Chapter 193

Chapter 193: The Tao Family’s Elder Sister-in-law’s Anger

Because of Tang Mo’s decision, Chun Yang and Chun Lv became extraordinarily attentive, either pouring tea for him or sending over bird’s nest. Even Lai Lai benefited and got a bowl of bird’s nest, eating it with bliss and hoping such bliss might come every day.

Night fell. Tang Rong had already returned to Chun Hua Courtyard. After leaving the Tao family’s house, he had stopped by the Ministry of Rites, then visited a friend in the afternoon. By the time he came home, even drinking water tugged at his wound; it had seeped blood, some of which had dried and stuck to his clothes, so the cloth had to be dampened and peeled back bit by bit.

Concubine Yue applied medicine and changed his clothes, her eyes rimmed red: “The scab has dried and not fallen off. This is exactly when you must not move too much. The scabbed places split easily. What did the Heir Apparent do to crack several spots open?”

Tang Rong said it was the jolting of the carriage. At the door, Qing Mo quietly rolled his eyes. So now the blame was on him? It was obvious the splitting came from His Lordship’s lack of restraint with the young madam, and what did that have to do with the coachman?

Once the medicine was on, Tang Rong lay down. Concubine Yue had thought to stay and attend him, but the heavily spent Tang Rong dismissed her with two sentences, leaving her low and disappointed.

When the door closed that night, Tang Mo could not wait to climb into bed. Rubbing his hands, eyes bright with excitement, he said in a low voice that he had something to tell her.

His eagerness startled Xin An a little. Outwardly they were husband and wife and had long shared a bed. If Tang Mo asked to take the relationship a step further, she really would have trouble refusing. She did not reject the idea, but her mind was not ready. When he let the bed curtains fall, she tensed even more. He failed to notice and, sitting cross-legged, whispered with pent-up impatience: “There were so many people in the room earlier, I was suffocating.”

“You… speak then,” she said, heart waging a civil war. If Tang Mo made a request, should she yield or not? She often spoke boldly and her thoughts had strayed there before, but at the moment of truth she still felt a little fainthearted.

Lowering his voice, Tang Mo murmured his freshly acquired news into her ear. Xin An’s eyes widened, and whatever she had just been thinking vanished into thin air: “In broad daylight? And at the Tao family?”

Tang Mo nodded vigorously: “The Tao estate is lax. With silver, you can buy information. This is as fresh as hot bread, it was this very morning. Can you believe it?”

How shameless. In broad daylight, in the morning no less, and at the Tao family’s house. What did Tang Rong take the Tao home for?

Worse, the two families were on the verge of tearing each other’s faces, and Tang Rong still had the gall to go over and sleep with Tao Yi Ran. That was… Xin An spread her hands slightly: “I do not even know how to comment.”

She truly could not. She had not seen such a thing and did not dare imagine it. Even for a couple on good terms, a married daughter returning to her parents’ home absolutely did not sleep with her husband there, let alone in broad daylight.

A plan flashed through her mind at once. Since those two had done something so shameless and delivered a handle to be used against them, she could not be blamed for acting.

“Find a way to leak the news to Young Madam Zhang and make absolutely sure she believes the information came from the mouth of a Tao family servant,” said Xin An.

Tang Mo understood her instantly: “That is easy.”

“How is it that I recall the fellow next door enjoys the fine name of ‘self-restraint according to the rites’? What exactly is he restraining?”

“You and me,” Tang Mo said drily.

Xin An blew out a breath: “I simply cannot fathom it.”

The night deepened. In one corner of the Tao residence, a lamp still burned. Tao Wei was still out gambling at dice, sleeves rolled up. His wife, Madam Li, sat on the edge of the bed with a face full of anger, while an old house-matron led two maids to rummage through chests and cabinets, inventorying jewelry and property deeds.

Two heavy gold hairpins had vanished. Since an inner thief had appeared in the courtyard, they naturally had to investigate thoroughly. What they found was no small matter: several banknotes were missing from a coffer, in a sizeable sum, and several jade curios had also disappeared. With losses on this scale, it could not be the work of common servants. Suspicion naturally fell on Tao Wei.

“Madam, a girl from the young mistress’s courtyard, Xiaoxi, just came with a report,” said a maid. She relayed what had happened that morning between Tang Rong and Tao Yi Ran.

Madam Li exploded with rage. A married daughter should show restraint when she returned to her parents’ home; it was one thing to make scenes at home, but to do something so inauspicious? She rose at once to seek out Madam Tao, but her nurse stopped her: “The young mistress has the Grand Matron’s protection and is also the lady’s own daughter. In the end, they will force you to swallow this. Do not be rash.”

Madam Li sat back down. A married daughter sleeping with her husband while back home was taboo, and would bring misfortune to her brothers, never mind doing it in broad daylight. “The marquisate is simply bullying us too much,” she hissed. “What do they take the Tao family for, a brothel?”

The nurse lowered her voice: “The young mistress has always been like this. Though you did not say it, the marquisate has not come to fetch her for a while, so she must be anxious. Once the Heir Apparent arrived, of course she seized him.”

Madam Li sneered: “And even after sleeping together, she was not taken back. The marquisate’s attitude is obvious. I will not swallow this. Send a reliable person to spread the story.”

“This will hurt the enemy a thousand and yourself eight hundred,” the nurse warned. “If the Tao family’s reputation stinks, we will not come out well either.”

Madam Li did not care: “If she were decent, I would let it pass. But since I entered this household, how many disgusting things has she done? Only a few days ago she was still blackening my name before the Grand Matron. She did something so shameless just to disgust me, and I am still expected to cover for her? Am I some gullible fool?”

Knowing that if Madam Li could not vent she might stir up an even bigger disaster, the nurse could only comply. As for the missing money and goods, she advised: “If you make a public scandal, it will tarnish your own face. In the end the young master will be scolded and you will eat a dumb loss. Better to catch the thief with the stolen goods, then weep before the matron. Afterward invite our lady to lend a hand. Not only will the missing items be recovered, there may even be extra.”

Madam Li listened. Her dissatisfaction with the Tao family had been growing; there was not one part of it that pleased her. Her marriage to Tao Wei had been arranged by matchmakers, no more than that, so of course it was wise to get more assets into her own hands.

Without their knowing it, Xin An and Tang Mo had gained an extra helper.

Back in their room, Xin An lay down but could not fall asleep. She could not help shooting Tang Mo a glare. He gave her a sheepish grin. He had meant to wait until morning, but he simply could not hold it in. [He was used to rushing home to share any news with Xin An.]

“Take a few deep breaths and steady your mind,” he murmured.

Xin An did as told, trying her best to calm down. Tang Mo reached out and gently patted her arm. She opened her eyes, exasperated: “Why are you patting me?”

“To lull you to sleep. Close your eyes,” he said.

Xin An could only laugh and cry at once, yet she closed her eyes. The next time they opened, it was because Tang Mo was shaking her awake: “Time to get up.”

Xin An sat up, eyes barely open, and slumped against Tang Mo’s shoulder. Since her return, she had not risen early; she got up when the sky was already bright each day. “What time is it?”

Smiling, Tang Mo helped her sit straight: “It’s the fifth watch. You still have to wash and dress. You must leave early to wait at the palace gate.”