Chapter 60: Chief Steward Wang Overshadows All the Beauties

Cheng Ji’s limbs gradually regained feeling, though they were still not strong enough to bear his body weight for walking. Having spent two or three months bedridden, returning completely to his former self would require a long and gradual recovery process.

On clear and sunny days, Su Yunqing would have a servant help him out to the courtyard's recliner to soak up the sun. Two Huating cranes strolled around him, and the wintersweet flowers began to bloom in competition. All of this filled Cheng Ji with a surging vitality, urging him to stand up on his own as soon as possible.

Days filled with hope always pass quickly. Before they knew it, the eighteenth day of the twelfth lunar month arrived, which was the birthday of Elder Madam Hua.

Su Yunqing deliberately chose a begonia-red, cross-collared vestment, paired with a moon-white fur-collared cloak, along with a simple, pink-pearl-dominated set of gold-threaded hair ornaments. Her attire was bright and vibrant, yet subtle enough not to overshadow the host.

Upon arriving at the Hua residence, she found the courtyards and halls bustling with streams of people in an extraordinary lively display. The wives of various households wore lavish, magnificent garments, adorned with pearls and emeralds, resembling a hundred flowers blooming and competing in beauty.

In contrast, Su Yunqing appeared understated, generous, and yet utterly elegant.

Hua Yingliu, who had a sharp eye, spotted her immediately. Pulling Su Yunqing by the hand, she led her toward a group of young mistresses and introduced them one by one.

Su Yunqing smiled and nodded to each of them in turn, listening quietly as they boasted about their respective households' grand and trivial matters. However, the corner of her eyes and her ears remained constantly alert toward the main entrance, waiting for the arrival of a single person.

Since Su Yunqing’s birthday gift had already been collected by Elder Madam Hua in advance, the master of ceremonies did not announce her present upon arrival. Taking advantage of this, a group of matrons began flattering one another.

"Lady Liu is truly generous. A volcanic glazed pagoda makes all the rest of our birthday gifts pale in comparison."

"It is Lady Wang who is truly thoughtful. Having fasted and bathed for seven days, she copied the *Sutra of Longevity* a hundred times by hand, leaving us all deeply in awe."

"If you ask me, gift-giving is all about catering to the recipient's preferences. Elder Madam Hua loves parrots, so our Madam Hu brought two... what were they called again?"

"They are called cockatiels."

"Right, right, right, that's the name. How lovely, the little creatures are so pretty, and they speak so well..."

This Madam Hu was opulent and glittering with jewels, boasting that the cockatiels she brought were the cream of the crop among the birthday gifts. She cast a sidelong glance at Su Yunqing.

"Elder Madam Cheng's doucai cups, which she delivered last time to the Hua family, are still eagerly awaited by everyone. How is it that over a month has passed and there's still no news? Will this kiln firing ever succeed?"

Su Yunqing smiled and nodded. "Madam Hu might not know this, but doucai porcelain involves a rather complex firing process. The glazing alone requires more than a dozen procedures, so naturally, the finished products take a little longer. I hope you will understand."

Another woman chimed in, "The reason doucai is so precious is precisely because of this. From this, it is clear that Elder Madam Cheng is an extremely generous and magnanimous person."

Madam Hu twitched the corner of her mouth. "Generous and magnanimous? Then why did she come to someone's birthday banquet empty-handed?"

The reason Hua Yingliu was willing to be close to Su Yunqing was precisely because she found these women hypocritical and duplicitous. Given Hua Yingliu's current status, at least in Cengzhou, there was no one she needed to pander to. Hearing their thinly veiled sarcasm, she glanced at Su Yunqing.

"Elder Madam Cheng, it is crowded and noisy out here. Why don't you come inside the house with me?"

Su Yunqing leaned close to her ear and whispered with a smile, "It's fine. A crowd makes it lively."

Hearing this, Hua Yingliu found her all the more open-minded, composed, and unconcerned with petty matters.

At midday, an extremely lavish and exquisite carriage arrived at the Hua family's entrance. A servant at the gate pulled open the curtain, and a greasy-faced man with slanted brows, skewed eyes, and a hairless white face stepped out.

The master of ceremonies immediately shouted at the top of his lungs, "Grand Eunuch Wang Hong, His Excellency, has arrived..."

Su Yunqing's half-drooped eyelids suddenly lifted.

Hua Yingliu tugged at her arm and said, "Elder Madam Cheng, didn't you say last time that you wanted to meet Grand Eunuch Wang? Look, here he is. Come with me, I'll take you to see him."

