novelraw Chapter 468 - 0444 Awakening (1)
Chapter 468 - 0444 Awakening (1)
Mrs. Zhao is not someone easy to deal with. Now with evidence favoring her side, combined with her bottled-up anger, she seized on Qian the fourth and wouldn’t let go.
No matter how Qian the fourth tried to argue that the compensation shouldn’t be too much, Mrs. Zhao clung to her demand of ten thousand taels and refused to budge.
Before leaving, the County Magistrate, following the hints from the County Magistrate’s Wife, also intended to penalize Miss Qian.
In the end, he made a judgment, requiring the Qian Family to pay ten thousand taels.
As for Miss Qian, soliciting with a man in a place where the coffin was laid, she should have been detained and severely punished.
Considering she had young children to care for, a severe punishment was spared, and she was only punished with ten strokes of the killing rod.
Yet even so, it scared Miss Qian out of her wits, and she collapsed to the ground.
The County Magistrate asked his secretary, "Has the record been noted, secretary?"
The County Magistrate’s assistant, who came along to record the case, presented the prepared document, "My Lord, please have a look."
The County Magistrate took it in his hand, read it aloud to everyone, and then handed the document to the couple, Qian the fourth and Miss Qian, "Sign and seal it, both of you."
Miss Qian and Qian the fourth glared at each other but had no choice but to sign and seal it.
The document was made in three copies, one was given to them, one the County Magistrate kept for the record, and Mrs. Zhao requested a copy.
"Alright, the matter is settled, and I must return. The affairs between your two families, you can handle on your own." The County Magistrate rose, nodded to Mrs. Zhao, and turned to leave.
Mrs. Zhao, grateful, hurried to see him off.
Fifth Miss Zhao also followed suit, now that the matter was resolved, she had to leave too; she didn’t want to stay a moment longer to see the faces of those two immoral people.
Mrs. Zhao kept expressing her gratitude.
The County Magistrate merely waved his hand, "As the head of the county, it is my duty to mediate the people’s disputes. Mrs. Zhao, no need to be polite."
He got into the sedan chair and left with his entourage.
Mrs. Zhao waited until he was far and then shook the signed and sealed charge document, saying to Fifth Miss Zhao, "You go back first, Mother will handle the rest."
Fifth Miss Zhao nodded her head without a word, and left with Sister-in-law Chai by carriage.
Mrs. Zhao instructed the old woman beside her, "Go to the Qian Family and invite Mrs. Qian over. If the money isn’t delivered in full today, I’ll bring people to the Qian Family’s doorstep to bang drums for debt tomorrow!"
The Zhao family servant woman grinned, "Yes, Madam."
Meanwhile, inside the house, Qian the fourth and Miss Qian were arguing, blaming each other for revealing the truth.
The little infant was frightened by the noise in the house and cried incessantly.
Mrs. Zhao walked into the house, looked at the couple, laughed mockingly, and said to the people beside her, "Why not go forward and separate them? If they beat each other to death, where will I find someone to demand the money from?"
Two Zhao family women smiled with upturned lips, "Yes, Madam."
They pulled Miss Qian and Qian the fourth apart.
They did not let them leave, barricading the doorway instead.
.
The County Magistrate returned to his mansion.
By this time, it was just getting dark, time for dinner.
He walked into the back courtyard and, upon reaching the main room of the County Magistrate’s Wife, saw her standing on the steps, smiling as she curtsied to him, "You’ve worked hard, Lord County Magistrate. I have prepared warm wine here, would you like a cup?"
This teasing way of speaking was always a sign of the County Magistrate’s Wife being in a good mood.
When the wife is in good spirits, the County Magistrate is also happy.
He walked over with a hearty smile and helped the wife up, "Madam, it’s getting late, it’s cold outside, let’s go inside."
"Alright, let’s go inside." The County Magistrate’s Wife, holding the County Magistrate’s arm, walked into the room with a gentle smile.
Her smile was so gentle that the County Magistrate couldn’t help but feel a bit apprehensive, always feeling like the next moment she would want him soft on the bed.
"Madam, are you in a good mood today?" The County Magistrate deliberately asked.
The County Magistrate’s Wife was certainly in a good mood.
The housekeeper Aunt Tian told her earlier about how the County Magistrate dealt with the Qian Family’s case by eavesdropping.
The County Magistrate not only heavily penalized the Qian Family but also beat the concubine who had risen to the position of the main wife.
Though he didn’t make the Qian Family dismiss Mrs. Yue, this, rather than dismissing her, made it even more humiliating for her.
A woman who rose to the position of the main wife through cunning means wouldn’t receive recognition from aristocratic families.
The County Magistrate’s Wife hated domineering concubines the most, and since the County Magistrate punished the concubine today, she was naturally in a great mood.
However, she wouldn’t admit this to the County Magistrate, as it would affect the marital harmony.
Mentioning that punishing the concubine was good was enough; there was no need to overpublicize it.
