Líng Qióng exited Anpintang Hall, slipped out of the secret door, and sternly instructed the gatekeeper boy. She then asked where the maidservant Líng Jìng was. Upon learning her location, she headed straight for the accounts room.
Líng Jìng was in the accounts room tallying the household's monthly expenses. Seeing Líng Qióng lift the curtain and enter, her eyes sparkling with a smile, she said in surprise, "So quickly?"
Líng Qióng proudly lifted her chin, sat down on the chair with an imposing air, and gave herself a thumbs-up, saying, "Don't forget who handled this. This young lady handles business, one person is worth two."
Líng Jìng smiled indulgently, shook her head slightly, and then continued with her ledgers.
Líng Qióng's eyes lingered with laughter, which did not fade. She slowly got up and moved, reclining languidly on the couch, one leg propped up. She grabbed a handful of roasted beans and tossed them into her mouth. Thinking of something amusing, she suddenly giggled.
She shook her head to herself and said, "The monk, heh, what a monk."
Líng Jìng glanced at her, too lazy to bother. She sometimes fell into her old, muddled ways, terminally ill and incurable.
Líng Qióng giggled foolishly, savoring the memory. "The young monk is truly interesting."
Líng Jìng gave her a sidelong glance and gathered her ledgers. "What? More interesting than the top courtesans at the Golden Wind Jade Dew Tower? Focus your fanciful thoughts first. I ask you, did you give Ā Cén another token again?"
"Huh? What? What token?" Líng Qióng feigned ignorance. As soon as she sensed trouble, she immediately fled, "Oh dear, I just remembered I have something to do. I almost forgot. Look at my memory, I almost messed up something important. I'll be going now, we'll talk later."
Before she finished speaking, she had already slipped out the door.
This is like protesting one's innocence too much.
Líng Jìng sighed helplessly, resting her forehead on her hand. "Not a single one of them is easy to deal with."
She tidied her desk, turned, and went to Líng Cén's courtyard, to lie in wait. Líng Cén couldn't hold onto money; he was a spendthrift who acted solely on impulse, capable of squandering a mountain of gold and a sea of silver.
No one in the family indulged Líng Cén more than anyone else. He had been left to his own devices since childhood. If he wasn't properly reined in with his wild nature, coupled with the recklessness of a newborn calf, he was simply lawless, a true second-generation wastrel.
As Líng Huái returned home from his studies, he saw Líng Dāng's personal maid waiting outside the courtyard gate from afar.
The maid trembled and called out to him, "Fifth Young Master."
Líng Huái glanced at the servant standing by the door, then calmly continued as if nothing had happened, asking indifferently, "What is it?"
The maid followed him into the courtyard, head bowed. "Fourth Miss sent this servant to return a book."
Líng Huái pushed open the room door and went directly into the inner chamber.
He stopped and turned. The maid was already kneeling. She said in a desperate and sincere tone, "Young Master, this servant has decided. If you mercifully spare my life, this life belongs to you from yesterday onwards. I will obey your every command without fail! If I go back on my word, may I die a terrible death!"
Líng Huái put down the books he had taken to the academy for his lessons, went around to the back of the desk, and sat down. "What is your name?"
"Reporting to Young Master, my name is Kuí Qīng."
"What did Ā Dāng do at home today?"
Kuí Qīng reported everything to him.
Líng Huái listened attentively. When the maid finished speaking, he took out a small, exquisite box from his robe and gently pushed it to the edge of the table.
He said, "Do you know what to do now?"
Kuí Qīng cupped the box in her hands, bowed, and said, "This servant understands."
"You may leave."
Kuí Qīng put away the box and quickly left the courtyard. Just as she was about to turn the corner towards the inner courtyard, Líng Jìng emerged elegantly from the doorway, running into her directly.
Líng Huái's courtyard was adjacent to Líng Cén's, so it was inevitable they would encounter each other when coming and going.
Kuí Qīng was a little flustered. She quickly bowed, hiding her face, and mumbled, "Third Miss."
Líng Jìng looked her up and down, her brow furrowed slightly. "Why are you in Ā Huái's courtyard instead of looking after Ā Dāng?"
Kuí Qīng, her heart pounding, replied, "Reporting to Miss, a few days ago, Fourth Miss was bored at home and borrowed a book from Fifth Young Master. She just finished it today, and as I had nothing else to do, she ordered me to return it."
Líng Jìng said "Oh" perfunctorily. After a moment of silence, she spoke slowly, urging Kuí Qīng not to linger outside and to hurry back. As she spoke, her tone suddenly changed, as if making a swift turn, hitting a vital point: "What book was it?"
Kuí Qīng shrank her neck and replied in a voice as soft as a mosquito, "This servant cannot read."
Líng Jìng pursed her lips, exhaled, and waved her away casually. "Never mind, go back quickly. Later, I'll hire a tutor to teach you to recognize some characters. And you should go to the young masters' courtyards less often. The young masters and ladies are growing up day by day, and their actions and demeanor must be proper and discreet. If Ā Dāng is bored at home and needs to borrow something like ink, paper, or an inkstone, she can get it from the stewards directly from my place. If the young masters need to read, don't bother them all the time. Also, if Ā Dāng wants to go out and play, just tell me, and I'll arrange it."
