Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Xi Zhizhou.
"Are you saying that the maidservant might have lost her memory? Or even become stupid?"
"Yes." Steward Huang, who had previously acted superior in front of Doctor Hu, now bent over and respectfully answered the questions from the previous person. "My lord, I have thoroughly questioned Doctor Hu. Although Lin Zhi was rescued in time by Madam Song and Steward Lin, she was left hanging for too long, causing blood stasis, loss of vitality in the clear orifices, and obstruction of the brain vessels."
Sitting at the top were a man and a woman. The man had a beard and a handsome appearance. He was the owner of the prefectural government: Xi Zhizhou.
He stroked his beard with one hand and tapped the table lightly with the other, without responding to Manager Huang.
Seeing this, Steward Huang continued, "According to Doctor Hu, when Lin Zhi first woke up, she didn't even recognize Mother Song, and it took her a while before she called out for help."
Xi Zhizhou was only half convinced. He slowly asked, "How credible do you think what Doctor Hu said is?"
Steward Huang said respectfully, "My Lord, I believe your words are about three to four points credible... Doctor Hu is just an ordinary doctor in the streets and alleys, how could he dare to hide anything?"
Xi Zhizhou remained noncommittal: "He's just too ordinary, so maybe we can't find anything about him, so he might just be talking nonsense."
Manager Huang responded hesitantly, not daring to continue.
Xi Zhizhou pondered for a moment and ordered, "Have someone keep an eye on Lin Sen's family to see if the maid is truly stupid or just pretending to be. Then find an opportunity to have another doctor examine her."
After receiving the order, Steward Huang hurriedly retreated to do his work. He could only vaguely hear Xi Zhizhou and the woman beside him complaining, "Did you just ask Third Sister why she did such a thing?!"
Not to mention that the third girl has already been engaged and it is less than a hundred days before her wedding. Her in-laws will definitely pay attention to her every move.
What's more, Xi Zhizhou has been serving as an official in Taiping Prefecture for more than two years. He boasts of his outstanding political achievements and is using his connections to plan to be transferred to Shangzhou as an official after three years.
Now is a critical moment for transfer and evaluation, and any bad news at home may have an impact.
But at this critical moment, his own daughter caused the scandal of giving her personal maid to a idler in the street.
The wealthy and powerful families are the most concerned about their reputation. Not only do they humiliate and beat others, they also dress those close to them in silk, emerald feathers and bright pendants to show off their wealth and kindness.
Especially for someone like Xi Zhizhou who is in his prime and wants to work hard to make progress, he is extremely careful about his reputation and does not want to be found guilty of such trivial matters.
When the news reached the yamen, Xi Zhizhou's head buzzed and he felt as if a ball of fire was burning on his face. He didn't even dare to look at the expressions of his colleagues around him and ran straight back home.
Even so, it was too late.
Before Xi Zhizhou had the chance to question his daughter, he learned that the maid had hanged herself at home.
The more Xi Zhizhou thought about it, the angrier he became. He lost his usual good face towards the woman and said, "Look at the good daughter you raised, she actually did something so stupid!"
"I don't expect her to be as smart as my eldest and second sisters. I chose a family with a lower status for her. I just want her to live a good life."
"She's so good! She hasn't even gotten married yet and she's already caused such trouble! She's been so cruel to her personal maid! Do you know how many people in the government office are staring at me when this news gets out?"
"Besides, she just got engaged. If this gets out, how do you think her in-laws will view her?"
"What exactly did you teach her?"
"If I had known this would happen... Third Sister should have been brought up by Mother!"
Upon hearing this, the prefect's wife, Mrs. Li, turned pale and almost burst into tears. She bit her lips and a hint of resentment flashed in her eyes.
Li was the second wife, married into the Xi family for over a decade. When she first married, she wanted to be a good mother, but her mother-in-law treated her like a thief, taking her two younger sisters to raise with her and not allowing her to get close to her eldest brother.
After she gave birth to Wei Jie'er, she wanted to send her to the old lady so that she could be close to her and her two sisters. However, the old lady said that her energy was limited and let her take care of her herself.
