Chapter 309 The Top Scholar 16

The First Madam's face turned red from the hot water in the teacup, and blood was drawn from her forehead. She didn't think she had done anything wrong, but instead directed her hatred at Aunt Shi: If Wu Meng hadn't been so disobedient and insisted on suppressing her son and marrying a princess, how could she have suffered such a fate today?

So she sent someone to summon Aunt Shi, because today she was going to torment Aunt Shi to the point of losing half her life.

So what if she's a princess?

How could she possibly interfere in the affairs of the Duke of Li's household?!

She had a good plan, but since her son had already successfully escaped the Duke's mansion, Aunt Shi wouldn't give her the chance!

You think I'll just go because you tell me to?

dream!

If you're so capable, just kill me!

The moment I die, my son will be able to completely sever ties with the Duke of Li's mansion!

That just goes to my wish!

The First Madam waited for a long time but no one came. The burns on her face made her extremely irritable. Furious, she took her maid and went straight to Concubine Shi's courtyard.

As you walk out of the corridor, there is a set of four steps. The First Madam has lived in the mansion for decades and has always been able to step over them safely. She said that even if she fell, she would only be a little embarrassed and nothing serious would happen.

But the First Madam didn't know how she got there. As soon as she stepped off the first step, she fell straight down. Her maidservant rushed to save her and reached out to pull her up, but she also fell down.

As a result, the First Madam fell to the ground, and two maids behind her crashed down on her.

Click, and another click!

The First Madam's thigh was broken, her arm was broken, and two of her ribs were also broken!

He's almost fifty, and has lived a life of luxury for years, resulting in extremely poor health. Even small things can escalate into big problems.

After calling the doctor, the bones were set, but the lady remained unconscious with a persistent high fever!

...

Ning Yan woke up at the end of the afternoon, and Wan Zi came in to serve her but found that she couldn't help at all.

She hadn't expected the prince consort to be so good at serving people. She could only watch from the sidelines. "Master, I heard that the man surnamed Pei caused a ruckus again last night. The guards were so afraid he would die that they drugged him. I don't know how he's so lucky. He has so many wounds on his body, but he just won't die!"

"Haven't you heard? Good people don't live long, but evil people live for a thousand years. The more bad things someone does, the longer they live."

Therefore, she has always lived as she pleases, and no one can ever wrong her.

"Alright, let's have their limbs broken and throw them out of the manor. How many days they live depends on their fate."

Wan Zi got a satisfying job and immediately went off to do her work happily.

Originally, this matter could have been handled by a guard, but Wan Zi was not satisfied with that, so she personally took a wooden stick as thick as her wrist and broke the limbs of the two men. She then found a drug to make them mute and had their voices cut off before having them thrown into a beggar's den.

These two had tormented each other for over a month, their faces and bodies covered in wounds. Even people who knew them before wouldn't recognize them.

Pei Chengyuan was in so much pain that he fainted and then woke up. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself lying by the roadside, with Princess Jiahe not far away.

She was still unconscious.

Pei Chengyuan looked up at the sky, then at the bustling street, and grinned silently.

As he laughed, tears streamed down his face. He was utterly helpless, unable to live or die. If he had known, he should have just committed suicide; at least he could have died in the princess's palace.

The voices of several children could be heard in the distance: "Hey, look, aren't those two dogs lying over there?"

"That's not a dog, it's a stinking beggar."

Pei Chengyuan laughed even harder, but still made no sound. Then the children watched as he banged his head against the ground. They could hear the thuds even from a distance. After a while, the stinking beggar was silent.

Did he kill himself?

"Yes, yes! They're gone, they're gone, how scary!" The children disappeared in a flash.

Another half hour passed, and the beggars spotted Jiahe. "Damn, you scared me to death! How can he be so ugly?"

"...She is indeed a bit ugly, but at least she is a woman."

The beggars hesitated for a moment, then all at once dragged the man away.

...

A few days later, people from the Duke of Liguo's mansion suddenly requested an audience.

Wan Zi went to see someone.

"My lord, the Duchess of Liguo has suddenly fallen seriously ill and passed away."

Ning Yan smiled and said, "Prepare the necessary funeral arrangements, call the prince consort back, and prepare mourning clothes."

As the stepmother of the prince consort, she still had to maintain appearances.

The First Madam's body lay in state for seven days before being buried.

The Duke of Liguo showed no sign of sadness; instead, he spent every day in Concubine Shi's room.

Concubine Shi had become the mistress of the Duke of Li's mansion.

That makes sense, though. He's over fifty, his eldest son has four grandchildren, and his eldest grandson is old enough to be getting married. It's impossible for him to take another wife.

However, the heir of the Duke of Liguo hated the Duke of Liguo and Consort Shi.

His mother planned for him her whole life, but in the end, it was because Aunt Shi disobeyed the mistress's orders and tried to teach her a lesson that she was seriously injured.

He couldn't do anything about his younger brother who had become the emperor's son-in-law, but getting rid of his concubine, Aunt Shi, was a piece of cake.

In the evening, the Duke of Li returned from outside and went directly to Consort Shi's courtyard.

These past few days, Wu Meng has been in a good mood because he knows that he treats Aunt Shi well and has started to smile at her. He feels that good days are just around the corner.

Where is your aunt?

The maidservant replied respectfully, "The mistress is feeling slightly unwell and is resting in the back."

"Your aunt instructed that food be prepared for you as soon as you returned. I'll have the dishes served right away."

The princess sent over some of the lady's favorite snacks, as well as a food box of exquisite meals. The concubine didn't want the Duke to spoil her appetite, nor did she want the princess's gifts to benefit that scoundrel, so she ate them all by herself.

Right now, he's so full he's groaning!

In Aunt Shi's heart, she would rather die of overeating than let that bastard Wu Youming benefit from any of the things her son and the princess sent her.

"Are you feeling unwell? I'll go get you checked out."

The maidservant hurriedly said, "My lord, my aunt is fine. It's just that she ate too many sweets and her teeth hurt a little."

A toothache sounds better than enduring it, right?

Duke Li burst into laughter. "She's about to become a grandmother, and she's still so greedy? Really... Have the physician prescribe some medicine for your aunt, otherwise she won't be able to sleep well tonight."

Maid: If you just go back to the study in the front yard to sleep, your aunt will be able to sleep well. This is more effective than taking medicine.

But she still respectfully replied, "Yes."

When the heir of the Duke of Li learned that his father had indeed gone to Consort Shi's place again that night, a sarcastic smile appeared on his face. Letting his father watch his beloved woman die was his way of showing filial piety.

In Concubine Shi's courtyard, maids filed in carrying food. Duke Li was eating alone today, so he ate slowly and deliberately. He was used to drinking soup before eating, and the soup was at just the right temperature, warming his stomach. Although Concubine Shi didn't like to pay attention to him, she knew that if she made him happy, her son would also benefit. Therefore, dinner consisted of his favorite dishes, and she even warmed two pots of wine for him.