Kuí Qīng swallowed and replied in a low voice, "Yes."
Líng Jìng watched Kuí Qīng walk away and murmured, "I always feel this maid is hiding something."
She then looked towards Líng Huái's Cui Song Courtyard. After pondering for a while, worried that Líng Huái was up to something behind her back again, she said to the maid beside her, "Wait here. As soon as Ā Cén returns, inform me immediately."
Líng Jìng arrived uninvited. Líng Huái raised an eyelid, his brush and ink not stopping. "Is there another great matter that requires your presence at this humble abode?"
"Can't I visit your room if there's nothing?" Líng Jìng hooked a finger at the leaves of a potted orchid on his desk. "The flowers are growing well."
Her eyes casually swept over to the inkstone, where a pair of ceramic Fúwá figurines were placed. It was normal to have such trinkets on a desk, but these two ugly ones without noses or eyes were too unusual.
Líng Jìng reached out to pick them up.
Unexpectedly, Líng Huái, as if not noticing her, but actually being wary and anticipating her next move, snatched them back before she could.
Líng Huái said, "These are private collections, not for lending."
Líng Jìng snorted lightly and, as if nothing had happened, slowly withdrew her empty hand.
Anyone could tell who the item came from.
She truly couldn't understand why Ā Dāng was always so fond of these strange and ugly things. Normally, her taste was fine, but when faced with something shockingly ugly, she would immediately treat it like a treasure and eagerly collect it.
Beautiful things were abundant, but those who cherished ugly things were truly one in a million.
Growing up together under the same roof, how did they each develop such unique personalities?
Líng Jìng, having gotten nowhere, gave up on trying to coax information out of Líng Huái. She turned to leave, muttering, "Look at how stingy he is, not letting me touch them. They aren't rare treasures."
"I cherish them just fine." Líng Huái carefully placed them back in their original positions. He raised his eyes slightly and said with ill intent, "Speaking of cherished treasures, Third Sister, instead of watching me, why don't you keep an eye on Ā Cén and Little Seven?"
Líng Jìng stopped in her tracks and turned to glare at him. "What do you mean?"
Líng Huái's fingertips stroked the Fúwá figurines. "One is secretly raising a courtyard full of rare treasures, and the other is secretly hoarding a bed full of snacks that are good raw or cooked. If you don't manage them, one will be testing treasures on the household servants, and the other will grow sideways."
Líng Jìng left the courtyard in a fit of anger. The maid waiting outside Líng Cén's courtyard hurried forward to report, "The Sixth Young Master hasn't returned to his room yet."
"It's good that he hasn't returned." Líng Jìng's face was as dark as water. Holding up her skirt, she strode into Líng Cén's Chong Bai Courtyard and commanded sternly by the entrance, "Someone search!"
"Chuanhua Granny, take a few maids to the Seventh Young Master's room and search under his bed! From tomorrow onwards, apart from the main meals of the day, he is not to be given anything else to eat!"
The sun set, and the rosy clouds filled the sky, reflecting a festive mood.
However, there was no hint of festivity in the Ling Family. Líng Cén and Líng Ān knelt side by side in the center of the main hall.
In front of the long table in the hall lay jars and jars of insects, large and small, round, flat, and square, all kinds imaginable. On the other side lay half-opened and broken snacks of various types.
Líng Jìng, holding the Family Law Cane aggressively, was held back by Líng Qióng, who was pulling at her fiercely, preventing her from approaching.
Líng Cén, kneeling on the ground, wailed at the top of his lungs, "Third Sister, please don't hit me. I'm afraid of pain. I lost my mother, and I lost my father. No one cared for me since I was little, and no one played with me. Only those insects didn't dislike me…"
Líng Ān, with his chubby arms and legs, knelt improperly. A wet nurse held him on a kneeling cushion. He pouted, clutched his collar, his eyes red like a bunny's, looking at the snacks that had been uncovered. Tears rolled down his chubby cheeks one by one.
Líng Dāng hid behind a pillar, observing the outbreak of a family crisis.
Although Líng Cén cried loudly, it was all show, a display of a sad facade, completely unrepentant.
As for Líng Ān, he was barely able to kneel, not even reaching the threshold. He looked pitiful with his teary eyes, but his grievance was about his hidden stash of snacks which had now flown away.
"Silence!"
Líng Jìng snapped at Líng Cén, startling him into sudden silence. He hiccuped from stopping too abruptly.
Líng Ān, his eyes full of tears, accused, "Jiā Jiā is bad!"
Líng Jìng laughed in anger. "I'm bad? Look at these things you've hidden. Which one is edible? Who will be responsible if you get stomachaches? Will I feel the stomachache? Have I shortchanged you in food or drink? Do you have to be so short-sighted?! I wonder, why are things always missing in the house? The fruits and melons offered at the ancestral altar yesterday are reduced to just a few by the next morning. So, the hardest person to guard against is the thief in your own house!"
