Thinking this, Madam Liu's expression also darkened.
The servant woman had received many favors from Madam Liu over the years. Seeing her like this, she thought for a moment and said, "Shall I go in and ask Old Madam for you? Perhaps she might want to see you now?"
Madam Liu nodded: "Alright, go ask Old Madam."
The servant woman hurriedly agreed and went inside.
Old Madam Fang had indeed been unwell recently and was now listlessly reclining on a soft couch to cool off.
When the servant woman entered to report, something she said must have provoked Old Madam Fang, who immediately sat up straight and pointed at the servant, scolding: "Didn't I say I wouldn't see anyone! Whose person are you anyway? Someone! Drag her out and give her fifty lashes! Let her learn her lesson!"
It had been a long time since the servant woman had seen Old Madam Fang so furious. In fact, when Old Madam Fang was younger, beating or even killing a person or two was a common occurrence, especially right after Old Master Fang passed away—she had dealt harshly with the concubines she already disliked. However, in recent years, perhaps because she had begun to believe in Buddhism, Old Madam Fang's temper had improved considerably. So, the servant woman had nearly forgotten Old Madam Fang's true nature and was now trembling all over with fear.
"Spare me, Old Madam, spare me! I only saw that Fourth Madam had come several times, so I helped her report it. Please forgive me, Old Madam!"
Old Madam Fang was in a foul mood and couldn't control her anger. Just as she was about to call someone to drag the servant woman out, a maid who was half-kneeling beside the soft couch, massaging Old Madam Fang's legs, gently tugged at her sleeve and gave her a meaningful look.
Old Madam Fang seemed to remember something and barely managed to restrain her temper. She waved her hand and said, "Fine, I'll spare you this time. If there's a next time, go and receive your punishment yourself! Now get out! Tell those outside that I won't see anyone!"
The servant woman scrambled out in a panic.
Madam Liu waited outside for the servant woman to deliver the message. Before long, she saw the servant woman running out, sweating profusely, and couldn't help but ask in surprise, "What happened?"
The servant woman hurriedly replied, "Fourth Madam, please go back. Old Madam said she won't see anyone."
Hearing this, Madam Liu wanted to ask more, but the servant woman kept her head down and refused to say another word. Puzzled, Madam Liu had no choice but to leave first.
After returning, she sent a message to the home of Fang Yahui, the eldest daughter of the Fang family, requesting to visit her the next day.
Meanwhile, after the servant woman left, Old Madam Fang sneered coldly, "Come to see me? More like coming to see when I'll die! If I die, the Fang family will fall into their hands. Those ambitious beasts—they think I don't know anything!"
The maid massaging Old Madam Fang's legs quickly said, "Old Madam, please don't be angry. If you make yourself ill, no one else will care, but our eldest young lady will be heartbroken. After all, she is your own daughter."Old Madam Fang took a deep breath and lay back on the couch. She glanced at the maid massaging the acupoints on her soles and said, "You're right. In this lifetime, I only have Hui'er and Cun'er as my own flesh and blood. As for others, no matter how wholeheartedly you treat them, they can still stab you in the back and devour you. This time, I've finally come to my senses. Even if I were to ruin the Fang family, I would never hand it over to those ungrateful wretches! Ouch..."
Seeing Old Madam Fang cry out in pain, the maid immediately stopped her hands. "This servant deserves death!"
Old Madam Fang waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine. You're pressing very comfortably, continue. By the way, where did she find such a thoughtful maid like you?"
The maid lowered her head and resumed her gentle massage, smiling as she replied, "In answer to the Old Madam, this servant was found by the eldest young mistress through the young mistress of the Qin family. My ancestors once served as imperial physicians in the palace, so our family passed down skills in acupuncture and acupressure. The eldest young mistress saw that my massage techniques were decent and, thinking of how you've been complaining about sweating hands and feet lately, sent me to serve you. The eldest young mistress is truly filial—she always keeps you in mind."
Old Madam Fang nodded in satisfaction. "It seems I didn't dote on her for nothing."
The maid smiled faintly. "Indeed, not only our eldest young mistress but also the young lady and young master often think of you. When I came to the Fang family, they asked me to send their regards to you."
The gloom on Old Madam Fang's face finally lightened considerably. Yet, thinking of her lively and adorable grandchildren, she couldn't help but recall her son's infertility, and her heart remained unsettled. "Since your ancestors were imperial physicians, tell me—in Eldest Master's condition, is there still any possibility of him having children?"
Because this maid was sent by Fang Yahui to serve Old Madam Fang and had been attending to her comfortably these past days, even chatting with her about her daughter and grandchildren's amusing stories, Old Madam Fang trusted her more than the senior maids in her own quarters.
The maid thought for a moment and sighed. "Actually, when the eldest young mistress discovered that Eldest Master had been secretly given a sterilizing drug, which caused his infertility, she specifically called me over to ask about it. Unfortunately, Eldest Master was drugged many years ago, and it went on for several years. Now, if we try to treat it... I'm afraid it's already too late."
