Chapter 35: Chaos in the Tang Household

Qin Mu paced the courtyard, feeling as restless as if a cat were clawing at his heart. When Aunt Qin finally returned from the main residence, he hurried to ask, "Great-Aunt, what has happened?"

After listening to Mrs. Liu’s tearful account and weeping along with her, Aunt Qin was also deeply worried about Tang Yuexi. Ignoring whether six-year-old Qin Mu could understand, she prattled on, "For a young lady to be stranded out in the night—if some villain were to defile her, how could she ever bear it?"

Qin Mu looked up, eyes wide with an innocent expression. "Great-Aunt, why don't we go to the streets and look for her? Maybe the little cousin was just playing and is staying at some inn instead of coming home?"

Aunt Qin brushed off her sleeves and pursed her lips, dismissive. "What are you saying? Your second cousin has already searched everywhere outside; he must have checked the inns already."

Qin Mu hugged her arm, acting like a spoiled child. "Second cousin is a man; he wouldn't be as thorough. Great-Aunt, you should go search again. If my little cousin is hiding somewhere, she won't be found."

Hearing his earnest tone, Aunt Qin grew suspicious. It was often said that children who had not yet been tainted by the mortal world could communicate with the spirit realm. Perhaps Tang Yuexi had been unable to return home last night due to the city curfew and was waiting at an inn for someone to fetch her, or perhaps she was simply too afraid to return.

"You're right, Mu-ge'er is right. I will go tell the Eldest Mistress and ask her to send someone to look." With that, she hurried off to the main residence.

Qin Mu’s face went pale; he wanted to stop her, but it was already too late. He was currently confined to the house and couldn't easily go out. He had hoped to use the excuse of searching for his cousin as a chance to find his own mother, Mrs. An. Now that Aunt Qin had bluntly brought it up to the main residence, he didn't know if Mrs. Liu would allow anyone to leave.

A while later, Aunt Qin returned looking dejected, saying that people had already been sent to search all the inns. In truth, Mrs. Liu had rebuffed her, stating that since the men of the family were already out, there was no need for the women to show their faces in public—which was simply a refusal to let her leave.

By now, it was broad daylight. Reports had poured into the Wannian County Magistrate’s office, which oversaw the northern and western parts of the city. Wails of grief echoed throughout the building. Over ten families had reported their daughters missing from the previous night. Beyond the daughters of commoners, three young women from official households were among them, Tang Yuexi being one.

The most intense commotion came from the retired Grand Secretary Mei, whose granddaughter had also gone missing. While the others had vanished without a trace, the young Miss Mei had been accompanied by a maid skilled in martial arts. The maid had tried to protect her mistress and had been injured, but managed to escape. When she was found in a dark corner at dawn, she was still alive but comatose, hovering between life and death, unable to speak. Grand Secretary Mei doted on this granddaughter above all else; he was distraught from the moment he heard the news.

He wrote a memorial to the Emperor and went to the Wannian County Magistrate’s office, which handled local cases, demanding they find her immediately. The Wannian County office was perhaps the most beleaguered in the capital. It was one thing to deal with street vendors and commoners, but when a major case involving an official’s family arose, the minor seventh-rank magistrate was out of his depth.

The magistrate was currently writing furiously, following protocol to transfer the case to the Jingzhao Prefecture office. Given the magnitude of the crime, the Emperor quickly issued an imperial decree, ordering the city guards to assist the Jingzhao Prefecture in investigating the matter as quickly as possible. The day was spent in a flurry of documents passing between government offices.

A full day and night had passed since Tang Yuexi’s disappearance. Mrs. Liu lay in bed, having not touched a drop of water, and a ring of blisters had formed around her lips. Tang Er-lang was out running everywhere to gather news, and Tang Yushu, who studied at the Imperial Academy, had also returned. He had gone straight to the Sun family to express his concern for his shocked fiancée. Tang Pinshan did not go to his office, but instead sat at home, exhausted and waiting for news.

