CHAPTER 142: CHAPTER 142: ADVANCING OR RETREATING (PART 2)

"What do you mean by that, my lord? If not someone close, how can they be thorough and careful?" She initially wanted to insist on choosing a maid, but seeing the First Master’s demeanor, it seemed he had already decided. So she shifted her gaze and cautiously probed, "Then my lord means... which concubine to bring?"

The First Master pondered for a moment, then replied, "Let Peirong accompany me. She has stayed in the mansion for so many years and should go out to relax!"

Peirong is Madam Xia’s maiden name!

"No way!" Lady immediately rejected the First Master: "She is frail and suffers from angina; how can she accompany my lord on such a long journey? Besides, her illness hasn’t improved recently. If my lord truly wants her to go out to relax and recuperate, let her stay at Puji Temple for a while longer. There’s no need to exhaust her."

"Her health is deteriorating each year. Even if she stays at the mansion all the time, going to Puji Temple would be of little help. It’s better to let her go to Yongzhou with me. Jiangnan is unlike the Capital; the climate is humid and warm, more suitable for recuperation." As the First Master spoke, he paused before adding, "You needn’t worry. We’ll travel leisurely by boat—there’s no hardship or exhaustion to mention!" His tone already showed determination.

Lady scoffed inwardly. When he suddenly wanted to visit Madam Xia the other day, she had been cautious in every direction, and it seemed her lord’s mind was once again consumed by that woman.

"My lord!" Lady stood up, looking at the First Master without yielding a bit: "Why is my lord so insistent on bringing Madam Xia?" The First Master said nothing, but his expression remained resolute, stoking a surge of anger in her heart. Lady sneered, "Has my lord forgotten the trouble Madam Xia caused in Yongzhou? I see my lord has certainly forgotten, but I cannot forget. I cannot allow such a person to stay by your side, causing trouble and tarnishing your reputation!"

"What nonsense!" The First Master’s gaze shot toward Lady like an arrow, his anger barely concealed: "You should know Peirong’s temperament better than I do. That once, she only lost her way briefly. For so many years, she has abided in the mansion, not even stepping out of her courtyard, so how could she have caused more trouble!" He stood up, turning his back on Lady, "You needn’t say more; my mind is made up!"

"Your mind is made up?" Lady was so furious she sat back with a crash, sweeping tea cups and saucers off the table. Her eyes reddened as she choked up: "These years, with my lord absent from the mansion, for every big and small affair, haven’t I been the one worrying? Yes! My lord is the head of the household and has the right to decide which concubine accompanies him. But has my lord ever considered my feelings? I toil and labor, yet in the end, my words carry less weight than a concubine’s." She paused, her tone becoming earnest, "My lord may not worry about her, but I do. My lord may not care about his reputation, but I do... Shenzhi’s marriage has already faced difficulties. If anything else disrupts his career, who will bear this responsibility?"

The First Master suddenly turned around, narrowing his eyes at Lady: "Consequences? Responsibility? Hmm..." The First Master ridiculed Lady with a cold disdain snorting through his nose. At that moment, Nanny Fang’s face appeared behind the curtain, and shifting his gaze, the First Master harshly commanded, "Get out!"

Lady abruptly stood her ground: "Come in!" Lady approached and tugged Nanny Fang, saying to the First Master, "She was a trusted maid before my mother, granted to me when I married into the Tong Family. Through the years, she’s worked tirelessly with me for this household, yet my lord rebukes her for a concubine, leaving no respect for me!"

Nanny Fang’s face grew somber. She had merely come to mediate but found the quarrel intensifying instead.

Merely looked at the First Master’s expressionless face staring at Lady: "Respect depends on the weight of rights and wrongs. If you persist, don’t blame me for being unbecoming!" He thought of the child in Madam Wang’s belly!

"What would my lord do? Dismiss a wife for a concubine? If my lord truly intends this way, I will not hinder it. I’d like to see if the reason stands with the lawful wife, who painstakingly manages the household and raises the children, or with the disgraceful concubine who accepts bribery and ruins the family’s reputation. My lord may summon the clan head, and we can properly debate this matter."

The First Master narrowed his eyes, the cold gleam within them was enough to make one shiver.

Seeing Lady’s increasing rage and increasingly boundary-pushing words, Nanny Fang broke out in a sweat. She immediately let go of Lady’s hand and fell at the First Master’s feet: "My lord, hold your anger! The Lady speaks from temper, getting stuck on a point. Allow me to persuade her. Let me persuade her!"

"Get away!" The First Master, in wrath, kicked Nanny Fang aside and stormed out without a backward glance.

Lady slumped to the ground, unable to hold back her tears!

Nanny Fang clutched her chest, coughing continuously. Lady crawled over to pull her up: "How are you? I’ll call for a doctor."

"No need!" Nanny Fang coughed endlessly, her face dreadfully pale. Lady promptly got up to pour tea herself, but the teapot had shattered on the ground earlier. She could only call through the curtain: "Daihe, bring in the tea."

The entire courtyard of maids had already been scared stiff by the sound of the First Master and Lady’s dispute, not daring to move. Daihe, stationed outside, immediately poured a cup of cold tea and brought it in upon hearing Lady’s voice.

Having drunk the tea, Nanny Fang finally quelled her cough. Catching her breath, she pointed to Daihe, "You go out first." Daihe cautiously exited.

Nanny Fang held Lady’s hand, saying, "Madam, your words were too harsh today!" Lady sorrowfully sat on the chair, still full of dissatisfaction: "What I said were merely words, but he responded with knives! Don’t persuade me anymore. It’s just a concubine. If I could confine her for six years, I can confine her for a lifetime."

"I believe in Madam’s wisdom and ability to do so. But why not employ such good means against the First Master?" She sighed and advised, "To speak frankly, today’s issue indeed was Madam’s fault. Whichever concubine my lord wishes to bring is his prerogative. Even if Madam wishes to intervene, it shouldn’t be this way. Stirring up such a ruckus that the whole mansion knows doesn’t preserve Madam’s dignity!" Nanny Fang observed Lady’s expression and paused before continuing, "Think about it, Madam. Though the First Master is not as graciously intimate as before with you, he has always been courteous. But today, the First Master... The maid has never seen him this way; it’s frightening... Truly terrifying if he’s made up his mind and genuinely angered!"

Lady’s face eased slightly, sitting silently on the chair. She understood Nanny Fang’s words, but what good was understanding? After managing the household all these years, in the end, she was no better than a concubine—how could she not be angry! Yet after venting, Lady had calmed down. She closed her eyes and slowly leaned against the chair’s back. Seeing her demeanor, Nanny Fang knew her words had taken effect, so she remained silent, clutching her chest and brewing a cup of tea to place beside Lady.