Although Old Madam Fang already knew the answer in her heart, hearing it still left her deeply disappointed.
Seeing this, the maid quickly consoled her. "Old Madam, although there isn't much hope for Eldest Master's recovery, you can still seek out renowned physicians to try. At least now we know the root cause, right? You can also keep Ninth Master's child by your side and guide him. Ninth Master is clearly on his last legs, and Ninth Mistress is determined to enter a nunnery. If you take the young master under Eldest Master's name and raise him yourself, when he grows up, he will only feel gratitude and filial piety toward you. Even if Eldest Master recovers from his illness in the future and has children of his own, this child can still serve as his right-hand man."
Old Madam Fang couldn't help but nod in agreement. Finally, she asked, "Did Hui'er tell you to say all this to me?"The maid smiled faintly upon hearing this. "The eldest young mistress always thinks fondly of her maternal family. She was originally very close to Fourth Master Ren and his wife, and often spoke well of them in your presence. Who would have thought she would accidentally discover the truth about the eldest master's infertility? Truly... ah! The eldest young mistress must be deeply distressed."
"How can this be blamed on Hui'er? Not only her, even I was deceived by them! If not for the fact that most of the Fang family has already fallen into his hands without anyone noticing, and he has gained some influence, I wouldn't have to swallow my anger to stabilize them now, unable to even seek revenge! I should have realized earlier—back when their concubine mother was alive, she was skilled at making medicinal cuisine and used that to climb into the old master's bed. Yet I never imagined they would poison Xun'er to seize the Fang family's fortune!"
By the end, Old Madam Fang was nearly grinding her teeth in hatred.
When she learned from her daughter that her only son's infertility was caused by years of sterilization powder administered during his youth, and that the likely culprits were Fang Yacun and his concubine mother, Old Madam Fang wished she could tear them to pieces.
But this time, her daughter seemed wiser, advising her to first stabilize Fang Yacun and his wife, and not to break with them until all necessary arrangements were made. Though Old Madam Fang was deeply unwilling, she knew her daughter was right—otherwise, Fang Yacun might strike first and seize complete control of the Fang family.
Yet she truly could not bear to see Fang Yacun and Madam Liu again. She feigned illness to avoid them while secretly gathering respected elders from the clan, planning to first adopt Ninth Master's child and then drive Fang Yacun out of the Fang family.
Meanwhile, the messenger Madam Liu sent to Fang Yahui returned with the report that the eldest young mistress was also unwell and did not wish to receive visitors recently, asking Madam Liu to come another day.
Fang Yahui was not a scheming person and had always been friendly toward Madam Liu, who had never been turned away by her before. Thus, Madam Liu knew this matter indeed had something to do with Fang Yahui.
In the afternoon, Ninth Master's child was indeed sent over, but Madam Liu never even saw the child before it was delivered into Old Madam Fang's hands. Several wet nurses arrived with the child, and Madam Liu later learned that Old Madam Fang had asked Fang Yahui to find them.
Thanks to Old Madam Ren's earlier secrecy, the adoption had been arranged in advance. As soon as the child arrived, it was recorded in the clan registry without even alerting Fang Yacun. By the time he found out, it was a fait accompli.
Afterward, Fang Yacun was both shocked and furious. As the future head of the Fang family and the future clan leader, he had believed that after years of maneuvering, most of the Fang family was under his control. But after the adoption, he began to doubt this.
He felt things were not so simple—this incident was definitely not orchestrated by Old Madam Fang alone. She could not have accomplished this without his knowledge by herself. Fang Yacun believed another family must have been involved, and he suspected it was the Qin family, Fang Yahui's marital family.Madam Liu comforted Fang Yacun, saying, "Although the child has been adopted by the eldest branch, he is still just a baby of a few months old. It will take at least a dozen years for him to grow up. Could the Fang Family really wait for him to take charge?"
Fang Yacun felt somewhat relieved but grew even more attentive to clan affairs, fearing that Old Madam Fang might devise another scheme.
Sure enough, within a few days, Old Madam Fang suddenly invited several elderly clan members who had long withdrawn from managing affairs into the mansion, announcing that the ancestral hall would be opened to cleanse the family of unworthy members.
The target of this cleansing was none other than Fang Yacun, the next head of the Fang Family! His alleged crime was conspiring with his sister and concubine to secretly poison Fang Yaxun in an attempt to seize the Fang Family's wealth.
The matter of the Fang Family was quickly resolved, and no further details will be written here^^~
The author wishes to write about happier things now~
It seems all the extra updates from last month's pink votes have been added up to today? (If the count is off, please point it out^^~)
The author has been very diligent today, very diligent~
Continuing to act cute and ask for votes~o(∩_∩)o
It's the last day of December...〒_〒
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