Chapter 132: If Yan Ya knew that you were plotting against her, she would call Qiu...

Ningshou Marquis Mansion

When Old Lady Zhai heard that the Empress Dowager had summoned Cui Lingyan and her husband to the palace today, she asked people to wait not far from the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion early in the morning. She wanted to see if her granddaughter had been angered by the Empress Dowager because of Qiu Zhi's matter, and whether she had been accused of not managing her subordinates well, which had caused the maidservant around her to have inappropriate thoughts and bring shame to her husband Lu Bingzhi's reputation.

It wasn't until well after noon that a maid pulled up the curtain and hurried in, whispering, "Madam, when the Crown Prince and the Third Young Lady returned to the Duke of Wei's residence and disembarked from their carriage, the dispatched personnel observed from a distance that the Third Young Lady looked very well and didn't seem to be under the Empress Dowager's scrutiny. Furthermore, since she left the palace at this hour, she must have been staying at the Cining Palace for dinner. I guess the Empress Dowager, out of love for her, didn't blame our Third Young Lady."

After hearing this report, Madam Zhai didn't know whether she should be relieved or feel that her granddaughter was so lucky that she could even please the Empress Dowager not long after getting married.

But then she thought again, thinking that Lu Bingzhi had also accompanied her into the palace today, the empress dowager might also love her grandson Lu Bingzhi, and even if she was dissatisfied in her heart, she had to give face to her grandson Lu Bingzhi. So she did not make a fuss and instead asked him to stay and have dinner together.

Madam Zhai suppressed these thoughts in her mind and waved her hand to let the nanny leave.

After she left, he sighed, "Yan girl is so lucky. I was thinking of spreading some rumors to control Yan girl, but I never thought of Qiu Zhi's incident. Now it's hard to do anything."

Daimao was listening at the side, his expression changed slightly, and he looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Seeing her like this, Old Lady Zhai said, "Just say whatever you want to say. Why are you hesitating? Madam Liu lives in the Xilan Courtyard. Is she using her pregnancy to boss the maids and servants around?"

Daimao was a favored maidservant in front of her. The fact that she was hesitant must have some concerns. Madam Zhai couldn't help but think of the pregnant concubine Liu.

Hearing the old lady say this, Daimao shook her head and whispered, "It wasn't Madam Liu, but I heard that Qiuzhi had such thoughts. Yes, it was the old lady in law who came to instigate the eldest lady. The eldest lady passed on the message, saying that she was backing Qiuzhi, so that maid had such courage."

"I think Madam Wu wants to control the Third Young Lady because she raised her well."

"Perhaps the eldest lady felt guilty after this incident and was afraid that you, the old lady, would notice something, so she claimed to be sick and did not come to pay her respects this morning."

After hearing Daimao's words, Old Lady Zhai's face immediately darkened. She angrily said, "What business has the Qi family had with the success of our Marquis's daughter? During the years Yan lived with the Qi family, she sent gifts to them every year. She had enough food, clothing, and daily expenses, yet she used a single cent from the Qi family. This old woman, Wu, is not only unsatisfied but also shamelessly wants to continue to manipulate Yan. Her greed is truly insatiable. I don't think any of the Qi family is good."

"The eldest daughter-in-law is even more treacherous. After being instigated by Wu, she came up with such thoughts behind my back and instigated Qiu Zhi to do such shameless things. Has she forgotten that she is already the daughter-in-law of our Cui family? She is so treacherous!"

After Madam Zhai finished speaking, she solemnly instructed another maid in the room, "Go and call the Madam over to me and tell her I have something to ask her!"

The head maid accepted the order and answered "yes", bowed, and then walked out and went to Cuiwei Courtyard where Qi lived.

Qi had been distraught all day after hearing that Qiu Zhi had been directly betrayed by Lu Bingzhi. She felt humiliated, as her son-in-law showed no filial piety to her, a slap in the face that left her in disgrace. Furthermore, she had instigated Qiu Zhi's actions, and she also had a letter she had sent to her.

