However, she could only keep this thought to herself. She nodded sadly and then went to figure it out on her own.
After the person had gone far away, Lu Baichuan instructed the jailer beside him: "Keep a close eye on this person for the next few days. Don't let her move any way. Report any unusual behavior to me."
The jailer was somewhat surprised. Could it be that the Third Master had really taken a liking to this girl? But this girl was clearly not as pretty as the Third Madam. What was wrong with the Third Master's taste?
Alas, it's truly pitiful that the Third Madam was so devoted, even frequently bringing the Third Master late-night snacks, only to find him keeping a mistress in this prison cell. What a... scumbag!
The jailer didn't dare say much, but he still glared at Lu Baichuan with some resentment before saying, "Don't worry, sir, I will keep a close eye on that girl at all times."
As luck would have it, Lu Baichuan saw the jailer's angry glare and guessed why he looked that way. Too lazy to argue with him, he instead gave a rare instruction: "This is official business. You can't be perfunctory, or you'll regret it."
Seeing his serious expression, the jailer couldn't help but wonder if he was overthinking things, so he quickly nodded in agreement and secretly followed Yu Fen.
Qin Jian laughed uncontrollably and said, "Look at all of us brothers, we all protect our sisters-in-law. If you dare to do anything to betray them, all of us here could drown you with our spit."
Lu Baichuan ignored him, picked up a file and turned to leave. Qin Jian, Lou Chong and the others hurriedly followed, and the group left together.
By the time Yu Fen finally managed to find the salt water and was preparing to take the opportunity to curry favor with Lu Baichuan, most of the people had already left.
"Where...where is the master?"
She stood there, confused and dazed, not knowing what Lu Baichuan meant.
"Of course, the adults have things to do."
One of the guards spoke coldly, even shoving her, saying, "Hurry up, or we'll all be waiting for you."
Yu Fen was startled, but she did as she was told, trembling as she splashed the salt water on her half-dead former friend on the ground.
"ah--"
The unconscious person screamed instantly. Yu Fen took several steps back, afraid that her friend would recognize her after waking up and accidentally say something she shouldn't have.
She felt a pang of regret. She wished she had checked the couple's surroundings before coming. She had no idea her friend had been arrested and was in such a terrible state. She felt as if she were seeing herself in the near future.
"What are you spacing out for? Get to work!"
The jailer was furious at her dawdling. Sending someone like this to the cell was just wasting their time.
Yu Fen was startled and felt a little wronged, but she still dawdled through it. The thing she was worried about didn't happen, because her companion groaned twice and then fainted again.
Meanwhile, Fang Da told He Jiuniang about Yu Fen's behavior on the way. He Jiuniang smiled and said, "It seems that this young girl is not very shrewd. She exposed herself so quickly."
Fang Da wasn't entirely sure who Yu Fen was, but seeing that his master clearly had other plans, he knew that Yu Fen was no ordinary person. So he asked, "Madam, what should we do if Yu Fen comes to the manor again?"
"Don't be too nervous, just do what you're supposed to do. If she wants to see me, bring her along."
"yes."
Fang Da respectfully acknowledged the order and turned to leave.
He Jiuniang stretched and rubbed her shoulders, thinking that she should go back to the village for a few days. As for the banquet here, she would wait until she returned.
Thinking this, she called over a few maids to help her pack her things. It had been quite a long time since she had been back home, so she should bring some things home and then bring some things back with her when she returned.
Her plan was to leave the day after tomorrow morning. As for whether Lu Baichuan could go back, that was none of her business and not something she could decide.
The next morning, Madam Li and her daughter took a large cart full of gifts to the prefect's house. They weren't actually delivering gifts to the prefect, but rather passing by the prefect's house on their way to Xishui Garden.
Although it wasn't really on the way, Madam Li meant to help Madam Qian, so it was just a convenient route.
She planned to invite Madam Qian to Xishui Garden to apologize to He Jiuniang, give her a gift, and say some kind words, so that yesterday's little embarrassment could be wiped clean.
Even if He Jiuniang wouldn't forgive them so easily, there was still Madam Qian to protect her, so she could suffer less.
However, when the carriage stopped in front of the prefect's house, the perceptive Madam Li noticed something was amiss.
Normally, there would be two servants guarding the prefect's house, but today there was no one there, the gate was tightly closed, and it looked rather desolate.
If you didn't know better, you'd think the prefect's house had been ransacked.
A servant knocked on the door, and it took a long time for someone to open it. The person who opened the door did not have a smile on their face. After asking what Madam Li's purpose was, the person shook their head and said, "My lady has not received any guests these past few days. I am truly sorry, Madam Li."
Madam Li frowned. This shouldn't be the case. Madam Qian is always very concerned about her reputation. She made such a big fool of herself at the banquet yesterday. She should step in and resolve the situation as soon as possible.
But from yesterday to today, I haven't heard anything about what happened at the prefect's place. What could have happened that made Madam Qian abandon even the pretense of a facade?
"Go and tell your wife that I would like to invite her to meet Madam Lu at Xishui Garden today."
Madam Li got out of the car herself and gave instructions to the man, who shook his head with a troubled expression: "I'm really sorry, but our Madam said she won't see anyone no matter what..."
This is interesting. Madam Li's heart was filled with a burning desire for gossip, and she really wanted to go in and find out what was going on.
She thought this and actually did it. She made her daughter sit obediently in the carriage, while she lifted her skirt and swayed her large body as she rushed into the prefect's house.
The servants who opened the door were stunned. How could there be guests forcing their way in? He originally wanted to call the guards, but knowing Madam Li's identity, the guards couldn't show up. He could only follow behind in a panic.
Madam Qian hid in her courtyard, unwilling to come out and see guests. The reason was simply that she had cried all night, and her eyes were swollen, making her too ashamed to be seen.
When she was with her husband, life was tough, but everyone in the family was happy and harmonious. When her husband came home from work, he would bring her her favorite snacks from the street, and he would draw pictures of beautiful scenery to give to her.
She still keeps those drawings in good condition, believing that they must have been happier than any other couple in the world.
But who would have thought that her husband would change his mind so quickly, even wanting to marry a concubine or demote her to a mistress and make someone else his wife.
Just thinking about it made her feel suffocated. Life is so long. If there were other women in the family, how would she live?
Just then, a commotion arose outside the courtyard.
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