Chapter 141 This matter is over
Zhi Shu felt uneasy. The servant beside the Earl had only told her that the Earl had slept in the study that night, without saying why. She had made up an excuse to avoid upsetting Madam Qiao.
Mrs. Qiao was so angry that she almost swept all the delicious food off the table.
After holding back his anger for a while, he finally managed to say to Zhishu, "Since the Lord has official business to attend to, then forget it. You can take these vegetables to the Lord."
Just as Zhishu was about to leave with the food box, Madam Qiao spoke again:
"Wait, I'll go there myself."
Madam Qiao, accompanied by several maids carrying food boxes, arrived at the outer courtyard study.
The person guarding the door was Changfeng, a close confidant of Yu Jingsheng.
Upon seeing Madam Qiao approach, Changfeng bowed and said, "Madam, the Lord has instructed that no one will be seen tonight."
Qiao said softly, "I'm here to bring you a late-night snack. You work hard during the day and then continue to worry about official business even after you get home. You should take care of your health."
Changfeng bowed his head and said, "Madam, the Earl had dinner outside before returning, and then had some more with the Old Madam at Shouyin Hall. He's currently busy in his study, and he did instruct us not to let anyone disturb him. Madam, please..."
Qiao took a deep breath. She knew the Earl's temper. Without permission, she dared not enter the study. She could only stand at the door for a while, and seeing no movement inside, she had no choice but to turn around and leave.
It seems the Earl really suspects her; this won't do.
She had originally planned to come in person and see the Earl, then have a good cry and blame the dead servant for the whole thing, blaming herself for misjudging people and almost harming Xiao Qi. She would also give the child some money to express her feelings and thank him for helping her brother avoid disaster, which would hopefully dispel some of the Earl's doubts.
But the Earl wouldn't see her, so all the methods she had planned couldn't be used. The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt, and her hands, hidden in her sleeves, clenched tightly.
No, this matter cannot be delayed; we must dispel the Earl's doubts as soon as possible.
Back at the Begonia Courtyard, Madam Qiao already had a plan in mind. After making arrangements with Granny Wu and Zhishu, she began to take action.
That evening, Granny Wu ran to the outer courtyard in a panic, crying and shouting all the way:
"Something terrible has happened! Your Excellency, you must go and see her quickly!"
Upon reaching the study door, he knelt on the ground without saying a word, kowtowing and shouting into the room:
"My lord, the lady is injured and bleeding a lot. You should go and take a look."
Yu Jingsheng heard this from inside and felt a surge of irritation.
Regardless of whether this matter is related to the Qiao family, he has already decided to punish her. He plans to confine her to her own courtyard for a month and remove her from the household management duties, asking his mother to take over.
In short, he had to give Cheng Niang and her son an explanation.
I just made the decision, what's going on outside?
The study door opened, and Yu Jingsheng walked out, asking in a cold voice:
"What happened?"
Granny Wu continued to cry out, "My lord, Madam has been feeling guilty because the Seventh Young Master was harmed by villains. Just now, when Madam learned that you had returned to the manor, she was worried that you might not have had a good dinner, so she specially brought you some soup that she had made herself. But you refused to see her."
After returning home, the lady locked herself in her room alone. The old servant, worried, stayed outside to keep watch. Suddenly, he heard a noise coming from inside. Sensing something was wrong, he rushed in and found the lady sitting on the floor, frantically hitting her legs with a stool.
By the time the old servant snatched the stool away, the lady's legs were already...already,"
Granny Wu looked up and pleaded, "My lord, please go and see her quickly. I have already sent someone to fetch the physician. Madam is really badly injured."
Yu Jingsheng frowned as he listened. Did Qiao really hurt herself out of guilt?
But seeing Wu Mama crying so hard, he couldn't help but feel uneasy and decided to go and see for himself.
They soon arrived at the Begonia Courtyard. Upon entering the inner room, the physician had just finished packing his medicine chest and was about to leave. Seeing the Earl enter, he quickly lowered his head and respectfully replied.
Yu Jingsheng glanced at the figure on the bed, frowned, and asked the physician:
"Where is the lady injured?"
The physician bowed his head and replied, "My lord, the lady exerted too much force, and her right calf was broken when the stool hit her. Also, her left leg is swollen. I have already bandaged the wound and prescribed medicine. She can only stay in bed for the next few days to recover slowly."
After hearing this, Granny Wu rushed to the bedside and started crying again: "My lady, how could you be so foolish? You worry about the whole mansion every day, and so many servants have to be managed by you. Who could have guessed that the damned servant would hold a grudge because you punished him, and actually dared to try to harm the eldest young master?"
As a result, the eldest son escaped unscathed, but the seventh young master was injured. But that's not your fault!
No matter how I try to persuade you, you just won't change your mind. You just told me to bring some expensive tonics to visit the Seventh Young Master tomorrow, but who would have thought you would do something so foolish.
"Waaah, my poor lady, are you in pain?"
Qiao leaned against the headboard, her face pale. She weakly reached out her hands to help Wu Mama up, but she only bent over slightly before her face turned ashen and she fell back down, seemingly enduring great pain.
Startled, Zhishu quickly helped her up.
Qiao Shi said weakly, "Who told you to invite the Earl? I just... I was really heartbroken. Xiao Qi is still a child, but he suffered a great injury because of my negligence. I... I feel ashamed of Xiao Qi."
Granny Wu: "No matter what, you can't hurt yourself. No one could have predicted that the Seventh Young Master would get hurt. It's all fate. At most, we'll treat the Seventh Young Master even better in the future, okay?"
Yu Jingsheng interrupted impatiently, "Alright, Granny Wu, you can leave now. Tell Madam to rest properly. What kind of behavior is this, crying and shouting like this?"
Granny Wu immediately shut her mouth, timidly glancing at Yu Jingsheng before turning her gaze back to Madam Qiao.
Qiao was leaning against the headboard, and Yu Jingsheng couldn't see the expression on her face from his angle.
Qiao winked at Wu Mama and said, "Wu Mama, don't worry. Listen to the Lord and go out. Zhishu, you go out too."
After Granny Wu and Zhishu left, Yu Jingsheng sat down by the bed and saw that Qiao's legs were wrapped in bandages, and the air smelled faintly of blood.
Qiao, pale-faced, looked at him in a panic and said, "My lord, it's all Wu Mama's fault for taking it upon herself to go to the outer courtyard and disturb you. I only wanted to... I'm fine now."
Looking at her weak appearance, Yu Jingsheng finally sighed and said:
"Why are you doing this to yourself? That servant deserves to die, how can you punish yourself like this? However, you should be more lenient in disciplining your servants in the future. Punish those who deserve it, and sell those who are unreliable."
This matter is in the past, don't blame yourself for doing something so foolish.
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