Chapter 17 Zhou Zhining Kneels Before Qing Ling

A carriage was parked at the entrance of the new mansion, with the Wang family crest embroidered on its curtain.

The visitor was the chief steward of the Left Censor-in-Chief's office.

Upon receiving the message, Yao Qingling received Steward Wang in the inner courtyard flower hall.

Butler Wang, with his large belly, arrogantly stated his purpose: "The young mistress has been away from her parents' home for a long time, and the old lady means that she should go home."

Butler Wang represents the Wang family and doesn't care about the so-called young mistress's family at all.

Without a sworn brotherhood agreement or the signature and seal of any family elders, what kind of sworn siblings are they? The reason the Wang family turned a blind eye and acknowledged this sworn brother was not to give face to Zhan Xingzhuo, but to give face to the Grand Princess of Deyang.

Furthermore, it's not exactly a prestigious thing for the Wang family to have such a young mistress. The fact that the youngest son of the Grand Princess Deyang is part of her maternal family elevates her status somewhat, and also allows her to share the blame from the Censorate.

With Zhou Zhining away from the manor, Wang Xuan indulged in nightly revelry with his beautiful concubines, keeping the master and eldest son at ease. The manor was peaceful nonetheless.

However, the matter of that maidservant actually reached the authorities, and the master had no choice but to take her back to save face.

Yao Qingling took a leisurely sip of tea and said, "Young Madam Wang came to the manor this time with serious injuries, her body covered in wounds. This shouldn't be my responsibility to say, but things have gotten ugly, and the Wang family's reputation is also affected. What do you say, Steward Wang?"

She wasn't speaking up for Zhou Zhining; she was merely making a few polite remarks from the perspective of the new family and Zhou Zhining's position as the legal wife.

Zhou Zhining used Jin Kui to frame her, and Yao Qingling was naturally unwilling to swallow this insult.

Zhou Zhining, living as a guest in someone else's house, was still restless and caused trouble. When she returned to the Wang family, she not only received Wang Xuan's disgust, but also the disdain of the rest of the Wang family.

Originally, people felt sorry for her being beaten, but once her reputation for "stirring up trouble" spread, they only thought she brought it on herself and no longer received any sympathy from others.

She brought this upon herself. No matter how much Zhan Xingzhuo tried to protect her, after what happened with the authorities, he couldn't turn a blind eye to Qingling's accusations of being mean and framing her.

For Qingling, the most advantageous thing was the record in the government's records.

Public opinion, official records, and the injuries Zhan Xingxiang witnessed on her body will all pave the way for her successful divorce.

At this moment, Yao Qingling maintained the demeanor of the matriarch, her posture dignified, and she was not intimidated by Steward Wang's imposing presence.

Butler Wang gave a forced smile and replied, "What the young mistress says is true. After we return this time, Aunt Zhao will discipline the second young master and the young mistress strictly."

Aunt Zhao is Wang Xuan's biological mother. Although she is favored, after the death of the late Lady Wang, the Left Censor-in-Chief did not make her his principal wife, but she still has the power to manage the household.

Yao Qingling nodded, then turned to the nanny behind her and instructed, "Go and invite Young Madam Wang and Young Master Xiao'er out."

After a while, Zhou Zhining carried Xiao'er to the flower hall.

She was trembling.

She lived in a cramped apartment in the west wing and was out of touch with the world. She had only just learned that Jin Kui had been arrested.

The fact that Butler Wang is here means that Jin Kui has betrayed her.

She didn't even dare to think about how the Wang family would treat her!

Butler Wang looked at her coldly, his eyes full of disdain. Without saying a word, he said in a cold voice, "Young Madam, I've come to take you and the young master back to the manor. Please."

He stretched out his arm toward the door, gesturing for people to enter, then withdrew his hand, put it behind his back, and walked out with a cold and arrogant air.

Zhou Zhining held Xiao'er, her feet seemingly nailed to the floor, completely still.

She looked at Yao Qingling, never expecting that she would escalate the matter of Jin Kui to the point of involving the Shangguan family.

Does she not care about the reputation of the Duke's mansion?

Does she not even care about the dignity of the young mistress of the Zhan family?

Isn't she afraid Zhan Xingzhuo will question her?

Yao Qingling didn't even glance at her, but instead held the teacup lid and slowly stirred the tea.

She doesn't even want the title of Mrs. Zhan anymore, so what does she care about saving face?

As for Zhan Xingzhuo, well, forget about him.

Seeing that she remained as steady as a mountain, showing no sign of guilt or remorse, Zhou Zhining clenched her fists tightly, and with a thud—

She actually knelt down in front of Qing Ling!

