Ch. 40: Bribe

Days passed slowly within the Duke of Gao Mansion. However, it was difficult to fully be comfortable and leave the past behind.

For Lin Xiao, residing in the home of one of the most powerful official families in the empire had been a dream so far. She had food to eat, better than almost anything she had eaten in her life. Her work was not labor intensive and she had found someone she could serve with all her heart.

But alas, discomfort still plagued her like a fishbone caught in one's throat. Ever since she had first arrived, most of the maids who hailed from families that had served the Ning clan for generations treated her like she was lesser than them. It was different from the overt ostracization in her home village. The past few months had taught Lin Xiao to grow a bit wiser about other people's hearts and intentions.

This had been expected. It was predictable and didn't bother her as Lin Xiao formed a callous over her emotions years before. But something had shifted and changed. Lin Xiao wasn't sure why or how. One or two maids in the kitchen had begun to speak to her far more politely than before. As the sole maid of had to stop by the main kitchen every day, multiple times a day, as there was no small kitchen near Shen Meifeng's dilapidated quarters. Avoiding them was impossible.

In the past, they would give her dirty looks and whisper, but all of a sudden one grabbed her hand and called her, "Sister," so sweetly and slipped something into her pocket. Lin Xiao wasn't the best of thieves, but she had indeed been a thief, so she noticed the sleight of hand immediately.

Worried that they had planted something dirty on her, Lin Xiao had checked her pockets as soon as she was out of sight to find a fat silver tael in her palm. The next time she went back to the main kitchen to pick up dinner, the same assistant cook smiled and greeted her again.

Just recalling that instant gave Lin Xiao goosebumps, especially when she recalled how the assistant cook had lingered by the entrance and said to her, "Sister, walk slowly." Couldn't the cook see that Lin Xiao was intentionally walking faster than usual to get away from her?

"They are trying to woo you," Shen Meifeng had told Lin Xiao when Lin Xiao had shared her sordid tale.

"I- I- Lin Xiao would not dare betray her benefactor!" Lin Xiao panicked and dropped into a bow, only to be caught by Shen Meifeng. The new maid was struck by how strong the girl's grip was despite her weak and delicate stature.

"Don't bow. I know you wouldn't be so easily wooed, otherwise I would not have brought you with me," Shen Meifeng kindly told Lin Xiao.

System just had to shake its head. Shen Meifeng understood Lin Xiao all too well. A discarded girl appreciated by none, he could only imagine how touched Lin Xiao would be by the pretty words that spilled out of Shen Meifeng's mouth like candy.

Indeed Lin Xiao could almost feel a tear in her eye as she looked at Shen Meifeng gratefully. She didn't waste any time in pulling the tael out and setting it on the table beside them.

"Young Miss, allow me to offer this bribe to you," she said with a small bow with impeccable technique. Her manners were good. Lady Ning's maid, Cui Lan, had done an excellent job at teaching her the rules. If she didn't open her mouth and reveal her faint Southern accent, one would not know that she too hadn't been raised to be a lady's maid since her youth.

Shen Meifeng shook her head magnanimously. "That is your money. Keep it and anything else they give you. You can pretend to be enticed by their meager gifts, I know that your heart will remain true. All you must do is tell me anything they ever ask of you."

"Yes!"

And so the next day when Lin Xiao saw the assistant cook, she smiled back for the first time and warmly replied, "Sister. How are you?"

Meanwhile, Shen Meifeng found her entertainment with the women in the rear yard of the Duke of Gao Mansion dwindling. She already knew how many concubines there were and who the wives were. She knew who was truly pious and who hid their cruelty behind a gentle smile.

It had been fascinating, for a time, the silent but constant war between legitimate and illegitimate, those with noble backgrounds and those who lacked it but still sought to emulate the same bearing. The Ning clan was strict with their family rules and the mansion was far calmer than most of the same caliber. But Shen Meifeng was now bored and it was time for her to shift her interest to the men.

