"Young Miss, please save this servant and Yuan'er!"
Overwhelmed with grief, Huan'er slammed her head to the ground. The sound was so loud that even Xiang Wan, a bystander, felt a pang of pain for her.
Xiang Wan quickly gestured to Zijuan to help the person up, as a large bloody mark had already appeared on her forehead.
The maid who dared to confront her suddenly burst into tears, crying so sadly that everyone was stunned.
Once she calmed down a bit, Xiang Wan said, "Don't worry, if you have a grievance and I can't help you, I still have my mother."
Seeing Ji Meiniang nod slightly, Huan'er finally felt relieved and said, "This matter dates back to two years ago. At that time, Yuan'er and I were just ordinary maids in the mansion. We looked after each other like sisters. But later, during an outing, we encountered a lewd-looking man. He took a liking to Yuan'er at first sight and wanted to defile her. We were too panicked at the time and were unarmed, so we had no strength to resist. Just when we were in despair, Wang Ma appeared in time and came to our rescue."
Huan'er paused, then gritted her teeth and said, "Who would have thought that would be our real nightmare? From then on, whenever we wanted to leave the manor, that man would always show up and block us. We had no choice but to beg Wang Ma to arrange a job for us that wouldn't require us to leave the manor so often. Wang Ma agreed readily at the time, but slowly, she started making us do other things."
“Wang Ma would occasionally ask us to mend her clothes or dry herbs and grind them into powder. These clothes weren't all from the manor; some were even men's clothes. Later, we found out that the man was Wang Ma's son. Yuan'er was timid and was so frightened that she couldn't sleep all night. Even when she did fall asleep, she would wake up from nightmares, and her body gradually became thinner. I couldn't bear to see her continue like this, so I took on all the tasks. Who knew that Wang Ma would go too far and ask me to monitor the movements of the madam and young lady. This was a betrayal of my master, how could I dare to agree? But Wang Ma actually threatened Yuan'er's life, and I really had no choice.”
"Why don't you explain this to my mother?" Xiang Wan interjected.
Huan'er sighed and said, "It's not that I didn't think about telling Madam about this, but later, a servant who complained about Wang Ma was kicked out of the mansion and beaten to death by a group of thugs before he could even speak. I was watching from the side at the time, and my heart sank. After that, Wang Ma became more and more powerful in front of Madam, and even Master sometimes listened to Wang Ma, so I dared not have any other thoughts."
“When I worked for Wang Ma, she would sometimes reward me with some silver and let me buy a set of clothes for each of the maids. When I needed to follow a master, I would change into the maid's clothes and quietly follow behind him.”
"So, you're basically aware of the master's movements in the mansion, right? Wang Ma asked you to steal the hairpin, put it in Wu Ma's room, and then frame Cao Ruwan. That way, my mother and Aunt Yuan will definitely clash. But what good would doing this do for Wang Ma?" Xiang Wan continued to ask.
Huan'er shook her head and replied, "I didn't steal the hairpin. I was only responsible for delivering it to Aunt Wu's room."
"Why does it have to be this hairpin?" Xiang Wan pressed.
Huan'er shook her head. "This servant guesses that it might be because the eldest young lady once asked Zijuan to take this hairpin out."
"Then why do you dare to tell me everything now? Aren't you afraid that my mother will still protect Wang Ma and drive you and Yuan'er out of the mansion?"
Upon hearing this, Huan'er immediately looked up, her eyes filled with determination and a sense of desperation, which made Xiang Wan glance at her. "I'm also gambling, gambling that someone as intelligent as Miss won't let a villain hold sway in the Cao family. Either way, I'll just die. Rather than being coerced and lured by someone like Wang Ma and ending up as her son's plaything, I'd rather make things clear. Even if I die, I want to face it with dignity."
"Huan'er!"
"Huan'er!"
A man's and a woman's voices rang out simultaneously. Xiang Wan ordered her men to stop them, stood in front of Huan'er, and asked, "Do you have any evidence for what you're saying?"
"The house of Wang Ma's son, Erfu, is located in Lane 1, Hall 3, Huaiyu Street, Fengquan City. Every month on the sixth, Wang Ma would go there to get clothes and herbs. The reward for framing Wu Ma is still hidden in the third beam of my room. The scar on Wang Ma's left wrist is from when I bit her; you can compare the teeth marks. Also, she secretly had a set of all the jewelry belonging to the eldest and second young ladies made and hid it with her son."
"Madam, I'm innocent! I'm utterly innocent! I've served you for so many years, how could I possibly do something so despicable? It was this wretched woman who, seeing that I wouldn't give her an easy job, framed me. Please, Madam and Miss, investigate thoroughly!"
Wang Ma knelt in the middle of the hall, wailing and crying, looking utterly wronged. Huan'er stared at her coldly, with an urge to tear her apart and devour her the moment the ropes were loosened.
“Miss, she has the powder that was given to the Madam on her body. A search will reveal this.”
"You filthy hussy, at a time like this, you still want to slander me? I'll tear your mouth apart!"
Just as Wang Ma tried to move, two servants grabbed her shoulders.
"Madam, you must believe me. This old servant has always been loyal to you. Do you remember when I was a child, I encountered some villains and it was this old servant who risked his life to save you? Even now, I still have scars from the knife cuts on my back. Have you forgotten?"
At this point, playing the emotional card is crucial; how Ji Meiniang will react is key.
All eyes were on Ji Meiniang, who remained calm and composed, without even frowning, and said, "The truth must be clarified. Xiang Wan, you handle this."
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