Chapter 2 The Black Hearted Aunt

Mo Xuetong took the handkerchief beside her pillow and wiped away her tears. She tilted her pale face up, deep confusion in her wide, dark eyes as she looked at Mo Zhu. Something about that look made Mo Zhu feel cold and she shuddered, retracting her hand subconsciously. Her words caught in her throat, but she didn’t dare leave. Mother Xu walked up and pushed Mo Zhu aside, glaring at her. She put thick, lotus pink embroidered pillows behind Mo Xuetong and carefully helped her lean onto them. “Tong’er isn’t feeling well. Why are you letting her sit up? Don’t make her sicker. Hurry and let her lie down.” Madam Yu sighed. “It is so painful to see how the world treats motherless children. Even their own servants don’t try as hard. Aunt will give you another two maids in a couple of days and change a few servants around so we can get rid of the lazy ones,” Mother Xu continued to place the pillows Mo Xuetong had just awakened from a coma after falling in the river. Her face was pale and drawn, helping her look pitiful. She hid the coldness in her eyes and looked up gratefully. “Auntie, I don’t want to sleep. If I fall asleep, I’m afraid won’t wake up!” she said weakly. “The doctor said I shouldn’t sleep too much. I thank auntie for her good intentions. Mother Xu and the others have worked hard to serve me. They were all left to me by mother. I wouldn’t dare just switch servants.” Was that a gentle enough rejection? Madam Yu’s smile froze. She looked her niece over carefully and saw only a gentle smile on her young face. The only difference was her eyes. They seemed brighter than usual, lights dancing against a deep, dark black. There was a subtle sharpness in her words. It didn’t sound like something the weak and cowardly Mo Xuetong would say. In the past, no matter how she felt, Mo Xuetong would never dare contradict her openly. Could something have happened when the girl fell the water? Madam Yu couldn’t help looking suspicious. Mo Xuetong pretended not to notice Madam Yu’s wariness. “Mo Zhu, why aren’t you serving Auntie tea?” Mo Zhu looked at Mo Xuetong, shocked by her words. She saw Mo Xuetong leaning against a large pillow, watching her. The void in the girl’s eyes felt like cold water running down the back of Mo Zhu’s neck. It was a look that seemed to see straight into the heart. She shuddered, not daring to speak, and hurriedly turned to get the tea for Madam Yu. She served the tea with a pale face, only calming down when Madam Yu gave her a relaxed nod. She stood behind Madam Yu with her head and shoulders bowed, making it clear she was Madam Yu’s servant. She told herself there was no reason to be afraid. Her madam would protect her. Madam Yu was too focused on Mo Xuetong to notice Mo Zhu’s odd behavior, even if it did break decorum. Mo Xuetong glanced at her but didn’t ask her to return. Madam Yu took a sip of tea before setting it aside and taking Mo Xuetong’s hand. “If you aren’t willing to part with them, your Auntie will not try to force the issue. I have been worrying about you for two days and you look so weak,” she said gently. “I’ll have somebody bring by some ginseng later. You must take care of your body. A young girl cannot afford to let her body grow frail.” Ginseng? Mo Xuetong looked down to hide her anger. In her past life, Madam Yu had sent her rotten ginseng. When Mother Xu saw it, she knew it was unusable and used the century old ginseng she kept for emergencies instead. When Madam Yu found out, she had pretended to be ill, saying she had given Mo Xuetong the only strong ginseng in the house. In the end, she had gotten Mo Xuetong’s superior ginseng while still looking caring and generous. “Thank you, Auntie, for the kind offer, but I am afraid you are correct. I am an unfortunate child. Such a precious thing would be wasted on me,” Mo Xuetong said, gently pulling her hand away. “Ginseng only extends the life of the fortunate. If Aunt really wants to help, she can help me send it to grandmother. If grandmother is well, it will be a great comfort to me, and I will surely recover faster.” She clutched her handkerchief, the very picture of vulnerable innocence. Anyone who looked at her would see an easy target, a cowardly and gullible girl. Madam Yu sighed in relief. She was overthinking things. What could a neglected orphan do to her? Seeing the satisfaction on Madam Yu’s face, Mother Xu couldn’t keep quiet. “Miss, don’t say that. Madam’s been so good to you. It must hurt her to hear you talk like that. And how can you be unfortunate? You are the granddaughter of a lord. That is not something to take lightly. If anything happens to you here, Madam will make sure somebody is held responsible.” Madam Yu’s heart skipped a beat. She knew Mother Xu had not brought up the lord to comfort Mo Xuetong, but to threaten Madam Yu. Could