A Maid Dressed As A Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Role (Transmigration) - Chapter 36.1

The next morning, it was a heavy snowfall.

After waking up, Chao Mu stood under the eaves, her hands wrapped around a handwarmer, and looked out. Finally, she announced, “The weather’s no good for going out today. We’ll go to the Imperial Academy in a couple of days.”

Cui Cui’s jaw dropped. “Huh?” Was it really that simple?

A’Zhi was expressionless. She wasn’t surprised in the slightest. In fact, if the little countess had decided to go out today, A’Zhi would have found that strange.

Chao Mu had someone go to the Imperial Academy to request a sick leave for her, explaining she’d be back in a couple of days. The higher-ups were more or less aware of the situation with the Qi Manor, so it was understandable, even believable, for Chao Mu to take a temporary leave. It would look like the young lady couldn’t handle the mess at the manor and was forced to send people to the Capital’s Magistrate Office, and now she was too embarrassed to show her face, so she was hiding out for a couple of days.

Compared to A’Zhi, who understood the twists and turns of Chao Mu’s mind, Cui Cui was far more straightforward. She looked at the heavy snow outside and nodded in agreement. “It really isn’t suitable for going out. This kind of weather is perfect for huddling by the fire.” And it would be even cozier with some peanuts and melon seeds.

A’Zhi looked at her with a doting fondness. Cui Cui wasn’t stupid, but she just didn’t understand her “little sweetheart.” The little countess was staying at the manor for a reason—she had an appointment to measure Qi Shilei’s wife, Madame Zhou, for a new set of clothes.

Madame Zhou might not have known about the huge incident that happened at the Qi family’s estate the day before, but Qi Shilei had gone to her last night. First, to tell her about their sons’ arrests, and second, to get money from her to pay for bribes and see if he could get them released. Qi Shilei even used General Qi’s connections, seeking out a powerful former subordinate of the General who was still in the capital.

Although the man was suspicious, he still received him that very night. “Your countess has already returned to the capital. Couldn’t you just ask her to send someone to the Magistrate’s Office to put in a good word with the magistrate? Why come to me?”

Qi Shilei lowered his head and spun a plausible lie. “The countess was taking the Imperial Academy exam during the day and then went into the palace at night, so I haven’t been able to see her. It was her head maid who, on her own accord, sent the estate stewards to the Magistrate’s Office. This… this is all a misunderstanding!”

The countess, as a young lady who didn’t govern, was rarely noticed in the capital. And it was perfectly normal for her to spend the night in the palace, so the man had no reason to doubt him. He just assumed the maid was a power-tripping nobody who had taken advantage of her mistress’s authority to send people to the authorities. It’s not uncommon for maids to be dramatic.

The man, hearing that Qi Shilei was the Qi manor’s head steward and shared the family name, believed they were distant relatives of General Qi. Qi Shilei, in turn, subtly led him on. He spoke vaguely to mislead him. “With the General not in the capital and the countess not at the manor, I’m worried sick about my sons, and I had no choice but to come to you.”

Tears welled in his eyes. “General, my General always speaks of you in the capital, and before he left, he told me that if I ever ran into trouble in the capital, I could come to you and you wouldn’t stand by. So you see…”

The General, being an honest and loyal man, couldn’t refuse. “Don’t worry. I’ll take my official waist token and go to the Magistrate’s Office to inquire about this matter tonight. If there’s nothing wrong, they can be released.”

But when the General sent someone to investigate and they returned, his expression changed, and he no longer treated Qi Shilei with the same courtesy. “The countess herself ordered them to be sent in, and the audit was ordered from above. The magistrate personally told my man not to meddle, saying that ‘the rats in the Qi manor have grown big enough to try and bite their master’ and that the countess was forced to take this action.”

The General looked at Qi Shilei with cold eyes. “You’ve been in the Qi manor for years. Who are these rats you speak of?”

