Within The Sound of Swallows - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Magpie’s Nest Occupied by The Cuckoo

Everyone in the room was shocked. Change clothes? Why was there a need to change clothes? The Prime Minister’s household went through the full formal betrothal process to marry the Third Miss, so why swap with the Fifth Miss?

Shen Guiyan had yet to recover from the incident regarding Qin Yiniang when, all of a sudden, she felt someone forcibly pull her to her feet. Baoshan was pushed to the side, and several maidservants rushed forward to strip off her wedding dress. In exchange, they casually threw a cloak over her shoulders without any care.

Her bridal crown and ceremonial veil were all taken away. On the other side of the room, Shen Guiya was escorted in. Her face was adorned with exquisite makeup, her hair styled into a proper bridal hairstyle. She had changed into the wedding dress and carried herself with calm and poise.

Madam Shen entered shortly thereafter, frowning at the chaos before her. She waved her hand and ordered, “Take the Third Miss away, and restrain her maid as well. Dress the Fifth Miss properly, and prepare to escort her to the bridal sedan in a moment.”

The wedding matron looked frightened, frozen in place and unsure of how to react. Madam Shen then placed some silver in her hand to calm her, giving her a meaningful glance, and said, “I will take care of everything.”

“Yes, Madam…” the wedding matron replied, accepting the silver with trembling hands and casting an uneasy glance in Shen Guiyan’s direction.

“What does Madam mean by this?” Shen Guiyan had finally come to her senses and looked at her, demanding an answer.

Are they making Shen Guiya marry in her place?

“Ya’er has just been found to be pregnant with Young Master Gu’s child.” Madam Shen’s expression darkened, then she continued. “It’s an urgent situation, so she will have to marry into the Prime Minister’s family first. As for Qin Yiniang, it seems that her health has deteriorated, and now that your own marriage has encountered a misfortune, it will be better to postpone it.

This is absurd! Shen Guiyan trembled slightly. “Madam, have you consulted this with Father before making such a decision?”

“Even if the Master were informed, I believe he would understand,” Madam Shen indifferently replied. “The auspicious hour is fast approaching. Even if you wish to proceed with the wedding, there is no longer time for you to redo your bridal makeup. Matron, assist Ya’er with the veil and help her out.”

“Yes, Madam…” the wedding matron cowardly answered, helping Shen Guiya to put on the red bridal veil.

“Please don’t be upset, Sister,” Shen Guiya looked at her with a helpless sigh. “Who would have known I would conceive a child first? Now that I’m marrying in with a child, no one can say a word against it. Blame fate for playing tricks on us.”

With that, she let out a soft laugh and lowered the veil over her face, then was escorted out by the others.

Had Shen Guiya only slept with Gu Chaodong, it would not have mattered, as he did not like her anyway. Without his approval, she would’ve never been accepted into the Gu household.

But now, she was claiming to be pregnant with Gu Chaodong’s child?

Counting the days since the incident, it might be true. It had been roughly two months since the betrothal ceremony, during which there had been physical intimacy between them. If a child had been conceived then, it would be highly possible.

Shen Guiyan sat in a daze, restrained to the side by a maid, unable even to cry. Baoshan struggled desperately, crying out, “Miss, how can you just watch them steal your marriage like this? You should be the one in that bridal sedan!”

A nearby maid responded by delivering a harsh kick to Baoshan’s stomach. Her face turned pale, and the pain rendered her silent.

“If you lay a hand on my maid again, don’t blame me for what happens next,” Shen Guiyan threatened coldly as she watched Shen Guiya being escorted out. While listening to the lively sounds of trumpets and suonas outside, her voice was surprisingly calm.

The maid holding Baoshan trembled in fear, but she thought for a moment. She was from Madam’s courtyard. What could a mere third young lady, who now no longer even had the engagement with the Prime Minister’s residence, possibly do to her? With that thought, she let out a cold laugh and said, “Third Miss, you’re acting so high and mighty. Today, I am here to carry out Madam’s orders. If this girl dares to cause more trouble, I will still dare to kick her again.”

“Bullying others while relying on your master’s power!” Baoshan was so angry she blurted out without thinking, “The Prime Minister’s residence would never tolerate such outrageous behavior! A fake is still a fake. Do you truly believe you can pass off as a pearl?”¹

Madam Shen and Shen Guiya, along with the other servants, had already left the boudoir, leaving behind only three maids to guard this mistress and servant pair. Hearing Baoshan’s words just now, and with the situation being three against two, where they couldn’t even lay a hand on the mistress due to her status, surely they could at least deal with her maid.

“Hold her down!”

Taking advantage of the fact that there was no one else around, the maid who had been insulted was still fuming mad and wouldn’t be satisfied until she slapped Baoshan several times. The other two maids followed her command and pinned Baoshan down. As for the Third Miss, she had always been known for being timid and weak; therefore, there was no need to pay attention to her.

However, just as the slap was about to land, Shen Guiyan suddenly lunged forward, thrusting her face into the path of the blow and taking the slap in Baoshan’s place.

“Smack!”

The maid who had raised her hand was stunned and quickly pulled back in fright, but it was already too late. A red handprint had already appeared on Shen Guiyan’s face.

