At the sight, the Old Madam's eyes rolled back, and she cried, "My family... how could my perfectly prosperous family... how could they all have gone bankrupt?"
"Not a single penny left..."
As she sobbed, a choking gasp caught in her throat.
Her eyes rolled back, and she fainted again.
The Residence Physician covered his face and let out a piercing shriek!
"Ah!!!"
The Zhong Family soon learned that Liu Wan did not support the marriage.
Madam Zhong returned home looking grim and told Zhong Youyan, "It seems Liu Wan knows exactly what sort of man her younger brother-in-law is. She said she respected our decision."
"Then I thank her. So has the engagement been broken off? I don't want to marry a man from such a disgraceful household. He already has a son by a mistress before his lawful wife has even entered the family. I certainly won't swallow that insult."
Clad in a fitted red outfit, Zhong Youyan held her head high, her eyes full of disdain.
She had never wanted to marry such a sickly man in the first place. Had her father not said that the Marquis's Residence was a lofty, distinguished household, and that marrying into it would at least raise her social standing and bring glory to her family, she would not have agreed at all.
And now there was this scandal about Xie Jinqiu having a son by a mistress.
She cared about her reputation and could not accept such an embarrassing husband.
"I went to see the Old Madam at the Marquis's Residence. She said to give Fourth Master Xie a little time, and he would certainly find out where these rumors came from."
Madam Zhong sighed.
In truth, Liu Wan's attitude spoke volumes. She was the Minister of Rites' legitimate daughter, enjoyed an excellent reputation in the Capital, and was one of its foremost beauties. More importantly, she was now a Third-Rank Imperial Lady personally appointed by His Majesty.
She would never do anything that damaged her reputation.
Her words carried more weight.
Still, Madam Zhong wanted to see whether Fourth Master Xie was truly innocent.
"So you didn't manage to break it off? Mother, how could you be so muddleheaded? This came from inside the Marquis's Residence. Could it possibly be false?"
With nowhere to vent her anger, Zhong Youyan indignantly drew her whip.
"If he really is innocent, why didn't he say so immediately? I'm going to find those two old women and take them to the Marquis's Residence to confront him!"
Alarmed, Madam Zhong stopped her.
Her daughter had once been quite gentle, but after falling into the water three years ago, her temperament had changed completely. She refused to listen to anyone and was always shouting that she would not accept an arranged marriage!
Whenever violence could solve a problem, she used violence, without considering the consequences at all.
She said their family had money anyway, and no matter what happened, money could solve it.
If it could not, that only meant there was not enough money.
This time, Madam Zhong watched her produce ten thousand taels again. "I refuse to believe this much money won't pry those two old women's mouths open!"
Madam Zhong's scalp prickled.
But there was something they did not know.
One of those two old women was Mama Qing, who had served Old Madam Xie and had been captured when she went to deal with the maid who released the snakes.
She had been poisoned and thrown back into the Marquis's Residence to gather information. Otherwise, she would die a sudden death.
After returning, she could no longer remain at the Old Madam's side, so she had become a lowly maid doing rough work.
She told that person everything she knew, and that person ordered her to spread word about the Fourth Master's son by a mistress.
So she had her old friend spread the story.
After her old friend went out, she too was poisoned and sent back.
And now... the two of them were gathering information together.
Today, after Mama Qing and her old friend had an argument,
they went out together to spread more news. Unexpectedly, someone clamped hands over their mouths and abducted them to the Zhong Family's home.
Zhong Youyan ordered a maid to slap Mama Qing across the face again and again.
"Are you going to talk? Are you going to talk?"
With a dirty rag stuffed in her mouth, Mama Qing could only make muffled cries.
Seeing her refuse to talk, the maid struck even harder.
"Smack..."
"Still keeping your mouth shut, are you? Are you going to talk? Are you going to talk?"