With his lie exposed, Qi Shilei didn’t dare say another word. At the same time, he realized that a higher authority had indeed intervened. All of his suspicions were instantly confirmed.

Qi Shilei was kicked out. The General couldn’t get involved in the Qi manor’s internal affairs, and besides, it was no longer his place to. So, instead of arresting him, he simply had him thrown out.

“I can’t stay here anymore. The capital is no longer a place for me.”

Qi Shilei’s hands clenched as he calculated his options, finally coming to the conclusion that he had to run. He went back to Madame Zhou.

Madame Zhou lived in the back of their cloth shop, so she could keep an eye on the business. Since she’d heard about her sons’ arrests, she had been unable to sit still, anxious and worried, praying to the Bodhisattva and the Buddha for their safety. When she saw Qi Shilei return, she immediately grabbed his arm and asked anxiously, “What did the General say? Can our sons be saved?”

Qi Shilei’s face broke into a relaxed smile as he nodded. “Of course. The General agreed to handle this. He said we can just blame it all on Mama Rou and the other servants. Saving our sons won’t be a problem.”

Madame Zhou immediately breathed a sigh of relief, placing a hand on her chest. “Thank the heavens!” She decided that once this was over, she would offer more incense at the temple.

Qi Shilei licked his lips, pulled Madame Zhou’s hand, and sat her down at a table. He said softly, “My dear, it’s not going to be that simple. It’s going to take money to get our sons out.”

“But your…” Madame Zhou’s words were cut off by Qi Shilei. “That little bit of money won’t be enough. We have three sons, so we’ll have to empty out all of our family’s wealth.” He continued, “Don’t you worry about it. Just give me the money, and I’ll go take care of it. You just stay home and wait for our sons to come back.”

Seeing Madame Zhou’s crestfallen expression, Qi Shilei patted her hand. “Just think of it as spending money to ward off disaster. As long as we’re alive, we can always earn it back later… Or do you not want to save our sons?” Qi Shilei’s expression was one of astonishment, as if he didn’t recognize Madame Zhou, and his eyes were full of condemnation.

“What are you thinking? They’re my flesh and bl00d! If you won’t save them, then I will!” Madame Zhou said. “Wait right here. I’ll go get the money.”

It was impossible to keep all their wealth in cash at home. Most of it was in land deeds, shop deeds, and some valuable jewelry. She’d need to go to the bank the next morning when it opened to exchange or mortgage these documents. Madame Zhou took them out, and Qi Shilei quickly glanced over them and took them all. “I’ll go get things sorted out right away. You should rest. Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”

Madame Zhou was always a capable and assertive woman, but in a situation like this, she didn’t have as many connections as Qi Shilei. Even though she normally went out to do business and was no less capable than a man, now she could only wait in the back as a fragile woman, feeling frustrated and stifled. While she was heartbroken over the money, she was even more worried about her sons.

Madame Zhou decided, “The countess asked me to go to the Qi manor to take her measurements before. I’ll go tomorrow and beg for her mercy. Isn’t Countess Fu Jia known to be the kindest? I’ll plead with her to give my sons a way out.”

Qi Shilei didn’t even turn his head. “Fine, you handle the back-end stuff.” He grabbed their fortune, contacted a carriage leaving the capital, and waited for the bank to open in the morning so he could cash out and flee.

Now that his sons had been caught, it was only a matter of time before they got to him and Madame Zhou. If that happened, none of their family would survive. As for why he wouldn’t take Madame Zhou with him, Qi Shilei sneered. Women were softhearted and would put their sons’ lives above their own. If Madame Zhou found out that he was abandoning their sons to run away, she’d tear him to pieces! How could Qi Shilei be so foolish? As long as he was alive, he could have as many Madame Zhous and as many sons as he wanted. And as for Zhi Yuan, Qi Shilei couldn’t even save his legitimate sons, so how could he possibly care about his illegitimate one?