Her gaze shifted to Líng Cén. "And you! I said the medicinal herbs stored in your room never add up. You come home after dark every day from school, and no amount of silver you carry is enough for you. In the end, you were supplying both ends, feeding your insects?!".
Líng Qióng quickly intervened, "Calm down, they are still children. What do they know? Why bother with them."
"Precisely because they don't know that they need to be taught to understand reason and distinguish right from wrong!" Líng Jìng suddenly turned back. "Eldest Sister, you too! Don't try to smooth things over! You've spoiled them all! Relying on the money you earn, if Ā Cén wants a token, you give him a token. If Little Seven wants food, you bring home food every day. If they ask for the stars or the moon, you'd agree and bring a ladder to pick them! What kind of parent spoils their children like you do?!"
Líng Qióng nodded repeatedly in agreement, "Yes, yes, yes, it's all my fault. I will reflect on it, I will change. Let's talk things through. Don't take your anger out on the children. If you hit them now in your anger, you'll be the one crying later. Forget it, forget it. Let's eat first. Everyone is hungry. We'll talk after we've eaten…"
In the end, it was all thanks to Líng Qióng's silver tongue that a physical punishment was avoided.
Líng Cén and Líng Ān were punished by being made to kneel in the Ancestral Hall for reflection.
Líng Jìng issued a decree forbidding anyone from visiting or feeding them.
The night watchman struck the third watch.
Líng Dāng put on a cloak and got out of bed. She tiptoed downstairs and, under the dim moonlight, sneaked into the Ancestral Hall.
"Ā Cén, Little Seven, are you asleep?"
"Fourth Sister?" Líng Cén's face lit up with joy. "Little Seven, wake up, don't sleep, Fourth Sister is here."
Líng Dāng entered the room carrying a pile of pastries. "Eat quickly."
Líng Cén ate ravenously, mumbling indistinctly, "I haven't been hungry for so long."
Líng Ān was still groggy from sleep. Líng Dāng shook him awake. He rubbed his eyes and only fully woke up after a while. As soon as he saw her, his eyes welled up, and tears streamed down his face like a string of pearls.
He whimpered as he shoved pastries into his mouth.
Líng Dāng patted his back and coaxed him in a low voice.
Líng Cén looked at her expectantly. "Fourth Sister, tell me the truth, did you report me?"
"Am I that kind of person?"
"Yes."
Líng Dāng immediately slapped him on the head with the force of an iron palm.
She grabbed his ear and said, "Do you really think everyone else is a fool? You gave those tainted pastries and fruits to the maids and servants. Which time did they eat them and not get stomachaches or vomit and have diarrhea? They were all dizzy and broke out in rashes. After repeated incidents, who wouldn't guess that you were tampering with them? Use your brain."
"Besides, if I were really willing to betray you, would I drag Little Seven down with you to suffer? In the end, it was you who did wrong.You can raisehex and poison, no one will stop you, but you should never have used it on your own family. If you had used the poison in the right place, who would have said a word against you?"
Líng Cén frowned and retorted, dissatisfied, "When did I poison my own family?"
Líng Dāng slapped him on the head again and lectured, "Our own servants are also our family. They are all human; they can't transform into monsters."
Líng Cén held his head, feeling wronged. "Why are you only hitting me? Little Seven also made a mistake! You only scold me and not him; you're biased!"
Líng Dāng said righteously, "Little Seven's habit of hoarding food came from his childhood when he didn't have enough to eat, so he developed a survival instinct. You've been educated and can distinguish right from wrong, so you can't equate the two."
Líng Cén was indignant, lying on the ground with his back to her. "I'm not talking to you anymore. You're always right. Hmph, I see clearly now. If Little Seven wasn't here, you wouldn't have come either. Like Fifth Brother, I'm adopted. You all flatter Fifth Brother because he's good at studying. I'm not good at studying, so you all dislike me. Anyway, no one in this family cares about me. I might as well go out and beg. No matter what, I'll still be uncared for, and being a beggar would be more freeing."
"You get what you wish for." Líng Dāng nudged his shoulder. "Eventually, you'll truly be adopted."
Líng Dāng coaxed Líng Ān to sleep, then lay down next to Líng Cén and let him sleep. She tucked the cloak around them and made sure they were covered tightly.
She stood up and said, "I'm leaving now. You take good care of Little Seven."
Líng Cén didn't reply. She stopped and turned back with a smile. "If Third Sister were truly willing to punish you, she wouldn't have left anyone guarding outside. Don't overthink it. The family is like the back of the hand connected to the palm; no matter which part is injured, it will hurt. Go and apologize tomorrow. Talk things through face-to-face. Ā Cén, did you hear me?"
Líng Cén grunted and shifted his body. "I know, I know. You're so annoying, just leave."
Líng Dāng opened the door and bumped straight into Líng Huái, who was standing outside.
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