Oops! The Black Lotus Can’t Be a Female Supporting Character

CHAPTER 6

“…” Sun momo nearly spat blood, unable to refute in front of Madam Yin.

The room fell into a heavy silent, the only sound coming from the wind brushing against the bamboo leaves outside.

Madam Yin remained still for a while, silently observing Sun momo.

Among the several concubine’s daughter she had, Xiao Yanfei had always been obedient, a child who brought little trouble.

She never caused any unnecessary conflict, nor did she act like the other concubine’s daughter, flattering and trying to win favor. She even avoided getting too close her.

Over time, Madam Yin had almost forgotten what she looked like, as Xiao Yanfei would always keep her head lowered when they crossed paths.

For such a child to speak in such a manner today, it was clear she had been pushed to her limit.

If Sun momo could be so bold in front of her, she must be even more domineering in the Yuechu courtyard.

After a moment of silence, Madam Yin asked again. “Yanfei, do you still have the leftover incense ash or any unused incense from yesterday?”

“Yes,” Xiao Yanfei answered confidently, her expression open and calm. “Mother, feel free to send someone to check.”

Thump, thump! Sun momo‘s heart raced uncontrollably.

She had intended to dispose of the incense ash in the burner earlier that morning, but she was injured by Xiao Yanfei’s silver hairpin. In her haste to tend to the wound, she had forgotten about it.

When she was trying to get Xiao Yanfei to apologize just now, she couldn’t very well handle the incense ash in front of her.

Xiao Yanfei had always been easy to manage, and Sun momo had been confident that she could handle this, but now…

Madam Yin raised her hand, and Zhao momo stepped forward to await instructions.

“Go to Yanfei’s room, collect the incense ash and any remaining incense, and take them to Tian momo for inspection.”

Tian momo and her family had always been loyal servants to Madam Yin. Her husband, Tian Xincheng, helped manage Madam Yin’s dowry shop outside, and both were highly trusted. Tian momo was skilled in making incense, and the incense used by Madam Yin and the Third Young Master was often specially crafted by her.

Sun momo knew that Tian momo was an expert with incense, and a chill ran through her heart.

This was bad!

The blood drained from her face visibly but she dared not stop Zhao momo from leaving.

Madam Yin observed the subtle change in Sun momo’s expression, her suspicion growing. A cold glint flickered in her eyes.

She gently smoothed the sleeve of her robe and, in a calm voice, invited Xiao Yanfei to sit again.

“Thank you, Mother.”

This time, Xiao Yanfei obediently responded and sat down on the low armchair next to her.

Sun momo couldn’t help but glance again in the direction Zhao momo had left, the cold sweat on her forehead growing denser, trickling down her temples.

Even though she tried hard to hide it, the anxiety and unease buried deep within her heart were still evident in her demeanor.

Sun momo clung to a shred of hope, silently reassuring herself: There shouldn’t be anything to find in the leftover incense ash.

At that moment, it felt as though time had slowed, and every one of her senses had been amplified.

She could hear the conversation between Xiao Yanfei and Madam Yin, the occasional clink of porcelain from the bamboo cabinet, the footsteps and whispers of the maids outside the door, even the faint sound of water dripping from the teapot into the water tank…

“Drip… drip…”

“Drip… drip…”

It felt like an eternity had passed, yet at the same time it seemed as if only a moment had gone by. She heard the sound of the door curtain being lifted and instinctively looked up.

Zhao momo hurriedly returned, holding a small paper bundle about the size of a fist, followed by an elderly woman with graying hair, dressed neatly and tidily.

As they approached Sun momo, Zhao momo cast a cold, sideways glance at her, sending a chill to the depths of Sun momo ‘s heart.

“Madam, this is the incense ash the old servant took from Miss Xiao’s room.” Zhao momo said, as she unwrapped the paper bundle. Inside was a clump of incense ash, releasing a faint, lingering fragrance.

The elderly woman, Tian momo then reported. “This old servant carefully examined it and compared it. This is definitely not incense from Yixiang Pavilion purchased this season; it’s mixed with Green plum blossom pollen.”

The suspicions in her mind were immediately confirmed, and in an instant, Madam Yin’s fingers tightened involuntarily. Her fingertips tensed, and her gaze became sharp, like an arrow as it pierced the air.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned cold.

A drop of cold sweat slowly fell from Sun momo‘s chin to the floor.

“How could this happen?” Xiao Yanfei exclaimed in surprise, looking at Sun momo, her voice hoarse. “Sun momo, didn’t you say this incense was fine?!”

All eyes in the room turned sharply toward Sun momo.