Li wanted to complain to the official, but after saying a few words, she was blamed and thought to be ignorant of the seriousness of the matter and unaware of the old lady's consideration.
Therefore, Li never mentioned these things again.
Unexpectedly, these things have now become her fault.
Mrs. Li felt bitter, but she had to carefully explain on her daughter's behalf: "Sir, although Sister Wei is not as smart as her two sisters, she is also a well-behaved and filial child. No one in the house would say anything bad about her."
"If you ask me, I'm afraid Sister Wei is a meek person, and she allowed the maid below her to bully her. This made Sister Wei angry, and she acted like this in the heat of the moment."
In a few words, Li shifted the blame entirely onto Linzhi. She stole a glance at Xi Zhizhou's expression, seeing his indifference, and continued, "Sister Wei once complained to me, saying there was a maid in the house who was dishonest and had correspondence with outsiders..."
"I didn't think it was a big deal then, but now I think about it..." After a pause, Li said, "Why not have someone search the house and the boxes? There might be something wrong."
As soon as this happened, Li ordered his men to search Linzhi's boxes and crates. When they found nothing wrong, they simply had them stuff a lot of valuables back in.
She thought that when the time comes, she would find out the truth, spread the news and then say that Sister Wei was impulsive, and the matter would be over.
Unexpectedly, after Li finished speaking, Xi Zhizhou did not respond.
The room suddenly became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
It was not until Li became restless that Xi Zhizhou said coldly, "Foolish woman, don't do unnecessary things!"
Li's face suddenly turned red, and she didn't even know when Xi Zhizhou got up and left. She just covered her face with a handkerchief and sobbed.
Then, Xi Zhizhou left the house and headed towards his mother with a sullen face. When he entered the old lady's courtyard, his brows relaxed. The courtyard of Xi's old lady, Zhao, was located in the deepest part of the Zhizhou Mansion. It was shaded by green trees, and the maids and servants were all quiet and silent, their movements quick and light, much more orderly than anywhere else.
Xi Zhizhou thought it wasn't Li's fault for not managing well, but rather their different backgrounds. Whether it was when his mother was in charge or when Wu was still alive, his servants had always been so quiet and capable.
Unfortunately, Wu died early, and the mother was getting older. She had to take care of two older sisters and was running out of energy. In addition, Li complained a lot, so she gradually handed all the household affairs over to Li, who was in charge of the household, and the house became more and more chaotic.
Thoughts flashed through Xi Zhizhou's mind rapidly, and his originally relaxed brows were tightly locked together again, and his footsteps became heavier.
The old lady in the room listened to the footsteps, paused while twirling her Buddhist beads, and opened her eyes: "Even at this age, your heart is still restless."
Xi Zhizhou was criticized as soon as he entered the room. He said with an embarrassed look: "...Mother, I was wrong."
The old lady ignored the prefect's question and went straight to the point: "Third sister seems to be good-tempered normally, how could she suddenly cause such a fuss? Have you had her wet nurse and maidservants questioned?"
"My son sent someone to ask."
"Mother Lu said that the third sister was fine the day before, but she seemed to have a nightmare at night and woke up with a start. Since getting up in the morning, she has refused to be served by the maid."
As soon as the incident happened, Xi Zhizhou immediately sent people to question the people around the third lady. Not only did they not get any clues, they also learned that Li had someone stuff something into Linzhi's box.
He didn't let anyone take it away, he just wanted to keep it for later.
Unexpectedly, Li was so impatient. Her mind was full of the third girl's future, and she didn't care about the eldest girl's reputation at all.
The maidservant who came from the eldest daughter's side was stealing things and having secret affairs with other men. If these things were to get out... would the eldest daughter's reputation be preserved? Would the Xi family's family tradition be preserved? Would the marriages of the other Xi family daughters still be arranged?
Not to mention that it would be difficult to explain to my daughter, I'm afraid the entire clan would have to send a letter to reprimand me.
The old lady knew Li was stupid, but she hadn't thought she was this stupid. She was so angry that she laughed. The old lady shook her head and sighed, "...it's my fault. I thought that being of a lower birth would allow me to treat my eldest sister, second sister, and eldest brother better. I never thought my vision was so low."
