Ren Yaoyu was now also burning with righteous indignation. Thinking that her grievances were about to be redressed, she forgot she could send maids or matrons to call Fifth Master and instead dashed outside herself. Fifth Master should have been entertaining several friends in the outer courtyard at this time, but fortunately, her chamber matron managed to stop her.
"Eighth Miss, this servant will go call Fifth Master. Please stay with Fifth Madam."
Seeing that Madam Lin and Ren Yaoyu were both angrily preparing to leave, Xueli hurriedly said, "Fifth Madam, you... you promised this servant a reward earlier..."
Madam Lin waved her hand: "Come to my courtyard later to collect it. You won't be shortchanged!"
Only then did Xueli put on an expression of relief.
It wasn't mealtime, so Wife Niu was sitting in the courtyard with a group of matrons and wives, chatting while cracking melon seeds. Just as they were chatting animatedly, four or five burly, fierce-looking matrons barged in. After identifying who Wife Niu was, they grabbed her and dragged her out.
Wife Niu was startled and struggled desperately along the way, shouting and cursing, attracting a crowd of onlookers. No one understood what was happening.
Until Wife Niu was dragged before Fifth Madam Lin in the Glazed Courtyard.
Seeing Fifth Madam glaring at her with furious eyes, Wife Niu was frightened and forgot to scream or struggle: "F-fifth Madam..."
Fifth Madam sneered coldly and pointed at a paper packet spread open on the table: "Take a look and see if you recognize what this is!"
Wife Niu instinctively glanced at the table. At first, she couldn't make out what that clump was, but since she had personally handled Ren Yaoyu's medicinal dregs back then, she still had some impression. After looking a few more times, she recognized it.
This recognition was no small matter. Wife Niu thought her misdeeds had been exposed, and she was so terrified that her legs went weak and she knelt on the ground, unable to speak. She was frightened out of her wits.
Seeing her cowardly appearance, Fifth Madam understood—the maid Xueli's words were likely true.
This was outrageous! Fifth Madam pointed at Wife Niu and screamed angrily: "Drag her out and beat her with the plank! Beat this wicked, cunning slave to death!" She didn't even have the patience to hear Wife Niu's defense.
As soon as Madam Lin finished speaking, two matrons stepped forward to drag Wife Niu away. Seeing Fifth Madam's expression, Wife Niu realized her life might truly be at stake here. Regardless of everything, she kowtowed while crying out: "Fifth Madam, spare my life! Fifth Madam, spare my life! This has nothing to do with this servant! This servant was only following orders! This servant didn't even know what kind of medicine this was!"
As soon as her words fell, a man's voice, suppressed with anger, sounded at the door: "Whose orders were you following!"
Everyone turned to look and saw Fifth Master Ren Shimiao standing at the door with a dark expression.
As soon as Fifth Madam saw Fifth Master had arrived, she immediately stood up and threw herself into his arms. Paying no mind to the room full of people watching, the fierce tigress from moments ago now wept pitifully and sorrowfully: "Fifth Lang, our Yu'er is so pitiful! How could someone be so cruel as to use medicine to harm her! Fifth Lang, you must uphold justice for our mother and daughter! Wuwuwu..."
The roomful of maids and matrons seemed accustomed to such scenes, all lowering their heads and focusing on their own thoughts.Fifth Master comforted Madam Lin a few words, then glanced at his daughter standing to the side, who also wore a wronged expression. When he turned his gaze back to Wife Niu, the fury in his eyes intensified: "I'm asking you a question! Who ordered you to switch Eighth Miss's medicine?" Earlier on the way, Ren Yaoyu's chamber matron had already informed him of the entire incident.
Wife Niu had somewhat recovered after Madam Lin's crying fit and began to stammer. She had heard that Fifth Master was relatively gentle-natured, not as hot-tempered as Madam Lin. Perhaps...
But this time, the usually amiable Fifth Master was not so easy to deal with. Having traveled and seen the world, he recognized at once from Wife Niu's expression that this woman was secretly scheming. He sneered coldly: "Enough! For a servant like you, even if wrongly executed, it's just a worthless life! Someone, tie up this treacherous servant and send her to the magistrate's office. Say she dared to use poison to harm her master, and let the magistrate interrogate her."
Madam Lin cried out: "Just taking her life? How could it be that easy! Go find out if any of her family members still work for the Ren Family! Bring them all here tied up! If she has children, even better—get this prescription filled, brew it, and feed it to her child. I want her to see what my Yu'er suffered back then!"
Hearing this, Wife Niu was startled, her face turning pale. She had only one son, just four years old this year—the apple of her eye.
"Please don't, Madam Lin... this has nothing to do with my child... Madam Lin... Fifth Master, Fifth Master, have mercy." Wife Niu kowtowed with loud thuds.
Madam Lin and Ren Shimiao remained unmoved. Madam Lin even sneered at her.
Seeing that maids were about to follow orders and arrest people, Wife Niu truly had no choice left. She immediately said: "This servant confesses, this servant confesses everything. I'll do whatever you ask, just please spare my son, Fifth Master and Madam Lin."
Only then did Fifth Master call back those maids.