I don't know whether Qiu Zhi confessed that it was her who ordered it when she was sold, or whether Lu Bingzhi was so angry that he didn't give her a chance to speak and directly had someone gag her, beat her with a stick, and then sold her out.

Feeling uneasy, Qi became even more restless when she heard that the Empress Dowager had summoned Lu Bingzhi and Cui Lingyan to the palace today.

Nanny Jiang stayed with her in the room and didn't dare to go forward to comfort her.

At this moment, she heard a maid outside report that the old lady had sent someone to tell her to go to Xilan Courtyard. The old lady had something to ask her. Qi immediately felt a surge of panic, and the hand holding the teacup could not help but tremble. She subconsciously looked at Madam Jiang beside her.

Nanny Jiang stepped forward and soothed her, "Madam, please don't lose your composure. Although Qiu Zhi came from your room, you had already assigned her to serve the Third Young Lady. She then became a maidservant during her marriage to the Duke of Weiguo. She's no longer in the Ningshou Marquis's residence, so it's not up to you, Madam, to control her from doing anything shameless. Even if there's anyone to blame, it's the Third Young Lady's fault for not being strict with her subordinates."

"To put it bluntly, since she was a maidservant accompanying the Third Lady, she was originally prepared to serve the Prince when the Third Lady was not available. Although Qiu Zhi's action was a bit bold, it was not a big mistake. However, the Prince directly sold her out, which is really not something an ordinary man would do. The Prince's behavior is clearly disrespectful to you, Madam. Whether you feel uncomfortable or unhappy, please do not feel guilty."

Nanny Jiang added, "If you show any sign of guilt and the old lady notices it, and she embarrasses you in front of a room full of maids and servants, your reputation as the Marquis's wife will be even worse. Don't forget, Concubine Liu is still pregnant with a golden nugget. If you embarrass her again at this moment, Concubine Liu will be so happy that she'll eat an extra bowl of rice and won't even take you, her mistress, seriously."

Hearing her say this, Qi felt both angry and uneasy, but she also felt somewhat relieved. Just as Nanny Jiang had said, what did Qiu Zhi do on her own? She, the former master, had nothing to do with her. If the old lady wanted to scold or blame her, she shouldn't be the one to blame her daughter-in-law.

After all, neither her mother nor she would make these plans public.

Thinking of this, Qi didn't delay any longer and took Nanny Jiang to Xilan Courtyard.

As soon as she entered the house, Qi noticed that the atmosphere in the room was a bit solemn. Her mother-in-law, Madam Zhai, sat on the soft couch with a sullen face and closed eyes, twisting a string of jade Buddhist beads in her hand.

Qi's heart skipped a beat. She slowly stepped forward and said, "My daughter-in-law greets you, mother."

Madam Zhai opened her eyes and glanced at her, saying calmly, "You said you felt a little unwell this morning, but now I see you look fine. You're feeling well, and there's no need to call a doctor for treatment."

Madam Zhai's words were clearly meant to find fault with Qi. Qi's heart trembled, and a hint of embarrassment appeared on her face. However, she suppressed her embarrassment and shame, and explained with a wry smile, "Mother, you're joking. I had a cough when I woke up this morning, and I drank the soup made with tangerine peel. I think it helped to regulate my qi and help me digest food, so I feel better now."

Qi changed the subject and asked, "I wonder why mother summoned her daughter-in-law here?"

Hearing Qi's question, Old Lady Zhai sneered, her eyes filled with sarcasm, and she didn't even give Qi any face. "Don't you know why? Do you really think I'm old and confused, just waiting to kick my legs and lie in the coffin, so I let you fool around?"

