The Beauty Within the Gates
Chapter 16
Wen Shuse was filled with regret. She had intended to ask Aunt Qing and Xiangyun just how much he had overheard, but a single glance at their faces, paler even than her own, told her the question was unnecessary.
She had thoroughly offended him.
After so much effort to persuade him to accompany her back home, she never imagined things would turn out like this. The two elders in the Xinyuan Hall were still at odds with each other, and if both sides erupted into conflict, the Wen household would descend into utter chaos today.
No sooner had this dreadful thought crossed her mind than a maidservant rushed into the courtyard, her steps hurried as if treading on clouds. “Second Young Miss! Second Young Miss!” she cried anxiously. “Something terrible has happened! Old Madam and Madam Xie have started quarreling!”
Her worst fears had come true.
Panicked, Wen Shuse lifted her skirts and hurried after the messenger toward Xinyuan Hall, asking along the way, “What happened?”
The maidservant explained in detail.
After Wen Shuse and Xie Shao had left, the tension between the two elders had crackled like lightning. At first, things had remained somewhat civil; each exchanged some sharp, mocking words, maintaining at least a superficial politeness. Then, out of nowhere, Old Madam Wen declared, “Now that she’s back, I won’t pursue whether my granddaughter has suffered any losses or not. Let’s consider this marriage matter settled. We’ll keep her. Madam Xie, you must have many household affairs to attend to, so forgive me for not seeing you out.”
Old Madam Xie’s worst fear had come true. How could she let it go? She retorted sharply, “As the saying goes, it’s better to tear down a temple than to break a marriage, especially when it’s your own granddaughter’s! How can you be so heartless?”
With a cold “humph,” Old Madam Wen abandoned any pretense of politeness. “I may be flawed, but at least I’m not as black-hearted as some.”
“You old hag.” Old Madam Xie was so furious that she nearly toppled backward.
“I’ll make sure the whole world knows tomorrow that you, you old hag, have no regard for your ancestors’ dignity or basic decency, that not only did you swap brides on the wedding day itself, but now, failing to get your way, you want to snatch them back. Neither of our families can have peace. If we’re going to be ruined, then let’s be ruined together.”
When news first spread that the Xie and Wen families had swapped their brides and grooms, rumors ran wild. Both families scrambled to justify their actions, but their explanations did little to quell the gossip.
Later, out of nowhere, a new rumor emerged that the Third Young Master Xie and the Second Young Lady Wen had long been in love, and that the wedding had been arranged for them all along, though the news had not been widely known. This finally brought the scandal to an end.
Because of this, both the Xie and Wen families had breathed a sigh of relief. But now, hearing Old Madam Xie threaten mutual destruction. Old Madam Wen’s chest tightened again, her breath catching as she spat furiously, “You old fox…”
Seeing the situation turn dangerous, Aunt Cao quietly signaled to the maidservant at the door. The maid quickly ran off to fetch Wen Shuse to defuse the crisis.
Wen Shuse hurried anxiously to the courtyard, just in time to run into the First Madam, Madam An, coming from the opposite direction.
Although Madam An seemed to be in a rush, there was an unmistakable glint of schadenfreude and eager curiosity in her expression.
Last time, the Old Madam had ordered a change of bride without hesitation over a dowry dispute. Madam An had been heartbroken, leaving the main house in tears and refusing to attend Wen Shuse’s wedding. Not only that, she had even slipped a sleeping powder into the Eldest Master’s tea, making him oversleep and miss the wedding procession.
Yet no matter how deep her grievances and resentment, they had all vanished the moment she learned the Xie family had also swapped the groom, ruining the Old Madam’s grand scheme. Now, she felt nothing but exhilaration and sweet vindication.
Now that she saw her in person, Madam An harbored not a shred of resentment and even took the initiative to greet Wen Shuse warmly. “Shuse, you’re back?”
“Aunt,” Wen Shuse returned the greeting without much interest, not in the mood to deal with her, and hurried into the courtyard.
Madam An trailed closely behind. “I hear Old Madam Xie is here?”
She glanced sideways at Wen Shuse’s anxious expression and let out a sigh. “Everyone’s still feeling unsettled. Why would she come calling now? The Old Madam’s health hasn’t even fully recovered. You don’t know that these past days, she hasn’t eaten a grain of rice, lying in bed and not responding, no matter how we called her. She nearly scared everyone to death…”
Wen Shuse’s eyelids twitched. Behind her, Xiangyun was glaring at Madam An, all but ordering her to shut her mouth.
Wen Shuse had no patience to deal with her, fearing the two matriarchs might actually come to blows. Still outside the door, she quickly called out, “Grandmother…”
Rushing inside, she found both old madams already on their feet. The vigor they had mustered earlier had vanished, having only recently risen from their sickbeds; their confrontation had left them drained, their frailty plain to see as their maids supported them. She hadn’t expected that at such an advanced age, the two matriarchs could quarrel to this extent. Wen Shuse was momentarily at a loss. What should she do?
