Chapter 31 False Kindness, True Innocent Lotus!
"Miss, where are you hurt?" Dou Mingyan lifted her skirt and got off the carriage, squatting down to look at her.
Liu Rushuang was wearing an ill-fitting coarse cloth dress, her face was pale, and her gentle eyes were filled with tears. "It's okay, I just hurt my ankle. I'm tough, it's just a small injury."
Dou Mingyan looked anxious and rushed over to check on her. "Mother, she's badly injured. Her ankle is swollen. I don't know if it's broken."
"Where are you from? What are you doing here?"
Liu Rushuang wept uncontrollably, her voice choked with sobs, "Miss, my name is Shuang'er. I was born into a humble family. Our hometown was hit by a flood, and my family starved to death. My father brought me here to Tianning City as a refugee, but he wanted to sell me to a brothel. I had no other choice but to escape."
Dou Mingyan was moved and looked at her deeply. "Fourth sister, look how pitiful she is. Let's help her."
"Is that so?" Dou Wenyi replied dismissively, then fell silent.
If she doesn't respond, how can this show continue?
Dou Mingyan said seriously, "Sister, she is about the same age as us. How can we bear to let her end up in a brothel?"
"If you don't have the skills, don't take on the job." Dou Wenyi said calmly.
“Saving a life is better than a seven-tiered Buddha, Fourth Sister, don’t you have any compassion?” Dou Mingyan’s face seemed to show displeasure.
Dou Wenyi smiled enigmatically, "Third Sister, you have a kind heart. Why not take her back and make her your personal maid?"
Suddenly, Liu Rushuang grabbed Madam Gu's skirt and kowtowed repeatedly. "Madam, I haven't eaten for two days... Please save me. I am willing to sell myself into servitude to serve you. Please have pity on me! If there is an afterlife, I will repay your kindness in the end."
"Oh, Mother, she's so pitiful!" Dou Mingyan picked up a handkerchief and pretended to wipe away her tears.
Madam Gu was caught in the middle and in a very difficult position.
Originally, she thought that if someone tried to extort money from her, she could simply give them some money to avoid trouble. But since Mingyan had already pleaded for her, it was just a matter of having another maid and another mouth to feed, which was no big deal.
Heaven cherishes life, so let's do one good deed every day!
Madam Gu made her decision. "Alright, Shuang'er, you come back to the manor with us. Yi'er... take her to your carriage."
Dou Wenyi sneered inwardly; Gu was still as stupid as she had been in her previous life.
“Mother, it’s your business to be good people, it has nothing to do with me. Your carriage is quite spacious, but mine is inconvenient.” Dou Wenyi’s attitude was unusually firm.
Madam Gu's face darkened. "Yi'er, you are a daughter of the Dou family. That carriage belongs to the Dou family, not you!"
"You are always so willful, selfish, and lacking in compassion. How can you be the matriarch of the Marquis of Dingyuan's household?"
A cold smile crept across Dou Wenyi's lips. "Mother is absolutely right. I also feel that I am not worthy of her, otherwise why would I have made a fuss about breaking off the engagement?"
"You, you..." The sarcastic laughter made Madam Gu's face turn red and then pale.
Dou Mingyan quickly patted her back and said righteously, "Fourth sister, Mother is doing this for your own good. Why do you have to be so unreasonable and hurt Mother's feelings?"
"Third sister, my manners aren't as good as yours, but at least I won't tolerate the maids and servants acting like mad dogs, making baseless accusations against others!"
Dou Mingyan's face turned pale, and she was rendered speechless by the rebuttal.
"My mother is kind-hearted and wants to do good deeds. We should at least investigate her background to prevent her from being deceived and left with nothing but bones because of her momentary kindness!"
"Young lady, where is your hometown? What is your father's name? Also, since you are a country woman, your skin is very fair and smooth. What kind of moisturizer do you use?"
Liu Rushuang's eyes darted around, and she secretly glanced at Dou Mingyan. She opened her mouth, unsure of how to answer.
"What, is it hard to answer?"
Dou Wenyi handed over another purse, saying, "There are twenty taels of silver here. If you live frugally, it should be enough for you to live on for more than half a year."
Liu Rushuang glanced at the purse, her face turning bright red, and she subconsciously gripped the hem of her clothes tightly.
Accepting the call is not an option, nor is refusing it.
"Is it still not enough? Or does Miss Shuang'er have a reason to insist on entering the Dou family?"
