The old madam fell ill again.
This time, it wasn't heartache. It was all external injuries.
Nobody knew who had beaten her.
That day, the sky had been dark and the crowd thick. Trapped in a large net, the old madam had been drenched with two basins of sour-smelling dog blood and struck in the face more times than anyone could count. Even her eyes had swollen shut, and one of those slaps had come from her own darling eldest son.
Every maid and serving woman in the Joy and Longevity Court had rushed out, nearly causing a stampede.
The old madam had almost breathed her last.
That night, the commotion in the Joy and Longevity Court had lasted well past midnight, alarming the entire Marquis's Estate.
The old madam both feared and hated Jian Ruonan. After this ordeal, she was even less willing to let Min nurse her, afraid that Min and Jian Ruonan were snakes and rats in the same nest and would slip something into her medicine.
Besides, there was no evidence that Jian Ruonan had done it. Forced to swallow this grievance in silence, the old madam was so furious her breasts ached.
Her only option now was to marry the fifth young lady into the Shi Family and send this scourge away as quickly as possible. Only then could she live a few more years.
Afterward, Jian Ruonan sold Wen Xue off.
In Great Xia, maids who were sold off never ended up anywhere good. Jian Ruonan had given Wen Xue a chance, but she hadn't treasured it.
This incident made the maids in the Deer Song Courtyard tighten their skins a little.
Their young mistress was merely a bit lazy. She knew exactly what was going on.
Inside the Imperial Study, Emperor Deyuan