Xu felt guilty and smiled apologetically, "You're too kind, mother-in-law. I was just annoyed by these ignorant girls and said a few harsh words to them. I asked them to come and keep me company just because I wanted some company to relieve my boredom. How could I really expect them to take care of me?"
Jiang Shu caressed her daughter's cheek tenderly, unwilling to let this matter go easily. She questioned, "A woman's dignity is of paramount importance. Even noble families must abide by the rule of 'not hitting people in the face' when disciplining their servants. What did Qing Mo and the others do wrong to provoke their mother-in-law so much that she slapped them in front of everyone?"
Mrs. Xu was vague, "It's because they didn't serve us well enough..."
[Humph, it's clearly Xu who beats people whenever she wants, bullying those three cousins who are so timid and afraid to resist! I really don't understand how a mother with such a fierce personality like Jiang Shu could raise such spineless daughters.]
Jiang Songyi is full of sympathy for these cousins, but also feels sorry for their lack of ambition.
The old lady turned around abruptly and angrily scolded Hao Ren, "Duke Protector of the Country, what are all these maids and servants doing standing there? You actually need these children to serve you personally?"
Hao Ren also glanced at his mother with a hint of anger. Faced with the old lady's harsh rebuke, he could only suppress his anger and lowered his head to reply, "Mother-in-law is right. It was the servants in the mansion who were negligent."
The old lady felt that the Duke of Huguo's mansion was a dangerous place, so she simply took advantage of the situation and said, "The Duke needs to strictly discipline the people in the mansion. I don't think we can even have this meal. I'm already very satisfied with my anger!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she turned to Jiang Shu and said, "Shu'er, take Qingzhi, Qinghe, and Qingmo with you and return to the Marquis' Mansion with me. Although our Marquis' Mansion may not be as prestigious as the Duke's Mansion, it is not so prestigious that the younger generation of our family will be forced to serve as maids!"
After saying this, she turned around resolutely.
Jiang Songyi watched the whole process from the side and nodded in praise in her heart.
Although this grandmother was blind, biased, and partial, she wasn't harsh on me and was quite generous with her money. Fortunately, I didn't have a cruel grandmother like Xu.
After hearing this, Mrs. Jiang felt a little relieved. Songyi finally realized her good qualities.
Otherwise, I might not be able to wait until the Marquis' Mansion is destroyed, and I will be unable to resist attacking her.
Old Madam Jiang's heart was filled with shock.
Putting aside the past life that Songyi mentioned in her mind, Old Madam Jiang began to think carefully about whether she had done anything wrong to Songyi since she returned to the Marquis' Mansion.
However, seeing that Madam Jiang was planning to take Jiang Shu and her three daughters away, Xu hurriedly stood up from the bed and said, "Wait a minute! Mother-in-law, Jiang Shu is pregnant with the heir to our Duke's Mansion. These children are also my bloodline. You can't take them away!"
"Jiang Shu, you are going to disobey your elders, which is an unfilial act!" Xu was anxious and directly used filial piety to oppress her.
Hao Qingzhi, the eldest, didn't want to see her mother in such a dilemma because of her, nor did she want her sisters to continue being bullied, so she said sensibly, "Mother, I'm the eldest daughter, so I'll stay here to take care of Grandma. You can take your sisters to stay at your uncle's house for a while."
Xu thought of the key to the life-extending formation that Liao had mentioned to her, and immediately grabbed Hao Qingzhi's collar tightly, saying firmly, "Yes, at least one must be left behind!"
She was impatient and anxious. She was afraid that if her cousins were taken away, she would be in dire straits. After all, this old woman's life span was almost over. The only reason she was still strong and vigorous was because she had stolen her cousins' lifespans to prolong her life!
Hearing Jiang Songyi's thoughts, Jiang Shu pulled Hao Qingzhi to her side without hesitation. Before Xu and Hao Ren could get angry, she asked directly, "There are so many maids in the mansion to choose from. Why did the mother-in-law insist on leaving my daughter to serve in the room?"
She turned her gaze to Hao Ren. "My Lord, where is the miracle doctor you've been searching for for your mother? I want to ask him personally what method he used to make your mother look so radiant while my daughters are so haggard and pale? Could this abnormal phenomenon be due to the essence of my daughters being used to nourish your mother?"
Hao Ren was shocked, and the originally aggressive Xu also held her breath and became silent.
Jiang Songyi was slightly surprised. "Oh, I guessed the secret. That stubborn old Xu didn't directly use the cousins' blood to refine the medicine. Instead, he used the evil object given by Liao to quietly absorb their vitality and lifespan. I was right. They are now wearing the talisman bags given by Xu around their necks."
Now their vitality has been severely damaged. If they continue to wear this talisman bag and live in Xu's courtyard for several months, they will surely pass away one after another. These cousins are truly pitiful. When I return home, I will definitely help them remove the curse of this talisman bag.
Jiang Shu was slightly stunned. She never thought that Jiang Songyi hated her daughter so much, but was still willing to lend a helping hand.
[After all, Jiang Shu gave me those golden beads, which were quite generous. I feel uneasy about the favor of helping her eliminate the ghost fetus. I also need to completely resolve this cause and effect.]
After hearing Jiang Songyi's thoughts, the old lady came quietly without making a sound and stood beside Hao Qinghe. Suddenly, she quickly took out a red rope from her neck. At the end of the red rope hung a square talisman bag with strange runes painted on it.
This talisman bag is different from the red and yellow colors seen in ordinary temples. Instead, it is a strange black color, and the runes are also bright red, giving off an ominous aura as a whole.
The old lady took the talisman bag off Hao Qinghe's neck without hesitation, frowned, and asked, "What kind of evil thing is this?"
When Xu saw that the old lady had discovered the talisman bag that Hao Qinghe was carrying, her heart sank and she felt a darkness before her eyes.
Hao Ren was so nervous that his heart beat faster and rose to his throat.
Hao Qinghe said timidly, "Grandma, this is the amulet that grandma gave us. Each of us three sisters has one."
Jiang Shu had quickly taken off the talisman bags from Hao Qingzhi and Hao Qingmo's necks one by one, with skillful and decisive movements.
Xu twisted her arm violently, the pain calming her down for a moment. She anxiously whispered, "Don't take it off! This talisman bag was blessed by a master to protect peace. Once removed, the magic power will be lost!"
She tried to snatch the precious talisman bag from Jiang Shu, but Jiang Shu cleverly avoided her touch.
Madam Jiang asked directly, "My mother-in-law usually lives in seclusion. How did she know someone so skilled as to obtain this blessed talisman? I often go to Rong'en Temple to pray for blessings and have obtained many talisman bags, but I have never seen such a unique style."
Mrs. Xu was speechless. She couldn't reveal that this was a talisman bag given to her by her son's beloved Mrs. Liao to change his fate, right?
She cleverly avoided Madam Jiang's sharp gaze and argued, "Anyway, this is a treasure. Why would I harm my own granddaughter?"
Madam Jiang sneered disdainfully, "This talisman bag is dark in color, with strange patterns, and exudes an ominous aura! Qingzhi and the others look pale and sickly, so this talisman bag clearly can't bring any peace! Mother-in-law, don't be fooled by these quacks."
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