Chapter 9: Pandemonium

Gu Nanxi turned her head to see a tall, slender youth with handsome features entering through the door with a long, mournful face.

His lips were naturally pale, yet he had applied a thick layer of white powder to his face, making him appear even more frail and weak.

"Second Brother, your health is poor, why have you come out?" Su Yunyan hurried forward to help the second young master, Su Yunting, sit down.

A hemp rope was tied around Su Yunting's waist, cinching his slender waist so tightly it looked as if it could be gripped with a single hand.

"Mother, life is no longer worth living. Jingniang has become an immortal in her own mind; she sits on the ground and thinks she is ascending to heaven. She's wielding a feather duster and turning the entire Marquis's manor into a chaotic mess."

Su Yunting waved a handkerchief, venting his frustrations with colorful language.

Gu Nanxi froze, then blinked. How did this perfectly fine, sickly, beautiful man suddenly develop such a mouth?

Su Yunyan skillfully served Su Yunting some candied fruits: "Don't panic, Second Brother. Mother has everything under control. Tell me slowly."

The candied fruits, preserved in honey, did little to sweeten Su Yunting's mood.

Su Yunting performed with dramatic flair, as if staging a tragic opera: "Jingniang actually abolished the small kitchen, forcing a patient like me to eat communal meals! I have been sickly since childhood and rely entirely on tonics to survive. I know I am a burden to the Marquis's manor..."

Having said this, Su Yunting choked up and slumped over the table, weeping: "Oh Heavens, you might as well have taken me early! Why must you let me suffer the pain of being despised!"

Su Yunting clutched his chest, his expression one of utter heartbreak: "Mother, I only ask for simple food, three meals a day, and to keep this life so I may serve my parents. Yet, even though I stay within my courtyard without stepping foot outside, I still managed to offend Jingniang's eyes!"

His weeping was so wretched and melodious that it would break the heart of any listener and bring tears to any onlooker.

Su Yunyan was easily moved to tears and began to weep along with him.

The previously relaxed and pleasant atmosphere instantly turned sorrowful, looking more like a funeral hall than one.

Gu Nanxi caught sight of the red mud on the soles of Su Yunting's shoes and tested him: "Staying within your courtyard without stepping foot outside?"

With teary eyes, Su Yunting nodded repeatedly: "Your son has been in the courtyard praying for Mother's blessings."

Gu Nanxi gave a cold, indifferent "oh."

The ancestors must be manifesting. That red mud, unique to Mount Qi in the southern part of the capital, had appeared on his soles despite being halfway across the city!

"Yunting, I think there is a title in the martial world that suits you perfectly."

At the mention of the martial world, Su Yunting's tears stopped instantly: "What title?"

"The Jade-Faced Widow. You wail at everyone you see; I guarantee everyone will flee in terror the moment they spot you."

Su Yunting's lips trembled, and a slender finger pointed shakily at Gu Nanxi: "How can such warm lips utter such cold words? Mother, you have finally come to despise me."

"Su Yunting, do not take advantage of Mother's favoritism to push your luck!" Su Xuanming rushed to the main courtyard immediately after finishing his studies.

Upon seeing Su Xuanming, Su Yunting acted like a fighting cock, squawking and trying to peck at him: "Heh, Mother doesn't favor me? Does she favor you instead?"

Su Yunting provoked Su Xuanming: "Because of a woman, you caused Mother to be reprimanded and grounded by the Emperor. Truly, pork doesn't stick to mutton."

Su Xuanming was clumsy with words and could not win the argument; he merely stood there with reddened eyes, his chest heaving with rage.

Su Yunyan stood anxiously between her two brothers: "Eldest Brother, Second Brother, stop fighting."

Just then, the shouting of the Old Madam of the Marquis's manor drifted in from outside the courtyard: "Tell your mistress to come out! It is one thing for the daughter-in-law she chose to be of low status, but she actually intends to drive this old woman to her death! What a venomous heart!"

