A Maid Dressed As A Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Role (Transmigration) - Chapter 26

After washing her hands, Chu Qingqiu took a napkin from her maid, Ren Dong, and gently dried her fingers.

“Miss, aren’t you going to see Miss Liang?” Ren Dong asked softly. In the past, whenever Miss Liang came over, Chu Qingqiu would stop whatever she was doing, even if she was in the middle of a painting, and go to see her. Today was different. She had put down her brush and washed her hands, but she showed no sign of leaving.

“No rush. I’m waiting for someone,” Chu Qingqiu said, handing the napkin back to her maid. Just as she spoke, Ren Dong heard her master’s voice outside the door.

“Qingqiu,” her father said, standing at the entrance. “If it’s a good time, I’d like to have a word with you.”

Her father had the day off and wasn’t in court. He was wearing his usual casual clothes. Compared to the closeness and warmth other fathers had with their daughters, there was a certain distance and formality between Chu’s father and Chu Qingqiu.

Chu Qingqiu bowed slightly. “Please, Father.”

Only then did he enter. He didn’t make small talk and went straight to the point. “You’ve always been clever and sensible, but your personality is a bit detached. In all these years, Miss Liang is the only true friend you’ve ever had. Believe it or not, I took that into account when I chose the Liang family for your marriage.”

“I heard about what happened with Liang You’an and that maid yesterday. She’s just a servant, and since you don’t like Liang You’an, I assume you won’t take this to heart.”

He stood near the door and didn’t step further into the study. This could be seen as respecting Chu Qingqiu’s privacy, or it could mean that he simply didn’t care what she did in her study every day.

Chu Qingqiu looked down, standing across from her father. “Father understands me,” she said softly.

He seemed to smile slightly and shook his head. He didn’t understand this daughter at all. Ever since she turned five, no one in the manor knew what she was thinking.

“I’m only telling you this today to persuade you to agree to the marriage,” he said, clasping his hands in front of him out of habit. “The Liang family is the most suitable choice for us right now.”

This was a choice he had to make as the head of the household: the choice between family interests and his own daughter. As a father, the most he could do for Chu Qingqiu was, “The Liang family has agreed that there will be no concubines. In the future, if it’s not your fault, Liang You’an will not be allowed to insult you. Even after you’re married, the Chu family will always be your support.”

“The Duke of Liang and the young duke came over last night, and we have already settled everything,” her father said. “Today, the Duchess is bringing Miss Liang to see you. You can take this opportunity to make any requests you have for them.”

As a father, he probably didn’t like Chu Qingqiu’s detached personality. But as a high-ranking official, he was grateful and relieved to have a clever, obedient, and sensible eldest daughter. With the marriage on the verge of being finalized, he was willing to indulge Chu Qingqiu a little more and let her make her own requests.

“Father, I have no requests for the Liang family, but I do have one request for you,” Chu Qingqiu said, bowing respectfully and humbling herself. “I beg you to grant it.”

She hadn’t asked for anything or spoken so softly in years. Her father was taken aback for a moment. “Tell me. As long as it doesn’t affect our family’s interests, I’ll agree.”

As the father and daughter spoke, the morning sun moved past the study’s threshold and into the room. The boundary between the light and the shadow fell right at Chu Qingqiu’s feet. Her father thought for a moment about her request. “I’ll do as you ask. Your mother is already in the main hall. You should go quickly.”

“Yes,” Chu Qingqiu replied.

Chu Qingqiu’s mother in name was Little Madame Wu. She wasn’t the original lady of the house; she had been brought in as a second wife and Little Madame Wu was not Chu Qingqiu’s birth mother. She was Chu Qingqiu’s maternal aunt, the half-sister of the original Madame Chu, Big Madame Wu.

The story of the Wu and Chu families and the two sisters was a big scandal over a decade ago, but it had been kept under wraps so that not many people knew the full story. In reality, the situation wasn’t as dirty and complicated as everyone thought. It was simply that the Wu family had been deceitful.

