Old Mrs. Xie was quite old, and being stopped like this late at night gave her quite a fright.

Ying'er immediately helped up Madam Xie and loudly rebuked her, "What's going on? Who are you people? You've startled the old lady. Can you take responsibility for this?"

The steward, Old Qin, was furious and pulled them aside: "If you have something to say, go to Madam. The old lady knows nothing. What are you doing? If you frighten the old lady, don't blame the Xie family for being ruthless."

"Madam, please save us, we can't live anymore." The two refused to leave, even when Old Qin ordered people to drag them away. They clung tightly to Madam Xie's legs and cried.

Xie Zhaozhao walked over and said, "If you want to talk things out, then talk it out properly. Grandmother is old. If you startle her, it won't just be the two of you who will lose your lives!"

The two quickly let go, crying that they had been tricked to death by Miss Xie and that their whole family would not be able to survive.

"Old Qin, tell them to get up and come inside to talk." Xie Zhaozhao didn't want her grandmother to be stopped at the door. Even though the sun had set, there were still quite a few pedestrians on the street.

Those who knew the truth cried out in injustice, while those who didn't might have thought that the grandmother was abusing her power.

Madam Xie was helped into the mansion and sat down in the main hall of Wutong Garden. Ying'er helped her change clothes and wash her face, and she drank a cup of ginseng tea before calling the two people over.

"What's going on? Who are you people?"

“Madam, I am the maternal uncle of Madam Xu of your household, and my name is Qu Yuning.”

It turned out they were relatives. Madam Xie told Ying'er to immediately offer them seats, but the two of them dared not. They were originally farmers, honest people, and their legs would have cramped up at the sight of Madam Xie.

“A few days ago, the second young lady of the manor sent someone to tell us that Young Master Gu will participate in the poetry competition at the Peony Flower Festival and will definitely win first place. She told us to place a bet, saying that it would guarantee to make money.”

Qu Yuning cried as she said, "My husband and I used our granddaughter's dowry to gamble, and now we've lost it all."

Xie Zhaozhao followed Madam Xie to Wutong Garden, and upon hearing this, she understood everything.

Although Madam Xu has been the mistress of the Xie family for many years, with her grandmother and nanny Xu around, she manages the household affairs and doesn't take much for herself. She also has to leave some for her three children, so she really doesn't take good care of these poor relatives.

This time, she seized a sure-win opportunity and brought honor to her daughter, so she made a big fuss about it. Poor relatives all wanted to curry favor with her, the mistress of the Xie family, and almost bet their entire fortunes on her.

But where in this world is there a bet that's guaranteed to win?

Those who participated in this betting game are almost all kicking themselves today, since 99% of them bet on Gu Chengyan to win.

Madam Xie quickly figured out what had happened and was so angry that she trembled all over. She could understand these poor relatives. Although they were greedy, it was ultimately Xu Shi and Xie Xiangxiang who instigated them.

"Go and fetch Madam Xu and the Second Miss."

A short while later, Xu Shi and Xie Xiangxiang were summoned, and both of them looked away.

"Mother."

"grandmother."

The two greeted each other, but Madam Xie didn't offer them seats. Instead, she told them to stand and pointed at Qu Yuning and his wife, asking Madam Xu, "Do you know these two people?"

Madam Xu replied, "Mother, this is my maternal uncle."

"Alright, they said you encouraged them to bet on Prince Gu, is that true?"

Hearing this, Madam Xu was terrified and said timidly, "I didn't encourage them, I just told them about it. As for whether they place bets or not, I won't force them..."

Before she could finish speaking, her aunt pointed at her indignantly and said, "Madam Xie, how can you say such a thing? What are you saying? I usually don't take care of my relatives, but this time, it's a sure win. You should place your bets now, even if you have to borrow money... Madam Xie, you're even cheating your own uncle, are you even human?"

Although Madam Xu was humble and subservient in the Xie household, she always acted arrogantly when she went out. She was never polite to be scolded by such a poor relative.

"Aunt's words are unreasonable. Did I force you to place bets? You were greedy, how can you blame me?"

The uncle and aunt were so angry that their fingers trembled. They knelt down and cried, "Madam Xie, look at us, how are we supposed to live?"

Xie Xiangxiang lost face at the peony festival today, and when she got back, her great-uncle's family came to her door. In the afternoon, she didn't hold back and had someone kick her great-uncle out. Unexpectedly, the two of them came to her grandmother.

He was furious and said bluntly, "Bet agreements are supposed to be 50/50, it's all about luck. If you lose, you'll hold my mother accountable, but if you win, will you share half with her?"

Seeing that the money had gone down the drain, and knowing she couldn't face her son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter when she got back, Qu's wife was prepared to take her own life.

She pointed at Xie Xiangxiang and said, "It turns out that we country folk are stupid and don't have as much cunning as you, a high-class and wealthy young lady. We've lost all our money and can't afford to give your good son-in-law a dowry, so let's give you some red envelopes instead!"

"Oh no, stop her quickly!" Xie Zhaozhao sensed something was wrong and immediately shouted for someone to stop her.

Qu's wife had already slammed her head against the door frame.

Old Qin was the housekeeper, but he was still a man, and he was waiting outside the courtyard, so there was no time to stop them.

Yuanyuan, skilled in martial arts, leaped forward and grabbed Qu's wife. The woman was a peasant, and with a death wish, she was very strong. Yuanyuan was pulled off balance by her.

Qu's wife and Yuanyuan both fell to the ground.

Thankfully, he's alright, just a scraped head and blood all over his face.

Qu Yuning never expected his wife to attempt suicide on the spot, and he cried out in despair.

He helped his wife up and said, "So what if we lost money? We can go back and farm properly. Losing money is losing money. The children won't kill us. Why were you so foolish?"

Old Madam Xie was old and could not withstand such a shock. Her face changed and she had difficulty breathing.

Xie Zhaozhao immediately patted her back to calm her down and said to Yuanyuan, "Go to my courtyard and get fifty taels of silver, plus a string of copper coins, and take them back to Uncle Qu."

After listening to her report, she learned that Qu Yuning had bet a total of about thirty taels of silver. Since the two men didn't seem too cunning, she decided to pay first.

After all, Gu Chengyan lost the bet, and she was partly responsible for it.

She said sternly to Qu Yuning and his wife, "You should at least ask my grandmother to look into the cause and effect. How could she do such an extreme thing? My grandmother is old. If she gets seriously injured from fright, you can't afford to pay for it with your lives."

Qu Yuning was filled with regret when she saw that the old lady was almost frightened to the point of fainting. When she heard that Xie Zhaozhao was going to give them fifty taels of silver, she was both regretful and overjoyed. She immediately bowed and thanked her.

Yuanyuan quickly brought out fifty taels of silver and a string of copper coins, handed them to Qu Yuning, and said, "Grand Uncle, it's getting late, so we won't keep you any longer. The city gates may be closed. You can either stay at the inn until tomorrow or have Steward Qin send a carriage to take you back."

If the Xie family puts in a good word, the city gate can be opened temporarily.

Qu Yuning was reluctant to stay in a hotel and wanted to go home as soon as possible.

Seeing Xie Zhaozhao's signal, Steward Qin sent a carriage and packed some snacks and fruits for them from the mansion. Before leaving, Qu Yuning and his wife kowtowed outside the gate of Wutong Garden.

Madam Xie was furious and ordered Steward Qin to send someone to keep an eye on them, punishing Madam Xu and Xie Xiangxiang to kneel in the ancestral hall for a day and a night, without giving them any food.