Chapter 202 Backing You Up
Ma swayed slightly, her face turning deathly pale.
Didn't Grandma Sun run away a long time ago?
it turns out……
She refused to admit it: "What 'Grandma Sun'? I don't know what you're talking about."
Zhan Xingzhuo was also completely confused. He couldn't hear what those people were saying, and Tao Ye's words kept repeating in his mind.
He stared blankly at Yao Qingling.
Midwife?
Production?
Two lives lost, one unborn?
He stood behind Yao Qingling, looking at her back again and again.
She had lost a lot of weight and looked very weak...
His scattered thoughts gradually returned, and he was startled. She had given birth?!
Whose child?
his?
But she was so insistent on divorce back then... could it be...?
Also, why was no one ever told him that Yao Qingling was pregnant?
Zhan Xingzhuo's pupils contracted and contracted repeatedly, as if he had been struck on the head with a club.
This night was destined to be a sleepless one.
Yao Qingling sent someone to the yamen overnight to invite Prefect Gao, as she wanted to hold a trial at the Mulan Courtyard.
"Qingling, this is a family matter. Why invite the prefect? Family scandals should not be aired in public. Isn't this old lady enough to make decisions for you?"
The old lady, who had been silently observing the fight, remained silent throughout, even as the fighting raged and someone died. She only kept fiddling with the prayer beads on her wrist and chanting Amitabha. Now, she finally spoke up.
She walked up to Yao Qingling. Although she was older, she walked with a much more steady gait than Qingling and did not need anyone's help.
She walked up to the steps, stood in front of Qingling, and said to everyone in the courtyard, "It's too late tonight, everyone disperse. We can talk about it tomorrow."
As he spoke, he turned to look at Censor Cao and his wife: "Your Excellency, I am truly sorry for disturbing you both tonight. I will arrange a banquet for you another day to make amends."
The censor's wife couldn't help but roll her eyes.
It's gotten to this point, it's like a house on fire, and she says, "Let it burn, don't rush to put it out," and even drives away the people who came to help put out the fire, while she herself builds a wall around the burning house to prevent people from seeing it.
The censor's wife muttered, "This old woman must be senile..."
She thought her voice was soft and that no one could hear her, but the wind carried her voice over, and the old lady heard it clearly. The old lady was about to turn around to speak to Zhan Xingzhuo when she heard this, so she paused, glanced back at the censor's wife, and could only suppress her anger.
The censor's wife touched her nose, not regretting what she had just said.
It may sound disrespectful, but what has this old lady done for Yao Qingling over the years?
Her second son died on the battlefield, and instead of showing pity for his orphan, she seized his title and allowed her eldest son's family to bully and exploit the poor orphan. What else could she be but a fool?
Oh, the capable son is gone, and now we're counting on the useless son to carry on the family business?
But after all these years, the useless son is still useless, and he has given birth to a whole litter of useless good-for-nothings.
That's one thing, but there was no one around, so we just had to put up with it.
But now that another capable person has emerged from the second son's lineage, instead of protecting him, you're helping that useless bunch.
What can you expect from them? To smash bowls and carry your coffin when you die?
It is said that people become more shrewd as they get older; otherwise, there would be no saying that "old ginger is spicier."
But this old woman was never shrewd in her life. Even when she was about to be murdered, she was still trying to cover up her shameful act.
The more the Imperial Censor's wife thought about it, the more heartbroken she felt for Yao Qingling.
She can't leave.
Over here, the old lady was comforting Qingling and persuading her to give up: "Qingling, you finally woke up, you need to rest and recuperate. Don't overexert yourself. Let's leave it at that tonight. We can talk about it later."
Qingling stared coldly at the kind-faced old lady and said, "Old lady, it's alright. I've been unconscious for half a month, and I'm full of energy now. I can endure it."
"Madam is old, please return to Cangbo Courtyard." She called over a maid and offered to take the old lady back.
The old lady was taken aback, then became furious: "Qingling, do you really not understand what I'm saying?!"
Qingling glanced at her indifferently: "I know, but I won't allow it."
She gave a cold laugh and said meaningfully, "I'm afraid if I fall asleep again this time, I'll never wake up again."
The cold gaze passed over the old lady and landed directly on Madam Ma in the center of the courtyard.
The Imperial Censor's wife then spoke up: "That's right, my husband and I rushed here overnight to rescue her. Now that we're here, it would be a disservice to Miss Qingling's trust in us if we just went back like this."
She walked and talked, stopping beside Qingling, and took her hand with relief, her emotions running high, "Qingling, you're finally awake. I've been worried about you for days."
"What happened tonight reminded me of that night at Yongning Temple. I remember that we were the ones who made it to the very end. We survived the mountains of corpses and seas of blood, so what's this little thing today? Besides, I even called my husband."
The censor's wife glanced at Censor Cao from afar, then looked at the old lady with great arrogance.
"Madam, Qingling calls me elder sister, and I consider her my own sister. Now that my sister has been murdered, who was it? My husband and I are determined to seek justice for her!"
"Madam, you can rest assured. My husband is known for his integrity and will not let anyone be wronged."
The word "wronged" seemed to slap someone in the face, and the censor's wife looked at Madam Ma with a cold smile.
Madam Ma swallowed hard, forcing herself to look back at the Censor's wife, her anger palpable.
That meddlesome woman is so annoying!
The Censor's Wife: "Madam Hou, why are you looking at me like that? Are you feeling guilty?"
Zhan Xingzhuo was stunned by the words "husband" and "Yongning Temple," his face burning with embarrassment.
He knew all too well that the night at Yongning Temple was a hurdle Yao Qingling couldn't overcome in her heart.
He looked out of the house and saw Imperial Censor Cao smiling kindly at his wife.
This Imperial Censor Cao was known for his uprightness. He was the one who initiated the Zhou family case and relentlessly criticized him in court.
It was simply a stumbling block on his path to advancement.
Zhan Xingzhuo didn't have a good impression of Imperial Censor Cao, but at this moment, he inexplicably envied the couple, envying his wife's trust and reliance on him, her confidence and pride in him.
Zhan Xingzhuo took a few steps, came out of the house, walked to Qingling's side, and turned to the old lady, saying, "Old lady, I also want to know who is trying to harm Yao Qingling."
"Qingling said there would be a trial tonight, so I stayed to listen in."
After saying that, he looked at Yao Qingling, his calm gaze unable to conceal his bitterness.
He used to say that Yao Qingling was living a good life because of him.
He was right, wasn't he? When she returned to her parents' home, she went back to her old ways and almost lost her life.
Yao Qingling didn't even glance at him, but stared stubbornly at the old lady.
At this point, the old lady could no longer use family matters as an excuse.
She sighed and conceded, "You can handle the case however you want. However, there's no need to invite Prefect Gao. The Imperial Censor's family and Master Zhan are here; aren't they enough to back you up?"
Qingling twitched the corner of her lips, understanding what the old lady meant.
In the end, however, the matter was downplayed, with only symbolic confinement and fines. After a few months, everything returned to normal.
The old lady wanted to sacrifice her in order to maintain the dignity of the Marquis's mansion.
Qingling said, "What's the point of setting up a private court of punishment? If you're going to conduct a trial, you should make sure it's clear and transparent, so that people are convinced and never dare to do evil again, nor have the opportunity to do evil!"
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