Domestic Affairs

When Ye Qianzhan awoke, it was already the hour of You. The sun was sinking slowly, the oppressive heat of the day gradually dissipating. She stretched lazily—what a long nap she’d taken, over an hour at least. Slipping on her shoes, she walked outside, but there was no sign of Juanbi or Lulan. She wondered where those two maids had gone off to loaf around again. She searched all through Bamboo Snow Pavilion but found no trace of them. When she asked Asheng, he was just as clueless. So she sat down and poured herself a cup of tea.

The tea had barely reached her lips when a maid hurried in and bowed, saying, “Miss, the master has asked you to come to the drawing room.”

Ye Qianzhan frowned, but followed the maid out. Along the way, she asked what this was about, but the girl only shook her head. She asked again if she’d seen Juanbi and Lulan; the maid glanced at her and replied that they too were in the drawing room, and said nothing more.

Ye Qianzhan accompanied her to Clear Radiance Hall. Crossing the threshold, she found the room deathly silent. At once she spotted Juanbi and Lulan, both kneeling on the floor in tears. Her father’s face was thunderous with rage, her mother looked helpless and shook her head at her, while Ye An shot her a meaningful look she couldn’t decipher.

“Kneel!” Ye Yuandao barked sternly.

Startled, Ye Qianzhan knelt, unsure what she’d done wrong.

“Do you know your fault?” her father demanded.

Ye Qianzhan was utterly bewildered. “What have I done?” she asked.

Her father trembled with anger upon hearing this, his fury mounting. “You put medicine in the guest’s tea, and you still argue?”

Realization dawned on Ye Qianzhan, and her tense body relaxed. It was not, after all, a serious matter. She began to explain, “Father, you must not know what he did to be so angry. He—”

But Ye Yuandao interrupted sharply, “He only made a few jokes. How could you do something so outrageous?”

“Jokes?” Ye Qianzhan repeated, a cold smile flickering across her lips. “Father, do you truly think those were just jokes?”

“I believe him.”

“So you do not believe your own daughter?”

“That’s not the issue. The issue is what you did. How can a young lady harbor such disgraceful thoughts?”

“Disgraceful? Do you think I’m unworthy of being your daughter?”

“You—” For a moment, Ye Yuandao was speechless, shaking with fury. He had always considered her a calm, steady girl; now, to be contradicted like this, he realized he did not know her at all.

Wen Qiumei hurried to his side and tried to soothe him, “Please, master, don’t be angry. You’ll harm your health. Qianzhan is still young, it’s nothing more than childish mischief, it’s no great matter.”

Ye Yuandao coughed twice, then said slowly, “She is no longer a child. She’s fifteen—she ought to know right from wrong by now.”

Suddenly, Ye Qianzhan felt lost. She had only done a simple thing, yet it had escalated into something so grave.

She wanted to defend herself, but Wen Qiumei gave her a look, signaling her to remain silent, and so she swallowed her words.

“It’s all my fault,” her father sighed. “If I hadn’t sent her away as a child, she wouldn’t be like this now.”

A cold smile appeared on Ye Qianzhan’s face. She rose abruptly. “I am not wrong, nor do I believe my grandparents raised me wrong. Father, you have never fulfilled your duty as a parent, so you have no right to criticize others.”

A sharp slap landed across her face, making her head snap to the side.

The air in the room seemed to freeze. Everyone was stunned. Ye Yuandao’s face paled, then flushed, then turned green with anger; the slap had clearly exhausted him. Ye An hurried forward to steady him.

“I know I’ve failed as a father, but you are still my blood, my daughter. How can you speak so to your father? Is this how a daughter should behave?” The words seemed forced out of his throat, and when he finished, Ye Yuandao began coughing again.

Ye Qianzhan stared at her father in disbelief, as if he were a stranger. That slap had left her stunned, her mind blank. She stared vacantly at everyone, then turned and fled from the room.

Ye An quickly commanded, “You two, get up and go look after the young miss. Don’t let her do anything foolish.”

Juanbi and Lulan kowtowed in thanks, then dashed out like the wind.

Wen Qiumei kept patting Ye Yuandao’s back. “Enough, master, don’t be angry. Qianzhan is still young and doesn’t know any better. Don’t take it to heart.”

Ye An also helped to comfort him.

“An’er, go check on your sister. Your mother is enough for me. That girl has a fiery temper—I fear those two maids can’t manage her,” Ye Yuandao said, then began coughing once more.

Ye An glanced at his mother, as if to ask if she’d be alright alone. Wen Qiumei nodded, and only then did Ye An leave with peace of mind.

Wen Qiumei sighed. “Master, was this necessary? You’ve hurt her and yourself as well. Whatever the matter, can’t you just speak with her?”

“I lost my head in anger. I don’t know how I ended up hitting her,” Ye Yuandao replied with a deep sigh.

“I only hope she won’t hold this against me.”

Bit by bit, the sunset faded, and night fell. Another day had passed.

Ye Qianzhan did not know how long she lay on her bed crying. Her face still burned with pain. She had driven Juanbi, Lulan, and Ye An all out; now she was alone in her room.

Her father’s scolding meant little to her, but she could not bear to hear him mention her grandparents. No one could understand her feelings for them. In the years without her parents, they had cared for her, taught her how to be and how to act, laughed with her in joy, comforted her in sorrow, nursed her when she was ill. In her heart, her grandparents were everything; no one could speak ill of them.

Ye Qianzhan was not unreasonable. She knew she was at fault for today’s events; she should not have contradicted her father or spoken so unfilially. But in her fury, she had lost control. And her father was not blameless either—it was not solely her fault. How could a father not trust his own daughter? But as a daughter, was her own error the greater?