The Wu family was a small, low-ranking official’s household. At a large banquet, Madame Wu brought her two unwed daughters, the legitimate daughter Big Madame Wu and the illegitimate one, Little Madame Wu. She hadn’t held out much hope for the event, but to her surprise, Little Madame Wu caught the eye of Chu’s father.

When Madame Wu found out, she was furious. How could such a good thing happen to her illegitimate daughter instead of her own? So Madame Wu and her husband conspired to deceive the Chu family. The man Chu’s father had been interested in was Little Madame Wu, but when he lifted the veil on their wedding night, he found Big Madame Wu.

Madame Wu (their mother) lied to Big Madame Wu, telling her that Chu’s father had been interested in her from the start. At the same time, she told Little Madame Wu that the deed was done. If she didn’t want the entire Wu family to suffer because of her romantic feelings and didn’t want her legitimate sister to become the laughingstock of the capital, she should cut all ties with Chu’s father.

The Chu family also cared about their reputation and begrudgingly accepted the deception. But because of it, the elders of the Chu family disliked Big Madame Wu, and Chu’s father was even less fond of her. Big Madame Wu was depressed every day after her marriage. The only time she and her husband slept together was when he was drunk. Even when she became pregnant, her husband’s attitude remained distant. Big Madame Wu thought it was her fault for not giving him a son and suspected that she had married above her station. But her mother had said that Chu’s father liked her, which was why she had agreed to the marriage. She didn’t want status or reputation. All she wanted was a husband who cared.

Five years passed, and it was time for Little Madame Wu to get married. Only then did Big Madame Wu learn the truth from one of her mother’s servants. The servant had tricked her, saying that Little Madame Wu coveted her position as Madame Chu and that she should get her married off quickly to prevent her from seducing Chu’s father. Big Madame Wu felt something was wrong and had the matter investigated.

After discovering the truth, she realized that her husband hadn’t fallen out of love with her. He had never loved her in the first place. She had always suspected that Little Madame Wu and her husband had a secret affair because they always avoided each other, and her mother always stopped her from bringing her husband home. Now, all her questions were answered. Chu’s father loved and wanted to marry Little Madame Wu, not her.

And she? She had stolen her sister’s beloved, taken the place that should have been her sister’s in the Chu family, and wasted almost six years of her sister’s youth. To make matters worse, she had almost misunderstood her sister and married her off to a random man. The whole ordeal was a huge blow to Big Madame Wu. She was heartbroken and full of guilt, and she hated her parents. Their self-proclaimed “it’s for your own good” had not only ruined half of Little Madame Wu’s life but had also ruined hers. She hadn’t been happy for a single day in the Chu family. Every day was spent in self-reflection, wondering what she had done wrong for Chu’s father to change his heart. But she now knew it wasn’t her fault at all.

Big Madame Wu cried and laughed, and then she threw herself into a lake. Although her servants saved her in time, her spirit was gone. Her eyes were full of resentment. No matter how much her parents begged afterward, she insisted on a divorce. In the end, she cut her hair and became a nun. The others couldn’t stop her and gave up.

To hide the truth, the Chu and Wu families agreed on a story to tell outsiders: “Madame Chu, Miss Wu, saw through the illusions of the mortal world overnight and became a nun. It’s a shame she left her five-year-old daughter. To take care of her, Lord Chu married Miss Wu’s illegitimate sister as his second wife. Since her aunt became her mother, the little girl won’t be treated badly.” Since Big Madame Wu became a nun, she was no longer a part of the mortal world, so Little Madame Wu could be called the “second wife.” To distinguish the two women, outsiders would call the former Madame Wu the “Big Madame Wu” and the current one the “Little Madame Wu.”

More than a decade passed. The relationship between the Wu and Chu families was good, and the Chu family was happy. Even Big Madame Wu, who was a nun, would occasionally come back to her hometown to visit her mother’s grave. It seemed like the story had moved on, and everything was back on track.

