"What's the rush, Aunt Zhao? Your crimes aren't limited to just this one!"
Shen Yuan snorted coldly and continued, "Today, when Madam Liu gave birth, you tied up my grandmother and threw her into the well. You also arranged for all the servants to watch over Madam Liu's courtyard, preventing anyone in the manor from delivering the baby and causing Madam Liu to suffer from abdominal pain for a long time. This is your second crime!"
"What? You tied up the midwife in the manor?" Master Wang stood up abruptly, his gaze towards Aunt Zhao filled with anger and disbelief.
Meeting Master Wang's gaze, Aunt Zhao hurriedly shook her head: "No! That's not how it is! This brat is talking nonsense, Master, you can't believe her. Everyone in this mansion can testify for me!"
As Aunt Zhao spoke, she turned to look at the servants standing inside the room.
The servants trembled when they met Aunt Zhao's gaze and hurriedly knelt on the ground.
“Sir, we can testify for Aunt Zhao. Aunt Zhao did not kidnap Midwife Liu! We have no idea where Midwife Liu went!”
"But when Aunt Zhao learned that Madam was about to give birth, she stayed by Madam's side without moving an inch, and we all saw that!"
"Aunt Zhao genuinely cares about Madam. Master, you mustn't let outsiders sow discord and damage your relationship with Aunt Zhao!"
Aunt Zhao lowered her head, tears falling like pearls from a broken string, a sight that evoked pity in me.
"I have no idea where Liu the midwife went! I'm so wronged that you've misunderstood me like this, sir!"
When Master Wang saw Aunt Zhao's heartbroken appearance, his suspicions about her vanished instantly. Considering that Madam Liu was still lying there, he resisted the urge to hug Aunt Zhao and only gently patted her.
"Don't be sad. We didn't quite understand what happened just now. We'll figure it out soon enough. Okay, okay, stop crying..."
When Master Wang tried to comfort her, Aunt Zhao cried even harder.
She threw herself into Master Wang's arms, her hand clutching the embroidered handkerchief, and gently punched his chest. "I have a heart full of love for you, sister, but you don't believe me, sob sob sob..."
Seeing Aunt Zhao nestled in Master Wang's arms, Madam Liu looked away, her expression somewhat forlorn.
Cui'er couldn't stand it any longer and stepped forward to scold, "Aunt Zhao, what are you pretending for? Didn't you send Dazhuang and Shitou to kidnap Granny Liu? I caught them, so you had me tied up and thrown into the dry well in the backyard! I still have marks on my legs from being scraped by the well edge; these are all evidence!"
Cui'er lifted her skirt and saw several bloodstains on her calves, still oozing blood, clearly indicating that she had been injured not long ago.
Upon seeing the injury on Cui'er's leg, Madam Liu felt as if she had been struck by lightning.
Cui'er was her dowry maid, who had been with her since childhood and served her for nearly twenty years. She would never lie to her. Therefore, everything she said was true!
Aunt Zhao kidnapped her midwife and maid during her childbirth, leaving her helpless and isolated.
How could she be so vicious?
If this is true, then it is also true that Shen Yuan said that Aunt Zhao deliberately made her pregnant and caused a difficult labor by giving her tonic soup! Aunt Zhao had been playing a long, long game, with the goal of taking her and her son's lives!
She's absolutely wicked!
Madam Liu looked at Aunt Zhao with disgust and scolded, "All these years I've thought you were kind-hearted and simple-minded, and I even gave you the power to manage the household. I never imagined you'd been trying to harm me all along! I was so stupid! I actually thought a concubine could really get along well with the first wife and be like sisters!"
"Sister, you can't believe Cui'er's one-sided story. She must have been bribed by Liu the midwife to say that!"
Aunt Zhao nestled in Master Wang's arms, glancing timidly at Madam Liu, like a frightened little rabbit with swollen, red eyes, looking both innocent and naive.
Upon seeing this, Shen Yuan couldn't help but admire Aunt Zhao's skill in winning people's hearts.
It's such a waste of her talents to stay in a small mansion. Someone like Aunt Zhao should be thrown into the inner quarters of a prominent family in the capital to compete, so that she can meet her match.
As Shen Yuan was complaining, she heard Cui'er scolding, "My lady has just given birth and is very weak, both physically and mentally. How dare you hug the master right in front of my lady's bed? Do you know what shame is? You are so shameless!"
“I didn’t…” Aunt Zhao quickly broke free from Master Wang’s embrace and stood obediently to the side.
The noise gave Master Wang a headache. He raised his hand, wanting to play peacemaker again, and tried to slip away as usual, saying, "Madam has just given birth and is weak. Let's all go out first..."
However, before Master Wang could finish speaking, some yamen runners barged into Madam Liu's courtyard.
Master Wang was also summoned outside for questioning.
Everyone in the room followed Wang Yuan out.
Aunt Zhao was the last to arrive. From the moment she heard the voices of the yamen runners, her legs began to tremble uncontrollably. What were these yamen runners doing at the manor?
Are they here to arrest her?
Could it be that what Shen Yuan said was true, and that Mama Hua was really arrested? Not only was she arrested, but she was also implicated?
Aunt Zhao didn't want to go out; she just wanted to pack her things and run away. But Cui'er kicked her out of Liu's bedroom.
A row of yamen runners stood in the courtyard. Chu Chunhua sat on the ground, holding Chu Qiuyue, who was covered in blood, and cried while trying to stop her sister's bleeding: "Aunt, please save my sister! Please save my sister!"
At this moment, Aunt Zhao had no time to care about the two Chu sisters; she herself was in dire straits!
"Gentlemen, what brings you to our mansion?" Master Wang stood on the steps, looking down at the group of yamen runners. He had good personal relationships with many officials in the city, so he didn't take these yamen runners seriously at all.
The constable stepped forward and said, "Master Wang, we are disturbing your esteemed residence to apprehend the criminal Zhao Hefang. She is the mastermind behind the brothel Zuichunlou's abduction of young girls and forced them into prostitution. She must come with us to the yamen!"
"What? What did you say? She's the owner of Zuichunlou?" Master Wang's eyes widened, his face full of question marks.
Seeing Wang Yuanwai's reaction, Shen Yuan knew that even Wang Yuanwai did not know that Zuichunlou was Zhao Yiniang's property.
Aunt Zhao has been hiding her true colors all these years! She borrowed money and shops from the wealthy man's mansion to open a brothel outside, and then used the money she earned in the brothel to establish herself in the wealthy man's mansion. What a clever trick!
If Zhao Juxiang had even half the brains of her sister, she wouldn't have been buried in the ground for almost three months.
"The criminal, Madam Hua, has already written a confession, identifying Zhao Hefang as the mastermind. The evidence is complete, so please, Master Wang, do not obstruct the yamen's investigation!" After the yamen runner finished speaking, he turned and ordered his men behind him, "Take her away!"
As soon as she finished speaking, some constables rushed forward, grabbed Aunt Zhao's shoulders, and tried to tie her up.
Aunt Zhao refused to be arrested, and frantically broke free from the two yamen runners, rushing to Master Wang's side.
She clutched tightly to the hem of Master Wang's robe, crying out, "Master, I'm innocent! I don't know anything! You must save me!"
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