Old Madam asked after hesitating for a while. Glancing over Rui’an Great Elder Princess who had returned to the room, she really wanted to drive her away. She was at a disadvantageous position when arguing with Rui’an Great Elder Princess just now, so at this moment she was more reluctant to see Rui’an Great Elder Princess listen to the affairs of their mansion.
However, Rui’an Great Elder Princess was sitting there, not seeming to leave soon. Moreover, they had mentioned that Qin Yuru intended to pretend to be the Miss of Duke Xing’s Mansion during their conversation. Even if she insisted on staying, it was reasonable. Knowing that Rui’an Great Elder Princess would definitely stay and listen to their conversation about what had happened today, Old Madam became sullen, but had to ask.
“Grandma, there are several cotton quilts in Qin Yuru’s carriage!” Shao Caihuan gnashed her teeth and said.
Everyone was stunned for a moment and did not understand what she meant.
“What? Quilts?” Old Madam asked, but she suddenly understood, sat upright and said, “Have you seen that clearly?”
“Grandma, if you don’t believe me, you can send someone to check it out. When Fourth Sister and I intended to have a look just now, the old maid stopped us. After that, we saw more than one cotton quilt in the carriage,” Shao Caihuan said with hatred.
There were cotton quilts in the carriage?”
Such a situation was almost impossible. No one would put a few cotton quilts in the carriage no matter she was going to a banquet or on a trip. She was not a patient. Qin Yuru went to Prince Cheng’s Mansion and Duke Yong’s Mansion, and on her way back her carriage finally bumped into the carriage of the Third Madam of Duke Xing’s Mansion which was going out.
The quilts could be useful in an accident. If someone bumped into the carriage wall directly, she would probably be injured. But what if there were several cotton quilts in the carriage? She would only bump into the quilts at most in the accident, but wouldn’t be injured!
“Grandma, if Qin Yuru didn’t intend to bump into my mother’s carriage, how could she prepare a few quilts?” Shao Cailing cried, “Grandma, Qin Yuru planned to bump into our mansion’s carriage, but who told her when my mother would go out? Moreover, the coachman happened to drive to the path! I beg you to uphold justice for my mother!”
Shao Cailing knelt down as she spoke. Shao Caihuan next to her also knelt down.
“Grandma, I beg you to find out the truth!”
Qin Yuru had prepared several quilts, but both places she had visited before had nothing to do with Duke Xing’s Mansion. How could she have happened to bump into Duke Xing’s Mansion’s carriage?
Qin Yuru had a fake bluegrass seal, and had taken it out to show it and thus to win Old Madam’s favor. What had happened in Prince Cheng’s Mansion even made her reputation more terrible. So she urgently needed this fake identity. Coincidentally, her carriage bumped into the Third Madam’s carriage which occasionally went out, and later it was found out that she had known it before.
Old Madam looked towards Madam of Duke Xing in shock. She was not really muddle-headed. Qin Yuru was just an unmarried Miss, and it was impossible for her to have connections in Duke Xing’s Mansion. If there were anyone capable of providing her with information, the most suspicious person in Duke Xing’s Mansion would be Madam of Duke Xing.
“Mother, do you think it suspicious? I think so, too. Someone in our mansion is in collusion with this First Miss Qin!” Madam of Duke Xing frowned and said.
Hearing that she said so bluntly, Old Madam thought that she might have doubted the wrong person. Was it someone else in their mansion?
“Go and find out who dares to plot against our Duke Xing’s Mansion,” Old Madam said after falling silent for a while. There were so many doubtful points that she had to check it out. Both Madam of Duke Xing and the third Madam were her daughters-in-law, and they both married her biological son. Thus, she couldn’t be biased in front of so many people.
In fact, Duke Xing’s Mansion included a total of five branches. The first, second and third branches were headed by Madam Dowager’s biological sons, while the fourth and fifth branches were headed by the sons of other concubines. Madam Dowager didn’t want to see the sons of other concubines and their family members, so she found an excuse to separate the two branches and make them live apart, so that all family members of Duke Xing’s Mansion were biologically related to her.
Of course, she didn’t like the third daughter-in-law as much as she liked the second daughter-in-law, but compared with Infanta Qinghua, the third daughter-in-law was still in more favor with her. What was more, Old Madam had to be impartial in front of Rui’an Great Elder Princess.
“Okay, Mother. I’m going to inquire about it. I’ll inquire the coachman first. It hasn’t been long since he began to work in our mansion. I considered him fine, so I let him drive my carriage. I didn’t expect such a thing!” Madam of Duke Xing said to Madam Dowager.
After that, she came over, reached out to help Shao Caihuan and her sister up in person and said with distress, “You should stop kneeling. Your Mother is still lying in bed and needs you to take care of her. Third sister-in-law will feel distressed at the sight of your wretched look. Go to take care of your mother. I’ll handle this. I’ll definitely find out the background of the coachman and the old maid, and won’t let your Mother suffer for nothing!”
She said in an extremely gentle tone, as if she really cared about them. Besides, she was calm and didn’t cover up the coachman’s and the old maid’s deeds.
Shao Caihuan and Shao Cailing exchanged glances hesitantly.