Therefore, in response to the County Magistrate’s question, she only said, "Of course, I’m happy. Our troublesome son is not at home, so tonight it’s just the two of us having dinner."
The County Magistrate looked around, and indeed, Li Lixing wasn’t at home.
The Li Family’s siblings have arrived, and my son is playing with them, so he won’t come home for dinner.
The mischievous son is not at home, and the County Magistrate is quite pleased.
He supported the County Magistrate’s Wife to sit down, "Come, come, Madam, have a drink."
The County Magistrate’s Wife smiled shyly, "I’m not good with alcohol, please don’t persuade me, my lord."
"Then drink a little less, just have one cup," the County Magistrate laughed.
The County Magistrate’s Wife looked at him, her eyes filled with laughter, and after one cup, she drank another.
The news of Miss Qian being punished quickly reached the ears of Aunt Qing, a concubine at the County Magistrate Mansion.
She had predicted that Miss Qian, being overly arrogant, would not have a good ending, but she didn’t expect retribution to come so quickly.
She sat dazed by the window, gazing at the darkening night, when the little maid called her to dinner, saying, "The lord is dining with the wife, let’s eat by ourselves?"
Ever since Aunt Hua left, Aunt Qing was the only concubine in the mansion. The little maid thought Aunt Qing would be the County Magistrate’s favorite, but unexpectedly, he remained cold and indifferent towards her, spending every day with the wife instead.
After all, they were husband and wife for life; what does a concubine without children matter?
Aunt Qing said, "Lili, pack up, we must leave this place."
The little maid was taken aback, "Ah? Aunt Qing, where are we going?"
"Anywhere is fine; in any case, I don’t want to be a concubine." Aunt Qing turned around, looking at the little maid, "As the saying goes, better be a wife in a poor family than a concubine in a wealthy house. A man and a woman are tender in love as a pair; add one more and it becomes a disaster."
The little maid, only eleven or twelve years old, was bought from a trafficker by Aunt Qing, with the County Magistrate’s permission, to be her maid in the mansion.
Being young and inexperienced in the world, she didn’t quite understand Aunt Qing’s words. Anyway, whatever Aunt Qing said, she would follow.
"Aunt, you eat first; I’ll go pack up."
.
Sister-in-law Chai accompanied Fifth Miss Zhao back to the Zhao family.
As soon as she entered her room, Fifth Miss Zhao began to cry.
Sister-in-law Chai comforted her, "Fifth cousin, don’t cry. That shameless Qian family has been punished too. Their misdeeds will soon spread throughout the city. No one will laugh at you anymore, only at the Qian family’s lack of integrity."
Fifth Miss Zhao wiped her tears and said with a cold smile, "What does the Qian family’s life or death have to do with me? I’m not angry because of that."
Sister-in-law Chai blinked, "Then for what reason?"
Fifth Miss Zhao bit her lip; what could she say?
Because of a cold mother, she lives so unhappily.
She could curse the Qian family, she could hate the world’s harsh words, but could she hate her mother?
A single label of filial piety could crush her, suffocating her.
She laughed bitterly, "Forget it, let’s not talk about it. I have to sleep early today because Miss Li will come to treat me tomorrow."
Sister-in-law Chai saw that she was unwilling to speak and did not press further.
Her willingness to seek treatment meant her heart had found peace.
"Shall I accompany you for dinner? I’ll return a bit later," Sister-in-law Chai said.
"Okay." Fifth Miss Zhao nodded.
.
By the second watch, when Fifth Miss Zhao was already asleep, Mrs. Zhao came to see her.
She hadn’t been asleep; hearing Mrs. Zhao’s voice, she kept silent, so the maid said, "Fifth Miss is probably asleep. When she wakes in the morning, this servant will remind her to see the Madam."
Mrs. Zhao glanced toward the bed and said, "When she wakes, tell her that the ten thousand taels the Qian family was supposed to compensate, they only paid five thousand, but the Qian family wrote an IOU. If the remaining five thousand is not paid within a month, it will be collected with three percent interest."
Bita’s eyes widened in surprise, "Yes, Madam, this servant will remember."
Mrs. Zhao smiled slightly, her expression full of satisfaction as she left.
Once the footsteps faded away, Fifth Miss Zhao called out, "Bita."
Bita came to the bed and lifted the curtain, "Fifth Miss, you’re awake? Madam visited just now."
Fifth Miss Zhao looked at her, "I wasn’t asleep."
Bita asked, puzzled, "Does the young lady not want to see Madam?"
"In this situation, does she act like a mother?" Fifth Miss Zhao said with a cold smile.
Initially, she thought it was her own fault for being dismissed by the Qian family.
So she blamed herself; when her mother scolded her, she never dared talk back, feeling guilty and remorseful enough to wish for death.
She also never dared to talk back to her mother.
The family always said she was the most obedient daughter in the Zhao family. To protect this reputation, she always listened to the elders’ words and followed their arrangements.
Who would have known—