But only Chu Qingqiu, Big Madame Wu’s daughter, felt like an outsider in her own home. Since she was born, no one had wanted or liked her. In her five years of ignorance, she wondered why her father didn’t like her and why her mother was always crying. It wasn’t until her mother jumped into the lake, and she watched it happen, that everything made sense.

Chu Qingqiu, who was already disliked by her father, “lost” her mother that day. At five years old, she lost everything. She walked in the rain, not knowing where to go. When she finally got tired, she curled up at the entrance of a house to hide. She didn’t know how long she had been there, huddled in a daze, only that it was raining heavily. She remembered that when Liang Youyun found her, her eyes were swollen from crying.

The manor was in chaos, and no one noticed their eldest daughter was missing. Only Liang Youyun, who had come to play at her house that day, realized she was gone. Liang Youyun, who had arrived wearing a pink dress, was now covered in mud. Her skirt and shoes were soaked, and the ribbon in her hair was a mess. Her maid said she ran and searched all the way, falling and getting back up, which was why she was in such a disheveled state.

When she saw her, Liang Youyun burst into tears, rushed over, and hugged her tightly. Sobs wracked her body. “If the Chu family doesn’t want you, you can come live with me at the Liang manor. You’re not unwanted. I want you.”

It had been so long that Chu Qingqiu couldn’t remember if she had cried, too, but she clearly remembered Liang Youyun’s swollen, red eyes and the tears on her face. They fell, drop by drop, into her palm, warm and heavy, hitting her skin with each beat.

Standing in the study, Chu Qingqiu stretched out her hand, slowly curling her long fingers as if she was holding back tears, and then she clenched the sunlight in her palm. It felt just as warm, but it lacked that reassuring weight.

She closed her eyes, lowered her arm, and said quietly to Ren Dong, “Let’s go. A’yun must be waiting.”

Little Madame Wu was a gentle and kind woman who could also act as the mistress of the house. Though she was one of the victims in the past scandal, she held no resentment toward Big Madame Wu. Before Big Madame Wu learned the truth, Little Madame Wu kept her promise to her mother and never had any private contact with Chu’s father.

Later, when Big Madame Wu became a nun and Little Madame Wu married into the family, she treated Chu Qingqiu like her own daughter. If it weren’t for her, the relationship between the Wu and Chu families wouldn’t have been so good all these years. However, Chu Qingqiu was reserved and didn’t open up to people. Little Madame Wu tried, but she didn’t want to force Chu Qingqiu, so after ten years, while they weren’t as close as a mother and daughter, they weren’t enemies, either. Sometimes, Little Madame Wu felt like Chu Qingqiu was a guest staying in their home, distant and polite, making it hard to know how to be a better mother to her.

Today, Little Madame Wu was the one who received the Duchess and Liang Youyun. She led them to the main hall for tea and sent someone to summon Chu Qingqiu.

After exchanging pleasantries with the Duchess, Little Madame Wu looked at Liang Youyun. “Youyun, you look a little thin after only a few days.”

The Duchess was surprised. She turned to look at her daughter and smiled. “She must not have had much of an appetite these past couple of days.”

Liang Youyun bowed slightly, her voice soft. “Thank you for your concern, Auntie. I’m fine.”

Little Madame Wu patted Liang Youyun’s arm. “You need to take care of yourself. If you get too thin, Qingqiu will worry. You know, she doesn’t say anything, but she takes everything to heart.”

*******

There was one time, about three years ago, when Liang Youyun decided she wasn’t happy with her waist size and went two days without eating. When Chu Qingqiu found out, she had food sent to the Liang manor in every different way imaginable. Later, when she saw that Liang Youyun was determined to lose weight, Chu Qingqiu stopped trying to persuade her and quietly joined her instead. Liang Youyun went hungry for a few days, and so did Chu Qingqiu. In the end, Chu Qingqiu fainted from hunger, and the fast was over. Little Madame Wu knew the two girls were so close because they exchanged sincerity for sincerity.