With that, she stood up and motioned for Su Yunqing to follow.

Hearing of the grand arrival of the chief eunuch from the imperial palace, everyone wanted to catch a glimpse, so the guests swarmed over like a swarm of bees, yet consciously cleared a path.

Wang Hong swaggered into the courtyard, nodded slightly to the people bowing on either side, and walked arrogantly down the lane.

Elder Madam Hua came out to greet him, just as a crisp and melodious voice echoed from within: "Welcome, Grand Superintendent Wang. First time meeting you, please take good care of us..."

Wang Hong was a man who played with birds every day. The moment he heard it, he knew what kind of sound that was. He raised his slanted brow at Elder Madam Hua, his crooked eyes skewing even further: "This is?"

Elder Madam Hua gestured with her hand, saying, "Grand Superintendent Wang will know at a glance. Please come this way."

To give him a surprise and simultaneously show off before him, Elder Madam Hua had placed the birdcage of the dark-feathered macaw directly in the main hall.

This dark-feathered macaw was far smarter than other parrots and learned to speak much faster. Having been brought back from the Cheng family for less than a month, Elder Madam Hua had taught it personally every day, and it had already learned quite a few sentences.

With a pounding heart and trembling hands, Wang Hong walked close to the birdcage and looked at the creature. "What else can it say?"

Elder Madam Hua reminded from the side, "Quickly greet Grand Superintendent Wang!"

"Elder Madam Hua possesses peerless beauty."

"Elder Madam Hua is a beauty of national renown."

Covering her mouth with a handkerchief, Elder Madam Hua smiled and said, "Not that one. I told you to greet Grand Superintendent Wang!"

"Grand Superintendent Wang is a man of exceptional talent! Grand Superintendent Wang eclipses all the flowers!"

The remark made everyone present want to burst into laughter, yet they dared not make a sound, each forced to cover their mouths with handkerchiefs while their shoulders shook with suppressed mirth.

Looking at Elder Madam Hua in disbelief, Wang Hong asked, "It can speak this much?"

Elder Madam Hua nodded. "As long as someone teaches it, it can learn even more."

Nodding repeatedly while stroking his hairless chin, Wang Hong muttered, "This is a dark-feathered macaw! I spent a fortune searching for one previously with no result. Where did you acquire this?"

"It was a gift from the Elder Madam of the Cheng family. In Cengzhou, this is the only one."

At this moment, the aforementioned Madam Hu—who had just mocked Su Yunqing for not bringing a birthday gift—glanced over at the two cockatiels she had sent, which were relegated to a forgotten corner. The smug expression on her face instantly vanished, and she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Wang Hong inquired, "The Elder Madam of the Cheng family? Which Cheng family?"

"The Cheng family of the Cheng Family Kiln, of course."

Wang Hong frowned. "Did the Cheng family remarry into another household?"

He had been the one to take away ten thousand liang of gold. When the Su family residence caught fire, he was still staying at the Zejiang County Yamen, and not long after returning to the capital, he received news that the Su mother and daughter had gone missing. The Su family was entirely gone.

Elder Madam Hua was puzzled. "What other household?"

Wang Hong raised his eyes, and through the crowd, he caught sight of a familiar face. Suddenly, the back of his head and his tailbone felt as though they had been pricked by needles simultaneously, throbbing with a sharp pain.

That face vanished instantly beyond the moon gate.

He raised a hand and said, "Wait a moment, I'll be right back."

With that, he strode toward the moon gate...

Everyone else in the hall remained captivated by the dark-feathered macaw, expressing a desire to hear it say more pleasant things, while others attempted to teach it new vocabulary.

"Ah... ah... ah..."

Within moments, a series of shrill, harrowing screams echoed from beyond the moon gate.

Crying out that something was amiss, Elder Madam Hua bolted out in pursuit.

Meanwhile, Hua Yingliu grabbed the hand of Su Yunqing—who had just returned from using the latrine—and comforted her: "It's fine, don't be afraid. This is my home, let's go and see what's happening."

As the crowd stepped through the moon gate, they saw Wang Hong kneeling on both knees, his hands tightly clamped over his face. Fresh blood continuously gushed from between his fingers, streaming down the backs of his hands, soaking his sleeves and his knees, and staining the ground below.

Two junior eunuchs beside him were in a panic, wanting to help him up, yet paralyzed by terror and trembling so violently they couldn't steady their hands.

"Quick, someone come quickly!" Elder Madam Hua shouted. "Carry Grand Superintendent Wang inside!"

Pointing at a servant, she commanded, "Go and fetch a physician! Be quick!"