Chunliu had already opened the door and gone out.
When she entered, Xiqiu was leaning on the couch dozing off. Chunyan, who was keeping watch by her side, put a finger to her lips upon hearing the disturbance and whispered, "Madam has just fallen asleep, what do you need?"
Chunliu, full of words, swallowed them abruptly the mont she saw Xiqiu’s sleeping face.
She was slim and slightly underweight, wearing a water-clear patterned, half-old overcoat. Her hair was in a loose bun on the side, with one hand supporting her cheek, her willow eyebrows slightly knitted, and a thick fatigue between her brows.
For the first ti, Chunliu felt aggrieved and her eyes reddened. She turned around, wiped her tears, bit her lip, and shook her head towards Chunyan.
Chunyan, pulling her aside, whispered, "Why are you crying for no reason? It won’t look good if Madam sees you." Chunyan was still unaware of the rumors outside.
Chunliu quickly wiped her tears and shook her head, saying, "It’s nothing, I just suddenly got sothing in my eye."
Chunyan naturally didn’t believe it, furrowing her brows and asking, "What exactly is wrong with you, did you suffer so grievance sowhere?" Chunliu, with her fiery and straightforward nature, was usually the one who caused others grievances, so it was the first ti Chunyan saw her with such a hesitant and aggrieved expression.
"It’s nothing!" Chunliu waved her hand.
The whispering between the two had already woken Xiqiu, who opened her eyes and asked, "What’s the matter? Has Fourth Master sent soone back?"
Chunyan and Chunliu were montarily stunned, turning to see that Xiqiu was awake. Chunyan imdiately brought over fresh tea for her and said, "No, it’s Chunliu. She’s acting as if she has sothing to say but isn’t saying it. I can’t get a word out of her!"
Xiqiu raised her eyebrows and looked at Chunliu: "Is the Third Young Master, Seventh Young Master okay? Why didn’t they co with you?"
"The Third Young Master and Seventh Young Master have gone out. I ran into the First Young Madam, who said that this morning, governnt officials ca to the door just to ask a few questions, and concluded that the two young masters were in the mansion all last night, so they left without saying anything." After a pause, she continued, "The Third Young Master went to the tutor’s house, and the Seventh Young Master went to the academy."
Xiqiu nodded and then asked, "What were you talking about just now? Did sothing happen outside?"
Chunliu, with her head down, thought for a mont and then told Xiqiu about the rumors outside, adding, "Madam, the rumors outside are so unpleasant to hear, what should we do? We can’t just let people talk nonsense, can we?" After a pause, she added, "The governnt office just sent soone to ask about the Third Young Master and the Seventh Young Master, and those people are as if they’ve already sentenced them, insisting that it was the Third Young Master and Seventh Young Master who did it."
As expected.
Xiqiu chuckled, shaking her head, Miss Hu’s thods are indeed clever.
The fire at the Hu Family’s residence not only burned alive the maids and servants accompanying the carriage but also made her once again a victim.
It naturally turned her into soone with a guilty conscience eager to destroy evidence, anxious to get rid of Miss Hu. If more rumors were created to have public opinion uniformly condemn her, it would not only put her at the center of a storm of insults but also put pressure on the Capital City Governnt as well as the Marquis Mansion.
Fourth Master Xiao in the court, would also be attacked and criticized by the Imperial Censor for having an improper household deanor.
Even if Fourth Master Xiao and she don’t care, what about the Grand Dowager, as well as Xiao Yanyi and the Second Madam? They will probably, concerned about face, try to resolve this matter quickly without regard to the details.
From the perspective of the bigger picture, the best way to resolve this matter would be for her to clear herself of the rumors. And what’s the best way to clear the rumors? It’s for her to magnanimously bring Miss Hu into the mansion as Fourth Master Xiao’s concubine.
Appearing before people as sisters, showing mutual respect and love.
In this way, her reputation for jealousy would collapse without a fight. As for the fire at the Hu Family’s residence and the carriage accident, it would just take a word from the Capital City Governnt Office, and then let the office casually produce a result.
This way, the matter would have a happy and satisfying ending.
With Miss Hu in the mansion, her reputation would be restored, and neither Fourth Master Xiao nor the Marquis Mansion would suffer any loss.
Truly a very effective counterasure, ruthless not only to others but also to oneself.
She laughed coldly, thinking of Miss Hu’s delicate figure leaning against the wall to stand...
It’s hard to associate her appearance with her thods.
"Madam, what should we do?" Chunyan was also flustered, her eyes reddening with anxiety as she hurriedly asked.
Nanny Tang sighed and said, "Madam, the rumors outside are spreading all over the streets, they sound really unpleasant, and even I can’t bear to listen to them."
Mrs. took off the handkerchief wrapped around her hand, had soone bring out the newly brewed February orchid tea, and then took a sip herself, asking, "What about Fourth Madam over there, is there any movent?"
"None." Nanny Tang said, "I went to check, Fourth Madam is in the room talking with a few maids, and everything in the courtyard is just as usual."
Mrs. showed a slight smile, released the tea in her hands, and nodded, "She really can keep her cool."
Nanny Tang was taken aback, seemingly not understanding Mrs.’s words, just as she was about to ask, Mrs. already stood up: "Let’s go to the Grand Dowager’s place."
As Mrs. left, the Second Madam was in her room saying the sa thing to Zitan: "Is there any movent from Fourth Madam over there?" Zitan shook her head and said, "No, I even suspect that Fourth Madam hasn’t heard those rumors yet."
The Second Madam furrowed her brows, a hint of doubt in her eyes, everyone in the mansion knew, how could Fourth Sister-in-law not know, but if she knew, why was she still so calm?
"Madam, could it be that the matter with Miss Hu is really at Fourth Madam’s doing?" Uncertain, Zitan asked.
"Impossible!" The Second Madam’s tone was firm: "On the surface, it seems like the rumors are true, that it’s Fourth Madam’s way of not wanting Hu Suqing to enter the Marquis Mansion, but if she really didn’t want Hu Suqing to co in, there are so many thods she could use, why cause such a commotion across the city?" She paused and added, "I indeed underestimated Hu Suqing, she actually used such a tactic that harms oneself to harm others even more."
Listening to this, Zitan suddenly realized and asked, "Then what should we do? The rumors outside are so unpleasant, they say our Marquis Mansion is outwardly glamorous, but if there’s a vicious woman like Fourth Madam, how could the others be good people, these nasty words, even a servant like can’t help but want to tear those people’s mouths apart."
The Second Madam listened, squinting her eyes slightly, with a hint of anger in her tone, said, "Co, let’s go to the Grand Dowager’s place, mother must already have a counterasure in mind for this matter."
Zitan agreed, helping the Second Madam change her clothes, brought along maids and elderly won, and they crowded around the Second Madam to the Grand Dowager’s room.
Upon entering, to her surprise, the Fifth Madam was also present. The First Madam was sitting on the chair to the right of the Grand Dowager, and seeing the two, the Second Madam raised her brows slightly, greeted the Grand Dowager, and then sat down on the chair to the left of the Grand Dowager.
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