Meanwhile, Madam Cheng was thoroughly scolded and was furious.
She walked briskly back to her courtyard, her embroidered shoes making a "clattering" sound on the bluestone slabs, each step a venting of her anger.
As soon as I stepped into the courtyard, I saw Master Cheng sitting leisurely in the hall, holding a cup of wine in his hand, his face still showing signs of drunkenness, enjoying himself.
Seeing this, Madam Cheng's anger flared even more. She rushed forward, grabbed Master Cheng's ear, twisted it hard, and demanded in a stern voice, "You good-for-nothing! Do you know how much ridicule you've caused me? And you still have the mind to drink here!"
Startled by the sudden pain, Master Cheng cried out "Ouch!" and nearly dropped the wine glass in his hand.
He covered his ears, dodging as he retorted, "What's gotten into you this time?"
She released her grip, glared fiercely at Second Master Cheng, and said through gritted teeth, "How dare you say that! If you hadn't been fanning the flames, how could I have agreed to such an absurd thing? Now look what's happened, the matter hasn't been accomplished, and I've lost all face in front of that tigress from the main wife's family!"
Master Cheng rubbed his ear, which had been pinched until it was red, and curled his lip, unconvinced: "How can you blame me? My sister-in-law is a shrewd woman, she's not so easy to fool. I told you to come up with a good reason before you went, but you were the one who was in such a hurry!"
Seeing that the second madam was about to make a move again, Second Master Cheng ran behind a chair to hide and continued to stab her in the heart: "Besides, weren't you also tempted by the money that my elder brother gave you? Now that things haven't gone through, you're taking all your anger out on me. What kind of logic is that?"
Madam Cheng was speechless for a long time after hearing his words. Her face turned pale and then red, and her chest heaved violently. She was clearly very angry.
She sat heavily on a chair to the side, picked up her teacup and took a big gulp, trying to suppress the anger in her heart.
However, the tea had long since gone cold, and when she tasted it, it was unbearably bitter, as if even God was against her.
The whole affair was started by the eldest patriarch of the Cheng family.
Ever since he took a liking to Wang Xiuxiu in his wife's courtyard, he had been itching to possess her.
But considering his wife's temper, if she found out that he was eyeing someone close to her, it would probably cause a huge uproar at home.
So he came up with this foolish idea, promising his second younger brother and sister-in-law a sum of money after the deed was done, so they could go and get Wang Xiuxiu out for him.
Master Cheng was thinking that as long as Wang Xiuxiu was away from the First Madam, it would be perfectly reasonable for him to take her into his own hands and keep her outside.
But then he thought of how much his wife valued the embroiderer, and a brilliant idea struck him: he would have his second sister-in-law ask for the woman under the pretext of taking a concubine.
The second brother has always been a womanizer, and his wife has always enjoyed watching the second wife's affairs. This way, it is both legitimate and avoids arousing the wife's suspicion.
As for Madam Cheng's willingness to cooperate with them, it was both out of greed for money and because she harbored ulterior motives.
Having been suppressed by Madam Cheng for so many years, she harbored deep resentment and intense hatred.
If we can successfully get our hands on Wang Xiuxiu, we can not only get the money that Master Cheng promised, but also gain some prestige in front of the Madam. Why not?
Besides, when the incident occurs, she can also use it to cause unrest between the first wife and her husband.
If she can't even handle the affairs of her own courtyard, she has to hand over her power to manage the household!
It must be said that the second wife and husband each had their own ulterior motives in harming Wang Xiuxiu.
The reason why Master Cheng, who was in cahoots with the villain, agreed was because he harbored malicious intentions!
Hearing his elder brother describe all the good qualities of the embroiderer, he too became eager to try it.
Therefore, he made a special effort to meet the little girl.
Those soft hands were indeed as tempting as my elder brother had said.
He thought that if he really brought the person into the family, he could also get some benefits!
At that point, he'll have the money in his hands, and he'll also have a legitimate reason to detain the person.
Given his elder brother's reputation-conscious nature, he certainly wouldn't dare to spread it!
Therefore, when the second wife hesitated, it was only after he strongly persuaded her that she agreed.
He patted his chest and assured her that the matter would definitely succeed. He even encouraged the second wife, saying, "No matter how shrewd the eldest sister-in-law is, she can't withstand our persistent pleading. Besides, the reason you're going is for the peace and tranquility of the second branch of the family. She can't possibly refuse to give you any face at all, can she?"
However, things took an unexpected turn.
The First Madam not only refused to budge, but also took advantage of Wang Xiuxiu's refusal to slap them in the face.
Madam Cheng grew angrier the more she thought about it, and couldn't help but glare at Master Cheng again, saying resentfully, "It's all your fault! If you hadn't been fanning the flames, how could I have agreed to such a stupid thing? Now look what's happened, we didn't get the money, we didn't get the person, and that bitch made a fool of herself!"
Seeing his wife's face turn pale with anger, Second Master Cheng dared not argue further. He could only chuckle awkwardly and mutter under his breath, "This isn't entirely my fault... Who would have thought my sister-in-law would be so difficult..."
Madam Cheng snorted coldly and ignored him, but in her heart she was already plotting how to save face.
Although this attempt failed, the old man certainly won't let it go easily.
And she would never easily give up this opportunity to both strike at the First Madam and gain benefits!
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