A Good Country Wife
Chapter 259 - 250 Settling Accounts Later_1

Chapter 259: Chapter 250 Settling Accounts Later_1

Zhao Lingxiang scurried along with quick, short steps, her heart fluttering with both excitement and fear. If the master could dote on her once more, she would be able to escape her current plight and no longer have to grovel before the mistress, where she was treated as less than a favored maid. Yet the young servant had just mentioned that the master was in a considerable rage, and she feared provoking his anger again, lest she be sold off, which would leave her worse off than she was now.

However anxious she felt, upon approaching the Wei master, Zhao Lingxiang timidly performed her greetings, "I’ve seen the master."

"Come here," the Wei master commanded, squinting thoughtfully. Seeing Zhao Yunxiang arrive, he cracked open his eyelids and lazily motioned with his finger for her to come over. Zhao Yunxiang immediately understood and began to massage his shoulders with a moderate touch. She hadn’t known how to do this before, but after serving so often, she had picked up a few techniques. Whenever the mistress drilled her, she also made her do this—massaging the shoulders, pressing the legs, even washing the mistress’s smelly feet.

Seeing Zhao Lingxiang’s timid demeanor, the Wei master was displeased. Zhao Lingxiang had spent so many years in the back courtyard of the Wei Residence and had been worn down to lose her once-fine appearance, further garnering the Wei master’s disdain, "Do you know why I summoned you here?"

"This concubine does not know, may the master please enlighten me?" Zhao Lingxiang stole a glance at the Wei master, answering cautiously.

"Your cousin Zhao Xinglin has become an arrest officer, you are aware of this, aren’t you?"

Zhao Lingxiang tensed at the master’s mention of Zhao Xinglin, guessing somewhat the reason, a bitterness growing in her heart, "This... this concubine indeed did not know. The master also knows that this concubine is not close with that cousin. I didn’t even see him during my last visit; it was my aunt by marriage who received me. He is close with my half-brother, Zhao Erhu, who shares the same father, so naturally, he wouldn’t tell me about such things."

The Wei master looked at Zhao Lingxiang’s uselessness and felt his anger, which had somewhat subsided, boil up again. He picked up the tea bowl from the desk and smashed it to the ground, "Not close? You couldn’t become close by visiting their household more? Such relationships do not come out of nowhere; they are built. Do I need to teach you this? After all, you are related by blood. Would they dare to kick you out if you visited them? Worthless thing, you can’t even handle such a trivial matter for me. I think you simply don’t care. You just enjoy the comfortable life in my Wei Residence, being maintained as a concubine. It seems I’ve spoiled you into laziness!"

Zhao Lingxiang, terrified, collapsed to her knees with a thud before the Wei master. If she didn’t answer properly, the master might banish her in his fury, leaving her in a dire situation.

"Master, please calm your anger, this concubine dares not. It’s just that I have to serve the mistress in the upper rooms every day, and without the mistress’s permission, this concubine cannot leave the house. Please, master, consider this," Zhao Lingxiang pleaded, her eyes brimming with tears, looking at the Wei master in a display of vulnerability and pity, hoping for his compassion. After all, she had been honed in the inner quarters—her response to the Wei master not only addressed the issue but also implied criticism of the mistress.

The maid sent by the mistress to eavesdrop heard Zhao Lingxiang’s words and spat in disdain. Serving the mistress was the duty of a concubine; Zhao Lingxiang seemed to think the mistress was mistreating her. Her behavior before the master, was she seeking to upset the mistress? She had no self-awareness, how could the master trouble the mistress over a concubine who had fallen from favor? Clueless wretch, and the mistress had still called her honest.

Master Wei indeed needed Zhao Lingxiang at the moment, so he did not continue to pick faults with her. Regarding her response, he neither approved nor disapproved and, after pondering for a while, finally allowed the kneeling Zhao Lingxiang to rise. "This matter is indeed not your fault. The rules for the inner courtyards of noble families are all the same. Since you have the intention to help your master with his worries, you should notify the mistress before you go out. She is the most understanding and virtuous, and will surely grant her permission."

"Yes, I understand," Zhao Lingxiang answered with ostensible submission, but inside she seethed with rage. The mistress was truly cunning, keeping the master so wrapped around her finger that everything was done her way. Such a ruthless and formidable woman, and yet the master still proclaimed her to be most understanding and virtuous; even the master’s most favored concubine, Madame Zhou, did not possess such influence.

"As long as you understand. I will inform the mistress as well. When you do go there, do not go empty-handed. I will have the mistress prepare a gift for you to bring, as a gesture of kinship," Master Wei explained and then seemed to recall something

"Moreover, you may also visit Zhao Erhu’s place. According to the information I’ve received, the Magistrate holds him in high regard. Zhao Xinglin getting the arrest officer position might very well be attributed to his influence. Besides, many of Zhao Erhu’s business ideas are quite good, including those recipes for food. If you can obtain them, they will certainly benefit our family’s business." Concerned with his own interests, Master Wei did not hesitate to give a few more reminders.

Upon hearing Master Wei mention Zhao Erhu again, Zhao Lingxiang felt even more uncomfortable. Let alone the fact that she and her blood brother Erhu had never gotten along, the attitude of Erhu’s wife during their last encounter was that of someone who couldn’t be presented in polite company, and even when given respect, she had none to return.

"Could Master have mistaken something? Zhao Erhu is my brother, and I know him well enough. Not only does he have a bad reputation, but he also lacks any real talent. Can the Magistrate truly hold him in esteem? It seems unnecessary to waste effort on such a man," Zhao Lingxiang said. Currying favor with Zhao Xinglin was one thing, and she never felt so averse to it, but she had no desire whatsoever to visit Zhao Erhu’s home. With those two’s shameless demeanor, it would be nothing less than presenting herself for humiliation.

"Are you in a position to question what I say? Don’t think I’m unaware of your little thoughts. So what if Zhao Erhu’s wife didn’t give you face last time? What is more important, my affairs or your petty pride? Don’t get too full of yourself. You are merely a concubine. What status do you think you have in front of them? Lower yourself, and when it’s time to flatter, do so. Erhu is fond of his wife, and perhaps if you can make her happy, his attitude towards you might improve," Master Wei said, unwilling to lower his own status—it was a matter of standing, after all. Zhao Lingxiang was just a concubine.

"Yes, I understand," Zhao Lingxiang replied. With Master Wei’s words laid down, she dared not object, no matter how unwilling she felt. She had to comply, but deep down she felt humiliated. She had put so much effort into marrying into the Wei Residence; it wasn’t for the position of a mere concubine. To be treated with such disdain—if she had known it would be like this, she might have been better off marrying a well-to-do farmer. Her days might have been happier. Looking at the Lin Family, pampered by Erhu, with the finest food and clothes, not having to work in the fields, with servants at her command, those were truly joyous days. It was the riches that had blinded her in the first place.

After Zhao Lingxiang’s issues had been addressed, the maid sent by the mistress immediately returned to report. She described everything she heard and saw to her mistress in vivid detail.

The mistress’s expression turned rather sour. "She still has her uses to the master for now, so let’s not bother with her. We will settle the score later on."

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