Chapter 52

At noon, Xu Cuiliu was invited to go to the Tianxiang Pavilion. In the courtyard, several charcoal basins were set up, with iron plates or forks placed on them. Large and small porcelain basins filled with meat were neatly arranged on the rosewood table.

Xu Qinglian ordered the maids to invite the sisters, and soon everyone gathered. All the maids in the garden came to the news, gathering together for a lively barbecue. Perhaps due to the customs left over from the previous dynasty, no one was surprised by the barbecue.

Xu Hao had a hearty meal and drank some Daughter Red wine, feeling slightly tipsy. He did not continue to accompany the sisters in admiring the snow and chatting. Instead, he went to the front courtyard alone, sat in the hall, and drank a bowl of hot tea to sober up. The second steward, Old Li, came to report that several managers from the capital had come, bringing some New Year's gifts.

Xu Hao asked, "Where is the gift list? Let me see it."

Old Li said, "The head steward has already sent the gift list to the main lady's room. The gifts sent before the New Year were all arranged by the eldest branch. These should be their return gifts. By the time I got the news, they had already left. The servants said most of them were from the same colleagues and superiors of the eldest master. Should I go to the accounting office to ask if the list has arrived?"

"No need," Xu Hao replied, not taking it seriously. It was all about social exchanges. Since he didn't need to be involved in the socializing, he let it go.

Suddenly, he noticed Old Li's hesitant expression. Xu Hao felt a wave of drowsiness and shook his head to clear his mind. "If you have something to say, just say it."

Old Li leaned in, rubbing his hands and smiling. "Brother Hao, don't blame me for being presumptuous. I just want to ask if you are still satisfied with the maid Qiuxiang?"

Xu Hao immediately became alert, but his face still looked dazed. "Satisfied, of course. Qiuxiang has been with me for many years. If I wasn't satisfied, I would have dismissed her long ago. What do you mean, Old Li?"

"Nothing, nothing," Old Li quickly waved his hands. After some thought, he steeled himself and said, "If Brother Hao likes the maid, it would be Qiuxiang's good fortune. I will immediately ask the lady for a favor, considering our family's long service, to make Qiuxiang a concubine. If Brother Hao is just seeking novelty, I beg you to let Qiuxiang go home early."

Xu Hao's face turned red with anger. Not only was there nothing improper between him and Qiuxiang, but even if there were, he wouldn't tolerate subordinates gossiping! It wasn't that he feared public opinion; in this era, maids were for the master's use, especially a personal maid. No one would criticize his private morals, even if he eventually dismissed the maid. The problem was that such talk was too disgusting.

After a moment's thought, he knew it must have come from Lai Bao. Xu Hao was furious, but he couldn't lash out. The more you explained, the darker it became.

The best solution was to immediately dismiss Qiuxiang, and the matter would gradually subside. If Qiuxiang's family kindly proved her innocence on the wedding night, that would be best. Even if they didn't say anything, no one would criticize her, at most they would say, "This is the third young master's former maid."

Lai Bao and his parents were truly malicious, deliberately telling Old Li to use him to pressure Xu Hao. Xu Hao maliciously guessed that if he really took Qiuxiang, would Lai Bao tolerate it forever?

Few men didn't care about their wife's chastity. Even if Qiuxiang proved her innocence, this incident would leave a thorn in Lai Bao's heart. After all, Qiuxiang had served him for so many years, and young men and women living together inevitably had close interactions.

No wonder, as the outside world became more indulgent, the household's Confucian morals became stricter and more distorted. Confucian morals were very useful for gentlemen, preventing them from being blamed for things they didn't do.

Xu Hao had personally told Lai Bao that he would protect the maids in his room. Now, he didn't intend to back down. After much thought, he finally made up his mind and coldly said to Old Li, "Do you not trust me and Qiuxiang?"

Old Li smiled apologetically. "Young people, a moment of impulse is inevitable. Don't take it to heart, Brother Hao."

Xu Hao said coldly, "I will admit what I have done, but you may not believe me. This evening, let Qiuxiang go home and have a midwife examine her."

Old Li was taken aback. He had assumed the matter was mostly true, and the Li family was very happy about it. He had come out of good intentions, respecting the third young master by informing him first, then asking the lady for a favor. Once Qiuxiang became a concubine, with a young granddaughter, it wouldn't be hard for her to become a concubine.

Now it seemed that the two were indeed innocent, which left Old Li both regretful and embarrassed. Spreading rumors about the master's private life was a serious offense.

