Chapter 57: Helping Behind the Scenes

“That’s not quite it. My grandmother originally wanted to offer our support. At first, my father and second uncle were somewhat hesitant, but they couldn’t withstand my grandmother’s anger, so they both agreed in the end. They said they would go talk to my uncle-in-law, declaring that we couldn’t just sit silently by our Dong residence while my cousin was being bullied to the point of silence. My grandmother even said she wanted to bring Sister Jing over to live with us, but Sister Jing refused!” Song Wenxuan plucked two leaves from a nearby tree and fanned them beside his ear.

“Oh?” Dong Junhao glanced in the direction Tantai Jing had left. The girl indeed possessed a stubborn streak; clearly, she had felt deeply wronged just now, yet she had stubbornly refused to show it in front of him!

It was rare to see Dong Junhao take an interest in anything, so Song Wenxuan eagerly began to recount the details without delay. “Sister Jing came to implore Grandmother earlier, asking for a trusted matron and a manager from an outside shop so she could manage the affairs of the Tantai residence herself without involving Grandmother. She even said that if she truly found herself at her wits' end, she would ask Grandmother to step in then.”

“So capable?” Dong Junhao asked with a hint of inquiry, feeling that the trace of a slap on Tantai Jing’s face just moments ago was somewhat glaring.

“Isn’t that so? Sister Jing is truly a woman of capability, absolutely possessing the demeanor of a heroine who is second to none among men. Grandmother kept a backup plan, assigning two matrons to Sister Jing and having Mother Gui report back to her daily on everything happening in the Tantai household. And you wouldn’t believe what happened next!” Song Wenxuan adopted the cadence of a professional storyteller and launched into the tale with relish.

“First, Sister Jing placed her stepmother and the twins under confinement, and then she stripped them of the right to manage household affairs. But that wasn’t all. There was a shameless, impoverished scholar in their academy who tried to take advantage of her misfortune. Believing Sister Jing had lost her voice, he plotted to marry beneath him and set his sights on her. Even my grandmother wanted to send someone to teach that scoundrel a lesson, but you see, it didn’t even require Grandmother’s intervention!”

With a look of building suspense, Song Wenxuan stared at Dong Junhao and asked, “Guess what happened?”

Dong Junhao cast a sidelong glance at Song Wenxuan, wearing an expression that seemed to say he could care less whether he told the story or not. Unable to contain himself any longer, Song Wenxuan checked to ensure no one else was around, leaned in, and whispered, “Sister Jing forged the handwriting of that scoundrel and the Fifth Miss Tantai, arranging a rendezvous for them both. As it turned out, that Fifth Miss Tantai is truly ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth; she actually confessed her feelings to the fellow right in front of more than a dozen students from the academy, who heard every single word clearly!”

Hearing this, Dong Junhao nodded slightly. This Tantai Jing was considered quite intelligent; she had neither given up on herself nor allowed others to trample upon her. She was a commendable person indeed.

How could Song Wenxuan stop right when the story reached its most exciting part? He pressed on, “And that’s not all! With this, the rumors linking Sister Jing to that scoundrel were finally dispelled, and her reputation as a young lady of good standing was preserved. Who would have thought that a pack of scoundrels in the Ye family would take advantage of the time Sister Jing was managing household affairs to strike at the steward’s wife, slandering both the Tantai residence and Sister Jing? Fortunately, good people are rewarded with good deeds—that Ma Yuantong from Sister Jing’s academy happened to stumble upon the plot and ultimately saved the reputation of the Tantai household!”

“Ma Yuantong? The one promoted by Imperial Censor Zheng?” Dong Junhao asked leisurely.

“Yes! That’s the one!” Song Wenxuan said with a broad smile. “Mother Gui said that Ma Yuantong holds unusual feelings for Sister Jing. It’s just that Sister Jing is still young and doesn’t seem to care much about such matters, showing no response at all. However, Grandmother feels that Ma Yuantong’s background is rather humble; even if his future prospects are promising, he still cannot compare to our family!”