With Mrs. Liu incapacitated, the Tang household fell into chaos. Tang Pinshan, in a foul mood, had already punished several maids, leaving the household in a state of terror. Meals were neglected, and the paralyzed grandmother even began to run a fever.

At noon, Aunt Ping came to the courtyard to deliver food. Qin Mu suddenly spoke up: "Aunt Ping, the Eldest Mistress is ill, and only the Master is holding things together. The meals have been poor. As the senior concubine of the household, why don't you help the Master manage the domestic affairs? Let the Eldest Mistress rest well, and she will appreciate you for it in the future!"

Aunt Ping was startled. "How does a little child like you know such things?"

Aunt Qin, feeling awkward, interjected, "Aunt Ping, the child is ignorant; he’s just spouting nonsense."

Qin Mu tilted his head, his expression innocent and calm. "This is what my Great-Aunt says all the time. Aunt Ping, is this wrong?"

Aunt Qin: "…!" Her face burned. Because she was confined to the courtyard with no one to talk to, she had constantly grumbled to Qin Mu—complaining about Mrs. An’s coldness and the rivalry between Aunt Ping and Mrs. Liu. She had assumed the child didn't understand, but she never expected him to repeat it directly.

Aunt Ping lowered her eyes. She was not foolish. Mrs. Liu was a merchant’s daughter raised in an inn, possessing a strong, overbearing personality. As a concubine who had spent her life reading and writing with her scholar father, Aunt Ping had never experienced such cutthroat competition. Though she felt aggrieved, she had no choice but to weep before Tang Pinshan; she had never dared to think of managing the household and seizing power from the primary wife. Now that Mrs. Liu was bedridden, there was indeed an opportunity, but to hear it from a child...

Aunt Ping looked at Qin Mu. "Why do you think the Eldest Mistress would appreciate me?"

Qin Mu remained innocent. "Every time I help my Great-Aunt, she praises me for being clever and capable. Now that the Eldest Mistress is ill, even the soup and rice from the kitchen are delayed. You really should go and help, Aunt Ping."

In truth, Mrs. Liu had managed the household well for years; it was only her current panic and loss of composure, combined with Tang Pinshan’s previous habit of ignoring domestic matters, that caused the lapse. The second daughter-in-law was pregnant and could not be overworked. Aunt Ping had always been aloof, caring only for the paralyzed grandmother. With the family needing to send people out to search, hire physicians for Mrs. Liu, and brew medicine for the anxious grandmother—while also attending to the aunt and nephew in the courtyard—the kitchen had finally collapsed. If Aunt Ping used this chance to seize the management rights from Mrs. Liu, it was not impossible.

That evening, a frustrated Tang Pinshan bathed and changed under the meticulous care of Aunt Ping. The physical comfort almost made him forget his missing daughter. As she combed his hair, Aunt Ping gently consoled him: "Master, you need not be so anxious. The government is already searching the city; surely good news will arrive soon. You are the head of the house. If you fall ill from worry like the Eldest Mistress, what will become of the young and old in this family?"

Tang Pinshan patted her hand and sighed. "If only Mrs. Liu were as calm and indifferent to fame as you, Yue'er would not have met such a fate. Oh, a virtuous wife saves a husband from disaster! I heard from San-lang that the young Miss Sun didn't even want to take Yue'er to Yue Lake, but that foolish woman, Mrs. Liu, insisted on it, so Miss Sun came to fetch her. Those noble daughters are arrogant; it’s inevitable that a minor official’s family would suffer slights. But Yue'er was too spoiled; she must have stormed off at the slightest dissatisfaction and fallen into the hands of thieves!"

These words were brought back by Tang Yushu from the Sun family. The Sun family’s stance was clear: it was all Tang Yuexi’s fault for being difficult, and they had nothing to do with it. Tang Pinshan, filled with resentment, could not help but rail against Mrs. Liu once more.