Palace Coup 38

The Xie Family Manor.

By the side of the flowing stream, groups of farm women and young girls were chatting and laughing as they beat and washed laundry, while young children gathered nearby to play. Whenever a child ventured too close to the water, the adults would sternly warn them to keep their distance.

Far downstream, an elderly man with white hair, nearing his sixtieth year, was silently washing clothes. He seemed to have deliberately chosen a corner far away from the crowd. His eyesight was failing; occasionally, he would lift the fabric close to his face to carefully check for any lingering stains. At this moment, the pale pink bodice he held was clearly the undergarment of a young woman.

After returning to the manor, Xie Miaoxuan had slept through the entire day following her medicine. She awoke to find only a sliver of daylight remaining. Stretching her aching, stiff body, which cracked and popped with every movement, she wandered toward the stream. Seeing the scene from afar, she felt a flicker of curiosity and stopped to watch.

The women washing nearby seemed accustomed to the sight of the old man scrubbing a young woman's garment, and no one spoke up to criticize the impropriety. Even more surprising to Xie Miaoxuan was the presence of Xie Yuanju on the opposite bank. He was sitting on a stone stool by the water, seemingly staring at her, though the distance was too great to discern his expression.

Why was he here instead of resting in his room? Yesterday, both he and Lige had returned covered in blood. Because of his previous injuries compounded by yesterday's, the physician had strictly ordered Lige to remain bedridden, warning that any further exertion could drain his remaining life force, rendering even a celestial being helpless to save him. As for Xie Yuanju, who had pitted his own flesh against rocks and mountains, the physician had only shaken his head and sighed, urging him to rest lest he suffer permanent damage to his bones and sinews.

Yet here he was, disregarding the doctor’s orders!

She was about to walk over when a voice rang out. "The Young Lady! The Young Lady is here!"

The wife of Bai Yan quickly stood up, wiping her hands on her apron in a flurry of nervousness, and bowed to her. At her call, the others nearby rose to offer their respects. Xie Miaoxuan smiled kindly, gesturing for them to continue their work. "Carry on. I’m just out for a walk to stretch my limbs; pay me no mind."

As she strolled slowly downstream, Xie Yuanju spotted her and rose to meet her. They arrived at the old man’s side at the same time, coming from opposite ends of the stream. Both were figures who naturally drew eyes wherever they went.

With a refined gentleman and a stunningly elegant lady standing beside him, Old Man Wen grew flustered. He stood up and bowed respectfully, his face flushing a deep, unnatural red. He knew that as an old man washing women’s undergarments, he was committing a social breach, which was why he had tried to avoid the crowd. Now, having been caught by nobility, he feared he had offended their eyes—and worse, he feared being driven away, as he was not originally from the manor.

Rubbing his calloused thumb against his knuckles, he offered a tentative, ingratiating smile, his posture hunching further. "Forgive me, noble ones... I shall not wash here again."

Suddenly, a young boy, sturdy as a calf, charged over and threw his arms out to shield the old man, his expression fierce. "Don't you dare bully my grandfather!" He brandished a twig, snarling like a wolf cub.

Wife of Bai Yan, who had been watching from the corner of her eye, noticed Xie Yuanju’s brow twitch as if in anger. Unable to stand by, she rushed over and shoved the boy aside. "Aman, do not be rude! These are the Young Lady and the Young Master." Ever since Xie Miaoxuan had dealt with Cao Youxin, she had introduced Xie Yuanju to the heads of the households. Word had spread that he was the Young Lady’s fiancé, so the villagers, following the lead of Big Ox, addressed him as "Young Master."

"The very grain that keeps your family alive was provided by the Young Lady!"

After scolding the boy, she turned to Xie Miaoxuan, her voice softening. "Young Lady, this is Old Man Wen, Aman’s grandfather. After the wife of the Sun family gave birth to her second child, she suffered a massive hemorrhage and nearly lost her life. Now, with both mother and child bedridden, all the household chores have fallen upon Old Man Wen. Though he is a man, he always washes the clothes downstream so as not to disturb us."

"The little one is Aman, the Sun family’s eldest son. Since A-Liang passed away, there has been no able-bodied laborer in their home. They didn't even plant their fields this year. If not for you dealing with Cao Youxin and providing grain to everyone, this family of the old, the young, and the sick... alas, they would surely have perished."

"I hope you will not hold his impropriety against him."

For those at the bottom of society, the prerequisite for observing etiquette is survival. Xie Miaoxuan finally understood: the woman of the Sun family had married into the manor. Her husband, A-Liang, was a man of integrity who often voiced his discontent with Cao Youxin’s exploitation. For this, Cao Youxin had him sold into hard labor, and three months later, only his corpse was returned. The trauma of his death caused the wife to go into premature labor and suffer a hemorrhage; the second daughter was born frail as a sickly kitten, and the mother nearly died herself.

Old Man Wen could not bear to watch his daughter perish or his grandchildren suffer, so he moved from the neighboring village to care for them. He had been a widower for years, and his daughter was his only child. Knowing they were on the brink of starvation and death, he disregarded the gossip to look after his own blood.

Cao Youxin deserved a thousand deaths; Xie Miaoxuan even felt a pang of regret for ending his life so swiftly!

She spoke gently, "Nothing is more important than life itself. Etiquette must be built upon the foundation of survival. As an elder, Old Man Wen’s devotion to his daughter and grandchildren, sacrificing his own reputation for their sake, is worthy of imitation. Anyone who shows him disrespect shall answer to me with a few lashes!"

"Since the wife of the Sun family is still ill, I shall send a physician to treat her shortly. I will cover the cost of all medicinal herbs."

Hearing that not only was she not being blamed, but that she was receiving help, the wife of Bai Yan felt a swell of empathy and tears pricked her eyes. Previously, when Old Man Wen first arrived, many of the village women had come to curse him, claiming his actions brought shame upon the manor and ruined the reputation of its women—that a father should never wash a daughter’s intimate garments, and that he ought to just go hang himself instead. She had tried to defend him, only to be insulted by the mob.

Now, with the Young Lady’s protection and the promise of a physician, she felt a sense of vindication, itching to show off this news to those very women.