Chapter 113 A Long-Term Plan
This could really blow up.
Shanlai felt something was amiss, so he went up to Old Madam Rong, grabbed her arm, and said urgently, "Grandmother, quickly send someone to bring Father back! With his temper, if he really makes a scene, how will we handle it?"
Madam Rong's anger was no less than her son's. The thought that her precious granddaughter had almost been ruined by such despicable means made her want to tear those people to pieces!
"What are you afraid of?" Old Madam Rong sneered. "My goodness, if things have come to this point, and we can't even deal with a few people who have bullied you, not only will all the suffering you've endured over the years have been in vain, but your mother and your brother will have died in vain as well."
That's right. You can kill the rat however you want, but you absolutely cannot damage the treasure; it would be a loss.
Madam Rong was too angry, but after her granddaughter's words, she immediately calmed down and hurriedly called for someone: "Call them back quickly!"
The matter was of great importance, and the First Madam dared not neglect it, so she went out to make arrangements herself.
Seeing that his grandmother had finally withdrawn her order, Shanlai finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She didn't really want to bring it up again, because in her opinion, it was all over.
Miss Qiu harmed her, and she also used her own methods to harm Miss Qiu. The two of them went back and forth, so they were even. Besides, Miss Qiu is already dead.
When a person dies, everything is over; why bother pursuing it further?
Back then, Miss Qiu used such methods to ruin people; she was undeniably arrogant. She would take a person's life for even the slightest loss of face. In her eyes, servants weren't human, but merely ants, to be crushed at will… Now the situation has reversed, and it's Shan's turn to be the one to act. Others are treated like ants; how could she possibly lift a foot on them so easily? If she did, how would she be any different from Miss Qiu? She refuses to be a petty person.
"Actually, I had already sorted things out before. I've vented my anger, so there's really no need to stir things up again."
Madam Rong asked curiously, "How did you prepare it?"
The methods used were not honorable, and Shan Lai was reluctant to talk about it, so he lowered his head and remained silent, thinking it best to just let it go.
It was Gu Songnian again. Suddenly, he exclaimed "Oh!" as if he had just realized something.
"Her face! Isn't that right? I knew it! Doctor Chu is quite renowned, how could he have ruined that young lady's face and been kicked out of Xingdu in disgrace? If she were really that careless, how could she have established herself in Xingdu? She did that on purpose to get revenge for you, didn't she?"
Chu Qingdai was a frequent visitor to the noble ladies' quarters in Xingdu. Even if the ladies had never met her, they had all heard of her name. Last year, when that incident happened, everyone was talking about it. Some were relieved that she had survived several encounters with that muddle-headed man, while others felt sorry for her. It was rare to have such a capable female doctor, and she was driven away just like that. If she had any illness in the future, she would have to find a man to treat her. They couldn't help but blame the Qiu family for being too ruthless and cutting off their future path.
In this whole affair, the person Shanlai wronged the most was Chu Qingdai.
Hearing Gu Songnian say this, Shan Lai felt truly uneasy.
"...Sister Chu is a good doctor, Third Sister, please don't say that...I'm ashamed to talk about this. I took advantage of Sister Chu's trust, deceived her, used her to avenge myself, and caused her to be misunderstood, leaving her with no place to stand in Xing..."
This is a time when you can wield your power to your heart's content.
"I originally planned to find her, thinking I had to beg for her forgiveness no matter what. Now that I'm home, things are much easier. I hope Grandmother will go to the trouble of finding my dear sister for me so we can see each other again... Speaking of which, I was seriously ill before, almost dying. The doctors, adhering to the strict separation of men and women, only prescribed medicine for me. If it weren't for Sister Chu, I probably wouldn't have survived. After that, Sister Chu took great care of me... She was truly sincere to me, yet I did such a thing, and my conscience is truly uneasy..."
Madam Rong nodded. "That's only right, and it's not difficult. Finding someone with a name and such excellent medical skills is not hard."
With a weight lifted from her mind, Shanlai smiled and was about to thank Madam Rong when she saw two tears rolling down her cheeks. So the words that came out were, "Grandmother, why are you crying?"
A stir ran through the crowd. Old Madam Rong took the handkerchief, dabbed at her eyes, then grasped Shanlai's hands, gently patting the backs of them. She choked back tears, saying, "I pity you. If you were at home... you would have fallen to the level of a servant, been framed, and faced life and death several times..."
Are you wronged? Of course I am.
So Shanlai couldn't help but sob.
Old Madam Rong couldn't bear to see her granddaughter cry, so she quickly forced a smile and said something else: "But you are really something. Even in that situation, you were still able to avenge yourself. You are worthy of being our family's child. You have not disgraced your ancestors."
It's both funny and sad that someone would think of something like this.
However, it also made Shan Lai think of other things.
