"Princess, Long Fengying has quietly returned to Hou Mansion," not long after their departure, Mo Mei reported in a low voice to Yang Mengchen.
Yang Mengchen waved her hand dismissively, signaling that there was no need to pay attention, and took a sip from the clear tea Sister Jin had passed to her. She appeared calm and collected, yet her eyes held a depth of dark light that was not to be disclosed.
Sister Jin said indignantly, "That old lady of Hou Mansion actually faked illness to conspire with her daughter-in-law against the princess. How detestable and deserving of death!"
"The old lady did not fake her illness," Yang Mengchen said with a smile upon seeing everyone’s surprised faces. "She has been poisoned, but it wasn’t Madam Zhang’s doing. Based on my guess, it must have come from Long Fengying’s hand. Even if the play at the front yard didn’t trap me, she would use the old lady’s death to frame me."
Upon hearing this, everyone was filled with righteous indignation, and Hai Tang and the others immediately wanted to put an end to Long Fengying.
Yang Mengchen timely stopped them, "I have already neutralized the poison that the old lady suffered from, so their plot will not succeed. However, during the process of detoxifying her, I slightly altered things. I believe good news will come soon."
Not only did Hai Tang and the others think Yang Mengchen was justified in her actions, but even Sister Jin didn’t see Yang Mengchen as cruel or merciless. Let’s not say that the old lady was innocent. The flower-viewing banquet today was clearly aimed against the princess. Who would believe that the old lady had no prior knowledge?
Xinyang Marquis Mansion.
Ma Weisheng, Madam Xu, and Madam Zhang knelt on the ground, the Old Marquis was not there because he was drunk and unconscious, while the old lady and Ma Weicai sat to the side.
Fuming with rage, Ma Weicai stood up and viciously kicked Madam Zhang, "Bitch!" His eyes were filled with resentment and anger as he looked at Ma Weisheng.
He deeply loved Madam Zhang. Even though she had only given birth to two daughters for him, he still cherished Madam Zhang and his daughters dearly. His mother had repeatedly urged him to take a concubine to have a son, but he had always sternly refused.
He could never have imagined that behind his back, Madam Zhang had an affair with his elder brother and gave birth to that bastard Ma Ruqing, putting a green hat on him—the damned whore!
While the old lady watched her second son beat Madam Zhang, she stared at Madam Zhang with a hatred so fierce she wished she could flay her skin, gnaw her flesh, and drink her blood. Unable to suppress the resentment in her heart, she grabbed the family discipline whip—a thick, black, and shiny long whip that had been soaked in a special solution for many years, making it particularly tough—and lashed at Madam Xu mercilessly.
Soon, Madam Xu’s dress was torn to shreds. Her fair and delicate skin was covered in bloody wounds, and she cried and begged for mercy in pain, "Stop, please stop..."
The old lady, ignoring her pleas, tired of the whipping, and switched to having her maids continue the punishment. She only stopped after Madam Xu was beaten bloody and nearly lifeless.
As soon as the maids stopped, Ma Weicai immediately snatched the whip and fiercely lashed Madam Zhang. His love for Madam Zhang was as deep as his hatred for her now.
Ma Weisheng remained silent throughout, indifferent even to Madam Xu’s beating, but seeing his long-time lover Madam Zhang suffer, he felt a rush of pity and took a stand. Standing up, he snatched the whip from Ma Weicai’s hand and said to the old lady, "Mother, this matter has nothing to do with Minmin. It is all my fault, please stop beating Minmin."
The more Ma Weicai spoke, the more furiously he reacted. His brother, more capable than him, had always been treated very sternly by their father. Since childhood, he respected and cared for his elder brother, thus protecting him in every way. Yet his brother had an affair with that whore, committing an indecent act, and now he openly protected the very same woman, driving Ma Weicai to a blind rage. He lunged to snatch the whip back; Ma Weisheng, of course, refused to give it up, leading to a struggle between the brothers right there in the room. freeweɓnøvel~com
The old lady opened her mouth to intervene but, seeing her second son’s menacing and dreadful demeanor, she ultimately shut her mouth and kept silent.
Because of the old head of the family, Ma Weisheng had always been reserved and taciturn, and while Ma Weicai was less capable than Ma Weisheng, his handling of affairs was moderate and prudent. Moreover, he had respect and affection for Ma Weisheng, assisting him wholeheartedly and acting filially towards their parents on his brother’s behalf, never causing trouble for the family.
The only thing that dissatisfied the old lady was Ma Weicai’s excessive indulgence of Madam Zhang. Even as she only bore daughters for him, Ma Weicai refused to take concubines, insisting on not even having a mistress.
Yet Madam Zhang had put a green hat on Ma Weicai with his own elder brother as the other man and had raised another’s daughter for many years. To Ma Weicai, this was an extraordinary disgrace. Not to mention Ma Weicai, even the old lady wished she could personally kill the Old Marquis and Madam Xu, the adulterous pair, to relieve the hatred in her heart.
The old lady would allow her second son to vent a little, but she would never allow the brothers to harm each other, especially since the eldest son was the pillar and hope of the entire Hou Mansion and could not afford the slightest mishap.
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