Chapter 2, The Words of a Madman Cannot Be Trusted
"Madam, I'm innocent! This old servant didn't do it! Miss is a madwoman. How can you believe what a madwoman says?" Granny Diao knelt on the ground, pleading bitterly.
"Grandmother, what is a madman!" Jiang Ruanruan asked the old lady with tears welling up in her innocent eyes.
"You lackey! I, Ruan Ruan, am not crazy! Beat her until she confesses!" Jiang's mother's heart broke upon hearing this.
"Mother, there are so many people. Even if we need to interrogate them, let's go back to the inner quarters!" Lord Jiang stopped the servants from stepping forward.
Although this old woman deserves to die, if she really finds out anything during the interrogation, Zhang is his wife, and with so many people watching, the Jiang family's reputation will be ruined.
"My God, the stepmother actually fed the ex-wife's child excrement. Does she need the child to eat?!" The onlookers were about to explode.
"That's so vicious!"
"I didn't, she's just making things up..." Zhang was speechless.
"Grandma, Ruan Ruan is so hungry! I really want to eat the osmanthus cake that Mom makes. Mom's osmanthus cake is the best."
The little girl sat on the ground, staring blankly at the sky like a kitten, holding a non-existent osmanthus cake in her hand.
He chewed and chewed, then swallowed, a satisfied smile appearing on his lips.
"My mother's osmanthus cake is the best..."
But then, with a thud, Jiang Ruanruan collapsed to the ground.
"Quick, quick, save my sister! Grandmother, she might have eaten shit and died! Is the shit poisonous?"
At this moment, a good boy darted out from beside the old lady, grabbed the little girl's hand, and started crying.
The mournful sound brought tears to the eyes of those who heard it.
His younger sister had been starving for three days. He knew that calling his grandmother would anger Zhang Shi, but he still invited her over. After all, if one of them were gone, the other would be next. In his previous life, after Jiang Ruanruan died, he would be the next to suffer.
"Ruan Ruan... my Ruan Ruan, quickly go and fetch a doctor!"
Madam Jiang panicked, her trembling hand gently touching the little girl's nose.
"Thank goodness, there's still air."
When the old woman saw this, she turned and ran away.
"Seize this wicked servant! He harmed my sister and now he wants to escape!" Jiang Huai'an pointed his finger, and the steward beside him quickly went to grab the man.
"Madam Shen, I am a doctor. Please allow me to examine Miss Shen!"
Having received kindness from General Xia, Dr. Chen couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat and a pang of compassion upon seeing his benefactor's child in such a pitiful state. Regardless of the child's filth, he volunteered to help.
"Dr. Chen, please take a look at my granddaughter, what's wrong with her!" The old lady quickly made room for the old doctor to take her pulse.
"Miss has been starving for at least three days. She's fainted from hunger. If she continues to starve, this little child will die."
"Madam, this is General Xia's only bloodline. Does your Marquis's mansion lack even a child's food?"
After taking the pulse, Doctor Chen looked extremely unwell.
"The child kept saying he was hungry, don't the adults care?"
"Oh dear, Grandmother, did my sister really see Mother come to pick her up just now?!" Jiang Huai'an's words startled the old lady Jiang so much that she trembled uncontrollably.
"Doctor, please take a look at him first. What should he eat? We need to keep him alive. He absolutely cannot die. He is the only heir of the Jiang family!"
"I will write the prescription and get the medicine right away. Butler, prepare a soft porridge of vegetables and minced meat for the child to eat when he wakes up!"
Doctor Chen instructed the steward to make preparations.
Seeing the old lady like this, the nanny next to her quickly asked Aunt Liu to take care of the young lady, and she helped the old lady up.
"A stepmother is a stepmother, how cruel! She doesn't feed the child for three days and even makes the child eat excrement!"
The voices of those around him made Lord Jiang's face grow increasingly grim.
"Zhang, what's going on? Can't my Marquis's mansion afford to raise a child? I married you precisely so that you would take such good care of Ruan Ruan!"