"Enough! Her leg is injured. Regardless of the circumstances, we bumped into her and should have taken her back to the manor for treatment. The affairs of the Dou family are not for you, a young lady, to decide!"
Madam Gu's anger had reached its peak, and she would never tolerate her repeated provocations of her authority.
"Shuang'er, get in the car."
The carriage in front seemed unwilling to travel with the one behind, and it sped up, leaving them far behind.
Dou Wenyi was enjoying herself and living a carefree life.
That's all I have to say. If Madam Gu insists on being misled by Dou Mingyan and Dou Mingxiu, then she truly has only herself to blame.
In their previous life, they also encountered Liu Rushuang.
Overwhelmed with compassion, when Dou Mingyan brought up the topic with her, she felt pity and together they begged Madam Gu to take her back for treatment. Madam Gu reluctantly agreed.
As a matter of course, Liu Rushuang moved into Yilan Courtyard as her maid.
In fact, Liu Rushuang had already been having an affair with Dou Mingxiu, and Dou Mingxiu originally wanted to use her as a stepping stone to transfer Liu Rushuang to his side.
However, Liu Rushuang was actually the illegitimate daughter of the disgraced official Liu Rengui. After the Liu family was raided and exterminated, she was supposed to become a courtesan in the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment brothel).
According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, harboring official prostitutes was a serious crime, punishable by caning and dismissal, or exile.
In his previous life, when the truth came out, Dou Mingxiu was impeached and imprisoned, and Dou Bochang was also impeached and reprimanded. He used almost all his connections but still couldn't get them out.
In the end, it was only by having Old Madam Dou swallow her pride and go to the palace to meet the Emperor, offering to reclaim the title of Marquis of Zhongxin in exchange for Dou Mingxiu's safety, that her grandmother and relatives were completely at odds.
Dou Mingxiu, having studied the classics, should have been well-versed in the laws.
Even after learning Liu Rushuang's true identity, he still harbored a侥幸心理 (a gambler's mentality), kept it hidden, and put himself and the Dou family in danger for his own selfish desires.
Instead of blaming Dou Mingxiu, Madam Gu came to scold her as a jinx, resenting her for not disciplining the servants and ruining the Dou family's hopes.
This time, she would not allow them to use this as an excuse to cause trouble again.
After careful consideration, Dou Wenyi instructed, "Find a way to spread the word about the argument between Madam and me today. If Granny Cao comes to ask you about Shuang'er, tell her the truth."
Cuizhi nodded in agreement.
The next morning, Dou Wenyi went to Shouhe Hall to pay her respects.
Madam Dou had already heard about yesterday's events. Seeing that she looked perfectly normal, she smiled and said, "They sent over two fresh shad and made your favorite crispy-boned shad. How was that?"
Dou Wenyi said coquettishly, "Grandmother, I also want to eat the lotus pods and fresh bamboo shoots from Huanhua Manor!"
Old Madam Dou said with a loving expression, "You little glutton, you even know how to order food now. Grandmother will be generous this once. However, the estate is outside the city, so we may not be able to eat today."
"Tomorrow is fine too." Dou Wenyi felt a warmth in her heart; it was enough that her grandmother loved her.
“Alright, alright, then I’ll have Granny Cao go.”
Old Madam Dou was heartbroken.
Fourth Sister doesn't usually have a good appetite, so she must have been wronged by Madam Gu to make such an unprecedented request. I have to grant her wish this time.
After she left, Old Master Dou's face immediately fell. "Yesterday, that fool really embarrassed Fourth Sister for a strange woman."
Granny Cao nodded emphatically, "That's right."
Madam Dou had thought that the relationship between her and her daughter had improved, but she did not expect Madam Gu to be so stubborn.
A flash of hatred crossed her eyes. "An unkind mother and an unfilial son. I think she's blinded by greed. She'll regret it one day!"
Granny Cao chimed in, "It's all because of the Third Miss's constant instigation. I heard that the Eldest Young Master also spoke on her behalf. That girl is now being raised in the manor."
With her eyes half-closed, Old Madam Dou immediately sensed something was wrong. "Go and find out what's going on!"
Why does her beloved grandson always have to suffer such humiliation?
As dusk settled, Dou Wenyi returned to Yilan Courtyard.
Just as he ordered someone to prepare water for his bath, he heard a series of hurried footsteps outside.
Dou Mingxiu, exuding a chill, barged in without waiting for an announcement, lifting the curtain and shouting, "Dou Wenyi, get out here! I have something to ask you!"
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