Once everyone disappeared from the courtyard, Hou San's family stood out conspicuously.
Jiang Segu then had the urge to take a closer look at the family.
It must have been because the incident happened so suddenly that the Hou family didn't have time to take off their fine clothes. They were all dressed in silk and satin, looking incredibly wealthy!
"It seems that tonight, besides interrogating Hou's mother about why she betrayed me, we also need to interrogate Hou's manager about how much silver he has embezzled from my mother's shop over the years!"
Hou San's eyelids twitched. He wanted to refute, but when he thought of the silver notes and indenture that Sanfeng had brought back, he felt a little guilty.
"What, Manager Hou, have nothing to say?"
At this moment, Hou Kai, the eldest son of Hou San, stepped forward and said, "Sixth Miss, you must have some misunderstanding. The clothes we are wearing were all gifts from Third Madam. If Sixth Miss has any doubts, you can ask Xiuhe, the young lady beside Third Madam, to look through the book of Third Madam's daily records of rewarding servants!"
Furthermore, if Miss Jiang has any questions, we can assist you. However, you must allow us to see my mother one last time!
Jiang Segu glanced at Xiuhe standing to the side and sneered inwardly, "Xiuhe, take them to see Madam Hou! And while you're at it, see what happens to those who betray their masters!"
Xiuhe's heart was already in turmoil.
Unable to withstand Jiang Segu's rebuke any longer, she immediately knelt on the ground. "Sixth Miss, please spare me! I truly have not betrayed you! It's just that two days ago, Mama Hou gave me twenty taels of silver, saying that she would ask me to take good care of Shuiling in the future!"
"Oh, twenty taels of silver is enough to make you disregard the bond between master and servant and allow the Hou family to bring a whole bunch of people to cause trouble at the Hou residence?"
"No, Sixth Sister..."
"I won't listen to your sophistry. You are different from the Hou family. Your entire family's indenture is still in my mother's hands. Are you really not afraid of implicating your parents by rushing to do things for others like this?"
Oh, I forgot, your parents don't treat you well, and I guess you don't care much about their lives. In that case, there's no use in me keeping you around!
"It just so happens that a courtesan from the Hidden Flower Pavilion has arrived at our residence, and I imagine there's a room available there. I see you're quite beautiful; why don't you go and meet her?"
Seeing Xiuhe's face gradually turn pale under the lantern light, Jiang Segu softened his tone, "However, you have served my mother for several years. My mother is a sentimental person, so I will give you a chance to tell the truth for her sake. If you are still stubborn, I am not a soft-hearted person!"
As she spoke, her sharp gaze swept over Xiuhe, then turned to Cailan and said, "It seems Xiuhe can't go. You take them to see Madam Hou!"
"yes!"
As soon as the person left, Xiuhe knelt down.
"Third Madam, please save me! I was just confused for a moment. This evening, some lady from one of the courtyards asked me to do something for the Hou family tonight. I didn't want to agree at first, but..."
Xiuhe bent down in shame and lay on the ground. "That sister threatened me with Dachun's life, and I was confused and agreed!"
Later, the maid discovered that the Hou family had only brought some peasants to the Hou residence. The maid thought that nothing bad should happen, so she made the trip convenient!
This servant truly knows her mistake, and will never dare to do it again! If there is a next time, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!
Please, Third Madam, don't let Sixth Miss sell your maid to such a place!
Grandma Jiang was speechless for a moment; she had begun to doubt her own judgment of people.
She really didn't expect that her head maid would betray her so easily!
Who is that Da Chun?
As a maidservant serving the master of the inner quarters, how come she didn't notice anything amiss when she started getting entangled with a man outside the household?
Grandma Jiang glanced at Xiu Rong beside her again.
Xiu Rong stood with her head bowed, allowing him to scrutinize her.
You dare to swear an oath, but I dare not believe you anymore!
Xiuhe panicked and knelt down in front of Jiang Segu, kowtowing desperately, "This servant really wouldn't dare to do it again..."
"Alright, I'm not a heartless person. Once I find out the truth, if you really only made this one mistake, I can show mercy. However, you can no longer stay in the Marquis's mansion. But I can do you a favor and give you away to Da Chun!"
Upon hearing that Jiang Segu would not only not punish her, but would also betroth her to Brother Dachun, Xiuhe's eyes lit up with joy, and she repeatedly said that she had done nothing to wrong Grandma Jiang!
"I believe you! But who is Da Chun? If I'm going to give you to him, I need to know who he is!"
Xiuhe poured out her heart, explaining everything about herself and Dachun.
"Brother Dachun is the First Madam's nephew. A few days ago, he came to deliver a wedding invitation to the First Madam. He got lost in the backyard and mistakenly entered Lanyue Pavilion. It was a maid who led him to Jiyue Courtyard."
Later, when I went out, I encountered Brother Dachun several more times. Brother Dachun was even injured once while saving me, and it was around that time that I…
Hearing her explanation, Jiang Segu thought that Da Chun was a servant, but she didn't expect that he was actually the First Madam's nephew!
Although the First Madam's family had fallen on hard times, they were still a scholarly family. How could they give their child such a common name?
As if sensing her confusion, Xiuhe quickly explained, "Brother Dachun is an illegitimate son. His aunt died early, and he suffered a lot in the Cheng family and was not well received."
In recent years, the Cheng family has fallen on hard times and dismissed many servants. Da Chun was then treated as a servant, and he was ordered to do all sorts of errands!
Xiuhe's face was filled with anger and indignation.
This woman, so deeply in love, is truly brainless!
They don't even look at their own current situation, yet they still have the mind to stand up for others!
"Alright, I understand! You just wait a few days until I find out the cause of Madam Hou's death, then I'll take you to your aunt's place to arrange a marriage for you! But you must promise me that before I take you there, you must not leave Lan Yue Pavilion even for a moment, nor do anything disloyal. Otherwise, not only will you suffer the consequences, but your brother Da Chun will also have to spend the rest of his life in prison!"
Xiuhe readily agreed, promising not to do anything foolish again!
At this moment, Cailan came out with the Hou family members. Qiaolian had just finished interrogating the old woman on night watch and shook her head at Jiang Segu to indicate that there was nothing unusual.
"Mother, it's chilly at night, you should go home first! Tomorrow you still have to deal with those high-ranking officials' wives, you can't afford to be out of energy!"
Grandma Jiang was extremely worried about Jiang Segu facing the Hou family's wolves and tigers alone. However, after Jiang Segu whispered a few words in her ear, her beautiful eyes widened in surprise, and she exclaimed, "Azi, you..."
"Shh! Mother, keep your voice down. The situation is complicated right now. If I didn't have my trump card, I would have been skinned alive long ago! Besides, they are very polite and have never done anything inappropriate to me!"
Grandma Jiang tried to speak several times, but in the end, she put her worries into one sentence: "Behave yourself, don't be like before!"
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