Chapter 58 Chapter 58 "Deal with it according to the house rules." ...
"My lady, something happened."
Naidong has a calm personality and was taught by Nanny Du. If it wasn't a big deal, she would definitely not be woken up at this hour.
Sheng Puzhu opened the brocade quilt, put on her clothes, and stood up. Her voice was still slightly hoarse from just waking up: "Don't panic, just talk slowly."
"It's the Fourth Lady. She was taken away by the people from the First House."
"Originally, it was the Second Lady who was supposed to go, but the Fourth Lady recognized that the nanny was the First Master's."
Sheng Puzhu's eyes were slightly stern, and he frowned and asked, "When did it happen?"
"A quarter of an hour ago."
"Send someone to find my husband now." She had already picked up the clothes beside her and was ready to put them on. Seeing this, Naidong and Nanny Du hurried forward to help.
All I heard was Sheng Puzhu's calm voice, "Don't alert anyone else. Just tell my husband that the master has taken Qingshu away."
"If he asks about me, remember to tell him that everything is fine."
"My lady, it's windy outside, don't catch a cold." Nanny Du chased after her, holding a cloak.
Sheng Puzhu did not stop walking, but just signaled Naidong to take it with his eyes.
"Let's go to my aunt first. My husband will naturally go look for someone when he gets the news, but... I'm afraid other troubles will arise." She spoke in a low voice, still looking calm.
"Aunt." Sheng Puzhu took a deep breath and pushed open the half-open door.
When Dou saw her, her eyes reddened again, as if she had found a savior. "Puzhu, Qingshu has been taken away. Although Lingyi said she was the eldest master's person, I... I'm still worried about an accident."
"When the Qin family blames me, I won't know how to explain it."
"I've sent someone to look for Sanlang. He'll find Qingshu."
"Aunt, the most important thing right now is that Lingyi on your side cannot have any more accidents." Sheng Puzhu held Dou's hand, her beautiful eyes showing seriousness.
"Then what should I do?" Dou was too timid and never fought for anything.
Fortunately, Sheng Puzhu remained calm and rational. "I wonder if my aunt could ask the wife of the Minister of the Central Secretariat to come over for a chat?"
"This..." Dou was immediately panicked. This was a family scandal, and the third lady of the Wei family was just appointed as the Crown Princess by the Queen yesterday. If it got out, where would the reputation of the Duke of Jingguo's Mansion be? How would she explain to her elders when she returned home?
Seeing Dou's hesitation, Sheng Puzhu did not try to persuade her. Instead, she looked at Xie Lingyi with a smile and said, "Then please trouble Second Sister to invite Madam Wei over."
"Yier." Dou hurriedly grabbed Xie Lingyi's hand, with a pleading look in her eyes.
Xie Lingyi stood up expressionlessly, her lips curled coldly, "Mother, what are you still hesitating about? If Qingshu hadn't stood up for me, do you know what a miserable end your daughter would have suffered?"
Dou's lips trembled and she didn't dare to speak.
She actually wanted to explain, not because she was unwilling, but because she was afraid of having to explain to her husband when she returned home. Her youngest son still needed to be taught by his older brothers from the first wife. Xie Juyuan was an important official in the court and was deeply trusted by His Majesty, so he should not do such a ridiculous thing.
And the worst thing did not happen. When Nanny Pan came, she did try to stop it.
When Dou was in a dilemma, Xie Lingyi took out a dagger that she had hidden in her sleeve and threw it at Dou's feet with a "clang".
Dou was so frightened that her neck shrank and she almost knelt down on the spot.
Xie Lingyi sighed, her long lashes drooping to hide the deep disappointment in her eyes. "I've thought more than once that if my innocence were ruined, I would rather commit suicide than compromise."
"not to mention."
Xie Lingyi's voice choked. "Mother, have you ever thought about whether the Saint and the Empress would be disgusted with the Xie family if your daughter committed suicide? And how would the nobles in Chang'an City evaluate the Xie family?"
"The Crown Prince has already chosen a Crown Princess. If my daughter goes, she will at most be a concubine. What's the difference between this and forcing someone to become a concubine?"
"Looking around Chang'an City, apart from those unremarkable mansions, they are nothing more than stepmothers using their power to oppress concubines' daughters and stepmothers using their power to control the children of the first wife."