Liang Youyun was gentle and well-mannered with everyone, but ever since she was five, she had disliked Big Madame Wu. Before that, she had called her “Mother” like Chu Qingqiu, but after her fifth birthday, she wouldn’t even call her “Auntie.” Little Madame Wu knew that Liang Youyun was angry at Big Madame Wu for abandoning her own daughter, so even though everyone else’s relationship with Big Madame Wu had softened over the years—even Chu Qingqiu would nod when she saw her birth mother—Liang Youyun stubbornly refused to forgive her.

As they spoke of the past, both women smiled gently. Little Madame Wu’s thought was that once Qingqiu married into the Liang family, there would be no friction between sisters-in-law. The Duchess’s thought was that since Qingqiu and Youyun were so close, Youyun would definitely be able to persuade Qingqiu to agree to the marriage.

After chatting for a while, Liang Youyun, as she took a sip of tea, glanced at the door. Chu Qingqiu still hadn’t arrived. Even though she knew this was just a formality and that the marriage was a done deal, Liang Youyun still felt uneasy without seeing Chu Qingqiu. She had been planning this for so long, she couldn’t afford a single misstep with Chu Qingqiu.

Liang Youyun had clear goals for herself. Since she was destined to live on thin ice, why couldn’t she be more dignified? What was a mere daughter of a Duke? She wanted to be a prince’s consort and the most powerful woman in the world. With no crown prince, the emperor’s favorite, the Noble Consort, was the most favored. Her son, the Sixth Prince, was the most likely candidate for the throne. And Liang Youyun’s goal was to marry him. That was why she had tried to stir up trouble between Chao Mu and Chen Yue at the banquet yesterday—to muddy the waters. Besides using petty tricks to sow discord, Liang Youyun also wanted the Liang family to regain its former glory by marrying into the Chu family. Only then could she get one step closer to becoming a prince’s consort.

“Auntie, I’ll go see Qingqiu,” Liang Youyun said, putting down her teacup and rising gracefully.

Little Madame Wu, knowing their close bond, smiled and waved her off. “Go on, go. Your mother and I will chat here. You two go play.”

Liang Youyun left with a smile, still able to hear Little Madame Wu’s voice behind her. “Youyun and Qingqiu are the same age. Now that her brother You’an is getting married, it’s time to start looking for a husband for her, too.”

Her mother smiled awkwardly. “No rush, no rush. Yun’er has her own mind. We’ll listen to her.”

Both the Duke and Duchess of Liang wanted to choose a family with a slightly better background for Liang Youyun, one that would be useful to the family. But Liang Youyun wanted the very best. She would stand at the highest point, no matter the cost.

After leaving the main hall, she couldn’t hear the voices behind her anymore. Liang Youyun thought for a moment and then walked confidently towards a specific place. It was where Chu Qingqiu always went when she was sad: the small pavilion by the lake. It was the same lake where her birth mother, Big Madame Wu, had jumped in.

Liang Youyun went with her maid. From a distance, she saw Chu Qingqiu standing by the railing, feeding the fish. She held the fish food in her hand and sprinkled it into the lake. The wind filled her sleeves, making her robe billow like a light green butterfly fluttering its wings, completely out of place in the desolate season. She was distant and lonely, untouched by the mortal world.

Chu Qingqiu clearly saw her, too, and her eyes looked in her direction. For a moment, Liang Youyun felt like the woman standing there was a stranger to her.

“Qingqiu.”

Liang Youyun went to her alone, leaving her maid behind. Ren Dong also stayed outside the pavilion.

“My mother and I have been waiting for you in the main hall,” Liang Youyun said, walking up to Chu Qingqiu and leaning against the railing to look down. Fish in the lake swam up to the surface.

Chu Qingqiu held the fish food and looked down. “But I’ve been waiting for you here,” she said, her voice faint in the wind.