“Miss!” Bao Shan was startled and hurriedly broke free from the two maids restraining her. She quickly supported Shen Guiyan and anxiously inspected her face: “You…”

Shen Guiyan shook her head, calmly picked up the plum blossom hairpin that had fallen to the ground, and pinned it back in her hair. She then said softly, “After the ceremony in the front hall is concluded, we shall go and seek justice from Father.”

The maid who had just struck her was so frightened that she instantly knelt to the ground with a thud. “Third Miss, this servant is wrong! This servant is wrong!”

No matter the circumstances, a servant must never lay a hand on their master or mistress, as there is no justification for such an act. If the master of the household were to learn of this, the servant would surely be beaten within an inch of their life.

Who could have imagined that the Third Miss, who was always quiet and meek, would suddenly throw herself forward to take the blow?

Shen Guiyan sat at the edge of the bed without saying a word. The maid remained kneeling on the ground, not daring to move.

Outside, the noise was gradually dying down. Some guests had stayed to dine, but Lord Shen should have some free time by now.

“Baoshan, help me change my clothes,” Shen Guiyan said gently.

This was her own boudoir; this day was supposed to be her happiest day, yet her wedding dress was worn by someone else, and she was trapped in this room with no way out.

Qin Yiniang’s life and death were still unknown. No one knew what had happened. Guo Chaodong probably thought that she was the one in the bridal sedan and had happily welcomed her back to his home. Aside from Baoshan, there was no one else she could rely on.

With eyes red from crying, Baoshan helped her change into a pale blue long dress and redid her hair before letting her go to face others.

In the main hall, Madam Shen was dabbing the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief, sobbing sorrowfully. “And just like that… she’s married now…”

Lord Shen gave her a strange look. “Aren’t you usually the one who dislikes Yan’er the most? Why are you crying so much today?”

Madam Shen was taken aback, just as she was about to speak, someone entered through the door.

“This daughter pays respect to Father and Mother.” Shen Guiyan greeted them and respectfully bowed. But this time, she quickly raised her head and looked directly at Lord Shen.

“Yan’er?!” Master Shen exclaimed in shock, pointing toward the door. “Weren’t you just…”

“Father, I was just about to ask you about this matter,” Shen Guiyan said without hesitation.

She looked directly at Madam Shen and spoke each word with deliberate clarity: “Today is my wedding day, yet for some reason, Madam forced her way into my room with Fifth Sister, forcibly took my wedding gown, confined me in my own buodoir, and sent Fifth Sister in my place onto the bridal sedan.”

Lord Shen’s expression darkened. He turned to look at Madam Shen in disbelief: “What is the meaning of this?!”

Madam Shen covered her lips with a handkerchief, glanced at Shen Guiyan, and said in a low voice, “The matter was urgent, and I haven’t had the chance to inform you. Concubine Qin… she’s gone. She passed away earlier today, right in Yan’er’s boudoir.”

The sky had darkened. Although it was dusk, a beautiful time of day, it suddenly began to rain outside.

Shocked, Shen Guiyan looked up at Madam Shen, but the latter remained calm and continued, “The doctor came and examined her. He said it was arsenic poisoning. Who knows what Concubine Qin had consumed throughout the day? We tried to save her, but it was already too late. She’s gone. Since her birth mother has passed away, it would be inauspicious for Yan’er to marry, so I sent Ya’er in her place instead.”

Madam Shen pursed her lips, then added, “Besides, Ya’er is pregnant with Young Master Gu’s child. Don’t worry about what the Prime Minister’s household might say about our Shen family. Since it was their son who did this, naturally, they should take responsibility.”

Shen Guiyan didn’t hear the rest of what she said; she only heard about the fact that Qin Qiniang was gone.

Stumbling to her feet, she ran outside without even blinking.

Red silk and characters for ‘double happiness’ adorned the whole residence, but the back courtyard was eerily quiet. In Qin Yiniang’s quarters, the sound of maidservants crying could be heard. Droplets of rain had begun to fall, and Xiujuan was kneeling by Qin Yinaing’s bedside, crying until her voice was hoarse.

“The mistress was perfectly fine this morning. She even said she wanted to do the young miss’s hair into a beautiful hairstyle, so how could she suddenly pass away just like that? Someone must have tampered with something. Arsenic poison? How could she have taken it by accident?!”

Shen Guiyan knelt by the bedside, and while the sound of Xiujuan’s cries filled her ears, none of it registered in her brain. All she could see was the person who had been doing her hair in the front of the mirror just this morning, was now lying here in complete stillness, her face pale and bluish, with no signs of life in her body.

Lady Qin² was just a maid, but after giving birth to the second young master, she was fortunate enough to become a concubine. Her hands were always warm. All Shen Guiyan’s clothes in childhood were sewn by her. Every time she was bullied and stayed silent, Shen Guiyan would get angry—angry that she wouldn’t stand up for herself.

But Qin Yiniang would always smile and say, “I have people I want to protect, too, so there are some things I have to endure.”

It was she who taught Shen Guiyan how to endure. But now… she was dead.

Shen Guiyan wanted to laugh, but the moment she opened her mouth, all her tears came pouring out.

***

✒️ TL Note:

Hi there! If you notice any mistakes in my translation, feel free to leave a comment. I’d really appreciate the feedback. Even if not, I’d still love to hear your thoughts! If you enjoyed the translation and want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee☕. It would mean a lot to me!😊💙