Chapter 240 Crashed
The second lady should have been happy to hear the news.
But when she saw the Bodhi beads scattered in the carriage, she became very nervous.
This doesn't seem to be a good sign.
The maid asked, "Madam, do you want to enter the mansion now?"
The second wife wanted to back out for a moment, but then she thought of something.
No one knew about the secret passage of the second room, and no one knew that she had hidden private money.
Now with Pei Wuyan's help, she can move out of the private house quietly.
"Go as soon as possible." Every time the Second Madam fought Shen Qingtan, she was defeated. She was almost instinctively on guard against her: "Get it done before that little bitch comes back."
The maid helped the second lady get off the carriage.
This area is full of government residences, and it becomes extremely quiet at night, with not a single person in sight.
In particular, the mansion adjacent to the Western Garden was not given to other officials by Emperor Jing'an, but left idle.
The second wife came to the side door of the West Garden and knocked on the door panel repeatedly.
After a while, the tightly closed door opened.
Pei Wuyan's servant warned, "Second Madam, the young master's painting is almost finished, you need to move faster."
The second wife said "hmm" and entered the secret passage with seven or eight servants.
Each servant held a bundle of thick hemp ropes and a fire pole in his hands.
The group came to the dark room, where more than a dozen boxes were piled up.
The servants covered the boxes with black coarse cloth, tied the boxes with hemp ropes, and carried them out of the secret passage.
The Second Lady warned, "Be careful not to damage the porcelain inside."
The last servant took the two boxes away, and the second lady's heart, which had been hanging in her throat, finally settled down.
These items were collected one by one since she married into the Duke's Mansion.
Even if they left the Duke's Mansion, with this private property, their family would be able to live a wealthy and worry-free life.
The younger brother was afraid of being retaliated by the Prince of Zhenbei, so he gave away a large sum of money and was able to get close to the Prince of Yu.
Once the storm had passed, she gave some of her money and asked Prince Yu to find a job for Jue'er.
Emperor Jing'an had few sons, and the most promising one was Prince Yu.
After Prince Yu ascended the throne, there was absolutely no room for Prince Zhenbei's Palace.
The more the Second Lady thought about it, the more hopeful she felt. All the depression she had felt in recent days disappeared, and she walked out of the secret passage with light steps.
The servants stood in the courtyard waiting for her to come out, and then went back to Xingning Street together.
The second wife dusted herself off with a handkerchief and walked towards the side door.
The servant followed behind her carrying the boxes.
The maid opened the side door.
In an instant, the torches outside the door illuminated the backyard as bright as day.
When the maid saw who was outside the door, her legs went weak and she fell to her knees on the ground.
As soon as she knelt down, the situation outside the door came into the Second Madam's sight without any obstruction, and she was almost scared to death.
The second lady's face turned pale, and the handkerchief in her hand fluttered to the ground.
“Mother…Mother…”
The Second Madam stared blankly at the old lady surrounded by servants, her mind blank and her hands and feet weak. When she saw Shen Qingtan supporting the old lady, she completely collapsed.
Bitch, it’s this bitch again!
Didn’t this bitch go on a date?
Why are you here?
"Luo Lingzhi, your second branch has been separated from the Duke's Mansion. What are you doing here in the middle of the night?" The old lady's eyes were cold as she looked at the servant carrying a load behind the second lady. Her face darkened. "What's going on? Why don't you explain?"
Being caught red-handed today, the Second Madam had no way of explaining herself.
Everyone in the Duke's Mansion saw how capable the Second House was.
She couldn't explain where this huge amount of private property came from.
"Mother... Mother, you separated us from the house and didn't even give us a penny to take with us. These days, I've been relying on my brothers from my mother's family for support, barely enough to eat."
The Second Madam knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face. "Master and Jue'er don't hold any official positions, have no jobs, and don't work. The family is left with only a little food. Mingzhu is pregnant with a child, how can we let her go without a single bite to eat? I have no choice but to come to the Duke's Mansion."
The old lady didn't say anything, but watched the second lady continue crying with cold eyes.
"Xiyuan was the residence of the Duke of the previous dynasty. A secret passage was dug in the study, connecting to the storehouse of the second room. Under the storehouse was a secret room where a lot of gold, silver and jade were stored."
"I discovered it by accident. I was afraid that these gold, silver and jade items were not of legitimate origin, so I didn't dare spend a single penny."
"I'm desperate now, so I'm planning to steal this money... I didn't expect you to catch me."
At this point, the Second Madam burst into tears: "Mother, I know I was wrong. When I first discovered this ill-gotten wealth, I should have reported it to you instead of harboring selfish motives and trying to keep it for myself."
The old lady looked at the second lady sharply, trying to find any signs of lying on her face.
The second wife was terrified, afraid that her flaw would be discovered, so she wiped the tears from her face with a handkerchief.
The old lady withdrew her gaze and walked slowly into the yard with her cane, her eyes sweeping over a dozen boxes and cages covered with black cloth.
She said, "Open it."
The servant did not dare to disobey the old lady's orders and hurriedly opened the boxes.
Boxes of gold, silver and jade were all exposed to everyone's view.
There was a gasp in the yard, as if someone was shocked.
Even the eldest lady, who had remained silent all this time, could not help but walk into the yard and look at the boxes one by one. The more she looked, the more shocked she became.
The first lady learned from Shen Qingtan that the second lady was secretly making counterfeit goods.
Now it seems that this money is not the private property left by the Duke of the previous dynasty, but the ill-gotten gains made by the Second Lady.
In order to escape, the second wife used the title of Duke of the previous dynasty as a pretext.
"The previous dynasty..." The old lady, leaning on her cane, stood in front of the second lady and said in an ambiguous tone, "You said that all these gold, silver and jade artifacts were left in the secret room by the Duke of the previous dynasty?"
The second wife did not dare to admit that the private property was hers. Once she admitted it, she would probably have no way to survive.
She gritted her teeth and said, "If my daughter-in-law tells even a single lie, she will be punished by heaven."
When the old lady heard her swear, she seemed to believe her words: "In that case, leave the thing here and you can go."
The Second Lady's expression changed, and she quickly said, "Mother, you gave Jingde Hall to our Second Wife, and this gold, silver, and jade were with the Second Wife. I thought..."
The eldest lady interrupted her, "Mother said last time that you murdered Yi'er, so the second wife's belongings will be left to Yi'er as compensation."
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