Liang Youyun leaned her head on the railing and looked at Chu Qingqiu. “You’re still angry at me.” She looked down and twisted her sash around her index finger. “I’m angry at myself, too. I should have told you why I was hiding it from you sooner. Qingqiu, I feel so much regret.”

Chu Qingqiu was unmoved.

After speaking for a while, Liang Youyun seemed tired. She sat down against the railing, looked up at Chu Qingqiu, and tugged on her sleeve, her voice soft. “Qingqiu, don’t be angry anymore. The marriage is still on. When you come to the Liang manor, I promise I’ll never deceive you again.”

Her vulnerable, pleading demeanor finally drew Chu Qingqiu’s gaze.

Chu Qingqiu looked down at her. “Even if your brother has a bad character, even if he slept with another maid, even if you had to deceive me for his sake, you still want me to forgive everything and marry him?” Chu Qingqiu looked into Liang Youyun’s eyes and asked softly, “A’yun, do you really want me to marry him?”

It was as if she was asking, “Do you no longer care about me, either?” No one knew what this place meant to Chu Qingqiu more than Liang Youyun. Her birth mother had thrown herself into this very lake, right here in this pavilion, without caring about Chu Qingqiu’s feelings.

After more than a decade, Liang Youyun was in this same pavilion, ignoring Chu Qingqiu’s feelings and trying to persuade her to marry Liang You’an. Chu Qingqiu looked down at Liang Youyun, silently waiting for her answer. Chu Qingqiu’s eyes were as calm as the thin layer of ice on the lake.

Liang Youyun’s eyes trembled. She looked away, lowered her head, and grabbed Chu Qingqiu’s sleeve, leaning forward until her forehead was against Chu Qingqiu’s side. Just when Chu Qingqiu thought she wouldn’t answer, Liang Youyun whispered:

“I do.”

Liang Youyun gripped Chu Qingqiu’s sleeve, biting her lower lip, and repeated the word with a trembling voice. “I do.” As she spoke, she didn’t dare look up at Chu Qingqiu’s face. But she had known since she was a child that if she showed weakness and gave in, Chu Qingqiu would indulge her and agree to anything. But for the past two years, even though Liang Youyun knew this method worked, she was unwilling to use it on Chu Qingqiu.

Today, she had no choice.

Chu Qingqiu wasn’t surprised by the answer. Perhaps she had known about Liang Youyun’s choice yesterday in the carriage. Between her and the Liang family, Liang Youyun had chosen the latter without hesitation. The calm surface of the lake seemed to be hit by a rock, and several cracks appeared. The thin ice broke, and small ripples spread from the broken pieces. The things she had been suppressing and ignoring began to surface with the broken ice, sending shockwaves through her heart.

Ten years ago, when her mother jumped into the lake, Chu Qingqiu was too young. She had reached out but couldn’t even grab a corner of her mother’s sleeve. She couldn’t save her. Ten years later, Liang Youyun was letting her go to choose the Liang family. But Chu Qingqiu was no longer a five-year-old child. She wouldn’t lose the only thing she had left.

She looked down at Liang Youyun, who was almost hugging her. A faint smile appeared in her eyes, and her voice was gentle. “Alright.”

“If that’s what A’yun wants, then I’ll marry him.”

Chu Qingqiu was going to marry into the Liang family anyway. She only asked because she wanted to see how far Liang Youyun would go for her family. As it turned out, she wasn’t the most important person in Ah Yun’s heart after all.

Liang Youyun was still trying to explain. “We… we promised when we were little that we’d always be together. I even said I’d have you come live with me at the Liang manor. Qingqiu, on your wedding day, I’ll come to the Chu manor to pick you up. Okay?” Liang Youyun looked up at Chu Qingqiu. “Okay?”

Chu Qingqiu looked at Liang Youyun’s face and touched the corner of her eye with her clean finger. She felt like it should be wet.

“Okay.”

Going to the Liang manor was a good idea. That way, she could slowly become the most important person in A’yun’s heart.