they have discovered something? Madam Yu tried to force her smile to be even more gentle and warm. “Tong’er, you must not speak of yourself like that! If there is anything you are unhappy about, please tell me. I won’t let my dear niece suffer. When you’re ready to eat, tell the servants to bring you something.” Dear niece? Mo Xuetong could have laughed in her face, but her smile stayed sweet. She looked up hesitantly. “Aunt, can I really tell you why I’m upset?” she asked, biting her lip fearfully. She looked awkward, as if she wanted to say something, but couldn’t find the courage. “Of course, Tong’er. Tell your Aunt. Did somebody bully you?” Mo Xuetong struggled to sit up and pointed to Mo Zhu. “Mo Zhu, kneel down! Aunt, please take Mo Zhu away. I cannot bear her service any longer.” Mo Zhu had not expected to get in trouble, but she still had Madam Yu on her side. She knelt but straightened her neck indignantly. “Miss, why do you ask me to kneel and say you cannot bear my service? What do I have to do with your misfortune? Are you simply taking your anger out on me because I am only a servant?” She covered her face and began to sob. Everyone besides Mother Xu hurried to her side, offering comfort. “You’ve plotted against your mistress. Why should I not send you aw-” Before she could finish her statement, Mo Xuetong coughed violently, clutching her chest as if she was about to faint. The room was thrown into panic. Only Madam Yu paid any attention to Mo Zhu, staring at her viciously. Mo Zhu reacted quickly, falling to her knees with a thud in front of Mo Xuetong and staying there, even as the physician came in to take Mo Xuetong’s pulse. Things slowly calmed down, but Mo Xuetong was paler. She looked as if she couldn’t breath in as much air as she breathed out. After the physician left, Mo Xuetong took a sip from a blue ceramic cut Mother Xu held for her. She looked at Madam Yu with tears in her eyes. “I am sorry to scare you aunt. My body hasn’t recovered from my fall into the river.” She turned and saw Mo Zhu again and was suddenly overwhelmed with rage. With a surge of strength, she grabbed her cup and hurled it at Mo Zhu. She was still weak, so the cup shattered against the floor in front of the kneeling girl, a couple steps short of hitting her. The clear sound of the shattering ceramic surprised everyone. “Aunt, Mo Zhu has plotted against me! I fell into the late because she pushed me. If you don’t believe me, ask Cousin Xuan... I don’t know what I did to offend her so badly! Sh-She wanted to kill me!” She was overtaken by another coughing fit. She was certain Cousin Xuan would take her side. In her last life, he had told her that he suspected Mo Zhu. The coughing panicked Madam Yu. She patted Mo Xuetong’s back gently, glaring viciously at Mo Zhu. The maid was in shock, unable to believe what she was hearing. “You whore, how dare you try to harm your mistress!? Men, take her outside and give her forty strokes of the cane.” Madam Yu could not afford to protect Mo Zhu. Mo Xuetong was furious, and she’d even implied Qin Yuxuan could back her up. If she did not respond appropriately, it might even cause problems for her. Mo Zhu looked around the room. Mo Xuetong was coughing so hard she could not breath and Madam Yu was looking down at Mo Zhu in distain. She realized she was beyond Madam Yu’s protection and threw herself at Madam Yu’s feet. She cried, screamed, bowed until her head touched the floor. “Shut her mouth and take her away,” Madam Yu said coldly. If Qin Yuxuan had seen the incident, she could not keep this trouble causing girl around. Mo Xuetong slumped against the embroidered pillow, clutching her chest in pain. The sight of Mo Zhu being dragged out like a dead animal did nothing to soften her heart. She could taste the copper tang in her mouth again, as if she was still in that fire, blood running down her face. In the end, Mo Zhu only received thirty strokes of the cane. She died before she could receive the other ten. Madam Yu had her body dragged out, then went to comfort Mo Xuetong. Her niece looked weak, but her eyes filled with tears of gratitude. Considering the problem dealt with, Madam Yu returned to the house with her servants, telling Mother Xu to fetch her if Mo Xuetong needed anything. Once everyone was gone, Mo Xuetong forced her eyes open and struggled to sit up. “Mother Xu, help me up. I have to write a letter.” Madam Yu’s property in Cloud City was far from the capital. It was rare for anything important to happen here and the carriage that delivered letters only came once every five days. It was here today, so if she did not send the letter, it would be five more days until she had another chance. The people Auntie Fang sent would leave soon. She could not afford to wait five days. She had to find a way back to the capital as soon as possible.