Qian's heart leaped into her throat, and she stood up abruptly, shouting, "What's going on?"

The curtain was lifted high, and Zhu Xian strode in.

It was already late, and a lamp was lit inside the house. Zhu Xian, his face full of hostility, rushed towards Qian Shi as soon as he saw her.

Worried that Madam Qian would be taken advantage of, Granny Ruan quickly stepped in to stop her, saying, "My lord, let's talk this out."

Zhu Xian shoved her aside, then pushed aside two other maids standing by the door. He strode forward, grabbed Qian Shi's sleeve, and pulled her close, saying, "I'm asking you, did your niece cause trouble a couple of days ago?"

Madam Qian's lips trembled, and it took her a while to say, "It was just an accident that I accidentally knocked the young lady of the Earl's mansion into the water. She was rescued in no time. I had someone check on her, and she is fine."

Zhu Xian sneered, "No serious injury? If there's no serious injury, would they cause Zhou Yunli to lose his official position and his wealth?"

Madam Qian shuddered and tried to steady her voice, “Lord Zhou is an official in the court, and there are countless people who are at odds with him. He has been caught red-handed, and he can only blame himself for his poor conduct. Now he is embroiled in lawsuits and instead of thinking about how to handle things properly, he has turned on the Marquis and even dragged in the trivial matters between his young daughters. I am concerned about the affairs of the court, but I really cannot condone Lord Zhou’s behavior.”

Zhu Xian's taut arm relaxed slightly. After a moment of deep thought, he said coldly, "Are you sure the Earl's daughter was alright that day?"

When Madam Qian heard him ask this question, she knew that the storm had passed, and she quickly nodded, "I can confirm it."

Zhu Xian released her hand and sat on the couch. "Zhou Yunli said that his daughter was unwilling to go to the pond that day, but your niece dragged her there. Then she spoke rudely to her, and she got angry and argued with her. Your niece then took the initiative to attack, which resulted in others falling into the water."

Madam Qian rolled her eyes and quickly smiled, "Master knows Zhiqing's temperament. She's the gentlest and kindest. When have you ever seen her speak harshly to anyone?" She covered her mouth with her handkerchief, her eyes curving upwards. "In my opinion, the Zhou family is in a hurry. They're grabbing anyone they can and trying to share the blame."

Zhu Xian's eyebrows furrowed, and his previously softened expression suddenly turned stern. "Nonsense! What does Zhou Yunli's crime have to do with me? He can't possibly implicate me."

Madam Qian's original intention was merely to blur the focus and divert Qian Zhiqing's attention. Upon hearing this, she knew he no longer cared about the drowning incident, so she didn't mind his change of expression and even coaxed him with a smile, "Yes, yes, I was just talking nonsense." She turned her head and looked towards the door, saying, "My lord hasn't eaten yet, has he? Shall I have someone bring it to you?"

Zhu Xian breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Alright."

Mrs. Qian was overjoyed and immediately ordered people to set out the meal.

Zhu Xian added, "Your niece is getting on in years, and Yi'er is also growing up. There are too few women in the household. You should send some people to send her away as soon as possible. Whatever your plans are for the future, it's best to get rid of her for now."

Upon hearing this, Madam Qian became anxious and hurriedly said, "My lord, Zhiqing has been living in the Marquis's mansion since she was a few years old. She has always regarded you and me as her closest relatives. Sending her away based on the Zhou family's baseless accusations would surely break her heart."

Zhu Xian snorted coldly, "Whether it's a connection or not, it's still related to your niece. I entrusted the inner quarters to you, and you've caused trouble for me. Don't tell me you don't want to manage the inner quarters anymore?"

Qian sensed the ill intent in Zhu Xian's words, paused, but was still unwilling to give up.

Seeing her expression, Zhu Xian narrowed his eyes and warned, "Stop taking things from your family home. They don't even have anyone to take care of them. What's the use of giving them so much stuff?"

Madam Qian was shocked when Zhu Xian said that, her mouth agape in surprise, and her face flushed red with embarrassment.

Granny Ruan looked at Madam Qian and sighed inwardly.

Every family has its own troubles. The Qian family had been bullied by relatives before. After her brother passed away, she held her breath and refused to allow her parents to adopt a son. Now that there is no one to support the family, they have suffered losses but have no choice but to accept it.

After Zhu Xian finished speaking, he looked around the room and saw that no one was smiling. He knew that he had inadvertently said what he was thinking and offended Madam Qian. He wanted to say something to soften her tone, but Madam Qian had a long face and no one in the room offered him a way out. Frustrated, he went straight to the backyard without thinking.

Madam Qian only came to her senses when the brocade curtain on the door hit the door frame. She then collapsed onto the bed and began to weep bitterly.

In the back courtyard of Liuxiang Courtyard, the beautiful and charming Aunt Liu, upon hearing that Zhu Xian had arrived, swayed gracefully like a willow to greet him. Her soft, white fingers gently supported his shoulders as she attentively and tenderly helped him to a chair. Her soft fingertips pressed against his forehead as she spoke softly to him.

Zhu Xian closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment. His shoulders relaxed, and the anger he had just caused Qian Shi dissipated in the blink of an eye.

Taking the opportunity, Aunt Liu subtly probed. Although Zhu Xian doted on her, he didn't want to embarrass Madam Qian, so he only vaguely mentioned falling into the water. Aunt Liu smiled and said softly, "To be honest, we have so many servants in our household, how come there were no people available at that time?" She glanced cautiously at Zhu Xian, who was deep in thought, and then pretended to be considerate and exonerate Madam Qian, "Perhaps there were too many people that day, and the servants couldn't help everyone, so they were careless for a moment."

Zhu Xian frowned, thought it over carefully, and then suddenly stood up.

Aunt Liu didn't try to stop him, and smiled as always as she did when she saw him.

Zhu Xian went to the front yard, summoned the steward, and asked about the events of that day. When he heard that all the maids who had served him that day had been sold, and that the person who made the sale was that cousin, a cold glint appeared in Zhu Xian's eyes, and the image of Zhou Yunli's frustrated and angry expression before he left flashed before his eyes.

"Has Madam sent anyone to the Marquis's residence to apologize?" Zhu Xian asked in a deep voice.

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