Gu Nanxi pressed a hand to her forehead. Even though she was grounded, she couldn't stop this crowd from invading her courtyard.

"Go and invite the Old Madam and Concubine Duan in," Gu Nanxi instructed Lvmei.

Lvmei nimbly went to fetch the Old Madam.

"Hmph, look at the mess you've made. I knew it—Xuanming wasn't raised by your own hands, so you don't care about him. To actually choose a merchant's daughter to be his wife..."

The Old Madam marched in, cursing. Before she could finish, she saw Su Xuanming looking at her with a face full of grief and indignation.

Gu Nanxi delivered a timely blow: "Old Madam, you weren't saying this back in the funeral hall. Oh, I see—now that the knife has cut into your own flesh, you find it painful?"

The Old Madam's lips moved, but she was momentarily speechless.

Su Xuanming's heart felt ice-cold; he felt that in this vast Marquis's manor, only his mother was the one who truly cared for and loved him.

Gu Nanxi couldn't be bothered to mediate their dispute, so she sent someone to fetch Jingniang, letting them discuss it themselves.

She would only be responsible for providing the venue, tea, and fruit.

When it came to their own interests, the servants moved very quickly.

Before long, the masters of the Marquis's manor were gathered in the main courtyard.

Around a large round table sat the Old Madam, Concubine Duan, Su Xuanming, Su Yunting, Su Yunyan, and Li Jingning.

As for Gu Nanxi, she had a servant carry a bamboo lounge chair to the window. To her right was the golden autumn scenery; to her left was the high-society drama of a family feud.

A lovely maid stood by her side, serving tea and occasionally feeding her snacks bought from the night market.

Gu Nanxi rocked her bamboo chair with great satisfaction, feeling utterly at ease!

The people at the round table were not as relaxed as Gu Nanxi; instead, they were extremely awkward.

Complaining in private was one thing, but once brought to the table, they suddenly didn't know where to begin.

This was Jingniang's first time handling such complex household management matters, and she was already overwhelmed. Being accused behind her back left a lump of frustration in her chest, making her tone quite sharp.

"If you have grievances, direct them at me! Do not disturb the Madam."

Su Yunting had never been suppressed since childhood, so he naturally wouldn't let her off: "I don't care how you reorganize things, but the expenses in my courtyard cannot be reduced! These are all things meant to sustain my life."

Jingniang had come prepared. She slammed a ledger onto the table: "A single ginseng root costs a hundred taels, and you use one a month. Yet, in the warehouse, there is only three years' worth of ginseng valued at no more than twenty taels."

Jingniang pulled out an abacus and began calculating rapidly: "Your annual expenditure exceeds a thousand taels, but only a hundred taels are actually used on you. Where did the rest of the money go?"

Su Yunting's face froze. Just as he was about to resort to his usual theatrics of crying and making a scene, Gu Nanxi stopped him: "Whoever makes my head ache will be kicked out."

Seeing Su Yunting being shut down, the Old Madam could no longer sit still: "I am used to the nannies by my side; they cannot be replaced!"

Jingniang sneered: "One Nanny Xing receives a monthly salary of fifty taels, six sets of seasonal clothing, and her bonuses double during festivals. This treatment is comparable to a ninth-rank official. Old Madam, if you insist, you may use your own private funds to subsidize them."

After speaking, Jingniang turned to Su Xuanming: "It is not that I am being selfish; I am the same with Master Su. His monthly expenses for social engagements amount to a hundred taels, and now they will be cut to thirty."

Su Xuanming opened his mouth to say something, but under Jingniang's threatening gaze, he ultimately did not dare to speak.

Losing face, the Old Madam swept her sleeves and left.

However, Su Yunting's words shot toward Jingniang like poisoned arrows: "What are you pretending to be? If your family's wealth is thin and you cannot support this massive manor, just say so. There is no need to push your mistakes onto others."

Jingniang's beautiful face flushed and paled rapidly, as if someone had knocked over a jar of paint.

(End of Chapter)