Chapter 512: Mutual Divorce (1)
He Sanlang stood up at this time, “Grandmother, leave it to me to investigate this matter.”
Matriarch He looked at her most accomplished and youngest grandson first, before glancing at the frowning He Changqi. She brooded over it for a moment before speaking, “This concerns the bloodline of our He Family, so I’ll let the two of you handle it.”
The brothers agreed in unison.
Thus, the morning interrogation was concluded.
Matriarch He ordered everyone to return to their respective courtyards.
Off in the side room next to the parlour of Qingxi Hall, Muxiang was listening to a maidservant’s report. There was a stormy expression on her pretty face. After the maidservant left, she took up the teapot on the small table beside her and smashed it on the ground.
The freshly brewed hot tea scattered all over the patterned carpet, soaking a large portion of it.
Her hands tightened into fists, reflecting the fury in her heart. She never would have thought that her meticulously planned trap would be solved so easily by Chu Lian.
Who exactly was that woman occupying her original body?!
Madam Zou returned to her own courtyard in a state of confusion and panic.
Senior Servant Qiao had a cup of tea ready for her master, but Madam Zou pushed it away.
Senior Servant Qiao had no choice but to put the sencha aside.
She attempted to comfort Madam Zou, “Eldest Young Madam, you must not panic at this time. Please don’t worry. The investigation hasn’t come upon any leads that would point to us and I’ve already taken care of that maidservant. Even if Eldest Young Master and Third Young Master suspect you, as long as you deny it, what can they do to you since they won’t be able to find any evidence?”
The panic that had flooded Madam Zou’s mind completely dissipated when she heard Senior Servant Qiao’s words.
She grabbed onto Senior Servant Qiao’s arm. Her voice became much calmer, “Yes, momo, you’re right. Even if they start investigating us, they won’t be able to do anything as long as we deny it!”
Senior Servant Qiao nodded, “That’s right. Eldest Young Madam, we can’t panic and make a mistake at such a crucial time.”
Right after they had finished talking, there was a burst of commotion from the outer room.
Madam Zou twitched as her body tensed up from a sudden rush of fear. She turned her head and looked at Senior Servant Qiao. Senior Servant Qiao frowned and patted Madam Zou’s hand to placate her, “Eldest Young Madam, please take a rest first. This old servant will go out to see what happened. Those brats are becoming more and more undisciplined.”
Madam Zou nodded her head wearily and leaned back on the soft lounge to rest.
Senior Servant Qiao lifted the curtains, only to see Jinshui kneeling in the middle of the room.
It was apparent that Jinshui had already been punished. There were bloodstains on both her hands and arms and she was crying as she laid sprawled on the floor.
Senior Servant Qiao’s heart thumped in alarm.
In a stiff motion, she raised her head to look towards the seats at the head of the room, where she was greeted with the sight of He Changqi and He Changdi. They were both looking down at her with ice-cold eyes.
The two brothers who looked nothing alike carried the same icy glint within their eyes at this moment.
“Senior Servant Qiao, bring Eldest Young Madam out here!” Despite the pleasant and husky tones of He Changdi’s voice, his words sounded like a death knell.
Senior Servant Qiao’s entire body turned to jelly. If she hadn’t been leaning against the doorframe, she would have hit the floor.
Despite her experience with these sorts of situations, she wasn’t able to remain calm when it came to facing these two brothers.
The voice she let out was shaky, “Eldest Young Master, Third Young Master, Eldest Young Madam, she… she just settled down to rest… If you need anything, just… just let this old servant know.”
“She still dares to rest?”
The temper of the normally calm He Changqi was out in full force now.
Although he had been disappointed with his wife, he had thought to make the best of it and just continue living in this way. However, Madam Zou had actually done something so despicable.
She had plotted to kill his child and placed the blame on her sister-in-law. What a ‘clever’ lady-in-charge.
Senior Servant Qiao could tell with one glance that the current situation was really bad.
She glared fiercely at Jinshui, who was still prone on the ground. With a loud roar, she jumped on the hapless handmaid and started beating her up.
“You little bitch! What did you say to Eldest Young Master and Third Young Master! You caused a misunderstanding between them and Eldest Young Madam! You’re a bitch who betrayed your own master. I’m going to beat you to death today!”
Senior Servant Qiao instantly turned into a madwoman. She held Jinshui up and started to pummel her brutally.
Her actions were so sudden that even He Changdi and He Changqi didn’t manage to stop her in time.
Jinshui had already received punishment from the brothers and was lying on the ground half-dead. She didn’t have any strength to resist Senior Servant Qiao, so she received several heavy blows full-on.
Luckily, Laiyue swiftly ordered the guards beside him to separate them. If not, Senior Servant Qiao would really have beaten Jinshui to death.
Jinshui coughed several times in pain. When she finally recovered a little, she sent a wrathful glare at Senior Servant Qiao, “You’re trying to kill me to get rid of all the witnesses! I’m not going to let you have your way! I’m telling you now, even if I die, I’m going to drag both of you down with me!”
Senior Servant Qiao’s expression changed. She knew that their plan had failed because she hadn’t succeeded in silencing Jinshui.
Her hair was in a mess because of the fight just now. Several strands had fallen out of her bun and now covered half of her face.
Under the cover of her hair, various emotions flashed over her face. In the end, she gritted her teeth as if she had finally made a decision. She turned around and hugged He Changqi’s leg, wailing loudly, “Eldest Young Master, this old servant was responsible for everything. It has nothing to do with Eldest Young Madam. This old servant came up with the idea while blinded by greed. It was also this old servant who schemed against Third Young Madam. You and Eldest Young Madam have been married for so many years, so you should understand her personality. Although she’s competitive, she’s not calculating in the slightest. She wouldn’t dare conspire to harm the bloodline!”
Senior Servant Qiao was choking on her sobs, “It’s this servant who couldn’t stand it anymore. This servant planned everything because this servant doesn’t want Eldest Young Madam to continue suffering injustice. This old servant is Eldest Young Madam’s nursemaid. Eldest Young Madam didn’t say anything because she wanted to protect this servant. Eldest Young Master, please consider the many years of affection as husband and wife between you and Eldest Young Madam, as well as Little An and Little Lin, and spare Eldest Young Madam this time!”
