As dusk fell, the entire manor was filled with noise.
The servants in the manor discovered a dead body floating in the lotus pond. When they pulled it out, they found it was a kitchen maid who tended the fire. Everyone sighed in dismay; this kitchen maid was a bit dim-witted. They guessed she had gone to the lake to steal water chestnuts and accidentally drowned.
In addition, rumors were circulating throughout the courtyard that Chunling, the head maidservant of the Crown Prince's wife, had seduced the maternal uncle and cousin of the Zhi family, and had been caught in the room by Granny Wan.
Chunling is such a wicked girl. She seduces people and doesn't forget to bring her best friend along, dragging Xia Hua into bed with her.
Most of the servants didn't know what was going on, and those who vaguely guessed dared not discuss it.
In any case, the fire-tending girl was taken out and buried, while Chunling and Xiahua were taken out and "sold off," though whether they were actually sold off is unknown.
The two maids' indiscretions implicated the young master's wife, who was also confined to Fanghua Garden for failing to properly discipline her servants.
Several managers who were watching the commotion were also beaten until their skin was torn and bleeding.
The next morning at breakfast, for some unknown reason, Uncle Zhi bumped into Gu Chengsi, the young master of the second branch of the family, and the second branch's pot of porridge spilled.
They got into a fight over a disagreement, and Gu Chengsi ended up with a broken head.
This was quite a surprise. Madam Lu cursed all the way and took a rolling pin to the south room.
The south courtyard of the Marquis's mansion was specifically for entertaining guests, and the Zhi family members lived in various courtyards within it.
She cursed everyone she could find along the way, and when she saw a member of the Zhi family, she viciously smashed a rolling pin over their head, regardless of whether they lived or died.
"That shameless brat I raised! She eats and drinks for free, and even acts like a master in the mansion. Her skin is thicker than a city wall!"
"A toilet rag is acting like it's some kind of imperial edict. Who gave you the audacity?!"
...
The old lady had already reprimanded both Uncle Zhi and Zhi Baicheng, and also spoke privately with Aunt Zhi and Aunt Zhi, pushing all the blame onto the maids Chunling and Xiahua.
Before she and her aunts could even go to negotiate with Madam Lu, Madam Lu, who was seething with anger, stormed over to their door without a care in the world!
Lu Shi Tou was carrying a stick, hitting one person after another, completely desperate.
Throughout the entire mansion, Lu Shi's curses could be heard: "Fifty or sixty people, eating and living for free and still wanting to be employed? Don't even think about it! Whoever found you any jobs, I'll go and beat the Dengwen Drum to ask if people of your character are fit to serve the court?"
"Your three daughters want to find husbands here? Don't even think about it! I'll go to whichever family you marry into and tell them all about your evil deeds. Let's see who dares to take your daughters!"
"Study hard and want to become the top scholar? Don't even think about it! Anyone who dares to vouch for them in the imperial examination, I'll dig up their ancestral grave!"
Her threats all hit the nail on the head of the Zhi family. The eldest, second, and third uncles of the Zhi family, along with a bunch of cousins, nephews, and nieces, looked at Madam Lu with a desire to tear her apart.
Tu had already heard from the servants that Lu had committed a crime in the south courtyard, and she was overjoyed.
She would yell at anyone who came to report: "Do your jobs properly, or you can be sold off."
Seeing that she didn't care, everyone roughly knew that Madam Tu was happy to see it happen, so they all joined in to watch the show and shouted to the Zhi family, "Goodbye and don't come back."
Second Uncle Zhi and Zhi Baicheng almost ruined Gu Huanhuan and Gu Mianmian's reputations, a matter that the old lady, Madam Tu, and Madam Lu desperately tried to cover up.
At that time, Gu Yuebai shouted, and then Granny Wan went to catch them in the act of adultery. The old lady said to Madam Xie, "My dear in-law, you should go back first. I will definitely not let Madam Xie suffer any injustice."
Knowing that there was more sordid business in the Marquis's mansion, Madam Xie Er was unwilling to stay any longer and left the mansion with Xie Jue.
Before leaving, he grabbed her hand and said, "Miss, don't worry about so much in the future. If your grandmother and the Imperial Concubine knew that you had suffered such a great injustice, they would be heartbroken."
"Second Aunt, Zhao Zhao will not hold back anymore from now on."
After Madam Xie left, the old lady told Xie Zhaozhao to return to Qingpu Courtyard as well.
Xie Zhaozhao couldn't be bothered with their scandalous affairs. If the old lady herself had impure thoughts, the sordid matters in the Marquis's mansion would only increase. If things really got out of hand, the third branch could simply request to leave the mansion and establish their own.
I still sighed slightly when I heard last night that the girl who tended the fire had drowned in the lake.
In her previous life, the girl who tended the fire argued with Manman, who drowned in a well. She was accused and beaten to death. In this life, she relayed a message to the two young ladies, almost causing them to lose their innocence.
It's not unjust, it's not unjust at all!
It's like that young child who was instigated to cruelly kill other innocent children. He was punished because he was young and it looked pitiful, but weren't the children he killed innocent and pitiful too?
She originally thought that if Manman didn't quarrel with her in this life, the two of them would live in peace. However, she didn't expect that this fire-tending girl would still be used by others.
Ultimately, the real culprits were the shameless and immoral members of the Zhi family, and the old lady for failing in her responsibilities as head of the family.
Madam Lu was cursing and smashing things in the front yard when the eldest brother-in-law and his wife came out. The eldest brother-in-law's wife discussed with Madam Lu: "How about kicking the second brother-in-law out? Can we avoid causing trouble for the other families?"
Madam Lu was shocked by these shameless words. Wasn't Zhi Baicheng the son of the eldest son's wife? He was Huanhuan's maternal uncle! How could he do such a thing…?
Thinking of his two daughters, who were on the verge of madness, his heart broke. He cried and cursed, "Get out! All members of the Zhi family, get out of the Marquis's mansion! None of you will stay in the capital!"
Uncle Zhi, utterly humiliated by the insults, roared, "You shrew! A wife like you deserves to be divorced!"
"Die with your mother!" Madam Lu shouted madly. "What kind of world is this, where even villains can act so righteously?"
Uncle Zhi was furious and went with his wife to complain to the old lady.
Upon receiving the news, Madam Tu immediately took Granny Wan to the old lady's Ci'en Courtyard.
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