As the sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn, Grandpa Cheng returned from outside.
Seeing his eldest son sleeping in his wife's study, he felt a little strange and asked him a question.
“Shujie said he wanted to read last night. I figured the eldest daughter-in-law and the others had all gone to the old lady’s courtyard to take care of her, and there was no one reliable at home, so I asked him to stay and watch the courtyard for me. I didn’t expect him to end up spending the night in the study,” Madam Cheng explained.
After hearing this, Grandpa Cheng stroked his beard with satisfaction and nodded, saying, "Hmm, that's more like it. The provincial examination is coming up in a few days, so we really need to be more ambitious."
"Oh right, what's going on with Qing'er? I was just about to go check on her, but the door was locked."
When Madam Cheng heard how concerned he was about that vixen, her anger flared up again, and she wanted to tell him everything at once.
But she didn't dare. Although it was obvious that Song Qing'er, that vixen, had seduced him, Shu Jie wasn't entirely innocent either.
If the master finds out, regardless of how miserable Song Qing'er will become, his own Shujie will probably be beaten to death!
Thinking of this, Madam Cheng suppressed her resentment and forced a smile as she replied, "Oh... Sixth Aunt has a rash. The doctor came to see her and said that she would be fine after a few days of rest. Sixth Aunt was afraid of infecting others, so she voluntarily closed the courtyard. Master, you must be tired after a long night. Go back to your room and rest."
"I see. Then I won't go to see her. Since Qing'er is so sensible, remember to tell the servants to take good care of her."
Madam Cheng gritted her teeth and nodded in agreement.
After Mr. Cheng left, Mrs. Cheng was so angry that her blood was boiling.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Suddenly, Madam Cheng reached out and grabbed a beautiful Ru kiln vase from the table, raising it high as if to smash it down hard.
After hesitating for a moment, he reluctantly put it down.
However, her anger could not be quelled. After much deliberation, Madam Cheng finally decided to confront Cheng Shujie.
Without saying a word, she grabbed Cheng Shujie and launched into a tirade: "Why did you have to get entangled with that vixen when there are so many good people out there? If I hadn't gone to great lengths to cover for you, would Master have let you off so easily?"
"I don't know what kind of drug that vixen used, but you two are completely bewitched by her!"
"You too, you've wasted all your education! You even dared to lay a hand on your stepmother! If word gets out, you'll see if you can still face anyone!"
Cheng Shujie was already irritable because of the pain in his body, and when his mother scolded him so harshly, his anger flared up instantly.
He stiffened his neck and said defiantly, "Then don't try to cover for me, just let the old man beat me to death!"
Upon hearing this, Madam Cheng trembled with anger. She pointed her finger at Cheng Shujie, her lips quivering but unable to utter a complete sentence.
I felt a sharp pain in my chest, and my vision went black; I almost fainted.
After slumping into a chair and resting for a while, Dr. Cheng finally caught her breath.
"You little rascal, you can't understand your mother's good intentions at all! I even told your father that you've been studying hard lately! Although your father is also fond of women, he always comes home and tells me to take care of things, but you've done such a wrong thing with that vixen, which makes your father heartbroken!"
Cheng Shujie felt a little guilty and thought he should coax her to calm her down.
But when she mentioned the old man, she immediately lost interest, replaced by a look of disdain and indifference.
"What...what's with that expression?! Did I say something wrong?!"
“Mother, you are right, but there is one thing you may be mistaken about. You have been deceived by your supposedly perfect husband!”
As if to prove what a shameless bastard his father was, Cheng Shujie told his mother everything about his affair with Wang Xiuxiu.
"To be honest, that girl wasn't particularly good-looking, and she was even younger than me. I don't know how she ended up..."
Before she could finish speaking, Madam Cheng closed her eyes, her body went limp and she fell backward, fainting instantly.
Cheng Shujie panicked and started shouting in a flustered manner.
---
The doctor rushed over and, after examining the patient, prescribed only two doses of medicine to reduce liver fire, and instructed Madam Cheng not to get angry again.
On the bed, Madam Cheng stared at the ceiling, letting tears stream down her face.
She just stared blankly at the ceiling, her eyes empty and lifeless.
After a long while, she murmured to herself, "Granny, what sins have I committed in this life? My husband is so despicable, and the son I raised with my own hands is like this..."
"When has he ever refused to take a concubine? Is a plain-looking maidservant really worth his longing for?"
Since ancient times, the decision of whether a man should take a concubine has always been made by the principal wife of the household. This time, Master Cheng not only set his sights on her maid, but also conspired with others to humiliate her. This really infuriated her!
Madam Cheng was so angry that her chest heaved, her face turned red, and her eyes seemed to be spitting fire.
"Madam, please calm down. Don't let such a trivial matter upset you. She's just a young embroiderer. If you don't like her, you can simply send her away and sell her. You mustn't get so worked up about it."
Granny Lu's words immediately enlightened Madam Cheng.
If it were just an ordinary maid, then naturally she could do whatever she wanted with her.
But Wang Xiuxiu had earned her face in front of the ladies, and she really couldn't bear to sell her like that.
On the other hand, Madam Cheng also knew in her heart that Wang Xiuxiu herself was not at fault in this matter; it was entirely the lecherous man's wishful thinking that he wanted to have an older woman take advantage of a younger one.
Madam Cheng suddenly stood up. "Bah! I'll do as he wishes! I'll keep Wang Xiuxiu in my courtyard! I'll make sure he can see her but can't have her!"
Just then, a series of noisy commotions came from outside.
Granny Lu hurriedly went out the door and scolded, "The Madam is still resting! What are you all making such a racket for!"
The servants outside the door fell silent when they saw Granny Lu come out.
One of the maids said timidly, "Granny, it's...it's the Second Madam. We've already told her that the First Madam is unwell and needs to rest, but she insists on seeing her, saying she has important matters to discuss with the First Madam."
"Granny Lu, what's going on outside? Why is it so noisy?"
Granny Lu hurried back to the room and respectfully replied, "Madam, it's the Second Madam outside. I guess she's had another quarrel with the Second Master and has come to ask you to settle things for her. This old servant will go and send her away right away."
"No need!" Madam Cheng snorted coldly.
"I had forgotten the trouble that wicked woman caused. She actually had the nerve to come knocking on my door. Does she really think I'm someone easy to bully? Granny Lu, tell her to wait for me in the main hall!"
Upon hearing this, Granny Lu hesitated, wanting to offer some advice, but seeing the anger in her mistress's eyes growing stronger, she swallowed back the words that were about to come out.
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