"I am your and your father's biological daughter. What else do you not understand that makes you so hesitant?"
Dou's face was pale and she couldn't speak. She just sat there crying.
Seeing Xie Lingyi ignoring her, she retorted somewhat distraughtly, "When did I ever force you? This was all your father's idea."
"The eldest master mentioned the role of Crown Princess at first, so of course I agreed. But I didn't expect it to be like this."
After she finished speaking, she wanted to cry again, as if she had suffered a great injustice.
Xie Lingyi did not go along with her as she did before. Instead, she turned away with a cold face and did not even try to persuade her. Instead, she turned around and strode away.
"Bozhu."
"What should I do?" Dou said in a panic, "Lingyi seems to be angry with me."
Sheng Puzhu looked at Dou deeply, tilted his head and asked, "Shouldn't I be angry?"
Dou's face turned even paler. She cried for a while, and seeing that no one paid any attention to her, she looked at the dagger on the ground and wanted to pick it up. After hesitating for a long time, she still didn't dare to pick it up.
"I heard that the Crown Prince's wife was looking for me."
"What's going on?"
The first wife of Shangshu Ling, also known as the wife of Duke Chengguo, had the surname Song and the single character "Wan". She was born in a scholarly family in Guangling City.
Song had the gentleness and beauty of a Jiangnan woman. When she stepped into the room, she looked up and saw Dou sitting in a mess on the armchair. She was stunned at first, then lowered her eyes and smiled, as if she didn't notice anything wrong in the hall.
"I have some Xianya Stone Flowers that Brother Yuanning brought back from Pengzhou in my room. Madam Sheng, would you like to try some?"
Talking to smart people naturally doesn't require any effort.
'The Crown Prince's Wife' is a title with a sense of boundaries. Now that it has been changed to 'Mrs. Shengda', it naturally adds a bit of intimacy.
Sheng Puzhu smiled and bowed to Song, saying, "You're welcome. I'm sorry to bother you enough to come here."
Song took Sheng Puzhu's hand and admired the girl with bright eyes and white teeth in front of her. She was beautiful and dignified, especially her soft and begging tone and her pair of eyes that could speak and blinked were so sweet that they could touch people's hearts.
"I have nothing to do, so I'm just sitting around doing nothing. There's no need for you to be so formal."
Sheng Puzhu whispered something to Song, then smiled and pointed outside: "We are short of manpower, so we just need to borrow a few strong maids. If Princess An asks about it, I'd like you to be a witness."
Song looked at Dou with a half-smile, and she agreed without hesitation: "You dare to pretend to be the princess's nanny? You should be arrested and severely punished."
Sheng Puzhu guessed correctly. Nanny Pan had indeed returned, and behind her were two big and strong-looking old women who looked very fierce.
Dou had been invited to the inner room by Naidong, and Xie Lingyi stood behind Sheng Puzhu, staring coldly at Nanny Pan.
When Nanny Pan saw that Dou was not there, and there was a beautiful young girl and another lady whose age was unknown sitting in the hall, she hesitated for a moment, but when she thought of what the master had ordered, she dared not delay.
"Thank you, Madam Second. I will serve you..."
"Catch her for me!"
"Shut up." Sheng Puzhu shouted coldly and ordered.
Eight or nine tall old women suddenly rushed out of the side hall. They didn't care how Nanny Pan and the other two struggled. Without saying a word, they took out hemp ropes thicker than thumbs, tied them up, and blocked their mouths.
Sheng Puzhu stood up with a smile, a cold light in her eyes: "You are so brave, you dare to pretend to be Princess An."
Nanny Pan's mouth was blocked and she tried to deny it, but unfortunately she couldn't say anything.
This time, she came here in accordance with the orders of her superiors and arrested someone directly in the name of the master.
Since she has been found out, there is no need to pretend. Dou from the third house is timid and afraid of trouble anyway. If she scares her a little and brings two more people, she will be able to force Second Lady Xie to surrender.
Unfortunately, no one would have expected that the girl who was so beautiful that people couldn't take their eyes off her would have such courage and not even care about the master's face.
When Nanny Pan was stared at by those clear eyes, she felt a piercing chill for no reason. It came out from the blue bricks under her feet and pressed into every limb of her body. She trembled and wanted to beg for mercy.