Back then, her husband had passed away young, leaving the family in a mess. Even though the old lady was a daughter of an uncle, she had also lived a very difficult life.
Fortunately, his son worked hard and passed the imperial examination. He was then noticed by Mr. Wu, the then Chief Justice of the Dali Temple, and was married to the eldest daughter of the Wu family.
In addition, the couple was compatible and had a smooth relationship, and the eldest daughter of the Wu family was considerate. In just two or three years, they had a happy family, which made the old lady very happy.
Unfortunately, Wu died early. At that time, Xi Zhizhou did not hold a high position. She picked and chose and finally chose Li, hoping that she could manage the household affairs and take good care of her children.
It's a pity that Wu is too outstanding. Li is far inferior in terms of appearance, talent, and even temperament...
The old lady withdrew her thoughts, twirling her Buddhist beads, and finally spoke up for Li: "Although she was a little foolish, she still had a kind motherly heart."
Before Xi Zhizhou could retort, the old lady changed the subject: "Even if my third sister is almost married, how come she doesn't even know how to deal with a maid? If she goes to another family in the future, she will be deceived and deceived."
"Even though Li taught her to manipulate others so that she would be able to help me after she got married, but she herself is not willing to do so, can Li still go to her in-laws and force her to do so?"
The old lady just thought it was ridiculous. After getting married, she could be the head of the household, so what was wrong with that? Wouldn't it be enough to just marry a servant and put an end to this matter? Could Li really interfere in her son-in-law's affairs?
"I can't even hold a child at home."
"How can she control the people around her son-in-law in the future?"
The old lady said to Xi Zhizhou earnestly, "Nothing else matters now. The most important thing is to change Third Sister's temper. She is so foolish that she is not only disliked by her in-laws, but she is also likely to bring trouble to her sisters."
"If we really can't change it, we need to choose some stricter mothers."
After a pause, the old lady continued, "We are relatives, not enemies."
Xi Zhizhou thought to himself that he was being foolish and quickly replied, "Then why don't we let Third Sister live with Mother from now on? We can teach her how to copy Buddhist scriptures so she can focus her mind. Meanwhile, we can also ask Madam Cai to teach Madam Lu and the others."
The old lady nodded: "Very good."
Finally, Xi Zhizhou mentioned Lin Zhi's matter: "It is said that when the maid was rescued, it had been some time. It is said that even her parents took a long time to recognize her..."
The old lady twirled her Buddhist beads, her expression indifferent, not taking it to heart: "The master offered her a good marriage, but not only did she refuse, she even dared to disobey the master's order. Even if she were still alive, she should be beaten with dozens of sticks and sent to the countryside to marry."
Xi Zhizhou also agreed with this, saying, "Mother is right. If it happened at home, we could just send him to the countryside. Now that things have gotten out of hand, and he's become stupid, it's causing trouble for my son."
After all, he is a child born in the mansion, and his parents are capable. If he is sold casually, not to mention that there are so many eyes watching him outside, there are also so many people watching him in the mansion.
But Xi Zhizhou was unwilling to keep the servant by his side. Xi Zhizhou had been an official for many years and had seen many masters abuse their servants, leading to poisoning or even assassination.
Even if you don't have the courage to do so, what if this sows the seeds of resentment and someone tries to trip you up in the future?
Xi Zhizhou felt upset just thinking about it.
"Since he's already stupid, just keep him for now." The old lady didn't take it to heart. She just said, "The most important thing now is to quickly suppress the rumors outside and don't let them spread."
"Yes, son, it's saved." Upon hearing this, Xi Zhizhou quickly responded. He thought his mother had the same idea as him. After the matter was suppressed, she could deal with it however she wanted.
Xi Zhizhou put the matter of Linzhi behind him and pondered secretly on how to solve this thorny problem. His brows were furrowed, and he felt annoyed for a while: in the final analysis, it was all because of Li's confusion. She couldn't teach her children well. The third sister was almost getting married, but she still didn't know how to discipline a maid. She didn't even know how to frame a crime and do things behind people's backs.
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