Madam Zhai's words were indeed quite harsh. Not only were the maids and servants in the room startled, but Qi's face turned pale. How could she bear the old lady's words? She knelt down and apologized, "Mother-in-law, please calm down. How dare I have such a rebellious thought? I just hope you are in good health and live to be over a hundred years old."

Madam Zhai sneered and said coldly, "I dare not live to be a hundred years old and watch you, the eldest daughter-in-law, betray your parents and act recklessly at the instigation of your family members."

When Qi heard what the old lady said, her mind suddenly buzzed. How could she not know what the old lady was referring to?

She didn't understand how the old lady could have heard about something she and her mother had discussed privately.

Her face was pale, and she forced herself to suppress her uneasiness as she spoke vaguely, "My daughter-in-law has been married into the Marquis' Mansion for so many years. Naturally, she is first the Marquis's daughter-in-law, and then the married aunt of the Qi family. How dare she act so willfully at the instigation of her family? I hope that the old lady will understand and not misunderstand my daughter-in-law based on a few words."

When Mrs. Zhai heard that she still dared to lie and quibble at this moment, she was so angry that she threw the jade beads in her hand towards Qi's face.

Qi couldn't dodge in time and was hit by the beads. A red mark immediately appeared on her cheek. She gasped in pain, staggered backward, and covered her cheek with her hands, and it took her a long time to recover.

The room was completely silent. It was Nanny Jiang who finally came to her senses. She bravely stepped forward and knelt before Old Madam Zhai, saying, "Old Madam, please calm down. No matter what mistakes Madam has made, any punishment is justified. You are old, so please don't let your anger damage your health. Besides, Madam has been married into the Marquis's mansion for so many years and is in charge of the household affairs. You also have a pair of children. Even for the sake of the Third Young Lady and the Third Young Master, please give Madam a little face so that she won't be embarrassed to see anyone."

How could Madam Zhai listen to these words when she was angry? Although every word Madam Jiang said was for her health, she was still threatening her with Cui Lingyan and Cui Shenbo.

How could Madam Zhai tolerate such a cunning servant's insolence? Upon hearing her words, she immediately shouted angrily, "Like master, like servant. You are right. For the sake of Yan Yatou and Bo Ge'er, I must at least give your master some face, but I don't have to worry about dealing with a disrespectful servant like you!"

"Come here, drag him out and give him forty lashes, then drive him out of the house. I want to see if I, the old lady of the Marquisate, can deal with such a wicked slave!"

As soon as the old lady said this, two servants came in quickly, covered Jiang Ma's mouth, and dragged her out of the house regardless of her struggles and pleas for mercy.

Qi wanted to beg for mercy, but seeing the sullen face of Madam Zhai, she did not dare to say a word.

Soon, the muffled sound of a board hitting someone could be heard in the room, along with the suppressed sound of pain.

Old Madam Zhai listened to the noise outside with a sullen face, as if she hadn't noticed that Qi, who was kneeling on the ground, was getting paler and paler, and there were horrifying red marks on her cheeks.

After the beating, Nanny Jiang was dragged out of the Xilan Courtyard. She then turned to Qi and said, "Go back and reflect on yourself. Don't be a daughter-in-law of the Marquisate and still betray your parents and scheme against the married ladies in the mansion. Today I can kick Nanny Jiang out of the mansion. If you act on your own again, I can ask the eldest brother to give you a letter of divorce. Anyway, you and Yan girl don't have much mother-daughter relationship. If Yan girl knew that you were plotting against her and asking Qiu Zhi to seduce the prince, I don't think she would support you or say a word!"

"Alright, go back and apply some medicine on your face. Tomorrow, when Yin returns home, don't let anyone see anything and think that our mansion is mistreating you, the eldest daughter-in-law of the eldest son."

After Mrs. Zhai finished speaking, she stood up from the couch, held the arm of her maid Daimao, and slowly walked into the inner room.

Qi's face turned red and white. After a while, she stood up from the ground tremblingly and returned to Cuiwei Courtyard with a gloomy face.