"The old servant knows his mistake, sigh!" Old Li sighed, regretting that he should have secretly asked Qiuxiang first, blaming himself for being blinded by the good news.

Xu Hao said calmly, "You are concerned about your granddaughter, and I don't blame you. But the person who told you this is truly hateful. If it spreads, I won't be able to clear my name even if I jump into the Yellow River."

Old Li said resentfully, "It was all that scoundrel Lai Bao. A toad thinking of eating a swan. Does he even deserve my granddaughter?"

Xu Hao thought of the many years he had spent with Lai Bao, more like family than anything else. He couldn't help but feel nostalgic and reluctant to let him go. But Lai Bao couldn't stay, as Qiuxiang didn't like him, and he might spread rumors out of resentment.

There was no eternal feast. Everyone would eventually part ways. Thinking of this, Xu Hao immediately said, "Spreading rumors and causing trouble must not be tolerated. Now, I have the final say in the household. Gather everyone and make this matter clear in public. Beat Lai Bao fifty times and send him to Fengyang to guard the ancestral tomb."

"Yes," Old Li understood that this was the right course of action. A harsher master might beat someone to near death and send them to the border, where they might die on the way, and their family would be sold into slavery. The third young master was clearly showing mercy, and he nodded in agreement.

Since Lai Bao's family wasn't implicated, Xu Hao wasn't worried about Lai Bao doing anything foolish. After a few years, when Qiuxiang was married, he would let him return to the estate to get married. If he continued to spread rumors during this period, there would be ways to deal with him.

After dealing with Lai Bao, Xu Hao sighed and said, "After Qiuxiang goes home tonight, she doesn't need to come back. Her clothes and jewelry will be sent over, and I will ask the lady to allow Qiuxiang to choose her own husband. This is my last wish for her."

Xu Hao looked straight into Old Li's eyes and said, "Old Li, I hope you will help your granddaughter and not interfere. Otherwise, I will make her a maid for my sister or keep her in the lady's room until she is twenty."

Old Li swallowed hard. He never expected the young third young master to be so decisive and resolute, handling matters without hesitation. He no longer dared to think of anything else, and his demeanor became more respectful as he nodded in agreement.

A well-respected maid with status and dignity was lost because of Lai Bao's speculation. Old Li deeply regretted it and hated Lai Bao.

He immediately had Lai Bao bound and made him kneel in the hall. In front of all the servants, he announced that Lai Bao had maliciously slandered Qiuxiang and caused the young master to be angry. Such a troublemaker would be beaten and sent to guard the ancestral tomb as a warning to others.

Lai Bao was不服气 (unconvinced) and struggled, shouting, "Why do you say I am slandering?" Lai Bao's parents and relatives rushed forward, shouting that the young master was wronging a good person.

Old Li smiled coldly and, in front of everyone, designated a midwife known to everyone in the village. He also asked two respected and dignified old ladies to accompany her into the room to examine Qiuxiang.

The result was obvious. Everyone cursed the slanderer and dispersed. Lai Bao's family had no more to say. At this moment, the lady sent someone to coldly inform them that no one was allowed to plead for mercy, cutting off the last hope.

Regardless of the beaten Lai Bao, the most painful person was the innocent Qiuxiang. However, proving her innocence meant that no one would look down on her in the future. Being able to hold her head high was more important than anything. As for being a maid, it wouldn't last long; at the latest, she would be married by eighteen.

Xu Hao ordered Musk Moon to send all of Qiuxiang's clothes and jewelry, and added fifty taels of silver. Lady Xiao, seeing that Qiuxiang had cleared her son's reputation, was happy and also gave fifty taels of silver as a dowry. Xu Qinglian and Xu Hongye, remembering their long friendship, each gave ten taels and some jewelry. The other maids and servants also contributed, adding up to fifteen taels of silver.

The matter quickly reached the old lady's ears. After hearing the entire story, she praised her grandson for his decisive handling of the situation and sent Yue Lan with sixty taels of silver as a reward.

Yue Lan and the other maids, who had entered the household with Qiuxiang, had grown up together. Seeing the situation, they also contributed, totaling twenty taels of silver. The other two ladies, seeing that the old lady had acted, each sent twenty taels of silver.

In total, it amounted to over three hundred taels of silver, enough for the Li family to marry Qiuxiang off in style. It was a blessing in disguise, and they happily thanked everyone.

Only Qiuxiang cried her eyes out, looking at the pile of silver on the bed, overwhelmed with sorrow, and fell to the ground crying.