CHAPTER NINE — SLANDER
The carriage drifted through Jinling for nearly four hours, circling the bustling streets until the sun began to dip. Only then did it roll to a stop before the yamen gates.
Outside, the small teahouse was overflowing. Every table was packed, every bench occupied, and the air buzzed with gossip. People leaned in close, voices low and excited, trading scraps of rumour like precious jewels.
"Bandits snatched a young lady—broad daylight!"
"I heard she was carried off screaming!"
"My cousin works in the yamen—he said the scholar who reported it nearly fainted!"
Piece by piece, the scattered whispers formed a full picture. After Su Ying had been taken, a "righteous scholar" had rushed to the yamen to report the crime. But the officials only stirred when a frantic maid burst in, shrieking that the kidnapped girl was from the Su Mansion. Only then did the yamen dispatch constables to Dragon Abyss Slope, dragging along several Su servants.
Two hours had passed since then. The crowd waited eagerly, hungry to know which young miss had been taken. Nothing delighted the common folk more than scandal among the noble families.
"Miss… could it really be Second Miss who was taken?" Xia He whispered anxiously. She had been standing outside the carriage the entire time, listening to every rumour. "If something truly happened to her, how will we explain it? Will the madame blame you?"
"Who knows," Su Zijin replied calmly from inside the carriage. "Let's wait. The constables should be back soon."
She continued writing on the xuan paper, her brush strokes steady and elegant. She finished the final line, lifted the brush, and set it aside.
Before Xia He could speak again, the teahouse erupted.
"They're back!"
"Where's the kidnapped girl?"
"Why is there no one with them?"
People craned their necks, standing on tiptoe as the constables marched past. Their clothes were rumpled, their faces weary. Behind them, several bandits were dragged along in chains.
But there was no young miss.
No Su family servant.
No sign of Su Ying.
"Miss… I don't see Second Miss. Or anyone from the Su Mansion. Were we deceived?" Xia He murmured, bewildered.
Su Zijin didn't answer immediately. She folded the letter, slipped it into an envelope, and sealed it with a firm press of her thumb.
Then she glanced out the window at the constables disappearing into the yamen.
She had known from the start that Su Ying would never return with them. The moment the maid had rushed into the yamen, the truth had been exposed: the kidnapped girl was Su Ying. Concubine Fang would never allow her to reappear in public. She would erase every trace of the incident before the yamen could even blink.
Su Zijin had not been waiting for Su Ying.
She had been waiting for the right moment to return home.
And now, the moment had come.
"Take this to Wu Steel Manor," she said, handing the sealed letter to Xia He. "Give it to Eldest Uncle. Wait for his reply before returning."
Xia He nodded and hurried off.
Su Zijin tapped the carriage wall. "Home."
---
By the time they reached the Su Mansion, the sky had begun to darken. The moment Su Zijin stepped into the courtyard, Nanny Li appeared with a troop of stern‑faced women.
"Where has the young miss been?" Nanny Li demanded. "You've returned just in time. The madame has been looking for you everywhere. Come with me."
Su Zijin blinked, feigning confusion. "Grandmother is looking for me? Why?"
"You'll know when you get there," Nanny Li snapped, already turning toward the Nine Winding Corridor.
Surrounded by the women, Su Zijin followed without protest.
As soon as she stepped through the gates of Purple Stone Cottage, she saw the scene laid out before her.
Su Ying knelt in the centre of the hall, clothes torn, hair dishevelled, shoulders shaking as she sobbed pitifully. Concubine Fang clung to her, dabbing at her tears with a handkerchief, her own face streaked with grief.
The Old Madam and the madame sat at the head of the hall—one furious, the other cold and unreadable. The wives and concubines of the three branches filled the sides, whispering behind their sleeves.
Su Zijin stepped forward and bowed gracefully.
"Greetings to Great‑Grandmother, Grandmother, and Mother."
She had barely finished speaking when the madame slammed her hand against the chair.
"Zijin! Kneel!"
"Kneel?" Su Zijin lifted her head, her expression perfectly puzzled. "Grandmother, what do you mean? I have done nothing wrong. Why should I kneel?"
Her calmness only enraged the madame further.
"You still dare to argue!" she shouted. "You lured your sister out and hired bandits to ruin her reputation! Do you understand what this means? The Floral Feast is in a few days! This concerns the honour of the entire Su Mansion!"
At the mention of reputation, Su Ying and Concubine Fang burst into louder sobs, their cries echoing through the hall. The wives and concubines whispered feverishly, their voices like buzzing insects.
But Su Zijin seemed not to hear any of it.
She stepped forward, stopping beside Su Ying and Concubine Fang. She looked down at them, her gaze cool and sharp.
"Grandmother," she said softly, "who is spouting such nonsense?"
"You still deny it?" Concubine Fang shrieked, turning to her with red‑rimmed eyes. "The bandit confessed! He said you planned everything! You are truly heartless—Second Miss is your own sister!"
"Bandits?" Su Zijin repeated, her voice calm as still water. She tilted her head, eyes gleaming. "Which bandit? What exactly did he say? And where is he now?"
She let the silence stretch before adding, "As far as I know, the bandits of Longyuan Peak were only just apprehended. How remarkable that Concubine Fang already knows their statements."
"I—" Concubine Fang faltered, sweat beading on her forehead. She hadn't expected Su Zijin to know the timing of the arrests.
Under the weight of dozens of eyes, she forced herself to speak. "It—it was what the guards said! They heard it when the bandits fought the constables!"
"Guards?" Su Zijin turned to Great‑Grandmother and bowed. "Then I implore Great‑Grandmother and Grandmother to summon this guard. Let me confront him directly."
Her voice rang clear and steady.
"As the legitimate daughter of the Su Mansion, my actions represent our family. I will not allow slander to stain our name."