Sheng Puzhu didn't even look at her, but calmly instructed Naidong to distribute the purses he had just prepared to the eight or nine women who worked hard.
She was generous and gave promptly, and she even said "thank you for your hard work" to the people below her with a pleasant face.
Song watched from the side and nodded secretly. The eldest lady of the Sheng family was indeed the most dignified lady brought up in a family of scholars. Even her daughter Wei Yuanning would probably be slightly inferior to her.
Sheng Puzhu thanked Song. Although she did not say what happened today, she had no intention of covering up for the eldest wife.
But unexpectedly, Song was more polite and understanding than she thought. She didn't ask any more questions the whole time. When she left, she also said in a gentle voice: "I will go back first. If you have time in the future, bring Lingyi to play with you in the mansion."
Sheng Puzhu agreed with a smile and personally escorted Song out the door.
"Madam, what should we do now with Mrs. Pan and the other two?" Naidun asked worriedly.
"Let's wait for my husband to come back. We don't have to worry." Sheng Puzhu closed her eyes. She was actually a little tired. She went to bed late last night, and the numbness in her body had not completely dissipated.
I walked too fast this morning and now my legs are sore and aching. It's not unbearable, but it's really annoying.
Xie Zhiyan arrived half an hour later, followed by the crying Xie Qingshu.
"Sister-in-law."
"Go wash your face and change your clothes." Sheng Puzhu rarely cried after he turned thirteen, so he is not very good at comforting people now, let alone a girl who was sobbing and had swollen cheeks.
With Xie Zhiyan around, Xie Qingshu didn't dare to object and obediently followed Naidong to the inner room.
"Are you injured?" Xie Zhiyan pulled the person in front of him and examined him carefully.
Sheng Puzhu shook her head. "I asked Lingyi to ask the Shangshu Ling's wife for help. That old lady Pan only brought two people with her, so naturally she couldn't hurt me."
Xie Zhiyan held her hand and resisted the urge to hug her in his arms.
"Next time you encounter something like this, you should just let me come over instead of looking for Qingshu."
"I can handle it myself."
"I'm not too sure about Qingshu's personality."
Xie Zhiyan held her jade-like hands and gradually narrowed his eyes.
He stared at her calm face. She didn't look like she really needed him. Once he had this thought, he felt that the pent-up anxiety in his heart was about to be suppressed.
"My dear?" Sheng Puzhu saw his cold brows furrowed, thinking that he was worried about something that happened at home.
Out of her wifely responsibility, she stretched out her soft fingers and pressed gently twice, probably trying to smooth it out for him.
Xie Zhiyan was stunned. Seeing that she was standing on tiptoe with great difficulty, he bent down slightly and let her move.
Sheng Puzhu was ready to withdraw her hand, but when she raised her eyes, they happened to meet the man's deep pupils. The emotions surging in his eyes were as deep as last night.
Her breathing could not help but stagnate, and she asked in a gentle voice, "Will uncle be punished for what happened today?"
Xie Zhiyan pinched the tender green hand, not allowing her to be reserved, but instead pressed her entire palm above her eyebrows.
Even if he was a bad guy at night, he was always a gentle and cold gentleman in front of outsiders and would not do such an outrageous thing.
Sheng Puzhu felt as if the skin on the palm of his hand was "burned" by his cold forehead, and he snorted unexpectedly.
Xie Zhiyan seemed to have heard it, but also seemed not to have heard it. His Adam's apple rolled on his cold white neck, and his scorching breath just landed on Sheng Puzhu's snow-white wrist. His voice was clear and slow: "Since you have made a mistake, no matter who it is, you must be dealt with according to the family rules."
"But he is my elder after all." The two were too close, and Sheng Puju didn't dare to look at him.
"Um."
"I know."
Xie Zhiyan had clear and handsome features, and there was even a hint of a smile on the corner of his lips, but that smile seemed to be frozen in ice, making people feel cold in their hearts.
"So I've asked Cang Tuan and Cang Guan to invite my father, mother, and the elders of the clan separately."
"We can't just let this go."
"Once the Xie family's rules are set, there's no reason to break them. I'm the prince of the mansion. If he doesn't obey, even if his spine is broken, he'll still be punished according to the rules."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
