Chapter 785 Lord Meng has been impeached
After Meng Yunlan finished speaking, he turned and left, leaving Bai Shao stunned on the spot.
Don't you need to see a doctor to check on the licorice root?
Don't we need to confirm whether she's dead or alive?
Is it because Meng Yunlan deliberately gave her the name "Begonia" that Licorice suffered such a tragic end?
Bai Shao's face gradually paled. She bent down and struggled to lift Gan Cao up, then carried her on her back.
Just now, she deliberately didn't remind Gancao Jixiang of her identity, allowing her to arrogantly provoke Jixiang.
But now, she felt a sense of desolation, like the rabbit mourning the fox's death.
One day, when she has no value anymore, she will be thrown away by Meng Yunlan like trash, just like licorice root!
It seems there is only one way to avoid this tragic fate.
"Cough... white, white peony..."
On his back, Gan Cao whispered weakly, "I...I don't want to die. Please, please find me a doctor. I only have some minor injuries, really...They didn't kill me when they hit me. I can live. Don't throw me into a mass grave..."
Bai Shao knew from hearing that Gu Qianhan's men hadn't gone all out, otherwise she would have already started vomiting blood by now.
He didn't vomit blood, was conscious, and had good hearing, proving that he hadn't suffered any internal injuries and was not in mortal danger.
"Alright, stop talking. I'll take you back to your room first, and then call a doctor for you after I've informed the young mistress."
"Thank you, thank you so much, Bai Shao. I'll treat you to a drink when I'm better."
Bai Shao remained silent. Her willingness to risk displeasing Meng Yunlan to save Gan Cao wasn't out of kindness, but more for her own sake.
After all, if Gan Cao really died, Meng Yunlan would only have her as her head maid left, and the risk of her dying would become extremely high.
With Gan Cao around, she might be able to survive for a while longer. After all, Gan Cao isn't very bright, loves to show off and act tough, making her perfect for being Meng Yunlan's pawn.
On the other side, Meng Yunlan had already regained her gentle and composed demeanor and was walking towards Madam Gu's courtyard.
She planned to go to her mother-in-law's place to complain about Gu Qianhan and Shen Wantang. Her mother-in-law had always favored her and Gu Qianling. Gu Qianhan, a younger brother-in-law, dared to beat his sister-in-law's maid in public. Her mother-in-law would definitely stand up for her in this matter.
But halfway there, Meng Yunlan suddenly stopped.
Oh no, we can't go now!
She just realized that she had offended her mother-in-law when she went to pay her respects earlier. If she went to her mother-in-law to stand up for her now, wouldn't that be a slap in her own face?
I was so angry just now that I completely forgot about this!
She cursed Shen Wantang in her heart. If it weren't for Shen Wantang, how could she have offended her mother-in-law, and how could her relationship with Gu Qianhan have become so bad! Her good life had been ruined by Shen Wantang!
"What a jinx!"
She was secretly furious when a servant rushed towards her, shouting, "Young Madam, something terrible has happened!"
Meng Yunlan raised her eyelids and scolded him, "What kind of behavior is this, all flustered and disorderly! Haven't you learned any manners?"
The servant was covered in sweat, not daring to wipe it away: "Yes, the young mistress is right, I know I was wrong."
"Alright, it's nothing. I didn't mean to scold you, but in a family like ours, the servants have to be careful about their words and actions, lest they become a laughing stock. I'm doing this for the good of the entire Duke's mansion, and for your own good too. Do you understand?"
"Yes, I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Madam. I will keep it in mind!"
Meng Yunlan nodded in satisfaction and asked in a gentle tone, "Tell me, what happened?"
"Young Madam, it's the Meng family! Lord Meng has been impeached!"
Meng Yunlan frowned: "My father has been impeached? How is that possible? My father is the Censor of the Censorate, who oversees all officials. He is the one who impeaches others, and no one else dares to impeach him! The Emperor trusts and relies on my father the most, so how could anyone impeach him?"
The servant hurriedly replied, "It's true! The Meng family sent someone specifically to deliver a message to you. They said that Lord Meng was keeping the daughter of a disgraced official, and that the woman was forced to have his child. Today, she went to the Ministry of Justice, struck the grievance drum, and filed a complaint against Lord Meng!"
Meng Yunlan said coldly, "What?! That's impossible! My father is honest and upright. He oversees all officials and hates those who commit crimes the most. How could he possibly keep the daughter of a criminal? That's utter nonsense!"
"Young Madam, I've heard that the father of that disgraced official's daughter was impeached by Lord Meng, which led to his family's property being confiscated and him being exiled! Lord Meng took a liking to the girl's beauty, took her in under the guise of helping her, and then used the promise of exonerating her father as bait to seduce her."
"Nonsense!"
Meng Yunlan was furious: "My father would never do such a thing! Someone must have framed him! It was that woman who deliberately set up this scheme to get revenge on my father!"
The servant said cautiously, "Young Madam, it's not just that. Lord Meng was impeached because Madam Meng and her brother from her maternal family were lending money at exorbitant interest rates."
Meng Yunlan's expression stiffened; she did know about this.
There was no other reason than that her father was too honest and upright, and never accepted bribes, so the family became increasingly poor, and sometimes they couldn't even pay the servants' monthly wages.
To make ends meet, the mother joined her uncle's illicit scheme and started lending money at exorbitant interest rates.
Since lending money at exorbitant interest rates, the Meng family has been able to live a comfortable and respectable life.
Unexpectedly, this matter was discovered!
"Nonsense! It's all a frame-up! My mother and uncle are both men of noble character; how could they possibly do such a money-grubbing thing!"
While denying it, Meng Yunlan walked out, saying, "Quick, prepare the horses, I need to go back to my parents' home!"
"yes!"
——
Main courtyard.
Gu Qianhan sat at the lower end of the table, looking calmly at Madam Gu at the upper end: "Mother summoned me here, what is it?"
Madam Gu took a sip of tea, her brows relaxed, and her expression lightened slightly, but what came out of her mouth was a scolding: "You scoundrel, how dare you ask me what's wrong? You hit your sister-in-law's maid, and the whole mansion is buzzing about it!"
Gu Qianhan asked with some doubt, "But why do you seem quite happy to me? Are you starting to dislike Meng Yunlan too?"
"How dare you call Meng Yunlan by her given name! She's your sister-in-law! Even if you don't care about her reputation, you can't address her by her given name, let alone hit her maid! That's not just hitting her maid, that's slapping her in the face!"
Gu Qianhan said indifferently, "I slapped her in the face. Since Mother knows that I hit her maid, she must already know why I did it."
"Then let Mother judge for A-Tang: Meng Yunlan, as the eldest sister-in-law, insists on taking her sister-in-law's carriage. What are her intentions?"
"Two days ago, it rained heavily, and Atang's carriage broke down on the way. Why did she refuse to send a carriage to pick her up?"
"Oh, she even deliberately named her maid 'Begonia,' what was she up to?"
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