Could it be possible that it had nothing to do with their second aunt?
“Madam of Duke Xing, since you have the time to talk, it’s better to catch the coachman as soon as possible, lest he run away after getting the news!” Rui’an Great Elder Princess said coldly.
“I’ll send someone to catch them right away!” Madam of Duke Xing said with a flattering smile, and then instructed an old maid behind her. After that, the old maid left in a hurry.
“Madam Dowager, you should also give me an explanation for this matter. The First Miss of Qin’s mansion has been in touch with someone in your mansion for a long time. Obviously a coachman is just a lackey. A coachman couldn’t be in collusion with the First Miss Qin and help her plot against Duke Xing’s Mansion and pretend to be my granddaughter, right?”
Rui’an Great Elder Princess looked up at Madam Dowager with coldness and dignity in her eyes.
Qin Yuru pretended to be Shao Jiang’s daughter, but this bluegrass seal obviously belonged to Infanta Qinghua. So Rui’an Great Elder Princess actually made sense. If they were talking about Shao Jiang’s daughter, Old Madam could claim that it had nothing to do with Rui’an Great Elder Princess. However, if they were talking about Infanta Qinghua’s daughter, it must be related to Rui’an Great Elder Princess.
“Great Elder Princess, rest assured. We will give you an explanation,” Madam Dowager said and became increasingly sullen.
“Well, just do it quickly. Take this old maid away!” Rui’an Great Elder Princess stood up and said.
The two old maids behind her went over and held down the old maid who had been pushed into the room before.
“Great Elder Princess, what do you mean by doing that?” Madam Dowager said with a sneer.
“I didn’t mean anything. Since the coachman is in your mansion, I should interrogate this old maid guarding the carriage. It has something to do with Qinghua and her husband, so I think it reasonable for each of us to keep a suspect!” Rui’an Great Elder Princess said indifferently.
Old Madam trembled with anger. The suspects were found in Duke Xing’s Mansion, but before Duke Xing’s Mansion interrogated them, Rui’an Great Elder Princess took one of them away and claimed that she should keep one of them. She obviously didn’t trust Duke Xing’s Mansion.
Nevertheless, Rui’an Great Elder Princess actually made sense by saying that. After all, Qin Yuru intended to pretend to be the daughter of Shao Jiang and Infanta Qinghua.
“Great Elder Princess, you can do whatever you want!” Old Madam almost said through clenched teeth.
“Okay, I’ll leave now. Old Madam, please open the ancestral hall tomorrow and record Zhuozhuo in the pedigree. If you still think there’s something suspicious about Zhuozhuo’s identity, I can actually bring Zhuozhuo back to my mansion.” Great Elder Princess looked at Old Madam with sharp eyes, as if she didn’t see Old Madam’s angry face.
After that, she took the old maid away.
The captured old maid of Duke Xing’s Mansion intended to ask for help, but she had been gagged with a handkerchief and carried out by two old maids.
Old Madam got so furious that her face turned livid. She beat the table so hard that an apple fell from the fruit bowl, rolled to the corner of the table and fell heavily to the ground.
“Go to check it out. You must find out who intend to plot against our Duke Xing’s Mansion.” Old Madam almost said these words through clenched teeth. Although she said to Madam of Duke Xing, she indignantly watched Rui’an Great Elder Princess leaving.
It was her Mansion of Duke Xing, not Great Elder Princess’ Mansion. Rui’an Great Elder Princess just ignored her, but the matter seemed to be related to Duke Xing’s Mansion.
“Mother, rest assured. I’ll go to check it out now!” Madam of Duke Xing also watched Rui’an Great Elder Princess leaving with fear and secretly wiped her cold sweat.
Fortunately, she had followed her daughter’s advice to select new servants to perform tasks, and didn’t directly send her servants to assign them tasks, for fear of getting involved in this. Moreover, these two servants just did their jobs.
The old maid taken away by Rui’an Great Elder Princess was really in charge of the carriage and prevented anyone from approaching the carriage. It happened all of a sudden, so Madam of Duke Xing had no time to handle it.
Although she supposed that Qin Yuru should have prepared something. Otherwise, it was impossible that the Third Madam was so seriously injured, while Qin Yuru had just sprained her neck. However, she had no time to check Qin Yuru’s carriage at that time, and later things happened one after another. So she sent an old maid to find the old maid, who had just begun to work in the mansion, and told her to guard the carriage. She just told the old maid to prevent anyone from checking the carriage of Qin’s Mansion.
Of course the reason was that the carriage belonged to the other mansion.
From this point of view, what she did was right.
After thinking this out, Madam of Duke Xing felt relieved. She bid farewell to Old Madam and hurried to find the coachman. She had already dealt with the coachman, and believed that he should have left the capital at this time. She had paid him a large sum of money and instructed him to bump into the carriage of Qin’s Mansion.
She had handled it and arranged a route of retreat, so there would be no traces left. But even so, she still had to inquire about it seriously and look for the coachman.
“Madam, Madam, bad news. The coachman ran away. I went to ask other servants, and they said that he has gone after returning yesterday.” As soon as Madam of Duke Xing arrived at the door, she saw the old maid she had sent out rush over with her face changing dramatically and report to her breathlessly.