There seemed to be a general consensus within the rear court once Shen Meifeng had arrived, one that she herself had only mildly noticed, but was distinctly felt by those who had sons and brothers. Occasional visits from the front yard had become rare and short, with an experienced maid accompanying their sons at all times lest he be met with danger.

Shen Meifeng had seen this for herself when a lazy afternoon had allowed her to cross paths with one of her nominal cousins, Ning Anshi, Concubine Pei's son and the Duke of Gao's first shu-born son. He was being escorted by the experienced momo by Concubine Pei's side, a woman who had leveled her with a venomous look and stepped in front of Ning Anshi as if Shen Meifeng would eat him.

She found it rather amusing. "Second Cousin," she had greeted with a faint laugh in her voice. He was the second oldest boy of their generation and the first shu-born son of the Duke of Gao, her uncle.

"Younger Cousin," he formally greeted back.

How could Ning Anshi not know who Shen Meifeng was? His mother had warned him well not to be tempted by her pretty face and to stay far far away lest she play some tricks to remain by his side.

In fact, Concubine Pei underestimated her son's cunning with such an assumption. As a child born from a concubine, Ning Anshi had been blocked since birth from inheriting the family title or reaching the heights of success he desired. The only way he could begin to rectify this disadvantage would be by marrying a woman from the right family background, not the daughter of a criminal minister, no matter how beautiful she could be. 

Still, he curiously looked down at the cousin who had spawned much gossip between the mansion's idle servants. He had reached a grown man's height, towering over Shen Meifeng, but still in possession of his youthful features that displayed his age.

Having grown up as a man, he was exposed to the world far more often and had seen a variety of fawning expressions from people hoping to curry favor with him and with the Ning family. Shen Meifeng did not look like one of them. But oddly enough, that was all he could discern. This strange younger cousin who had emerged from the countryside, was surprisingly difficult to read for someone who had grown up living a simple life.

"Young Miss Shen, please move from the path so that I can take Second Young Master back to his quarters," the momo loudly interjected.

Shen Meifeng looked down at the ground, noting the width wide enough for the momo and her cousin to walk by unencumbered but easily understanding why the momo's behavior was so unusual.

She gave him one more junior greeting and walked away without a second look.

"Be more polite, momo. She is also a granddaughter of our clan," he warned once they were out of earshot. He didn't like this arrogant momo of his mother, whom he found too arrogant for a servant and quick to mislead his mother with biased gossip.

"Yes, young master," the momo replied sourly. Satisfied, Ning Anshi returned to his study and summoned his book boy, whispering something in the boy's ear that made him widen his eyes with shock before scampering off to fulfill what had been requested.

Ning Anshi was correcting his mother's loyal servant with good intentions. But true to her nature, once she returned to Concubine Pei, the momo, recounted a dramaticized version of events that included a daring wink from Shen Meifeng and a lingering smile and lovestruck warning by Ning Anshi. Having served at her master's side since she was an unmarried girl, Ning Anshi's mother did not doubt a single word from her old servant.

How could Concubine Pei remain calm? Her humble identity as a concubine had long hindered her wonderful son, preventing him from ever being able to inherit his father's title. As a result, he would need good connections and a powerful wife to earn his own glory. Old Lady Ning could be biased sometimes and she could potentially force Concubine Pei to accept Shen Meifeng as a wife rather than a concubine. Concubine Pei bit her lip so hard it drew blood. She would never allow that lowly girl to occupy the position of his wife.

Scarcely the next morning, during her morning greeting with Old Lady Ning, Concubine Pei immediately commenced with removing the obstacle from her son's life. A maid poured a cup of lightly scented tea for Concubine Pei, but a drop flew onto the woman's jumpy hands and burned her.

"Aiya!" she yelled. Her eyes narrowed on the serving girl, who had fallen to her knees and cowered before her. The back of Concubine Pei's hand began to turn red and her mood turned even uglier, but she could not suffer an outburst within the reception hall of her mother-in-law. 