She was drenched in cold sweat, her undergarment soaked through, her face as pale as that of a corpse.

Her mind was in chaos, her thoughts crashing like waves. Her first instinct was to deny it. “Madam, I don’t know. It is my dereliction of duty.”

“Don’t know?” Madam Yin’s lips curled into a slight smile. “You manage all the affairs in Miss Xiao’s courtyard. Either you were complicit, or you were negligent.”

Madam Yin was smiling, but the smile did not reach her eyes. Her gaze was as deep and still as a cold pond, impenetrable and chilling. It sent a shiver down Sun dereliction ‘s spine, and her heart sank.

At that moment, Sun momo realized, deeply and clearly, that now that she had been singled out by Madam Yin, it would be nearly impossible to escape unscathed.

She couldn’t allow Madam Yin to continue investigating.

Otherwise…

She clenched her teeth, biting her tongue until the salty, bitter taste filled her mouth, then, like a soldier making a difficult sacrifice, she forced the words out. “It was me.”

“It was my greed. I sold the incense portion meant for Miss Xiao and replaced it with inferior incense.”

With a loud “thud,” Sun momo collapsed to her knees on the cold, hard stone floor, bowing deeply in front of Madam Yin.

“I was wrong, Madam, please punish me! But I really didn’t know the incense contained Green plum blossom pollen.”

She pressed her forehead to the ground, humbling herself and remaining completely still, afraid to move.

Zhao momo glared at Sun momo with murderous intent, her eyes burning with fury as if she could charge at the old woman and slap her across the face.

Madam Yin’s gaze grew even deeper, dark and unsettling, sending a chill down everyone’s spine.

Her voice remained calm as she questioned. “You didn’t know whether the incense contained green plum blossom pollen, yet you rushed to have Miss Xiao take the blame?”

Sun momo, propped up on her hands, maintaining her kneeling position as she answered dryly. “I heard that Madam was investigating the incense. Fearing you might discover I had sold Miss Xiao’s portion, I… momentarily lost my senses.”

After she spoke, the room fell into dead silence.

Madam Yin remained silent.

The stiff atmosphere stretched on, the heavy silence only making Sun momo feel more uncomfortable. She couldn’t help but tremble slightly.

With a determined resolve, Sun momo slammed her head to the ground once more, then quickly added. “I am guilty, Madam. After I entered Miss Xiao’s courtyard, over the years, I’ve withheld a lot from her. Not only the incense, but also half of her monthly allowance, as well as tea, cloth, and thread…”

“I was afraid that if Madam continued investigating, you’d uncover everything, so I tried to downplay it…”

Her voice grew softer and softer until it was barely audible, like the whisper of a mosquito.

She had confessed, taking all the blame upon herself, hoping that whether Madam Yin believed her or not, there would be no flaws for her to exploit.

She told herself that, but the cold sweat continued to pour from her forehead and down her back.

After a long moment, Madam Yin’s cold voice rang out from above her head. “Take her away, give her thirty lashes, and then send her to the Jingxiu Temple to serve.”

Sun momo‘s plump body trembled violently, and she repeatedly kowtowed, begging for mercy, “Madam, I know I was wrong, please don’t expel me.”

She had expected Madam Yin to punish her with a few lashes, take away her duties as a warning, and maybe even sell her off

—but she wasn’t afraid, knowing someone would eventually buy her back.

What she hadn’t expected, however, was for Madam Yin to send her to Jingxiu Temple!

Jingxiu Temple was the Xiao family’s ancestral temple, where the women who had committed offenses within the Xiao clan were sent to “cultivate peace.” Life there was austere—focused on daily vegetarian meals and Buddhist chants, offering little comfort or luxury.

Sun momo had once visited the temple and witnessed how the once-beautiful concubine, who had charmed many, aged by more than a decade after spending just a few years there. She looked older than the old madam of the family.

Sun momo kowtowed heavily and repeatedly making her neat hairstyle becoming disheveled, leaving her looking thoroughly disheartened and ragged.

The sound of her head hitting the ground—thud, thud—sent chills down the spines of the young maidservants in the room.

Madam Yin remained unmoved, sitting upright on the Luohan couch, and calmly ordered. “Take her away.”

“Yes, Madam.” Zhao momo replied respectfully, shooting Sun momo a derisive glance.

Sun momo’s greed and audacity were evident, but Zhao momo suspected she was still hiding something, not fully confessing all her wrongdoings. However, at this point, Sun momo had refused to speak any further, and they had no choice but to leave it there—for now.

After all, that person still had a son to protect her and enjoyed the favor of both the Marquis and the old madam. Without solid evidence, even Madam couldn’t act too rashly.

