Bai Chuxiao said coldly, "Lanxin is right. No matter what, a father wouldn't want to strangle his own child. There are many suspicious points here."
After thinking for a moment, he asked again, "Lanxin, do you know any methods to create weakening poisons and hypnotic drugs that even doctors in the capital can't detect?"
Lan Xin smiled and nodded, while Bai Chuxiao sneered, "After things are settled tomorrow, go and have some fun with Madam Xie and me, your father. It's best to hear their side of the story firsthand."
After saying that, he instructed Qing Shuang to go to the Zhao family and deliver a letter to Zhao Sifang.
The next morning, Zhao went on a rampage, and the doctor examined her and found she was pregnant. This infuriated Xie, who immediately led a group to cause trouble for Zhao, claiming that Zhao was insane and unfit to have another child. The commotion continued until noon, when Bai Linan returned from court. Only then did the old lady summon them all.
Upon entering Furong Courtyard, Bai Chuxiao saw Zhao Shi kneeling on the ground, clutching her stomach. Xie Shi angrily said from the side, "Mother, Master, what kind of behavior is this, Zhao Shi acting so madly? How can she possibly bear children? Our family will soon be related to the Crown Prince; she cannot be allowed to stay."
Bai Chuxiao smiled faintly, "Second Madam, you are mistaken. I just heard from the doctor that Aunt Zhao's baby is very likely to be a boy. Our Prime Minister's mansion is not thriving in terms of male offspring, so Aunt Zhao's pregnancy is very timely."
Upon hearing that it was a boy, the old lady was naturally delighted. What kind of family would the Left Prime Minister's household only have one boy? If something were to happen to him, wouldn't the family line end? But this Xie family, relying on her connection to the Crown Prince, was relentless and couldn't tolerate the child at all.
"Li Nan, I think Chu Xiao is right. Your offspring are too few now. It would be best if Zhao Shi gave birth to this child safely."
Bai Linan was naturally happy, as it would be good to have another son to continue the family line. After all, no one could say for sure whether his eldest son would amount to anything, and having another son was always a safer bet. However, Xie Shi didn't want things to escalate endlessly, and it wasn't appropriate at this critical juncture.
Seeing his hesitation, the old lady turned to Bai Chuxiao and asked, "Chuxiao, do you have any good ideas?"
Bai Chuxiao said calmly, "Since Second Madam thinks Aunt Zhao is crazy, why not let Yun'er accompany Aunt Zhao to our family's villa in Jiangnan to recuperate?"
Madam Xie roared, "Shut up! What right do you have to interfere in the affairs of your elders?" She didn't want Madam Zhao to give birth to this child safely and then compete with her child for his attention. No matter how noble her daughter was, she would always have to rely on her son in the future. Now that her daughter's relationship with the Crown Prince was almost settled, she was no longer going to be polite to Bai Chuxiao.
Bai Chuxiao said coldly, "Is Aunt Xie so intolerant? Is she trying to incite Father to kill his son?"
Upon hearing this, Bai Linan thought of things he had wanted to do in the past, and his heart skipped a beat. Looking at Bai Chuxiao, he wondered if his daughter knew something. But that shouldn't be the case.
Bai Chuxiao saw the look in his eyes and a mocking smile appeared on her face.
Madam Xie was furious again, "What nonsense are you spouting, you lowly hussy? Who gave you the right to speak here? I am the mistress of the house now, yet you still call me 'concubine'. It's because I've spoiled you too much that you've become so disrespectful."
Bai Linan slammed his hand on the table. "Stop arguing! What kind of behavior is this?" Just then, a servant came in to report that the eldest son of the Zhao family was requesting an audience.
Bai Linan stormed off, and the old lady, annoyed by the noise, also left, rubbing her forehead. Seeing them all gone, Xie Shi turned to Bai Chuxiao and said sternly, "Today, I'm going to teach you a lesson and show you how to respect the mistress of the house."
After saying that, he ordered the maids around him to hold Bai Chuxiao down, and then signaled the head maid Caiyue to slap her.
