Chapter 67 The truth of that year
"Shut up!" Madam Zheng stood up suddenly, and the teacup was blown over by the wind from her sleeves, spilling the warm tea on Nanny Xia's clothes.
Her heart was beating like a drum, afraid that others would hear it. But when she stood up, she remembered that this was her yard and there was no one else around. She regained her composure and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? That was Qingwu just now."
But her panicked expression just now had already explained everything. Nanny Xia didn't understand why Madam Zheng wanted to hide it even from her.
"Madam, do you think I'm blind? The one who just walked out was clearly Madam Tong! I've seen her for so many years, how could I have made a mistake!"
Everything suddenly became clear. No wonder Xiyu didn't let Sanniang go to the Song family last time, because she was no longer Madam Qingwu in the Song family.
Seeing that Nanny Xia had indeed recognized her, Madam Zheng no longer bothered to pretend. After all, Nanny Xia was her wet nurse, so why would she tell anyone else?
She lifted her skirt and sat down slowly, admitting bluntly, "Yes, Mammy, you are not mistaken, that is Tong'er, but so what?"
So what?
Nanny Xia really couldn't recognize the child she had raised. When, when did she become so cold and heartless?
She didn't know where to start, and just stared blankly at Madam Zheng, "Madam, who is in the palace..."
But halfway through her conversation, Nanny Xia had already guessed the outcome and only asked the question that concerned her most, "...Did Madam Qingwu volunteer?"
Such a questioning and accusing look made Mrs. Zheng's heart suddenly ignite with anger. Accusation, accusation, and more accusation!
What she feared most was the accusations of others! When one of the twin sisters was missing, who didn't blame her as the mother?
Madam Zheng suppressed her anger and said coldly, "Voluntary, of course it's voluntary!"
However, Nanny Xia didn't believe this at all. She shook her head and said, "How could it be voluntary? Young Master Song was the third place in the imperial examination. How could Madam Qingwu be willing to change at a time like this? She's not stupid."
Seeing Nanny Xia's eyes clearly showing her bias made Mrs. Zheng even more upset.
"So what if it wasn't voluntary?"
"The Crown Prince was deposed, and Tong'er had to live such a hard life? It just so happened that Yunhe also loved Tong'er, so what's wrong with them being sisters? Qingwu grew up in the countryside, didn't she like that kind of life? Didn't she once clamor to leave the Xi family? Now she's been asked to live the life of a commoner, isn't that unfair to her?"
Mrs. Zheng spoke faster and faster, and her words became more and more absolute.
Giving birth to this girl did not bring her any good things. She was in pain for six hours during labor. Tong'er was born half a minute after her. She was lost when she was four years old, and she was blamed by her relatives. Now, because of her, even her wet nurse felt that she was biased and unfair.
Madam Zheng actually felt a strong resentment, but when she thought about her little daughter's outstanding and well-behaved behavior, she felt that her behavior was more reasonable. However, her words shocked Madam Xia, and she subconsciously retorted:
"Madam Tong couldn't survive, but Madam Qingwu can? Does that mean she has to suffer forever just because she's suffered before..."
"That's enough!" Madam Zheng picked up the empty cup on the table and smashed it against Nanny Xia. "You're just a wet nurse, and you dare to discuss the master's family affairs?!"
Before Nanny Xia could refute, Madam Zheng was furious: "Don't think I don't know the good things you did. You secretly took my things and gave them to others... I'm too lazy to pursue it. From today on, you will go to the manor to retire. If you dare to talk nonsense again-"
"Watch your tongue!"
Nanny Xia stumbled, clinging to a nearby table and chair. Her teacup had shattered on the floor beside her. She stared at the unfamiliar Madam Zheng, as if she had never known her before. Where had she gone, the mother who had so lovingly urged her to take good care of her twin daughters? Where had she gone, the woman who had promised to take care of her until her death?
A huge fear suddenly surged in Nanny Xia's heart. She didn't dare to stay with Madam Zheng anymore. Going to the manor was also a good idea. She was willing to go there, but suddenly in her mind appeared the childish face from the Lantern Festival fourteen years ago.
Nanny Xia suddenly knelt down and said, "This old servant requests to take care of Madam Qingwu. Madam, please consider this as a way for me to atone for my sins! Poor child... I didn't take good care of her back then..."
But the word "atonement" was like a thorn that made Madam Zheng's temples throb. This old woman clearly knew that they had stood together back then, yet she still said that. Madam Zheng felt like she had been stabbed, and her anger grew even more intense. "Atonement? What atonement? It was clearly her own fault!"
But she couldn't even finish what she was saying. Mrs. Zheng closed her eyes in embarrassment, and her memory went back to that day fourteen years ago.
She took her twin daughters, Nanny Xia, and two maids to the Lantern Festival. She was dazzled by the exquisite lanterns she had never seen before...
"No... Madam Qingwu was very well-behaved when she was little. If she wasn't called, she wouldn't bother to move for the whole day. Could it be that you, Madam, were so busy watching the lanterns that you put her down..."
"Shut up! You shut up!"
After hearing Nanny Xia describe the situation, Madam Zheng lost her usual decency and started yelling like a shrew.
"Don't say it, you can't say it!"
Seeing Madam Zheng lose her composure like this, Nanny Xia felt both angry and sad. She said in a trembling voice, "Madam, why don't you admit that it was you..."
“Bang!”
The slap interrupted what Nanny Xia was about to say. Madam Zheng's palms were numb from the force, and she felt relieved and finally stopped talking.
When her eyes fell on Nanny Xia's red and swollen cheeks, Mrs. Zheng suddenly looked away. She sat down again, poured herself a cup of tea with trembling hands, and almost spilled the tea on herself when she picked it up.
Nanny Xia’s words could be interrupted, but the facts of that year could not be erased from Madam Zheng’s mind.
She kept thinking back to those days, thinking about how she had stared at the novel colored lantern, thinking about how she had sent Nanny Xia to ask about the price of the lantern, thinking about how she had left her daughter all alone behind...
I don't know how many breaths passed, but in the blink of an eye, the daughter behind me disappeared, leaving only the other one in the arms of a maid.
The young Madam Zheng didn't know how her daughter died, whether it was because she ran away or because of her own negligence. But seeing her husband's anxious and angry face and her mother-in-law's blaming words, she felt helpless and uncomfortable. In the end, she could only evade:
"The child was too naughty, Qingwu was too naughty, he ran away in a flash..."
Mrs. Zheng covered her face and cried so sadly that people who saw her could not blame her anymore.
It seems that only by putting the blame on the child can she live peacefully...
With a clang, the teacup in Madam Zheng's hand fell to the ground again, but she didn't care that the tea soaked her dress. She just looked at Madam Xia and suddenly said, "Go ahead, go if you want to."
After she finished speaking, she turned away, no longer looking at Nanny Xia's expression. However, when she saw her about to step out of the door in her peripheral vision, she couldn't help but say, "Wait... You go to the palace."
"Just tell the truth, I got pissed off and got kicked out."
Nanny Xia froze in place, and Madam Zheng quickly changed her tone, warning, "But remember, if you dare to say anything... and let others know about this, I can either send you away or prevent you from returning."
Tong'er is still the most important, Tong'er is her dearest daughter.
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