently at her feet, looking in the direction Wei Kun and Wei Luo had departed, seemingly choking on something in her throat, almost spitting out blood in anger.

*

In the evening, Wei Zheng came back from the shrine, and cried all night.

Ah Luo’s room happened to be next door to Wei Zheng’s. The weeping noise and the sobs passed through the walls, keeping Ah Luo up the whole night. Waking up the next morning, her complexion looked very bad.

At daybreak, Wei Zheng was finally quiet, probably crying herself to sleep. Ah Luo lingered on her bed, unwilling to get up. In her mind, she grumbled about Wei Zheng a bit. Dallying for a long time, she reluctantly raised her thick, long eyelashes. Under the lashes, a pair of limpid, watery eyes like deep pools, gently rippled, sharp and charming.