Chapter 17: Threatening Su Yue

Su Yue whimpered, yet could make no sound.

Dantai Jing sat upright on the ebony-carved canopy bed, watching her coldly. There was not the slightest warmth in her eyes.

Su Yue was so frightened that she did not dare make another sound. She could never have imagined seeing such an expression on the face of twelve-year-old Dantai Jing. The Third Miss had always been gentle and extraordinarily tolerant; she had never treated anyone this way before. And Su Yue was, after all, her first-class maid!

Mama Xu stood before Su Yue. Naturally, such foul words could not come from the mouth of the Third Miss herself.

Mama Xu shot Su Yue a sharp glance and scolded, “The Third Miss is kindhearted and treats the servants well, yet who would have thought she would have a shameless slut like you at her side? It would be bad enough if you had no sense of shame yourself, but do not drag the Third Miss into your disgrace!”

Su Yue had no idea what was happening. She could only shake her head frantically.

“What is it? You still refuse to admit it? The physician who examined the Third Miss just now already said that you are no longer chaste!” Mama Xu’s piercing gaze swept over Su Yue, as though she wished she could bore a hole straight through her. She cursed furiously, “You committed such a shameless act, yet you still dare remain at the Third Miss’s side! If I had not discovered it in time and paid the physician to keep his mouth shut, the reputation of the entire Dantai household would have been ruined by you!”

When Su Yue realized what this was about, she hurriedly tried to explain. Unfortunately, the cloth stuffed into her mouth was tied so tightly that she could not even open her lips.

Mama Xu gave her no opportunity to speak. She snatched a purse from the small table beside her and flung it down next to Su Yue.

“The Third Miss’s Pearblossom Court is too small to house a Buddha as lofty as you. In a little while, I will report this matter to Madam and find a broker to sell you off. You cannot remain in the residence and bring disgrace upon the young ladies!”

With her hands bound and her mouth gagged, Su Yue had only her legs left to move. She hurriedly crawled on her knees to Dantai Jing’s side, bent over, and knocked her forehead against the floor before her. Whatever happened, she had to get the gag removed first. If she were sold off like this, then once she passed through the gates of the Dantai residence, she would never be able to return.

Dantai Jing seemed to soften, and even her gaze grew gentler. But Mama Xu stepped in front of her and shouted, “You still have the nerve to beg the Third Miss for mercy? You committed such a vile act yourself. If word of it gets out, what will become of the Third Miss’s reputation? She is precisely at the age when marriage proposals are being discussed. By behaving this way, are you not deliberately ruining her?”

At a signal from Mama Xu, Su Xin also lowered her head and stepped forward. She picked up the purse from the floor and tucked it into Su Yue’s waistband, then consoled her, “Stop acting like this. The Third Miss is not heartless; it is only that what you have done is too outrageous. The Pearblossom Court truly cannot keep you. Take this money and leave the residence quietly. I hope you can still find a good family and live an honest life.”

Su Yue was genuinely desperate now. She continued knocking her head against the floor without restraint, certain that Dantai Jing would eventually soften and order the gag removed.

Yet this time, the Third Miss seemed determined. She waited until Su Yue had pounded her forehead bloody before finally lifting a hand slightly.

The cloth was removed from Su Yue’s mouth, and she immediately cried, “Third Miss, I did nothing improper! It was Master—it was Master!”

Before Dantai Jing’s sharp gaze could even reach her, Mama Xu slapped Su Yue across the face.

“You committed such a disgraceful act and now dare slander Master? Have you grown tired of living?”

The blow sent Su Yue reeling to the floor. She hurriedly cried, “Third Miss, I truly am not lying. It really was Master. That day, after the Third Miss fainted, Mama Xu sent me to deliver food to Master, and then… then…”

Dantai Jing’s face was filled with disbelief. She wrote several words in Su Xin’s palm, and Su Xin immediately said, “Su Yue, now that things have come to this, stop lying. The Third Miss says that if it truly had been Master, he would have taken you away long ago. Why would he leave you here all alone…”

Su Xin paused. In the end, she could not bring herself to say the words “after you had lost your chastity.”

“If it truly had been Master, you would already be a concubine by now. Would you still need to serve at the Third Miss’s side?”

Su Yue could not explain herself clearly, and she was terrified of angering Dantai Jing and being sent to Madam Ye. If she went there, how could she ever hope to find a decent family? Madam Ye would likely sell her straight to a brothel!

“Third Miss, what I am saying is the absolute truth. That day, Master said that it was inconvenient for me to remain in the Third Miss’s courtyard. He said that once an opportunity arose, he would transfer me to Madam’s Clearfast Studio, or send me directly to the outer residence, and only then reveal my identity. I truly am not lying!”

By now, Su Yue no longer cared about anything. She poured out every word Dantai Shanchang had spoken to her that day, telling Dantai Jing everything.

The three of them fell silent for a moment. Su Yue watched as Dantai Jing wrote several words in Mama Xu’s palm. Unfortunately, she was illiterate; otherwise, she would have strained to make out exactly what the Third Miss had written.

Mama Xu soon revealed the matter to her.

“The Third Miss says this concerns Master’s dignity, and she cannot decide it herself. Since you came here to serve from Clearfast Studio, you will now return there.”

“No! Please, no!”

Ignoring the wound on her forehead, Su Yue continued kowtowing.

“Third Miss, I beg you to spare my life! Just wait a few more days. Once Master transfers me elsewhere, everything will be fine. If I return to Clearfast Studio now and Madam learns the reason, she will certainly beat me to death!”

Dantai Jing’s heart turned cold.

Su Yue understood Madam Ye all too well. She knew that Madam Ye could not tolerate her. Her refusal to leave was nothing more than an attempt to make Dantai Jing bear the blame for her. Once the day came when Dantai Shanchang truly intended to elevate her, she would push Dantai Jing forward and claim that everything had been the Third Miss’s idea. Madam Ye would then hate Dantai Jing to the bone.

Dantai Jing had never imagined that Su Yue could be so vicious, even at fifteen. Anger immediately rose within her, and she showed not the slightest courtesy. After writing a few words in Mama Xu’s palm, she turned petulantly back into the canopy bed and closed her eyes to rest.

Su Yue did not understand what had happened. The Third Miss had simply stopped paying attention to her. When Mama Xu came forward to drag her away, Su Yue assumed that Dantai Jing had abandoned her in order to curry favor with Madam Ye. She struggled frantically and cried, “Third Miss, Madam has never liked you from the bottom of her heart! She even instructed me to praise Young Master Wang to you again and again, all because she wants you to marry into that poor family. Madam has ulterior motives! Third Miss, even if you hand me over, Madam will not spare you!”