tallest building

Chapter 31 Scapegoat

It wasn't dinnertime yet, but because the sky was overcast, the light inside the house was much dimmer than usual.

Wen Mingqian, who was reading, put down his book and said to Gong Chang'an, who was practicing calligraphy beside him, "Put down your pen and rest your eyes."

Gong Chang'an responded and put down his pen to play in the courtyard.

Aunt Zhang came in from outside, carrying several handkerchiefs: "They're not dry yet, but we should bring them in quickly before it rains! Otherwise, they'll get soaked and it'll be terrible."

These are all embroidered handkerchiefs made of white silk. Once they get wet in the rain, the embroidery will fade and they will become unusable.

As soon as Zhang Ma finished speaking, a person slowly walked in from behind her; it was Zhu Ma.

“Madam, this old servant has come to say goodbye,” said Mama Zhu, bowing her head.

"Saying goodbye? Where are you going?" Wen Mingqian asked her.

“We…we’re not staying in this mansion anymore. Thank you, Madam, for taking care of us these past few days. Please take good care of yourselves, Fourth Young Master, and Sister Zhang!” Madam Zhu choked up as she spoke, raising her hand to wipe her eyes.

"Don't cry, tell me what happened. Why did you leave all of a sudden?" Zhang Ma sensed something was wrong and, being the kind of person she was, naturally wanted to get to the bottom of it.

"Sigh...it's not for any particular reason...I suppose it's because...we didn't do well." Mother Zhu's words were vague, as she dared not tell the truth and could not find a suitable excuse.

"Aunt Zhu, is there something you can't tell me?" Wen Mingqian asked seriously. "You're a member of my household. Whether you stay or leave is my decision. Why are you leaving without even discussing it with me?"

Mrs. Zhu glanced at Wen Mingqian, then quickly lowered her head, still not daring to reveal the truth. She only mumbled, "Madam, there's no need to worry about such a trivial matter. If I leave, others will take care of you. It's good for us to go back to our hometown; the whole family can be together..."

“Old Zhu, what you’re doing isn’t right,” Zhang Ma raised her voice. “Even if you didn’t serve Madam for long, she was still kind to your whole family. Leaving without even a proper farewell, is that acceptable?”

Zhu's mother blushed deeply, feeling utterly ashamed. Seeing her distress, Wen Mingqian said, "I know you must have your own reasons, but secrets don't stay hidden forever. Even if you don't tell me, I'll find out sooner or later. How long can you keep it a secret?"

"It's not that this old servant intentionally wanted to keep it from you, Madam, but I was really afraid that telling you would make you angry and sad." Seeing that Wen Mingqian had put it this way, Zhu Mama could no longer hide it. "A few days ago, something went missing from our manor's storeroom. My son Dashun happened to be there on night duty, and he couldn't tell us where the things went, so he was naturally punished."

"We can only accept our bad luck after this happened, but thankfully it didn't involve Madam..."

"Whose order was it to let you leave?" Wen Mingqian knew immediately that this matter was not simple.

"It was Steward Chen who said that it was the master's will. Although we won't report it to the authorities, we are no longer allowed to go to the capital." Mother Zhu felt really wronged. Her family worked diligently, afraid of making any mistakes, but they never expected to encounter such a bad thing.

Hearing this, Zhang Ma gritted her teeth and laughed, "You're kicking people out without even asking them anything? Are you trying to exile your whole Hulu Ti family?"

Madam Zhu quickly pulled her aside and said, "Sister, let it go! Things aren't so easy to explain. It's better to let it go. Besides, we all know that Madam has had a hard time. She just returned to the manor. Let's not have any more arguments with Master because of us."

Wen Mingqian smiled slightly, unmoved: "I don't cause trouble, but trouble has never left me alone. Besides, you were wronged in the first place, and clearing your name is the most important thing. How can you just swallow your anger?"

“Madam, it’s not that we want to be wronged, it’s just that we can’t fight city hall. Master has already spoken, and if we don’t obey, we’ll only suffer more. As long as you know we’re innocent, that’s enough…” Wen Mingqian knew that Zhu Mama’s family were kind and honest people, but kind people are often weak and therefore often bullied.

Evil people find it hard to stop doing evil, and they feel no remorse. They may even mock their victims for being weak and incompetent, and for deserving to be bullied.

Therefore, justice can only be sought by oneself, and grievances can only be cleared by oneself. There are too many people in this world who bully the weak and fear the strong; constantly yielding will only leave one with nowhere to stand.

"Old Zhu, are you out of your mind! Do you really think this won't implicate Madam?" Zhang Ma said, exasperated. "You didn't investigate the missing items properly, and you just casually punished the guards. Don't you realize this happened while Madam was in charge of the household? What will people think if word gets out?"

"Ah..." Mother Zhu hadn't considered this possibility beforehand. "I thought everything would be fine as long as we took the blame..."

"Nothing?! Let me tell you, the real trouble is yet to come!" Aunt Zhang rolled her eyes. "You left so ambiguously, doesn't that mean you've admitted to being thieves?"

Even a fool could figure it out: how could the guards have such audacity? They were acting under orders.

"Only the wife was home when the theft occurred; how could the blame for theft fall on anyone else?!"

Zhang Ma's words were like a bolt from the blue, startling Zhu Mama into breaking out in a cold sweat.

"Then...what should we do? How can we explain this clearly? Even if we go to the master and tell him, he might not believe us." Madam Zhu was flustered and at a loss. "Besides, words alone are no proof..."

"Don't worry about that," Zhang Ma said domineeringly. "If someone throws dirty water on you, just throw it back. Why bother explaining to them that you're clean?"
You should know that the person who wronged you knows better than you do how wronged you are!

"Then...what should we do?" Zhu's mother was at a loss, her mind was in complete chaos, and she couldn't figure it out at all.

"Just come with me!" Zhang Ma said, grabbing Zhu Mama's hand and pulling her out. "Since we've already lost face, we might as well make a scene!"

Steward Chen was in the backyard watching people tidy up the storeroom, while Zhu Dashun and his son stood by with their hands hanging down, looking embarrassed.

“You should be grateful! If I hadn’t pleaded with the master, would you still be standing here unscathed? You would have received a good beating!” Steward Chen said, crossing his legs and stroking his goatee.

"Thank you so much, Steward Chen." The honest and simple Zhu Xi kept thanking him.

Butler Chen, a mocking and smug smile on his face, was about to reprimand them a few more times when someone shouted, "Chen the Scoundrel! You old codger, you're really tired of living!"

Butler Chen's real name was Chen Youde, but Zhang Ma changed it to Chen Quede.

He was startled and looked over, only to see Zhang Ma rushing towards him like a black whirlwind.

Butler Chen's legs were still a bit unsteady, and with Zhang Ma coming in aggressively, he hurriedly stood up from the stool and accidentally tripped.

Without a second thought, Zhang Ma rushed forward, grabbed his collar with one hand, and with the other hand, slapped him repeatedly across the face.

(End of this chapter)