By the time dinner was served, Ye Qianzhan had yet to make sense of it all; her mind was in a fog. She gazed at herself in the mirror—her eyes were swollen like walnuts, the mark of the slap still vivid on her pale skin, her bodice soaked through with tears. She put down the mirror and returned to the main hall. Opening the door, she found Juanbi and Lulan anxiously pacing outside.

She spoke weakly, “Go tell Madam I’ll dine here, they needn’t wait for me.”

“Miss, are you alright?” Juanbi asked with concern.

Ye Qianzhan shook her head and said nothing, turning to sit in her chair.

In a flash, Juanbi disappeared into the darkness.

Lulan entered the room, knelt before her, gazed at the mark on her face, and sighed softly before fetching an ice pack. As she pressed it to her cheek, Ye Qianzhan winced in pain, prompting Lulan’s touch to grow even gentler. “The master was too harsh. In Jiangnan, you never suffered such wrongs. Coming back was a mistake,” Lulan murmured, displeasure evident in her tone.

Ye Qianzhan took the ice pack from her hand. “I know you’re trying to provoke me. I understand your intentions. I really did go too far. Otherwise, with Father’s temper, he would never have struck me.”

Lulan breathed a sigh of relief. “I was only worried you would fall out with the master, but it seems my fears were misplaced.”

“I don’t blame Father, but that doesn’t mean I admit fault. He was wrong, too. How could he strike me for the sake of an outsider?”

Lulan immediately knelt, face full of guilt. “Miss, the fault is all mine. The master only asked why I wasn’t attending you, and why I was serving tea here. I let something slip, and that’s what led to all this…” As she spoke, tears began to fall.

Ye Qianzhan lifted her up, her expression complex. “It’s not your fault. If there is blame to be laid, it belongs to one person alone—cursed Wei Zhuang.” At the mention of his name, a cold light flashed in her eyes.

Just then, Juanbi returned with a maid carrying a food box. Several favorite dishes were laid out, yet Ye Qianzhan had no appetite. She ate a few bites, then pushed the food away, reclining on her bed with a book in hand, but her gaze lingered only on the first line—her thoughts had wandered far away.

The moon rose higher, tree shadows danced outside the window, a breeze stirred, making the crystal bead curtain chime softly. The freshly arranged lotus flowers in the vase swayed gently, full of charm. Lulan rolled up the curtains and added incense to the burner—sandalwood, so calming to the spirit. Lulan was attentive in every detail. Ye Qianzhan closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. The motion tugged at her mouth, and a twinge of pain returned. Then she heard Juanbi’s voice from the outer room, “Madam, it’s so late, why have you come?”

Her mother’s gentle voice followed. “I was worried and came to check on your young miss. Is she asleep?” Juanbi shook her head, lifted the curtain for her, and Wen Qiumei crossed the gauzy screen to the bedside.

Seeing her mother, a wave of sorrow surged in Ye Qianzhan’s heart, and tears fell before she could stop them, scalding her hand. A mother is heaven’s greatest gift to mankind; her tenderness can soothe any hurt, make you forget all suffering.

Wen Qiumei pulled her close. The red mark on her face had faded but was still visible. Wen Qiumei’s eyes were rimmed with tears as she patted her daughter’s back. “My poor child, you’ve been wronged.”

At these words, Ye Qianzhan wept even harder. Her mother’s embrace was warm and safe, possessing an indescribable power.

When her tears were spent, she rested her head on her mother’s lap and talked with her. Wen Qiumei gently stroked her dark hair, her gaze full of affection. “Qianzhan, don’t hold a grudge against your father. He’s hurting, too, for having hit you.”

Ye Qianzhan buried her head in her mother’s arms, her voice muffled, “I don’t blame Father. It was my words that were too harsh, that’s why he got so angry.”

Wen Qiumei smiled softly. “I’m glad you think that way. It puts my mind at ease.”

“But… who is this Wei Zhuang, really? Why does Father trust him so?” Ye Qianzhan’s voice trembled with lingering grievance—for all of this had begun because of him.

Wen Qiumei sighed gently. “You’ve only just arrived, so it’s natural you don’t know. There is reason your father trusts him.”

Ye Qianzhan sat up at once, curiosity shining in her eyes. “Is there a story behind it?”

Wen Qiumei nodded with a smile. “In the twenty-third year of Baokang, your father’s business was in crisis—he was on the verge of bankruptcy, with no funds to turn things around. The great merchants of the capital stood by and watched, unwilling to help for fear of being dragged down. At that time, Wei Zhuang had just come to the capital. He was only a business acquaintance, not a close friend, but he gave all he had to aid your father and helped him through the ordeal.”

Ye Qianzhan was stunned. She had thought Wei Zhuang nothing more than a ruffian, certainly not a respectable man—never had she imagined he could be so…

“Later, as your father’s business grew, those who had once looked on coldly came seeking his favor. Your father greeted them with a smile but never truly trusted them again, keeping only Wei Zhuang as a close friend.”

Ye Qianzhan blinked, still unable to quite believe it. Such a man—how could it be? Her father, a man of deep feeling, would surely repay such a debt with loyalty.

At last, Ye Qianzhan understood.

She had been excessive with her father, but she was not wrong about herself.

After Wen Qiumei left, Ye Qianzhan’s heart remained in turmoil. No matter how she thought about it, Wei Zhuang did not seem like the sort to do such things. Was it prejudice on her part? No, he could not be a good man. There must be some ulterior motive behind his help to her father—she refused to believe in his kindness. Yet… sigh, so many things remained unclear to her, and the more she tried to unravel them, the more tangled her thoughts became. This day had been nothing but confusion, so much so that even in her dreams that night, chaos reigned, leaving her weary even as she slept.