Finally, she moved to steady Old Madam Wen. “Grandmother…”
“Gao Xian.” The voice of a gentleman suddenly cut her off from behind.
Wen Shuse froze, turning her head to see Xie Shao, whom she had earlier driven off, walking back inside. He must have been eavesdropping earlier, for he had clearly learned her childhood name from Ming Wanrou.
Wen Shuse eyed him warily, bracing for another round of trouble. Ready to humble herself, she forced a sweet smile, her gaze brimming with silent pleading, only to find him smiling back at her as if the murderous glare he’d shot her earlier had been her imagination. His expression even softened with something resembling tenderness as he stepped forward with effortless grace.
With a flick, he unfurled the shawl in his hands, lifted his arm, and draped it over her shoulders. “The wind is chill today. Stay warm.” Ignoring her stunned expression, he suddenly tugged the collar upward, yanking her forward in a flurry of unsteady steps until she collided against his chest.
Wen Shuse: ……
Her momentary speechlessness seemed to amuse him, and he thought, if this is a dream for her, then let’s keep it going.
His fingers deftly adjusted the shawl’s ties, knotting them with practiced ease. While doing so, he leaned down, his breath brushing her ear in a whisper. “Since it’s a rare day for you to return home, take your time chatting with your grandmother. The storeroom keys are yours, see what’s lacking and add something for the Old Madam.”
The young lady in his arms seemed stiff, giving no response. Xie Shao’s eyelids lowered slightly as his gaze lingered on the flushed red of her ear, and the last trace of displeasure in his heart quietly dissipated. Straightening a little, as if nothing had happened, he called to her softly, “Gao Xian?”
He was tall to begin with, broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted. Wen Shuse’s nose brushed against his shoulder, and the faint, refined fragrance of his scent drifted into her nose, ensnaring her very soul.
Her chest thudded wildly, and her head felt hazy, yet her mind was perfectly clear that this damned scoundrel was trying to seduce her with his looks.
The surroundings had long fallen silent, and every gaze was on the two of them. A gentle, charming, and handsome young gentleman. Who wouldn’t like such a sight?
Especially Old Madam Wen. She gaped at the two, their honeyed intimacy painting them as nothing short of a picture-perfect newlywed couple.
Looking again at the young man Old Madam Wen had previously disapproved of, he seemed nothing like the unreliable scoundrel of rumor.
Hadn’t she risked her own reputation to switch Gao Xian to the eldest son’s match precisely because she hoped the girl would find a husband who cherished her? The softening in Old Madam Wen’s expression did not escape Old Madam Xie’s notice. While inwardly impressed by her grandson’s unexpected performance, a sliver of doubt crept in. Could it be that this Second Young Lady truly was the apple of his eye…
The sudden display of tenderness dissolved the tension in the room, and no one dared disrupt the moment.
It was Madam An who finally broke the silence, stepping forward to support Old Madam Wen. “Mother, how are you feeling? Just this morning you were bedridden, how could you receive guests in such a state…?”
Old Madam Xie shot a glance at Old Madam Wen and, sure enough, her expression darkened again.
Though the two matriarchs had exchanged harsh words earlier, they both knew the bitterness of such struggles all too well. In the end, they were both worrying about their grandchildren. And when it came to folly, hadn’t she, too, been a fool in her own way?
Refusing to twist the knife further, Old Madam Xie intercepted Madam An and said, ” It’s just a bit of harmless bickering about the younger generation. We’ve already settled it behind closed doors. From what I can see, Elder Sister’s health is doing just fine, so there’s no need for concern.”
Lifting her head, she then called out warmly, “Shuse, come keep your grandmother company for a while.”
Turning to a Wen family maid, she added, “I hear your Old Madam cultivates a garden of loquats. Take me to see them.”
Old Madam Wen’s expression eased as well. Drawing a deep breath, she nodded to the maid. “Go ahead. Escort Old Madam Xie to the garden.”
Only after Old Madam Xie had taken Xie Shao out of the room did the storm finally subside, leaving behind an uneasy calm.
Old Madam Wen dismissed everyone from the room, keeping only Aunt Cao by her side as she settled Wen Shuse beside her and began to carefully probe her precious granddaughter.
The faint flush lingering on the young lady’s cheeks from being flustered earlier had yet to fade, which, for some reason, brought Old Madam Wen a touch of comfort.
Though she’d put up a fierce front earlier, determined to sever ties with the Xie family, Old Madam Wen knew that doing so would surely damage her granddaughter’s reputation. In this lifetime, finding another good match would become exceedingly difficult.
But if Xie Shao truly was considerate…
Unable to shake her doubts, she pressed, “You’re truly not suffering any grievances?”
Though Wen Shuse had already cursed Xie Shao in her heart hundreds, if not thousands, of times, she couldn’t bring herself to upset Old Madam Wen when faced with her caring expression. She pressed her lips together in a smile. “Your granddaughter is perfectly content.”