Bai Chuxiao's lips curled into a cold smile. She gave Qing Shuang and Qing Zhu a look, and Qing Zhu immediately took out a whip and lashed several maids on the ground, making them scream in pain. Qing Shuang then slapped Cai Yue to the ground.
Seeing this, Xie panicked slightly and pointed at Bai Chuxiao, "You shameless hussy... how dare you!"
Bai Chuxiao approached, forcefully pinching her chin, and said coldly, "What right do you have to talk about hierarchy? I'm going to tell you today that in this mansion, I am the superior and you are the inferior. If you don't behave, I won't let you off."
Seeing that murderous look in his eyes, Xie was so frightened that she fell to the ground, speechless. When Bai Linan returned, this was the mess he saw.
He roared, "What's going on now?" Madam Xie quickly grabbed Bai Linan's sleeve, exclaiming in shock, "Master, she's a vixen..."
Startled by the commotion outside, the old lady came out again. Seeing Qingzhu still whipping the maids, she slammed her cane heavily on the floor and shouted sternly, "Stop it!"
Only then did things quiet down. Madam Xie exclaimed in alarm, "Mother, Master, look at her! What kind of behavior is this? Does she intend to assault the mistress of the house?"
The old lady was also somewhat displeased. "Chu Xiao, what's going on here? As the eldest young lady, how can you allow your maid to shout and threaten violence like this? What kind of behavior is this?"
Bai Chuxiao said indifferently, "It's because Aunt Xie has forgotten her birth, daring to talk to me, the eldest daughter of the legitimate wife, about hierarchy. I had no choice but to have my maid teach Aunt Xie's few unruly servants a lesson. If Aunt Xie still doesn't understand, next time it won't just be a matter of disciplining one unruly servant."
Upon hearing this, Madam Xie cried out, "Master, look at her! She doesn't respect me, the mistress of the house, at all, nor does she respect you!"
Bai Linan said angrily, "You unfilial daughter, how dare a junior lecture her elders? Is it that one day you'll be unhappy and even discipline your father? These two girls can no longer be kept alive."
He then loudly ordered, "Bai Fu, come in and drag these two girls out and give them twenty lashes!"
Bai Chuxiao also said sternly, "Wait a minute, Qingzhu and Qingshuang are not maids of the Bai family. These girls were given to me by the Prince of Yan. Father, you have quite the airs. Are you going to manage people on behalf of His Highness the Prince of Yan?"
Bai Linan was furious, but he dared not touch the two girls again.
Hearing this, the old lady stepped in to smooth things over, "Alright, stop arguing. Let's talk about how to handle Zhao's matter." She then turned to Bai Linan and asked...
"In my opinion, we should listen to Chu Xiao and send her to the Jiangnan villa to give birth. She's causing quite a commotion in the manor."
Madam Xie cried out, "Master, you absolutely mustn't! What kind of image is it to send a concubine to another residence? It'll be a laughingstock if word gets out. Besides, Third Sister is also getting engaged; how can she go to Jiangnan with her?" If they all went to Jiangnan, how could she possibly torment this mother and daughter?
Bai Linan recalled Zhao Sifang's earlier visit and learned of the matter. Zhao Sifang had mentioned wanting to take his aunt and cousin to live with him. As the wealthiest family in Daxia, with businesses spanning the globe, and Zhao Sifang as the future heir to the family head, wielding considerable influence, Bai Linan naturally wouldn't give up this cash cow, nor would he go against Zhao Sifang's wishes.
He then made up his mind and said in a deep voice, "Then let Yun'er accompany Zhao to Jiangnan. Zhao, when you go to Jiangnan, you must recuperate and give birth to your child safely. You must not cause any more trouble."
Madam Zhao, kneeling, replied, "I understand, thank you, sir and madam."
Before Xie could say anything more, Bai Linan interrupted her, "Stop making a scene. As the matriarch of the household, you should have some composure. Zhao won't be an eyesore to you anymore."
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