Chapter 20
“What did you say?” Li Xiaoran looked utterly astonished.
Li Weiyang’s cheeks were rosy, and her eyes clear. “Father, I saw Third Brother playing in the garden. Then Third Madam took him away and gave him a thorough scolding, saying he was always running around and didn’t even know where he’d lost one of his shoes!”
Then, as if she had only just noticed the shoe that had been picked up, Li Weiyang looked delighted. “Oh! So it was here! Third Brother is so mischievous. He actually ran all the way to the lake to play and got his shoes wet!”
Realizing it had all been a false alarm, Li Xiaoran felt much more at ease. But he soon frowned again. “What are you doing in the South Courtyard?”
Li Weiyang smiled brightly. “Father, Grandmother said there were too few people in my courtyard and that it wasn’t proper. Today, I was acting on her orders and went to the Huichun Hall to choose a few maids I liked. I happened to pass the South Courtyard and saw so many maids gathered outside. Someone said you and Mother were here, so I came in to pay my respects.”
Li Xiaoran froze. For a moment, the First Madam’s expression stiffened. Then Li Xiaoran asked, “Have you chosen them?”
Li Weiyang immediately looked flattered. “The head matron said she had already set aside five maids for me to choose from, and that I could pick three. I thought they all seemed lovely, so I planned to ask Grandmother to help me decide.”
Weiyang had only just returned, so it was only right for her to choose a few maids. But why had Huamei said Weiyang was visiting Seventh Concubine? Li Xiaoran thought of that nonexistent white crane, then recalled Huamei’s hesitant, faltering manner. He immediately suspected someone was trying to sow discord, and cast a cool glance at the First Madam.
The First Madam thought that they had indeed underestimated Li Weiyang. First, they couldn’t find the white crane. Then Seventh Concubine hadn’t died. Now even the Third Young Master, who should have been dead, was alive and well. Everyone who could have proven Li Weiyang was a bringer of calamity was still alive. The only evidence left was—
Before she could speak, Li Weiyang cried out in surprise, “Oh! What happened to Fifth Sister? Her face is so badly injured!”
The First Madam gave a cold snort. “She somehow fell into the water and got hurt like this!”
Li Weiyang looked surprised. “Fifth Sister, what—”
Just then, Li Changxi stirred. The maid beside her cried out in delight, “Fifth Miss is awake!”
Li Changxi sat up and instinctively touched her face, only to find her hand covered in blood. She cried out, “M-My face! What happened to my face, Mother?”
The First Madam said regretfully, “Changxi, your face is injured. Don’t touch it again. I’ve already sent for a doctor. Just lie still!”
When Li Changxi saw Li Weiyang beside her, she leaped to her feet. “You bringer of bad luck! This is all your fault! You did this to me!”
Li Changxi looked furious, her finger nearly touching Li Weiyang’s nose.
“What’s wrong, Fifth Sister?” Li Weiyang asked, looking perplexed. “Who made you so angry?”
“You don’t know? Hmph! You wretched jinx! If you hadn’t cursed me, how would I have fallen into the lake?”
Li Weiyang gave her a cool look. “Watch what you say, Fifth Sister. Though I was born in the second month, Father and Mother are both perfectly healthy. Aren’t you insulting them by saying such things?”
Li Weiyang hadn’t even spoken harshly, yet she had managed to drive Li Changxi nearly mad. At her words, Li Changxi angrily swung her hand, trying to shove her, and shouted, “You have no shame! You did this to me, and now you’re making baseless accusations!”
Seventh Concubine was startled and almost rushed forward to protect her daughter. Just then, Cui’er tugged at her, and she suddenly remembered that her status would not allow her to do such a thing!
Li Weiyang’s lips curved. Their scheme had failed, and Li Changxi had ended up disfigured herself, yet she still hadn’t learned her lesson. Did she think no one else was there? Sure enough, before Li Changxi could reach her, the maids and matrons nearby had already stopped her.
“Enough! Does a young lady behave like this?” Li Xiaoran shouted, pointing at Li Changxi in exasperation.
But Li Changxi struggled and cried, “Father, my face is ruined! Don’t you know it’s all because of this lowborn wretch? She cursed me and did this to me! Throw her out! Hurry and throw her out!”
Li Xiaoran froze. Li Weiyang said calmly, “Fifth Sister is right. Of course, Father is the one who decides everything. If you have something to say, you can explain it clearly. But shouting and making such a scene—isn’t that bringing shame on Father?”
Unable to break free from the maids holding her back, Li Changxi turned and cursed Li Weiyang. “You little wretch! Don’t think you’re really some noble young lady. You’re nothing but a lowborn thing! A jinx!”
Li Weiyang sneered. Li Changxi might have a vicious heart, but she was still too young. Shouting and carrying on at a time like this—even going so far as to attack someone—would only exhaust Li Xiaoran’s patience. He valued propriety above all else, and right now Li Changxi looked nothing like a young lady of the Chancellor’s residence. She looked like a shrew.
So Li Weiyang only looked at Li Xiaoran with an aggrieved expression. “Father, I only went to choose a few maids. Fifth Sister fell into the water because her birth chart was too weak and she ran afoul of a water ghost, yet she keeps saying I cursed her. How could I possibly have brought her such misfortune?”
There was an implication in her words: she had a father and a stepmother, and her birth mother was alive too, yet she hadn’t brought misfortune to any of them. How could she have managed to curse a half-sister with no real connection to her?
In truth, it was the First Madam’s fault for not realizing Li Weiyang had been on guard against her and had arrived at the South Courtyard early to save Seventh Concubine. Otherwise, with the fact that Li Weiyang had supposedly cursed her birth mother to death, plus Li Minde’s inexplicable and wrongful death, Li Xiaoran would have had no choice but to punish her. But now, Li Changxi was trying to pin her fall and injury on Li Weiyang. It was far too far-fetched—almost deliberate!
The First Madam understood that Li Changxi’s prospects ended here. A concubine-born daughter whose face was ruined had no value at all, and now she was acting like a wildcat, baring her claws. It was all over for her! But the First Madam had no intention of intervening. After all, Li Changxi was just a pawn, and could be discarded when necessary. So she said nothing, her face dark as she watched Li Weiyang coldly.
Sure enough, Li Xiaoran stared at Li Changxi with a cold expression. “Be quiet this instant! Have you no sense of shame?”
“Father, she made me fall into the water, and look at my face! My face is ruined!” Li Changxi continued screaming.
A trace of coldness flashed in Li Xiaoran’s eyes. He rebuked her icily, “I’ll find the best doctor to treat you, but I never want to hear you say such things again!”
Li Changxi struggled with all her might, but the maids beside her held her fast. Her eyes were bloodshot, as if she wanted to pounce on Li Weiyang and devour her whole!
The best doctor? Li Weiyang’s eyes curved in a faint smile. A cross-shaped wound like this was a fine gift she had given Li Changxi. Even Hua Tuo himself wouldn’t be able to heal it! Her gaze shifted to the First Madam’s face. You’re next!