******

It snowed all night.

When morning came, Madame Zhou, who had barely slept, got up as soon as she heard the rooster crow and went to the Qi manor without even eating.

Madame Zhou arrived just as Chao Mu decided not to go to the Imperial Academy. She even got a little excited and asked A’Zhi and Cui Cui, “Have you ever caught sparrows?”

Cui Cui’s eyes lit up with surprise. “Countess, you’ve caught sparrows before?” Isn’t Jiangnan warm with little snow? Had the countess really caught sparrows?

Chao Mu slowly shook her head. “I’ve never caught one, but I’ve seen others do it.” She vaguely remembered in her past life when Chen Yue called her to come play. Because it was too snowy for polo, Chen Yue had people set up a basket to catch sparrows for her to watch. At that time, Chao Mu didn’t find it interesting because catching sparrows was beneath her status as the future sixth prince’s consort and the countess.

The noble consort also told her that Chen Yue’s mother was of low status, and the bl00d in her veins wasn’t noble, “You are different from her. Your mother is the Grand Princess, and you have royal and Qi family bl00d in your veins. So how can you play with her? You should befriend ladies from prominent families like Liang Youyun from the Duke’s estate.”

Chao Mu reached out, and a snowflake fluttering from the eaves fell into her palm. It was cold, like the snow, which was both the purest and the dirtiest thing. The royal bloodline was both the most noble and the most vile.

“Countess, the steward Qi’s wife, Madame Zhou, is here,” a servant announced.

Chao Mu slowly fluttered her eyelashes, snapped out of her trance, and reached for her hand warmer.

“Countess,” A’Zhi called out.

Chao Mu looked at her blankly. A’Zhi, through her sleeve, held Chao Mu’s delicate wrist and took out a handkerchief to wipe the water from her palm. “Your hands,” she said with a tone of helplessness.

Chao Mu’s eyes crinkled in a smile, and her small face, which had been frozen for a long time, warmed up. She decided happily, “Let’s catch sparrows. We’ll release them after they’ve had their fill.”

While Madame Zhou was making her way in, Cui Cui had already nimbly propped up a basket. Chao Mu handed her hand warmer to A’Zhi and carried a basket of grain to scatter on the ground. First, she needed to scatter some grain outside the basket to attract the sparrows. She also had to be sparing with the grain on the path, or the sparrows would get full and fly away. Finally, she would put a lot of grain inside the basket and wait patiently for the sparrows to go in so she could pull the string and drop the basket.

Chao Mu understood the principle, but she still grabbed a handful of grain and scattered it all the way down the path.

Cui Cui watched, trying to say something but held back. Finally, she couldn’t help but say, “Countess, the sparrows won’t even finish the grain outside the basket. How would they be so silly as to go inside?”

Chao Mu crouched down and placed a large amount of grain under the propped-up basket, saying slowly, “You never know. Maybe there’s a silly sparrow out there.” She tilted her head and looked at A’Zhi. “A’Zhi, don’t you think so?”

A’Zhi thought it was wrong. There was no such thing as a sparrow that stupid! Sparrows were the most vigilant and timid of birds. Once they were full, they would immediately fly away. How could they risk their lives for food and go under the basket? That would make them a stupid bird. This time, A’Zhi sided with Cui Cui. “I support Cui Cui.” The little sweetheart might have grown up in a life of luxury and didn’t understand the mindset of a poor person or a poor bird. She had no sense of crisis.

Chao Mu hmphed and put another large handful of grain on the snowy ground under the basket. “I bet a bird will come in.”

Cui Cui and A’Zhi both thought she was going to lose, no matter how much grain the little countess put under the basket. Who would throw away their life for a little bit of food?

The three of them even made a wager. “Let’s bet one tael of silver.”

Chao Mu initiated the bet. A’Zhi and Cui Cui thought it was a fair deal. Just as they finished speaking, Madame Zhou arrived.

******