Chapter 81 Getting Rid of the Problem Solver
Madam Lu glanced at Qingling, frowned slightly, and took the child back into her arms; she dared not make a sound, nor did she dare to leave.
The crying was disturbing, so the old lady told her to go out and soothe the child.
Only then did Madam Lu take the child and leave.
It vividly demonstrated what it means to be obedient, well-behaved, and respectful to elders.
Yao Qingling watched as Madam Lu left the flower hall, then saw her picking flowers and playing with the children in the courtyard.
She looked relaxed, as if she were watching something interesting, as if someone else had angered the old lady; and she was just an ignorant child watching the show.
The old lady looked at Yao Qingling, her eyes twitching slightly with anger.
Some people were assertive, while others didn't respond, creating an awkward atmosphere that was also somewhat hilarious.
Madam Ma coughed heavily and coldly reminded Qingling, "Qingling, the old lady is scolding you, and you're still acting so nonchalant. Why don't you kneel down and admit your mistake?"
Yao Qingling turned around, looked at Madam Ma, then at the old lady, and asked in confusion, "Grandmother, what did I do wrong?"
Everyone: "..."
They stared at her in astonishment and speechlessness.
The old lady said whoever is wrong is wrong, is there any need to ask?
No one has ever dared to ask such a question before.
The old lady coughed in anger, and Ma Peizhen got up again to massage her back and feed her water. She glanced at Qingling, pursed her lips and said nothing, but her eyes were filled with reproach.
Yao Qingqi was quick-witted and immediately pointed out Yao Qingling's mistakes on behalf of Ma.
From her failure to greet the old lady, to her angering her grandmother several times; from saying that she had acted arbitrarily to divorce, disgracing the Marquis's family, to her poor hospitality, rudeness, and domineering behavior, causing her cousin to live in a simple side courtyard, thus causing the Marquis's family to lose its manners.
Finally, they'll accuse her of disrespecting her elders and being unfilial.
Each and every one of these incidents portrayed Yao Qingling as an arrogant, rude, ill-mannered, selfish, and utterly wicked person who disregarded the bigger picture.
Yao Qingling listened quietly, her slightly upturned lips gradually falling and pursing into a straight line.
When she frowned, she exuded an aura of authority that commanded respect without anger.
"Are you finished?" she asked casually. "Would you like some water to soothe your throat?"
Yao Qingqi was stunned for a moment and stammered, "N-nothing."
Strange, she was the one who was reprimanding, so why was she the one who dared not look Yao Qingling in the eye?
Yao Qingqi took a breath, trying to turn the tables, but Yao Qingling didn't even look at her and went straight to the old lady.
The old lady was coughing. I opened my eyes wide in fear, my body slightly tilted to the side, afraid that she might suddenly do something hurtful.
Yao Qingling, however, walked towards the old lady's back...
A pot of peonies was placed against the wall behind, its fragrance pleasant and refreshing.
Yao Qingling glanced at the blooming flowers and coldly called over the servants guarding the door: "Move this pot of flowers out."
Everyone: "..."
Yao Qingling glanced outside the courtyard and said, "Pick all the flowers in the courtyard, not a single one is allowed to be left."
"Yao Qingling, what are you doing!" Madam Ma trembled with anger, turning to the old lady to accuse her, "I told you she's been acting like a tyrant since she came back."
"She wanted to divorce Zhan Xingzhuo herself, but after the divorce, she came back and took her anger out on us. We've been putting up with her every single day for the past few days!"
Yao Qingling watched Yao's performance with indifference and said coldly, "I remember that my grandmother had asthma. The doctor said that plants with pollen should not be planted in the yard. My grandmother did not plant flowers in her yard."
“Aunt, you keep saying you’re being filial, but Grandmother only went to the hot spring resort for the winter, and you’ve completely forgotten her taboos. You even put such fragrant flowers behind her seat.”
"You're disregarding Grandma's health. Is this filial piety, or are you trying to harm her?!"
Yao Qingling's expression was sharp as she questioned everyone in a stern voice, her eyes like knives, slicing across their faces.
Yao Qingqi, who had been shouting the loudest, turned pale: "Grandmother, I...we didn't..."
In her nervousness, her usually quick-witted tongue couldn't utter a complete sentence.
Madam Ma quickly said, "I had someone change these flowers. The maid who arranged the garden today must be new and unaware of the old lady's taboos. Oh, I'm so angry! I was only out for a short while and she made such a big mistake."
"I was wondering why the old lady kept coughing. It's all my fault for not noticing..." Madam Ma glared at Qingling, her expression indicating that she had been so angry with Qingling that she had lost her mind.
Yao Qingling ignored her and watched her performance with cold eyes.
Madam Ma, with her neck held high and speaking authoritatively, punished the maids and gardeners who were arranging the garden, ordering them to be beaten and then driven away.
The poor, innocent maid and gardener were unfairly blamed.
Yao Qingling clenched her fingers, her eyes growing even colder.
Such a clumsy frame-up, yet no one exposed it; they all played along with her act.
The glory my father earned with his life, the support and love of the people, are about to be destroyed by these people.
Qingling could almost imagine that if things continued like this, the Marquis's mansion would sooner or later be despised like other noble families; and sooner or later, the prison gates would be open to everyone in the Marquis's mansion.
We can't let these people continue to act recklessly!
Qingling became even more determined to reclaim the Marquis's mansion.
Her eyes were cold and sharp, her dark pupils so black they didn't reveal a single ray of light; Madam Ma felt a chill run down her spine from her gaze, and goosebumps rose on her skin.
Even though Qingling didn't say anything, Ma felt that she was questioning her: How do you explain the flowers in the garden?
Madam Ma quickly looked away, gently patted her forehead, and pretended to be a forgetful person. She then said, "Last month, the manor held a flower appreciation banquet and invited several ladies and young misses to help Peizhen make friends."
The so-called "making friends" was simply to let Ma Peizhen make an appearance, let her know that the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion had such a gentle, beautiful, and talented cousin, and to prepare for future marriage arrangements.
There was a precedent before; she married well and brought good fortune to the Marquis's family through marriage. The old lady and the Marquis of Zhongyong both supported Ma's decision.
"...Afterwards, we were going to remove those flowers, but the Marquis said that there were more beautiful flowers in the manor, so we left them for the time being, thinking that by the time the old lady returned, these flowers would have already withered."
Madam Ma shifted the blame to Marquis Zhongyong, but the old lady felt sorry for her son. Even though she wasn't home, could she forbid her son from enjoying the flowers?
She glanced furtively at the old lady's expression, and seeing that her face had brightened, she continued, "I didn't expect the spring scenery to be so beautiful this year, with flowers blooming for so long. After a month, everyone has gotten used to it. It's still my fault; I was so busy I forgot..."
"It's not that Mother forgot because she was busy." Yao Qingqi had recovered by now. She glared at Qingling resentfully. "In the end, it's all her fault. As soon as Sister Qingling came back, she turned the house upside down and didn't even care about Grandmother."
With tears welling in her eyes, she shook the old lady's arm: "Grandmother, my mother is innocent. Hasn't she worked hard enough for this family...?"
The old lady was completely bewildered by the barrage of words. Finally, seeing her beloved granddaughter's red eyes and then at Madam Ma's downcast appearance, she became angry and said to Qingling, "Look at you! You have no moral character and you still have to drag others down with you. You're making it impossible for everyone to eat in peace."
"Don't stay here, get out."
The old lady stopped coughing, and the first thing she did was to send away the person who had solved the problem.
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