"This girl is not careful enough, don't let her serve in front of me in the future," Old Lady Ning said, venting Concubine Pei's anger on her behalf. Watching the girl get forcefully escorted from the room, Concubine Pei felt greatly mollified and even more determined to do what would come next. She was certain she would receive her mother-in-law's support no matter what she said.

There were a few minutes of mindless small talk with First Madam and Lady Ning, while Old Lady Ning seemingly napped in her chair. Third Madam expressed faux concern for Concubine Pei's hand, while Second Madam just sat quietly and listened. First Madam brought up the impending marriage of one of the nieces in her natal family, allowing for Concubine Pei to redirect the conversation in her favor.

"Sister-in-law," she said to Lady Ning abruptly. "Speaking of marriage, have you thought of a match for your daughter? My family has a concubine-born son, born from my uncle. He is in need of a wife. If you would like, I can take you to meet his mother." Concubine Pei was so anxious with her proposal that she could hardly wait for the pleasantries to finish.

"Who is your sister-in-law?" Lady Ning snapped without raising her voice or losing the gentle smile that had become a permanent fixture on her face.

Concubine Pei blanched with embarrassment. She was usually able to stand taller than other concubines in the Duke of Gao mansion due to Old Lady Ning being her maternal aunt. But alas, she was still a concubine and subject to the family law that the Ning family adhered to strictly.

The reminder made the corner of her mouth twitch with hatred, although the fiery feeling was quickly doused when she recalled Lady Ning's awful fate. Even if she was a concubine, she had married into a powerful family and had a son. Meanwhile, the cousin Concubine Pei had envied so much when she was young, had been exiled, divorced, and only had a daughter.

Old Lady Ning sat at the head of the room, spinning her prayer beads and resting her eyes. But upon hearing Lady Ning's outburst, she stopped spinning her beads.

"You are a mother but your temperament is still as sharp as ever," she chided to Lady Ning. "Concubine Pei is the cousin that you played with as a child."

Old Lady Ning's voice was like the one used to coax a child, but it still stung her daughter. Lady Ning gritted her teeth in hatred, but on the outside, she smiled and nodded to her mother.

Madam Chu usually abhorred Old Lady Ning's preference for her niece, Concubine Pei. Concubine Pei was not greatly loved by the Duke and he rarely spent the night in her quarters. However, because Concubine Pei was very filial to Old Lady Ning, often running to Yixin Garden to tell jokes and interesting news, she was able to maintain her prestige in the rear court especially after she had borne a son. No other concubine could get close to Old Lady Ning's courtyard except for her.

Madam Chu understood that Old Lady Ning would not be so easily taken in by Concubine Pei's obvious desire to curry favor. She only accepted it because it allowed her to suppress Madam Chu in small ways around the mansion. Today, watching Old Lady Ning's favoritism strike a different target other than herself, she felt a great deal of satisfaction and even a little bit of gratefulness.

"Sister-in-law, forgive me. I've been negligent in not looking for good matches for my niece," First Madam echoed, urging the conversation past the minor altercation.

"Thank you all for your concern. My daughter hasn't had her hair pinned and is still too young to think about marriage," Lady Ning responded woodenly. 

However, their intentions would not be so easily quelled. While First Madam trusted her son enough to know he would never look twice at such an unlucky girl like Shen Meifeng, she still wanted the girl out of the mansion.

"I've always said the same. It feels like yesterday my two daughters were still learning how to say 'mother'. Today, one is about to marry and the other is old enough to be wed. They grow up too fast." There was a loving look in First Madam's eye as she deftly undermined Lady Ning's argument about Shen Meifeng being too young.

"You are right," Lady Ning agreed. "But it has been years since I've been in the capital. I must take my time to find a suitable groom for my daughter so that she isn't wronged."

The last words were spat out and the room fell into an uncomfortable silence.

"But- But-", Concubine Pei sputtered, unhappy with the impeccable shield Lady Ning had brought forth.

"Enough. I'm tired." Old Lady Ning's word was law and the topic was quelled temporarily.