The winding path leads to seclusion, and the towering ancient trees block the sunlight tightly.
Coming in from under the sun, I actually feel a bit cool on my body.
Walking forward for a while, I indeed see the well.
Approaching it slightly, I truly hear cries for help.
But the voice is weak, barely audible.
A few maids hear it and run from the side to the well.
Seeing Mrs. Li holding the bucket in a sorry state.
"Mrs. Li is in the well!" The young maid is ecstatic.
Xingxing runs over.
The young maid wants to pull Mrs. Li up.
Su Jin walks to the well, looking down condescendingly.
Mrs. Li is about to cry.
Finally, soone has co to save her.
Her body is almost frozen stiff.
"How did you fall into the well?" Su Jin asks.
"Eldest Young Madam, please pull up," Mrs. Li’s teeth chatter coldly.
"If you don’t tell the truth, just continue to cool off in the well," Su Jin says.
"...."
Without Su Jin’s order, which young maid dares to pull Mrs. Li up.
But they’re also curious why Mrs. Li fell into the well.
Mrs. Li holds the wooden bucket tightly, saying, "I, I accidentally fell in...."
Lv Xiu is the Old Madam’s main maid.
She’s not soone an unpopular concubine’s maid can afford to offend.
Even if she wishes to cut Lv Xiu into pieces now.
Su Jin laughs softly, "If you don’t want to say, I won’t force you, staying in the well might let you live a few more hours."
Su Jin turns to leave.
Mrs. Li reacts quickly, saying, "I’ll talk, I’ll talk!"
She holds no grudge against Lv Xiu.
It’s the Old Madam who wants her dead.
With so many maids, who knows which is the Old Madam’s?
If Lv Xiu can push her into the well, almost claiming her life, she can do it again.
She helped Princess Nanzhang and the Old Madam with the ointnt, only to end up silenced; she is unwilling.
Even in death, she wants to bring soone down with her!
"It was the Old Madam’s main maid Lv Xiu who pushed into the well!" Mrs. Li says.
The maids look at each other in disbelief.
How could it be Sister Lv Xiu?
She’s the Old Madam’s main maid; why would she bother with a maid from Qingqiu Garden?
But thinking of the Old Madam summoning Mrs. Li...
The maids also feel the situation isn’t so simple.
"Why did she push you into the well?" Xingxing asks.
Mrs. Li remains silent.
Xingxing says, "If you don’t speak fully, do you believe I wouldn’t hit you with a stone?"
Su Jin, "...."
This threat is too crude and direct.
Yet it works well.
After all, she’s a little thug maid, who ans what she says and doesn’t bluff.
Mrs. Li is indeed frightened.
"I’ll talk, I’ll talk."
...
Qihao Hall.
The Second Madam and the Third Madam enter the room together.
The Old Madam sits on the Arhat Couch drinking tea.
After a sip, she bangs the teacup on the small table.
"Have you found the person yet?!" The Old Madam’s voice carries impatience.
Lv Xiu is kneeling on the ground.
Kneeling for such a long ti, Lv Xiu can barely hold on, but she dares not move.
The Third Madam sees this and asks, "What happened?"
Mrs. Wang doesn’t speak.
The Old Madam glances at the Third Madam, too angry to speak.
One young maid says, "Mrs. Li from Qingqiu Garden sent a scar-removing ointnt to please Sister Lv Xiu."
"Recently, the Old Madam asked Lv Xiu to send the ointnt to the Yongcheng Bo Mansion’s eldest lady, but Sister Lv Xiu sent the wrong ointnt, she sent the one Mrs. Li gave her."
"After using the ointnt, the eldest lady of the Yongcheng Bo Mansion was poisoned, her hand festering, writhing in pain on the bed."
The Third Madam sits down, saying, "How could such a big mistake happen?"
"Mistakes can be tolerated, but only if they can be redied, and just when Mrs. Li can’t be found," the Old Madam yells in anger.
The Second Madam sits opposite the Third Madam.
The corners of her mouth twist into a sneer.
Although she still hasn’t figured out what exactly happened.
But for the Old Madam to first instruct Lv Xiu to kill Mrs. Li, then send people loudly searching for her, sothing is being pinned on Mrs. Li as a scapegoat?
Thinking of Su Jin being close to Qingqiu Garden, the Second Madam guesses if it’s related to Su Jin.
If it is—
Then there’s going to be a good show to watch.
...
By the ancient well.
Mrs. Li explains how she reported to Princess Nanzhang about Lady Chi’s facial scar improving and Xie Jingchen having good dicine.
Princess Nanzhang gave her money and ointnt as a reward.
She secretly switched the ointnt.
When the Old Madam found out, she sent Lv Xiu to question her.
She discovered Lady Chi still had a box, so she repeated her trick, switching the box for the Old Madam.
For years, Mrs. Li had almost no dealings with Qihao Hall.
The ointnt provided her an opportunity.
No need to guess, she knew the ointnt incident was exposed, the Old Madam wanted to kill her to keep her quiet.
Instigating her to steal a concubine’s facial ointnt, the Old Madam couldn’t bear this face-saving loss.
Even if she cannot escape death.
She will use all her strength to tear a layer off the Old Madam’s face!
Su Jin admires Mrs. Li’s sense of retaliation.
Of course.
This ntality is quite common.
In death, drag a couple down with you.
What Mrs. Li says is not far from Su Jin’s guess, she doesn’t doubt its truth.
She’s just puzzled.
She thought the one who stole the ointnt was Princess Nanzhang.
But no wonder she misunderstood.
At that ti, when the Peony Garden burned, Princess Nanzhang stayed at Qihao Hall.
With Princess Nanzhang’s hand burn, she needed the ointnt most.
But Su Jin never thought the ointnt was ordered to be stolen by the Old Madam through Mrs. Li.
Moreover—
The ointnt was stolen to be given to the eldest lady of Yongcheng Bo Mansion.
Honestly.
Su Jin wonders if the Old Madam’s mind was squeezed by a door.
The eldest lady of Yongcheng Bo Mansion’s hand wasn’t even injured by her, though it’s related to Nanning Marquis Mansion’s eldest lady Liao Xue, but it wasn’t intentional.
The eldest lady burned her own hand; she’s largely to bla.
Princess Nanzhang offered the Bihun Ointnt to her, showing enough sincerity.
The Old Madam shalessly ordered maids to steal Lady Chi’s ointnt for the eldest lady of Yongcheng Bo Mansion.
Su Jin really doesn’t understand this behavior.
Of course, it’s not just her who doesn’t understand.
None of the maids who heard Mrs. Li’s words weren’t baffled.
"Isn’t this deceitful?" One maid insists.
Mrs. Li, hugging the wooden bucket, says, "I swear, if there’s any falsehood, may I descend to the eighteenth level of hell!"
This oath is vicious enough.
Especially since Mrs. Li is only a step away from the eighteenth level of hell.
Hard to doubt.
"Pull her up," Su Jin orders.
Xingxing and a few maids together drag Mrs. Li up.
The well water, icy cold, already chills one to the bone.
After Mrs. Li cos up, a gust of wind blows, making her sneeze several tis.
The young maid wants to help Mrs. Li change clothes.
Su Jin says, "No need to change, the Old Madam is anxious to see her, take her directly to Qihao Hall."
The maid helps Mrs. Li walk forward.
Su Jin gives Xingxing a couple of instructions.
Xingxing’s eyes shimr brightly.
She nods repeatedly, then runs towards Qingqiu Garden.
User Comments
0 comments from readers