Zhong Youyan pressed a hand to her forehead in exasperation and said to the maid, "Little Lucky Star, don't you think you should take the rag out so she can speak?"
Mama Qing nodded tearfully.
She could not have agreed more!
Little Lucky Star scratched her head, said, "Oh," and pulled the dirty rag from Mama Qing's mouth.
Before Mama Qing could recover, Little Lucky Star slapped her again. "Are you going to talk..."
"I..."
"Smack..."
"Are you going to talk? Huh? Are you?"
At the end of her patience, Mama Qing roared through her tears, "Then ask me something!"
She had come out to spread the news in the first place. She could hardly wait to tell them!
This little maid was all strength and no brains. Mama Qing's old face had swollen into a pig's head.
Boohoo.
She had been so terribly wronged!
Little Lucky Star pursed her lips and stepped aside.
Zhong Youyan rose from her stool and scattered a handful of banknotes. "Did Fourth Master Xie really keep a mistress and have a son with her? Tell me, and these banknotes are all yours."
"I used to be Mama Qing, who served at Old Madam Xie's side. Everyone of any standing in the Marquis's Residence knows me. I would never lie."
"That day, the Old Madam gave Young Master Huai Shan the Jade Bead Strand bestowed by the Late Emperor. Only under questioning from Eldest Madam Liu Wan did the Old Madam admit that the child was not adopted, but the Fourth Master's own flesh and blood, and the only biological male child in the young masters' generation."
"The Eldest Madam refused to raise Young Master Huai Shan, so the child could only be raised by his wet nurse. The Heir Apparent took that wet nurse as his concubine. Lately, Concubine Xu has often carried Young Master Huai Shan to the Fourth Master's courtyard. I saw it with my own eyes. As for what happened after the door closed, I don't know..."
There. That was all she could say.
Those above her had ordered her to spread word about the Fourth Master's son by a mistress, so that was all she could say.
As for the affairs between Xu Rourou and the Heir Apparent, even if she knew, she dared not say more.
Zhong Youyan ordered someone to untie her. "Who else knows about this besides you?"
Mama Qing pointed at her old friend, who was tied up beside her. "My old friend knows too."
Her old friend glared at her angrily over her gag.
Zhong Youyan tossed down the banknotes and took her people to find her mother.
"Something terrible has happened! Eldest Madam, the Zhong Family brought people to fling dung outside the Marquis's Residence! Ugh, the whole street reeks!"
Wang Xia had just returned from hiring a cook when she witnessed this shocking spectacle.
Fortunately, she had dodged quickly enough, or she would have been splashed from head to toe in dung.
[Ah, what a juicy scandal!]
[I really want to go watch! Mother, Mother, are you really not going to do anything?]
Little Wanwan tugged desperately at her mother's robe with her soft little hands.
Liu Wan played with her for a moment, then asked, "Didn't the Fourth Master go deal with it?"
Wang Xia lowered her head. "He did. Then the old women the Zhong Family hired to hurl abuse cursed him until he cried."
"And... and they splashed him all over with dung. He's collapsed from anger now. What should we do, Eldest Madam? Now the whole Capital knows about the Fourth Master's son by a mistress. The Marquis's Residence is being cursed so viciously."
Now the Old Madam had fallen ill, and so had the Fourth Master.
The Heir Apparent and his wife had been sent away to serve as lucky mascots, while the Second Master was roaming about, his whereabouts unknown.
Now, the Third Master was the only person left in the residence whose word carried authority.
Liu Wan smiled faintly. "I said I wouldn't manage things. Send someone to find the Third Master. If we let the Zhong Family keep making such a scene and word reaches His Majesty, it won't be good!"
"The Third Master? Can that scoundrel handle it? His reputation stinks worse than the Fourth Master's!" Wang Xia remarked offhandedly.
Pan Chun glanced at her. "Silly Wang Xia. We're sending him precisely because we know he can't handle it. It'll only be interesting once things blow up!"
Before you continue