Chapter 74 - 37: How Is It Not Gratifying?_2
As she spoke, she told the whole story from beginning to end, ending with tears of injustice.
After listening, Sang Wan heaved a light sigh and said softly, "In that case, it seems you have indeed been wronged! However, Qiu Ju ultimately belongs to the Master of the second house, and the young master has always respected his elders. For the sake of the second Master’s dignity, let’s drop this matter! Don’t take it to heart, and in the future, just steer clear of her to avoid escalating the issue. It would make things difficult for the young master!"
"Yes, this slave dares not trouble the young master and Mistress. I will avoid her from now on!" Liu Ya said with a sense of grievance.
Mrs. Li, who was on the side, felt a surge of anger upon hearing this. It was fine for a maid like Liu Ya to suffer a bit of injustice, but causing difficulty for the young master was absolutely unacceptable!
What was Qiu Ju but a slave who could be sold at the lift of a foot? How dare she meddle with the affairs of the main family and, in front of everyone, chastise and slap someone from the young master’s house? Does she not have the young master in her eyes at all!
Earlier, as Liu Ya had calmly recounted the incident, it was clear that Qiu Ju was in the wrong, which only infuriated Mrs. Li even more: Why should they behave submissively and avoid her? The young master’s respect for his elders was one thing, but it certainly didn’t mean the slaves of the elder’s household could just trample over people’s dignity!
"Mistress!" Mrs. Li scoffed, "Even if Liu Ya was truly at fault, it’s not the place of a maid and concubine from the second house to intervene. Now with the young master and Mistress here, and the various managing matrons around, even the Second Madam Shi would not have the privilege to intervene! Qiu Ju is a mere maid with such audacity! We cannot let this matter slide! Otherwise, what would become of us in the future!"
Sang Wan’s heart was pleased with this, but she still spoke of her dilemma with seeming distress, coaxing Mrs. Li to "let this pass," "turn a big issue into a small one, and a small one into nothing," and "not to disrupt the harmony," but Mrs. Li was not willing to concede. On the contrary, she became even more enraged, insisting that such a precedent could not be set. She said, "Mistress, as you are new to the family, it is inconvenient for you to handle this. Leave it to this old servant! There’s no need for us to do anything; I will take Liu Ya now to pay respects to Second Madam Shi and to have that Miss Qiu Ju apologize!"