This was his public explanation: his daughter was seriously ill, so a cenotaph was built for Xia a month after General Xia disappeared.
He then married Zhang, Xia's cousin. Since they were cousins, everyone thought Zhang would treat Jiang Ruanruan as her own daughter, but unexpectedly...
"My lord, it's not like that. It was this dog servant who acted on his own initiative. I had too many things to manage, and I was caught off guard, which allowed this scoundrel to take advantage of the situation."
"I'll kill you today, you dog of a servant! How dare you insult the young master! You'll lose your life!" A sinister glint flashed in Zhang's eyes.
"Madam, you want to kill me? I did everything you ordered!" Granny Diao exclaimed in disbelief.
"You, shut your mouth! What kind of time is this to dare to slander the mistress? Beat her! Beat her to death!"
The two servants, wielding the paddles, struck with deadly force; after only thirty-odd blows, Granny Diao breathed her last.
Old Madam Jiang watched all of this coldly.
If she treats her own daughter this way, how much sincerity can she possibly have for him, since she is not Jiang Hou's biological mother but only his legal mother?
But it's all just on the surface.
"Waaah, she's been punished, but I beg you, Lord Marquis, to have mercy and send Granny Diao back to her hometown for burial. It would be a way for her to return to her roots!"
Zhang's eyes were filled with tears, seemingly heartbroken by the fate of the old woman.
The nails on her hands, which were gripping the handkerchief, were digging into her flesh.
Diao Mama was her most loyal wet nurse. Although they were mistress and servant, their relationship was different from others. At this moment, her heart was filled with resentment towards Jiang Ruanruan.
"Very well, I will make the arrangements. Get up now."
"This is not your fault. Ruan Ruan is not a normal child. If you don't take good care of her, people will talk about her. You've suffered a lot these past few days!" The Marquis said, trying to pull the man up.
That's it...
Jiang Ruanruan secretly opened one eye and tugged at the old lady's sleeve.
Old Madam Jiang had already noticed that Jiang Ruanruan had woken up and instantly understood her meaning.
"Since you're so busy that you can't even take care of the only young lady in the Marquis's mansion, Aunt Liu, Ruan Ruan will be raised in your courtyard from now on!"
The old lady's words stirred up a huge wave of controversy.
"Yes, Madam, I will do my best to take care of her!" Madam Liu immediately responded. She was General Xia's maid, and taking care of her young mistress was her duty.
Unfortunately, half a month ago, Zhang forcibly took the young lady away.
“Mother…you’re hurting my feelings. Heaven and earth can attest to how good I am to Ruan Ruan. This time it was the servants’ negligence. I will take care of her myself from now on.”
Zhang felt wronged and shed tears. Wasn't this just saying in front of everyone that she was not a good stepmother?
Aunt Liu was merely a maidservant who accompanied Xia Shi during her dowry. She became a concubine because of an unacknowledged illegitimate child.
Jiang Huai'an is not recognized by the Marquis's mansion to this day. He is only known to the outside world as an orphan that the Marquis picked up and raised as his adopted son.
"Mother..." Lord Jiang wanted to argue a few more words in her defense.
"There's no need to say anything more. Let's talk about it when she learns to be a mother. I think Aunt Liu has taken excellent care of Huai'an. Only when Aunt Liu takes care of her can I feel at ease." The old lady waved her hand.
With that, he had the maids and servants carry Jiang Ruanruan, and led Aunt Liu and her son back to the Marquis's residence.
"Master, what should we do!"
Zhang was being coquettish; she wanted to work on Jiang Ruanruan's personality, make her obedient, and have her spend more time with her nephew, otherwise how could she get him to marry into the Jiang family?
This coquettishness used to be more melodious than a nightingale's song, but today...
What kind of smell is that sprayed out... it's incredibly foul.
"Hmph, hurry up and go back and wash yourself clean, you're making a fool of yourself!" Lord Jiang looked at the filthy appearance and turned to leave.
“My Lord…” This was the first time Zhang had ever been so disliked by the Marquis, and she was extremely frustrated.
Lord Jiang didn't even turn his head.
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