Song Ning smiled politely: "Aunt Yao, weren't you going to catch a thief? There's no thief in my room."
Aunt Yao gave a forced smile: "Miss Song, you are a distinguished guest of the manor. This thief ran into your courtyard and then disappeared. I was just worried. We'll only know if he's there or not after we see him."
“Aunt Yao, I was just inside the house and didn’t see any thieves. If you want to look for someone, you shouldn’t look inside the house.”
"Thieves aren't stupid. If they really get into my house, they'll have nowhere to escape."
Song Ning stood at the door, refusing to let go. Aunt Yao's smile slowly faded, and she snorted coldly, "Miss Song, don't think I don't know who you are. We met back in Tianxiang County. Master said you were a distinguished guest in the mansion, and I tried my best to treat you with respect, but don't be ungrateful."
"Aunt Yao finally remembered, we have indeed met before."
Aunt Yao went to Tianxiang County with He Qiu for the sake of her family. She held Song Ning's hand and said many nice things, but she had already hated Song Ning in her heart.
She was a concubine in the household of a fourth-rank prefect, and even as a concubine, she was still someone that ordinary commoners could not compare to.
When Song Ning first arrived, she didn't recognize her. But the more she looked at her these past two days, the more familiar she seemed, and that's when she remembered who Song Ning was.
It was because of Song Ning that the Yao family was punished. Her father was removed from his position as village chief and was reprimanded by the county magistrate and his master.
Aunt Yao had long harbored resentment towards Song Ning, and now that Song Ning had fallen into her hands again, Aunt Yao was determined not to let her get away with it.
She's just a country bumpkin; what kind of distinguished guest could she be? It's just that her master is being too kind to her.
“Miss Song, this is the prefect’s residence. I am a concubine in the prefect’s household. I advise you not to meddle in other people’s business, or you will suffer the consequences.”
Song Ning maintained a smile: "I know about Concubine Yao's identity, but I'm not very familiar with the rules of the He family. Are concubines allowed to search guests' rooms in the middle of the night?"
She was invited by He Qiu, so even if they wanted to search the room, it would be Lord He himself who would bring people, or at least Madam He. It's not up to a concubine to act so arrogantly here, is it?
Aunt Yao was most afraid of being called a concubine. She was now the biological mother of the eldest young master in the mansion, and the master had said that she would raise the child herself.
In the future, the entire He family will belong to her son. Not to mention Song Ning, a country girl, even the current wife will have to give way to her.
"Since Miss Song doesn't respect me as the master of this mansion, then don't blame me for being impolite."
After she finished speaking, her eyes narrowed, and her beautiful face immediately contorted.
"Song Ning is rude and actually protects a thief! Arrest her! Deal with her along with the thief!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the servants behind her rushed forward, ready to attack Song Ning.
Song Ning wasn't in a hurry. He called out to Aunt Yao from behind, "Lord He, your aunt says I'm protecting thieves and wants to punish me."
He Qiu had already received word from the servants and hurried from the main courtyard. When he entered the courtyard, Song Ning was being restrained by the servants.
He Qiu rushed in upon hearing the noise and shouted, "Stop it, all of you!"
Upon seeing He Qiu arrive, Aunt Yao immediately changed her demeanor, stepped forward, grabbed He Qiu's hand, and cried out, "Master, you've finally come! You must do me justice!"
He Qiu, with a sullen face, seemed to be asking no one in particular, "What happened?"
Aunt Yao looked at Song Ning triumphantly: "Master, one of my maids stole something. After being discovered, she ran away. I led my men to chase her all the way here, but this Miss Song is protecting her. I only want to find her, but Miss Song not only won't let me, but also insulted me. Master, you must give me justice!"
After saying that, she squeezed out a few tears.
That affected manner is something not everyone can pull off.
Song Ning stood on the steps, looking down at Lord He and Aunt Yao. Now that things had come to this, she had to rely on Xie Linzhou's influence.
Although she didn't know what Xie Linzhou had said, since He Qiu was so respectful to her, she couldn't waste this opportunity.
"Since Aunt Yao has said so, it would be rather ungrateful of me to stop her. How about this, Lord He, you go in and search yourself. If I really am protecting the thief, I will admit it. But if you can't find the person, Lord He, don't blame me for not giving you face."
Song Ning's face darkened, and she didn't say it outright. Anyway, Xie Linzhou was backing her now, so even if He Qiu had a hundred times the courage, he wouldn't dare to go in and search.
He Qiu pushed Aunt Yao aside, stepped forward, and said ingratiatingly, "Miss Song, what are you saying? Of course I believe you. It's all my fault for not disciplining you properly and disturbing you. I apologize to you. Don't worry, I'll take my people away right away and promise that she will never appear in front of you again."
There's still Wang Qiuhua in Song Ning's room. She just wants to get rid of these people outside. Otherwise, she'll definitely make things difficult for Yao Shi.
"In that case, Lord He, please take the person back. In the future... please don't embarrass yourself like this again."
Yao's face turned green with resentment, but she didn't lash out on the spot. She glared fiercely at Song Ning before being pulled away from the courtyard by He Qiu.
As soon as He Qiu stepped out of the courtyard, his face fell and became gloomy. The two returned to Yao's courtyard. As soon as they entered the house, Yao complained, "Master, why are you still siding with outsiders? That little slut, I've disliked her for a long time. If you ask me, she should be..."
Before he could finish speaking, a loud "slap" landed on his face.
Aunt Yao collapsed to the ground, covering her face and staring at He Qiu in disbelief.
"I told you a long time ago to behave yourself and not cause me any trouble, but you not only didn't listen, you even went and provoked people you shouldn't have. Are you trying to get me killed?"
He Qiu knew the general's temper; he was extremely protective of his own. Last time, because they had spoken disrespectfully to Song Ning at the dinner table, the general had called him over and reprimanded him.
Nothing that happens in the manor can escape the general's ears; what happened tonight will be known sooner or later.
"Master, that Song Ning is just a country bumpkin, and you actually hit me for her sake! I don't want to live anymore..."
In the past, He Qiu would have been heartbroken to see Yao cry like this and would have comforted her. But this time, instead of saying anything kind, she got even angrier.
He roared, "Die! Die now! It's better for you to die than to implicate me and the entire He family! Let me tell you, even if you're going to die, you have to apologize to Song Ning tomorrow before you die. Otherwise, you can expect your entire Yao family to be buried with you!"
Madam Yao never expected things to turn out this way. Finally, she became frightened and quickly got up from the ground: "Master, Master, I was wrong. Don't worry, I will definitely apologize to Miss Song tomorrow. Master, please don't be angry. It was all my fault today. Please forgive me for the sake of our son."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
