Chapter 210: Taking Advantage of the Situation
The old lady was speechless.
Zhao on the side looked at the old lady and Wen Wan in surprise.
Was there an agreement between the old lady and a concubine?
The old lady coughed twice awkwardly and avoided Zhao's gaze guiltily.
Wen Wan curled her lips sarcastically and had no intention of explaining to Zhao.
Seeing this, Zhao's eyes turned red, and there was a hint of unwilling resentment in her sad look.
After all, Zhao was the daughter-in-law married into the general's mansion through a formal matchmaker. Although the old lady was a stubborn old lady, she was still on Zhao's side in her heart.
The old lady patted Zhao's hand soothingly. "Don't overthink it. The original condition we agreed on was for her to leave the General's Mansion on her own. As long as the problem can be solved, the General's Mansion can afford this little money and manpower."
She turned to Wen Wan and said, "You asked for 10,000 taels of silver and three prosperous shops. I agreed."
"You said you, a woman, couldn't protect the family fortune and wanted ten strong guards. I agreed."
"You said you were afraid Yu'er would not let go and would haunt you, so you asked the prince to erase your whereabouts for you, and I agreed."
The old lady paused, very angry.
"But you turned around and took the Shen family's Patriarch's Order. You were the first to break your promise! You little brat, you dare to confuse right and wrong and accuse me of not fulfilling my promise!"
Wen Wan moved her lips, wanting to say that she didn't want to take the token.
But they definitely won't believe it even if I tell them.
Anyway, the agreement is off now, so there is no point in worrying about it.
Wen Wan rolled her eyes, and using offense as defense, she picked up the token on the table and played with it arrogantly.
"Now that the prince is imprisoned, the old lady is ready to get rid of him. Doesn't she really take the prince's life seriously?"
"Indeed, I am of humble status, and I do not deny this fact. But what can I do? I am the only one in this palace who can help the prince investigate the case and overturn the situation."
"I'm not asking for a higher price. I'm only negotiating terms with you out of consideration for the general."
"I didn't quit. I didn't care about the life and death of the prince and the general's mansion. I did it for the general's sake."
Wen Wan took a step forward, her sharp gaze falling into the old lady's light gray pupils.
She smiled and said, "Old Madam, is it more important to maintain the authority of this harem, or is it more important for the prince to be safe? Which is more important, what do you think?"
The old lady had never seen a woman like Wen Wan.
In her, there seems to be no sense of male superiority over female, nor of class distinction.
She seemed to be... emitting an indescribable glow.
For a moment, the old lady thought of herself when she was a teenager.
At that time, she was a country girl, running barefoot on the mountain path, and she would greet anyone in the village she met openly.
Later, she got married and had children. People around her said that women should take care of their husbands and children, be sensible and quiet, and restrain their rough habits, otherwise they would be laughed at by people around them.
Gradually, she seemed to become like the conservative and rigid people around her, unable to tolerate others' deviation from the norm.
The recklessness of my youth seems to be buried in the long river of time, and the unrestrained laughter has become a gray afterimage in my memory.
"Let's go back."
The old lady said this in a deep voice and led Zhao out of the side courtyard.
When they reached the gate, the old lady turned around and said hesitantly, "Since Yu'er trusts you and the prince approves of your current actions, I will tolerate you for now. As for the future..."
The old lady frowned slightly and said, "The General's Mansion will not treat anyone who has made contributions unfairly."
Before leaving, the old lady did not forget to paint a pie for the workers.
Wen Wan couldn't help but secretly praise her, saying that she was really fit to be a boss.
Outside the yard, Chef Zheng and Agui watched the old lady and Zhao gradually walk away.
Although they didn't hear their conversation, they could tell who the loser was from the old lady's state when she left.
Agui has become accustomed to Wenwan's unexpected behavior, but Chef Zheng can hardly hide his sigh.
"Auntie Wan is really amazing! This is the first time I've seen the old lady lose a fight."
The two little girls, Gongxi and Facai, nodded like garlic.
"Yes, the old lady is the most fierce. Every time I see her, I can't help but tremble."
"I wish I were half as brave as Aunt Wan."
Agui was not as relaxed as them. He lowered his head and his eyes were dim.
He remembered that Miss Xiaowan had said this when she was drunk.
What she hates most is a group of women competing with each other and scheming against each other for the favor of one man.
Such a life will only make people gradually lose themselves.
If you have lost your sense of self, are you still a human being? What's the difference between you and a dog vying for favor or a cat acting like a spoiled child?
She doesn't like the fighting in the backyard, but she is trapped in the backyard. It must be very difficult for Miss Xiaowan to endure such a life.
*
The next afternoon, Manager Zhang hurried to find Wen Wan.
"Auntie Wan, it's bad. Everyone in Auntie Chun's courtyard has fallen ill. They are all vomiting and having diarrhea. Two people have fainted."
Wen Wan was startled, "Have you seen a doctor?"
Zhang Zongguan was worried. "I did, but the palace doctor said it was a rare case of dysentery and required the herb Terminalia chebula, but we don't have that in the palace right now."
Wen Wan hesitated for a moment and ordered, "Saving people is the most important thing. Go tell the Dali Temple Secretary and tell him the truth about the situation. See if he can be flexible and send someone to buy herbs outside the palace."
Manager Zhang responded and went to do it immediately.
As soon as he left, Agui walked to Wen Wan and said worriedly:
"Auntie Wan, don't you think the illnesses in Chunniang's courtyard are a little strange?"
Hearing this, Wen Wan glanced at him meaningfully, "Oh?"
Seeing that she didn't take it seriously, Agui became more anxious.
"Now the various courtyards are unable to communicate with each other. If Chunniang and the others were to see a doctor, buy medicine, and take the medicine, there would definitely be a lot of people involved in the process. I'm afraid..."
Wen Wan raised an eyebrow, "Are you worried that they might do something?"
Agui nodded.
Wenwan raised a faint smile.
"We're not afraid of them taking action, we're just afraid they're too timid to do anything. Only when they take action do we have a chance."
Ah Gui was stunned for a moment, then slapped his forehead fiercely and said with a smile, "I'm confused. If I can think of something, you must have thought of it long ago. So, you are... taking advantage of my trick?"
Wen Wan didn't comment, just waved her hand, "Alright, have someone keep a close eye on that yard. Especially if they've moved anything, make sure to check it carefully."
What Wen Wan didn't expect was that Chunniang, who seemed timid, was actually ruthless when she took action at the critical moment.
In the middle of the night, Agui sent messages back and forth.
"The Dali Temple Secretary asked the shop assistant to deliver the herbs. While delivering the herbs, the assistant secretly left a brocade bag among the flowers."
"While Aunt Chun was basking in the sun, she secretly took the brocade bag away."
After hearing this, Wen Wan spread out her palm and said with a smile, "Where's the treasure bag? You came to tell me in the middle of the night, so you must have got it, right?"
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