Chapter 301 Slandering Ayao
Hongling sat up, holding Aunt Li, and looked up at Meng Jinyao, accusingly saying, "Madam, our aunt is pregnant, why did you push her?"
Upon hearing this, the maids and servants who had just arrived behind them were shocked and could hardly believe their ears.
What did they hear?
The lady pushed the pregnant Aunt Li to the ground.
Good heavens! The lady always seemed so gentle and kind, I never imagined she could be so vicious. You really can't judge a book by its cover. Look at how much pain Aunt Li is in, I'm afraid she's going to lose her baby.
Could it be that the lady still harbors feelings for the young master, and seeing that Concubine Li has gained his love and is now pregnant with his child, while she was cruelly abandoned by him on her wedding day, jealousy makes people ugly, so she pushed Concubine Li, hoping to cause her to miscarry?
What a vicious heart!
Li Wan'er frowned, enduring the pain, and looked at her with teary eyes, her voice choked with sobs, "Madam, you have already married the Marquis and are now the Marquis's wife, why do you still think about Brother Xiuming? This is not the way of a wife. Even if I lose this child, you still cannot be with Brother Xiuming. You are his nominal mother."
Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked once again. They hadn't expected that they had actually guessed correctly. The Madam had poisoned Concubine Li out of jealousy.
They turned to look at the lady, only to see her with a tense face and eyes full of anger glaring at Aunt Li. Her gaze was terrifying. The next moment, they saw the lady turn her head to look at them, which made them shrink back in fright.
The next moment, they heard the lady scold in a deep voice: "What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and send Concubine Li back to Qingyuxuan?"
As soon as she finished speaking, a strong old woman who was used to doing rough work stepped forward to carry Li Wan'er back. Two maids also stepped forward and helped Li Wan'er climb onto the old woman's back. The old woman carried her and walked quickly towards Qingyuxuan.
Meng Jinyao then looked at Hongling and instructed, "The family physician has not yet returned from his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors. Go outside and find a doctor for your aunt."
Hongling looked at Li Wan'er, hesitated slightly, and then ran off to fetch a doctor.
At this moment, Zhang and Chen were walking this way when they saw the chaos and quickly stepped forward.
Zhang asked, "Third sister-in-law, what's going on? What's wrong with Aunt Li?"
After she finished speaking, she noticed several maids around her looking at Meng Jinyao with inscrutable expressions, vaguely sensing that this matter was related to Meng Jinyao.
Meng Jinyao frowned: "Sister-in-law, this matter cannot be explained in a short time." Then she said to the other maids who were watching the play, "This is none of your business, you can all leave."
Upon hearing this, Zhang looked at Chen, and the two exchanged glances before shaking their heads slightly.
Meanwhile, Qingqiu, worried that her mistress might catch a cold, rushed back to get a cloak as quickly as possible before heading over. Seeing that the First Madam and the Second Madam were both there, and noticing that the atmosphere seemed a bit off, she quickly bowed to the ladies and then draped the cloak over her mistress.
Meng Jinyao instructed, "Qingqiu, go and have someone bring the Marquis back. Tell him that Aunt Li has fallen and we don't know if his grandson or granddaughter can be saved."
Upon hearing this, Qingqiu turned pale with fright. If Aunt Li's fall might cause a miscarriage, then the young master should be consulted. If the marquis is consulted, then wouldn't that be related to the madam?
Suppressing her panic, she asked calmly, "Madam, are you alright?"
Meng Jinyao gave her a reassuring look and said calmly, "What could possibly happen to me? I wasn't the one who fell."
After years of serving as master and servant, Qingqiu understood her meaning with just a glance. It meant that she could handle it and that she could rest assured. She quickly nodded and went to find the Marquis with peace of mind.
When Zhang and Chen heard that there was a possibility of miscarriage, their hearts were in turmoil. They felt that this matter must be related to Meng Jinyao, but why would she do such a stupid thing?
Just as they were racking their brains trying to figure it out, Meng Jinyao said, "Sister-in-law, since you're here, come with me to Qingyuxuan. I can't explain it clearly right now, so just wait and see."
Upon hearing this, Zhang and Chen nodded repeatedly. No one dislikes gossip, especially big gossip about offspring, and the fact that the person involved is their third brother's wife makes it even more explosive.
Qingyuxuan.
When the three sisters-in-law arrived at Qingyuxuan, they didn't rush to check on Aunt Li's situation. Instead, they sat and waited in the small flower hall of Qingyuxuan.
Zhang and Chen were anxiously waiting for the answer, but Meng Jinyao didn't speak, so they didn't ask her anything. They just guessed that it probably wasn't her fault since she was so calm.
Meanwhile, Gu Xiuming was discussing scholarship with Gu Xiuyuan when he suddenly heard a servant report that Aunt Li had encountered an accident. He immediately left his brother and rushed back to Qingyuxuan.
On the way back, I overheard some maids gossiping.
"Madam seems like such a kind person, how could she harm Aunt Li? You really can't see into someone's heart."
"Indeed! I never expected that Madam would be so ungrateful. Even after marrying the Marquis, she still covets the Young Master and is jealous that Consort Li is pregnant with the Young Master's child, so she tries to cause Consort Li to miscarry."
"The old lady gave her a choice: she could continue marrying the young master, or choose between the second and fourth young masters. But she chose the Marquis, and in the end..."
"Alas... poor Marquis, he finally married a beautiful woman and doted on her, but she only has his son in her heart."
"Since the lady is so unchaste, I think the Marquis will probably divorce her after this incident."
...
Gu Xiuming's face was gloomy, and his tone was filled with anger: "What are you all talking about?"
Upon hearing the sound, several maids turned around abruptly and saw that his brows were furrowed and his face was extremely pale. They were so frightened that they knelt down with a thud.
A young maidservant stammered, "Young Master, it was...it was Madam who pushed Concubine Li just now. Concubine Li has already been sent back to Qingyu Pavilion. Judging from her appearance, she may not be able to save her child."
Gu Xiuming frowned even more, his brows furrowing into a deep frown that looked as if they could trap a mosquito. He roared, "What nonsense are you spouting? Mother is the gentlest and kindest of all. How could she do such a vicious thing? If you continue to spout nonsense and slander your master, give her twenty lashes and sell her off!"
The maid's face turned pale, and she hurriedly said, "Young Master, please calm down. This servant dared not speak nonsense. Hongling, who was by Consort Li's side, was there at the time, and it was Consort Li and Hongling who said it. Madam listened to what they said and did not utter a single word of rebuttal."
Several other maids added, "Young Master, it's true! What we just saw was Consort Li lying on the ground, with Hongling and Consort Li accusing the Madam of her actions."
Another maid pointed to a plum tree not far away and continued, "Right there, Madam Li pushed Aunt Li and she fell to the ground. It seems she even bumped into the plum tree. You can see some plum blossoms have just fallen down, which shows how hard Aunt Li fell."
After hearing this, Gu Xiuming was skeptical: "You'd better pray that you're telling the truth, otherwise you'll all be given twenty lashes and sold off."
After saying that, he strode away.
As the maids watched his departing figure, they felt a sense of relief, as if they had escaped a disaster. A wave of fear washed over them, and cold sweat broke out on their backs. A biting wind swept by, and they couldn't help but shiver.
Someone muttered, "I think the lady is in big trouble this time. The Marquis has always been fair and just."
The maid beside her gestured for silence and whispered, "Alright, let's stop talking. If we run into another master later, we'll all get a scolding again."
The maid who had just spoken felt a pang of anxiety and nodded hastily, not daring to utter another word.
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