“Then why does this feel too fortuitous…?” Was it really a stroke of luck born of a mistake?
Wen Shuse replied that it wasn’t so strange. “I’ll confess to Grandmother now. I’d actually met Third Young Master Xie once before. Do you recall when Miss Ming and I set the dogs upon Shizi Zhou? He was there that day. I was utterly struck by his heroic bearing, but before I could even speak of it to you, you’d already bundled me into Eldest Sister’s bridal sedan.”
She clasped her hands dramatically. “But the Bodhisattvas must have been watching over me! On the wedding night, when I lowered the round fan in my hands and saw the groom before me was actually the Third Young Master I liked, I couldn’t believe it. I was so stunned I couldn’t recover for a long while. And guess what, Grandmother?”
She spoke in a mysterious tone, and Old Madam Wen and Madam Cao listened intently, leaning in together.
“The Third Young Master suddenly stepped forward and took your granddaughter’s hand, murmuring that the Bodhisattva had blessed us. Only then did I realize—it wasn’t just your granddaughter who had taken a liking to him that day… the young master had also fallen for me.”
She lowered her head shyly, fingers nervously toying with her sleeve as she spun her tale with all the delicate embarrassment of a blushing young lady. Only the Bodhisattvas knew just how utterly absurd and fabricated it was.
Her vivid storytelling had Old Madam Wen and Aunt Cao ninety percent convinced. Aunt Cao pressed a smile into her sleeve and said, “This servant always said Second Young Lady is blessed. After all these years of Old Madam’s devout prayers and offerings, would the Bodhisattvas truly break her heart?”
The weight of guilt and worry that had pressed on Old Madam Wen’s chest for over a fortnight finally lifted, color returning to her cheeks. “He truly gave you the storeroom keys?”
Wen Shuse nodded brightly. “He did. From now on, your granddaughter will be managing the Xie household.”
“That boy dares to trust you with that.” With no outsiders present, the Old Madam saw no harm in dousing her enthusiasm. She knew exactly what kind of tempest she’d raised. Entrusting her with household management would likely reduce Old Madam Xie to tears soon enough. The thought unexpectedly coaxed a long-absent smile onto her face.
“This servant thinks Second Young Lady will manage splendidly,” Aunt Cao chimed in. “At the very least, she’d never shortchange herself.” Back when the girl had still lived with them, everyone had been stunned by her spending habits. Now that she was gone, it was even clearer that Second Master’s earnings were better handed over to her to squander. Unable to resist, she added, “Lately, Madam An has been scheming to…”
“Ahem…” Old Madam Wen’s pointed cough cut her off. “Why bring her up on such a pleasant occasion?” Turning back to Wen Shuse, her voice warmed. “Now tell Grandmother more about the Xie family…”
____
Meanwhile, the Wen family maid led Old Madam Xie and Xie Shao toward the loquat garden.
Just as they stepped out of the courtyard, they saw Minzhang hurrying back from an errand. Noticing his tense expression, Xie Shao fell a few steps behind and said to Old Madam Xie,
“Grandmother, you go on ahead. I’ll join you shortly.”
Old Madam Xie had never been one to interfere in her grandson’s affairs. “Don’t be late for the midday meal,” she reminded him before moving on with the others.
Xie Shao agreed. Once the group ahead had gone far enough, Minzhang said,
“Shizi Zhou is urgently looking for you, Young Master. He’s at the gate right now.”
What could be so urgent that he’d come here? Xie Shao’s brow furrowed, and he strode quickly toward the entrance.
Zhou Kuang had been pacing in front of the gate for some time. The moment he saw Xie Shao, he rushed over without even exchanging greetings, his face drawn in distress.
“Brother Xie, what should we do? Someone’s broken into the armory at the western outskirts! The caretaker has vanished.”
What young man didn’t enjoy weapons? In a secluded residence on the western outskirts, they had secretly stored some arms. On idle days, they would even practice with them for sport. But when Zhou Kuang had gone there today, he found the doors wide open, weapons scattered on the floor, and not a sound from the steward despite repeated calls.
There were only a little over a hundred weapons in the storeroom, not enough to stir real trouble under normal circumstances. But if the steward fell into the wrong hands and was taken to the Eastern Capital, then it would be serious.
Privately hoarding arms was a capital offense that was punishable by death. Even Jing Wang himself would not escape implication.
Over the past year, several vassal princes in neighboring regions had been caught in the court’s net, leaving only Jing Wang, the military governor of Zhongzhou, still unscathed.
This was indeed a troublesome matter. Xie Shao asked, “Does His Highness know?”
Zhou Kuang grew more agitated. “Qingzhou has been scorched by the sun these past months. Refugees are swarming everywhere, and unrest is breaking out on all sides. My father left the city early this morning…”
“Send men out of the city at once to give chase along the roads. Stop every carriage, have everyone dismount for inspection,” Xie Shao ordered, glancing toward a carriage parked in front of the gate. “Go notify Deputy Commander Xie.”