Gu Yifeng furrowed his brow but did not ask directly; he simply listened to Mrs. Dong speak about matters at the mansion. It wasn’t until he heard that his mother had fainted that Gu Yifeng interrupted her.
"Your mother fainted, and yet you ca to the estate? Filial piety cos first in all matters; have you forgotten this?" Gu Yifeng’s words were so blunt that Mrs. Dong’s face turned pale.
Afterwards, her eyes reddened. "I was worried about the Marquis. Besides, we have Second Sister-in-law and Sister Ning in the mansion. I thought it would be inconvenient for them to attend to the Marquis since he is injured, so I told mother and ca over."
"Did mother tell you to stay at the mansion?" Gu Yifeng asked her.
Mrs. Dong nodded, her heart full of grievances, unable to think of anything else.
"In the past, when my father, my uncle, and my grandfather were away, only my mother and aunt managed to hold the mansion together. If they had behaved as you did and abandoned the mansion, what would the Marquis Mansion have beco today?" Gu Yifeng looked at her coldly. "You are the lady of the house. Mother considers your wellbeing, yet you probably still resent her, don’t you?"
"No, I did not," Mrs. Dong wanted to explain but found herself unable to speak when she t those dark eyes.
She knew that saying anything would be futile.
Back then, she did harbor resentnt towards her mother-in-law. Even though she loved Sister Ning dearly, she couldn’t understand why they had to be separated at such a ti.
At that mont, Mrs. Dong admitted to her jealousy. Her years of calmness made her want to explode, so she rejected her mother-in-law’s opinion. For the first ti, she felt like the Marchioness, no longer needing to report everything to her mother-in-law.
Yet, the Marquis’s reproach felt like an invisible slap that awakened her, making her realize with clarity.
Indeed, how could she leave the mansion at such a mont to engage in such trivial behavior?
She was the Marchioness of the Marquis Mansion.
She should be upholding the greater good.
Gu Yifeng, unwilling to dwell on her anymore, felt disappointed. The more disappointed he felt, the less he wanted to say. "An assassin appeared suddenly. Miss Wu, to protect the Marquis from a stab to the chest, is currently recuperating in another courtyard. You should go see her."
Mrs. Dong had not yet recovered from the previous shock; another news caught her off guard as she stared dumbfounded at her husband.
Gu Yifeng waved his hand, "Li Si, take Madam there."
Outside, Li Si acknowledged the order.
Mrs. Dong could not let the servants see her being cast out; she paled as she stepped off the soft couch and left, her face also turning white.
"This way, Madam," Li Si respectfully led the way.
Mrs. Dong’s steps were unsteady, heavily relying on Jingfu to support her, ensuring she didn’t collapse.
The Marquis had tired of her.
Even though he was indifferent before, she could now feel that the Marquis had grown weary of her.
Jingfu noticed the Madam’s panic and softly comforted her, "Madam, the Marquis still takes your dignity into account."
Otherwise, he would have already raised his voice.
Jingfu’s comforting words, although simple, gave Mrs. Dong a glimr of hope, and her previously pale face regained a hint of color.
"You’re right; the Marquis still considers my dignity." Mrs. Dong murmured to herself, her back straightened, "What happened today was because I was too righteous and capable. The Marquis is correct in blaming , or else I wouldn’t know where I was wrong, blinded by the ’Demon Camphor’ before ."
Seeing that the Madam had co around, Jingfu breathed a sigh of relief.
The Madam had always been reasonable; Jingfu was truly frightened just now by her appearance.
Following Li Si’s lead, the group left the main courtyard and arrived at the adjacent courtyard. Mrs. Dong composed herself only then and inquired from Li Si, "How did Second Miss Wu end up saving the Marquis? Has her wound been dealt with? How is she now? Has the Wu Mansion been inford?"
"Madam, the Wu Mansion’s estate is just down the mountain. Second Miss Wu was out on a mountain excursion when she happened upon the Marquis’s assassination incident, taking a stab on his behalf. The Wu Mansion has sent a ssage; they should be arriving soon. Her maid has already tended to the wound," Li Si replied respectfully.
Mrs. Dong nodded but thought this was too coincidental. How was it that Second Miss Wu happened to be on the mountain and saved the Marquis?
Now entering the courtyard, Mrs. Dong waved Li Si off, "The Marquis still needs people on his side; you should return."
After Li Si left, Mrs. Dong asked Jingfu, "I seem to recall Sister Yue ntioning that Second Miss Wu was sent to the estate to embroider her wedding trousseau. Is that the case?"
"It’s widely rumored in the Capital. Fourth Miss, being related by marriage to Wu Mansion’s Madam, the remark should be true," Jingfu said, aware that the Madam’s doubts couldn’t be outrightly expressed, so she took the initiative, "Though officially she’s here to embroider a trousseau, with Second Miss Wu previously running off, her being sent to the estate must be more for confinent, right? How could she freely roam outside? It’s sothing I can’t quite understand."
Mrs. Dong nodded, "We’ll find out once we go in and have a look."
As they spoke, the mistress and servant reached the steps. A little maid ca to greet them and opened the door.
The estate was quite simple; past the flower hall, into the inner chambers, awaited a petite girl in peach-colored clothing. Upon seeing Mrs. Dong enter, she cautiously ca forward to greet her.
Mrs. Dong wore a smile, pretending not to notice the girl’s fear, "Stand up. Your mistress is the Marquis’s great benefactor; there’s no need for such formalities."
Jingfu also stepped forward to help the girl up. "Sister, please stand. How is Second Miss? Our Madam hurried over as soon as she heard about Second Miss’s injury."
"This servant is Yangtao, sister can call Taotao." Yangtao finally dared to speak, "The mistress lost a lot of blood. After dressing the wound, she’s been sleeping."
Jingfu was slightly taken aback upon hearing she had a surna.
Nowadays, where would a servant have a surna?
Yangtao seed to have perceived the surprise on her face and gave a shy smile, "The mistress bestowed it upon ."
Jingfu nodded, "Second Miss is truly kind to Taotao sister."
They said nothing more.
Inwardly surprised at how the Wu mansion was too unrestrained, she understood for a servant to be granted a last na, it required a significant contribution to the master, perhaps saving their life, to be granted such an honor.
But Second Miss Wu seed to casually bestow a na.
In the sa vein, Mrs. Dong’s thoughts mirrored this sentint. As rumored in the Capital, this Second Miss appeared quite unconventional.
Young and wild, the first talented woman of the Capital, no wonder she paid no heed to such matters.
With these musings, Mrs. Dong found herself seated by the bed, observing the youthful Rong Yan. Despite her injuries, it was apparent she had been quite beautiful.
However, due to the chest wound, her complexion was terribly pale, akin to a sheet of white paper.
Recalling the wound, Mrs. Dong’s gaze moved to the partly exposed shoulders under the quilt, with the faint lining of white cotton bandages.
Her brow furrowed slightly.
A young woman with an injury, and to her chest no less...
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