Dispelling Suspicions
Qingliu, being a young, unmarried girl, was filled with shame and indignation upon hearing these words. Her face flushed red, and she began to sob, covering her face with her hands and saying, "I didn't, I didn't."
"Should we ask the second young master?" the old woman asked.
Qingliu didn't dare to say anything more.
The First Madam then turned to Lady Wei: "Do you know what I hate about Qingliu? She knows perfectly well that she's the concubine you reserved for the Second Young Master, yet she's always eyeing what she doesn't have, even setting her sights on the Heir Apparent. She's constantly flirting with him, trying to manipulate the two brothers. Do you really want to see them turn against each other over such a woman? I'm being lenient by not beating her to death. I'm only letting her off the hook now, just to make an example of her. What more do you want? Don't forget, this household isn't yours, it's mine."
With that, she viciously ordered the old woman, "Lock them in the woodshed, without water or food. Execute them tomorrow at Wushi."
After saying this, she didn't even glance at Lady Wei, and led Matron Zhou and the others away.
Several burly women pushed Qingliu and her daughter into the woodshed, locked the door, and stood guard at the entrance, their eyes constantly scanning Lady Wei's face, as if they were worried that Lady Wei would come to snatch them away.
Matron Li followed closely behind Lady Wei, trying to keep her presence hidden, and dared not utter a sound.
Lady Wei was both angry and annoyed by the First Madam's words. She turned around and shouted, "Go back!" But secretly, she breathed a sigh of relief.
It turned out that Lady Zhu was so angry because Qingliu had seduced the young master. Not only did she not speak harshly to her, but she also refused to let Qingliu off the hook.
Everyone has their Achilles' heel, and the eldest young master was Lady Zhu's Achilles' heel. No one knew better than Lady Wei how much Lady Zhu valued Zhao Jingli.
The Lady Zhu hoped to revive the Marquis's mansion, and their hopes rested on their children's generation. As the heir apparent, Zhao Jingli was naturally placed on great expectations.
Over the years, Lady Zhu has spent a lot of money hiring martial arts masters and scholars to teach her children martial arts. She plans to send Zhao Jingli to a senior official when he turns sixteen. As long as that senior official takes a liking to Zhao Jingli's abilities and martial arts skills and recommends him to the emperor or to the military for a position, then Zhao Jingli's future will be bright.
With a position and a wife of equal or even outstanding social standing, Zhao Jingli will definitely be better off than his father and uncles.
But if Zhao Jingli were to stumble over women, and his reputation were to spread, not only would that elder not give him another chance, but it would also become difficult for him to find a good marriage. His life would probably be ruined.
Therefore, it was not without reason that Lady Zhu was angry about Qingliu.
Having figured out the reason, Lady Wei breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as Lady Zhu doesn't suspect her, Guan Qingliu and her family of three spending one night together isn't a big deal. If she appears too nervous, it might arouse Lady Zhu's suspicion.
With that thought in mind, she returned to the second room, washed up again, and went to sleep.
The First Madam did not sleep all night. She returned to her room in the main house, blew out the lamp, and sat for a while. When all was quiet, she was accompanied by Matron Zhou and Caidie, and went to a room in the back through the back door.
The Old Woman Liu, who had just arrested Qingliu and locked her in the thatched gate, was already waiting there as instructed by the First Madam.
The lamp wick in the room was flicked down to a very thin wick, producing only a faint light. All the doors and windows were covered with curtains. From the outside, it was practically impossible to see that the lights were on inside.
"You and Matron Yue go to the thatched gate and interrogate Qingliu and Li Mu's family separately. Interrogate them about all the shameful things they've done for Lady Wei. Tell them that if they tell the truth, I'll have someone lightly beat them tomorrow, and then quietly release them before dawn, giving them a hundred taels of silver. Have Matron Yue write down what they say and have them put their fingerprints on it."
"Yes," Old Woman Liu replied.
The First Madam didn't say what would happen if the mother and daughter didn't confess, but Old Woman Liu, who had been carrying out torture in the mansion for many years, naturally knew what to do.
Old Woman Liu asked, "If they ask about Matron Li, what should I say?"
"If they're willing to talk, I can let Matron Li leave the Marquis's residence secretly. As for whether Matron Li wants to leave, or whether she can even leave, I can't guarantee that."
Old Woman Liu nodded, and seeing that the Madam had no further instructions, she bowed and withdrew.
After Old Woman Liu left, the First Madam did not leave the room, but rested directly on the soft couch inside. Matron Zhou and Caidie Die each found a place to take a nap.
About an hour later, Old Woman Liu returned and handed a piece of paper to the First Madam.
The First Madam glanced at it; it listed many trivial matters, but not a single word about changing the child.
She closed her eyes in disappointment, then thought about it and realized she was overthinking things.
Given Lady Wei's suspicious nature, if Matron Li's family knew about her switching the children, she would have silenced them long ago. How could she have let them live until now?
"Send them to that empty courtyard under my name. I've already had the Zhu Family send people to guard it there. Take them there and come back. Be careful going in and out, don't let anyone see you," the First Madam instructed.
Anticipating that action would be taken tonight, the First Madam had already replaced the gatekeepers and night watchmen with her trusted confidants.
Moreover, because the second and third masters were born out of wedlock, and the Lady Wei and Lady Su didn't have particularly good backgrounds in the past, and neither branch of the family dared to cause trouble by dividing the family property, the entire Marquis's mansion had not had many conflicts for many years, and the servants were all rather naive and innocent. At this time, if they were to carry out some schemes, very few people would actually notice.
The real fear is that Lady Wei might become suspicious and send people to keep an eye on them.
"Also, you've kept watch for the first half of the night. Let Wu Da's wife and Granny Qian keep watch for the second half. Before you leave, slip them some medicine, and then take them away after they fall asleep," the First Madam added.
"Yes." Upon hearing this instruction, Old Woman Liu's small eyes gleamed with excitement.
Wu Da had been very close to the Third Master recently, and Granny Qian had also been on good terms with Matron Li from the Second Branch of the household. She had long ago reminded the First Madam to replace these two. They were both gatekeepers and night patrollers, responsible for the security of the inner courtyard. With these two having ulterior motives, the inner courtyard would no longer be under the First Madam's control.
However, the First Madam listened to her suggestion but did not make a move.
I didn't expect them to be waiting here.
"Let's go back to sleep." Watching Old Woman Liu leave, the First Madam got up and left the room.
Tomorrow morning, when Lady Wei finds the person gone, she'll definitely start a fight with her. Although she can blame it on Wu Da and Granny Qian, a quarrel is inevitable. She needs to get plenty of rest now.
Well, I'll have to bring Third Madam Lady Su along tomorrow morning; it'll be good to have another person to shield us from the gunfire.
Although Xu Xi didn't witness the commotion at the Marquis's residence, she learned of it the next morning when Qingfeng brought her some things.
"The First Madam is formidable."
Xu Xi genuinely admired these women in the inner quarters; their methods were truly formidable. The usually dignified First Madam was unexpectedly capable of such cunning.
However, she really admired the First Madam's toughness and methods.