With a smile plastered on her face, she grasped Old Madam Rong's hand and said, "Actually, I've never had a bad life. I don't know how much Grandmother knows. I jumped into the water with the intention of dying, but I survived. My father, my adoptive father in Pingcheng, saved me. But I fell seriously ill and didn't remember anything when I woke up. He treated me like his daughter and took me back to his home in Pingcheng. He was such a good man, always kind to me, and not just to me, but to everyone. Later, he even helped others..." Mentioning Yao Yong's death, tears welled up in her eyes instinctively. She sniffled several times to suppress the bitterness and continued, "He was sick, and as his daughter, I couldn't not repay him. But I was too young then and couldn't do anything. Fortunately, a kind neighbor showed me a way out and asked me to become a maid in a noble family's house... That's how I met Liansi..."
When talking about Liu Min, his affection was undisguised, and his smile came naturally.
“Lian Si is my husband, Grandmother, your grandson-in-law…”
"Before I met Liansi, I met Old Madam Qin, who is Liansi's grandmother. Liansi's background is pitiful. When Old Madam Qin saw me, she planned ahead and bought me at a high price, intending for me to be Liansi's concubine... This is not an insult, Grandmother, please don't be angry about it... After I came to the Liu family, I experienced a lot. Although none of them were major events, each one was life-threatening. Fortunately, I had Liansi... He is really good to me. Without him, I don't know what would have become of me. Perhaps I wouldn't be able to see Grandmother today..."
“Grandmother, I truly love him, I can't live without him... but I don't know why Father doesn't like him, and he makes things difficult for me at every turn... please, Grandmother, have pity on me and try to persuade him for me... Didn't you ask me earlier why Liansi didn't come back with me to pay our respects? There's a reason for that, of course. Liansi was framed and implicated in a murder, sentenced to exile, and is currently under my uncle's jurisdiction. My uncle went there that day and saw me, which is why we are reunited as family today…”
"Although if we hadn't gone there and hadn't met Uncle, we might not have been able to reunite in this life, I still feel hatred in my heart when I think about how they bullied Lian Si... To be honest, Grandmother, I even became a runaway slave for Lian Si's future, but they still hurt her so badly... Grandmother, I really can't swallow this anger, the family must help me get revenge."
"How could I not stand up for you? Don't worry."
Madam Rong lovingly touched her granddaughter's face, her tone relaxed.
However, I wasn't as relaxed as I appeared on the surface.
The Le family is not the Qiu family; they can't just do whatever they want with them.
The granddaughter worked as a maid in someone else's inner quarters, a lowly position, and knew little about what was happening outside. The youngest son was always away on business and didn't care about anything except his own daughter, so he was also unaware of the situation.
The eldest son is different; he understands everything, which is why he wrote such a long letter back.
Besides sharing good news, the letter contained many instructions.
First, I ask my mother to persuade my younger brother that it is not easy for family members to reunite, and that my niece and nephew-in-law are of one mind and love. Why should I be the one to break them up? Second, I need to arrange some miscellaneous matters and ask my mother to keep an eye on the family and not to inform the Empress and the Duke of Qi's mansion in advance that my niece has been found, lest the Empress be angered and act impulsively, endangering the overall situation.
Madam Rong agreed wholeheartedly, so it wasn't until this morning, when she learned that the person had arrived in the outskirts of the capital, that she gathered her family together to inform them that her fourth granddaughter had been found. Only after everyone had entered the mansion did she send someone to the palace and the Duke of Qi's residence to report the news.
All for the sake of being able to say this to my granddaughter.
“He Xian, your aunt is now the Empress. Your mother is her only sister. She doted on you back then, and now that you are her only child, her love for you has naturally increased. She loves you, so you can’t help but think of her. You’ve been away from home for many years, and there are many things you don’t know. So you must remember what I’m about to tell you.”
"The Le family is your enemy, and naturally, our whole family is also your enemy. We are not people who will swallow our anger. The Empress will also uphold justice for you. However, revenge cannot be achieved overnight. When you see the Empress later, you must persuade her not to fly into a rage and act rashly..."
“Lian Si will definitely come back, and he will surely be exonerated… but other matters will probably require further consideration…”
"But you don't need to worry. As long as Her Majesty remains Empress and His Highness remains Crown Prince, there will always be a day when they can stand up for you..."
The moment Madam Rong uttered her first words, Shanlai was already calculating in his mind.
Her grandmother wouldn't say these things to her for no reason, so there must be something she didn't know. Sure enough, when she talked about it later, she brought up this topic.
She has indeed been away from home for too long.
As soon as Madam Rong finished speaking, she immediately smiled obediently and said, "Grandmother wouldn't mean any harm to me, so of course I'll listen to Grandmother."
This granddaughter is truly outstanding; it's no wonder everyone dotes on her.
Relieved, Madam Rong smiled again. She was about to send her granddaughters-in-law and granddaughters away to give them a few private instructions when she turned her head and caught a glimpse of a maid rushing in from under the eaves with a worried look on her face. Madam Rong had a guess in her mind and said nothing more.
The words passed through several maids before finally reaching the ears of Old Madam Rong.
As expected, the Empress arrived.
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