Chapter 263: The Bickering Begins
Madam Wen shook her daughter in her arms forcefully: "Ru'er, tell me, you can't admit you didn't do such a thing, are they framing you?"
With tears welling up in her eyes, Madam Qiao looked at the Earl of Nanping, already regretting the words she had uttered in a moment of collapse when the Earl came to see her the night before.
The couple kept trying to exonerate Qiao, refusing to believe that their daughter would commit such a heinous act.
Yu Qingci couldn't help but sneer. This couple had been focused on exonerating their daughter from the very beginning, while their daughter's mother was still lying in bed, and they hadn't said a word about her.
After they had finished speaking, the Earl of Nanping said, "Whether she did it or not, she knows in her heart. She herself admitted it last night."
Wen Shi: "That's because you forced me to admit it! Ru'er, your father and mother are here. Tell me what's troubling you. You didn't do that kind of thing. You've been wronged, haven't you?"
Qiao's tears flowed even more fiercely, but she couldn't utter a single word.
Madam Wen looked at Granny Wu kneeling on the ground with a fierce glint in her eyes, making Granny Wu tremble. She crawled on her knees to Madam Wen and Madam Qiao, kowtowing several times, then kowtowing several more times to Vice Minister Qiao, the Earl of Nanping, and others, before saying, word by word:
“Master, Madam, Lord, I already told you yesterday that this matter has nothing to do with our Madam. It was all my own doing.”
The old servant couldn't bear to see our lady groveling and suffering so much injustice before Madam Su, so he tricked his son into buying arsenic, saying it was to poison the rats.
My two sons are innocent too; they know nothing. If you, Your Excellency, wish to beat or kill, then do it to this old servant alone. This old servant deserves to die!
Madam Wen stared intently at Granny Wu, waiting for her to finish speaking before committing suicide. Then, things would be much easier.
But after Wu Mama finished speaking, that was it; she didn't do anything else.
Wen rushed to Wu Mama and started hitting and beating her: "So it was you, you old hag, who caused all this trouble! Do you know how much you've ruined my Ru'er? The Lord is now convinced that Ru'er is the mastermind. Even if you were to run into a pillar and die right now, you would deserve it. You can't blame anyone else."
Following Wen Shi's gaze, Wu Mama looked at the pillar not far away. She knew in her heart that Wen Shi wanted her to prove her loyalty with her death. She actually wanted to too, but...
Just as she was debating whether to crash into it again, a mocking male voice said:
"Is this old lady teaching her to commit suicide by hitting her head against a pillar? Don't bother, she already did it yesterday, but she didn't die. How about she try a different way to die today? Biting off her tongue?"
It was Xuanbing who spoke.
Upon hearing this, Granny Wu trembled all over and almost collapsed to the ground.
Do it again? She would rather die than repeat last night's scene.
People are often truly ruthless when they face death for the first time, but if they fail and try a second time, they often lose that courage. If Wu Mama is going to try again now, this would be her third time.
Last night, Granny Wu finally mustered up the courage to bite her tongue and commit suicide, but these guys were quick-witted and dislocated her jaw, causing her pain all night. They only managed to put it back on this morning.
Her chin still hurts.
Madam Wen had no idea what Granny Wu was thinking. At this moment, she wished she could drag her to the pillar and help her die. She cursed the old hag inwardly, thinking that even her death was so messy and tedious. Didn't she think that her son and grandson were still in the Vice Minister's mansion? If she didn't die, it would be her children and grandchildren who died!
But Granny Wu remained silent.
Vice Minister Qiao silently watched everything unfold before him. Having been immersed in officialdom for many years, he could tell from the faces of his daughter and the servants that this matter was undoubtedly true. However, he could not admit it. If he did, his daughter would not survive, and the reputation of the Qiao family would be tarnished. Most importantly, he himself would likely be implicated in the political arena.
"absurd!"
Vice Minister Qiao slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups clatter. He abruptly stood up, his voice filled with anger:
"Based solely on the accusations of a few unruly servants, and... and Ru'er's incoherent ramblings during a moment of emotional distress, Your Excellency has concluded that she is the mastermind? That is far too arbitrary!"
My daughter, Qiao, has been well-versed in the "Admonitions for Women" and "Instructions for Women" since childhood. She is extremely knowledgeable and reasonable. How could she possibly commit such a vicious act? There must be a hidden story behind this. This old woman has already confessed. Why are you still trying to smear my daughter?
Madam Wen: "Yes, Granny Wu has already confessed, and we have absolutely no intention of protecting her. It is a serious crime for a servant to plot against his master. We would not hesitate to beat her to death on the spot. But you cannot wrong my daughter! Even if she is guilty, it is only a crime of failing to manage her subordinates properly."
"Son-in-law, Your Excellency, please consider how hard my daughter has worked for you all these years, managing the household diligently and respectfully, and showing filial piety to your elders. Could you please be lenient and let her off this time? She promises to keep her servants in line and never cause you any more trouble."
After speaking, Wen's gaze swept across the faces of Nanping Earl, Yu Qingci, and Lu Yunqi. Seeing that the three of them had indifferent expressions, even as if they were watching a show, Wen's heart sank even further.
Seeing his wife's defeat, Vice Minister Qiao had no choice but to regroup, take a deep breath, and speak again in a conciliatory tone:
“My dear son-in-law, I’m not trying to excuse my daughter. Since Madam Su is alright, this matter can be considered minor or major. Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll have Ru’er apologize to Madam Su. As long as Madam Su forgives her, you can punish her however you wish.”
"My dear son-in-law, don't forget that our two families are related by marriage. If word gets out about this, we'll share both the glory and the loss!"
Yu Qingci couldn't help but speak sarcastically: "Your Excellency speaks so lightly. What do you mean my mother is alright? My mother was bedridden because of her. If my husband hadn't brought several highly skilled doctors in time, I don't know what would have happened to my mother."
My mother is still lying in bed suffering from illness, and you think you can just dismiss the murderer who harmed her with a casual "nothing's wrong"? You're dreaming!
Madam Wen looked at Yu Qingci with an increasingly sincere tone: "I know that Madam Su has suffered a great injustice this time. How about this, we are willing to sincerely apologize to Madam Su. I will take the initiative on behalf of my daughter and give all of her private savings to Madam Su. The Vice Minister's Mansion will also make a gesture and will send someone to deliver 10,000 taels of silver, plus two boxes of antiques and two boxes of precious medicinal herbs later. Considering our sincerity, let's each take a step back. What do you think?"
Yu Qingci's expression grew even colder: "No need! You can keep those things yourselves, we can't accept them! I just want justice for my mother!"
Lady Wen gritted her teeth and tried to control her emotions, then looked at the Earl of Nanping and said:
“Son-in-law, Sanya is a married daughter, so this matter is up to you to decide. What do you think of what I just said? If you think it's too little, just say so.”
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