"What is the Third Madam doing right now? Go and invite her to Ningcui Pavilion," Madam Min said.

Hu Mama agreed and immediately hurried to invite the Third Madam, Madam Wan.

Madam Min comforted Ye Yabing a few more times before going to the front hall of Ningcui Pavilion and asking someone to brew a pot of tea.

When Madam Wan arrived, she brought with her eldest sister's daughter. Because her eldest sister had married poorly and was far from the capital, she sent her daughter to Madam Wan's care, hoping that with the support of the Marquis of Zhongyong's family, she could find a good marriage for her daughter.

The young lady was the same age as Ye Qingxue, but a few months older. Madam Min glanced at her and saw that she had delicate features and a slender figure, but lacked curves.

Like a lotus leaf standing in water, its roots and stems are straight, but it lacks the delicate beauty of flowers.

After the young lady followed Madam Wan in, she bowed to Madam Min and then stood obediently beside Madam Wan.

Madam Wan sat down, took a sip of tea, and then asked, "Second sister-in-law, what brings you here?"

Madam Min glanced at the young lady, who paused for a moment, then immediately understood and curtsied, saying, "When I came in just now, I saw that the peach blossoms in the outer courtyard were in bloom. I wanted to go and take a look. Second Aunt, Aunt, please excuse me."

Madam Wan wanted to call her back, but Madam Min held her hand and shook her head. "There are some things I want to say to my sister-in-law alone. Children can't keep their mouths shut. If they get out, even good words will turn into bad words."

"Is that so!" Madam Wan had no choice but to abandon her plan to call her niece back and asked, "Second sister-in-law, what do you want to say to me alone?"

"You know what happened at Guanju Courtyard yesterday. The eldest daughter is unfilial, disobedient, and does outrageous things. My sister-in-law was so angry that she whipped her seventeen times, which caused her to run away last night and not return all night..."

"Fortunately, she came back safely last night without any incident, but I was thinking, how could a young lady have any injuries? I'm afraid she was too busy being sad last night to apply any medicine, so I thought I'd ask my sister-in-law to send her some herbal medicine to comfort her."

“Yesterday, Granny Lai was beaten to death, and Ya Ya was frightened. I watched her grow up, and now she can’t live without me. I have to stay here and take care of her, so I can only trouble my sister-in-law.”

Madam Min looked worried and sad, and even raised her hand to wipe away the tears from the corner of her eyes.

Although Madam Wan wasn't very clever, she knew that Madam Min wasn't that kind of person. Right now, she was speaking nicely and seemed to care about the eldest daughter, but Madam Wan still felt that something was off.

"If Second Sister-in-law is busy, just ask Granny Hu to send the medicine over. If Granny Hu goes to Guanju Courtyard, it will be as if Second Sister-in-law is there in person. Wouldn't that better show Second Sister-in-law's concern for the eldest daughter?"

"Besides, the eldest daughter has only recently returned to the manor. The fact that her servants personally delivered the medicine to her only further demonstrates her virtue."

She couldn't figure out Madam Min's purpose in sending her the medicine, but having been Madam Min's sister-in-law for many years, she knew that Madam Min wouldn't be so kind. She was too stupid to counter Madam Min's tricks, so she simply didn't respond.

Madam Min seemed to have already guessed that she would do this, otherwise she wouldn't have needed to call her cousin out earlier.

Madam Min suddenly grasped Madam Wan's hand and smiled: "Miaomiao is twelve years old this year, which is the age to look for a husband. After two years of looking and two years of engagement, she will be ready to get married at sixteen."

"Today I asked my sister-in-law to deliver medicine to the eldest daughter, also for Miaomiao's sake. The eldest daughter is capable of doing things like having a secret rendezvous with another man all night. If my sister-in-law doesn't persuade her, the reputation of the Marquis's mansion will be completely ruined in her hands. At that time, it will be very difficult for Miaomiao to find a good husband."

"Don't even mention Miaomiao, even the marriage of our cousin will be delayed. She's seventeen this year, isn't she? If we wait another two years, she'll be an old maid."

Madam Min narrowed her eyes slightly, "I will have Hu Mama prepare the medicine that was sent over for you. That medicine will calm the eldest young lady down and will not affect the marriages of the other sisters in the mansion."

Madam Wan understood these words. If she didn't deliver the medicine to the eldest daughter, her child wouldn't be able to find a good marriage, and even her niece's marriage would be affected.

Madam Min will interfere.

She was very capable, and she held absolute power in the household. She controlled the marriages of her children. Madam Wan knew she was being threatened and had no right to refuse.

"If my sister-in-law can persuade the eldest daughter to admit her mistake and take the initiative to apologize to Prince Ding and break off the engagement, that would be even better. If she doesn't listen, ask her to drink the medicine and tell her that she will feel better after drinking it and will no longer be in pain."

Madam Min's subsequent words were actually a way of implying to Madam Wan that what she had sent was the antidote for the deadly poison of the Broken Moon Orchid, and that Ye Qingxue would likely drink it to save her life.

However, Madam Wan was unaware of Ye Qingxue's poisoning, and Madam Min did not intend to let her know, so she deliberately spoke ambiguously.

Ye Qingxue will die as soon as she drinks the medicine, and the person who "sacrificed family for the greater good" is Madam Wan. What does this have to do with her?

"To be honest, the eldest daughter is ruthless. She even dared to kill Granny Lai and bully her own sister. I am really afraid of her, which is why I asked my sister-in-law to make this trip for me."

Madam Min released Madam Wan's hand and sat upright in her seat: "The eldest daughter has offended His Highness Prince Ding so much, trampling the dignity of the royal family underfoot. We must persuade her. If we can't persuade her, we should let her be quiet so as to save everyone in the family."

Madam Wan understood that Ye Qingxue's actions threatened the lives of everyone in the Marquis's mansion, and Madam Min had to persuade Ye Qingxue.

However, Ye Qingxue was ruthless, and Madam Min was afraid of her, so she forced her to go.

It wouldn't hurt to give it a try. If she couldn't persuade Ye Qingxue, she could just make her drink the herbal medicine. If Ye Qingxue made a move, she could just run away. There wouldn't be any loss.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!