Dong Junhao nodded gently in agreement. The official ranks of the Dong family were all at the lower fourth rank or above, far beyond what Ma Yuantong could match. Even if Ma Yuantong achieved a brilliant future later in life, he would likely be in his thirties or forties by then. For a young lady of a noble household, if she could secure her future in one step by marrying into a prominent family, there was no need to waste her youth enduring hardship alongside an impoverished scholar!

“Then what about today?” Dong Junhao glanced back at the path Tantai Jing had taken. “Your cousin appeared to have been struck across the face.”

“Struck across the face?” Song Wenxuan instantly jumped to his feet, demanding, “Who dared to strike my Sister Jing?”

Dong Junhao sighed. Song Wenxuan’s powers of observation were truly lacking; even though Tantai Jing had applied powder, the faint outline of five fingerprints on her face should have been discernible.

Blustering indignantly, Song Wenxuan declared, “It must have been that woman, Madame Ye! Today is Sister Jing’s birthday, yet she actually dared to raise a hand against her. This is simply going too far! Does she think there is no one left in the Dong family?”

Dong Junhao remained noncommittal. Just as Song Wenxuan was about to rush off and complain to their grandmother, Dong Junhao pulled him back and said with a stern face, “Do you really think you can help Tantai Jing by charging over there like a fool? If anything happens to her, the two matrons by the Grand Matriarch’s side will naturally report back to her. Since Madame Ye is Tantai Jing’s stepmother, striking her stepdaughter—unreasonable though it may be—carries no real consequence. A few words from the elders would simply smooth the matter over. Could Tantai Jing possibly accuse her own stepmother in court?”

“Even the Grand Matriarch wouldn’t say anything? Tantai Jing specifically applied powder to conceal the mark, which clearly shows she didn’t want to make a fuss. What are you planning to stir up by going over there?” Dong Junhao frowned and said, “You are already a married man; why are you still so lacking in composure?”

Chastised by Dong Junhao, Song Wenxuan finally calmed down, though he remained profoundly unwilling to let it go. “We can’t just let Sister Jing be bullied like this!”

Pointing directly at Song Wenxuan, Dong Junhao said, “Did you learn all those Thirty-Six Stratagems for nothing? If you cannot act openly, can’t you resort to covert measures? If you can’t even protect your own cousin, how can you harbor ambitions of becoming a general and guarding the common folk?”

Song Wenxuan narrowed his small eyes and looked knowingly at Dong Junhao. “So you’re saying you support me in helping Sister Jing?”

Before Dong Junhao could reply, Song Wenxuan patted his chest and declared, “I’ll take that as a yes! The rest of us brothers and sisters have long wanted to help Sister Jing, but Grandmother held us back, and we didn’t dare act for fear of incurring her scolding!”

“Now it’s settled! Since you support it, Grandmother certainly won’t object. If we end up making a huge commotion and dealing with that impoverished scholar and the twins from the Tantai residence, and Grandmother blames us for it, you’ll have to smooth things over for us. You must make sure I don’t end up receiving a beating with the paddle!” Pointing at Dong Junhao, Song Wenxuan insisted on extracting a promise from him.

“We are the same age, yet when you commit a blunder, you still expect me to clean up the mess for you?” Dong Junhao said in exasperation. “How is it that the older you get, the more childlike you become?”

Proudly, Song Wenxuan retorted, “I am the undisputed king of children within the great courtyard of the Dong residence. Don’t look at us as being the same age; you are already a father, while I only recently married. You and I are no longer cut from the same cloth!”

“A little daughter was born in your household too, so naturally you feel for her. You certainly wouldn’t want your own daughter to be treated with such harshness, would you? Therefore, helping Sister Jing vent her anger is only right and proper. Besides, Grandmother favors you the most; if anything goes wrong, you can just put in a good word for me!” With those words, Song Wenxuan dashed off, leaving Dong Junhao shaking his head repeatedly behind him.