Xiao'er was frightened and burst into tears, clinging tightly to her neck.

Amid the child's cries, Zhou Zhining sobbed with tears in her eyes, "Qingling, Jin Kui's matter has nothing to do with me... I didn't know that after being punished, she couldn't bear the injustice and actually tampered with her wounds to take revenge."

"The doctor said she was crippled, and I believed it. It was only when Xingzhuo saw that I had no one to take care of me that he asked me, and that's when I told him."

"Later, Jin Kui begged me, she wanted to go back to her hometown. I felt sorry for her, so I gave her the indenture. She said she had no money and was afraid of dying on the road, so I gave her some travel money... She lied to me, what she said to the officials was also false..."

Zhou Zhining cried, speaking haltingly, and sounded extremely aggrieved.

"Qingling, it was my fault. I shouldn't have been so kind and let you get punished by Brother Xingzhuo."

She held Xiao'er in her arms and even tried to kowtow to Qing Ling.

This statement completely absolved her of responsibility, portraying herself as an innocent victim who made a mistake due to her kind heart.

Yao Qingling watched coldly, her eyes no longer filled with pity or tenderness.

And you still don't know you're wrong!

Zhou Zhining put on a great show, but Yao Qingling didn't say a word, accepting her kneeling and kowtowing with a clear conscience.

“…I can’t go back.” Zhou Zhining crawled a few steps to Qingling, grabbed her clothes, and begged, “Please.”

Yao Qingling put down her teacup, bent down slightly, and held Zhou Zhining's arm, saying softly, "Madam Wang, what are you doing? Butler Wang is of such high status that he came to pick you up in person. What you're doing puts the Wang family in this position? It's as if the Wang family has done something to you."

At the door, Butler Wang stood with a somber expression.

Zhou Zhining trembled slightly and bit her lip tightly.

She reluctantly got up, staring at Qingling with resentment: "If Xingzhuo finds out, he won't forgive you."

Zhou Zhining and her son were taken away by Butler Wang and returned to the Wang family.

Yao Qingling sat in the empty flower hall, feeling neither excited nor pleased with the satisfaction of revenge.

I just feel that with Zhou Zhining gone, her life can be a little more peaceful before the divorce.

...

Upon receiving a report from his servant, Zhan Xingzhuo hurriedly returned to his residence, where he happened to encounter a carriage from the Prince's mansion on the way.

He stopped the carriage.

But Zhou Zhining's injuries had healed, and the Wang family had come to pick her up, so he had no reason to stop her from leaving.

But he could get on the carriage and, as the sworn brother, give his sworn sister a few words of advice.

When Zhou Zhining saw Zhan Xingzhuo, her eyes reddened even more. She threw herself into the man's arms, crying and saying that she hadn't done anything, that Jin Kui had deceived her, and that Yao Qingling had misunderstood her.

She repeated what she had said to Yao Qingling to Zhan Xingzhuo.

Zhan Xingzhuo's heart ached, and seeing a red patch on her forehead, he gently touched it: "What happened to your forehead?"

In private, such behavior was nothing out of the ordinary for the two of them.

Anyway, they have a sworn brother and sister relationship.

Zhou Zhining trembled slightly in pain, bit her lip, and remained silent.

As if she had suffered an even greater injustice, her tears flowed even faster.

Zhan Xingzhuo's gaze fell on her knees; the clothes were dirty.

He noticed that the fabric of her clothes was also dirty around her knees.

His face darkened completely.

Needless to say, he already knew that Zhou Zhining had knelt down and apologized to Yao Qingling.

He kept a straight face and gritted his teeth, saying, "Are you kneeling before her, or is she asking you to kneel?"

Yao Qingling is narrow-minded. She wants others to kneel before her and submit to her, satisfying her desire to easily control others!

Zhou Zhining wiped away her tears, turned her head to one side, and her shoulders trembled slightly, as if she was enduring immense humiliation and had no words to express her suffering.

Zhan Xingzhuo's anger intensified, and he wished he could grab Yao Qingling and make her kneel in front of Zhou Zhining.

The teacher's daughter, how could Yao Qingling bear to kneel before her?

After Zhou Zhining finished crying, she turned her head and whispered, "Don't be mean to Qingling. She's a good person. It's my fault for making her angry."

"She took care of me for so many days, and I have nothing to repay her with but to kowtow in gratitude. It's nothing."

She was as insignificant as a speck of dust floating in the air, with nowhere to land.

A mere gust of wind could toss her away to who knows where.

Zhan Xingzhuo felt extremely distressed and clenched his fists tightly.