But Madam Lin said: "First go arrest those people. Who knows if they might hear the news and escape? By then, this treacherous servant might become dishonest again! If she dares to hide even half a word or speak falsely, I'll test the medicine on her son!" In matters of tormenting others, Madam Lin showed remarkable talent, mastering it without instruction.
Seeing Fifth Master remain silent, those maids immediately went to make the arrests.
Wife Niu collapsed onto the floor.
"Speak now!"
Wife Niu trembled. Thinking of her son about to fall into Madam Lin's hands, she gritted her teeth and said: "This servant originally followed the orders of my sister-in-law's mother-in-law to switch Eighth Miss's medicine."
"Is it Granny Gui from the old madam's courtyard?" Madam Lin immediately asked.
Wife Niu nodded.
Madam Lin showed an expression that said "just as I thought." It seemed that maid named Xueli hadn't lied to her.
"Then who gave Granny Gui her orders?" Ren Shimiao asked coldly.
Wife Niu shook her head: "This servant doesn't know that."
Seeing Madam Lin dissatisfied and about to lose her temper, Wife Niu quickly said: "This servant truly doesn't know. I only followed orders to switch the medicine, and I didn't even know what the medicine was for."
Madam Lin snorted: "Then what use are you to me?"Wife Niu racked her brains, then suddenly remembered something and immediately said, "But at the time, I secretly asked my sister-in-law about this matter. Although she also said she didn’t know then, she later accidentally let slip a complaint—that her mother-in-law, who was already a steward in Old Madam Ren’s quarters, still had to run errands for a concubine, which really lowered her status."
"A concubine? Is it Concubine Fang from the third branch?" Madam Lin pressed.
Wife Niu had only overheard her sister-in-law muttering at the time and hadn’t fully understood. Later, when she asked again, her sister-in-law refused to say anything more. But now, she nodded hastily, "Yes, it seems it was Concubine Fang. It was her."
Fifth Master and Madam Lin exchanged a glance, then ordered the servants, "Tie her up and take her to Glory and Splendor Courtyard to see Old Madam. Also, go invite Third Brother and Third Sister-in-law over."
The couple then took Wife Niu to see Old Madam. Just as they stepped out of the courtyard, they ran into First Madam Wang Shi, who had hurried over upon hearing the news.
Old Madam Ren had woken up early that morning with her right eyelid twitching incessantly. In the end, she had to cut a small piece of red paper and stick it to the corner of her eye.
Later, a maid reported that Madam Lin had somehow caused another commotion and had even detained a minor kitchen stewardess, taking her back to Purple Magnolia Courtyard.
Old Madam Ren was already overwhelmed by the matter of Ren Yaohua and had no time to deal with whatever madness Madam Lin was up to now. She sent a maid to ask First Madam to go to Purple Magnolia Courtyard and check on the situation.
But Old Madam Ren was destined to have no peace that day. Not long after, First Madam returned with Fifth Master and his wife, followed by a woman who was bound and dragged in.
"What is the meaning of this?" Old Madam frowned.
First Madam glanced at Ren Shimiao and Madam Lin, thought for a moment, and decided not to speak first. Although she had heard Madam Lin recount the whole story on the way, this was no small matter, and it was better to let the fifth and third branches resolve it themselves.
Madam Lin was skilled at lodging accusations. Without hesitation, she recounted the events once more, with Fifth Master adding a few measured remarks. The husband and wife worked in perfect harmony, laying bare the misdeeds of Granny Gui and Concubine Fang.
Old Madam Ren listened with disbelief and personally interrogated Wife Niu again. With her son still in Madam Lin’s hands, Wife Niu dared not play any tricks and answered every question truthfully.
"Bring Granny Gui and Concubine Fang to me at once!" Old Madam Ren now felt the matter was serious and couldn’t help but look stern.
Ren Shimiao placed the packet of medicinal dregs on the table. "Mother, before I returned, I had already sent someone to fetch a physician to the estate. I also sent someone to invite Third Brother and Third Sister-in-law."
Old Madam Ren nodded without saying anything. She glanced at the medicinal dregs but couldn’t make sense of them.
"You said a maid gave this to you? Where is that maid?" Old Madam asked Madam Lin.
Madam Lin immediately replied, "This maid used to be Concubine Fang’s person. She was sent to Purple Magnolia Courtyard to spy on Yaoqi. Later, because Yaoqi disliked her, she was expelled from the inner courtyard. Fearing that Concubine Fang would have her thrown out of the estate, she came to me. She said there was another maid who had been sent to Purple Magnolia Courtyard with her, and Concubine Fang had instructed Granny Gui to sell her far away. Do you wish to see her, Mother? I’ll have her brought here at once."Old Madam Ren said, "Let's talk about it later..."
At that moment, Shanhu, who had been sent to find Granny Gui, returned: "Old Madam, I couldn’t find Granny Gui."
Old Madam Ren frowned. Granny Gui usually informed others of her whereabouts when she went out, so it was rare for her to be missing. Could it be that she really had Wife Niu switch Ren Yaoyu’s medicine and had already fled upon hearing the news?
Fifth Master Ren, however, said, "Don’t worry, Mother. I was afraid she might flee, so I had people guard all the gates of the Ren residence earlier. She can’t leave the Ren estate. Besides, even if she escapes, her family can’t run away. Send someone to check the courtyard where her family lives."
Votes, come to my bowl... 〒_〒
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