The more Zhao momo thought about it, the more resentful she became. With a look of sympathy toward the expressionless Madam Yin, she called out. “Someone, take Sun momo away.”

Two burly women entered, moving with purpose.

” Sun momo, my apologies.” The two women roughly yanked the kneeling Sun momo to her feet, stuffing a rag in her mouth to silence her, dragging her out as though she were nothing more than a dead pig.

Xiao Yanfei sat silently, watching as the door curtain was roughly lifted and fell again, swaying gently in midair.

Zhao momo and Tian momo quietly exited the room.

Madam Yin remained seated while her eyes fixed on Xiao Yanfei.

The young girl lowered her head slightly, her lips barely curved, long lashes casting faint shadows on her slightly flushed cheeks. Her expression was calm, neither surprised nor angry, exuding a delicate and serene air.

Almost like a soft, fluffy kitten.

The room was silent, the stillness weighing heavily.

This prolonged silence made Xiao Yanfei’s heart race, and she couldn’t help but replay every word she had just said, sighing inwardly. In truth, she had acted too hastily today, and it had veered somewhat from the original character she had been portraying.

However, Madam Yin was already investigating the incense matter, and it needed to be resolved one way or another.

Xiao Yanfei knew so little about her biological mother, Madam Yin. In the novel, after the untimely death of Xiao Ye, Madam Yin fell into a deep sorrow, nearly losing her sanity, withdrawing from everything, and never leaving the house again.

Because of this, Xiao Yanfei was completely unaware of Madam Yin’s true nature, but she couldn’t just sit back and wait, wondering if Madam Yin would “see through everything” on her own, could she?

The uncertainty felt like a guillotine hanging over her head, and Xiao Yanfei disliked it.

Since Sun momo was so determined to push the blame onto her, it was clear that she was deeply involved in the matter. Xiao Yanfei decided to take decisive action, handing Sun momo over to Madam Yin to settle the issue once and for all.

“Yanfei, come here,” Madam Yin beckoned to Xiao Yanfei.

Her voice was neutral, with no trace of emotion.

Xiao Yanfei recalled the story from A Compilation of Anecdotes about a man who was burned alive for being deemed a monster. She unconsciously swallowed and felt a chill at the back of her neck.

At this point, to recover her character’s image, there was only one thing left to do…

Xiao Yanfei obediently rose and walked to the Luohan couch, intending to sit down.

Just as she was about to take her seat, her slender frame swayed slightly.

She closed her eyes, and in that instant, the endless darkness rushed in.

Xiao Yanfei had originally intended to fake fainting just to maintain her image. But the moment she closed her eyes, an endless, overwhelming darkness surged in.

She had a long dream, a dream about the original owner’s life.

The original owner had been removed from the family register by the Marquis of Wu’an and expelled from the Marquis’ residence. Not long after, she joined a merchant caravan, offering to wash clothes and cook in exchange for being taken to Jizhou.

With nothing but her own hands, she survived in Jizhou, and after a few years, she built up a modest business. Although it was just a small embroidery workshop, she was content.

At first, the original owner’s life had finally settled down. But unexpectedly, she crossed paths with Xiao Luanfei who was pregnant.

Xiao Luanfei said, “The Crown Prince wants to take a concubine. He once promised me ‘a lifetime, one pair of souls,’ but he broke his promise. I divorced him, and even without the Crown Prince, I can raise this child on my own.”

Moved by their past bond, the original owner took Xiao Luanfei in.

Later, the Crown Prince came looking for her, and the couple, full of love and conflict, stirred up quite a commotion. They were discovered by a group of rebels.

With the protection of his guards, the Crown Prince fled with Xiao Luanfei, but the unfortunate original owner was captured by the rebels and used as leverage to force the Crown Prince to pay a ransom of a hundred thousand silver taels.

At the crucial moment, Xiao Luanfei stepped forward and abandoned her.

In the end, the original owner was killed, pierced by a thousand arrows.

Even after her death, the world scorned the original owner, accusing her of being reckless and saying that, in her desire for revenge against the Marquis’ residence for expelling her, she had allied with the rebels. They praised the Crown Prince’s wife, Xiao Luanfei, for being just and righteous.

The original owner died without peace, her spirit restless!

Xiao Yanfei’s heart ached with sharp pangs, and a tear slipped from the corner of her tightly shut eyes, rolling down her face.

She didn’t know whether the tear was the original owner’s or her own, shedding for the original owner’s tragic fate.

The darkness fully enveloped Xiao Yanfei, and she drifted into a deep sleep…

***